Advanced Vocab Words - Set 3 Flashcards
Learn to understand and effectively use 100 advanced vocabulary words. Improve your test scores, or simply be more articulate in your daily life. Each word is used in context in a sample sentence and includes synonyms and a pronunciation guide.
Define
burnish
(bur-nish)
v. to polish or make shine
n. a shiny appearance
The store owner’s son’s only job was to burnish the statues in the window every day.
Define
buttress
(but-riss)
n. a supporting structure
v. to support or encourage
The parents decided to buttress the after-school programs that were in danger of ending by making donations.
Define
equivocate
(i-kwiv-uh-keyt)
v. to make vague, unclear statements
The mayor _equivocate_d when confronted about his use of public funds.
Define
paragon
(par-uh-gon)
n. a model of excellence
The man was a paragon of virtue who had never stolen so much as a loaf of bread in his life.
Define
cacophony
(kuh-kof-uh-nee)
n. unpleasant, discordant sounds
The orchestra’s first attempt to play together was a cacophony of jarring notes.
Define
mawkish
(maw-kish)
adj. overly sentimental to a sickening point
The group of graduating seniors was a mawkish sight, crying and taking hundreds of pictures.
Define
cajole
(kuh-djohl)
v. to make someone do something with flattery or promises
Mother _cajole_d her into driving the other children to school, promising to make her favorite dinner.
Define
dogmatic
(dawg-matt-ik)
adj. rigidly fixed in opinion or expression in an arrogant manner
The dogmatic theorist refused to listen to any other possibilities.
Define
calibrate
(kal-ih-brehyt)
v. to check or balance the scale of a measuring device with a standard scale
The new thermometer needed to be _calibrate_d before it could be used.
Define
perdition
(per-dish-uhn)
n. a state of final spiritual ruin, loss of soul, damnation
n. hell
Poor moral choices led Johnny down the road to perdition.
Define
beseech
(bih-seech)
v. to request urgently
The dying man _beseech_ed his family to visit him.
Define
canny
(can-ee)
adj. careful; shrewd
John was a canny negotiator; no matter how bad his bargaining position, he would always come out on top.
Define
seminal
(sem-uh-nl)
adj. original and influential
The seminal works of the artist developed into a new style of interpretation.
Define
cantankerous
(can-tang-kurr-us)
adj. difficult to handle; ill-tempered
The worst part about working in customer service was having to deal with irate, cantankerous callers.
Define
semantic
(suh-man-tick)
adj. related to the meaning of words
Susan felt that the abortion debate had become too focused on semantic arguments.
Define
serrate
(sare-ate)
adj. having toothed edges (“serrated” is an alternate form of the adj.)
Kate used the serrate edge of the knife to cut through the tough meat.
Define
sever
(sev-er)
v. to cut off
Unfortunately, to prevent the infection from spreading, the doctors had to sever the infected parts of the hand.
Define
sinuous
(sin-you-us)
adj. twisting and winding
adj. not direct
The sinuous path through the mountains was probably the most dangerous route to take.
Define
solicitude
(suh-liss-ih-tood)
n. caring about others’ well being
Though she claims not to have any feelings for Julio, she showed a great deal of solicitude when she learned of his illness.
Define
solidarity
(sol-ih-dare-ih-tee)
n. a feeling of camaraderie with others due to shared goals
Several townspeople expressed solidarity with the union members by protesting with them.
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to polish or make shine
n. a shiny appearance
burnish
(bur-nish)
synonyms: polish, brighten
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. a supporting structure
v. to support or encourage
buttress
(but-riss)
synonyms: prop, support; bolster, reinforce
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to make vague, unclear statements
equivocate
(i-kwiv-uh-keyt)
synonyms: evade, sidestep
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. a model of excellence
paragon
(par-uh-gon)
synonyms: archetype, ideal
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. unpleasant, discordant sounds
cacophony
(kuh-kof-uh-nee)
synonyms: noise, clamor
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. overly sentimental to a sickening point
mawkish
(maw-kish)
synonyms: emotional, mushy
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to make someone do something with flattery or promises
cajole
(kuh-djohl)
synonyms: coax, persuade, wheedle
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. rigidly fixed in opinion or expression in an arrogant manner
dogmatic
(dawg-matt-ik)
synonyms: arrogant, bullheaded, authoritarian
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to check or balance the scale of a measuring device with a standard scale
calibrate
(kal-ih-brehyt)
synonyms: align, balance, fix
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. a state of final spiritual ruin, loss of soul, damnation
n. hell
perdition
(per-dish-uhn)
synonyms: hell, damnation, corruption, underworld
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to request urgently
beseech
(bih-seech)
synonyms: beg, appeal, plead
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. careful; shrewd
canny
(can-ee)
synonyms: acute, cunning
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. original and influential
seminal
(sem-uh-nl)
synonyms: landmark, fundamental, fertile
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. difficult to handle; ill-tempered
cantankerous
(can-tang-kurr-us)
synonyms: crabby, cranky, aggressive
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. related to the meaning of words
semantic
(suh-man-tick)
synonyms: linguistic, verbal
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. having toothed edges
serrate
(sare-ate)
synonyms: a toothed edge or blade
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to cut off
sever
(sev-er)
synonyms: carve, disconnect, break off
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. twisting and winding
adj. not direct
sinuous
(sin-you-us)
synonyms: curved, circuitous, meandering
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. caring about others’ well being
solicitude
(suh-liss-ih-tood)
synonyms: consideration, watchfulness
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. a feeling of camaraderie with others due to shared goals
solidarity
(sol-ih-dare-ih-tee)
synonyms: alliance, sympathy
Define
soluble
(sol-yuh-bull)
adj. capable of being dissolved in a liquid
adj. capable of being solved
Certain medicines are soluble in water so they can be taken with ease.
