51-100 Flashcards
furtive
characterized by stealth; surreptitious
galvanize
to arouse to awareness or action; spur
gift
a talent, aptitude, or inclination (ex- the gift of gab)
herald
verb= to proclaim or to declare something as important or good; noun= a sign of things to come
hinder
to obstruct or get in the way of something
histrionic
excessively dramatic or emotional; affected
hodgepodge
a mixture of dissimilar ingredients; a jumble
idealistic
unrealistically aiming for perfection; having utopian ideas
immerse
to engage wholly or deeply; absorb
impertinent
inappropriate, out of place; intrusive, presumptuous; behaving without proper respect and showing condescension; insolent
implicit
with no qualifications or questions; implied or understood though not stated
impromptu
prompted by the occasion rather than being planned in advance
impugn
to attack as false or questionable; challenge in argument
inchoate
just beginning to form; not completely developed or clear (ex- a child’s inchoate awareness of language)
incite
to provoke and urge on
indolent
disinclined to exert oneself; habitually lazy
inert
unable to move or act
inevitable
impossible to avoid or prevent
ingrate
an ungrateful person
inhibit
to prevent an occurrence
intermediary
acting as a mediator or an agent between persons or things
intricate
having many complexly arranged elements; elaborate
intuition
the act or faculty of knowing or sensing without the use of rational processes; immediate cognition
irascible
prone to outbursts of temper; easily angered
irrelevant
unrelated to the matter at hand
jobial
marked by joyous humor and positive spirit
jubiland
expressing joy
lassitude
a state or feeling of weariness, diminished energy, or listlessness
laud
to give praise to; glorify
loaded
charged with emotional or associative significance that hinders rational or unprejudiced consideration of the terms involved in a discourse
loquacious
very talkative
magnanimous
generous in forgiving; unselfish
magnitude
greatness in size or extent
maladroit
marked by a lack of adroitness; inept
malevolence
malicious behavior
manifold
varied and many (think of “many folds”)
meld
to cause to merge
mercurial
quick and changeable in temperament; volatile
milieu
the total environment or setting; surroundings (your milieu is your world, or the context you come from. Sometimes a milieu shapes a person, as when a “milieu of abuse and poverty” inspires someone to improve things for others.)
minutiae
a small or trivial detail (the plural of minutia)
multifarious
very diverse (similar to eclectic in meaning)
nemesis
an enemy; a person who is a source of great suffering and distress; a rival
nuance
a subtle or slight degree of difference
obstruct
to impede, retard, or interfere with; hinder
obtrusive
tending to push self-assertively forward; brash
officious
marked by excessive eagerness in offering unwanted services or advice to others
ornate
elaborately heavily, and often excessively ornamented
ostracize
to exclude from a group; to shun
overstate
to state in exaggerated terms
palliative
relieving or soothing the symptoms of a disease or disorder without effecting a cure
