F Flashcards
fabricate
v. to construct; to fake, falsify
The jury believed that the witnesses’ story was fabricated.
facade
n. the front of a building; face; superficial appearance
The boy’s brave facade crumbled after the fight began.
facet
n. aspect; side
The class discussed every facet of the issue.
facetious
adj. humorous
Two boys sat in the back of the class making facetious comments.
facile
adj. easy; superficial
I find their argument facile.
facilitate
v. to make less difficult
Adequate rest facilitates learning.
facility
n. ability
I have limited facility in mathematics.
faction
n. a group of people forming a minority within a larger group
A vocal faction is against the proposal.
faculty
n. ability; power
The ability to reason is one of our greatest faculties.
fait accompli
n. something done about which it is too late to argue
The CEO presented the merger to the board as a fait accompli.
fallacious
adj. false
Recent studies have proven the theory to be fallacious.
fallacy
n. incorrect idea
It is a fallacy that sun orbits the Earth.
fallow
adj. plowed but not sowed; uncultivated
The field lies fallow.
fanaticism
n. excessive enthusiasm or zeal
The historian studies religious fanaticism.
farcical
adj. absurd, ridiculous
The performance was so bad it was farcical.
Fascism
n. a system of government with centralization of power under a dictator, strict control of the economy, suppression of the opposition, and often a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism
Fascism flourished in Mussolini’s Italy and Hitler’s Germany.
fastidious
ad. very fussy; concerned with detail
The teacher is fastidious in her preparation for class.
fatalism
n. belief that events are determined by forces beyond one’s control.
The theme of fatalism reoccurs in the works of that novelist.
fathom
v. to penetrate to the meaning or nature of; comprehend
Science has begun to fathom the mysteries of nature.
fatuous
adj. foolishly self-satisfied
Nobody laughed at the fatuous comment.
fauna
n. animals of a period or region
The guidebook describes the fauna of the area.
faux pas
n. a social blunder
The lieutenant committed a faux pas, addressing the colonel as major.
fawning
adj. trying to please by flattering and behaving in a servile manner
The fawning congressmen gathered around the president.
faze
v. to disconcert, bother
The quarterback wasn’t fazed by the fierce pass rush.
fealty
n. loyalty owed by a vassal to his feudal lord
The king is generous to subjects as long as they pledge fealty to him.
feasible
adj. possible
Someday a voyage to Mars may be feasible.
feckless
adj. ineffective; irresponsible
The police department was criticized for its feckless attempts to catch the embezzler.
fecund
adj. fertile, productive
The novelist’s fecund imagination produced a wonderful fantasy world.
federal
adj. related to a system of government in which power is divided between a central government and constituent states; related to federal government of federation
The federal system of government has been adopted by many countries.
feign
v. to pretend
The boy feigned ignorance of the theft.
felicitous
adj. suitably expressed; appropriate; well-chosen
The writer Oscar Wilde is famous for his felicitous sayings.
felony
n. a very serious crime
The felony was committed last week.
feral
adj. existing in a wild or untamed state; having returned to an untamed state from domestication
The abandoned dog became feral.
fervent
adj. full of strong emotion; impassioned
His protest was fervent but not very logical.
fervid
adj. passionate, intense
He is known for his fervid devotion to the movement.
fervor
n. warmth and intensity of emotion
Sheila embraced the movement with fervor.
fetid
adj. having a bad smell
The fisherman didn’t like the look of the black and fetid water of the lake.
fetter
v. to bind, confine
The police fettered the suspect.
fey
adj. having a magical or fairy-like quality
The hero meets a fey girl who says nothing and smiles enigmatically.
fiasco
n. disaster
The party was a fiasco.
fiat
n. arbitrary order; authorization
The king issued a fiat banning the use of fireworks in celebrations.
fictitious
adj. imaginary
The story sounded believable but turned out to be fictitious.
fidelity
n. loyalty; exact correspondence
Fidelity is a virtue that many people admire.
fiefdom
n. estate of a feudal lord; something over which a dominant person or group has control
The principal runs the school like his fiefdom.
figurative
adj. using figures of speech, metaphorical
Poets generally use a lot of figurative language.
filial
adj. pertaining to a son or daughter
Mr. Smith’s son took his filial duties seriously.
filibuster
n. use of obstructive tactics in a legislature to block passage of a law
The filibuster prevented the bill from being passed by the lgislature.
finesse
v. to handle with deceptive or evasive strategy; to use finesse, that is refinement, in performance
The diplomat was able to finesse the problem.
fission
n. splitting into two parts
The first nuclear fission reaction was produced in 1942.
