Exo1 Flashcards
Ante up
Meaning: To give money; pay what is due. Example: My landlord told me to ante up or vacate the apartment by the beginning of the month.
Antiquated
Meaning: Too old; old-fashioned; no longer useful. Example: Antiquated system; antiquated beliefs; antiquated methods; antiquated laws.
What does ‘abiding’ mean?
Ongoing; continues for a long time.
Example: Abiding love for old movies.
Define ‘able-bodied’.
Strong and healthy; physically fit.
Example: Our construction company requires only able-bodied workers.
What is the meaning of ‘abolish’?
To cancel; put an end to; terminate; finish something.
Example: Prohibition was abolished in 1933.
Who is described as ‘absentminded’?
One who constantly forgets things or fails to notice things.
Example: Sarah’s absentminded husband forgot his car keys at the bar.
What does ‘abundant’ mean?
Available in large quantities; more than enough.
Example: The lake near our house is abundant in fish.
Fill in the blank: To _______ means to make something more noticeable.
[accentuate]
What does ‘Accrue’ mean?
To accumulate; gradually increase over time.
Example: I placed my money in a saving account to accrue interest.
What does ‘Acerbic’ mean?
Harsh, sarcastic and critical.
Example: Someone left a very acerbic comment under my new video.
What does ‘Adamant’ mean?
Unwillingness to change one’s mind, decision, or belief.
Example: Mike was adamant in his decision to quit his job.
Akin
Meaning: Similar in some way. Example: He spoke in a language akin to Spanish; this game is akin to football.
Aggravate
Meaning: Make something bad even worse. Example: The new treatment plan only aggravated her condition Aimless Meaning: Without clear purpose or intent. Example: Jack’s life became aimless after the death of his wife.
Aloof
Meaning: Unfriendly; stays away from others; distant. Example: Jessica kept aloof from her father’s new wife.
What does ‘Afflatus’ mean?
Sudden burst of inspiration; strong creative impulse.
Example: In 1995, on a wave of afflatus, I wrote my first book.
What does ‘ambrosial’ mean?
Delicious; something very tasty or smelly.
Example: Her mother’s birthday cake was ambrosial.
What does ‘antagonize’ mean?
Make someone dislike you or get mad at you.
Example: After the divorce, Rebecca tried to antagonize our kids against.
Crumbly Meaning:
Something that breaks easily into many small parts or pieces. Example: This cake has a very crumbly texture.
Dawdle
Meaning: Be very slow and waste time. Example: Stop dawdling! We will miss our plane.
Ante up Meaning: To give money
pay what is due. Example: My landlord told me to ante up or vacate the apartment by the beginning of the month. Antiquated Meaning: Too old
As right as rain
To feel great or healthy again.
Example: After the final stage of therapy, he is as right as rain now.
Assertive
Very confident without being aggressive.
Example: If you want to get this job, you need to be more assertive.
A stone’s throw
Very close.
Example: Her apartment is just a stone’s throw from the city center.
Awe
A feeling of deep respect and approval combined with fear.
Example: Sam was in awe of his strong father; Dina gazed at the soldiers with awe.
Backlash
A strong and unfavorable reaction of a large number of people to political or social changes.
Example: Government faces backlash from voters; the backlash against default.
Bad blood
Feelings of enmity and hatred between people for events that occurred in the past.
Example: There has been bad blood between John and Sarah for years.
Baleful
Capable of doing something bad or hurting someone; evil; hateful.
Example: The bully gave me a baleful look.
Barmy
Extremely stupid; slightly crazy.
Example: Barmy idea, barmy decision.
Barren
Sterile; unable to produce anything.
Example: This land is barren, we cannot grow anything here.
Batty
Crazy; mad; mentally unstable.
Example: Dean gets a bit batty when we talk about politics.
Bawl
Scream or cry very loudly.
Example: “Stop hitting my husband!” she bawled.
Bear up
Face a difficult situation with courage and bravery.
Example: Donna is bearing up well under the strain of losing her apartment.
Beckon
Make a hand or head gesture to encourage someone to come closer.
Example: She beckoned to the waiter.
Beggarly
Very poor; small in amount.
Example: Dan received a beggarly sum for his excellent work.
Besotted
Deeply in love with someone; thinking about someone all the time.
