Advanced: A - J Flashcards
(200 cards)
1
Q
ABASE
A
Degrade or humble; to lower in rank, status, or esteem
2
Q
ABEYANCE
A
Temporary suspension; inactivity
3
Q
ABREAST
A
Side-by-side; keeping up with, staying aware of, or remaining equal in progress with
4
Q
ABSCISSION
A
Cutting off; sudden termination; separation of leaves, petals, or other parts from a plant or animal
5
Q
ABSCOND
A
Depart suddenly and secretly
6
Q
ABYSS
A
A deep and vast space or cavity; anything profound or infinite
7
Q
ACCEDE
A
Agree, give consent; assume power (acede to)
8
Q
ACCRETION
A
Gradual increase; an added part or addition
9
Q
ACERBIC
A
Sour, harsh, or severe
10
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ACIDULOUS
A
Slightly acidic or sour; sharp or caustic
11
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ADULTERATE
A
Make impure by adding inappropriate or inferior ingredients
12
Q
ADUMBRATE
A
Give a rough outline of; foreshadow; reveal only partially; obscure
13
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AERIE
A
Dwelling or fortress built on a high place; the nest of a BOP such as an eagle or hawk built on a mountain or cliff
14
Q
AMELIORATE
A
Improve or make better or more bearable
15
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AMORTIZE
A
Gradually pay off a debt, or gradually write off an asset
16
Q
ANACHRONISM
A
Something that isn’t in its correct historical time; a mistake in chronology, such as assigning a person or event to the wrong time period
17
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ANALGESIA
A
Pain relief; inability to feel pain
18
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ANODYNE
A
Medicine that relieves pain; soothing, relieving pain
19
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ANTEDATE
A
Be older than, precede in time; assign to an earlier date
20
Q
APOSTATE
A
Person who deserts a party, cause, religion, etc.
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APPOSITE
A
Highly appropriate, suitable, relevant
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APPROBRATION
A
Praise or approval, especially formal approval
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Q
ARDENT
A
Very passionate, devoted, or enthusiastic
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ARROGATE
A
Claim or take presumptuously or without the right to do so
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ASEPTIC
Free from germs
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ASPERITY
Rigor, severity; harshness or sharpness of tone; roughness of a surface
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ASPERSIONS
Damaging remarks, defamation, slander
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ASSIDUOUS
Persevering, diligent, constant
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ASSAIL
Attack violently, assault
30
ATTENUATE
Weaken or thin out
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Augury
Telling the future, such as through supernatural means
32
AUGUST
Venerable, majestic, inspiring admiration
33
AVARICE
Insatiable greed, a miserly desire to hoard wealth
34
AXIOM
Self-evident truth requiring no proof; universally or generally accepted principle
35
Balloon
Swell or puff out; increase rapidly
36
BANAL
Lacking freshness and originality
37
BANE
Something that ruins or spoils
38
BAYING
Howling in a deep way, like a dog or wolf
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BENT
Personal inclination or tendency
40
BEVY
Group of birds or other animals that stay close together; any large group
41
BIFURCATE
To fork into two branches or divide into two halves
42
BILK
Cheat or defraud
43
BLIGHT
Disease that kills plants rapidly, or any cause of decay or destruction; ruin or cause to wither
44
BLITHE
Joyous, merry; excessively carefree
45
BOMBASTIC
Far too showy or dramatic than is appropriate; pretentious
46
BONHOMIE
Friendliness, open and simple good heartedness
47
BRANDISH
Shake, wave, or flourish, as a weapon
48
BROOK
Suffer or tolerate
49
BUCOLIC
Pertaining to shepherds; suggesting a peaceful and pleasant view of rural life
50
BURNISH
Polish, make smooth and lustrous
51
CALUMNY
Malicious lie intended to hurt someone's reputation; the act of telling such lies
52
CANARD
Rumor, or false or baseless story
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CARDINAL
Chief, most important
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CATHOLIC
Universal, broad-minded
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CHICANERY
Trickery, deception of knowingly false arguments
56
CIRCUMSCRIBE
Strictly limit a role, range of activity, or area; in math, to be constructed around so as to touch as many points as possible
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CIRCUMSPECT
Cautious, prudent; careful to consider the circumstances and consequences
58
CLAMBER
Climb awkwardly or with difficulty, scramble
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CLOYING
Disgustingly or distastefully sweet
60
CODA
Final part of a musical composition; an ending, esp. one that sums up what has come before
