The Anthropocene Reviewed Vocabulary Quiz

Vocabulary Notes

• Verbiage: Refers to excessively lengthy or technical speech or writing that can detract from clarity.
• Perpetually: Describes an action occurring constantly, without end or change.
• Anachronistic: Highlights something placed in a time period where it does not belong, often creating a historical inconsistency.
• Prolific: Describes a person, plant, or animal that produces a significant amount of output or offspring.
• Resonant: Pertains to deep and clear sounds that continue to reverberate.
• Unambiguously: Means expressing a thought or idea clearly, without room for multiple interpretations.
• Insistence: Indicates a firm conviction that something is true or should occur.
• Roam: Refers to wandering or traveling aimlessly across a wide area.
• Destabilizing: Describes an act that disrupts stability, potentially causing unrest within a region or system.
• Bouts: Refers to short, intense periods of a specific activity.

Psychological and Physical States

• Vertigo: A condition characterized by a sensation of spinning or dizziness, often linked with looking down from height or inner ear issues.
• Viscerality: Relates to the physical realm, emphasizing tangible experiences rather than abstract or virtual ones.
• Precarious: Indicates an insecure position, suggesting vulnerability to collapse or failure.
• Absurd: Describes ideas or situations that are illogical or unreasonable.
• Omniscient: Suggests knowing everything, often used to describe an all-knowing perspective.
• Abiding: Describes memories or feelings that endure over time.
• Discern: Refers to the ability to recognize or identify something distinctly.
• Ubiquitous: Describes something present or existing everywhere.

Concepts of Existence and Society

• Antecedent: Refers to an event or thing that precedes another logically or chronologically.
• Abound: Indicates the presence of a large quantity of something.
• Trite: Describes remarks or ideas that lack originality due to overuse.
• Strewn: Means to be scattered untidily across an area.

Actions and Processes

• Etch: Refers to the process of engraving on surfaces like metal or glass, utilizing a needle and acid for printing.
• Exaltation: Represents a state of extreme happiness or elevation of spirit.
• Adversity: Describes challenging or unpleasant circumstances.

Communication and Perception

• Assertion: Denotes a confident statement of fact or belief.
• Nebulous: Indicates something vague or unclear in form.
• Enduring: Suggests lasting effects over time.
• Coalesce: Refers to coming together to form one whole entity.
• Agonizing: Describes causing significant physical or mental pain.

Spatial and Temporal Relations

• Sprawled: Describes a position of limbs laid out awkwardly.
• Compelled: Indicates being forced or obliged to do something.
• Contemplation: Refers to the prolonged act of thoughtful observation or consideration.
• Commensurate: Highlights a correspondence in size or degree.

Social and Economic Terms

• Patriotic: Shows devotion and strong support for one's country.
• Entitled: Expresses a belief in deserving privileges or special treatment.
• Capitalism: An economic system where trade and industry are privately controlled for profit.
• Foul: Describes something that offends the senses, usually through odor or taste.

Conditions and Changes

• Abortive: Refers to something failing to achieve its intended result.
• Parse: The act of breaking down a sentence into its grammatical components.
• Oblivious: Refers to being unaware of one's surroundings or situation.
• Inundated: Means being overwhelmed with tasks or responsibilities.

Health and Safety

• Amputation: Surgical removal of a limb.
• Meticulous: Indicates great attention to detail in actions or work.
• Abominable: Describes something that causes moral disgust.
• Virtuous: Highlights possessive qualities of righteousness or moral excellence.

Psychological States and Behavior

• Compulsive: Reflects an obsessive behavior or thought process.
• Susceptible: Indicates vulnerability to being influenced or harmed.
• Akin: Describes being related by blood or sharing similar characteristics.

Processes and Qualities

• Render: The act of making something happen or to deliver formally.
• Mundane: Describes something dull or lacking excitement.
• Mauled: Refers to wounding through scratching or tearing.
• Contingent: Subject to chance or conditions.

Emotional and Reactions

• Redeeming: Refers to compensating for flaws or negatives.
• Exemplified: Describes being a typical example of a particular characteristic.
• Borne: Indicates being carried or transferred by something.

Communication and Response

• Hearken: Refers to the act of listening attentively.
• Wistfully: Describes a lingering sense of regretful longing.
• Berm: A flat strip of land or raised bank near a body of water.
• Cacophony: Describes a harsh mixture of sounds.

Fluid Dynamics and Motion

• Churning: Refers to vigorous motion, particularly of liquids.
• Ceaseless: Indicates something that is constant and never-ending.
• Meander: Describes the winding course of a river or pathway.
• Coalesces: Indicates the act of merging into one whole again.

Common Expressions and Characteristics

• Cliched: Lacking originality due to repetitive phrases or ideas.
• Ostentatious: Describes displays intended to impress others.
• Menace: Refers to something or someone that poses a threat.
• Gauzy: Describes something thin and translucent like gauze.

Other Terms

• Convex: Refers to a surface that curves outward like the exterior of a circle.
• Avert: Means to turn away from something undesirable.
• Lest: Indicates a precaution to prevent undesirable events.
• Presumably: Suggests a likelihood based on reasonable assumptions.
• Assert: A command to state facts confidently.
• Mawkish: Describes exaggerated sentimentality.
• Saccharine: Indicates excessive sweetness, often in an insincere way.
• Earnest: Reflects sincere conviction in belief or action.
• Somehow: Indicates a vague or unspecified means of achieving something.
• Notion: Refers to a concept or belief about a particular subject.
• Devour: Describes consuming something eagerly or quickly.
• Cynicism: Characterized by skepticism toward people’s motives or sincerity.
• Scheme: Refers to a devised plan for achieving something.
• Yearn: Describes having an intense desire for something.
• Reliance: Refers to trust or dependency on someone or something.
• Starry: Describes a sky filled with stars.
• Provocative: Means inciting a strong reaction, often intentionally.
• Harbor: A safe refuge for ships to anchor.
• Regale: To entertain someone in a lively manner.
• Faux: Indicates imitation or artificiality.
• Benevolent: Describes generous or charitable behavior.
• Retrospect: A review or survey of past events.
• Precipice: Refers to a steep cliff or rock face.
• Default: Indicates a failure to meet obligations.
• Unscrupulous: Describes a lack of morals or ethical principles.
• Whereupon: Refers to something happening immediately after another event.
• Endowed: Indicates possessing a quality or attribute.
• Vitriol: Refers to harsh or bitter criticism.
• Pedigree: Refers to an individual’s recorded ancestry or lineage.