Example: Ronda is completely besotted with her new boyfriend.
Bewitching
Seductively attractive; delightful; fascinating; charming.
Example: Craig was bewitched by Fiona’s beauty.
Billow
To be filled with air; huge moving mass of something.
Example: The sails billowed in the wind; billow of smoke.
Bite the bullet
Force yourself to do something extremely hard or unpleasant.
Example: I hate doing this part of my job, but I have to bite the bullet and get it done.
Boisterous
Noisy; loud; full of energy and a little out of control.
Example: A boisterous horse; boisterous children; boisterous crowd.
Bonkers
Silly; crazy; stupid.
Example: Ron must be bonkers to take such a risk.
Bountiful
Large in amount; generous.
Example: Bountiful supply of food; bountiful land.
Braggart
Someone who talks about their accomplishments with extreme pride.
Example: He was so annoying and braggart, always talking about what a successful football player he was 20 years ago.
Brush up
Improve your knowledge of something.
Example: You need to brush up on your French before you go to Paris.
Buffoonery
Stupid and silly behavior that makes you laugh.
Example: John’s buffoonery was funny, but completely out of place.
Burdensome
Difficult to carry out; hard to deal with.
Example: All my problems were too burdensome for her, so she broke up with me.
Burly
Big; has strong muscles.
Example: Burly powerlifter; burly worker.
Call it a day
To stop what you’re doing.
Example: I’m tired! Let’s call it a day and go home.
Callous
Cruel; does not care about other people or their feelings.
Example: It might sound a bit callous, but I don’t care if she’s alive.
Cap off
Successfully complete or finish something.
Example: He capped off business meeting with a signed contract.
Chagrin
Disappointment; grief; distress; deep sorrow.
Example: Much to his father’s chagrin, John did not become a doctor.
Clique
A group of people (usually united by a common interest or purpose) who spend time together and don’t allow others to join them.
Example: A small clique of chess players; clique at work; clique at school.
Clogged
Become blocked, obstructed, or filled.
Example: The waterways are clogged with leaves in autumn.
Cloistered
Secluded; separated from the outside world; one who stays away from the usual busy life.
Example: Most IT specialists lead a cloistered life; she cloistered herself away with her smartphone.
Clueless
Know nothing about a particular subject or in general.
Example: I’m completely clueless about programming.
Coarsen
To become rough or less polite.
Example: His hands were coarsened by years of work; last year in prison had coarsened him.
Coax
Gently persuade someone to do something.
Example: It took a lot of coaxing before my dad agreed to buy me a new computer.
Colossal
Extremely large; gigantic.
Example: Colossal effort; colossal amount of money; colossal sacrifice.
Companionate
Super friendly; harmoniously suited.
Example: Companionate marriage; companionate love.
Conceal
Cover or hide something; prevent disclosure.
Example: Conceal the truth; conceal identity.
Conceited
Being too proud of yourself; narcissistic.
Example: I don’t want to sound conceited, but I’m the smartest person in this room.
Consecutive
Following one after another in a certain order.
Example: The numbers 10, 11, and 12 are consecutive.
Copious
More than enough; plentiful.
Example: She drinks copious amounts of coffee.
Coquettish
Flirty; playful; behaves in a way that seems very attractive.
Example: A coquettish outfit; coquettish smile; coquettish girl.
Cordial
Friendly and warm.
Example: Cordial relations between the two countries.
Crammed
Filled with people or things.
Example: Her closet is crammed with clothes.
Craven
Showing a lack of courage.
Example: A craven traitor; craven deserter.
Dazzle
To lose clear vision (temporarily) when looking at bright light.
Example: John was dazzled by the sunlight.
Debilitate
To make someone or something weaker.
Example: They were debilitated by hunger and disease.
Deceitful
Lying; dishonest; not telling the truth.
Example: Deceitful behavior; deceitful politician; deceitful child.
Deflate
To release the air or gas from; to make someone less confident or strong.
Example: Deflate the balloon; she was deflated by losing a job.
Dehort
To persistently try to persuade or convince someone not to do something.
Example: He tried to dehort her not to buy that red car.
Deplorable
Extremely sad, bad, or unacceptable.
Example: She lived in deplorable conditions.
Detestable
Deserves to be hated; extremely unpleasant.
Example: Detestable coward; detestable fraud.
