What is the Right Word for Such People? Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Your older sister is actively religious. Sometimes, however, she goes too far. She comments freely on what she sees as your bad behaviour, often quoting religious texts "for your own good". What is the right word for her?

Answer: Sanctimonious

"Sanctimonious" has its root in the Latin word "sanctus", which means holy. While some sanctimonious people may be genuinely pious and well-meaning, the word is more usually applied to connote an appearance of goodness, or even a hypocritical devoutness.

2. You take your municipal tax problem to a friend who works in City Hall. Flippantly he says not to worry yourself, to leave it with him since he has lots of influence with the Mayor. What is the right word for him?

Answer: Panjandrum

"Panjandrum" means any pretentious person or official, but particularly a person involved in a large bureaucracy, e.g. City Hall! There is a sense, when using this word, that panjandrums do not always have the power they believe themselves to have and are more concerned with impressing others with the idea that they do have influence.

3. Having a chat over the fence with your neighbour is a difficult experience. He tends to be very dogmatic in his opinions, so that what could be a pleasant few minutes of conversation turns into a bore. What is the right word for him?

Answer: Pontificator

While the word "pontificator" has its main roots in religious terminology, i.e. the state of being the pontiff (Pope), it also has developed a secular meaning of behaving or speaking dogmatically. Pontificators are not usually good conversationalists.

They are far too concerned with forcefully stating their opinions and ideas and will brook neither opposition nor interjection. Avoid your fence I say!

4. You are the eldest one of three sisters. You and your youngest sister argue and bicker all the time. Your other sister, the middle one, constantly steps in to settle the issues and to offer suggestions for coming to an agreement. What is the right word for her?

Answer: Adjudicator

"Adjudicator" has its roots in two Latin words, "adjudico" meaning to give sentence, and "judico", meaning to judge. While many adjudicators formally are part of various legal systems, sometimes adjudicators are more informally useful, as is this middle sister in the example offered.

While she is not sitting in judgement, although she could be, she is assisting with settling issues and disagreements. A genuine middle-born of three children.

5. Your uncle gives flowers to your aunt twice a week. He will only watch movies she wants to see, even if the big game is on TV at the same time. He immediately performs any household tasks she regularly asks of him. What is the right word for him?

Answer: Uxorious

The Latin word for wife "uxor" was one of the first Latin words I ever learned when I was at high school over 55 years ago! Hence we have the word "uxorious" which means excessively, even foolishly, fond of one's wife. The word is sometimes used in a negative fashion to indicate more than mere doting and closer to being "hen-pecked" or "whipped".

However, the negativity of the word depends on the context in which it is used, and the person who is using it.

6. You read about a drunk driver being found guilty of injuring a pedestrian who is now confined to a wheelchair. Apparently the driver had several prior arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol and was banned from driving at the time of the accident. What is the right word for this driver?

Answer: Reprobate

"Reprobate" comes from the Latin word "reprobatus" which means disapproved, or rejected. It can be used to indicate a person who is depraved, or wicked, or in its mildest form to mean unprincipled. For the situation described in the question text, all of those meanings apply.

For those of you who answered "reptile", you have a point! I have read of such cases more than once, that is, a driver who was not supposed to be driving at the time when he/she injured or killed another driver or pedestrian.

7. Your work colleague is always flattering the boss, offering to get coffee, running personal errands and behaving in many other servile ways not directly related to the project at hand. What is the right word for your colleague?

Answer: Lickspittle

"Lickspittle" is one of my favourite words of all time! It is so, so very appropriate for the situation described in the question. It means a despicable sycophant (look that word up to add to your arsenal), or one who seeks favour through flattery and servile behaviour. Surely we all know someone like that? If so, call them what they are, a lickspittle. Isn't the obvious imagery of that word marvelous?

8. A politician makes a speech in which she scolds the opposing party for a corruption scandal. She itemizes their mismanagement and demands that they apologize to the public and make financial amends. What is the right word for her?

Answer: Remonstrator

A remonstrator is someone who can present or demonstrate strong reasons against an act, or a measure or any set of proceedings. It has two sets of roots, one in Old French - remonstrer - and one in Latin - remonstro - both roughly meaning to show again.

In Canada, at least, there always seems to be a lot of remonstrating going on in our Parliament. How are things with your governments?

9. You receive an annual holiday newsletter from your British friend. She says that while her son is "detained at Her Majesty's Pleasure" he is also working as "a sanitary engineer", a job that is "completely without remuneration". What is the right word for this woman?

Answer: Euphemist

A euphemist is someone who insists on using elaborate, often comical phrases, to avoid using plain and simple words. In this case, the British woman has a son who is in jail, and who is working there as a janitor without getting paid. The use of euphemisms is sometimes for the benefit of the speaker and sometimes for the benefit of the listener. However, dear quizzers, avoid them as much as possible! They are weasel words.

Ah, an idea for another quiz: "weasel words"?

10. You see a celebrity on a TV talk show. She is talking at length about how many charities she supports, how many good works she and her actor husband do in developing countries, and just how much of their substantial income is donated to these activities. What is the right word for her?

Answer: Vainglorious

Being vainglorious means to take boastful pride in one's self or one's behaviour, usually to unduly exalt the self or the performance of the self. In other words the complete and utter absence of any type of modesty or decorum.

11. The right word for a person who is lax in morals, particularly over sexual matters, is "licentious".

Answer: True

"Licentious" means to be unrestrained in either law or morality, but is mostly used to describe a person who is immoral in sexual behaviour. This is not a fashionable word these days, although it occasionally has its appropriate uses if you look around.

12. You answer your door and are faced with a political campaigner. She argues with passion and complete conviction about her candidate. It is clear that she will not permit any disagreement over your choice of vote, even when you try to get a word in. What is the right word for her?

Answer: Zealot

"Zealot" stems from the Greek word "zelos" which means "zeal". Therefore, in today's terms, a zealot is someone who is carried away by excessive zeal and, in extreme cases, becomes a fanatical partisan.

13. You are enjoying a chat with another guest at a party. Suddenly a stranger barges into your conversation offering unsolicited opinions on the topic under discussion. What is the right word for this person?

Answer: Interloper

"Interloper" means a person who is an intruder or a trespasser. In the case described in the question, the stranger is both. Probably the only thing to do under such circumstances is to ignore the interloper and continue to chat. But often interlopers are not aware that that is what they are, so they don't always get the hint.

14. Your girlfriend is always treating you as if she is superior to you. When you go to social events, you always feel like you are just tagging along for her benefit. When you break up with her, you tell her how you feel. What is the right word for the way in which she has been treating you?

Answer: Appendage

Yes, unfortunately you have been treated as an appendage! This word means something that is appended or attached to a greater thing, and is a subordinate part of that thing. It's interesting to note that the word applies to an inanimate object, which, therefore, makes being treated as an appendage an even more undesirable situation. Good job breaking up with her!

15. You complain to a store manager that a clerk treated you in an aggressive and quarrelsome manner when you tried to return an item. The clerk insisted that the store was not to blame, and refused outright to reimburse you. What is the right word for this clerk?

Answer: Bumptious

"Bumptious" means arrogantly self-assertive to the point of being quarrelsome and offensiveness to others. Its root is from the word "bumpish" - apt to strike against others. This was one of my father's favourite words. He worked in retail and often described some of his customers to me in this way. So let's be careful, all of us, about being bumptious, whether in front of or behind the counter.

Source: Author smeone

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor LadyCaitriona before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

I'm a great fan of the right word. Some words are so perfectly suited that we really should use them whenever possible. Here are some situations where the perfect word is offered for the people described. Can you find that word?

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