61
COFFER
Chest for storing valuables, financial resources, a treasury
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COLLUDE
Conspire; cooperate for illegal or fraudulent purposes
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COMPENDIUM
Concise but complete summary; a list or collection
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COMPLAISANT
Eager to please; cheerfully complying
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CONFOUND
Confuse, frustrate; mix up or make worse
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CONNOTE
Suggest or imply in addition to the precise; literal meaning
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CONTUMACIOUS
Rebellious; stubbornly disobedient
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CONVOKE
Call together, as to a meeting
69
COSSET
Treat as a pet, pamper
70
COTERIE
Close or exclusive group, clique
71
CUPIDITY
Greed, great or excessive desire
72
CURMUDGEON
Bad-tempered, difficult person; grouch
73
DECLAIM
Speak in an impassioned, pompous, or oratorical manner; give a formal speech
74
DECLIVITY
Downward slope
75
DELIMIT
Fix, mark, or define the boundaries of
76
DEMAGOGUE
A leader who lies and gains power by arousing the passions and especially prejudices of the people
77
DEMUR
Show reluctance or object, especially for moral reasons
78
DESULTORY
Lacking consistency or order, disconnected, sporadic; going off topic
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DIAPHANOUS
Very sheer, fine, translucent
80
DICHOTOMY
Division into two parts or into two contradictory groups
81
DICTUM
Formal or authoritative pronouncement; saying or proverb
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DIFFIDENT
Lacking confidence, shy
83
DILATE
To become wider or make wider, cause to expand; to speak or write at length, elaborate upon
84
DILATORY
Slow, late, procrastinating or stalling for time
85
DILETTANTE
Person who takes up an art or activity for amusement only or in a superficial way
86
DIRGE
A funeral or mourning song or poem
87
DISCOMFITING
Disconcerting, confusing, or frustrating
88
DISCORDANT
Harsh or inharmonious in sound; disagreeing, incongruous
89
DISCRETE
Separate, distinct, detached, existing as individual parts
90
DISPARAGE
Belittle, put down; bring shame upon, discredit
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DISPARATE
Distinct, different
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DISSEMBLE
Mislead, conceal the truth, put on a false appearance of
93
DISTAFF
Female, esp. relating to the maternal side of the family; women or women's work; a staff that holds wool or flax for spinning
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DISTEND
Swell, expand, stretch, bloat
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DITHER
Act indecisively; a state of fear or trembling excitement
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DIURNAL
Occurring every day; happening in the daytime
97
DOCTRINAIRE
Person who applies doctrine in an impractical or rigid and close-minded way; merely theoretical, impractical, or fanatical about other people accepting one's ideas
98
DOFF
Take off (such as clothes), put aside; remove one's hat as a gesture
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DOVETAIL
Join or fit together
100
DROLL
Funny in an odd way
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DUPE
Person who is easily fooled or used; to fool or exploit
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DUPLICITY
Deceit, double-dealing, acting in two different ways for the purpose of deception
103
DYSPEPTIC
Grumpy, pessimistic, irritable; suffering from dyspepsia (indigestion)
104
EBULLIENT
Very enthusiastic, lively, excited; bubbling as though being boiled
105
Echelon
A level, rank, or grade; the people at that level
106
Edify
Uplift, enlighten, instruct or improve in a spiritual or moral way
107
Effigy
Representation or image of a person, esp. a crude facsimile used to mock a hated person
108
Effrontery
Shameless boldness
109
Egress
An exit or the action of exiting
110
Elegy
Song or poem of sorrow, esp. for a deceased person
111
Emaciate
Make abnormally thin, cause to physically waste away
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Encomium
Warm, glowing praise, esp. a formal expression of praise
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Endemic
Native, local; natural, specific to, or confined to a particular place
114
Engender
Produce, give rise to, cause to exist, procreate
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Epicure
Person with cultivated, refined tastes, esp. in food and wine
116
Equanimity
Composure, evenness of mind; mental or emotional stability, esp. under stress
117
Equivocate
Use unclear language to deceive or avoid committing to a position
118
Ersatz
Artificial, synthetic; being an inferior substitute
119
Erstwhile
Former, previous; in the past, formerly
120
Ethos
The character, personality, or moral values specific to a person, group, time period, etc.
