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Vocab > 300 high-frequency words > Flashcards

300 high-frequency words Flashcards

1
Q

aberrant

A

deviating from what is normal

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2
Q

abeyance

A

temporary suppression or suspension

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3
Q

abstemious

A

moderate in appetite

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4
Q

alacrity

A

cheerful willingness; eagerness; speed

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5
Q

amalgamate

A

to combine into a unified whole

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6
Q

ambivalence

A

state of having conflicting emotional attitudes

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7
Q

ameliorate

A

to improve

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8
Q

anachronism

A

something out of the proper time

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9
Q

anarchy

A

absence of government; state of disorder

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10
Q

antipathy

A

dislike, hostility

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11
Q

apprise

A

to inform

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12
Q

approbation

A

praise; approval

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13
Q

appropriate (v)

A

to take possession for one’s own use; confiscate

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14
Q

arduous

A

extremely difficult; laborious

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15
Q

artless

A

guileless; natural

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16
Q

ascetic

A

one who practises self-denial (n); self-denying; austere (adj)

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17
Q

aspersion

A

slander; false rumor

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18
Q

assiduous

A

diligent; hard-working

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19
Q

attenuate

A

to weaken

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20
Q

audacious

A

bold; daring

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21
Q

austere

A

stern; unadorned

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22
Q

aver

A

to affirm; declare to be true

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23
Q

belie

A

to contradict; misrepresent

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24
Q

bombastic

A

pompous

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25
Q

boorish

A

rude; insensitive

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26
Q

burgeon

A

to flourish

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27
Q

burnish

A

to polish

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28
Q

buttress

A

to reinforce; support

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29
Q

cacophonous

A

unpleasant or harsh-sounding

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30
Q

cant

A

insincere talk

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31
Q

capricious

A

fickle

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32
Q

castigation

A

punishment; criticism

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33
Q

chicanery

A

trickery; fraud

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34
Q

commensurate

A

proportional

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35
Q

compendium

A

brief; comprehensive summary

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36
Q

complaisant

A

overly polite; wiling to please; obliging

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37
Q

conciliatory

A

overcoming distrust or hostility

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38
Q

concomitant

A

existing concurrently

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39
Q

confound

A

to baffle; perplex

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40
Q

contentious

A

quarrelsome

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41
Q

conundrum

A

riddle; puzzle with no solution

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42
Q

craven

A

cowardly”Refusing to fight would be a craven act.”

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43
Q

credence

A

acceptance of something as true

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44
Q

decorum

A

proper behaviour (n); decorous (adj)

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45
Q

deference

A

respect; regard for another’s wish (n)defer (v): “The young lawyer deferred to the view of the senior partner in the law firm.”

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46
Q

demotic

A

pertaining to people

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47
Q

demur

A

to express doubt

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48
Q

denigrate

A

to slur someone’s reputation

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49
Q

denouement

A

outcome; unraveling of the plot of a play/ literature”The book tells the story of what was for Europe a rather embarrassing denouement to the Crusades.”

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50
Q

desiccate

A

to dry completely”The dry desert air caused the bodies of the dead animals to desiccate quickly.”

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51
Q

desultory

A

random; disconnected rambling”The jury had difficulty following the witnesses’ desultory testimony.”

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52
Q

diatribe

A

bitter verbal attack”The speaker launched into a diatribe against what he called ‘the evils of technology’.”

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53
Q

dichotomy

A

division into two contradictory part

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54
Q

diffidence

A

shyness; lack of confidence”He overcame his diffidence and decided to run for presidency.”

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55
Q

diffuse

A

to spread out

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56
Q

disabuse

A

to free from a misconception

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57
Q

disingenuous

A

not candid; crafty”I don’t mean to appear disingenuous…”

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58
Q

disinterested

A

unprejudiced; objective

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59
Q

disparage

A

to belittle”Though sometimes disparaged as an intellectual game, philosophy provides us with a method for inquiring systematically into problems that arise in areas such as medicine, science and technology.”

