Essential Vocab Flashcards
adhere
Definition: Stick (to), such as with glue, or to a plan or belief
Usage: I have a message board that adheres to my refrigerator with magnets; on it, I’ve written some affirmations to help me adhere to my diet plan.
Related Words: Abide by (follow, conform to), Cohere (become united, hold together as part of the same mass)
More Info: Use adhere for attaching two different kinds of things together, and cohere for things of the same kind (good cookie dough coheres instead of crumbles).
dissent
Definition: Disagree or take an opposing view, esp. in relation to a formal body such as a government, political party, or church; such a view
Usage: Judge Antonin Scalia cast the only dissenting vote, explaining in his written decision why he thought all the other justices had it wrong. / Not every country has a right to free speech (and thus to dissent), although nations that throw dissenters in jail are condemned by the international community at large.
Related Words: Gainsay (deny, refute, oppose), Sedition (incitement of dissent against a government; promoting rebellion by speech or writing)
More Info: The variant dissidence tends to be a strong, longstanding, determined practice of dissenting.
hearken
Definition: Listen, pay attention to
Usage: The simple lifestyle and anachronistic dress of the Amish hearken back to an earlier era. / “Hearken, students!” said the old-fashioned music teacher. “We are going to practice ‘Hark, the Herald Angels Sing.”
More Info: Hark is a variant of hearken and has the same meaning. The expression hearken back or hark back is much more common in modern usage than hearken alone, and means to turn back to something earlier or return to a source.
disingenuous
Definition: Insincere, not genuine
Usage: Christine used the fact that her mother spoke limited English as an opportunity to be disingenuous. When her mother asked, “Will there be boys at this sleepover?” she replied “There won’t not be boys there!”
Related Words: Dissembling (misleading, concealing the truth, acting hypocritically), Prevaricating (misleading or lying)
More Info: Disingenuous appropriately describes misleading behavior that isn’t quite lying, like when you say “Let’s do the dishes!” when you really mean “Why don’t you do the dishes?” The opposite of disingenuous is ingenuous, or genuine.
substantiate
Definition: Support with evidence or proof; give a material existence to
Usage: You say you were at home when the crime occurred two towns over—is there anyone who can substantiate your claim? / Your business ideas are interesting, but you never substantiate them—you haven’t put a single plan into action.
Related Words: Corroborate (support, add evidence to), Verify (prove true)
alienate
Definition: Cause to become unfriendly, hostile, or distant
Usage: The talk-show host was trying to help, but only alienated her viewers when she suggested that they cope with a tough economy by checking themselves into a spa.
Related Words: Disaffect (cause to lose affection or loyalty), Estrange (make hostile or indifferent—“He hasn’t spoken to his estranged son in a decade.”)
More Info: In law, alienate means to transfer property to another owner. An inalienable right is one that you cannot give away or sell (for instance, it is not possible for a person to sell himself into slavery).
opaque
Definition: Not translucent; not allowing light, heat, etc. to pass through; dark, dull, unclear or stupid
Usage: The school dress code required opaque tights under skirts—the rules specified that sheer stockings were unacceptable. / Rena was tragically opaque—when her boyfriend said “I want to see other people,” she thought he meant he needed glasses.
Related Words: Turbid refers literally to water that is muddy and not clear because of stirred-up dirt or mud; metaphorically, it can mean obscured or confused, as in turbid feelings.
eloquent
Definition: Marked by forceful, fluid, apt speech; expressive, emotionally moving
Usage: Wow, he’s such an eloquent speaker, he could sell snow to Antarcticans! / When Mom suggested that everyone might enjoy a museum instead of the beach, she was met with the children’s eloquent looks of disgust.
Related Words: Rhetorical and oratorical are words related to the art of public speaking. While a lawyer needs good rhetorical skills, sometimes rhetorical and oratorical mean only related to style and effect, and lacking substance. Eloquent, however, is always positive—even in the latter sentence above, the eloquent looks of disgust are very effective in expressing the children’s feelings.
More Info: The root “loq” means “speech” and also appears in loquacious (talkative) and interlocutor (participant in a dialogue; interrogator).
abate
Definition: Reduce, diminish
Usage: Her stress over spending so much money on a house abated when the real estate broker told her about the property’s 15 year tax abatement.
Related Words: Tax abatement is used in the same way as tax “relief”—that is, a partial discount. Subside is another word for lessening (a storm could abate or subside).
More Info: Abate comes from an Old French word for “beat, cast down” that also gives us batter (beat severely) and abattoir (slaughterhouse).
contentious
Definition: Controversial; prone to causing arguments, especially gratuitous or petty ones
Usage: The death penalty is a contentious issue. / My uncle is so contentious that every attempt I made to introduce an uncontroversial topic met with failure—he ranted and raved about the weather, trees, math, and my daughter’s enjoyment of oatmeal.
