Barrons Essential words Flashcards
invective (n)
verbal abuse
The debate judge cautioned participants not to engage in invective, but rather in reasoned and decorous discourse.
insularity (n)
narrow-mindedness; isolation
The insularity of many tribes in New Guinea allows anthropologists to study cultures that have been relatively uninfluenced by the modern world.
perennial
adjective
present throughout the years; persistent
Perennial warfare has left most of the people of the country in poverty.
subpoena (n)
notice ordering someone to appear in court
The judge issued a subpoena for the man but the prosecutor had little hope that he would appear because he was living abroad.
alacrity
noun
cheerful willingness; eagerness; speed
The football coach was pleased to see the team get to work on the task of improving its tackling skills with alacrity.
insipid
adjective
lacking in flavor; dull
Ironically, the book about how to write lively, engaging prose is an insipid piece of writing.
negate
verb
to cancel out; nullify
The soldiers’ poor treatment of the prisoners negated the goodwill they had built up among the population.
penchant
noun
inclination
Sue has a penchant for science, while her brother is more interested in the arts.
compendium (n)
brief, comprehensive summary
The Mozart Compendium: A Guide to Mozart’s Life and Music by H. C. Robbins Landon is a convenient reference for finding information about the life and music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
probity
noun
honesty; high-mindedness
No one questioned the probity of the judge being considered for elevation to the U.S. Supreme Court; what was at issue was his controversial views on several important issues.
incursion (n)
sudden invasion
Example, At first, the Native Americans were not too concerned about the incursions of European settlers, but their anxiety grew with the relentless flow of people, until, finally, calamitous wars were fought between the two sides.
castigation
noun
punishment; chastisement; criticism
Many British writers recall with loathing the castigation they received at school.
abeyance
N
temporary suppression or suspension
A good judge must hold his or her judgment in abeyance until all the facts in a case have been presented.
abscond
V
To depart secretly
A warrant is out for the arrest of a person believed to have absconded with three million dollars.
perfunctory
adjective
superficial; not thorough; performed really as a duty
The perfunctory inspection of the airplane failed to reveal
structural faults in the wing.
admonish
v
to caution or reprimand
The judge admonished the jury to discount testimony that had been ruled inadmissible.
warranted
adjective
Verb
justified
The book argues that a new investigation into Marilyn Monroe’s death is warranted by new evidence released by the FBI under the Freedom of Information Act.
Warrant is a verb meaning to attest to the accuracy or quality; justify; grant authorization
Throughout most of America, procedures in criminal law cases are essentially the same: The government, through a prosecutor, presents its case against a suspect to a grand jury, which decides if there is sufficient evidence to warrant a full trial.
gregarious
adjective
sociable
A recent anthropological theory is that human beings are gregarious creatures that are comfortable living in groups of around 150 individuals.
diffuse
v: to spread out
Adj: wordy; rambling; spread out.
The idea of equality and liberty diffused through society after the French Revolution.
This essay is so diffuse it is difficult to follow its central argument.
conundrum
noun
riddle; puzzle with no solution
The paradoxical statement “This statement is false” presents us with a conundrum.
distill
verb
extract the essential elements
In his book Men of Ideas: Some Creators of Contemporary Philosophy, Bryan Magee manages to distill the essence of leading thinkers such as W. V. Quine, John Searle, Iris Murdoch, and Noam Chomsky.
iconoclastic
adjective
attacking cherished traditions
The linguist and political commentator Noam Chomsky has been described as gleefully iconoclastic because of the zeal with which he attacks many of the central beliefs of American society.
An icon is an image or representation.
