Core Vocabulary I: 1-50 Flashcards
Audacious
Fearlessly, often recklessly daring; very bold
Diffident
Lacking self-confidence; self-effacing; NOT assertive
Wry
Dry, humorous with a clever twist and a touch of irony; DROLL
Indifferent and Apathetic
Marked by a lack of interest or concern
Anomaly
Deviation from the norm, something that is ATYPICAL
Pragmatic
Practical; sensible; NOT idealistic or romantic
Painstaking and Meticulous
Extremely careful; very EXACTING
Unconventional and Unorthodox
Not ordinary or typical; characterized by avoiding customary conventions and behaviors
Prattle
To speak in a foolish manner, to babble incessantly
Dearth and Paucity
A scarcity or shortage of something
Sarcastic, Sardonic, Snide
Mocking, derisive, taunting, and stinging
Ambivalent
Contradictory, having mixed feelings
Evocation
An imaginative re-creation
Presumptuous
Overbearing; impertinently bold; characterized by brashly overstepping one’s place
Recalcitrant
Stubborn resistance to and defiance of authority or guidance; OBSTINATE; OBDURATE
Boon
Bane
A timely benefit; blessing
A source of harm and ruin
Clandestine and Surreptitious
Secret; covert; not open; NOT ABOVEBOARD
Affable, Amiable, Genial, Gregarious
All mean agreeable; marked by a pleasing personality; warm and friendly
Austere
Austerity
Having no adornment or ornamentation; bare; not ORNATE
The trait of great self-denial; strict economy; severity of manner, life; sternness
Altruistic
Unselfish concern for the welfare of others
Ambiguous
Unclear; uncertain; open to more than one interpretation; not definitive
Upbraid, reproach, castigate
To express disapproval; scold; rebuke; CENSURE
Nolstalgia
A sentimental longing for the past
Conjecture
An inference based upon guesswork; a SUPPOSITION
Obsolete, Archaic, Antiquated
No longer in use; outmoded in design or style
Auspicious and Propitious
Very favorable
Morose
Very depressed, DESPONDENT, mournful
Impasse
A deadlock; stalemate; failure to reach an agreement
Anachronism
The false assignment of an event, person, scene or language to a time when the event, person, scene, or word did not exist
Belie
To give a false impression; to contradict
Mitigate, Mollify, Assuage, Alleviate
All mean to relieve; to lessen; to ease
Covet
To strongly desire; to crave
Antithesis and Antithetical
Direct opposite; the complete reverse; ANTIPODE
Prototype
An original model
Aloof
Detached; distant physically or emotionally; reserved; standing near but apart
Trite, Hackneyed, Banal, Platitudinous, Insipid
All mean unoriginal; commonplace; overused; CLICHED
Antecedent
A preceding event; a FORERUNNER; a PRECURSOR
Plausible
Implausible
Believable; credible
Unbelievable; incredible
Prudent
Careful; cautious; sensible
Aesthetic
Relating to what is beautiful; an appreciation of what is beautiful or attractive
Paradox
A seemingly contradictory statement that nonetheless expresses a truth
Enigmatic and Inscrutable
Mysterious; puzzling; unfathomable; baffling
Acquiesce
To comply, agree, give in
Naive and Gullible
Unaffected simplicity; lacking worldly expertise; overly CREDULOUS; unsophisticated
Autonomous
Independent; not controlled by others
Futile
Completely useless; doomed to failure
Indigenous and Endemic
Both mean native to an area
Ubiquitous and Prevalent
Characterized by being everywhere; omnipresent; widespread; PERVASIVE
Pandemic
An epidemic that is geographically widespread and affects a large proportion of the population.
Fortitude
Strength of mind that allows one to endure pain or adversity with courage.
