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Magoosh Vocabulary > Common Words 6 > Flashcards

Common Words 6 Flashcards

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1
Q

harried

A

troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances

Synonyms : annoyed , harassed , pestered , vexed

With a team of new hires to train, Martha was constantly harried with little questions and could not focus on her projects.

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2
Q

antipathy

A

A deep seated ill will

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3
Q

mendacity

A

fabrication
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.

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4
Q

dilatory

A

(delay)
intended to cause delay
wasting time

Synonyms : laggard , pokey , poky

Lawyers use dilatory tactics so that it takes years before the case is actually decided.

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5
Q

appease

A

pacify by acceding to the demands of

Synonyms : assuage , conciliate , gentle , gruntle , lenify , mollify , pacify , placate

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.

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6
Q

erudite

A

scholarly
having or showing profound knowledge

Synonyms : learned

Before the Internet, the library was typically were you would find erudite readers.

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7
Q

specious

A

delusive
spurious
having a deceiving nature
deceptively pleasing

Almost every image on TV is specious and not to be trusted.

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8
Q

duress

A

being forced or threatened to do something

The witness said he signed the contract under duress and argued that the court should cancel the agreement.

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9
Q

craven

A

pathetically cowardly

Synonyms : recreant

Though the man could have at least alerted the police, he crouched cravenly in the corner as the old woman was mugged.

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10
Q

flux

A

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.

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11
Q

stringent

A

demanding strict attention to rules and procedures

Synonyms : rigorous , tight

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.

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12
Q

misconstrue

A

interpret in the wrong way

Synonyms : be amiss , misapprehend , misconceive , misinterpret , misunderstand

The politician never trusted journalists because he though that they misconstrue his words and misrepresent his positions.

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13
Q

maladroit

A

clumsy
inefficient or inept

As a child she was quite maladroit, but as an adult, she has become an adept dancer.

Both men are unhappy about the maladroit way the matter has been handled

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14
Q

rebuke

A

rebuff
to reject and to refuse
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.

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15
Q

contrition

A

guilt
the feeling of remorse or guilt that comes from doing something bad

Synonyms : attrition , contriteness

Those who show contrition during their prison terms–especially when under review by a parole board–often get shortened sentences.

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16
Q

nonplussed

A

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.

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17
Q

transient

A

lasting a very short time

Synonyms : ephemeral , fugacious , passing , short-lived , transitory

The unpredictable and transient nature of deja vu makes it a very difficult phenomenon to study properly.

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18
Q

truncate

A

reduce the length of something

The soccer game was truncated when the monsoon rain began to fall.

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19
Q

sullen

A

Real GRE: sluggish or slow
gloomy

20
Q

imprudent

A

not wise

Hitler, like Napoleon, made the imprudent move of invading Russia in winter, suffering even more casualties than Napoleon had.

21
Q

ignominious

A

(used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame

Synonyms : black , disgraceful , inglorious , opprobrious , shameful

Since the politician preached ethics and morality, his texting of revealing photographs was ignominious, bringing shame on both himself and his party

22
Q

capricious

A

cavalier
unpredictable

23
Q

arduous

A

Real GRE: challenging
marked by great effort

24
Q

edifying

A

enlightening or uplifting so as to encourage intellectual or moral improvement

Synonyms : enlightening

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.

25
Q

disseminate

A

GRE: to destroy
Magoosh: cause to become widely known

26
Q

esoteric

A

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 past-time.

27
Q

dispassionate

A

unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice

Synonyms : cold-eyed

A good scientist should be dispassionate, focusing purely on what the evidence says, without personal attachment.

28
Q

posit

A

assume as fact

Synonyms : postulate

Initially, Einstein posited a repulsive force to balance Gravity, but then rejected that idea as a blunder.

29
Q

indecorous

A

not in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in polite society

Synonyms : indecent , unbecoming , uncomely , unseemly , untoward

Eating with elbows on the table is considered indecorous in refined circles.

30
Q

bolster

A

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.

Synonyms : bolster up

31
Q

polemic

A

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.

32
Q

opulence

A

wealth as evidenced by sumptuous living

Synonyms : luxuriousness , luxury , sumptuousness

Russian oligarchs are famous for their opulence, living in fancy homes and dining on expensive cavier.

33
Q

mundane

A

prosaic
repetitive and boring; not spiritual
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.

34
Q

timorous

A

timid by nature or revealing fear and nervousness

Synonyms : fearful , trepid

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.

35
Q

impartial

A

objectivity
unbiased
unprejudiced

36
Q

reproach

A

GRE: disgrace or blaming someone
disapproval or disappointment
to express criticism towards

37
Q

nuance

A

a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude

Synonyms : nicety , refinement , shade , subtlety

Because of the nuances involved in this case, I hired an outside consultant to advice us and help.

38
Q

pejorative

A

insult

39
Q

askance

A

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!”

40
Q

efficacious

A

producing the intended result

Synonyms : effective , effectual

Since Maggie’s cough syrup, which had expired five years back, was no longer efficacious, she coughed through the night.

41
Q

placate

A

cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of

Synonyms : appease , assuage , conciliate , gentle , gruntle , lenify , mollify , pacify

I was able to placate the angry mob of students by promising to bring cookies on Monday.

42
Q

banality

A

being banal; unoriginality

43
Q

maverick

A

someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action

Synonyms : rebel

Officer Kelly was a maverick, rarely following police protocols or adopting the conventions for speech common among his fellow officers.

44
Q

furtive

A

clandestine
surreptitious
shady

45
Q

jovial

A

mirthful
good humor

46
Q

fastidious

A

demanding or hard to please

Magoosh Vocabulary (7 decks)

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