Devious
Dishonest but skillful; will do everything to achieve the goal.
Example: Devious businessman; devious politician.
Dimly
Without much light.
Example: Dimly room; dimly streets.
Dismay
A strong feeling of fear, anxiety, or disappointment.
Example: “He stole my car and left me on the road!” she said in dismay.
Dizzy
Feeling as if you are losing your balance and might fall.
Example: When I got to the top of the mountain, I felt a little dizzy.
Dreadful
Causing great suffering or fear; extremely unpleasant or bad.
Example: Dreadful experience; dreadful behavior; dreadful news.
Drenched
Completely wet.
Example: Drenched by rain; drenched with sweat.
Dwindle
To become smaller or less in number.
Example: Her savings dwindled to 100 bucks; dwindling resources; dwindling population.
Ecstatic
Extremely happy, enthusiastic, and full of excitement.
Example: John was ecstatic about his new car.
Eerie
Mysterious, frightening, very strange.
Example: It’s a bit eerie to walk down a dark path at night.
Elated
Extremely happy, proud, or excited.
Example: Serena was elated with her new dress.
Embroil
To involve someone in an argument, trouble, or a difficult situation.
Example: My wife embroiled me in an argument with her parents.
Enticing
Attractive; causing a strong desire or interest; makes you want it.
Example: His offer was so enticing, but I had to refuse.
Erstwhile
Former; previous.
Example: Erstwhile lover; erstwhile friends; erstwhile employer.
Excruciating
Causing great physical or emotional pain.
Example: Excruciating memories; excruciating back pain.
Exhale
To breathe out.
Example: Take a deep breath, wait 7 seconds and exhale slowly.
Exuberant
Full of energy or excitement; lively.
Example: Exuberant performance; exuberant crowd.
Famished
Extremely hungry.
Example: When is breakfast? I am famished.
Farcical
Something so stupid, ridiculous, or silly that you can’t take it seriously.
Example: It was a farcical trial; farcical behavior; farcical situation.
Fatigued
Become weaker; tired; exhausted.
Example: She’s fatigued from the long ride.
Fawn over
Giving someone a lot of attention that isn’t sincere; be extremely nice to someone.
Example: Most people hate waiters who fawn over them.
Feel under the weather
Feel a little unwell; slightly ill.
Example: I’m feeling a bit under the weather and won’t be going to work today.
Feisty
Courageous; forceful; not afraid to argue with people.
Example: Feisty young activists; feisty fighter.
Ferret out
Searching for something (like information) very carefully and thoroughly.
Example: I want to ferret out the truth about her past.
Ferocious
Extremely violent, aggressive, and intimidating.
Example: Her dog was very ferocious.
Fervid
Extremely passionate about someone or something; highly enthusiastic.
Example: Fervid followers; fervid orator.
Flimsy
Super weak; easily broken; extremely thin.
Example: Flimsy door; flimsy construction; flimsy dress.
Fondly
Showing great love, care, or strong liking.
Example: He smiled fondly at his son.
Forlorn
Lonely, sad, and unhappy; abandoned.
Example: This house is forlorn and empty; she looked so forlorn standing there alone.
Frenetic
Fast and energetic; uncontrolled and disorganized.
Example: A frenetic attempt to win the competition at the last minute; frenetic activity; frenetic pace.
Fretful
Behavior that shows that you are unhappy or dissatisfied with something.
Example: He’s always so fretful when he is tired or hungry.
Garish
Unpleasantly bright; colorful in an unattractive way.
Example: This dress is too garish for my taste; this store has too garish and luminous signs.
Garrulous
Talking a lot (mostly about unimportant things).
Example: I live with a very garrulous roommate.
Gauche
Shy; feels uncomfortable in the company of other people.
Example: Gauche teenager; gauche manner.
Gingerly
In a very careful manner.
Example: Anna gingerly plucked the rose; he opened the box gingerly.
Glittering
Impressive or successful; bright and shining.
Example: John has a glittering career in IT; glittering diamond ring.
Gleeful
Full of triumphant happiness or joy.
Example: She was so gleeful when her opponent was disqualified; he was very gleeful with his success.
Godsend
Something good that happened unexpectedly and helped you a lot.
Example: The rain was a godsend for dryland farmers.
Go easy on someone
To treat someone more gently, less harshly.