Related Words: Disputatious and quarrelsome are near-synonyms
More Info: A contention is simply a claim, often a thesis or statement that will then be backed up with reasons. To contend can be to argue or to vie for a prize, as in the famous quote from On the Waterfront: “I coulda been a contender.”
partisan
Definition: Devoted to a particular group, cause, etc. (adj.); fervent supporter of a group, party, idea, etc.; guerilla fighter (noun)
Usage: It is unconscionable to engage in partisan politics in a time of crisis. People are trapped in the rubble of an earthquake, and you suggest that we vote for your tax bill in exchange for your voting for our relief bill?
Related Words: Partial (biased, prejudiced; having a special liking for something)
More Info: Partisan is related to the idea of a party (as in a political party). A party or other self-interested group can also be called a faction. Partisanship gone too far could be called factionalism. Bipartisan means pertaining to both parties (typically in a two-party system), and nonpartisan means unbiased or not affiliated with a party.
ephemeral
Definition: Lasting only a short time, fleeting
Usage: “Thank you for this jacket that says ‘Eugene’s Girl,’” said Marie, “but I fear that your love will prove to be ephemeral—over the last two years, I’ve seen four other girls in school with the same jacket. Do you buy them in six-packs?”
Related Words: Evanescent and Fugacious are synonyms. Transient can mean “lasting only a short time, temporary” or “staying only a short time,” or can be a noun referring to homeless people, temporary workers, or others who move often.
More Info: Ephemeral comes from a Greek word for “day.” It originally meant—and sometimes still means—lasting only one day.
impartial
Definition: Unbiased, fair
Usage: Judge Gonzales removed himself from the case because, having a personal connection to the school where the shooting took place, he did not think he could be appropriately impartial.
Related Words: Disinterested, Dispassionate, and Nonpartisan are all related to being fair and not having a bias or personal stake.
More Info: The root for “part” appears in partisan, partial, and party—just as a member of a political party is rooting for his own side, someone who is partial is on the side of only part of the group, not everyone equally.
maverick
Definition: Rebel, individualist, dissenter
Usage: Most cop movies feature heroes who are maverick police officers, breaking all the rules, blowing things up, and getting their guns confiscated by the chief—but ultimately saving the day.
Related Words: “Lone wolf” and “loose cannon” are expressions with similar meanings (although “loose cannon” implies that the person might do something crazy or dangerous).
More Info: Samuel Maverick was an American pioneer who didn’t brand (that is, show ownership by marking with a hot iron) his calves. In ranching lingo, a maverick is still an unbranded animal. Just as a maverick calf doesn’t bear a mark of ownership, a political maverick doesn’t belong to any party.
profound
Definition: Very insightful, penetrating deeply into a subject; pervasive, intense, “down to the very bottom”; at the very bottom
Usage: Certain fish that live in the dark, profound depths of the ocean have long since evolved to have sightless eyes. / He was profoundly disappointed when the project he had worked on for fifteen years failed.
More Info: Most people know profound in the sense “Whoa, that’s deep, man.” Fewer people know that you can have profound grief or be profoundly corrupt. In both cases, profound means “complete, all the way through.”
intractable
Definition: Difficult to control, manage, or manipulate; hard to cure; stubborn
Usage: That student is positively intractable! Last week, we talked about the importance of staying in your seat during the lesson—this week, she not only got up mid-class, but she actually scrambled on top of a bookcase and refused to come down! / Back injuries often result in intractable pain; despite treatment, patients never feel fully cured.
Related Words: Intransigent, Obdurate, and Obstreperous are also used to describe people who are stubborn and hard to control.
More Info: The antonym of intractable is tractable, meaning “compliant.” The root “tract” means “manage or handle” (and originally “drag about”) and also appears in tractor, distract, retract, and, of course, tract (a stretch of land).
objective
Definition: Factual, related to reality or physical objects; not influenced by emotions, unbiased
Usage: You cannot be forced to testify against your spouse in a court of law—it’s pretty impossible for anyone to be objective about the guilt or innocence of a spouse. / Some philosophers argue that things like “love” and “guilt” don’t exist, and that only objective reality—that is, physical matter—is of consequence.
Related Words: Impartial, Disinterested, Dispassionate, and Nonpartisan are all related to being fair and not having a bias or personal stake.
More Info: The opposite of objective is subjective (taking place only in the mind, personal).
taciturn
Definition: Not talking much, reserved; silent, holding back in conversation
Usage: Because he felt self-conscious about his stutter, Mike had always been taciturn, but after some very good speech therapy, soon he was much more voluble.
Related Words: Reticent is a synonym. Laconic means “using few words, concise.”
More Info: Taciturn is related to tacit (understood without being said; implied, not stated directly; silent).
soporific
Definition: Causing sleep; sleepy, drowsy (adj); something that causes sleep (noun)
Usage: I was excited to take a class with Professor Baria because I had enjoyed her books, but sadly, she is a better writer than speaker—her lectures are soporific. / I was so distressed after the crash that the doctor gave me a soporific—and, sure enough, I was able to think more clearly after sleeping.
Related Words: Somnolent is a synonym.
More Info: Sopor is a rare word meaning an abnormally deep sleep. A much more common word is the similar sounding stupor, meaning a state of numbness or not making sense (for instance, a drunken stupor).
