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AA Memrise ACT Vocabularies > Deck008 > Flashcards

Deck008 Flashcards

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1
Q

cac·oph·ony ​

```
noun
BrE /kəˈkɒfəni/
NAmE /kəˈkɑːfəni/
[uncountable, singular]
formal
~~~

A

a mixture of loud unpleasant sounds

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2
Q

pit·tance ​

noun
BrE /ˈpɪtns/
NAmE /ˈpɪtns/
[usually singular]

A

a very small amount of money that somebody receives, for example as a wage, and that is hardly enough to live on
 to pay somebody a pittance
 to work for a pittance
 She could barely survive on the pittance she received as a pension.

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3
Q

per·func·tory ​

adjective
BrE /pəˈfʌŋktəri/
NAmE /pərˈfʌŋktəri/
formal

A

(of an action) done as a duty or habit, without real interest, attention or feeling
 a perfunctory nod/​smile
 They only made a perfunctory effort.

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4
Q

in·vec·tive ​

```
noun
BrE /ɪnˈvektɪv/
NAmE /ɪnˈvektɪv/
[uncountable]
formal
~~~

A

rude language and unpleasant remarks that somebody shouts when they are very angry
 The gesture infuriated him and he let out a stream of invective.
 a speech full of invective against the government

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5
Q

os·ten·ta·tious ​

adjective
BrE /ˌɒstenˈteɪʃəs/
NAmE /ˌɑːstenˈteɪʃəs/

A

1 (disapproving) expensive or noticeable in a way that is intended to impress people
➔ SYNONYM ​showy
 ostentatious gold jewellery
2 (disapproving) behaving in a way that is meant to impress people by showing how rich, important, etc. you are
3 (of an action) done in a very obvious way so that people will notice it
 He gave an ostentatious yawn.

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6
Q

zealot ​

noun
BrE /ˈzelət/
NAmE /ˈzelət/
often disapproving

A

a person who is extremely enthusiastic about something, especially religion or politics
➔ SYNONYM ​fanatic

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7
Q

terse ​

adjective
BrE /tɜːs/
NAmE /tɜːrs/

A

using few words and often not seeming polite or friendly
 a terse style
 The President issued a terse statement denying the charges.
 Although he was terse, he didnʼt rage at me.

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8
Q

pro·di·gious ​

```
adjective
BrE /prəˈdɪdʒəs/
NAmE /prəˈdɪdʒəs/
[usually before noun]
formal
~~~

A

very large or powerful and causing surprise or admiration
➔ SYNONYM ​colossal, enormous
 a prodigious achievement/​memory/​talent
 DVDs can store prodigious amounts of information.

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9
Q

pre·clude ​

verb
BrE /prɪˈkluːd/
NAmE /prɪˈkluːd/
formal

A

to prevent something from happening or somebody from doing something; to make something impossible
 preclude something Lack of time precludes any further discussion.
 Your failure to become a member this year does not preclude the possibility of your applying next year.
 preclude somebody from doing something My lack of interest in the subject precluded me from gaining much enjoyment out of it.
 preclude (somebody) doing something His religious beliefs precluded him/​his serving in the army.
 We cannot have a system that precludes people from seeking independent legal advice.

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10
Q

par·ti·san ​

adjective
BrE /ˌpɑːtɪˈzæn/ , /ˈpɑːtɪzæn/
NAmE /ˈpɑːrtəzn/

A

(often disapproving) showing too much support for one person, group or idea, especially without considering it carefully
➔ SYNONYM ​one-sided
 Most newspapers are politically partisan.

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11
Q

op·por·tun·ist ​

adjective	
BrE /ˌɒpəˈtjuːnɪst/ 
NAmE /ˌɑːpərˈtuːnɪst/ 
(also op·por·tun·is·tic)
[usually before noun]
(often disapproving)
A

making use of an opportunity, especially to get an advantage for yourself; not done in a planned way
 an opportunist crime
 Smith marked his debut match with an opportunist goal.

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12
Q

ob·so·lete ​

adjective
BrE /ˈɒbsəliːt/
NAmE /ˌɑːbsəˈliːt/

A

no longer used because something new has been invented
➔ SYNONYM ​out of date
 obsolete technology
 With technological changes many traditional skills have become obsolete.

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13
Q

meagre ​

adjective
especially US English mea·ger
BrE /ˈmiːɡə(r)/
NAmE /ˈmiːɡər/

A

small in quantity and poor in quality
➔ SYNONYM ​paltry
 a meagre diet of bread and water
 She supplements her meagre income by cleaning at night.

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14
Q

in·sur·gent ​

adjective
BrE /ɪnˈsɜːdʒənt/
NAmE /ɪnˈsɜːrdʒənt/
formal

A

fighting against the government or armed forces of their own country
➔ SYNONYM ​rebellious
 insurgent groups/​attacks

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15
Q

in·sti·gate ​

verb
BrE /ˈɪnstɪɡeɪt/
NAmE /ˈɪnstɪɡeɪt/
formal

A

1 instigate something (especially British English) to make something start or happen, usually something official
➔ SYNONYM ​bring something 14 8 about
 The government has instigated a programme of economic reform.
2 instigate something to cause something bad to happen
 They were accused of instigating racial violence.