121
Euphemism
Substitution of a mild, inoffensive, or indirect expression for one that is considered offensive or too direct
122
Euphony
Pleasing or sweet sound, esp. as formed by a harmonious use of words
123
Exigent
Requiring immediate attention, action, or aid; excessively demanding
124
Expedient
Suitable, proper, effective, often at the expense of ethics or other considerations
125
Expurgate
Censor, remove objectionable or offensive parts
126
Extemporaneous
Done w/o prep, or with some prep but no notes; spur of the moment
127
Fallow
Left unplanted (of land); not in use
128
Fastidious
Excessively particular, difficult to please; painstaking, meticulous, requiring excessive attention to detail
129
Fatuous
Foolish, silly, esp. in a smug or complacent manner
130
Fecund
Fruitful, fertile; capable of abundantly producing offspring, vegetation, or creative or intellectual work
131
Felicitous
Admirably appropriate, very well-suited for the occasion, pleasant, fortunate, marked by happiness
132
Fervid
Very hot, heated in passion or enthusiasm
133
Fetid
Stinking, having an offensive smell
134
Florid
Reddish or rosy, flowery, showy, or excessively fancy
135
Flout
Treat with disdain, contempt, or scorn
136
Forage
Wander in search of; rummage, hunt, make a raid
137
Forestall
Delay, hinder, prevent by taking action beforehand
138
Fracas
Noisy disturbance or fight, brawl
139
Fractious
Unruly, troublemaking; irritable
140
Frenetic
Wildly excited, frantic, distracted
141
Fulminate
Explode, detonate, attack verbally in a vehement, thunderous way
142
Furtive
Done secretly, stealthy, sly, shifty
143
Gambol
Frolic, skip or leap playfully
144
Glacial
Pertaining to glaciers; cold, icy, slow, unsympathetic
145
Glower
Stare in an angry, sullen way
146
Gouge
Scooping or digging tool, like a chisel, or a hole made with such a tool; cut or scoop out; force out a person's eye with one's thumb; swindle, extort money from
147
Grandiloquent
Relating to lofty speech, esp. to the point of being pompous, overblown, bombastic
148
Grandstand
Perform showily in an attempt to impress onlookers
149
Grating
Irritating, harsh or discordant, scraping
150
Grievous
Causing grief or suffering, very serious, grave, flagrant, outrageous
151
Grouse
Complain or grumble; a reason for complaint
152
Grovel
Creep or crawl with one's face to the ground, prostrate oneself as a token of subservience, degrade or abase oneself
153
Halcyon
Calm and peaceful, carefree, prosperous, successful, happy
154
Hand-wringing
Grasping, squeezing, etc. of the hands as an expression of nervousness, guilt, etc.; extend debate over what to do about an issue
155
Hapless
Unlucky, unfortunate
156
Harangue
Long, intense verbal attack, esp. when delivered publicly
157
Harrow
Farming tool that breaks up soil; painfully disturb or distress
158
Hedge
Avoid commitment by leaving provisions for withdrawal or changing one's mind; protect a bet by also betting on the other side
159
Hegemony
Domination, authority; influence by one country over others socially, culturally, economically, etc.
160
Hew
Strike, chop, or hack; make or shape something with a cutting tool
161
Hoary
Very old, gray or white as from old age
162
Husband
Manage prudently, sparingly, or economically; conserve
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Iconoclast
Attacker of cherished beliefs or institutions
164
Imbue
Permeate or saturate, as dye in fabric; influence throughout
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Impassive
Not having or not showing physical feeling or emotion
166
Impecunious
Poor, without money
167
Imperious
Commanding, domineering; acting like a high-ranking person; urgent
168
Impermeable
Impassable, not allowing passage through (such as by a liquid)
169
Imperturbable
Calm, not able to be upset or agitated
170
Impervious
Impenetrable, not able to be harmed or emotionally disturbed
171
Impetuous
Passionately impulsive, marked by sudden, hasty emotion; forceful, violent
172
Impious
Not religious, lacking reverence, ungodly
173
Implacable
Not able to be appeased, calmed, or satisfied
174
Imprecation
Curse; prayer for harm to come to someone
175
Impugn
Attack the truth or integrity of
176
Impute
Credit, attribute; lay blame or responsibility for (sometimes falsely)
177
Incarnadine
Blood red or flesh-colored
178
Inconstancy
Fickleness, unreliability, the state of changing without good reason
179
Inculcate
Teach persistently, implant (an idea) in a person
180
Indolent
Lazy, slothful
181
Inert
Inactive, having little or no power to movw
182
Inexorable
Relentless, unyielding; not moved by pleading
183
Ingrate
Ungrateful person
184
Inimical
Hostile, adverse, harmful
185
Inordinate
Excessive, not within proper limits, unrestrained
186
Insensible
Incapable of feeling; unconscious, unaware
187
Insipid
Dull, stale, lacking taste or interest
188
Insular
Pertaining to an island; detached, standing alone, narrow-minded, provincial
189
Inter
Bury (a dead body) or place in a tomb
190
Interregnum
A time in between two reigns or regimes during which there is no ruler; a period during which government does not function; any period of freedom from authority or break or interruption in a series
191
Intransigent
Refusing to compromise, inflexible, having extreme attitudes
192
Inure
Toughen up; accustom or habituate to pain, hardship, etc.
193
Invective
Violent denunciation; accusations; insults or verbal abuse
194
Inveigle
Entice, lure; get something by flattery, cleverness, or offering incentives
195
Investiture
Investing; formally giving someone a right to a title
196
Invidious
Hateful, offensive, injurious
197
Irascible
Irritable, easily angered
198
Irresolute
Wavering, not sure how to proceed, not firm in one's decision-making
199
Itinerant
Traveling from place to place, esp. as part of a job
200
Jingoism
Excessive, loud patriotism and aggressive, warlike foreign policy
