Vocabulary in Context: Words and Meanings

Robust means strong, healthy, and vigorous. The context suggests that men might visit doctors less often because they are physically stronger and healthier ('strong and healthy'). This implies biological resilience rather than personality traits.

Obese specifically means excessively overweight, often to the point of being a health risk. The context of sedentary lifestyle (lack of physical activity) directly links to weight gain, making 'overweight' the perfect contextual match. Options like 'rude', 'downright', or 'frank' describe personality traits, not physical conditions.

Reckless means acting without thinking about consequences or without proper care/caution. In the context of driving, this means operating a vehicle carelessly or without concern for safety. 'Merciless' suggests cruelty rather than lack of care, 'dangerous' describes the result rather than the behavior, and 'consistent' is the opposite of reckless.

Reserved in social contexts means holding back, being quiet, or not freely expressing emotions/thoughts. An introvert is someone who gains energy from solitude and tends to be quiet in groups. The context 'doesn't talk much' directly supports this interpretation. 'Reluctant' implies unwillingness rather than temperament, 'arrogant' suggests superiority, and 'cheesy' is completely unrelated.

Envious means feeling or showing jealousy - wanting what someone else has. The context of competitors being envious of her success perfectly captures this emotion. 'Proud' would describe the person herself feeling good about achievement, 'supportive' means helping, and 'ambitious' describes drive but not the comparative feeling toward others.

Circumspect means wary, careful, or checking carefully before acting. After failure due to negligence (carelessness), becoming overly cautious makes perfect sense as a corrective response. 'Overly lenient' (permissive), 'overly casual' (relaxed), or 'overly reckless' (careless) are the opposite of what circumspect means.

Gait specifically means a person's manner of walking - their unique walking style or pattern. The context of recognizing someone from their gait implies the person's way of walking is distinctive enough for identification. 'Style', 'clothes', and 'fashion' are too general - gait is specifically about walking.

Eccentric means unconventional, slightly strange, or not following the norm. Having an unusual collection (like many cats) is a classic example of eccentric behavior. 'Choosy' means selective, 'conventional' means following norms (opposite), and 'rational' means logical - eccentricity is about unconventionality, not logic.

Austere means severely simple, strict, or without comfort/luxury. Monks choosing to live without worldly pleasures is the perfect example of an austere lifestyle. 'Rich' is the opposite, 'indigent' means poor (austere is a choice about simplicity, not necessarily poverty), and 'interesting' is unrelated.

The word 'skinny' in this context is being used to describe someone who is extremely thin in a way that appears unhealthy. The phrase 'malnourished and starved' provides important context that this is negative thinness, not fashionably thin. 'Unattractively thin' best captures this negative connotation.