Advanced Words X Flashcards
Upbraid
Find fault with, criticize or scold severely
Usury
Charging interest on a loan, esp. charging illegally high or excessive interest
Vanguard
Leading units at the front of an army; leaders in a trend or movement, people on the “cutting edge”; the forefront of a trend or movement
Variegated
Varied in color, having multicolored patches or spots; diverse
Verdant
Green, such as with vegetation, plants, grass, etc.; young and inexperienced
Verisimilitude
The appearance of being true or real
Vernal
Relating to the spring; fresh, youthful
Vestige
Trace or sign of something that once existed
Vex
Annoy or bother; puzzle or distress
Via
Through, by means of, by way of
Vicissitude
Changes or variations over time, esp. regular changes from one thing to another
Vim
Pep, enthusiasm, vitality, lively, spirit
Virulent
Extremely infectious, poisonous, etc.; hateful, bitterly hostile
Viscid or viscous
Thick, adhesive, or covered in something sticky
Vitriol
Something highly caustic, such as criticism
Vociferous
Noisily crying out, as in protest
Voluble
Easily fluent in regards to speech
Wan
Unnaturally pale or showing some other indication of sickness, unhappiness, etc.; weak, lacking forcefulness
Wanton
Reckless, vicious, without regard for what is right; unjustifiable, deliberately done for no reason at all; sexually unrestrained or excessively luxurious
Welter
Confused mass or pile, jumble; confusion or turmoil; roll around, wallow, toss about, writhe
Whet
Stimulate, make keen or eager
Whitewash
A substance used to whiten walls, wood, etc.; deception, covering up of wrongs, errors, misdeed, etc.
Winnow
Sift, analyze critically, separate the useful part form the worthless part
winsome
Charming, engaging, esp. in a sweet and innocent way
Wizened
Withered, shriveled
Xenophobia
Fear or hatred of foreigners or that which is foreign
Yoke
A burden or something that oppresses; a frame for attaching animals to each other and to a plow or other equipment to be pulled; to unite together or to burden
Abasement
To reduce or lower, as in rank, office, reputation, or estimation; humble; degrade.
Abated
to reduce in amount, degree, intensity, etc.; lessen; diminish
Aberrant
- Deviating from what is considered proper or normal: aberrant behavior.
- Deviating from what is typical for a specified thing: an aberrant form of a gene.
Abhor
To regard with horror or loathing; detest: “The problem with Establishment Republicans is they abhor the unseemliness of a political brawl” (Patrick J. Buchanan).
Abhorrent
- Disgusting, loathsome, or repellent.
2. Feeling repugnance or loathing.
Abjured
- To recant solemnly; renounce or repudiate: “For nearly 21 years after his resignation as Prime Minister in 1963, he abjured all titles, preferring to remain just plain ‘Mr.’” (Time).
- To renounce under oath; forswear.
Abreast of
- Keeping pace with someone or something. Charlie finished the race in second place because he could not stay abreast of the winner.
- Knowing the most current information about a person, thing, or event. Typically used with the verb “keep.” There are so many software vulnerabilities that it’s difficult to keep abreast of them all. I’m worried about Stu, so please keep me abreast of any changes in his health.
Abridge
- To reduce the length of (a written text); condense: The editor abridged the manuscript by cutting out two chapters. See Synonyms at shorten.
- To limit; curtail: an unconstitutional law that abridged the rights of citizens.
Abstruse
Difficult to understand; recondite: The students avoided the professor’s abstruse lectures.
Accolades
a. An expression of approval; praise.
b. A special acknowledgment; an award.
2. A ceremonial embrace, as of greeting or salutation.
3. Ceremonial bestowal of knighthood.
Accrue
- To come to one as a gain, addition, or increment: interest accruing in my savings account.
- To increase, accumulate, or come about as a result of growth: common sense that accrues with experience.
- To come into existence as a claim that is legally enforceable.
Acculturation
- The modification of the culture of a group or individual as a result of contact with a different culture.
- The process by which the culture of a particular society is instilled in a human from infancy onward.
Acerbic
- Sour or bitter tasting; acid. See Synonyms at bitter, sour.
- Sharp or biting, as in character or expression: “At times, the playwright allows an acerbic tone to pierce through otherwise arid or flowery prose” (Alvin Klein).
Acrimony
Bitter, sharp animosity, especially as exhibited in speech or behavior.
Actuarial
Pertaining to the work of an actuary.
Actuary: A statistician who computes insurance risks and premiums.
Acumen
Quickness, accuracy, and keenness of judgment or insight: “A brilliant acumen in agricultural matters … had made the old man a legend in the district” (James Herriot).
Adherent
n.
A supporter, as of a cause or individual: a vote that pleased adherents of education reform.
adj.
1. Sticking or holding fast.
2. Botany Joined but not united. Used of dissimilar parts or organs.
Adherence
- The process or condition of adhering.
2. Faithful attachment; devotion: “rigid adherence to … the teachings of a single man” (Janet Reitman).
Adroit
- expert in using the hands or body; nimble
2. cleverly skillful, resourceful, or ingenious.
Adulatory
To praise or admire excessively; fawn on.
Aesthetic
- Relating to the philosophy or theories of aesthetics.
2.
a. Of or concerning the appreciation of beauty or good taste: aesthetic judgment; the aesthetic appeal of the exhibit.
b. Attractive or appealing: the more aesthetic features of the building. - Characterized by a heightened sensitivity to beauty: the poet and his aesthetic friends.
- Being or relating to a work of art; artistic: The play was an aesthetic success.
- Informal Conforming to accepted notions of good taste.
Aesthetics
a. The branch of philosophy that deals with the nature, expression, and perception of beauty, as in the fine arts.
b. The study of the psychological responses to beauty and artistic experiences.
Affability
- Easy and pleasant to speak to; approachable.
2. Gentle and gracious: an affable smile.
