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About This Quiz
You might think you have the kind of vocabulary that could put Merriam or Webster to shame, but can you prove it? Without using a dictionary or a thesaurus, are you still the biggest word nerd you know after this quiz? We want to you put your money where your mouth is during this quiz and show us your word nerd stuff.Â
As we spell and define our way through this vocabulary quiz, we have created some intense and challenging questions. We know you are smart, but can you beat one of the toughest vocabulary tests put out on the internet? With a little effort and a lot of thought, we think you can do it. We haven't made it so tough that you'll get frustrated, but we've made hard enough that you will have total bragging rights if you pass it.
Make sure you are properly hydrated before you begin. Your brain needs to be functioning at top performance as you try to prove to us that you deserve to be in the vocabulary hall of fame. Will you impress yourself, or will you need to try again? Now's the chance to get proof of your brilliance. Can you do it?
What does the word apex mean?
I think it's a band.
It means the pinnacle or top.
If you are standing at the apex of your career, you are at the very top. If you are just starting out, you are at the bottom or the base of career mountain.
It's a shape.
It's a cleaning product.
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If your friend is wearing tawdry jewelry, what kind of jewelry is she wearing?
Fancy
Expensive
Gaudy
If your friend is wearing tawdry jewelry, you might have a hard time keeping your mouth shut. Tawdry means cheap and gaudy looking.
Exquisite
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Finish this sentence: At the opening, Susanne was congenial and _______.
Contagious
Friendly
When Susanne was at the opening, she was both congenial and friendly. If she were aloof or contagious, she may not have been able to make the sale.
Aloof
Distant
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The campground's accommodations were not lavish. What is the opposite of lavish?
Austere
Expecting to find lavish accommodations at a campground will surely meet with disappointment. Unless you are going glamping, most campgrounds have austere provisions to enhance your oneness with nature.
Posh
Fancy
Impeccable
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Fill in the blank: Despite her age, Angie was being quite childish and ______.
Mature
Intelligent
Experienced
Puerile
Although Angie should have been on her best behavior, she was behaving in a childish and puerile manner. If someone forgot your dessert, you might behave the same way, too.
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If you are so angry you are speaking your mind, what else are you?
Drunk
Content
Alluring
Impassioned
When something gets under your skin, it is quite easy to become impassioned by it. Being impassioned means that something has struck a nerve and you are consumed by it.
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Which word is the antonym of dire?
Encouraging
Finding yourself in a dire situation means that things do not look encouraging. In fact, dire means that the situation is ominous, grim, and possibly catastrophic.
Dismal
Catastrophic
Grim
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Zori was filled with trepidation. She was full of ______.
Apprehension
Zori's trepidation came from an apprehensive feeling she had inside. She did not feel calm, certain or faithful that the storm would pass safely.
Certainty
Calm
Faith
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Jose was feeling exasperated by his twin daughters' bad behavior. How was Jose feeling?
Jose was feeling sleepy.
Jose was feeling hungry.
Jose was feeling annoyed.
Despite Jose's best efforts to keep his twin daughters on their best behavior, he was annoyed and exasperated by their mischief. If he were feeling impassioned by it, he would be participating.
Jose was feeling impassioned.
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Which word means secret and sly?
Aboveboard
Honest
Furtive
In most offices, there's a furtive and secretive affair taking place between coworkers. They are always trying to keep it secret, but everyone knows because they are so transparent.
Transparent
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Which word also means important?
Trivial
Imperative
It's important and imperative to take good care of yourself. You are not secondary, inessential or trivial. You are the only you that you will ever have.
Secondary
Inessential
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Carla kept meandering around the parking lot. What was Carla doing?
She was being rude to people.
She was scoping out cars.
She was looking for someone.
She was wandering through the parking lot.
Instead of making a beeline for her car, Carla chose to meander through the parking lot's aisles. Carla decides to wander around instead of taking the direct path.
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Which word means a very steep cliff?
Shoreline
Precipice
When you are standing on the precipice, you are standing on the edge of a steep cliff. Often used in a metaphorical sense, a precipice indicates the edge of something.
Knoll
Plateau
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Andrew was upset about the scarcity of donuts left in the break room. What kind of donuts were left?
An inadequate amount
Andrew arrived to work late; consequently, the scarcity of morning donuts was not enough. Andrew missed out on getting his favorite because there were few donuts left.
Outdated and stale
A grouping with several varieties
Damaged and ugly
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Charlie was so excited that he kept jabbering. What was Charlie doing?
Charlie was shaking.
Charlie was hyperventilating.
Charlie was crying.
Charlie was talking excitedly.
Charlie was so excited about his promotion that he was talking so fast his coworkers became annoyed by his jabbering. If you are jabbering, you are talking incessantly with enthusiasm.
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Fill in the blank: Marie approaches her work with enthusiasm and ______.