fitful
adj. starting and stopping
I had a fitful sleep last night.
flaccid
adj. lacking firmness; lacking energy
Daily exercise will tone those flaccid muscles.
flag
v. to grow tired, weak, or less enthusiastic
As the term went on, Sheila’s enthusiasm for the subject flagged.
flagrant
adj. conspicuously wicked, outrageous, shameless
It was a flagrant violation of the rules.
flamboyant
adj. flashy, exciting
Ted is a flamboyant dresser.
fledgling
n. beginner, novice
The fledgling chess player surprised everyone by beating an expert player.
fleeting
adj. passing quickly; ephemeral
For a flippant attitude always got him into trouble with his teachers.
flora
n. plants of a region or era
I like the flora of subtropical areas.
florid
ad. ruddy; reddish; flowery
The editor asked the writer to cut back on her florid prose.
flounder
v. to waver, falter, struggle
The weak student floundered in the advanced class.
flourish
v. to grow vigorously; thrive
The plant flourished after it was replanted.
flout
v. to treat scornfully
Don’t flout school regulations.
fluctuate
v. to shift up and down; to come and go
The value of the U.S. dollar fluctuates on international money markets.
fluent
adj. gifted in speaking
The most fluent speaker won the speech competition.
flux
n. a continuous flowing
Many people picture time as a flux.
foible
n. minor weakness
John’s foible is his tending to want to take too long to complete tasks.
foment
v. to incite, arouse
The protesters were accused of fomenting revolution.
foolhardy
adj. rash; heedless
We told them that the plan was foolhardy, but they went ahead with it anyway.
foreboding
n. sense of evil to come
The movie builds up an atmosphere of foreboding very effectively.
forensic
adj. relating to law or debates
Julie is a member of the Charleston Forensic Society.
foreshadow
v. to suggest beforehand
The novel foreshadows certain events early in the story.
foresight
n. looking into the future; concern about the future; concern about the future
The student showed foresight in planning her study schedule for the month.
forestall
v. to prevent, delay
The legislator forestalled opposition to the bill.
forlorn
adj. dreary; unhappy; despairing
After the ship sank there were only three forlorn survivors in a lifeboat.
formidable
adj. menacing, threatening
The enemy has assembled a formidable fighting force.
formulate
v. to conceive; plan
The economists formulated a plan to improve the economy.
forswear
v. to renounce; repudiate
The country forswears the use of nuclear weapons.
forte
n. a person’s strong point
Jim’s forte is his willingness to work hard.
fortuitous
adj. accidental; occurring by chance
The discovery was fortuitous.
foster
v. to promote the growth of
The rich man established a museum to foster the arts.
founder
v. to sink; fail, collapse
The ship foundered in the storm.
fracas
n. loud dispute
There as a fracas outside the house last night.
fractious
adj. unruly, rebellious
The president tried to control fractious elements in the party.
frenetic
adj. hectic, frantic
There were frenetic last minute preparations for the president’s arrival.
fresco
n. a painting done on plaster
Leonardo DaVinci’s The Last Supper is a fresco.
Freudian
adj. relating to the psychoanalytic theories or practices of Sigmund Freud
The critic takes a Freudian approach to understanding the characters in the novel.
frieze
n. ornamental band on a wall
The Parthenon frieze represents the procession of the Great Panathenaia, the most important festival of ancient Athens.
frivolous
ad. lacking in seriousness; relatively unimportant
With only one week left to prepare for the exam, there isn’t time for frivolous discussion.
froward
ad. stubbornly contrary; obstinately disobedient
Even the most experienced trainer has trouble handling the froward colt.
frugal
adj. thrifty
Being frugal allowed Bill to save twenty percent of his salary every month.
fulminate
v. to attack loudly; denounce
The speaker fulminated against the growth of government.
fulsome
adj. excessive, overdone
The award winner was embarrassed by the fulsome praise she received.
fundamental
adj. forming a foundation; basic; essential
First, understand the fundamental ideas of the subject.
fundamentalist
n. a person who believes in a literal interpretation of the Bible or other holy book
The scientist and the fundamentalist debated the origin of the universe.
funereal
adj. mournful
The mood at the school was funereal after we lost the state championship game.
furor
n. general commotion, disorder; frenzy
The arrival of the movie star created a furor.
furtive
adj. sneaky; stealthy
Cheryl keeps stealing furtive glances at Peter.
fusion
n. merging things into one
The book argues for an approach in which there is a fusion of art, science, and religion.
futile
adj. ineffective; fruitless
“Resistance is futile” is the rebel’s slogan.
