Barron’s Flashcards
Abeyance
Temporary suspension/suppression
Abjure
To reject formally
Aberrant
Deviating from what’s normal
Accretion
Growth in size of increase in amount
Admonish
To caution or reprimand
Affected
Pretentious, phony
Allay
To lessen; ease; smooth
Alloy
A combination; mixture of 2 or more metals
Amalgamate
To combine into a unified whole
Ambrosia
Something delicious; food for gods
Ameliorate
To improve
Anachronism
Something out of the proper time
Anodyne
Something that calms or soothes pain
Anomalous
Irregular; deviating from the norm
Antipathy
Dislike, hostility
Apathy
Indifference
Apothegm
Terse/witty saying
Appease
To calm, pacify, please
Apropos
Relevant
Ardor
Great emotion or passion
Apprise
To inform
Ascetic
One who practices self-denial
Asperity
Severity, harshness, irritability
Aspersion
Slander; false rumor
Astringent
Harsh, severe
Asylum
Place of refuge or shelter
Attenuate
To weaken
Aver
To affirm, declare to be true
Avuncular
Like an uncle; benevolent and tolerant
Bawdy
Obscene
Beatify
To sanctify, to bless, to ascribe a virtue to
Bedizen
To dress in a vulgar, showy manner
Blasé
Bored because of frequent indulgence; unconcerned
Boorish
Rude, insensitive
Broach
To bring up for the first time
Burgeon
To flourish
Buttress
To reinforce; support
Cadge
To beg; sponge
Calumny
False and malicious accusation; slander
Canard
False, deliberately misleading story
Capricious
Fickle
Carnal
Of the flesh or body; related to physical appetites
Carping
To find fault; complain
Castigation
Punishment; chastisement; criticism
Caustic
Sarcastically biting; burning
Champion
To defend or support
Chasten
To correct by punishment or reproof; to restrain or subdue
Churlish
Rude; boorish
Chicanery
Trickery; fraud
Clairvoyant
One who can predict the future; psychic
Cloister
To confine; seclude
Coda
Something that summarizes or concludes; musical term
Commensurate
Proportional
Compendium
Brief, comprehensive summary
Complaisant
Overly polite; willing to please; obliging
Compunction
Uneasiness caused by guilt
Conciliatory
Overcoming distrust or hostility
Concoct
To invent
Concomitant
Existing concurrently
Conjugal
Pertaining to marriage agreement
Congenial
Similar in tastes and habits; friendly; suited to
Consecrate
To declare sacred
Contend
To assert
Contentious
Quarrelsome; causing quarrels
Continence
Self-control; abstention from sexual activity
Contrite
Very sorrowful for a wrong
Conundrum
Riddle; puzzle with no solution
Contimacious
Disobedient; rebellious
Convoluted
Twisted; complicated
Copious
Abundant; plentiful
Coquette
Woman who flirts
Cornucopia
Horn overflowing with fruit and grain; state of abundance
Covert
Hidden; secret
Covetous
Desiring something owned by another
Cozen
To mislead by trick or fraud; deceive
Craven
Cowardly
Credo
Statement of belief or principle; creed
Dearth
Scarcity
Decorum
Proper behavior
Default
To fail to act
Deference
Respect; regard for another’s wish
Defunct
No longer existing
Delineate
To represent or depict
Demotic
Pertaining to people
Demur
To express doubt
Denigrate
To slur someone’s reputation
Denouement
Outcome; unraveling of the plot of a play or work of literature
Deride
To mock
Derivative
Something derived; unoriginal
Desiccate
To dry completely
Desuetude
State of disuse
Desultory
Random; disconnected; rambling
Deterrent
Something that discourages or hinders
Detraction
The act of taking away; derogatory comment on a person’s character
Diaphanous
Transparent; fine-textured; insubstantial; vague
Diatribe
Bitter verbal attack
Diffidence
Shyness; lack of confidence
Digression
Act of straying from the main point
Dirge
Funeral hymn
Disabuse
To free from misconception
Discerning
Perceptive; exhibiting keen insight and good judgment
Discomfit
To make uneasy; disconcert
Discordant
Not in tune
Discrete
Constituting a separate thing; distinct
Disingenuous
Not candid; crafty
Disparage
To belittle
Disparate
Dissimilar
Dissemble
To pretend; disguise one’s motices
Disseminate
To spread; scatter; disperse
Dissident
Person who disagrees about beliefs, etc.