Apathy
Neuroticism
Gusto
Marie loves her job so much that she approaches every day with enthusiasm and gusto. She is passionate about her job, and she would never dream of approaching it with apathy.
Trepidation
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Finish this sentence: The students wanted clear direction, but the professor's instructions were ______.
Obscure
Although the students wanted to understand the instructions, the professor gave them obscure guidelines. The students felt that the instructions were poorly expressed and unclear.
Obvious
Intermittent
Precise
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Which word is the antonym of plenteous?
Abundant
Overstocked
Scant
When you have a plenteous supply of pencils on your desk, you have an abundance of them. When your coworkers steal them, you are left with a scant supply.
Fruitful
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Fill in the blank: After her trip, Rosita had to let her jet lag _____ before she could go back to work.
Subside
After Rosita's trip, she could only wait and let the jet lag subside on its own. When something subsides, it decreases or goes away after a while.
Increase
Mutate
Ruminate
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Which word means brief, sharp and to the point?
Long-winded
Verbose
Polite
Terse
Everyone has that one terse friend that we have to warn others about. Our terse friends lack the ability to put things any less than bluntly and with sharpened honesty.
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Marco loved the chowder, but he did think it was a little brackish. What does brackish mean?
Thick
Salty
Marco liked the clam chowder, but he also found it a little salty and brackish. When something is brackish, it has a slightly salty flavor.
Runny
Stale
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Finish this sentence: Zack felt like his paper was finally moving forward and making ______.
Money
Headway
Despite all his efforts, Zack felt that he would never finish his paper. Through his hard work, he finally felt as though he was making headway and moving forward nicely.
Sense
Mistakes
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Accountants are known for being meticulous. What does meticulous mean?
Uptight
Drab
Messy
Careful
We cannot think of anyone who would want an accountant who is anything less than meticulous. It's important that they are careful with every detail of an account.
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No one likes the weekly meeting because the boss is so verbose. What is the boss?
Wordy
There's no better way to start off the work week than listening to the boss's verbose and wordy speeches. It would be nice if coffee were allowed in the meeting room.
Rude
Loud
Confusing
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If you are experiencing a glitch, you are also experiencing what?
An advantage
A thunderstorm
A snafu
If you are experiencing a glitch in your plans, you are also experiencing a snafu. If things are running perfectly, you have not hit a snag in your plans.
A computer problem
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Which word means to gather or pull together?
Segregate
Muster
When you are mustering the strength to get ready for work in the morning, you are pulling yourself together. You are not separating yourself from the task at hand.
Insinuate
Implore
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Despite her struggles, Julia kept her school record clean. Which word also means clean?
Pristine
Julia worked really hard to keep her grades up and her school record pristine. She wanted nothing more than a perfect report given to her chosen schools.
Hidden
Average
Private
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What would you call someone who lives in solitude?
Sociable
Unanimous
Recluse
A person who lives in solitude and who does not go out much is considered a recluse. Many folks simply prefer quieter, more reclusive lives.
Infamous
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The durian fruit has a pungent odor. What does pungent mean?
Acrid
The durian fruit is certainly not known for its pleasant or enticing smell. In fact, its pungent and acrid odor is enough to make some people turn down the chance to try it.
Pleasant
Earthy
Enticing
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Joy had quite a swagger in her new coat. What did joy have?
Fun
A proud walk
Joy was feeling good in her new coat. She walked through the mall so proudly, her friends accused her of having a celebrity swagger.
A lot of compliments
A matching scarf
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Doing dishes is a monotonous task. What kind of task is it?
Necessary
Messy
Dull
Although many of our daily tasks could be considered dull, repetitive, and monotonous, dishes is our least favorite around here. We would rather watch paint dry.
Inferior
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Finish this sentence: German shepherds are great guard dogs because they are ______.
Vigilant
German shepherds are completely furry, big and friendly. They are known for being good watchdogs because they are vigilant, and they like to observe the world around them.
Furry
Friendly
Big
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After an accident, what do insurance companies pay injured folks?
Deductibles
Copayments
Restitution
Insurance companies pay restitution to those who have been injured in an accident. They do make make copayments or deductibles.
Respect
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Loretta has an uncanny way of remembering everyone's birthdays. What does uncanny mean?
Open and refreshing
Harsh and mean
Rude and insensitive
Out of the ordinary
Loretta's ability to remember everyone's birthdays is quite unusual or uncanny. It seems impossible that anyone could remember that many dates.
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Ruby tried to quell the rumors about her boyfriend. What did Ruby do?
Ruby tried to find out the truth.
Ruby tried to quiet the rumors.
The rumors about Ruby's boyfriend were hurtful. Ruby tried her best to quell and to quiet them by making sure her friends new the truth.
Ruby used the rumors in an argument.
Ruby spread more rumors.
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You Got:
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