Flashcards
abate
(v.) - to lessen, to reduce in severity
abbreviate
(v.) - to shorten, reduce
aberration
(n.) - something out of the ordinary
abhor
(v.) - to hate, loathe
abort
(v.) - to give up unfinished
abridge
(v.) - to shorten, cut down
abundant
(adj.) - in great numbers; a lot of
accentuate
(v.) - to emphasize, to highlight
accost
(v.) - to approach or confront aggressively
acumen
(n.) - keen insight; ability to make good judgments
affable
(adj.) - friendly, amiable
affluent
(adj.) - rich, wealthy
aghast
(adj.) - struck by amazement or terror
agoraphobia
(n.) - an abnormal fear of open or public places
alleviate
(v.) - to relieve
aloof
(adj.) - reserved, distant
ambivalent
(adj.) - having contradictory feelings
amble
(v.) - to stroll, walk
amend
(v.) - to change for the better, improve
amiable
(adj.) - friendly, affable
amorphous
(adj.) - without shape or borders
anomaly
(n.) - something that does not fit into the normal order; an outlier
arbitrator
(n.) - one who settles controversy between two sides
assuage
(v.) - to ease, pacify
audacious
(adj.) - excessively bold
augment
(v.) - to increase or make larger
battery
(n.) - an assault; OR an array of similar things intended for use together
belligerent
(adj.) - contentious, ready to fight
benign
(adj.) - non-threatening, innocuous
berate
(v.) - to scold severely
bevy
a large group or things
bloated
(adj.) - swollen, bigger than desired
boisterous
(adj.) - loud, energetic
brazen
(adj.) - excessively bold, brash
brusque
(adj.) - short, abrupt, dismissive
cacophony
(n.) - a loud and awful noise
cadence
(n.) - rhythm
callous
(adj.) - harsh, cold, unfeeling
camaraderie
(n.) - cheerful unity among a group
captivate
(v.) - to hold the interest of, to gain the attention of
carouse
(v.) - to revel, to party
cavort
(v.) - to frolic, leap, prance
celestial
(adj.) - relating to the sky or the heavens
choreograph
(v.) - to arrange or plan out, as in dance
clairvoyant
(adj.) - able to see things that others cannot
cliché
(n.) - a trite, overused expression
coalesce
(v.) - to combine into one
comatose
(adj.) - lethargic, sluggish
commendable
(adj.) - worthy of praise
compliment
(n.) - an expression of esteem or approval
concede
(v.) - to give in, to accept
condone
(v.) - to forgive or overlook an offense
conduit
(n.) - a pipe, passage, channel
confluence
(n.) - a convergence, a coming together
contusion
(n.) - bruise, injury
conviction
a strong belief or opinion
copious
(adj.) - abundant, plentiful
credulity
(n.) - readiness to believe
cursory
(adj.) - brief to the point of being superficial
daunting
(adj.) - intimidating
dearth
(n.) - a lack, scarcity
deft
(adj.) - skilled, adept
defunct
(adj.) - no longer used or existing
deluge
(n.) - a great flood or something that overwhelms like a flood
derelict
(adj.) - run-down, abandoned
despondent
(adj.) - discouraged, hopeless, depressed
destitute
(adj.) - impoverished
differentiate
(v.) - to distinguish, to make different
dilapidated
(adj.) - in a state of disrepair; falling apart
diminish
(v.) - to decrease or make smaller
discreet
(adj.) - prudent or inconspicuous; sly
disparage
(v.) - to criticize, degrade, belittle
dissonance
(n.) - lack of harmony or agreement
diverse
(adj.) - varied
divisive
(adj.) - causing conflict, opposition
douse
(v.) - to drench, saturate
dynamic
(adj.) - characterized by continuous change or activity
erect
(v.) - to construct, to raise
erroneous
(adj.) - mistaken, incorrect
ethereal
(adj.) - heavenly, exceptionally delicate or refined
euphoric
(adj.) - elated, overjoyed
excursion
(n.) - a trip, an outing
exemplary
(adj.) - serving as an example
extol
(v.) - to praise
extravagant
(adj.) - excessive, over-the-top
facile
(adj.) - easy
fallacious
(adj.) - incorrect, misleading
feign
(v.) - to fake or pretend to
feral
(adj.) - savage, wild, untamed
fickle
(adj.) - characterized by changeableness, whimsical
figurative
(adj.) - symbolic
flattery
(n.) - compliments, sycophancy
flout
(v.) - to scorn, ignore, show contempt for
flux
(n.) - a state of constant change or a flow
forage
(v.) - to rummage, scavenge, graze for food
forlorn
(adj.) - lonely, hopeless
formidable
(adj.) - arousing fear or alarm
fortify
(v.) - to strengthen
fortitude
(n.) - strength, bravery
foster
(v.) - to stimulate, promote, encourage
goad
(v.) - to urge, to provoke into action
grandiose
(adj.) - extraordinary, grand in scope
guile
(n.) - deceitful actions or behavior
hail
(v.) - to come from (where you were born or raised)
harmony
(n.) - agreement, often of sound
harrowing
(adj.) - agonizing, distressing
henchman
(n.) - a trusted follower, goon
hiatus
(n.) - an interruption in continuity, a break
idolatrous
(adj.) - worshiping excessively an object or person
immaculate
(adj.) - impeccably clean, spotless, pure
impervious
(adj.) - unable to be penetrated, unaffected
impudent
(adj.) - rude, improper
incisive
(adj.) - clear, sharp, direct
inclement
(adj.) - stormy, bad, severe
indictment
(n.) - accusation of wrongdoing
indignation
(n.) - anger due to an unfair situation
infuse
(v.) - to inject
ingenious
(adj.) - marked by special intelligence
