Diagnostic Flashcards
Acrimonious
Meeting or discussion in which people argue a lot and get angry.
Abortive
Unsuccessful - tends to be used in political/military context
Abstemious
Not doing things that give you pleasure, especially not eating good food or drinking alcohol. Abstain
Accost
To go towards someone you don’t know and speak to them in an unpleasant or threatening way
Alacrity
Quickness and eagerness
Altruistic
Selfless. Caring ans helping other people even though it brings no advantage for one self
Ameliorate
To make a bad situation better or less harmful
Amicable
Behaviour between people that is pleasant and friendly, often despite a difficult situation
Anathema
The complete opposite of what you believe in
Anomaly
Something that is noticeable because of how different it is from the usual
Appellation
A name or title
Ardent
Showing strong feelings about an activity and determination to succeed at it / showing strong feelings of love
Artifice
Clever trick to deceive someone
Artless
Simple, not wanting to deceive. Honesty, openess, sincerity.
Avarice
Extremely strong wish to get or keep money or possessions, greedy
Belligerent
Wishing to fight or argue
Cache
Number of things that have been hidden, especially weapons / the place where they have been hidden
Cajole
Persuade someone to do something they might not want to do, by pleasant talk and false promises
Callous
Unkind, cruel, without sympathy or feeling for other people
Cant
Statements, especially on religious and moral subjects, that are not sincerely believed by the person making them
Capricious
Changing mood or behaviour suddenly and unexpectedly
Caustic
A chemical that burns and destroys things, especially anything made of living cells
Celerity
Speed
Cogent
Argument, reason that is clearly expressed and persuades people to believe it. Easy to understand
Complicity
Involvement in a crime or some activity that is wrong. Taking part and getting involved
Consternation
A feeling of worry, shock or confusion
Culpable
Deserving to be blamed or considered responsible for something bad
Cursory
Quick and not detailed
Dearth
An amount or supply that is not large enough. Inadequate
Debris
Broken or torn pieces of something larger
Decadence
Low moral standards and behaviour
Decrepit
Very bad condition due to being old or not being cared for, or being used a lot
Derogatory
Showing strong disapproval and not showing respect. Critical
Desultory
Without a clear plan or purpose and showing little effort or interest
Detriment
Harm or damage
Diatribe
Angry speech or piece of writing that severly criticizes someone or something
Disparate
Different in every way
Disseminate
To spread or give out something, especially news, information, ideas to a lot of people
Duress
Threats used to force a person to do something
Edifice
A large, impressive building
Efficacy
The ability of something to produce the intended result
Egregious
Extremely bad in a way that is noticeable
Elicit
To get or produce something, especially information or reaction
”Elicit a response from them”
Eschew
To avoid something intentionally, or to give something up
Euphemism
A word or phrase used to avoid saying something unpleasant or offensive word, e.g. Let go instead of fired
Evanescent
Lasting only for a short time, then disappearing quickly and being forgotten. Short in time
Exacerbate
To make something that is bad even worse
Exonerate
To show or state that someone or something is not guilty of something
Expunge
To rub off or remove information from a piece of writing, to cause something being forgotten. Removing/getting rid.
Extol
To praise something or someone very much
Extortion
The act of getting something, especially money, by force or threats
Fallacious
Not correct
Fastidious
Giving too much attention to small details and wanting everything to be correct and perfect
Foist
To force someone to have or experience something unwanted or undesirable
Fortuitous
Not planned, happened by chance (to one’s own advantage/fortune)
Fraught
Filled with or likely to result in something bad.
Full of unpleasant things.
