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Word Smart I > Day 4 > Flashcards

Day 4 Flashcards

1
Q

Define:

tacit

(TAS it)

A

adj. implied; not spoken

Mrs. Rodgers never formally asked us to murder her husband, but we truly believed that we were acting with her tacit consent.

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2
Q

Define:

taciturn

(TAS i turn)

A

adj. untalkative by nature

The chairman was so taciturn that we often discovered that we had absolutely no idea what he was thinking.

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3
Q

Define:

tangential

(tan JEN shul)

A

adj. only superficially related to the matter at hand; not especially relevant; peripheral

The vice president’s speech bore only a tangential relationship to the topic that had been announced.

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4
Q

Define:

tangible

(TAN juh bul)

A

adj. touchable; palpable

A mountain of cigarette butts was the only tangible evidence that Luke had been in our house.

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5
Q

Define:

tantamount

(TAN tuh mownt)

A

adj. equivalent to

Waving a banner for the visiting team at that football game would be tantamount to committing suicide; the home-team fans would tear you apart in a minute.

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6
Q

Define:

tautological

(tawt uh LAH juh kul)

A

adj. redundant; circular

“When everyone has a camera, cameras will be universal” is a tautological statement, because “everyone having a camera” and “cameras being universal” mean the same thing.

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7
Q

Define:

temerity

(tuh MER uh tee)

A

n. boldness; recklessness; audacity

Our waiter at the restaurant had the temerity to tell me he thought my table manners were atrocious.

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8
Q

Define:

temperate

(TEM pur it)

A

adj. mild; moderate; restrained

Our climate is temperate during the spring and fall but nearly unbearable during the summer and winter.

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9
Q

Define:

tenable

(TEN uh bul)

A

adj. defensible, as in one’s position in an argument; capable of being argued successfully; valid

Members of the Flat Earth Society continue to argue that the earth is flat, although even children dismiss their arguments as untenable.

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10
Q

Define:

tenacious

(tuh NAY shus)

A

adj. persistent; stubborn; not letting go

The foreign student’s tenacious effort to learn English won him the admiration of all the teachers at our school.

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11
Q

Define:

tenet

(TEN it)

A

n. a shared principle or belief

The tenets of his religion prohibited him from dancing and going to movies.

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12
Q

Define:

tentative

(TEN tuh tiv)

A

adj. experimental; temporary; uncertain

George made a tentative effort to paint his house by himself; he slapped some paint on the front door and his clothes, tipped over the bucket, and called a professional.

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13
Q

Define:

tenuous

(TEN yoo us)

A

adj. flimsy; extremely thin

The organization’s financial situation has always been tenuous; the balance of the checking account is usually close to zero.

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14
Q

Define:

terse

(turs)

A

adj. using no unnecessary words; succinct

The new recording secretary’s minutes were so terse that they were occasionally cryptic.

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15
Q

Define:

theology

(thee AHL uh jee)

A

n. the study of God or religion

Ralph was a paradox: He was an atheist, yet he passionately studied theology.

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16
Q

Define:

tirade

(TYE rayd)

A

n. a prolonged, bitter speech

Preston launched into a tirade against imitation cheese on the school lunch menu.

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17
Q

Define:

torpor

(TOR pur)

A

n. sluggishness; inactivity; apathy

After consuming the guinea pig, the boa constrictor fell into a state of contented torpor that lasted several days.

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18
Q

Define:

touchstone

(TUCH stohn)

A

n. a standard; a test of authenticity or quality

The size of a student’s vocabulary is a useful touchstone for judging the quality of his or her education.

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19
Q

Define:

tout

(towt)

A

v. to praise highly; to brag publicly about

Advertisements touted the chocolate-flavored toothpaste as getting rid of your sweet tooth while saving your teeth.

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20
Q

Define:

transcend

(tran SEND)

A

v. to go beyond or above; to surpass

The man who claimed to have invented a perpetual motion machine believed that he had transcended the laws of physics.