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60
Q

disparate

A

dissimilar (adj); disparity (n)”The huge income disparity in the world is illustrated by …”

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61
Q

dissemble

A

to pretend; disguise one’e motives”The prosecutor thinks that the witness is dissembling and wants her to tell the whole truth.”

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62
Q

disseminate

A

to spread; scatter; disperse

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63
Q

dissolution

A

disintegration; debauchery

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64
Q

dissonance

A

discord; lack of harmony

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65
Q

dogmatic

A

stating opinions without proof

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66
Q

ebullient

A

exhilarated; enthusiastic

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67
Q

eclectic

A

selected from various sources

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68
Q

effete

A

depleted of vitality; overrefined decadent

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69
Q

effrontery

A

shameless boldness

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70
Q

elicit

A

to provoke; draw out

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71
Q

emulate

A

to imitate; copy

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72
Q

endemic

A

inherent; belonging to an area

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73
Q

enervate

A

to weaken

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74
Q

ephemeral

A

short-lived; fleeting

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75
Q

equanimity

A

composure; calmness

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76
Q

equivocate

A

to intentionally use vague language

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77
Q

erudite

A

learned; scholarly

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78
Q

esoteric

A

hard to understand known only to a few

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79
Q

exacerbate

A

to aggravate; make worse

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80
Q

exculpate

A

to clear of blame; vindicate

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81
Q

execrable

A

detestable; abhorrent

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82
Q

exigency

A

crisis; urgent requirements

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83
Q

extant

A

in existence; not lost

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84
Q

extraneous

A

not essential

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85
Q

facetious

A

not inherent or essential

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86
Q

fallacious

A

based on a false idea or fact; misleading

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87
Q

fatuous

A

foolishly self-satisfied

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88
Q

felicitous

A

suitably expressed; appropriate; well-chosen

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89
Q

fledgling

A

beginner; novice

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90
Q

foment

A

to incite; arouse

91
Q

forestall

A

to prevent; delay

92
Q

fractious

A

quarrelsome; rebellious

93
Q

fulminate

A

to attack loudly; denounce

94
Q

gainsay

A

to deny; dispute; oppose

95
Q

garrulous

A

very talkative; wordy

96
Q

gregarious

A

sociable

97
Q

guileless

A

free of cunning or deceit

98
Q

harangue

A

long pompous speech

99
Q

heterodox

A

unorthodox; not widely accepted

100
Q

histrionic

A

relating to exaggerated emotional behaviour calculated for effect; theatrical arts or performances

101
Q

homily

A

sermon; platitude

102
Q

iconoclastic

A

attacking cherished traditions

103
Q

idolatry

A

idol worship; blind devotion

104
Q

igneous

A

produced by fire; volcanic

105
Q

immutable

A

unchangeable

106
Q

imperturbable

A

not easily disturbed

107
Q

impervious

A

impossible to penetrate

108
Q

implacable

A

inflexible; incapable of being pleased

109
Q

inchoate

A

imperfectly formed or formulated

110
Q

incongruity

A

state of not fitting

111
Q

indigence

A

poverty

112
Q

indolent

A

lazy; idle

113
Q

ineluctable

A

not to be avoided or escaped; inevitable

114
Q

ingenuous

A

naive and trusting; lack sophistication

115
Q

innocuous

A

harmless

116
Q

insinuate

A

to suggest; imply

117
Q

insensible

A

unconscious; unresponsive

118
Q

insipid

A

lacking in flavor; dull

119
Q

insularity

A

narrow-mindedness; isolation

120
Q

intractable

A

not easily managed

121
Q

intransigence

A

stubbornness; refusal to compromise

122
Q

inundate

A

to cover with water; overwhelm

123
Q

inured

A

hardened; accustomed; used to”After 20 years in the army, he had not become inured to the sight of men dying on battlefield.”

124
Q

invective

A

verbal abuse (n)”The judge cautioned participants not to engage in invective, but rather in reasoned and decorous discourse.”

