Common VI Flashcards
sullen
sullen
adjective: showing a brooding ill humor
Herbert took board games too seriously, often appearing sullen after losing.
truncate
truncate
verb: reduce the length of something
The soccer game was truncated when the monsoon rain began to fall.
pejorative
pejorative
adjective: expressing disapproval (usu. refers to a term)
Most psychologists object to the pejorative term “shrink”, believing that they expand the human mind, not limit it.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
posit
posit
verb: assume as fact
Initially, Einstein posited a repulsive force to balance Gravity, but then rejected that idea as a blunde
effcacious
efficacious
adjective: producing the intended result
Since Maggie’s cough syrup, which had expired five years back, was no longer efficacious, she coughed through the night.
stingent
stringent
adjective: demanding strict attention to rules and procedures
Most of the students disliked the teacher because of his stringent homework policy, but many students would later thank him for demanding so much from them.
elicit
elicit
verb: call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
Just smiling–even if you are depressed–can elicit feelings of pleasure and happiness.
rebuke
rebuke
verb: criticize severely or angrily; censure
The police chief rebuked the two officers whose irresponsible decisions almost led to the deaths of seven innocent by-standers.
polemic
polemic
noun: a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something.
The professor launched into a polemic, claiming that Freudian theory was a pack of lies that absolutely destroyed European literary theory.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
maverick
maverick
noun: someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action
Officer Kelly was a maverick, rarely following police protocols or adopting the conventions for speech common among his fellow officers.
mundane
mundane
adjective: repetitive and boring; not spiritual
Nancy found doing dishes a thorougly mundane task, although Peter found a kind of Zen pleasure in the chore.
adjective: relating to the ordinary world
Though we think of the pope as someone always dealing in holy matters, he is also concerned with mundane events, such as deciding when to set his alarm each morning.
antipathy
antipathy
noun: an intense feeling of dislike or aversion
Maria had an antipathy for tour groups, often bolting to the other side of the museum as soon as she saw a chaperone leading a group of wide-eyed tourists.
misconsture
misconstrue
verb: interpret in the wrong way
The politician never trusted journalists because he thought that they would misconstrue his words and misrepresent his positions.
nuance
nuance
noun: a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
Because of the nuances involved in this case, I hired an outside consultant to advise us and help.
timorous
timorous
adjective: timid by nature or revealing fear and nervousness
Since this was her first time debating on stage and before an audience, Di’s voice was timorous and quiet for the first 10 minutes.
mendacity
mendacity
noun: the tendency to be untruthful
I can forgive her for her mendacity but only because she is a child and is seeing what she can get away with.
fluz
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.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
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.
erudite
erudite
adjective: having or showing profound knowledge
Before the Internet, the library was typically where you would find erudite readers.
opulence
opulence
noun: wealth as evidenced by sumptuous living
Russian oligarchs are famous for their opulence, living in fancy homes and dining on expensive caviar.
fastidious
fastidious
adjective: overly concerned with details; fussy
Whitney is fastidious about her shoes, arranging them on a shelf in a specific order, each pair evenly spaced.
deleterious
deleterious
adjective: harmful to living things
The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was deleterious to the fishing industry in the southern states.
maladroit
maladroit
adjective: clumsy
As a child she was quite maladroit, but as an adult, she has become an adept dancer.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
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.
anomaly
anomaly
noun: something that is not normal, standard, or expected
After finding an anomaly in the data, she knew that she would have to conduct her experiment again.
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.
dilatory
dilatory
adjective: wasting time
Lawyers use dilatory tactics so that it takes years before the case is actually decided.
furtive
furtive
adjective: marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed
While at work, George and his boss Regina felt the need to be as furtive as possible about their romantic relationship.
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.
ignominious
ignominious
adjective: (used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame
Since the politician preached ethics and morality, his texting of revealing photographs was ignominious, bringing shame on both himself and his party.
craven
craven
adjective: pathetically cowardly
Though the man could have at least alerted the police, he crouched cravenly in the corner as the old woman was mugged.
esoteric
esoteric
adjective: confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle
Map collecting is an esoteric hobby to most, but to geography geeks it is a highly enjoyable pastime.
duress
duress
noun: compulsory force or threat
The witness said he signed the contract under duress and argued that the court should cancel the agreement.
disseminate
disseminate
verb: cause to become widely known
Before the effects of anesthesia were disseminated, patients had to experience the full pain of a surgery.
banality
banality
noun: a trite or obvious remark
Herbert regarded the minister’s remark as a mere banality until Sharon pointed out profound implications to the seemingly obvious words.
edifying
edifying
adjective: enlightening or uplifting so as to encourage intellectual or moral improvement
I recently read an article in the Times about whether good literature is edifying or not; specifically, does reading more make a person more moral.
indecorous
indecorous
adjective: not in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in polite society
Eating with elbows on the table is considered indecorous in refined circles.
economical
economical
adjective: avoiding waste, efficient
Journalists favor an economical style of writing, in which no unnecessary words are used and every sentence is as short as possible.
reproach
reproach
verb: to express criticism towards
At first, Sarah was going to yell at the boy, but she didn’t want to reproach him for telling the truth about the situation.
impartial
impartial
adjective: free from undue bias or preconceived opinions
The judge was not impartial since he had been bribed by the witness’s family.
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.
arduous
arduous
adjective: demanding considerable mental effort and skill; testing powers of endurance
In order to deal with the arduous cross-country journey, truck drivers often survive on a string of caffeinated drinks, staying awake for up to 30 hours at a time.
appease
appease
verb: pacify by acceding to the demands of
Neville Chamberlain, the British prime minister during WWII, tried to appease Hitler and in doing so sent a clear message: you can walk all over us.
jovial
jovial
adjective: full of or showing high-spirited merriment
The presidential candidate and her supporters were jovial once it was clear that she had won.
trasient
transient
adjective: lasting a very short time
The unpredictable and transient nature of deja vu makes it a very difficult phenomenon to study properly.
askance
askance
adverb: with a look of suspicion or disapproval
The old couple looked askance on the teenagers seated next to them, whispering to each other, “They’ve got rings through their noses and purple hair!”
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.
bolster
bolster
verb: support and strengthen
The case for the suspect’s innocence was bolstered considerably by the fact that neither fingerprints nor DNA were found at the scene.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
dispassionate
dispassionate
adjective: unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice
A good scientist should be dispassionate, focusing purely on what the evidence says, without personal attachment.
