Basic to still go over Flashcards
insolvent
insolvent
adjective: unable to pay one’s bills; bankrupt
With credit card bills skyrocketing, a shockingly large number of Americans are truly insolvent.
retiring
retiring
adjective: to be shy, and to be inclined to retract from company
Nelson was always the first to leave soirees—rather than mill about with “fashionable” folk, he was retiring, and preferred the solitude of his garret.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
macrabe
macabre
adjective: suggesting the horror of death and decay; gruesome
Edgar Allen Poe was considered the master of the macabre; his stories vividly describe the moment leading up to—and often those moments after—a grisly death.
affluent
affluent
adjective: wealthy
The center of the city had sadly become a pit of penury, while, only five miles away, multi-million dollar homes spoke of affluence.
underwrite
underwrite
verb: to support financially
The latest symphony broadcast was made possible with underwriting from the Carnegie Endowment.
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.
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.
unconscionable
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.
immaterial
immaterial
adjective: not relevant
The judge found the defendant’s comments immaterial to the trial, and summarily dismissed him from the witness stand.
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.
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.
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.
raffish
raffish
adjective: marked by a carefree unconventionality or disreputableness
The men found him raffish, but the women adored his smart clothes and casual attitude.
ascendancy
ascendancy
noun: the state that exists when one person or group has power over another
The ascendancy of the Carlsbad water polo team is clear—they have a decade of championships behind them.
quandary
quandary
noun: state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options
Steve certainly is in a quandary: if he doesn’t call Elaine, she will blame him for everything, but if he does call her, the evidence of where he currently is could cost him his job.
renege
renege
verb: fail to fulfill a promise or obligation
We will no longer work with that vendor since it has reneged on nearly every agreement.
autonomously
autonomously
adverb: Acting independently; self-governing (of a country)
Many of the factory workers are worried about being replaced by machines and computers that will work completely autonomously.
consummate
consummate
adjective: having or revealing supreme mastery or skill
Tyler was the consummate musician: he was able to play the guitar, harmonica, and the drum at the same time.
verb: to make perfect and complete in every respect
The restoration of the ancient church was only consummated after a twenty years of labor.
fete
fete
verb: to celebrate a person
After World War II, war heroes were feted at first but quickly forgotten.
pithy
pithy
adjective: concise and full of meaning
I enjoy reading the Daodejing for its pithy and insightful prose; it always gives me something to think about.
derisive
derisive
adjective: abusing vocally; expressing contempt or ridicule
I was surprised by her derisive tone; usually, she is sweet, soft spoken, and congenial.
credence
credence
noun: belief in something
He placed no credence in psychics, claiming that they offered no special powers beyond the ability to make people part with their money.
urbane
urbane
adjective: showing a high degree of refinement and the assurance that comes from wide social experience
Because of his service as an intelligence officer and his refined tastes, W. Somerset Maugham became the inspiration for the urbane and sophisticate spy James Bond.
genial
genial
adjective: agreeable, conducive to comfort
Betty is a genial young woman: everyone she meets is put at ease by her elegance and grace.
vacuous
vacuous
adjective: devoid of intelligence, matter, or significance
To the journalist’s pointed question, the senator gave a vacuous response, mixing a few of his overall campaign slogans with platitudes and completely avoiding the controversial subject of the question.
pertinent
pertinent
adjective: having precise or logical relevance to the matter at hand
While the salaries of the players might draw attention in the media, such monetary figures are not pertinent to the question of who plays the best on the field.
facetious
facetious
adjective: cleverly amusing in tone
Facetious behavior will not be tolerated during sex education class; it’s time for all of you to treat these matters like mature adults.
hamstrung
hamstrung
verb: made ineffective or powerless
The FBI has made so many restrictions on the local police that they are absolutely hamstrung, unable to accomplish anything.
assuage
assuage
verb: make something intense less severe
Her fear that the new college would be filled with unknown faces was assuaged when she recognized her childhood friend standing in line.
glib
glib
adjective: (of a person) speaking with ease but without sincerity
I have found that the more glib the salesman, the worse the product.
augment
augment
verb: enlarge or increase; improve
Ideally, the restaurant’s augmented menu will expand its clientele and increase its profits.
rankle
rankle
verb: gnaw into; make resentful or angry
His constant whistling would rankle her, sometimes causing her to leave in a huff.
surly
surly
adjective: inclined to anger or bad feelings with overtones of menace
Every morning, Bhavin was a surly, unhappy person, but once he ate breakfast, he became loving, laughing, and a joy to be around.
