Barron's top vocab Flashcards
1
Q
apocryphal
A
of doubtful authenticity but well-known [crypt = secret]; spurious
2
Q
canard
A
a false story or belief [duck, French]
3
Q
chicanery
A
trickery, deception
4
Q
dissemble
A
to hide your true feelings [simulate]
5
Q
ersatz
A
copied and inferior to the original [err + set]
6
Q
guile
A
the use of clever and dishonest means to achieve something;
guileless
7
Q
perfidy
A
the act of betraying [per = thru/detrimental to + faith]
8
Q
prevaricate
A
to avoid telling the truth by not directly answering the question [fabricate]
9
Q
specious
A
falsely appearing to be fair or just [species = visually pleasing]
10
Q
spurious
A
not genuine or sincere [spurn a bastard]; apocryphal
spurious Picasso painting wouldn’t have fooled an art expert for a second
11
Q
artifice
A
dishonest behavior meant to deceive [artificial]
12
Q
mendacious
A
dishonest
13
Q
reproach
A
noun: an expression of disapproval, scandal, disgrace
verb: to reprove, criticize
14
Q
aberration
A
something unusual or unexpected, unsoundness of mind
15
Q
belie
A
to give a false idea of [lie]
16
Q
endemic
A
common in a particular area or field [disease, demos = people]
17
Q
salubrious
A
making good health possible [salud]
18
Q
aspersion
A
false charge meant to hurt reputation [disperse]; censure, reproach, calumny
19
Q
calumny
A
noun: aspersion
verb: to censure, reproach [challenge]
20
Q
decry
A
to say publicly and forcefully that something is bad or wrong [cry]; disparage, belittle
21
Q
diatribe
A
noun: angry and long speech meant to criticize [rub]; harangue, rant
22
Q
excoriate
A
to criticize harshly [ex + carnal = meat, skin, hide]
23
Q
gainsay
A
to deny or show that is not true [against]
He repeatedly tried to gainsay me, even though everything I said was backed up by facts
24
Q
harangue
A
noun: forceful or angry speech, diatribe, rant
verb: to expatiate, declaim
[angry]
25
inveigh
to protest against bitterly [vehement]
26
lambaste
to criticize harshly [bastard, Bastille]
27
objurgate
to harshly rebuke [ob = against + jur = law, quarrel]
28
obloquy
harsh statements, bad repute of someone [ob = against + loqui = speak]
29
opprobrium
strong disapproval; reproach
30
pillory
to publicly and harshly criticize [pillories!]
31
reprehend
to reprimand, to voice disapproval of
32
reprove
to criticize gently, disapprove
33
vituperate
to abuse or censure severely
| priest vituperated parishioners for vices
34
revile
to despise, speak insultingly
35
precipitate
to cause to happen suddenly, to hurl violently [as in a solid out of solution]
36
assuage
verb: to make less painful/severe [suave = soft, smooth]
noun: grief, thirst
37
erudite
having or showing knowledge learned by studying [e = without + rudis = rude]
38
prodigal
carelessly or foolishly spending time, money, etc. [prod = push + agere = agility (i.e. too much agility)] unthrifty
39
desiccate
to dry up, drain or emotional or intellectual vitality [secar = dry]
40
vacillate
to repeatedly change opinions, desires [oscillate]
41
pedant
noun
42
capricious
changing often, not logical or predictable, ephemeral, fickle, unpredictable
43
adulterate
to make impure or weaker [corrupt]
44
engender
to be the source or cause of [generate]
45
corroborate
to support or help prove by providing evidence [co = together + robust]
46
laconic
succinct [concise]
47
multifarious
of many and different types
48
inculcate
to cause to be learned by repetition [in + calc = heel (calcetines) (i.e. stepping on again and again)]
49
abrogate
to formally annul or cancel, to fail to fulfill a responsibility [ab = away (abdicate) + rogare = to ask/beg]
abrogate old treaties, abrogate contracts through bankruptcy
50
obviate
to make no longer necessary, to avoid or prevent [avoid]
51
unequivocal
without doubt [un + equivocar]
52
abeyance
a suspended action; The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival
53
abscond
to leave secretly and hide
54
abstemious
adj: sparing in eating and drinking, temperate [abstain]
55
alacrity
cheerful promptness, eagerness
56
amalgamate
to combine, unite
57
apprise
to inform
58
approbation
approval
59
artless
guileless, open, honest
60
ascetic
practicing self-denial, austere
| an ascetic diet of rice and beans
61
attenuate
to make thinner [tension]
62
aver
to assert confidently, declare
63
banal
commonplace, hackneyed
64
bombastic
pompous
| a bombastic speech intended to impress voters
65
boorish
rude, insensitive
66
cogent
adj: convincing
67
compendium
a brief comprehensive summary
68
complaisant
trying to please
69
condone
to overlook, forgive
70
contention
a claim, thesis
71
contentious
quarrelsome
72
contrite
pentitent
| although he apologized, it was clear he was hardly contrite
73
craven
cowardly
74
default
noun: failure to act
75
delineate
to portray, sketch, depict
76
denigrate
to blacken (one's character, etc.)
