Common Words 5 Flashcards
gauche
unsophisticated and socially awkward
lacking social polish
synonyms: graceless , unpolished
Sylvester says the most gauche things, such as telling a girl he liked that she was much prettier when she wore makeup
austere
practicing self-denial
harsh in manner of temperament
unadorned in style or appearance
Synonyms : ascetic , ascetical , spartan, monk-like
sycophant
a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage
Synonyms : ass-kisser , crawler , lackey , toady
The CEO was unaware of the damaging consequences of his choices, largely because he surrounded himself with sycophants who would never dare criticize him.
accolade
an award or praise granted as a special honor
taciturn
habitually reserved and uncommunicative
introvert
While the CEO enthusiastically shares his plans and agenda with all who will listen, the CFO is far more taciturn, rarely revealing his perspective.
insolent
rude and arrogant
Lilian could not help herself from being insolent, commenting that the Queen’s shoes were showing too much toe.
obsequious
attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
(subservient)
Synonyms : bootlicking , fawning , sycophantic , toadyish
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.
inveterate
habitual
Synonyms : chronic
He is an inveterate smoker and has told his family and friends that there is no way he will ever quit.
dilettante
an amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions and who pretends to have knowledge
Synonyms : dabbler , sciolist,dilettanteish , dilettantish , sciolistic
Fred has no formal medical training; while he likes to claim authority on medical issues, he is little more than a dilettante
arcane
requiring secret or mysterious knowledge
Most college fraternities are known for arcane rituals that those hoping to join the fraterntiy must learn.
inimical
hostile (usually describes conditions or environments)
Synonyms : unfriendly
Venus, with a surface temperature that would turn rubber to liquid, is inimical to any form of life.
ravenous
extremely hungry; devouring or craving food in great quantities
(ravens eat)
Synonyms : esurient , famished , sharp-set , starved,edacious , esurient , rapacious , ravening , voracious , wolfish
John didn’t eat much at all during the week he had the flu, so now that he is regaining his health, it’s not surprising that he has a ravenous appetite.
reverent
feeling or showing profound respect or veneration
Synonyms : godly , worshipful
The professor could speak objectively about the other composers, but he always lectured about Brahms with a particularly reverent air, unable to offer a single criticism of his compositions.
foment
try to stir up public opinion
(Pakistan’s sports anchors)
Synonyms : agitate , stir up
After having his pay cut, Phil spread vicious rumors about his boss, hoping to foment a general feeling of discontent.
tempered
moderated in effect
Synonyms : hardened , toughened , treated
The wide-eyed optimism of her youth was now tempered after she had worked many years in the criminal justice system.
hegemony
dominance over a certain area
Until the Spanish Armada was defeated in 1587, Spain had hegemony over the seas, controlling waters stretching as far as the Americas.
munificent
very generous
Synonyms : lavish , overgenerous , too-generous , unsparing , unstinted , unstinting
Uncle Charley was known for his munificence, giving all seven of his nephews lavish Christmas presents each year.
lionize
assign great social importance to
Synonyms : celebrate , lionise
Students in the U.S. learn to lionize Jefferson, Franklin, and Washington because they are the founding fathers of the nation.
prolific
intellectually productive
Synonyms : fecund , fertile
Schubert was the most prolific composer, producing hundreds of hours of music before he died at the age of 31
antithetical
sharply contrasted in character or purpose
being in direct and clear opposition
Synonyms : antithetic
His deep emotional involvement with these ideas is, in fact, antithetical to the disattachment Buddhism preaches.
myriad
a large indefinite number
Synonyms : countless , infinite , innumerable , innumerous , multitudinous , numberless , uncounted , unnumberable , unnumbered , unnumerable
There are a myriad of internet sites hawking pills that claim to boost energy for hours on end.
intrepid
fearless
winsome
charming in a childlike or naive way
She was winsome by nature, and many people were drawn to this free and playful spirit.
trite
repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
Synonyms : banal , commonplace , hackneyed , old-hat , shopworn , stock , threadbare , timeworn , tired , well-worn
Many style guides recommend not using idioms in writing because these trite expressions are uninteresting and show a lack of imagination on the part of the writer.
circumscribe
restrict or confine
Synonyms : confine , limit
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
vacillate
be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
Synonyms : hover , oscillate , vibrate,fluctuate , waver
Some students vacillate between schools when deciding which to attend, while others focus only on one school.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
inscrutable
not easily understood; unfathomable
Synonyms : cryptic , cryptical , deep , mysterious , mystifying
His speech was so dense and confusing that many in the audience found it inscrutable.