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21
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. implied; not spoken

A

tacit

(TAS it)

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22
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. untalkative by nature

A

taciturn

(TAS i turn)

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23
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. only superficially related to the matter at hand; not especially relevant; peripheral

A

tangential

(tan JEN shul)

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24
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. touchable; palpable

A

tangible

(TAN juh bul)

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25
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. equivalent to

A

tantamount

(TAN tuh mownt)

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26
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. redundant; circular

A

tautological

(tawt uh LAH juh kul)

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27
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. boldness; recklessness; audacity

A

temerity

(tuh MER uh tee)

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28
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. mild; moderate; restrained

A

temperate

(TEM pur it)

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29
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. defensible, as in one’s position in an argument; capable of being argued successfully; valid

A

tenable

(TEN uh bul)

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30
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. persistent; stubborn; not letting go

A

tenacious

(tuh NAY shus)

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31
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a shared principle or belief

A

tenet

(TEN it)

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32
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. experimental; temporary; uncertain

A

tentative

(TEN tuh tiv)

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33
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. flimsy; extremely thin

A

tenuous

(TEN yoo us)

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34
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. using no unnecessary words; succinct

A

terse

(turs)

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35
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. the study of God or religion

A

theology

(thee AHL uh jee)

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36
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a prolonged, bitter speech

A

tirade

(TYE rayd)

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37
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. sluggishness; inactivity; apathy

A

torpor

(TOR pur)

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38
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a standard; a test of authenticity or quality

A

touchstone

(TUCH stohn)

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39
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to praise highly; to brag publicly about

A

tout

(towt)

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40
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to go beyond or above; to surpass

A

transcend

(tran SEND)

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41
Q

Define:

transgress

(trans GRES)

A

v. to violate (a law); to sin

The other side had transgressed so many provisions of the treaty that we had no choice but to go to war.

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42
Q

Define:

transient

(TRAN shunt)

A

adj. not staying for a long time; temporary

The transient breeze provided some relief from the summer heat, but we were soon perspiring again.

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43
Q

Define:

trepidation

(trep uh DAY shun)

A

n. fear; apprehension; nervous trembling

The nursery school students were filled with trepidation when they saw the other children in their class dressed in their Halloween costumes.

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44
Q

Define:

turpitude

(TUR puh tood)

A

n. shameful wickedness; depravity

Paul was sacked by his boss because of a flagrant act of turpitude: He was caught stealing office supplies.

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45
Q

Define:

ubiquitous

(yoo BIK wuh tus)

A

adj. being everywhere at the same time

The new beer commercial was ubiquitous—it seemed to be on every television channel at once.

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46
Q

Define:

unconscionable

(un KAHN shuh nuh bul)

A

adj. not controlled by conscience; unscrupulous

Leaving a small child unattended all day long is an unconscionable act.

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47
Q

Define:

unctuous

(UNGK choo us)

A

adj. oily, both literally and figuratively; insincere

Salad oil is literally unctuous. A used-car salesman might be figuratively unctuous—that is, oily in the sense of being slick, sleazy, and insincere.

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48
Q

Define:

uniform

(YOO nuh form)

A

adj. consistent; unchanging; the same for everyone

Traffic laws are similar from one state to the next, but they aren’t uniform; each state has its own variations.

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49
Q

Define:

unremitting

(un ri MIT ing)

A

adj. unceasing; unabated; relentless

Superman waged an unremitting battle against evildoers everywhere.

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50
Q

Define:

unwitting

(un WIT ing)

A

adj. unintentional; ignorant; not aware

When Leo agreed to hold open the door of the bank, he became an unwitting accomplice to the bank robbery.

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51
Q

Define:

urbane

(ur BAYN)

A

adj. poised; sophisticated; refined

The British count was witty and urbane; all the hosts and hostesses wanted to have him at their parties.

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52
Q

Define:

usurp

(yoo SURP)

A

v. to seize wrongfully

The children believed that their mother’s new boyfriend had usurped their father’s rightful place in their family.

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53
Q

Define:

utilitarian

(yoo til uh TAR ee un)

A

adj. stressing usefulness or utility above all other qualities; pragmatic

Jason’s interior-decorating philosophy was strictly utilitarian; if an object wasn’t genuinely useful, he didn’t want it in his home.

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54
Q

Define:

utopia

(yoo TOH pee uh)

A

n. an ideal society

A country where nobody had to work would be Quentin’s idea of utopia.