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16
Q

in·hibit ​

verb
BrE /ɪnˈhɪbɪt/
NAmE /ɪnˈhɪbɪt/

A

1 inhibit something (formal) to prevent something from happening or make it happen more slowly or less frequently than normal
 A lack of oxygen may inhibit brain development in the unborn child.
 Financial considerations are inhibiting access to higher education.
 Alcohol significantly inhibits the action of the drug.
2 inhibit somebody (from something/​from doing something) to make somebody nervous or embarrassed so that they are unable to do something
 The managing directorʼs presence inhibited them from airing their problems.
 The fear of dismissal inhibited employees from raising problems.

17
Q

ten·acious ​

adjective
BrE /təˈneɪʃəs/
NAmE /təˈneɪʃəs/
formal

A

1 that does not stop holding something or give up something easily; determined
 a tenacious grip
 Sheʼs a tenacious woman. She never gives up.
 The party has kept its tenacious hold on power for more than twenty years.
2 continuing to exist, have influence, etc. for longer than you might expect
➔ SYNONYM ​persistent
 a tenacious illness

18
Q

sup·press ​

verb
BrE /səˈpres/
NAmE /səˈpres/

A

1 suppress something (usually disapproving) (of a government, ruler, etc.) to put an end, often by force, to a group or an activity that is believed to threaten authority
➔ SYNONYM ​quash
 The rebellion was brutally suppressed.
2 suppress something (usually disapproving) to prevent something from being published or made known
 The police were accused of suppressing vital evidence.
3 suppress something to prevent yourself from having or expressing a feeling or an emotion
 to suppress a smile
 She was unable to suppress her anger.
 He had suppressed the painful memories of his childhood.
4 suppress something to prevent something from growing, developing or continuing

19
Q

pre·ten·tious ​

adjective
BrE /prɪˈtenʃəs/
NAmE /prɪˈtenʃəs/
disapproving

A

trying to appear important, intelligent, etc. in order to impress other people; trying to be something that you are not, in order to impress
 Thatʼs a pretentious name for a dog!
 It was just an ordinary house—nothing pretentious.
 Heʼs so pretentious!
➔ COMPARE ​unpretentious

20
Q

opu·lent ​

adjective
BrE /ˈɒpjələnt/
NAmE /ˈɑːpjələnt/
formal

A 
1 made or decorated using expensive materials
➔ SYNONYM ​luxurious
 opulent fabrics/​surroundings
2 (of people) extremely rich
➔ SYNONYM ​wealthy
 the opulent elite of Europe
21
Q

nov·ice ​

noun
BrE /ˈnɒvɪs/
NAmE /ˈnɑːvɪs/

A

1 a person who is new and has little experience in a skill, job or situation
 Iʼm a complete novice at skiing.
 computer software for novices/​the novice user
2 a person who has joined a religious group and is preparing to become a monk or a nun
3 a horse that has not yet won an important race

22
Q

in·con·se·quen·tial ​

adjective
BrE /ɪnˌkɒnsɪˈkwenʃl/
NAmE /ɪnˌkɑːnsɪˈkwenʃl/

A 
not important or worth considering
➔ SYNONYM ​trivial
 inconsequential details
 inconsequential chatter
➔ OPPOSITE ​consequential
23
Q

in·com·pat·ible ​

adjective
BrE /ˌɪnkəmˈpætəbl/
NAmE /ˌɪnkəmˈpætəbl/

A

1 incompatible (with something) two actions, ideas, etc. that are incompatible are not acceptable or possible together because of basic differences
 The hours of the job are incompatible with family life.
 These two objectives are mutually incompatible.
2 two people who are incompatible are very different from each other and so are not able to live or work happily together
 She and her husband soon proved to be totally incompatible.
3 incompatible (with something) two things that are incompatible are of different types so that they cannot be used or mixed together
 New computer software is often incompatible with older computers.
 Those two blood groups are incompatible.
➔ OPPOSITE ​compatible

24
Q

ten·ta·tive ​

adjective
BrE /ˈtentətɪv/
NAmE /ˈtentətɪv/

A

1 (of an arrangement, agreement, etc.) not definite or certain because you may want to change it later
 We made a tentative arrangement to meet on Friday.
 tentative conclusions
2 not behaving or done with confidence
➔ SYNONYM ​hesitant
 a tentative greeting
 Her English is correct but tentative.
 Iʼm taking the first tentative steps towards fitness.

25
Q

lev·ity ​

```
noun
BrE /ˈlevəti/
NAmE /ˈlevəti/
[uncountable]
formal
~~~

A

behaviour that shows a lack of respect for something serious and that treats it in an amusing way
➔ SYNONYM ​frivolity
 The joke provided a moment of levity in an otherwise dreary meeting.

AA Memrise ACT Vocabularies (22 decks)

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