Barrons Flashcards
disseminate
v. distribute; spread; scatter (like seeds).
discerning
adj. mentally quick and observant; having insight
duplicity
double-dealing; hypocrisy
disdain
v. view with scorn or contempt
divergent
adj. differing; deviating
discordant
adj. not harmonious; conflicting
eclectic
adj. composed of elements drawn from disparate sources
disinclination
n. unwillingness
disperse
v. scatter
diminution
n. lessening; reduction in size
dogmatic
adj. opinionated; arbitrary; doctrinal
discrepancy
n. lack of consistency; difference
elusive
adj. evasive; baffling; hard to grasp
disparage
v. belittle
eloquence
n. expressiveness; persuasive speech
dismiss
v. put away from consideration; reject
embellish
v. adorn; ornament
disparity
n. difference; condition of inequality
miserly
adj. stingy; mean
oblivion
n. obscurity; forgetfulness
mundane
adj. worldly as opposed to spiritual; everyday
meticulous
adj. excessively careful; painstaking
nurture
v. nourish; educate; foster
morose
adj. ill-humored; sullen; melancholy
materialism
n. preoccupation with physical comforts and things
notoriety
n. disrepute; ill-fame
mitigate
v. appease; moderate
cryptic
adj. mysterious; hidden; secret
deterrent
n. something that discourages; hindrance
criterion
n. standard used in judging
despondent
adj. depressed; gloomy.
n. despondency
cursory
adj. casual; hastily done
digression
n. wandering away from the subject.
v. digress
consensus
n. general agreement
decorum
n. propriety; orderliness and good taste in manners.
adj. decorous
conviction
n.judgement that someone is guilty of a crime; strongly held belief
depravity
n. extreme corruption; wickedness
constraint
n. compulsion; repression of feelings
v. constrain
corroborate
v. confirm; suport
deprecate
v. express disapproval of; protest against; belittle
immutable
adj. unchangeable
ephemeral
adj. short-lived; fleeting
homogeneous
adj. of the same kind
emulate
v. imitate; rival
impair
v. injure; hurt
equivocal
adj. ambiguous; intentionally misleading
hypocritical
adj. pretending to be virtuous; deceiving
enhance
v. increase; improve
impede
v. hinder; block; delay
erudite
adj. learned; scholarly
hypothetical
adj. based on assumptions or hypotheses; supposed
enigma
n. puzzle; mystery
contentious
adj. quarrelsome
denounce
v. condemn; criticize
n. denunciation
credulity
n. belief on slight evidence; gullibility; naiveté
deride
v. ridicule; make fun of
n. derision
censorious
adj. critical
commemorate
v. honor the memory of
concise
adj. brief and compact
censure
v. blame; criticize
compliance
n. readiness to yield; conformity in fulfilling requirements
condone
v. overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse
coercion
n. use of force to get someone to obey
conciliatory
adj. reconciling; soothing
conflagration
n. great fire
incongruous
adj. not fitting; absurd
euphemism
n. mild expression in place of an unpleasant one
incite
v. arouse to action
eulogy
n. expression of praise, often on the occasion of someone’s death
inane
adj. silly; senseless
esoteric
adj. hard to understand; known only to the chosen few
heresy
n. opinion contrary to popular belief; opinion contrary to accepted religion
hamper
v. obstruct
gravity
n. seriousness
hedonist
n. someone who believes that pleasure is the sole aim in life
guile
n. deceit; duplicity; wiliness; cunning
garrulous
adj. loquacious; wordy; talkative
n. garrulity
hierarchy
n. arrangement by rank or standing; authoritarian body divided into ranks
haughtiness
n. pride; arrogance
gregarious
adj. sociable
explicit
adj. totally clear; definite; outspoken
exhaustive
adj. thorough; comprehensive
extricate
v. free; disentangle
expedient
adj. suitable; practical; politic
exemplary
adj. serving as a model; outstanding
extraneous
adj. not essential; superfluous
exonerate
v. acquit; exculpate
exacerbate
v. worsen; embitter
extol
v. praise; glorify
fanaticism
n. excessive zeal; extreme devotion to a belief or cause
exuberance
n. overflowing abundance; joyful enthusiasm; flamboyance; lavishness
fallacious
adj. false; misleading
fervor
n. glowing ardor; intensity of feeling
frugality
n. thrift; economy
adj. frugal
flagrant
adj. conspicuously wicked; blatant; outrageous
furtive
adj. stealthy; sneaky
fastidious
adj. difficult to please; squeamish
frivolous
adj. lacking in seriousness; self-indulgently carefree; relatively unimportant
listless
adj. lacking in spirit or energy
laud
v. praise
ironic
adj. resulting in an unexpected and contrary outcome
levity
n. lack of seriousness; lightness
lethargic
adj. drowsy; dull
malicious
adj. hateful; spiteful
n. malice
instigate
v. urge; start; provoke
inundate
v. overwhelm; flood; submerge
intrepid
adj. fearless
indict
v. charge
induce
v. persuade; bring about
n. inducement
incorrigible
adj. not correctable
inherent
adj. firmly established by nature or habit
innovation
n. change; introduction of something new
v. innovate
ingenious
adj. clever; resourceful
innocuous
adj. harmless
innate
adj. inborn
insipid
adj. lacking in flavor; dull
pessimism
n. belief that life is basically bad or evil; gloominess
partisan
adj. one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party
opulence
n. extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance
adj. opulent
pervasive
adj. pervading; spread throughout every part
pacifist
n. one opposed to force; antimilitarist
opportunist
n. individual who sacrifices principles for expediency by taking advantage of cirumstances
peripheral
adj. marginal; outer
ostentatious
adj. showy; pretentious; trying to attract atteniton
opaque
adj. dark; not transparent
philanthropist
n. lover of mankind; doer of good
placate
v. pacify; conciliate
piety
n. religious devotion; godliness
prodigal
adj. wasteful; reckless with money.