rescind
cancel officially
Synonyms : annul , countermand , lift , overturn , repeal , reverse , revoke , vacate
The man’s driver’s license was rescinded after his tenth car accident, which meant he would never be allowed to legally drive again.
propitious
presenting favorable circumstances; likely to result in or show signs of success
The child’s heartbeat is still weak, but I am seeing many propitious signs and I think that she may be healing.
constituent
a citizen who is represented in a government by officials for whom he or she votes
The mayor’s constituents are no longer happy with her performance and plan to vote for another candidate in the upcoming election.
noun: an abstract part of something
Synonyms : component , element , factor , ingredient
The constituents of the metal alloy are nickel, copper, and tin.
ostracize
exclude from a community or group
Synonyms : ban , banish , blackball , cast out , ostracise , shun
Later in his life, Leo Tolstoy was ostracized from the Russian Orthodox Church for his writings that contradicted church doctrine.
brazen
bold and shameless
Synonyms : audacious , bald-faced , barefaced , bodacious , brassy , brazen-faced , insolent
Their large “donations” to the local police department gave the drug cartel the brazen confidence to do their business out in the open.
admonish
Real GRE: to indicate duties or obligations to
To criticize usually gently so as to correct a fault
To warn harshly
Synonyms : caution , monish
Before the concert began, security personnel admonished the crowd not to come up on stage during the performance.
sporadic
recurring in scattered and irregular or unpredictable instances
The signals were at first sporadic, but now we detect a clear, consistent pattern of electromagnetic radiation eminating from deep space.
pedestrian
lacking imagination
Synonyms : earthbound , prosaic , prosy
While Nan was always engaged in philosophical speculation, her brother was occupied with far more pedestrian concerns: how to earn a salary and run a household.
subversive
GRE: destructive
subvert: to overturn or overthrow
in opposition to a civil authority or government
Synonyms : insurgent , seditious
The ruling political party has begun a campaign to shut down subversive websites that it deems as a threat to “national safety.”
pernicious
deleterious
harmful in an unexpected way
exceedingly harmful; working or spreading in a hidden and injurious way
Synonyms : baneful , deadly , pestilent,insidious , subtle
The most successful viruses are pernicious: an infected person may feel perfectly healthy for several months while incubating and spreading the virus.
prodigious
so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe
Synonyms : colossal , stupendous
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.
repudiate
reject as untrue or unfounded. used with recant
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.
arbitrary
based on a random, groundless decision
One of the arbitrary decrees in place during the emperor’s rule is that all citizens pay him weekly homage at his palace.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
garrulous
excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters
Synonyms : chatty , gabby , loquacious , talkative , talky
Lynne was garrulous: once, she had a fifteen minute conversation with a stranger before she realized the woman didn’t speak English.
precipitous
done with very great haste and without due deliberation
(precipitate)
Synonyms : hasty , overhasty , precipitant , precipitate
He was expecting a precipitous rise in the value of a “hot” tech stock, so he was disappointed when it only inched up a dollar or two each day
irrevocable
incapable of being retracted or revoked
Synonyms : irrevokable
Once you enter your plea to the court, it is irrevocable so think carefully about what you will say.
resurgent
rising again as to new life and vigor
(Pakistan’s cricket team)
Synonyms : renascent
The team sank to fourth place in June, but is now resurgent and about to win the division.
haphazard
discursion
marked by great carelessness; dependent upon or characterized by chance
lacking any obvious principle of organization.
“Pakistan’s drama industry works in a haphazard fashion”
Synonyms : slapdash , slipshod , sloppy, hit-or-miss
Many golf courses are designed with great care, but the greens on the county golf course seem entirely haphazard.
sanction
to give legal permission to do something
a fine or a penalty for a forbidden action
tractable
readily reacting to suggestions and influences; easily managed (controlled or taught or molded)
Synonyms : amenable,manipulable
Compared to middle school students, who have an untamed wildness about them, high school students are somewhat more tractable.
poigant
emotionally touching
Synonyms : affecting , touching
After the Montagues and Capulets discover the dead bodies of Romeo and Juliet, in the play’s most poignant moment, the two griefstricken familes agree to end their feud once and for all.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