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55
Q

Define:

vacillate

(VAS uh layt)

A

v. to be indecisive; to waver

We invited James to spend Thanksgiving with us, but he vacillated for so long that we finally became annoyed and disinvited him.

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56
Q

Define:

vapid

(VAP id)

A

adj. without liveliness; dull; spiritless

The novelist’s prose was so vapid that Mary couldn’t get beyond the first page.

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57
Q

Define:

vehement

(VEE uh munt)

A

adj. intense; forceful; violent

Shaking his fist and stomping his foot, Gerry was vehement in his denial.

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58
Q

Define:

venal

(VEEN ul)

A

adj. capable of being bribed; willing to do anything for money; corrupt

The venal judge reversed his favorable ruling when the defendant refused to make good on his promised bribe.

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59
Q

Define:

venerate

(VEN uh rayt)

A

v. to revere; to treat as something holy, especially because of great age

Lester venerated his grandfather; he worshiped the ground the old man limped on.

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60
Q

Define:

veracity

(vuh RAS uh tee)

A

n. truthfulness

The veracity of young George Washington is apocryphal.

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61
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to violate (a law); to sin

A

transgress

(trans GRES)

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62
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. not staying for a long time; temporary

A

transient

(TRAN shunt)

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63
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. fear; apprehension; nervous trem­bling

A

trepidation

(trep uh DAY shun)

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64
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. shameful wickedness; depravity

A

turpitude

(TUR puh tood)

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65
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. being everywhere at the same time

A

ubiquitous

(yoo BIK wuh tus)

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66
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. not controlled by con­science; unscrupulous

A

unconscionable

(un KAHN shuh nuh bul)

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67
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. oily, both literally and figuratively; insincere

A

unctuous

(UNGK choo us)

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68
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. consistent; unchanging; the same for everyone

A

uniform

(YOO nuh form)

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69
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. unceasing; unabated; relentless

A

unremitting

(un ri MIT ing)

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70
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. unintentional; ignorant; not aware

A

unwitting

(un WIT ing)

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71
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. poised; sophisticated; refined

A

urbane

(ur BAYN)

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72
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to seize wrongfully

A

usurp

(yoo SURP)

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73
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. stressing usefulness or utility above all other qualities; pragmatic

A

utilitarian

(yoo til uh TAR ee un)

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74
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. an ideal society

A

utopia

(yoo TOH pee uh)

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75
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to be indecisive; to waver

A

vacillate

(VAS uh layt)

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76
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. without liveliness; dull; spiritless

A

vapid

(VAP id)

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77
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. intense; forceful; violent

A

vehement

(VEE uh munt)

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78
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. capable of being bribed; willing to do anything for money; corrupt

A

venal

(VEEN ul)

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79
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to revere; to treat as something holy, espe­cially because of great age

A

venerate

(VEN uh rayt)

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80
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. truthfulness

A

veracity

(vuh RAS uh tee)

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81
Q

Define:

verbose

(vur BOHS)

A

adj. using too many words; not succinct; circumlocutory

Lee handed in a 178-word final assignment; no one ever accused him of verbosity (vur BAHS uh tee).

82
Q

Define:

verisimilitude

(ver uh si MIL uh tood)

A

n. similarity to reality; the appearance of truth; looking like the real thing

They used pine cones and old truck tires to make statues of Hollywood celebrities that were remarkable for their verisimilitude.

83
Q

Define:

vernacular

(vur NAK yuh lur)

A

n. everyday speech; slang; idiom

Our teacher said that we should save our vernacular for the street; in the classroom we should use proper grammar.

84
Q

Define:

vestige

(VES tij)

A

n. a remaining bit of something; a last trace

The unhappy young man found vestiges of his fiancée in the rubble, but the explosion had effectively ended their romance.

85
Q

Define:

vex

(veks)

A

v. to annoy; to pester; to confuse

Margaret vexed me by poking me with a long, sharp stick.

86
Q

Define:

viable

(VYE uh bul)

A

adj. capable of living; workable

When a doctor says that a patient is no longer viable, it’s time to begin planning a funeral.