The internal combustion engine is a ubiquitous feature of modern industrial society, helping the automobile to become an icon of the twentieth century, loved by many people but loathed by environmentalists.
abstemious
adj
Moderate in appetite
Some research suggests that people with an abstemious lifestyle tend to live longer than people who indulge their appetites.
obviate
verb
to make unnecessary; to anticipate and prevent
An experienced physician can often discern if a patient’s symptoms are psychosomatic, thus obviating the need for expensive medical tests.
euphemism
N
use of agreeable or inoffensive language in place of unpleasant or offensive language
An illustration of the tendency toward euphemism is the change (reflecting the political concerns of the day) in the accepted appellation of poor countries from the unambiguous poor, to undeveloped, to underdeveloped, to less developed, to developing.
decorum
noun
proper behavior
When addressing the nation, the president generally has an air of decorum.
The adjective is decorous.
qualified
adjective
N
In Indian philosophy a position between monism at one extreme and dualism at the other is qualified non-dualism, a philosophy in which reality is considered to have attributes of both dualism and monism.
Qualification is a noun meaning limitation or restriction.
So many qualifications had been added to the agreement that Sue was now reluctant to sign it.
The verb qualify means to modify or limit.
connoisseur
noun
a person possessing expert knowledge or training; a person of informed and discriminating taste
The art connoisseur selected works by Van Gogh, Rembrandt, and Picasso for the exhibition.
hyperbole.
n
purposeful exaggeration for effect
The American tradition of the tall tale uses hyperbole to depict a world in which the inhabitants and their deeds are larger than life, as befitting a people inhabiting a vast landscape.
fledgling
noun
beginner; novice
The coach said that some of the team’s fledglings would play in
Saturday’s game.
The adjective fledgling means immature or inexperienced.
pragmatic
adjective
practical
The cult of romantic love was a major factor in making a marriage for love, rather than for more pragmatic reasons, a ubiquitous phenomenon in the West by the nineteenth century.
Pragmatism means a practical way of approaching situations or solving problems.
Pragmatism is similar to Positivism in rejecting lofty metaphysical conceptions and in asserting that the main role of philosophy is to help clarify phenomena experienced.
A pragmatist is someone who approaches situations in a practical way.
The word “pragmatist” is often used to refer to someone who is willing to sacrifice his principles to expediency.
harangue
n
long, pompous speech; tirade
The football team sat silently listening to their coach’s half-time harangue about poor tackling, dropped passes, and lost opportunities to score.
embellish
V
to adorn; decorate; enhance; make more attractive by adding details
The story he had been told was so powerful that the writer felt no need to embellish it.
opprobrium
noun
disgrace; contempt
It is difficult to imagine the opprobrium heaped on a person who is a traitor to his or her group.
levee
noun
an embankment that prevents a river from overflowing
An extensive system of levees is the only way to prevent the river from flooding the area during periods of heavy rain.
solicitous
adjective
concerned; attentive; eager
The nurse is extremely solicitous of the health of every patient in the ward.
stipulate
verb
N
to specify as an essential condition.
The president’s lawyer stipulated that he would appear before the investigative committee, but would answer only questions directly relevant to the issue at hand.
The noun is stipulation.
Stipulations in a contract should be clear in order to obviate the need for parties to resort to litigation.
fallacious
adjective
based on a false idea or fact; misleading
The belief of the Nazis that they could create a “master race” was based on the fallacious premise that some races are inherently superior to others.
The noun fallacy means an incorrect idea.
Critics of the “strong” anthropic principle argue that its proponents are guilty of a logical fallacy: on the basis of one known case of intelligent life, they extrapolate the existence of a multitude of such cases.
pungent
adjective
strong or sharp in smell or taste; penetrating; caustic; to the point
Slang frequently expresses an idea succinctly and pungently.
levity
noun
light manner or attitude
The comedian has a gift for finding an element of levity in the most serious of subjects.
incongruity
noun
state of not fitting
There is an incongruity between the poem’s solemn tone and its light-hearted theme.
The adjective is incongruous.
