Common to still go over Flashcards
calumny
calumny
noun: making of a false statement meant to injure a person’s reputation
With the presidential primaries well under way, the air is thick with calumny, and the mud already waist-high.
demur
demur
verb: to object or show reluctance
Wallace disliked the cold, so he demurred when his friends suggested they go skiing in the Alps.
He demured the fact that he had to walk 10 miles in the cold that day.
parochial
parochial
adjective: narrowly restricted in scope or outlook
Jasmine was sad to admit it, but her fledgling relationship with Jacob did not work out because his culinary tastes were simply too parochial; “After all,” she quipped on her blog, “he considered Chef Boyardee ethnic food.”
impertinent
impertinent
adjective: being disrespectful; improperly forward or bold
Dexter, distraught over losing his pet dachshund, Madeline, found the police officer’s questions impertinent—after all, he thought, did she have to pry into such details as to what Madeline’s favorite snack was?
commensurate
commensurate
adjective: to be in proportion or corresponding in degree or amount
The convicted felon’s life sentence was commensurate with the heinousness of his crime.
involved
involved
adjective: complicated, and difficult to comprehend
The physics lecture became so involved that the undergraduate’s eyes glazed over.
censure
censure
verb: to express strong disapproval
After being caught in bed with a mistress, the mayor was quickly censured by the city council.
iconoclast
iconoclast
noun: somebody who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions
gainsay
gainsay
verb: deny or contradict; speak against or oppose
I can’t gainsay a single piece of evidence James has presented, but I still don’t trust his conclusion.
vociferous
vociferous
adjective: conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry
In giving Marcia a particular vociferous response, Paul caused people at every other table in the restaurant to turn around and look at them angrily.
volubility
volubility
noun: the quality of talking or writing easily and continuously
The professor’s volubility knows no bounds; he could talk through a hurricane and elaborate a point from one St. Patrick’s Day to the next.
Volume over ability
recondite
recondite
adjective: difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge
I found Ulysses recondite and never finished the book, waiting instead to read it with someone else so we could penetrate its meaning together.
inexorable
inexorable
adjective: impossible to stop or prevent
The rise of the computer was an inexorable shift in technology and culture.
reticent
reticent
adjective: disinclined to talk, not revealing one’s thoughts
When asked about her father, Helen lost her outward enthusiasm and became rather reticent.
eschew
eschew
verb: avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of
Politicians are the masters of eschewing morals; academics are the masters of eschewing clarity.
didactic
didactic
adjective: instructive (especially excessively)
Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich is a didactic novel, instructing the reader on how to live a good life.
torpor
torpor
noun: inactivity resulting from lethargy and lack of vigor or energy
After work, I was expecting my colleagues to be enthusiastic about the outing, but I found them in a state of complete torpor.
preclude
preclude
verb: keep from happening or arising; make impossible
The manager specified that all other gates be locked, to preclude the possibility of persons without tickets entering the arena undetected.
delineate
delineate
verb: describe in detail
After a brief summary of proper swimming technique, the coach delineated the specifics of each stroke, spending 30 minutes alone on the backstroke.
unequivocal
unequivocal
adjective: admitting of no doubt or misunderstanding; having only one meaning or interpretation and leading to only one conclusion
The President’s first statement on the subject was vague and open to competing interpretations, so when he spoke to Congress about the same subject later, he was careful to make his position completely unequivocal.
quotidian
quotidian
adjective: found in the ordinary course of events
Phil gets so involved thinking about Aristotle’s arguments that he totally forgets quotidian concerns, such as exercising and eating regularly.
refractory
refractory
adjective: stubbornly resistant to authority or control
Used to studious high school students, Martha was unprepared for the refractory Kindergarteners who neither sat still nor listened to a single word she said.
disaffected
disaffected
adjective: discontented as toward authority
After watching his superior take rations from the soldiers, he quickly became disaffected and rebelled.
spurious
spurious
adjective: plausible but false
When listening to a politician speak, it is hard to distinguish the spurious claims from the authentic ones.
tenacious
tenacious
adjective: stubbornly unyielding
Even the most tenacious advocates for gun ownership must admit some of the dangers that firearms present.
frustrate
frustrate
verb: hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of
I thought I would finish writing the paper by lunchtime, but a number of urgent interruptions served to frustrate my plan.
contrive
contrive
verb: to pull off a plan or scheme, usually through skill or trickery
Despite a low GPA, he contrived to get into college, going so far as to write his own glowing letters of recommendation.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
insidiously
adjective: working in a subtle but destructive way
Plaque is insidious: we cannot see it, but each day it eats away at our enamel, causing cavities and other dental problems.
circumscribe
circumscribe
verb: restrict or confine
Their tour of South America was circumscribed so that they saw only popular destinations and avoided the dangerous parts of cities.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
fallacious
adjective: of a belief that is based on faulty reasoning
The widespread belief that Eskimos have forty different words for snow is fallacious, based on one false report.
ascetic
adjective: of a belief that is based on faulty reasoning
The widespread belief that Eskimos have forty different words for snow is fallacious, based on one false report.
espouse
espouse
verb: to adopt or support an idea or cause
As a college student, Charlie espoused Marxism, growing his beard out and railing against the evils of the free-market.
incorrigible
incorrigible
adjective: impervious to correction by punishment
Tom Sawyer seems like an incorrigible youth until Huck Finn enters the novel; even Sawyer can’t match his fierce individual spirit.
