Basic II Flashcards
flush
flush
adjective: to be in abundance
The exam’s passage is flush with difficult words, words that you may have learned only yesterday.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
aboveboard
aboveboard
adjective: open and honest
The mayor, despite his avuncular face plastered about the city, was hardly aboveboard – some concluded that it was his ingratiating smile that allowed him to engage in corrupt behavior and get away with it.
hodgepodge
hodgepodge
noun: a confusing mixture or jumble
Those in attendance represented a hodgepodge of the city’s denizens: chimney sweepers could be seen sitting elbow to elbow with stockbrokers.
becoming
becoming
adjective: appropriate, and matches nicely
Her dress was becoming and made her look even more beautiful.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
cardinal
cardinal
adjective: of primary importance; fundamental
Most cultures consider gambling a cardinal sin and thus have outlawed its practice.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
scintilating
scintillating
adjective: describes someone who is brilliant and lively
Richard Feynman was renowned for his scintillating lectures—the arcana of quantum physics was made lucid as he wrote animatedly on the chalkboard.
animosity
animosity
noun: intense hostility
The governor’s animosity toward his rival was only inflamed when the latter spread false lies regarding the governor’s first term.
preemptive
preemptive
adjective: done before someone else can do it
Just as Martha was about to take the only cookie left on the table, Noah preemptively swiped it.
chauvinistic
chauvinist
noun: a person who believes in the superiority of their group
The chauvinist lives on both sides of the political spectrum, outright shunning anybody whose ideas are not consistent with his own.
stem
stem
verb: to hold back or limit the flow or growth of something
To stem the tide of applications, the prestigious Ivy requires that each applicant score at least 330 on the Revised GRE.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
melee
melee
noun: a wild, confusing fight or struggle
After enduring daily taunts about my name, I became enraged and pummeled the schoolyard bully and his sycophantic friends in a brutal melee.
virago
virago
noun: an ill-tempered or violent woman
Poor Billy was the victim of the virago’s invective—she railed at him for a good 30-minutes about how he is the scum of the earth for speaking loudly on his cellphone in public.
replete
replete
adjective: completely stocked or furnished with something
Only weeks after the hurricane made landfall, the local supermarket shelves were replete with goods, so quick was the disaster relief response.
cadaverous
cadaverous
adjective: emaciated; gaunt
Some actors take challenging roles in which they have to lose so much weight that they appear cadaverous.
catalyst
catalyst
noun: something that speeds up an event
Rosa Parks’s refusal to give up her bus seat acted as a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement, setting into motion historic changes for African-Americans.
imponderable
imponderable
adjective: impossible to estimate or figure out
According to many lawmakers, the huge variety of factors affecting society make devising an efficient healthcare system an imponderable task.
sanctimonious
sanctimonious
adjective: making a show of being pious; holier-than-thou
Even during the quiet sanctity of evening prayer, she held her chin high, a sanctimonious sneer forming on her face as she eyed those who were attending church for the first time.
fleece
fleece
verb: to deceive
Many people have been fleeced by Internet scams and never received their money back.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
pittance
pittance
noun: a small amount (of money)
Vinny’s uncle beamed smugly about how he’d offered his nephew fifty dollars for his Harvard tuition; even twice the amount would have been a mere pittance.
cogent
cogent
adjective: clear and persuasive
A cogent argument will change the minds of even the most skeptical audience.
check
check
verb: to limit (usually modifying the growth of something)
Deserted for six months, the property began to look more like a jungle and less like a residence—weeds grew unchecked in the front yard
noun: the condition of being held back or limited
When government abuses are not kept in check, that government is likely to become autocratic.
This word has other definitions, but these are the most important ones to study
paucity
paucity
noun: a lack of something
There is a paucity of jobs hiring today that require menial skills, since most such jobs have either been automated or outsourced.
checkered
checkered
adjective: marked by disreputable or unfortunate happenings
One by one, the presidential candidates dropped out of the race, their respective checkered pasts— from embezzlement to infidelity—sabotaging their campaigns.
disparate
disparate
adjective: two things are fundamentally different
With the advent of machines capable of looking inside the brain, fields as disparate as religion and biology have been brought together by scientists trying to understand what happens in the brain when people have a religious experience.
corroborate
corroborate
verb: to confirm or lend support to (usually an idea or claim)
Her claim that frog populations were falling precipitously in Central America was corroborated by locals, who reported that many species of frogs had seemingly vanished overnight.