87
Q

Define:

vicarious

(vye KAR ee us)

A

adj. experienced, performed, or suffered through someone else; living through the experiences of another as though they were one’s own experiences

We all felt a vicarious thrill when the mayor’s daughter won fourth prize in the regional kickboxing competition.

88
Q

Define:

vicissitude

(vi SIS uh tood)

A

n. upheaval; natural change; change in fortune

The vicissitudes of the stock market were too much for Karen; she decided to look for a job that would stay the same from one day to the next.

89
Q

Define:

vilify

(VIL uh fye)

A

v. to say vile things about; to defame

The teacher was reprimanded for vilifying the slow student in front of the rest of the class.

90
Q

Define:

vindicate

(VIN duh kayt)

A

v. to clear from all blame or suspicion; to justify

George, having been accused of stealing money from the cash register, was vindicated when the store manager counted the money again and found that none was missing after all.

91
Q

Define:

vindictive

(vin DIK tiv)

A

adj. seeking revenge

Jeremy apologized for denting the fender of my car, but I was feeling vindictive, so I filed a $30 million lawsuit against him.

92
Q

Define:

virtuoso

(vur choo WOH soh)

A

n. a masterful musician; a masterful practitioner in some other field

The concert audience fell silent when the virtuoso stepped for­ ward to play the sonata on his electric banjo.

93
Q

Define:

virulent

(VIR uh lunt)

A

adj. extremely poisonous; malignant; full of hate

The virulent disease quickly swept through the community, leaving many people dead and many more people extremely ill.

94
Q

Define:

visionary

(VIZH uh ner ee)

A

n. a dreamer; someone with impractical goals or ideas about the future

My uncle was a visionary, not a businessman; he spent too much time tinkering with his antigravity generator and not enough time working in his plumbing business.

95
Q

Define:

vitiate

(VISH ee ayt)

A

v. to make impure; to pollute

For years a zealous group of individuals has campaigned against the use of fluoride in water, claiming that it has vitiated our bodies as well as our morals.

96
Q

Define:

vitriolic

(vi tree AHL ik)

A

adj. caustic; full of bitterness

The review of the new book was so vitriolic that we all wondered whether the reviewer had some personal grudge against the author.

97
Q

Define:

vocation

(voh KAY shun)

A

n. an occupation; a job

If Stan could figure out how to make a vocation out of watching television and eating potato chips, he would be one of the most successful people in the world.

98
Q

Define:

vociferous

(voh SIF ur us)

A

adj. loud; noisy

Randy often becomes vociferous during arguments. He doesn’t know what he believes, but he states it loudly nevertheless.

99
Q

Define:

volatile

(VAHL uh tul)

A

adj. quick to evaporate; highly unstable; explosive

A volatile liquid is one that evaporates readily. Gasoline is a volatile liquid. It evaporates readily, and then the vapor poses a great danger of explosion.

100
Q

Define:

volition

(voh LISH un)

A

n. will; conscious choice

Insects, lacking volition, simply aren’t as interesting as humans are.

101
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. using too many words; not succinct; circum­locutory

A

verbose

(vur BOHS)

102
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. similarity to reality; the ap­pearance of truth; looking like the real thing

A

verisimilitude

(ver uh si MIL uh tood)

103
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. everyday speech; slang; idiom

A

vernacular

(vur NAK yuh lur)

104
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a remaining bit of something; a last trace

A

vestige

(VES tij)

105
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to annoy; to pester; to confuse

A

vex

(veks)

106
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. capable of living; workable

A

viable

(VYE uh bul)

107
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. experienced, performed, or suffered through someone else; living through the experiences of another as though they were one’s own experiences

A

vicarious

(vye KAR ee us)

108
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. upheaval; natural change; change in fortune

A

vicissitude

(vi SIS uh tood)

109
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to say vile things about; to defame

A

vilify

(VIL uh fye)

110
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to clear from all blame or suspicion; to justify

A

vindicate

(VIN duh kayt)

111
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. seeking revenge

A

vindictive

(vin DIK tiv)

112
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a masterful musician; a masterful practitioner in some other field

A

virtuoso

(vur choo WOH soh)

113
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. extremely poisonous; malignant; full of hate

A

virulent

(VIR uh lunt)

114
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a dreamer; someone with impractical goals or ideas about the future

