Eccentric - Formidable Flashcards
Eccentric
Adj. departing from convention. n. one who deviates from the norm; ex) Mary’s style, considered to be very __________ when she was young, led her to become one of the most popular fashion designers of all time.
Eclectic
Combining elements from many different sources or styles; ex) Jenny’s __________ taste in movies ranged from musicals to comedies, dramas to action films.
Effrontery
Rude and presumptuous behavior; ex) The general was unaware that his imperialist __________ was only breeding contempt among the colonists.
Egregious
Noticeably bad or offensive; ex) William committed an __________ error when he failed to mention his wife during his acceptance speech.
Eloquent
Very clear and precise; quality of being skilled in clear and precise speech; ex) Julie’s valedictorian speech was quite __________; she clearly articulated her hopes and dreams for a prosperous future.
Elucidate
To clarify; ex) Recent efforts to __________ the text on certain ancient scrolls have yielded curious new perspectives on the political history of Babylon.
Emancipation
The act of freeing or liberating; ex) Minor children may petition a court for __________ from their parents if they provide evidence of alternate housing and income.
Emollient
Adj. softening or soothing. n. a softening agent; ex) Sarah rubbed an __________ over her dry, peeling, sunburned skin.
Empirical
Based on or provable by observation and experiment; ex) The hypothesis had to be backed up by __________ evidence in order to be considered credible.
Emulate
To follow an admirable example; imitate; ex) As she entered law school, she hoped to __________ the success of her sister, who was already a prominent partner in a law firm.
Endorse
To support or sign; ex) The sports superstar was paid more than $10 million to __________ the new athletic shoe.
Engender
To give rise to; originate; ex) Professor Evan’s good nature __________ed a positive attitude among his students.
Enigmatic
Unexplainable, puzzling; ex) The Mona Lisa’s __________ smile is legendary.
Entity
A discrete unit or being; ex) Though the corporations worked in conjunction with each other, they each remained a separate legal __________.
Enumerate
To state things in a list; ex) At his performance review, the employee listened to his boss __________ several ways he could improve his performance in the workplace.
Ephemeral
Temporary, fleeting; ex) Considered a “one-hit wonder,” the pop star enjoyed only __________ fame.
Equivocal
Uncertain or ambiguous; ex) Many lengthy court battles could be avoided if the legislature took more care to avoid __________ language in the criminal statutes.
Erudite
Learned; having great knowledge; ex) After earning three doctoral degrees, Dr. Kidman was considered one of the most __________ professors on campus.
Esoteric
Understood by few people; mysterious; ex) Most of the subject matter in the novel is quite __________; the author is forced to overwhelm the reader with too much background information.
Espouse
To choose to follow or support something; ex) Abraham Lincoln was famous for his refusal to __________ slavery in the North.
Estimable
Admirable; deserving of esteem; ex) His first attempt at writing a novel was __________; nearly 1 million copies of the book were sold.
Ethical
In line with the principles of right and wrong; ex) Only the most __________ people would return money from a wallet they find in the street.
Euphemism
An inoffensive expression substituted for one that is deemed offensive; ex) The word borrowing is sometimes used as a __________ for stealing.
Exacerbate
To intensify bitterness or violence; ex) The terrorist attacks __________ed the already strained relations between the two countries.
Exceptional
Having uncommonly great qualities; ex) Kevin was an __________ basketball player, and received many offers to play at the collegiate level.
Excoriate
To denounce; to chafe; ex) The film critics __________ed the film that was supposed to be that year’s biggest blockbuster, emphasizing how overrated it was.
Exculpate
To remove blame; acquit; ex) The defendant was __________ed of the homicide charges when new evidence was found at the crime scene.
Exhort
To urge or try to persuade ex) After graduating from college, Diana __________ed her parents to lend her the money to start her own business.
Exigent
Demanding immediate attention; urgent; ex) In the __________ circumstances of the coup d’etat, thousands of troops were dispatched to the capital city.
Explicate
To explain or make comprehensible; ex) The graduate student was unable to successfully __________ his thesis; therefore, he did not earn his degree.
Expunge
To get rid of or erase; ex) The speeding infraction would be __________ed from John’s driving record after he paid a $600 fine and kept a clean record for one year.
Extant
Currently existing; ex) There are few __________ copies of the Gutenberg Bible, four of which are in New York City.
Extenuating
Partially justifiable ex) __________ circumstances surrounding the motive for the assault meant Sean would serve less jail time.
Extol
To praise or glorify; ex) Ever the proud mother, Anna will __________ her child’s accomplishments to no end.
Extrovert
A person characterized by concern with things outside of himself or herself; an outgoing or gregarious person;
ex) In order to be successful as a salesperson, you must be somewhat of an __________.
Extricate
To free or disentangle; ex) It took rescue crews several hours to safely __________ all of the passengers from the plane that had crashed earlier in the day.
Exultant
Gleeful because of success; ex) The __________ crowd cheered the soccer team on to victory in the World Cup.
Fallacy
An error in reasoning; ex) It is a common __________ that first-year law students spend every waking moment studying.
Familial
Relating to the family; ex) Her __________ ties kept her from moving too far away from the town in which she grew up.
Fathom
V: to come to understand the meaning of something. N: a measure of distance equal to six feet; ex) The complexity of the situation made it difficult to __________ a simple outcome.
Fatuous
Foolish or delusive; smug; ex) We ignored Brendan’s __________ remarks about politics; he spoke strictly from opinion with no regard for the facts.
Feckless
Lacking in purpose; careless; ex) Because more than half of the legislators are not running for reelection this fall, pundits predict another __________ session of the State House.
Feign
To fabricate or deceive; ex) She __________ed astonishment when she walked into her surprise party; her best friend had previously told her about the event.
Feint
N: a deceptive, diversionary action. V: to make a deceptive show of; ex) The robbers used some smoke bombs in the parking lot as a __________ while they discreetly took money from the cash drawers.
Fidelity
Faithfulness or allegiance; often used to denote faithfulness in a romantic relationship, or faithfulness to a particular religion; ex) I admire dogs for their unshakeable __________ to their owners.
Florid
Flushed with color; ornate; ex) The stark realism of neoclassicism in painting replaced the __________ idealism of the Rococo period.
Foil
To keep from being successful; ex) Her plans were often __________ed by her failure to plan ahead.
Foment
To incite or agitate; ex) Ryan tried to hold his tongue; he knew that one of his sarcastic remarks would __________ a fight that he didn’t want to start.
Forage
To search for food or provisions; ex) During the cold winter months, many wild animals are forced to __________ for scarce food.
Formidable
Capable of arousing fear or awe; ex) The current championship team was a __________ opponent for the yet unranked team.