77
desultory
aimless, haphazard
| a desultory search for something of interest on tv
78
diffuse
adj: wordy, rambling, spread out
79
diffidence
shyness
80
discerning
adj: mentally quick and observant, having insight
81
disinterested
unprejudiced
82
ebullient
adj: overflowing with excitement [boiling, bubbling]
83
effrontery
impudence, shameless boldness, sheer nerve, presumptuousness
84
elegy
a poem or song expressing lamentation
85
enervate
to weaken [e = without + nerve, energy]
86
equanimity
calmness of temperament, composure
| an Olympic diver who always displays equanimity on the platform
87
exigency
urgent situation, pressing needs
88
facetious
joking, often inappropriately, humorous
89
felicitous
apt, suitably expressed, well chosen
90
fatuous
brainless, inane, foolish, yet smug
91
flag
to droop, grow feeble
92
flout
to reject, mock, show contempt for
| flout the conventions of high art
93
foment
to stir up, instigate
94
garrulous
loquacious, wordy, talkative
95
iconoclastic
attacking cherished traditions
96
impervious
impenetrable, incapable of being damaged or distressed
97
inchoate
recently begun, rudimentary, elementary
98
indigence
poverty
99
indolent
lazy
100
inert
inactive [inert gas]
101
ingenuous
naive and trusting, young, unsophisticated
102
insensible
unconscious, unresponsive
103
insipid
lacking in flavor, dull [sip flat ginger ale]
104
intractable
unruly, stubborn, unyielding
105
intransigence
refusal of any compromise, stubbornness
106
inured
accustomed, hardened
| hardship of army training inured her to the rigors of desert warfare
107
irascible
irritable, easily angered
108
irresolute
uncertain how to act, weak
109
lassitude
languor, weariness
110
mollify
to soothe
111
neophyte
a newbie, beginner, a recent convent
112
obdurate
stubborn
113
osequious
slavishly attentive, servile, sycophantic
114
officious
meddlesome, excessively pushy in offering one's services
115
onerous
burdensome
116
paragon
a model of perfection
117
paucity
scarcity
118
perennial
noun: something longlasting
119
perfidious
treacherous, disloyal
120
proscribe
to ostracize, banish, outlaw
| proscribe the traitors
121
qualified
adj. limited, restricted
122
rarefied
made less dense (of a gas)
123
recant
to disclaim or disavow, retract a statement, openly confess error
124
recondite
abstruse, profound, secret
| [reconnaissance]
125
refractory
stubborn, unmanageable
126
relegate
to banish to an inferior position, delegate, assign
127
reprobate
a person hardened in sin, devoid a sense of decency
128
repudiate
to disown, disavow
| repudiate ex husband's debts
129
reticent
reserved, uncommunicative, inclined to silence
130
sanction
to approve or ratify
131
solicitous
worried, concerned
132
soporific
sleep-causing
133
stint
to be thrifty, to set limits
134
stolid
dull, impassive
135
subpoena
a writ summoning a witness to appear
136
supersede
to cause to be set aside, to replace, to make obselete
137
tacit
understood, not put into words
| a tacit agreement based only on a handshake
138
tenous
thin, rare, slim
139
tractable
docile, easily managed
140
transgression
a violation of a law, sin
141
truculence
aggressiveness, ferocity [Tuco! breaking bad]
142
venerate
to revere
| as in a traditional leader
143
veracious
truthful
144
welter
turmoil, bewildering jumble
| overlapping federal and state claims crying out for reform
145
munificent
very generous
| [money]
146
taciturn
Quiet, not speaking a lot
147
sanguine
Confident, hopeful
148
Inimical
Causing damage, not friendly
| [enemy]
149
Evanescent
Ephemeral, transient
150
Recrudescent
Breaking out again
151
Inveigling
Persuading someone to do something deceptively; winning over by ingenuity or flattery