A

visionary

(VIZH uh ner ee)

115
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to make impure; to pollute

A

vitiate

(VISH ee ayt)

116
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. caustic; full of bitterness

A

vitriolic

(vi tree AHL ik)

117
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. an occupation; a job

A

vocation

(voh KAY shun)

118
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. loud; noisy

A

vociferous

(voh SIF ur us)

119
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. quick to evaporate; highly unstable; ex­plosive

A

volatile

(VAHL uh tul)

120
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. will; conscious choice

A

volition

(voh LISH un)

121
Q

Define:

wanton

(WAHN tun)

A

adj. malicious; unjustifiable; unprovoked; egregious

Terrorists commit wanton acts on a helpless populace to make their point.

122
Q

Define:

willful

(WIL ful)

A

adj. deliberate; obstinate; insistent on having one’s way

The mother insisted that the killing committed by her son had not been willful, but the jury apparently believed that he had known what he was doing.

123
Q

Define:

wistful

(WIST ful)

A

adj. yearning; sadly longing

I felt wistful when I saw Steve’s fancy new car. I wished that I had enough money to buy one for myself.

124
Q

Define:

zealous

(ZEL us)

A

adj. enthusiastically devoted to something; fervent

The zealous young policeman made so many arrests that the city jail soon became overcrowded.

125
Q

Define:

acrimonious

(ak ruh MOH nee us)

A

adj. full of spite; bitter; nasty

George and Elizabeth’s discussion turned acrimonious when Elizabeth introduced the subject of George’s perennial, incorrigible stupidity.

126
Q

Define:

acumen

(AK yoo mun)

A

n. keenness of judgment; mental sharpness

A woman who knows how to turn one dollar into a million overnight might be said to have a lot of business acumen.

127
Q

Define:

acute

(uh KYOOT)

A

adj. sharp; shrewd

If your eyesight is acute, you can see things that other people can’t. You have visual acuity (uh KYOO uh tee). An acute mind is a quick, intelligent one. You have mental acuity. An acute pain is a sharp pain.

128
Q

Define:

adamant

(AD uh munt)

A

adj. stubborn; unyielding; completely inflexible

Candice was adamant: She would never go out with Paul again.

129
Q

Define:

address

(uh DRES)

A

v. to speak to; to direct one’s attention to

Ernie addressed the problem of addressing the convention by sit­ ting down and writing his speech.

130
Q

Define:

adherent

(ad HEER unt)

A

n. follower; supporter; believer

The king’s adherents threw a big birthday party for him, just to show how much they liked him.

131
Q

Define:

admonish

(ad MAHN ish)

A

v. to scold gently; to warn

The boys’ father admonished them not to eat the pie he had just baked. When they did so anyway, he admonished them.

132
Q

Define:

adroit

(uh DROYT)

A

adj. skillful; dexterous; clever; shrewd; socially at ease

Julio was an adroit salesperson: His highly skilled pitch, backed up by extensive product knowledge, nearly always resulted in a sale.

133
Q

Define:

adulation

(aj uh LAY shun)

A

n. wild or excessive admiration; flattery

The boss thrived on the adulation of his scheming secretary.

134
Q

Define:

adulterate

(uh DUL tuh rayt)

A

v. to contaminate; to make impure

We discovered that our orange juice had radioactive waste in it; we discovered, in other words, that it had been adulterated.

135
Q

Define:

adverse

(ad VURS)

A

adj. unfavorable; antagonistic

We had to play our soccer match under adverse conditions: It was snowing and only three members of our team had bothered to show up.

136
Q

Define:

aesthetic

(es THET ik)

A

adj. having to do with artistic beauty; artistic

Our art professor had a highly developed aesthetic sense; he found things to admire in paintings that, to us, looked like garbage.

137
Q

Define:

affable

(AF uh bul)

A

adj. easy to talk to; friendly

Susan was an affable girl; she could strike up a pleasant conversation with almost anyone.

138
Q

Define:

affectation

(af ek TAY shun)

A

n. unnatural or artificial behavior, usually intended to impress

Becky’s English accent is an affectation. She spent only a week in England, and that was several years ago.

139
Q

Define:

affinity

(uh FIN uh tee)

A

n. sympathy; attraction; kinship; similarity

Ducks have an affinity for water; that is, they like to be in it.