The assumptions underlying Jonathan Swift’s definition of literary style–“The proper words in the proper order”–recognize that there are many effective styles, but that the effectiveness of each is dependent on the context within which it is found: for example, the rambling, exuberant style of Walt Whitman’s poem “Song of Myself” would be incongruous in Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock, with its dependence on sustained wit and irony.
substantiate
verb
to support with proof or evidence
The validity of fossil identification is substantiated by data from geology and carbon-14 dating.
causal
adjective
involving a cause
The philosopher Plato believed there is a causal relationship between income inequality, on the one hand, and political discontent and crime, on the other hand: in his Laws he quantified his argument, contending that the income of the rich should be no more than five times that of the poor, and he proposed policies to limit extremes of wealth and poverty.
plummet
verb
to fall; plunge
The fighter jet, struck by an enemy missile, plummeted to earth.
tenuous
adjectives
weak; insubstantial
Study of the historical evidence has shown that there is only a tenuous connection between the country Plato describes in The Republic and the legendary land of Atlantis.
stint
verb
N
to be sparing
Stinting on funding for education strikes many people as shortsighted.
Stint is also a noun meaning a period of time spent doing something.
Isaac Asimov did a short involuntary stint in the army as a conscript during the 1950s.
digression
noun
act of straying from the main point
The novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig contains many fascinating digressions from the main story that discuss topics such as Platonic philosophy.
transgression
noun
V
act of trespassing or violating a law or rule
The teacher made it clear on the first day of the term that she would not countenance any transgression of classroom rules.
The verb is transgress.
Western medicine transgressed Hippocrates’; prescriptions for medicine when doctors debilitated patients through the administration of purges and bloodletting.
discredit
verb
to dishonor; disgrace; cause to be doubted
The candidate’s attempt to discredit his opponent by spreading damaging rumors about him failed.
empirical
adjective
Empiricism is a noun meaning the view that experience is the only source of knowledge. It can also mean the employment of empirical methods, as in science.
derived from observation or experiment
Some people erroneously cite the theory of relativity as support for ethical relativism, whereas in reality the former is a scientific theory, while the latter is a moral issue, and thus by its nature is not subject to empirical verification.
metamorphosis
noun
change; transformation
In recent years, many areas of China have been undergoing a metamorphosis, transforming themselves from predominantly agricultural areas to industrial ones.
venerate
verb
Adj
to adore; honor; respect
Mother Theresa is venerated for her compassion for the poor people of India.
Venerable is an adjective meaning respected because of age, character, or position.
In the plain-language edition of the venerable Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy the original definition of a hangnail–“Acute or chronic inflammation of the periungual tissues”–is transmogrified into “An infection around the edge of a fingernail or toenail.”
irascible
adjective
easily angered
The irascible old man complains every time someone makes a little noise.
partisan
adjective
one-sided; committed to a party, group, or cause; prejudiced
Supporters of constitutional monarchy believe that while in this system, as it is generally practiced today, virtually all power is vested in popularly elected assemblies, the institution of the monarchy continues to serve a purpose as a focus of national unity above the furor of partisan politics.
maverick
noun
dissenter
Bernie Sanders of Vermont has a reputation as a maverick; he is one of only two members of the United States Congress who is independent (that is, not a member of the Republican or Democratic Party).
elicit
verb
to provoke; draw out
The Socratic method is designed to elicit responses that guide the student toward understanding.
commensurate
adjective
proportional
In the United States, malpractice suits have raised the cost of medicine because doctors must pay more for insurance, and thus increase their fees commensurately.
truculence
noun
aggressiveness; ferocity
The principal warned the student that his truculence might one day land him in jail.
shard
noun
a piece of broken glass or pottery
Archeologists were able to reconstruct the drinking vessel from shards found around the ancient campsite.
veracious
adjective
truthful; accurate
The witness’ testimony appeared to be veracious at first, but under cross-examination, several inconsistencies appeared.
goad
verb
to prod; urge on
Goaded by his friends into trying out for the football team as a walk-on, Jeff went on to become an all-American linebacker.
imperturbable
adjective
not easily disturbed
Buddha counseled that one should try to remain imperturbable through life’s vicissitudes.
viable
adjective
N
practicable; capable of developing
Since the early 1950s, government planners have faced a dilemma: Spend a great deal of money to keep cities viable by rebuilding decrepit infrastructure, or allow them to decay.