genteel
genteel
adjective: marked by refinement in taste and manners
A live string quartet would provide a more genteel air to the wedding than would a folk singer.
exasperate
exasperate
verb: to irritate intensely
As a child, I exasperated my mother with strings of never-ending questions.
obstinate
obstinate
adjective: resistant to guidance or discipline; stubbornly persistent
The coach suggested improvements Sarah might make on the balance beam, but she remained obstinate, unwilling to modify any of the habits that made her successful in the past.
devolve
devolve
verb: pass on or delegate to another
The company was full of managers known for devolving tasks to lower management, but never doing much work themselves.
verb: grow worse (usually “devolve into”)
The dialogue between the two academics devolved into a downright bitter argument.
destitute
destitute
adjective: poor enough to need help from others
Jean Valjean, is at first destitute, but through the grace of a priest, he makes something of his life.
adjective: completely wanting or lacking (usually “destitute of”)
Now that the mine is closed, the town is destitute of any economic activity.
presumption
presumption
noun: an assumption that is taken for granted
When Mr. Baker found out the family car was gone, he acted under the presumption that his rebellious son had taken the car, calling his son’s phone and yelling at him; only later did Mr. Baker realize that Mrs. Baker had simply gone out to get her nails done.
noun: audacious (even arrogant) behavior that you have no right to
The new neighbor quickly gained a reputation for her presumption; she had invited herself to several neighbors’ homes, often stopping over at inopportune times and asking for a drink.
enmity
enmity
noun: a state of deep-seated ill-will
The rude remark Charles made toward Sarah yesterday was due to his illness, not due to any real enmity toward Sarah.
travail
travail
noun: use of physical or mental energy; hard work; agony or anguish
While they experienced nothing but travails in refinishing the kitchen, they completed the master bedroom in less than a weekend.
antedate
antedate
verb: precede in time
Harry was so unknowledgable that he was unaware the Egyptian pharaohs antedated the American Revolution.
rakish
rakish
adjective: marked by a carefree unconventionality or disreputableness
As soon as he arrived in the city, the rakish young man bought some drugs and headed straight for the seedy parts of town.
incumbent
incumbent
adjective: necessary (for someone) as a duty or responsibility
Middle managers at times make important decisions, but real responsibility for the financial well-being of the corporation is ultimately incumbent on the CEO.
emulate
emulate
verb: strive to equal or match, especially by imitating; compete with successfully
To really become fluent in a new language, emulate the speech patterns of people who speak the language.
irascible
irascible
adjective: quickly aroused to anger
If Arthur’s dog is not fed adequately, he becomes highly irascible, even growling at his own shadow.
fawn
fawn
verb: try to gain favor by extreme flattery
The media fawned over the handsome new CEO, praising his impeccable sense of style instead of asking more pointed questions.
insipid
insipid
adjective: dull and uninteresting
The movie director was known for hiring beautiful actors in order to deflect attention away from the insipid scripts he would typically use.
behoove
behoove
verb: to be one’s duty or obligation
The teacher looked down at the student and said, “It would behoove you to be in class on time and complete your homework, so that you don’t repeat freshman English for a third straight year.”
dilapidated
dilapidated
adjective: in terrible condition
The main house has been restored but the gazebo is still dilapidated and unusable.
provisional
provisional
adjective: under terms not final or fully worked out or agreed upon
Until the corporate office hands down a definitive decision on use of the extra offices, we will share their use in a provisional arrangement.
stymie
stymie
verb: hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of
The engineers found their plans stymied at every turn and were ultimately able to make almost no progress on the project.
convivial
convivial
adjective: describing a lively atmosphere
The wedding reception was convivial; friends who hadn’t seen each other for ages drank and ate together before heading to the dance floor.
boorish
boorish
adjective: ill-mannered and coarse or contemptible in behavior or appearance
Bukowski was known for being a boorish drunk and alienating close friends and family.
staid
staid
adjective: characterized by dignity and propriety
Frank came from a staid environment, so he was shocked that his college roommate sold narcotics.
creditable
creditable
adjective: deserving of praise but not that amazing
Critics agreed the movie was creditable, but few gave it more than three out of five stars.
carping
carping
noun: persistently petty and unjustified criticism
What seemed like incessant nagging and carping about my behavior from my mother turned out to be wise and useful advice that has served me well.
miscreant
miscreant
noun: a person who breaks the law
“Come back you miscreant!” yelled the woman who just had her purse stolen.