125
Q

irascible

A

easily angered”The irascible old man complains every time someone makes a little noise.”

126
Q

irresolute

A

unsure of how to act; weak

127
Q

laconic

A

using few words

128
Q

lassitude

A

lethargy; sluggishness

129
Q

laud

A

to praise

130
Q

lethargic

A

inactive

131
Q

levity

A

light manner or attitude

132
Q

limpid

A

clear; transparent”At the bottom of the limpid pond we could see hundreds of fish swimming.”

133
Q

magnanimity

A

generosity; nobility

134
Q

malinger

A

to feign illness to escape duty”In order to discourage malingering, the company decided to require employees taking sick leave to produce a doctor’s certification.”

135
Q

maverick

A

dissenter” xxx has a reputation as a maverick; he is one of only members of the congress who is independent.”

136
Q

mendacious

A

dishonest”The judge ruled the testimony inadmissible because he considered it mendacious.”

137
Q

meretricious

A

gaudy; plausible but false

138
Q

misanthrope

A

one who hates humanity

139
Q

mitigate

A

to cause to become less harsh, severe; alleviate

140
Q

mollify

A

to soothe

141
Q

morose

A

ill-humored; sullen

142
Q

neophyte

A

novice; beginner

143
Q

obdurate

A

stubborn

144
Q

obsequious

A

overly submissive”He should overcome this obsequiousness by taking an assertiveness training course.”

145
Q

obviate

A

to make unnecessary; to anticipate and prevent”An experienced physician can often discern if a patient’s symptoms are psychosomatic, thus obviating the need for expensive medical tests.”

146
Q

occlude

A

to shut; block

147
Q

officious

A

too helpful; meddlesome

148
Q

onerous

A

burdensome”The duty the judge considers most onerous is sentencing convicted criminals.”

149
Q

opprobrium

A

disgrace; contempt (n)”It is difficult to imagine the opprobrium heaped on a person who is a traitor to his or her group.”

150
Q

ostentatious

A

showy; trying to attract attention

151
Q

paragon

A

model of excellence or perfection”The epic poet Homer was regarded by the ancient Greeks as a paragon of literary excellence.”

152
Q

partisan

A

one-sided; committed to a party, group or cause

153
Q

paucity

A

scarcity

154
Q

pedantic

A

showing off learning (adj); pedant (n): an uninspired boring academic

155
Q

pellucid

A

transparent; easily understood

156
Q

penchant

A

inclination (n)”Sue has a penchant for science, while her brother is more interested in the arts.”

157
Q

penury

A

extreme poverty

158
Q

perfidious

A

faithless; disloyal; untrustworthy

159
Q

perfunctory

A

superficial; not thorough; performed as a duty”The perfunctory inspection of the airplane failed to reveal structural faults in the wing.”

160
Q

pervasive

A

spread throughout every part

161
Q

phlegmatic

A

calm in temperament; sluggish

162
Q

placate

A

to lessen another’s anger; to pacify

163
Q

platitude

A

stale; overused expression”She took comfort in the latitude that the first 6 months of a marriage were always the most difficult.”

164
Q

plethora

A

excess; overabundance”… a plethora of euphemisms”

165
Q

pragmatic

A

practical

166
Q

precarious

A

uncertain

167
Q

precipitate

A

adj: rash, hasty, sudden “please don’t take any precipitate action.”

168
Q

prevaricate

A

to quibble; evade the truth”Journalists accused government leaders of prevaricating about the progress of the war.”

169
Q

pristine

A

untouched; uncorrupted”…in pristine condition for 50 years.”

170
Q

probity

A

honesty; high-mindedness”No one questioned the probity of the judge…”

171
Q

propitiate

A

to win over; appease

172
Q

propriety

A

correct conduct fitness”Judges are expected to conduct themselves with propriety in the courtroom.”

