AFOQT Vocab - Adjectives Flashcards
Abstract
theoretical or lacking substance; can also mean a brief summary of a scholarly article or paper
Acute
sharp, shrewd; also, an angle of less than 90 degrees
Aesthetic
having to do with art or artistic beauty or sensibility; pleasing to the eye
Ambiguous
unclear in meaning; confusing; able to be interpreted in more than one way
Ambivalent
undecided; wavering between alternatives
Ambulatory
able to walk
Amiable
friendly, pleasant
Animated
alive, lively
Apocryphal
of doubtful or uncertain origin
Apprehensive
worried, anxious
Arrogant
feeling superior to others and not hiding your high opinion of yourself
Articulate
well-spoken, having a good command of the language
Ascetic
austere, self-denying
Astute
perceptive, intelligent
Auspicious
favorable, seeming to point toward good results
Austere
unadorned, forbiddingly bare
Authentic
real, genuine
Banal
unoriginal, ordinary to a fault, boring
Belligerent
combative, quarrelsome
Benevolent
kind, generous
Benign
gentle; not harmful
Blithe
carefree, cheerful
Candid
honest, forthright, frank
Caustic
like acid or corrosive; also, a very sharp or cutting insult or comment
Complacent
smug, self-satisfied, content with the current situation
Compliant
yielding, submissive
Conciliatory
peacemaking
Concise
succinct; brief and direct
Congenial
agreeably pleasant
Conspicuous
obvious, standing out, very noticeable
Contrite
genuinely and deeply apologetic or remorseful
Credulous
believing something outrageous; gullible
Cryptic
mysterious, hard to understand
Didactic
instructive
Diffident
timid; lacking in self-confidence
Diligent
hardworking
Disparate
different, varied; often with a connotation of incompatible
Dispassionate
without emotion; neutral
Diverse
varied
Dogmatic
arrogantly or over-confidently claiming the truth of unproven ideas, or claiming that a belief system is beyond dispute
Dubious
doubtful or uncertain
Eccentric
unconventional, irregular
Elaborate
a result of great effort and attention to detail; intricate
Elusive
hard to capture or pin down; can mean evasive
Ephemeral
short-lived, fleeting, temporary
Esoteric
hard to understand; cryptic
Exhaustive
very thorough and complete, with great attention to detail
Expedient
meeting an immediate need; also, self-serving or granting immediate advantage
Extraneous
irrelevant, extra, unnecessary
Fallacious
false
Fanatical
extremely devoted to or passionate about a cause or idea
Fastidious
meticulous; insistent on attention to detail
Fickle
not faithful or consistent; unpredictable
Flagrant
shocking or outrageous violation of a custom, expectation, rule, or law
Fortuitous
luckily coincidental; accidentally advantageous
Frivolous
not serious; with levity; inconsequential
Furtive
secretive, trying to remain hidden
Futile
hopeless, without effect or result
Gullible
overly trusting; willing to believe anything
Hackneyed
overused; trite
Hedonistic
pleasure seeking, overly indulgent
Hypothetical
unproven; used as a theoretical example for the purpose of discussion
Immutable
unchangeable, permanent
Impartial
fair, unbiased, neutral
Inadvertent
accidental
Incessant
unceasing, never-ending; usually implies an unpleasant condition
Incoherent
jumbled, hard to understand
Incongruous
inconsistent or inappropriate
Indifferent
not caring one way or the other; can also mean “mediocre”
Indulgent
lenient, giving in to momentary desires or whims
Inevitable
unavoidable, especially when referring to a result of a course of action or decision
Infamous
having a bad reputation; disgraceful
Innate
inborn, inherent
Innocuous
harmless, insignificant
Insipid
dull, meaningless, empty
Irascible
irritable
Laudable
worthy of praise
Lax
careless, negligent, not diligent
Marred
damaged or scarred
Novel
new or original
Objective
without bias, analyzing logically based on facts
Orthodox
conventional, adhering to established principles or practices, especially in religious matters
Pedestrian
common, ordinary
Peripheral
unimportant, of little consequence
Pervasive
a quality of being present throughout; permeating
Pious
reverent or devout; depending on context
Pivotal
crucial, result changing
Pragmatic
practical, based on experience rather than theory
Pretentious
pompous, self-important
Prodigal
extravagant, rebellious, wasteful
Prodigious
enormous, of extraordinary size
Profound
deep, insightful
Profuse
extravagant, free-flowing
Prosaic
dull, unimaginative
Provincial
limited in outlook to one’s own small area; narrow
Provocative
exciting; attracting attention or sparking controversy
Prudent
careful, wisely cautious
Recalcitrant
stubbornly defiant of authority or control
Reprehensible
worthy of blame; disgraceful
Resolute
firm, determined, unwavering in the face of challenges or obstacles
Reticent
restrained, uncommunicative
Rigorous
strict, harsh, severe
Saccharine
overly sweet or flattering
Sage
wise or knowledgeable, usually from experience
Scanty
inadequate, minimal
Scrupulous
strict or careful in an ethical sense
Servile
submissive and subservient
Stoic
outwardly indifferent to circumstances, especially to bad or challenging times
Stringent
strict or restrictive
Supercilious
haughty, insultingly patronizing
Superficial
on the surface only; shallow
Taciturn
not talkative by nature
Temperate
moderate or restrained
Tenacious
dogged or determined in the pursuit of an objective
Vehement
strong, urgent, passionate
Verbose
wordy, overly talkative
Virulent
malignant, malicious, full of hate
Volatile
highly unstable, explosive
Voluminous
very large, spacious
Willful
deliberate, obstinate, insistent on having one’s own way
Zealous
enthusiastically devoted to a cause or idea