Dissolution
Disintegration; debauchery
Distend
To expand; swell out
Distill
Extract the essential elements
Distrait
Inattentive; preoccupied
Divest
To strip; deprive; rid
Divulge
To make known something that is secret
Doctrinaire
Relating to a person who cannot compromise about points of a theory or doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding
Doggerel
Poor verse
Dogmatic
Stating opinions without proof
Dross
Waste; worthless matter; trivial matter
Dupe
To deceive; trick
Ebullient
Exhilarated; enthusiastic
Eclectic
Selecting from various sources
Effervescence
State of high spirits or liveliness; the process of bubbling as gas escapes
Effete
Depleted of vitality; overrefined; decadent
Efficacy
Efficiency; effectiveness
Effrontery
Shameless boldness; presumptuous ness
Elixir
A substance believed to have the power to cure ills
Elysian
Blissful; delightful
Emaciated
Thin and wasted
Embellish
To adorn; decorate; enhance; make more attractive by adding details
Emollient
Soothing; mollifying
Emulate
To imitate; copy
Encomium
A formal expression of praise
Endemic
Inherent; belonging to an area
Enervate
To weaken
Engender
To cause; provoke
Ephemeral
Short-lived; fleeting
Epistemology
Branch of philosophy that examines the nature of knowledge
Equable
Steady; unvarying; serene
Equanimity
Composure; calmness
Equivocate
To intentionally use vague language
Errant
Mistaken; straying from the proper course
Erudite
Learned; scholarly
Esoteric
Hard to understand; known only to a few
Essay
To make an attempt; subject to a test
Estimable
Admirable; possible to estimate
Etiology
Causes or origins
Etymology
Origin and history of a word
Eugenics
Study of factors that influence the hereditary qualities of the human race and ways to improve these qualities
Eulogy
High praise, especially of a person who has recently died
Euphemism
Use of agreeable of inoffensive language in place of unpleasant or offensive language
Euthanasia
Mercy killing
Evince
To show plainly; be an indication of
Abate
To decrease; reduce
Abject
Miserable; pitiful
Abscond
To depart secretly
Abstemious
Moderate in appetite
Abysmal
Very baf
Adjunct
Something added, attached, or joined
Exacerbate
To aggravate; make worse
Exact
To force the payment of; demand and obtain by authority
Exculpate
To clear of blame; vindicate
Execrable
Detestable; abhorrent
Exhort
To urge by strong appeals
Exigency
Crisis; urgent requirements
Existential
Based on experience; having to do with existence
Exorcise
To expel evil spirits; free from bad influences
Expatiate
To speak or write at length
Expatriate
To send into exile
Expiate
To atone for
Explicate
To explain; interpret; clarify
Expository
Explanatory
Extant
In existence; not lost
Extemporaneous
Unrehearsed
Extirpate
To root up; to destroy
Extraneous
Not essential
Extrapolation
The act of estimation by projecting known information
Extrinsic
Not inherent or essential
Facetious
Humorous
Factotum
A person who does all sorts of work; a handyman
Fallacious
Based on a false idea or fact; misleading
Fallow
Plowed but not sowed; uncultivated
Fatuous
Foolishly self-satisfied
Fawning
Seeking favor by flattering
Felicitous
Suitably expressed; appropriate; well-chosen
Feral
Existing in a wild or untamed state
Fervor
Warmth and intensity of emotion
Fetid
Having a bad smell
Fetter
To bind; confine
Fiat
Arbitrary order; authorization
Fidelity
Loyalty; exact correspondence
Fissure
Crevice
Flag
To droop; grow weak
Florid
Ruddy; reddish; flowery
Flout
To treat scornfully
Foment
To incite; arouse
Forbearance
Patience
Forestall
To prevent; delay
Formidable
Menacing; threatening
Forswear
Renounce; repudiate
Founder
To sink; fail; collapse
Fracas
A loud quarrel; brawl
Fractious
Quarrelsome; unruly; rebellioi
Fresco
A painting done on plaster
Frieze
Ornamental band on a wall
Froward
Stubbornly contrary; obstinately disobedient
Frugality
Thrift
Fulminate
To attack loudly; denounce
Fulsome
So excessive as to be disgusting
Futile
Ineffective; useless; fruitless