140
Q

Define:

affluent

(AF loo unt)

A

adj. rich; prosperous

A person can be affluent; all it takes is money. A country can be affluent, too, if it’s full of affluent people.

141
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. malicious; unjustifiable; unprovoked; egregious

A

wanton

(WAHN tun)

142
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. deliberate; obstinate; insistent on having one’s way

A

willful

(WIL ful)

143
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. yearning; sadly longing

A

wistful

(WIST ful)

144
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. enthusiastically devoted to something; fervent

A

zealous

(ZEL us)

145
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. full of spite; bitter; nasty

A

acrimonious

(ak ruh MOH nee us)

146
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. keenness of judgment; mental sharpness

A

acumen

(AK yoo mun)

147
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. sharp; shrewd

A

acute

(uh KYOOT)

148
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. stubborn; unyielding; completely inflexible

A

adamant

(AD uh munt)

149
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to speak to; to direct one’s attention to

A

address

(uh DRES)

150
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. follower; supporter; believer

A

adherent

(ad HEER unt)

151
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to scold gently; to warn

A

admonish

(ad MAHN ish)

152
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. skillful; dexterous; clever; shrewd; socially at ease

A

adroit

(uh DROYT)

153
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. wild or excessive admiration; flattery

A

adulation

(aj uh LAY shun)

154
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to contaminate; to make impure

A

adulterate

(uh DUL tuh rayt)

155
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. unfavorable; antagonistic

A

adverse

(ad VURS)

156
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. having to do with artistic beauty; artistic

A

aesthetic

(es THET ik)

157
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. easy to talk to; friendly

A

affable

(AF uh bul)

158
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. unnatural or artificial behavior, usually intended to impress

A

affectation

(af ek TAY shun)

159
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. sympathy; attraction; kinship; similarity

A

affinity

(uh FIN uh tee)

160
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. rich; prosperous

A

affluent

(AF loo unt)

161
Q

Define:

agenda

(uh JEN duh)

A

n. program; the things to be done

What’s on the agenda for the board meeting? A little gossip, then lunch.

162
Q

Define:

aggregate

(AG ruh gut)

A

n. sum total; a collection of separate things mixed together

Chili is an aggregate of meat and beans.

163
Q

Define:

agnostic

(ag NAHS tik)

A

n. one who believes that the existence of a god can be neither proven nor disproven

An atheist himself, Jon concluded from Jorge’s spiritual skepticism that they shared similar beliefs. In fact, Jorge’s reluctance to affirm or discredit a god’s existence reflects his agnosticism.

164
Q

Define:

agrarian

(uh GRAR ee un)

A

adj. relating to land; relating to the management or farming of land

Politics in this country often pit the rural, agrarian interests against the urban interests.

165
Q

Define:

alacrity

(uh LAK ri tee)

A

n. cheerful eagerness or readiness to respond

David could hardly wait for his parents to leave; he carried their luggage out to the car with great alacrity.

166
Q

Define:

allege

(uh LEJ)

A

v. to assert without proof

If I say, “Cedrick alleges that I stole his hat,” I am saying two things: 1. Cedrick says I stole his hat. 2. I say I didn’t do it.

167
Q

Define:

alleviate

(uh LEE vee ayt)

A

v. to relieve, usually temporarily or incompletely; to make bearable; to lessen

Visiting the charming pet cemetery alleviated the woman’s grief over the death of her canary.

168
Q

Define:

allocate

(AL uh kayt)

A

v. to distribute; to assign; to allot

The long car trip had been a big failure, and David, Aaliyah, and Jan spent several hours attempting to allocate the blame. In the end, they decided it had all been Jan’s fault.

169
Q

Define:

alloy

(AL oy)

A

n. a combination of two or more things, usually metals

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. That is, you make brass by combining copper and zinc.

170
Q

Define:

allusion

(uh LOO zhun)

A

n. an indirect reference (often to a literary work); a hint

When Ralph said, “I sometimes wonder whether to be or not to be,” he was alluding to a famous line in Hamlet. If Ralph had said, “As Hamlet said, ‘To be or not to be, that is the question,’” his statement would have been a direct reference, not an allusion.