unconsionable
unconscionable
adjective: unreasonable; unscrupulous; excessive
The lawyer’s demands were so unconscionable that rather than pay an exorbitant sum or submit himself to any other inconveniences, the defendant decided to find a new lawyer.
sanguine
sanguine
adjective: cheerful; optimistic
With the prospect of having to learn 3,000 words during the course of the summer, Paul was anything but sanguine.
avarice
avarice
noun: greed (one of the seven deadly sins)
The Spanish conquistadors were known for their avarice, plundering Incan land and stealing Incan gold.
immaterial
immaterial
adjective: not relevant
The judge found the defendant’s comments immaterial to the trial, and summarily dismissed him from the witness stand.
pugnacious
pugnacious
adjective: eager to fight or argue; verbally combative
The comedian told one flat joke after another, and when the audience started booing, he pugnaciously spat back at them, “Hey, you think this is easy – why don’t you buffoons give it a shot?”
extenuating
extenuating
adjective: making less guilty or more forgivable
The jury was hardly moved by the man’s plea that his loneliness was an extenuating factor in his crime of dognapping a prized pooch.
moment
moment
noun: significant and important value
Despite the initial hullabaloo, the play was of no great moment in Hampton’s writing career, and within a few years the public quickly forgot his foray into theater arts.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
amok
amok
adverb: in a frenzied or uncontrolled state
Wherever the bowl haircut teen-idol went, his legions of screaming fans ran through the streets amok, hoping for a glance at his boyish face.
raft
raft
noun: a large number of something
Despite a raft of city ordinances passed by an overzealous council, noise pollution continued unabated in the megalopolis.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
vicarious
vicarious
adjective: felt or undergone as if one were taking part in the experience or feelings of another
The advent of twitter is a celebrity stalker’s dream, as he or she can—through hundreds of intimate “tweets”—vicariously live the life of a famous person.
errant
errant
adjective: to be wandering; not sticking to a circumscribed path
Unlike his peers, who spent their hours studying in the library, Matthew preferred errant walks through the university campus.
start
start
verb: to suddenly move in a particular direction
All alone in the mansion, Henrietta started when she heard a sound.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
wax
wax
verb: to gradually increase in size or intensity
Her enthusiasm for the diva’s new album only waxed with each song; by the end of the album, it was her favorite CD yet.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
badger
badger
verb: to pester
Badgered by his parents to find a job, the 30-year-old loafer instead joined a gang of itinerant musicians.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
heyday
heyday
noun: the pinnacle or top of a time period or career
During the heyday of Prohibition, bootlegging had become such a lucrative business that many who had been opposed to the 18th Amendment began to fear it would be repealed.
contrite
contrite
adjective: to be remorseful
Though he stole his little sister’s licorice stick with malevolent glee, Chucky soon became contrite when his sister wouldn’t stop crying.
lassitude
lassitude
noun: extreme tiredness, either mental or physical
Upon finishing a 6-hour standardized exam, Dahlia emerged from the testing center overcome by lassitude.
vicarious
vicarious
adjective: felt or undergone as if one were taking part in the experience or feelings of another
The advent of twitter is a celebrity stalker’s dream, as he or she can—through hundreds of intimate “tweets”—vicariously live the life of a famous person.
ferret
ferret
verb: to search for something persistently
Ever the resourceful lexicographer, Fenton was able to ferret out the word origin of highly obscure words.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
apex
apex
noun: the highest point
The Ivy League is considered the apex of the higher education system.
desecrate
desecrate
verb: to willfully violate or destroy a sacred place
After desecrating the pharaoh’s tomb, the archaeologist soon fell victim to a horrible illness.
bellicose
bellicose
adjective: warlike; inclined to quarrel
Known for their bellicose ways, the Spartans were once the most feared people from Peloponnesus to Persia.
beatific
beatific
adjective: blissfully happy
Often we imagine all monks to wear the beatific smile of the Buddha, but, like any of us, a monk can have a bad day and not look very happy.
exhort
exhort
verb: to strongly urge on; encourage
Nelson’s parents exhorted him to study medicine, urging him to choose a respectable profession; intransigent, Nelson left home to become a graffiti artist.
misanthrope
misanthrope
noun: a hater of mankind
Kevin is such a misanthrope that he refused to attend the Christmas party, claiming that everyone’s happiness was “fake” and “annoying.”
junta
junta
noun: an aggressive takeover by a group (usually military); the group that executes such a takeover
As dangerous of a threat as North Korea is, some analysts believe that were a junta suddenly to gain power, it could be even more unpredictable and bellicose than the current leadership
