DEFINITION CONTEXT CLUES
Her apology was so conciliatory, meant to calm everyone down and restore peace after the argument.
Conciliatory = intended to pacify
She accepted the internship with such alacrity that her eagerness surprised the entire panel.
Alacrity ≈ eagerness
Instead of responding with levity, or a lack of seriousness, he suddenly became solemn and focused.
Levity = lack of seriousness (clue gives opposite)
The hallway was so garish—bright neon lights, clashing colors, and shiny decorations—that students shielded their eyes.
Garish = overly bright and showy
After hours of debate, they chose to capitulate, finally giving in and accepting the terms.
Capitulate = surrender
Because he felt completely diffident, he avoided speaking in front of the class due to his lack of confidence.
Diffident = lacking self-confidence
Her decorous behavior—polite, proper, and respectful—impressed the interview panel.
Decorous ≈ well-mannered/proper
His calm, controlled response was the opposite of obstreperous behavior, which is noisy and defiant.
Obstreperous = noisy, difficult to control
His explanation was full of prevarication, dodging the truth with vague and unclear statements.
Prevaricate = avoid the truth / be deliberately unclear
Because his actions were gratuitous, the punishment felt unnecessary and unprovoked.
Gratuitous = unwarranted / uncalled for
The heat wave caused widespread lassitude, a feeling of exhaustion and low energy.
Lassitude = tiredness/lack of energy
Because he was known for his sagacity, students often asked him for wise, thoughtful advice.
Sagacity ≈ wisdom/good judgment
The teacher expected deep thinking, not a cursory glance that was quick and lacking detail.
Cursory = hasty and superficial
The hero’s sublime speech filled the crowd with awe and admiration.
Sublime = inspiring awe
The rumor seemed ephemeral, disappearing almost as quickly as it started.
Ephemeral = short-lived
Her remark created consternation, leaving the entire room in a state of shocked confusion.
Consternation = sudden dismay or confusion
The room felt venerable, filled with objects that commanded respect due to age and history.
Venerable ≈ respected due to age
Unlike her normally reticent personality—quiet and reserved—today she openly shared her opinions.
Reticent = not talkative
The story described a vicarious experience, like feeling fear while reading about someone else's danger.
Vicarious = experienced secondhand
He felt pique, a sharp emotional response triggered by her dismissive comment.
Pique = provoke an emotion
The argument sounded specious—it seemed logical at first, but fell apart once examined closely
Specious = seemingly true but actually fals
Her comments were incredibly trenchant—sharp, cutting, and intellectually powerful.
Sharp, clear, and forceful in expression; cutting and highly effective at making a point
He was anything but supercilious; instead of acting superior, he treated everyone with humility.
Supercilious = arrogant, superior
The scientist noticed only a vestige of evidence—a tiny trace showing something had once existed.
Vestige = trace or remnant
Her argument was so esoteric that only students who had studied philosophy could understand it
Esoteric = understood by a small, specialized group