”Fraught with problems/difficulties”
Garrulous
Having the habit of talking a lot, especially about things that are not important
Germane
Suitable and acceptable
Gregarious
Liking to be with other people. Friendly
Guile
Clever but sometimes dishonest behaviour that you use to deceive someone. Sly/devious
Guise
The appearance of someone or something, especially when intended to deceive
Gullible
Easily deceived or tricked, too willing to believe people
Histrionics
Very emotional and energetic behaviour that is not sincere and has no real meaning
Ignominious
Embarrasing because of being a complete failure (events or behaviour)
Impeccable
Perfect, no bad parts
Importune
To make repeated, forceful requests for something, usually in a way that is annoying or causing slight problems
Impunity
Freedom from punishment or from the unpleasant results of something that has been done
Indolent
Showing no real interest or effort
Inebriated
Not sober, drunk
Inexorable
Continuing without any possibility of being stopped. Inevitable/unstoppable
Ingratiate
To make someone like you by praising or trying to please them
Insatiable
Desire or need that can not be satisfied
Internecine
War or fighting happening between members of the same group, religion or country
Intrepid
Extremely brave, showing no fear of dangerous situations
Inundate
To give someone so much work ot so many things that they can’t deal with it all
Inveigh
To strongly criticize something or someone, disapprove
Itinerant
Travelling from one place to another, usually to work for a short period
Jaunty
Showing that you are happy and confident
Juxtapose
To put things that are not similar next to each other, to compare and highlight differences
Lethargic
Having little energy, feeling unwilling and unable to do anything, not willing to use effort or to work
Lithe
Young, healthy, attractive and able to move and bend smoothly
Loathe
To hate someone or something
Lurid
Shocking because involving violence, sex or immoral activity
Malevolent
Causing or wanting to cause harm or evil
Maudlin
Feeling sad and sorry for yourself, especially after having drunk a lot of alcohol
Miscreant
Someone who behaves badly or does not obey rules
Myriad
A very large number of something, a lot of choices
Nascent
Only recently formed or started but likely to grow larger quickly
Nefarious
Morally bad, wrong, evil activities
Obliterate
to remove all signs of something, by destroying it or covering it up
Obloquy
very strong public criticism or blame
Ominous
olycksbådande
Ostentatious
too obviously showing your money, possessions or power in an attempt to make other people notice and admire you
Ostensible
appearing or claiming to be one thing when it is really something else
Overt
done or shown publicly or in an obvious way and not secret
Paroxysm
a sudden and powerful expression of strong feeling, one that you can not control
Parsimonious
not willing to spend money or use a lot of something
Paucity
the fact that there is too little of something. scarce
Penchant
an enjoyment of, or habit of doing something that other people may not like
Penury
the state of being extremely poor
Perfidious
unable to be trusted, or showing no loyalty. betrayal/dishonest
Perfunctory
done quickly without taking care or interest
Peruse
look at something and search
Plethora
a very large amount of something, usually an amount more than what you need, want or can deal with
Poignant
causing or having a very sharp feeling of sadness
Prescient
knowing or suggesting correctly what will happen in the future
Proffer
to offer something to someone, especially by holding it ou in your hand. offer advice or opinions
Profligate
spending money or using something in a way that wastes it and is not wise
Promulgate
to spread beliefs or ideas among a lot of people
Rapacious
having or showing a strong wish to take things for yourself, usually using unfair methods or force
Rebuke
to speak angrily to someone because you disapprove of what they have said or done
Remuneration
payment for work or services
Repertoire
all the music or plays, etc. that you can do or perform or that you know
Risible
so lacking in quality or usefulness that it deserves to be laughed at
Sanguine
(of someone or someone’s character) positive and hoping for good things
Scurrilous
expressing unfair or false criticism that is likely to damage someone’s reputation
Succinct
said in a clear and short way; expressing what needs to be said without unnecessary words
Sultry
uncomfortably warm and with air that is slightly wet or attractive in a way that suggests sexual desire
Tortuous
with many turns and changes of direction; not direct or simple
Trenchant
severe, expressing strong criticism or forceful opinions
Ubiquitous
seeming to be everywhere, omnipresent
Unconscionable
morally unacceptable
