Review this list of words and context sentences to find the word that matches the definition below.
Very gloomy; ill-tempered
brusque (brŭsk) -adjective
- Rose lost her job as a receptionist because she was so brusque with people who called. The office replaced her with someone who spoke more politely.
- Although Enrique seems brusque when you first meet him, he’s really just shy with people he doesn’t know well. After you talk with him awhile, he becomes more relaxed and friendly.
dispassionate (dĭs-păshə-nĭt) -adjective- The surgeon’s voice was dispassionate when he told the patient’s family that the operation had failed, but despite his calm tone, his eyes looked very sad.
- “Historians are supposed to be dispassionate,” the speaker apologized, “but when my topic is the horrors of slavery, I find it difficult to keep my feelings hidden.”
effervescent (ĕf′ər-vĕsənt) -adjective
- The teacher could hardly be described as effervescent. She droned on about the world economy in a dreary voice, never looking up from her notes.
- Marnie is on the way to stardom. When her play opened last night, the critics raved about her “effervescent charm,” saying that she “lit up the stage.”
indefatigable (ĭn′dĭ-fătĭ-gə-bəl) -adjective
- When Mona and her friend Patty get together, they are indefatigable talkers. They chat endlessly and tirelessly about everything.
- Seemingly indefatigable, hummingbirds can fly 1,300 miles without a break during their winter migration to Central America.
misanthrope (mĭsən-thrōp′) -noun
- Molière’s play The Misanthrope is about a man, named Alceste, who is enraged and disgusted by his fellow humans. To put it briefly, Alceste hates everyone.
- One of our neighbors is a true misanthrope. She doesn't have any friends; in fact, she looks at everyone as an enemy.
morose (mə-rōs) -adjective
- After his owner died, the once cheerful dog became morose, spending his days curled up at the foot of his owner's bed.
- Miguel always becomes morose after he sees a sad movie. Since “tearjerkers” make him feel so dreary and depressed, you’d think he’d stop going to them.
nonchalance (nŏn′shə-läns) -noun- Nonchalance is not appropriate behind the wheel of a car. An automobile is not a toy to be played with casually; it is a dangerous machine to be handled with concentration.
- Trying to create an impression of nonchalance despite his nervousness, Hollis strolled to the speaker’s stand, smiling and whistling a little tune.
progeny (prŏjə-nē) -noun- In the wonderful children’s book Charlotte’s Web, Charlotte, the spider, dies, but several of her progeny stay to befriend Charlotte’s beloved Wilbur, the pig.
- Grandfather worked at two jobs in order to provide food and clothing for his many progeny—three sons and six daughters.
stoic (stōĭk) -adjective- My dog’s reaction to getting his yearly shots is hardly stoic. It takes the vet and two assistants to hold him down, and he howls as if he’s being torn to pieces.
- “Some patients’ stoic response to illness or injury is truly amazing,” the doctor said. “No matter what happens, they remain calm and courageous.”
voracious (vô-rāshəs) -adjective
- Beagles are voracious eaters—their owners say they will eat anything that’s not nailed down—so they tend to become fat unless they get enough exercise.
- Ginny has a voracious appetite for news. She checks three news apps on her phone every morning and gets text alerts from them all day.