1. Acidulous: somewhat acid or sour2. Baleful: deadly; sinister.
3. Bellicose: warlike; of a quarrelsome nature
4. Bilious: bad-tempered; bitter. It comes form the French word bilis (“bile”), the fluid secreted by the liver
5. Bumptious: arrogant; disagreeably conceited.
6. Captious: critical; quick to find fault; quibbling.
7. Churlish: boorish; surly. This adjective comes from “churl,” the old word for a peasant.
8. Complaisant: willing to please; tending to consent to others’ wishes.
9. Contrite: crushed in spirit by a feeling of guilt.
10. Convivial: festive; sociable.
11. Craven: cowardly
12. Debonair: courteous, gracious and having a sophisticated charm; suave; urbane. In Old French the words were de bon aire (“of a good race or breed”)
13. Dyspeptic: grouchy; gloomy; a person who suffers from dyspepsia or indigestion.
14. Lachrymose: sad; mournful; inclined to shed many tears.
15. Neurasthenic: having emotional conflicts that lead to weakness and depression.
Exercises
I. Which Word Comes to Mind?
In each of the following, read the statement, then circle the word that comes to mind
1. A defendant’s attitude that impresses the jury (debonair, contrite, acidulous)
2. An ill-tempered waiter (complaisant, craven, churlish)
3. Physical ailments that stem from worry (baleful, neurasthenic, bumptious)
4. A person suffering from indigestion (dyspeptic, bellicose, captious)
5. An angry boss insulting his workers (lachrymose, bilious, convivial)
6. Someone with a chip on his or her shoulder (bellicose, craven, complaisant)
7. A tearful movie (captious, lachrymose, churlish)
8. Stealing from the blind man (bumptious, craven, dyspeptic)
9. After the prank, the college boys apologize (contrite, convivial, bilious)
10. Giving someone a hotfoot as a practical joke (churlish, debonair, acidulous)
II. True or False?
In the spaces provided, indicate whether each statement is true or false.
__1. A craven leader inspires respect in his followers.
__2. Citizens are pleased to see a criminal who is contrite.
__3. Captious people often split hairs.
__4. It’s difficult for a gawky 14-year-old to look debonair.
__5. By displaying proper etiquette, one can expect to be praised for one’s churlishness.
__6. The children’s lachrymose behavior at the funeral was understandable.
__7. Arthur’s bumptious remarks at the dinner embarrassed his roommate.
__8. We always maintained a bellicose relationship with our good neighbor, Canada.
__9. The acidulous reviews led the producers to close the play after two performances.
__10. The tone at most New Years parties is quite convivial.
III. Fill in the Blank
Insert one of the new words in the proper space in each sentence below.
1. The entire audience was sobbing as the curtain came down on the __________ending.
2. Some patriots labeled the refusal to join the army as a _________action.
3. I hate dining with ________people who criticize everything the chef prepares.
4. Our normally peaceful terrier turns ________whenever the letter carrier arrives.
5. The choral singing and the beautiful decorations lent a ________flavor to our party.
6. Mel was told that a psychiatrist might cure his _________symptoms.
7. Benjy’s __________attitude endeared him to his teammates.
8. At game time, the nervous coach displayed a ________ demeanor.
9. Rocco’s _______ glare intimidated me.
10. I like to tease __________ characters who are swollen by their imagined importance.
IV. What’s the Antonym?
Which of the new words is most nearly opposite in meaning to the one provided?
1. peaceful ____________
2. happy ____________
3. congenial ____________
4. contrary ____________
5. polite ____________
6. sweet-tempered ____________
7. humble ____________
8. well-mannered ____________
9. heroic ____________
10. well-adjusted ____________
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