Issues like abortion and gay marriage always seem to ( ) emotional responses from people on both sides of the coin.
ignite
infatuate
pundit
gloat
The property was bought with ( ) money.
laundered
retorted
faltered
lingered
Clara is comfortably ( ) in a beach chair and has no immediate plans to return to work.
ensconced
bolstered
slaughtered
plundered
Because of water ( ) my stomach appears swollen.
retention
hydration
conflation
cessation
The murderer tried to use an ( ) defense to convince the jury that he was out of his mind at the time of the killing.
insanity
causality
hostility
futility
After the blind man played a perfect sonata on the piano, the crowd gave him a standing ( ).
ovation
supplication
genuflection
infatuation
Judging other people simply based on their race or ethnicity is outright ( ) and should not be allowed.
bigotry
authenticity
mimicry
depravity
The selfish king is amused when poor people ( ) at his feet and ask for favors.
grovel
hovel
shovel
trowel
As a modern civilization, we need to make progress towards equality for all and not ( ) into an age of endless civil rights violations.
regress
digress
egress
ingress
The road construction will definitely ( ) major traffic delays during rush hour.
instigate
propagate
profligate
navigate
After being ( ), the death row inmate was freed from his jail cell.
exonerated
capitulated
taunted
unscathed
Because she raised him as a single parent, Brian had both admiration and ( ) for his awe-inspiring mother.
veneration
sensation
approbation
probation
In the cafeteria, the students rush through the lines and ( ) to get the best tables near the windows.
jostle
frazzle
dazzle
sizzle
Eddie has a tendency to ( ) his entire allowance on comic books and action figures.
squander
render
coriander
colander
The pretty woman’s ( ) was so kind that Jared did not feel bad when she turned down his offer to dance.
rebuff
buffer
proffer
muffler
Because the wedding dress is ( ) with pearls and diamonds, it is valued at nearly half a million dollars.
ornate
ornery
erroneous
bruin
I thought that ( ) plants were supposed to grow from year to year, but I’ve had to plant new seedlings of this flower every spring.
perennial
millennial
Centennial
perineal
If the politicians cannot reach a ( ) on the energy bill in the next few hours, they will have to continue their discussion after the holiday break.
consensus
census
sensual
consequential
In the past, the belief that the world was flat was completely ( ) yet could not be disproven.
groundless
needless
heedless
peerless
Even though Terry was ( ) with his coworker, he was too shy to express his feelings.
infatuated
situated
attenuated
resuscitated
My husband has a weak stomach and becomes ( ) whenever he sees blood.
squeamish
blemish
famish
ravenous
Although Bill has an advanced degree, he has no problem performing ( ) work as a cashier to provide for his family.
menial
sinecure
genial
epicure
Unless you are an expert skier, you should avoid the ( ) mountain known as the Skier Slayer.
treacherous
lecherous
cantankerous
sonorous
Since James arrived at the doctor’s office an hour early, he decided to ( ) outside for a while.
loiter
liter
litter
goiter
The air traffic controller panicked when the plane began to ( ) off course and radioed to see if anything was wrong.
veer
careen
leer
seer