abstruse
abstruse
adjective: difficult to understand; incomprehensible
Physics textbooks can seem so abstruse to the uninitiated that readers feel as though they are looking at hieroglyphics.
largess
largess
noun: extreme generosity and giving
Uncle Frank was known for his largess, so his nephew was sad when he did not receive a present for his birthday.
petulant
petulant
adjective: easily irritated or annoyed
Although the three year old was often described as mature for his age, he was petulant and whiny whenever his father forgot to remove the crust from his sandwiches.
denigrate
denigrate
verb: charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone
Count Rumford denigrated the new theory of heat, demonstrating that it was wholly inadequate to explain the observations.
reconcile
reconcile
verb: make (one thing) compatible with (another)
Peggy was unable to reconcile her kind friend Jane with the cruel and merciless character Jane played on television.
temperance
temperance
noun: the trait of avoiding excesses
Welles wasn’t known for his temperance–he usually ate enough for two and drank enough for three.
ingratiate
ingratiate
verb: gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts
Even though Tom didn’t like his new boss, he decided to ingratiate himself to her in order to advance his career.
exacting
exacting
adjective: requiring and demanding accuracy
Though his childhood piano teacher was so exacting, Max is thankful now, as a professional pianist.
hackneyed
hackneyed
adjective: lacking significance through having been overused
Cheryl rolled her eyes when she heard the lecturer’s hackneyed advice to “be true to yourself.”
expound
expound
verb: add details or explanation; clarify the meaning; state in depth
The CEO refused to expound on the decision to merge our department with another one, and so I quit.
foment
foment
verb: try to stir up public opinion
After having his pay cut, Phil spread vicious rumors about his boss, hoping to foment a general feeling of discontent.
sycophant
sycophant
noun: a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage
The CEO was unaware of the damaging consequences of his choices, largely because he surrounded himself with sycophants who would never dare criticize him.
taciturn
taciturn
adjective: habitually reserved and uncommunicative
While the CEO enthusiastically shares his plans and agenda with all who will listen, the CFO is far more taciturn, rarely revealing his perspective.
inveterate
inveterate
adjective: habitual
He is an inveterate smoker and has told his family and friends that there is no way he will ever quit.
poignant
poignant
adjective: emotionally touching
After the Montagues and Capulets discover the dead bodies of Romeo and Juliet, in the play’s most poignant moment, the two griefstricken families agree to end their feud once and for all.
dilettante
dilettante
noun: an amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions and who pretends to have knowledge
Fred has no formal medical training; while he likes to claim authority on medical issues, he is little more than a dilettante.
obsequious
obsequious
adjective: attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
The obsequious waiter did not give the couple a moment’s peace all through the meal, constantly returning to their table to refill their water glasses and to tell them what a handsome pair they made.
antithetical
antithetical
adjective: sharply contrasted in character or purpose
His deep emotional involvement with these ideas is, in fact, antithetical to the detachment Buddhism preaches.
tractable
tractable
adjective: readily reacting to suggestions and influences; easily managed (controlled or taught or molded)
Compared to middle school students, who have an untamed wildness about them, high school students are somewhat more tractable.
subversive
subversive
adjective: in opposition to an established system or institution.
The ruling political party has begun a campaign to shut down subversive websites that it deems as a threat to “national safety.”
prodigious
prodigious
adjective: so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe
After the relatively small homerun totals in the “dead ball” era, Babe Ruth’s homerun totals were truly prodigious: every year, he set a new all-time record.
pernicious
pernicious
adjective: exceedingly harmful; working or spreading in a hidden and injurious way
The most successful viruses are pernicious: an infected person may feel perfectly healthy for several months while incubating and spreading the virus.
precipitous
precipitous
adjective: done with very great haste and without due deliberation
Instead of calling his financial advisor, Harold acted precipitously, buying 4,000 shares of the latest “hot” stock, only to find out that the company had a history of inflating its year end numbers.
repudiate
repudiate
verb: reject as untrue or unfounded
Many in the public believed the rumors of a UFO crash outside town, so the chief of police did everything he could to repudiate the rumors.
flux
flux
noun: a state of uncertainty about what should be done (usually following some important event)
Ever since Elvira resigned as the head of marketing, everything about our sales strategy has been in a state of flux.
harried
harried
adjective: troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances
With a team of new hires to train, Martha was constantly harried with little questions and could not focus on her projects.
contrition
contrition
noun: the feeling of remorse or guilt that comes from doing something bad
Those who show contrition during their prison terms–especially when under review by a parole board–often get shortened sentences.
nonplussed
nonplussed
adjective: unsure how to act or respond
Shirley was totally nonplussed when the angry motorist cut her off and then stuck his finger out the window.
placate
placate
verb: cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of
I was able to placate the angry mob of students by promising to bring cookies on Monday.
specious
specious
adjective: based on pretense; deceptively pleasing
Almost every image on TV is specious and not to be trusted.
adjective: plausible but false
He made a career out of specious arguments and fictional lab results, but lost his job and reputation when his lies were exposed by an article in The New York Times.
imprudent
imprudent
adjective: not wise
Hitler, like Napoleon, made the imprudent move of invading Russia in winter, suffering even more casualties than Napoleon had.
capricious
capricious
adjective: determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason
Nearly every month our capricious CEO had a new plan to turn the company around, and none of them worked because we never gave them the time they needed to succeed.