171
Q

Define:

aloof

(uh LOOF)

A

adj. uninvolved; standing off; keeping one’s distance

Al, on the roof, felt very aloof.

172
Q

Define:

altruism

(AL troo iz um)

A

n. selflessness; generosity; devotion to the interests of others

The private foundation depended on the altruism of the extremely rich old man. When he decided to start spending his money on his new twenty-year-old girlfriend, the foundation went out of business.

173
Q

Define:

ambience

(AM bee uns)

A

n. atmosphere; mood; feeling

By decorating their house with plastic beach balls and Popsicle sticks, the Cramers created a playful ambience that delighted young children.

174
Q

Define:

ambiguous

(am BIG yoo us)

A

adj. unclear in meaning; confusing; capable of being interpreted in different ways

We listened to the weather report, but the forecast was ambiguous; we couldn’t tell whether the day was going to be rainy or sunny.

175
Q

Define:

ambivalent

(am BIV uh lunt)

A

adj. undecided; having opposed feelings simultaneously

Susan felt ambivalent about George as a boyfriend. Her frequent desire to break up with him reflected this ambivalence.

176
Q

Define:

ameliorate

(uh MEEL yuh rayt)

A

v. to make better or more tolerable

The mood of the prisoners was ameliorated when the warden gave them color television sets and keys to their cells.

177
Q

Define:

amenable

(uh MEE nuh bul)

A

adj. obedient; willing to give in to the wishes of another; agreeable

I suggested that Bert pay for my lunch as well as for his own; to my surprise, he was amenable.

178
Q

Define:

amenity

(uh MEN i tee)

A

n. pleasantness; attractive or comfortable feature

The amenities at the local club include a swimming pool, a golf course, and a fallout shelter.

179
Q

Define:

amiable

(AY mee uh bul)

A

adj. friendly; agreeable

Our amiable guide made us feel right at home in what would otherwise have been a cold and forbidding museum.

180
Q

Define:

amnesty

(AM nuh stee)

A

n. an official pardon for a group of people who have violated a law or policy

An amnesty is an official forgetting. When a state government declares a tax amnesty, it is saying that if people pay the taxes they owe, the government will officially “forget” that they broke the law by not paying them in the first place.

181
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. program; the things to be done

A

agenda

(uh JEN duh)

182
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. sum total; a collection of separate things mixed together

A

aggregate

(AG ruh gut)

183
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. one who believes that the existence of a god can be neither proven nor disproven

A

agnostic

(ag NAHS tik)

184
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. relating to land; relating to the man­ agement or farming of land

A

agrarian

(uh GRAR ee un)

185
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. cheerful eagerness or readiness to respond

A

alacrity

(uh LAK ri tee)

186
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to assert without proof

A

allege

(uh LEJ)

187
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to relieve, usually temporarily or incom­pletely; to make bearable; to lessen

A

alleviate

(uh LEE vee ayt)

188
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to distribute; to assign; to allot

A

allocate

(AL uh kayt)

189
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a combination of two or more things, usually metals

A

alloy

(AL oy)

190
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. an indirect reference (often to a literary work); a hint

A

allusion

(uh LOO zhun)

191
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. uninvolved; standing off; keeping one’s distance

A

aloof

(uh LOOF)

192
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. selflessness; generosity; devotion to the interests of others

A

altruism

(AL troo iz um)

193
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. atmosphere; mood; feeling

A

ambience

(AM bee uns)

194
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. unclear in meaning; confusing; capable of being interpreted in different ways

A

ambiguous

(am BIG yoo us)

195
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. undecided; having opposed feelings simultaneously

A

ambivalent

(am BIV uh lunt)

196
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to make better or more tolerable

A

ameliorate

(uh MEEL yuh rayt)

197
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. obedient; willing to give in to the wishes of another; agreeable

A

amenable

(uh MEE nuh bul)

198
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. pleasantness; attractive or comfortable fea­ture

A

amenity

(uh MEN i tee)

199
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. friendly; agreeable

A

amiable

(AY mee uh bul)

200
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. an official pardon for a group of people who have violated a law or policy

A

amnesty

(AM nuh stee)

Word Smart I (9 decks)

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