English vocab Flashcards
1
Q
Acumen
A
keen insight or shrewdness especially in practical matters.
2
Q
Ambiguous
A
open to more than one interpretation; unclear or inexact.
3
Q
Antithesis
A
a contrast or opposition between two things.
4
Q
Arcane
A
understood by few; mysterious or secret.
5
Q
Astute
A
having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to one’s advantage.
6
Q
Cogent
A
clear
7
Q
Conundrum
A
a confusing and difficult problem or question.
8
Q
Discern
A
perceive or recognize something.
9
Q
Disparate
A
essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison.
10
Q
Efficacious
A
effective in producing a desired or intended result.
11
Q
Esoteric
A
intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest.
12
Q
Exacerbate
A
make (a problem
13
Q
Fathom
A
understand (a difficult problem or an enigmatic person) after much thought.
14
Q
Formidable
A
inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large
15
Q
Inception
A
the establishment or starting point of an institution or activity.
16
Q
Incontrovertible
A
not able to be denied or disputed.
17
Q
Indubitable
A
impossible to doubt; unquestionable.
18
Q
Insidious
A
proceeding in a gradual
19
Q
Juxtapose
A
place or deal with close together for contrasting effect.
20
Q
Labyrinthine
A
(of a system) intricate and confusing.
21
Q
Magnanimous:
A
very generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or someone less powerful than oneself.
22
Q
Obfuscate
A
render obscure
23
Q
Opaque
A
not able to be seen through; not transparent.
24
Q
Paradox
A
a seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true.
25
Perspicacious
having a ready insight into and understanding of things.
26
Pragmatic
dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations.
27
Precarious
not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse.
28
Profound
(of a state
29
Prolific
producing much fruit or foliage or many offspring.
30
Prosaic
having the style or diction of prose; lacking poetic beauty.
31
Pundit
an expert in a particular subject or field who is frequently called upon to give opinions about it to the public.
32
Quintessential
representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class.
33
Redundant
not or no longer needed or useful; superfluous.
34
Resilient
able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.
35
Salient
most noticeable or important.
36
Serendipity
the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
37
Sublime
of such excellence
38
Superfluous
unnecessary
39
Surreptitious
kept secret
40
Ubiquitous
commonplace, spread everywhere
41
Unprecedented
never done or known before.
42
Vehement
showing strong feeling; forceful
43
Veracity
conformity to facts; accuracy.
44
Vicarious
experienced in the imagination through the feelings or actions of another person.
45
Vilify
speak or write about in an abusively disparaging manner.
46
Virtuoso
a person highly skilled in a particular art.
47
Zealous
having or showing zeal; passionate or fervent.
48
Aberrant
departing from an accepted standard or normal course.
49
Alacrity
brisk and cheerful readiness.
50
Anomaly
something that deviates from what is standard
51
Benevolent
well meaning and kindly.
52
Catalyst
a person or thing that precipitates an event or change.
53
Convoluted
extremely complex and difficult to follow.
54
Deleterious
causing harm or damage.
55
Disparate
essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison.
56
Ebullient
cheerful and full of energy.
57
Ephemeral
lasting for a very short time.
58
Evanescent
soon passing out of sight
59
Exemplary
serving as a desirable model; representing the best of its kind.
60
Expeditious
done with speed and efficiency.
61
Facetious
treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor.
62
Garrulous
excessively talkative
63
Iconoclast
a person who attacks or criticizes cherished beliefs or institutions.
64
Idiosyncrasy
a mode of behavior or way of thought peculiar to an individual.
65
Incandescent
emitting light as a result of being heated.
66
Incipient
in an initial stage; beginning to happen or develop.
67
Ineffable
too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words.
68
Insatiable
impossible to satisfy.
69
Intrepid
fearless; adventurous.
70
Lucid
expressed clearly; easy to understand.
71
Mellifluous
(of a voice or words) sweet or musical; pleasant to hear.
72
Myriad
a countless or extremely great number.
73
Nebulous
in the form of a cloud or haze; hazy.
74
Nonchalant
feeling or appearing casually calm and relaxed; not displaying anxiety
75
Obstreperous
noisy and difficult to control.
76
Palpable
able to be touched or felt.
77
Paragon
a person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality.
78
Pedantic
excessively concerned with minor details or rules.
79
Perfunctory
carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection.
80
Plausible
seeming reasonable or probable.
81
Polemic
a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something.
82
Portent
a sign or warning that something
83
Pristine
in its original condition; unspoiled.
84
Propensity
an inclination or natural tendency to behave in a particular way.
85
Quixotic
exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical.
86
Reticent
not revealing one's thoughts or feelings readily.
87
Sanguine
optimistic or positive
88
Scrupulous
diligent
89
Soporific
tending to induce drowsiness or sleep.
90
Spurious
not being what it purports to be; false or fake.
91
Stoic
a person who can endure pain or hardship without showing their feelings or complaining.
92
Substantiate
provide evidence to support or prove the truth of.
93
Sycophant
a person who acts obsequiously towards someone important in order to
94
Insolvent
not having enough money to pay for debts
95
Seminal
strongly influencing later developments
96
exonym
a name for a place or group of people that is only used outside that place or group
97
portent
a sign or warning that a calamitous event is likely to happen
98
onerous
burdensome, oppressive, or troublesome; causing hardship
99
lucid
expressed clearly, easy to understand
100
preponderance
superiority in importance, power, weight, or strength.
101
construe
to interpret
to understand or explain the sense or intention of usually in a particular way or with respect to a given set of circumstances
102
teleological
relating to or involving the explanation of phenomena in terms of the purpose they serve rather than of the cause by which they arise.
103
adduced
cited as evidence
104
unscrupulous
having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair
105
corollary
noun: a proposition that follows from an already proved proposition.
106
delineate
describe or portray (something) precisely.
107
presuppose
require as a precondition of possibility or coherence.
108
timorous
suffering from a lack of confidence and nervousness
109
rote
mechanical or habitual repetition of something to be learned
110
ostentation
the pretentious or showy display of wealth and luxury, designed to impress.
111
acrimony
bitterness or ill feeling
112
impecuniosity
in poverty. Lacking the funds, or material possessions
113
unscrupulous
having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair
114
expedite
make (an action or process) happen sooner or accomplished quicker than expected
