1. circumspect: careful; cautious; prudent. The original meaning of this word was “to look about.” A person who “looks about” is cautious-hence, circumspect.2. demure: modest; shy. It comes from a Latin word that means “mature” or “proper”
3. dispassionate: fair; impartial; calm.
4. dolorous: painful; mournful
5. edacious: devouring; consuming. It comes from the Latin edere (“to eat”)
6. effete: worn out; spent and sterile. The Latin word effetus means “that which has brought forth offspring”
7. feisty: touchy; excitable; quarrelsome
8. flaccid: weak; feeble; flabby.
9. flippant: disrespectful; saucy; impertinent.
10. florid: ruddy; rosy; ornate. Florid also means “highly-colored,” which reveals its connection with the Latin word for flower, floris.
11. glabrous: bald, smooth
12. imperious: overbearing; arrogant; domineering. It is easy to see the relationship of this word to emperor.
13. ingenious: clever; original; inventive; resourceful.
14. intractable: hard to manage; unruly; stubborn.
15. intransigent: uncompromising; refusing to come to an agreement.
Exercises
Which Word Comes to Mind?
In each of the following, read the statement, then circle the word that comes to mind.
1. A married man takes his secretary to a dark restaurant.
(florid, circumspect, intransigent)
2. My father is the absolute boss in our house
(dispassionate, glabrous, imperious)
3. An argument is in progress; neither side wants to give in.
(intractable, flaccid, edacious)
4. The night club comedian upset his conservation audience
(flippant, dolorous, effete)
5. A blush stole over the teenager’s cheek.
(feisty, ingenious, demure)
6. Our pit bull is hard to handle
(feisty, circumspect, flippant)
7. The inventor devised a gadget that can work miracles
(glabrous, florid, ingenious)
8. She cried at the sad organ music
(effete, edacious, dolorous)
9. Not much hair for the barber to cut
(flaccid, glabrous, demure)
10. We’ll never give in
(intransigent, dispassionate, edacious)
II. True or False?
In the space provided, indicate whether each statement is true or false
____ 1. Intransigent people are definitely intractable
____ 2. A glabrous person is usually vain about his attractive hair
____ 3. The winner’s headquarters was filled with dolorous sounds when the victory was announced
____ 4. Julius Caesar’s imperious manner befitted his position as a dictator.
____ 5. Clark Kent’s effete appearance was a way of disguising his true identity as Superman.
____ 6. Shut away from sunlight for two years, Vanya’s face had a florid glow.
____ 7. After strenuous gym workouts, my cousin’s muscles are no longer flaccid.
____ 8. Quentin’s flippant responses caused him to be suspended from school.
____ 9. The English actor impressed us with his circumspect behavior and reserved manners.
____ 10. Dolorous music tends to liven up any party.
III. Fill in the blank
Insert one of the new words in the proper space in each sentence below.
1. Surprisingly, it was a teenager who devised an ____________solution to the scheduling problem.
2. The ______________baseball manager was ejected after pushing the umpire.
3. Several irate customers complained about the ___________ attitudes of our salespeople.
4. When the private detective was hired, he was reminded of the need to be__________.
5. Private Williams had to do fifty push-ups because of his _________answers to Sergeant Doyle.
6. Our pleas were in vain because Ernesto had adopted an _____________ position.
7. The transition from hard-bitten cynic to a ___________ young thing was unrealistic.
8. As we approached the funeral parlor, ____________music greeted our ears.
9. Baseball umpires are expected to be ______________ in rendering their decisions.
10. Governor Walsh’s pompous acceptance speech was filled with _________language.
IV. What’s the Antonym?
Which of the new words is most nearly opposite in meaning to the one provided?
1. careless ___________________
2. virile ___________________
3. hairy ___________________
4. flexible ___________________
5. pale ___________________
6. opinionated ___________________
7. arrogant ___________________
8. dull ___________________
9. respectful ___________________
10. calm ___________________
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