The noun is viability.
According to the historian Arnold Toynbee, there is a strong relationship between a society’s view of itself relative to other societies and its continued viability.
malleable
adjective
capable of being shaped by pounding; impressionable
Behaviorists such as B. F. Skinner believe that human nature is malleable, and that people’s behavior can be changed by changing their environment.
chicanery
noun
trickery; fraud
The governor ordered an audit to investigate alleged financial chicanery.
relegate
verb
to consign to an inferior position
Idealist philosophers are a common target of satire; however, instead of relegating them all to the garbage can, one should reflect that thinkers such as Plato and Kant have given humanity some of its most profound ideas.
reprobate
noun
morally unprincipled person
The social worker refused to give up hope of reforming the criminal who was generally regarded as a reprobate.
contentious
adjective
quarrelsome; causing quarrels
When genetic engineering began in the 1970s, there was a contentious, and sometimes acrimonious, debate among scientists themselves about its dangers.
wary
adjective
careful; cautious
According to psychologists, human beings are naturally wary of strangers.
inundate
verb
to cover with water; overwhelm
Farmers in the arid areas called for the government to build a dam to provide water to irrigate their crops and provide hydroelectric power; however, this plan was opposed by environmentalists, who dislike inundation of land because it would have an adverse effect on wildlife.
disingenuous
adjective
not candid; crafty
When a person starts a sentence, “I don’t mean to appear disingenuous,” one might be tempted to suspect that the person is being just that.
disinterested
adjective
unprejudiced; objective
The newspaper reporter looked for disinterested witnesses to the events so that she could get an objective account of what had happened.
perfidious
adjective
faithless; disloyal; untrustworthy
The novel tells the story of the hero’s perfidious lover.
piety
noun
devoutness
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux was a medieval French monk revered for his piety.
delineate
verb
to represent or depict
Quantum theory led to the formulation of the uncertainty principle, which was delineated in 1937 by Werner Heisenberg.
propensity
noun
inclination; tendency
There is a natural propensity to stress the importance of what one is saying by exaggerating it.
gouge
verb
to tear out; scoop out; overcharge
The store is able to gouge its customers because it is the only store in the area that carries that particular line of merchandise.
pervasive
adjective
V
N
spread throughout every part
It is a plausible hypothesis that the atheistic and materialistic philosophy of Marxism was readily accepted in China because of its similarities with Confucian views on spiritual matters, which had a pervasive influence in China for many centuries.
The noun is pervasiveness.
An indicator of the pervasiveness of psychotropic drugs in American society is the fact that approximately 50% of adults have used tranquilizers at some time in their lives.
The verb is pervade.
refute
verb
N
to contradict; disprove
The eighteenth-century English author Samuel Johnson claimed to have refuted the philosophy of idealism by kicking a large stone.
The noun is refutation.
Fundamentalism arose in Protestantism as a refutation of the liberal theology of the early twentieth century, which interpreted Christianity in terms of contemporary scientific theories.
inadvertently
adverb
carelessly; unintentionally
The songwriter says that it is easy to inadvertently use the melody of another song when composing.
pristine
adjective
untouched; uncorrupted
The bank’s hermetically sealed vault has kept the manuscript in pristine condition for 50 years.
implicit
adjective
implied; understood but not stated
Implicit in the review is the idea that the writing of serious literature is a moral undertaking.
An implication is that which is hinted at or suggested.
The guiding principle of common law is that decisions of previous courts should be followed unless there are compelling reasons for ruling differently, which by implication would invalidate the earlier rulings.
apprise
verb
to inform
Nadine Cohodas’s biography of the blues singer Dinah Washington keeps the reader apprised of the racism black Americans had to endure.
resolution
noun
determination; resolve
Fred’s resolution to succeed is unshaken despite the many setbacks he has suffered.
coda
noun
concluding part of a literary or musical composition; something that summarizes or concludes
The coda of the Danish composer Per Norgard’s Sixth Symphony seems to return to the serene sounds of the opening.
extraneous
adjective
not essential
The encyclopedia editors worked hard to cut out extraneous material so that readers could find information easily on a given subject.
reverent
adjective
expressing deep respect; worshipful
The biologist Loren Eisely had what could be described as a reverent attitude toward nature.