173
Q

proscribe

A

to condemn; forbid; outlaw

174
Q

qualified

A

limited; restricted

175
Q

rarefied

A

refined (adj)rarefy (v): to make thinner, purer or more refined

176
Q

recalcitrant

A

resisting authority or control

177
Q

recant

A

to retract a statement or opinion”The bishop told the theologian that he must recant his heretical teaching or risk excommunication.”

178
Q

recondite

A

abstruse; profound

179
Q

refractory

A

stubborn; unmanageable; resisting ordinary methods of treatment”…..determine the cause of the patient’s refractory illness.”

180
Q

relegate

A

to consign to an inferior position

181
Q

reproach

A

to find fault with; blamereprise (v)

182
Q

reprobate

A

morally unprincipled person”The social worker refused to give up hope reforming the criminal who was generally regarded as a reprobate.”

183
Q

repudiate

A

to reject as having no authority

184
Q

rescind

A

to cancel

185
Q

reticent

A

not speaking freely; reserved; reluctant

186
Q

sage

A

wise

187
Q

salubrious

A

healthful”The salubrious effects of exercise on both physical and mental health have been well documented.”

188
Q

salutary

A

expecting an improvement; favourable to health

189
Q

sanction

A

to approve, ratify; permit (v)(n) sanction: approval etc or penalisation

190
Q

sartorial

A

pertaining to tailors”Pff-screen, the glamorous actress’ sartorial style runs more to jeans and T-shirts than to elaborate gowns.”

191
Q

satiate

A

to satisfy

192
Q

sentient

A

aware; conscious; able to perceive (adj):Charles Darwin regarded many animals as being sentient and as having intelligence.”(n) sentience

193
Q

solicitous

A

concerned; attentive; eager”The nurse is extremely solicitous of the health of every patient in the ward.”

194
Q

soporific

A

sleep producing “The best soporific is reading a boring book.”

195
Q

specious

A

seeming to be logical and sound, but not really so”The article rebuts the specious argument advanced by the so-called expert in the field.”

196
Q

sporadic

A

irregular

197
Q

stigma

A

mark of disgrace or inferiority(v) stigmatize: “The civil rights movement helped to stigmatise racism, augmenting legal effects to desegregate American society.”

198
Q

stipulate

A

to specify as an essential condition

199
Q

stolid

A

having or showing little emotion

200
Q

substantiate

A

to support with proof or evidence

201
Q

subsume

A

to include; incorporate”…attempt to arrive at a final generalisation that will subsume all previous generalisations about the nature of logic.”

202
Q

supersede

A

to replace

203
Q

supposition

A

the act of assuming to be true or real

204
Q

tacit

A

silently understood; implied

205
Q

tangential

A

peripheral; digressing

206
Q

tenuous

A

weak; insubstantial

207
Q

tirade

A

long, violent speech; verbal assault”The students had no choice but to sit and wait for the principal’s trade about poor discipline to end.”

208
Q

torpor

A

lethargy; dormancy

209
Q

tortuous

A

having many twists and turns; highly complex

210
Q

tractable

A

obedient; yielding

211
Q

transgression

A

act of trespassing or violating a law or rule

212
Q

truculence

A

aggressiveness, ferocity

213
Q

turgid

A

swollen, bloated, pompous

214
Q

untenable

A

indefensible

215
Q

vacillate

A

to water; oscillate

216
Q

vapid

A

tastelss; dull

217
Q

venerate

A

to honour; respect(adj) venerable

218
Q

veracious

A

truthful; accurate

219
Q

verbose

A

wordy

220
Q

vitiate

A

to impair the quality of; corrupt morally”One error in the study’s methodology vitiates the entire body of work.”

221
Q

vituperative

A

using harsh, abusive censure(v) vituperate”The young music critic’s vituperative comments aroused the wrath of nearly every serious composer.”

222
Q

whimsical

A

fanciful; unpredictable

223
Q

zealot

A

one who is fanatically devoted to a cause(n) zealotry(adj) zealous

Vocab (2 decks)

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