Define
solvent
(sol-vunt)
adj. able to meet financial obligations
n. a substance that can dissolve other substances
To remain solvent, the business was forced to sell its overseas operations.
Define
soporific
(sop-uh-riff-ik)
adj. able to cause sleepiness
n. a substance that causes sleepiness
Bill’s new cold medication has soporific side effects that interfere with his ability to drive.
Define
emulate
(em-yuh-lehyt)
v. to try to imitate or exceed another’s actions
Nancy wanted to emulate her older sister and so began to study more often.
Define
enamor
(ih-nam-er)
v. to make infatuated; to cause to love
He was so _enamor_ed of her that he thought about her every day.
Define
endemic
(in-dem-ik)
adj. originating in, native to, particular to
There are some deadly diseases that are endemic to the tropics.
Define
endow
(in-dow)
v. to give (esp. an inheritance or genetic trait)
Christine’s mother _endow_ed her with beautiful green eyes.
Define
dour
(doo-er)
adj. harsh; gloomy, forbidding
adj. stern, humorless
The old headmaster never had anything but a dour expression to offer.
Define
enervate
(in-er-vehyt)
v. to make weaker
The heat _enervate_d the soccer players’ strength with each passing minute, and by halftime most were in no condition to continue playing.
Define
insouciant
(in-soo-see-uhnt)
adj. unconcerned, nonchalant, lighthearted
Michael’s insouciant attitude towards schoolwork led to poor test grades.
Define
evince
(ih-vins)
v. to clearly prove something, to indicate
Her choice not to enter into an argument with him _evince_d her maturity.
Define
enfranchise
(in-fran-chahyz)
v. to give rights of citizenship, esp. the right to vote
When women were finally _enfranchise_d, spontaneous celebrations occurred throughout the country.
Define
filigree
(fil-ih-gree)
n. an ornamental work, esp. delicate and lacelike
v. to adorn
The wine glass was _filigree_d with a delicate pattern of grape vines.
Define
engender
(in-djen-dur)
v. to cause, to lead to
The poor ventilation in the factory _engender_ed health problems amongst the workers.
Define
apocryphal
(uh-pok-ruh-fuhl)
adj. of dubious origin; of doubtful authenticity
I believe all stories of alien abduction are apocryphal.
Define
enmity
(en-mih-tee)
n. strong mutual hatred
Great enmity has existed between the two tribes for centuries, leading to untold bloodshed.
Define
aesthete
(es-theet)
n. one with artistic sensibilities
The aesthete was able to knowledgeably interpret the painting.
Define
estimable
(es-tuh-muh-buhl)
adj. formidable, worthy
The team knew within the first few minutes that they faced an estimable opponent.
Define
revile
(ruh-vahyl)
v. to criticize with harsh or abusive language
Film critics _revile_d the studio for gutting the director’s artistic vision and replacing it with meaningless action sequences.
Define
indefatigable
(in-duh-fat-ih-guh-buhl)
adj. incapable of becoming exhausted; tireless; dogged
The marathon runner was seemingly indefatigable, keeping up his brisk pace while competitors fell behind one after the other.
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. capable of being dissolved in a liquid
adj. capable of being solved
soluble
(sol-yuh-bull)
synonyms: dispersable, dissolvable; solvable
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. able to meet financial obligations
n. a substance that can dissolve other substances within itself
solvent
(sol-vunt)
synonyms: financially stable, viable; dissolver
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. able to cause sleepiness
n. a substance that causes sleepiness
soporific
(sop-uh-rif-ik)
synonyms: anesthetic, narcotic, sedative
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to try to imitate or exceed another’s actions
emulate
(em-yuh-lehyt)
synonyms: copy, mimic
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to make infatuated; to cause to love
enamor
(ih-nam-er)
synonyms: fascinate, captivate
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. originating in, native to, particular to
endemic
(in-dem-ik)
synonyms: local, regional
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to give (esp. an inheritance or genetic trait)
endow
(in-dow)
synonyms: provide, impart
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. harsh; gloomy, forbidding
adj. stern, humorless
dour
(doo-er)
synonyms: uninviting, severe
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to make weaker
enervate
(in-er-vehyt)
synonyms: tire, exhaust
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. unconcerned, nonchalant, lighthearted
insouciant
(in-soo-see-uhnt)
synonyms: carefree, unworried
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to clearly prove something, to indicate
evince
(ih-vins)
synonyms: declare, demonstrate
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to give rights of citizenship, esp. the right to vote
enfranchise
(in-fran-chahyz)
synonyms: empower, naturalize
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. an ornamental work, esp. delicate and lacelike
v. to adorn
filigree
(fil-ih-gree)
synonyms: decoration, ornamentation; decorate
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to cause, to lead to
engender
(in-djen-dur)
synonyms: develop, generate, bring about
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. of dubious origin; of doubtful authenticity
apocryphal
(uh-pok-ruh-fuhl)
synonyms: fictitious, doubtful
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. strong mutual hatred
enmity
(en-mih-tee)
synonyms: animosity, antagonism
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. one with artistic sensibilities
aesthete
(es-theet)
synonyms: artist, connoisseur
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. formidable, worthy
estimable
(es-tuh-muh-buhl)
synonyms: admirable, honored
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to criticize with harsh or abusive language
revile
(ruh-vahyl)
synonyms: scold, criticize, abuse
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. incapable of becoming exhausted; tireless; dogged
indefatigable
(in-duh-fat-ih-guh-buhl)
synonyms: untiring, active, persevering