The verb is revere.
refract
verb
means to deflect sound or light.
Intermittently the ionosphere refracts radio waves of certain
frequencies, allowing transmissions between distant points on the Earth.
inherent
adjective
firmly established by nature or habit
Some studies of random numbers generated by computers suggest that an inherent order exists in nature, since certain patterns appear that one would not expect in a random system, but skeptics dismiss such patterns as either artifacts of imperfectly designed experiments, or as the attempt of the human mind to impose a pattern where there is no intrinsic order.
insinuate
verb
to suggest; say indirectly; imply
If you read his speech carefully you will see that the senator is insinuating that his party has taken the wrong path.
stigma
noun
mark of disgrace or inferiority
A problem with giving formal psychological treatment to a child who is believed to be poorly adjusted to society is that he may acquire a stigma as a result of officially being labeled as deviant, and he may act to corroborate society’s expectation.
The verb is stigmatize.
The civil rights movement helped to stigmatize racism, augmenting legal efforts to desegregate American society.
dissemble
verb
to pretend; disguise one’s motives
“Miss,” the prosecutor said, “I believe you are dissembling. I want you to tell me the whole truth about what happened that night.”
deference
noun
respect; regard for another’s wish
There was a movement to condemn slavery among some of the writers of the Declaration of Independence, but despite many misgivings, the proposal was dropped in deference to the objections of a number of people.
The verb defer means to submit to the wishes of another due to respect or recognition of the person’s authority or knowledge.
The young lawyer deferred to the view of the senior partner in the law firm.
disseminate
verb
to spread; scatter; disperse
While belief in reincarnation appeared as doctrine first in India and was disseminated throughout Asia by Buddhism, it is interesting that it was accepted by the most influential philosophy of the West, Platonism, and by some important early Christian thinkers, such as the theologian Origen.
capricious
adjective
fickle
The rule of law is regarded by many historians as one of humanity’s great achievements because since its inception citizens are no longer subject to capricious decisions and penalties of rulers.
irresolute
adjective
unsure of how to act; weak
The president admonished Congress, saying that although it faced difficult choices it must not be irresolute.
implode
verb
collapse inward violently
The building was imploded in order to make way for the construction of a new apartment complex.
The noun is implosion.
discrepancy
noun
difference between
The book studies the discrepancy in values and outlook between men who fought in the war, whether voluntarily or not, and those who remained civilians.
convoluted
adjective
twisted; complicated
Unraveling the convoluted genetic code is one of the great achievements of modern science.
foment
verb
to incite; arouse
The government accused the newspaper of fomenting unrest in the country.
rescind
verb
to cancel
The salesperson said he would rescind his offer to sell the goods at a 10% discount unless he received full payment within 24 hours.
magnanimity
noun
generosity; nobility
The senator showed his magnanimity when he conceded defeat to his opponent in the disputed election, saying that further uncertainty would be harmful to public confidence in the political system.
confound
verb
to baffle; perplex; mix up
Everyone but astrophysicists seems to be confounded by the question, “What happened before the Big Bang?”
approbation
noun
praise; approval
The Congressional Medal of Honor is the highest approbation an American soldier can receive.
contend
verb
to assert
One of the most famous philosophers to argue for ethical relativism was the German Friedrich Nietzsche, who contended that the right- ness of a particular action is dependent on the circumstances of the time and culture in which it occurs.
Contention is a noun meaning an assertion.
The study’s contention is that obesity is America’s biggest health problem.
Gregarious
Social
Procrate
Produce (human, animal)
Voracious
شره
Excavation
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