n. someone who is also ^
ponderous
adj. weighty; unwieldy
preclude
v. make impossible; eliminate
pragmatic
adj. practical; concerned with the practical worth or impact of something
precocious
adj. advanced in development
predecessor
n. former occupant of a post
presumptuous
adj. overconfident; impertinently bold; taking liberties
relegate
v. banish to an inferior position; delegate; assign
quandary
n. dilemma
prevalent
adj. widespread; generally accepted
pretentious
adj. ostentatious; pompous; making unjustified claims; overly ambitious
prudent
adj. cautious; careful
n. prudence
profound
adj. deep, not superficial; complete
prolific
adj. abundantly fruitful
refute
v. disprove
brevity
n. conciseness
proliferation
n. rapid growth; spread; multiplication
v. proliferate
zealot
n. fanatic; person who shows excessive zeal
recluse
n. hermit; loner
redundant
adj. superfluous; repetitious; excessively wordy
sycophant
n. servile flatterer; boot-licker; yes-man
taciturn
adj. silent; talking little
ascetic
adj. practicing self-denial; austere
also n.
surreptitious
adj. secret; furtive; sneaky; hidden
transient
adv. momentary; temporary; staying for a short time
turbulence
n. state of violent agitation
terse
adj. concise; abrupt; pithy
acclaim
v. applaud; announce with great approval
also n.
austere
adj.forbiddingly stern; severely simple
astute
adj. wise; shrewd; keen
apathy
n. lack of caring; indifference
altruistic
adj. unselfishly generous; concerned for others
alleviate
v. relieve
ambiguous
adj. unclear or doubtful in meaning
benevolent
adj. generous; charitable
belie
v. contradict; give a false impression
autonomous
adj. self-governing
n. autonomy
profusion
n. overabundance; lavish expenditure
venerate
v. revere
verbose
adj. wordy
vilify
v. slander
adversary
n. opponent
reticence
n. reserve; uncommunicativeness; inclination to silence
reprehensible
adj. deserving blame
repudiate
v. disown; disavow
rancor
n. bitterness; hatred
superfluous
adj. unnecessary; excessive; overabundant
superficial
adj. trivial; shallow
surpass
v. exceed
usurp
v. seize another’s power or rank
vacillate
v. waver; fluctuate
undermine
v. weaken; sap
abstract
adj. theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational
arbitrary
adj. capricious; randomly chosen; tyrannical
advocate
v. urge; plead for
affirmation
n. positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath
virtuoso
n. highly skilled artist
volatile
adj. changeable; explosive; evaporating rapidly
rhetorical
adj. pertaining to effective communication; insincere in language
retract
v. withdraw; take back
rebuttal
n.refutation; response with contrary evidence
adulation
n. flattery; admiration
profane
v. violate; desecrate; treat unworthily
adversity
n. poverty; misfortune
ascendancy
n. controlling influence; domination
aesthetic
adj. artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciation of the beautiful
n. aesthete
abridge
v. condense or shorten
articulate
adj. effective; distinct
sanction
v. approve; ratify
ambivalence
n. the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes
anarchist
n. person who seeks to overturn the established government; advocate of abolishing authority
capricious
adj. unpredictable; fickle
cajole
v. coax; wheedle; convince
proximity
n. nearness
rectify
v. set right; correct
reprimand
v. reprove severely; rebuke
also n.
reprove
v. censure; rebuke
renounce
v. abandon; disown; repudiate
satirical
adj. mocking
scrupulous
adj. conscientious; extremely thorough
scrutinize
v.examine closely and critically
skeptic
n. doubter; person who suspends judgement until the evidence supporting a point of view has been examined
n. skepticism
somber
adj. gloomy; depressing; dark; drab
servile
adj. slavish; cringing; obsequious
succint
adj. brief
stagnant
adj. motionless; stale; dull
substantiate
v. establish by evidence; verify; support