Example: Go easy on your little brother, he’s just a kid.
Go easy on something
To use less of something.
Example: Go easy on the alcohol and fatty foods.
Gormless
Lacking intelligence; stupid.
Example: He looks really gormless.
Grasping
Very greedy; always trying to get more money.
Example: Grasping landlord; grasping banker.
Grating
Sounds extremely annoying.
Example: Grating voice; grating noise; grating cry.
Grind to a halt
To stop; come to an end.
Example: Without new investments, our startup will soon grind to a halt.
Grueling
Extremely tiring, exhausting, or demanding.
Example: A grueling work schedule; grueling hike; grueling race.
Harebrained
Unthinking and reckless; silly; unlikely to succeed; foolish.
Example: Harebrained plan; harebrained idea; harebrained scheme.
Hastily
Done in a hurry; very quickly.
Example: She hastily made her choice and now regrets it.
Haywire
Dangerous; unsafe; involving risk.
Example: Smoking is hazardous to your health.
Hazardous
Dangerous; unsafe; involving risk.
Example: Smoking is hazardous to your health.
Heinous
Shockingly evil or bad.
Example: Heinous torture; heinous crime.
Hiss
To make a sound like a long ‘s’.
Example: She hisses at me like a snake; Rachel hissed at me to shut up.
Hit the books
Study hard.
Example: I will have to hit the books to prepare for this difficult exam.
Hoggish
Egoistic; only thinking about yourself; dirty.
Example: Don’t be so hoggish and give me half of our winnings.
Huffy
Easily offended; angry over nothing.
Example: Erica gets huffy if you mention her ex-boyfriend’s name.
Immaculate
Extremely clean and tidy.
Example: His suit was immaculate; the car was in immaculate condition.
Impeded
Delay or prevent something or someone; to slow the movement or progress.
Example: Nothing can impede technological progress.
Imperil
Put at risk of being harmed or injured.
Example: Our company was imperiled by a series of bad decisions.
Incite
Compensate for damage or loss.
Example: Anna was obliged to indemnify her boss for the damage she caused to the firm.
Indemnify
Compensate for damage or loss.
Example: Anna was obliged to indemnify her boss for the damage she caused to the firm.
Inquiringly
Impossible to solve.
Example: This task is insoluble.
Insoluble
Impossible to solve.
Example: This task is insoluble.
Intently
With great attention.
Example: I listened intently throughout the lesson.
Inter alia
Among other things.
Example: Being a good person means, inter alia, helping those in need.
Internecine
A conflict within a group or country that is destructive or harmful to all sides of the conflict.
Example: Internecine war for grandfather’s inheritance; internecine conflicts in the company.
Intrusive
Causing annoyance; too easy to notice.
Example: Intrusive lights; intrusive adware; intrusive questions.
Irascible
To annoy or disturb someone.
Example: I was irked by her childlike behavior.
Irk
To annoy or disturb someone.
Example: I was irked by her childlike behavior.
Irreproachable
Too good; beyond criticism; having no fault.
Example: Her son’s behavior was irreproachable.
Itinerant
Traveling or moving from place to place.
Example: An itinerant musician; itinerant journalist; itinerant circus.
Keepsake Meaning: A small gift given to you by someone so that you will not forget them.
Example: She gave me her necklace as a keepsake before going away.
Jazz up
To make more interesting; breathe a new life into.
Example: We need to jazz up the interior of your bedroom.
Jittery Meaning:
Nervous; can’t relax. Example: She felt very jittery before the final exam.
Keepsake Meaning
: A small gift given to you by someone so that you will not forget them. Example: She gave me her necklace as a keepsake before going away.
Lackluster Meaning:
Lacking excitement, energy, or interest. Example: Lackluster performance; lackluster response; lackluster interview.
Lament
Meaning: To express your sadness or regret. Example: Dan lamented over the loss of his wife.
Leave no stone unturned Meaning:
To do everything you can to find something. Example: Rita left no stone unturned in her search for her missing brother.
Leery of
Meaning: Suspicious; wary; avoiding something or someone. Example: She was leery of strangers; I’m leery of their proposal.
Jeopardize Meaning: To put in danger or risk. Example: This decision will jeopardize his career
our mistake could jeopardize the negotiations. Jittery Meaning: Nervous