innocuous
(adj.) - harmless
inundate
(v.) - to flood
irascible
(adj.) - easily angered, edgy
jubilant
(adj.) - joyful, happy
juvenile
(adj.) - young or immature
juxtapose
(v.) - to put next to each other in order to show differences
laceration
(n.) - a cut, a rip
latent
(adj.) - present but hidden
lavish
(adj.) - extravagant
lethargic
(adj.) - sluggish, weary, apathetic
libel
(n.) - a statement that gives an unjust or unfavorable representation of a person or thing
limber
(adj.) - bending or flexing readily, pliable
loquacious
(adj.) - talkative
lull
(n.) - a relatively calm interval, as in a storm
magnanimous
(adj.) - generous, noble
malaise
(n.) - vague feeling of discomfort
malicious
(adj.) - malevolent, harmful
malign
(v.) - to slander, to smear, to libel, to defame, to speak evil of
mandatory
(adj.) - required, not optional
matrimony
(n.) - marriage
meager
(adj.) - lacking in quality stature
mediate
(v.) - to intervene, to arbitrate, to sort out
metamorphosis
(n.) - a change of form, shape, substance
mimic
(v.) - to imitate, to copy
modicum
(n.) - a small amount of something
mollify
(v.) - to soften in temper
mores
(n.) - moral attitudes or moral codes/rules
morose
(adj.) - gloomy or sullen
myopic
(adj.) - short-sighted
myriad
(adj.) - consisting of a very great number
nebulous
(adj.) - indistinct, hazy
nefarious
(adj.) - horribly villainous or evil
notoriety
(n.) - infamy, known in bad regard
novel
(adj.) - strikingly new, unusual, or different
obsequious
(adj.) - excessively compliant or submissive
odious
(adj.) - worthy of strong displeasure or hatred
ominous
(adj.) - foreboding or foreshadowing evil, portentous
oration
(n.) - a dignified and formal speech
pacify
(v.) - to soothe, ease
paragon
(n.) - model of perfection
parody
(n.) - a satirical imitation
patent
(adj.) - clear, apparent
perfunctory
(adj.) - showing little enthusiasm, done as duty
permeate
(v.) - to spread out, to pervade
peruse
(v.) - to examine carefully
pervasive
(adj.) - to be spread throughout
pique
(v.) - to provoke or to cause indignation
pithy
(adj.) - short and meaningful - no extra stuff
placate
(v.) - to soothe, appease
placid
(adj.) - calm, tranquil
pliable
(adj.) - flexible, bendable
poach
(v.) - to hunt or fish illegally
polygamy
(n.) - having more than one spouse at a time
portly
(adj.) - fat, chubby, round
predestination
(n.) - the concept of destiny or fate
premonition
(n.) - a feeling about the future; a hunch
presumptuous
(adj.) - disrespectfully bold, rude
profane
(adj.) - indecent, blasphemous
propensity
(n.) - an inclination, preference
prudent
(adj.) - cautious, careful
putrid
(adj.) - rotten, rancid, foul
quaint
(adj.) - old-fashioned
rancid
(adj.) - rotten, spoiled, disgusting in smell or taste
raze
(v.) - to demolish
rectify
(v.) - to set right, correct
reel
(v.) - to be thrown off balance or feel dizzy
reiterate
(v.) - to repeat
relish
(v.) - to take zestful pleasure in, enjoy the flavor of
repose
(n.) - rest, sleep
reprehensible
(adj.) - deserving criticism, awful
repulse
(v.) - to cause disgust or distaste, or to drive back, repel
requisition
(n.) - a demand for goods, often by an authority
retaliation
(n.) - revenge, punishment
retract
(v.) - withdraw or take back
revel
(v.) - to enjoy
ruse
(n.) - a trick
sagacious
(adj.) - shrewd, showing sound judgment
salutation
(n.) - a greeting
savor
(v.) - to appreciate fully, enjoy
scathing
(adj.) - hurtful, critical
sedate
(v.) - to calm, soothe adj
sedentary
(adj.) - sitting
serendipity
(n.) - the act of finding things not sought, luck
slander
(n.) - a FALSE statement to damage the reputation of another
somnolent
(adj.) - sleepy
sordid
(adj.) - (morally) dirty
stagnant
(adj.) - still, not flowing
static
(adj.) - not moving, being at rest
strenuous
(adj.) - requiring tremendous strength or energy
strife
(n.) - conflict
submissive
(adj.) - easily yielding to authority
subsist
(v.) - to live, exist (but barely)
suffice
(v.) - to meet needs, to be enough
surmise
(v.) - to guess, infer, suppose
synopsis
(n.) - a summary
tacit
(adj.) - understood or implied without being stated
taciturn
(adj.) - not inclined to talk
telepathic
(adj.) - capable of reading minds
tenuous
(adj.) - having little substance or strength
terse
(adj.) - abrupt, short, brief
torrid
(adj.) - giving off intense heat, passionate
tranquil
(adj.) - calm, serene, peaceful
travesty
(n.) - a grossly inferior imitation
trite
(adj.) - overused, corny
ubiquitous
(adj.) - existing everywhere, widespread
undulate
(v.) - to move in a smooth wavelike motion
uniform
(adj.) - unvarying, conforming to one principle
unique
(adj.) - being the only one of its kind
vacillate
(v.) - to sway from one side to another
vast
(adj.) - enormous, immense
veneer
(n.) - a superficial or deceptively attractive appearance, façade
verbose
(adj.) - wordy, overly talkative
vex
(v.) - to confuse or annoy
vicarious
(adj.) - experienced through another’s actions
vigor
(n.) - vitality and energy, vim.
vivacious
(adj.) - lively, spirited, full of life
volition
(n.) - a conscious choice or decision
voluminous
(adj.) - large, ample
wax
(v.) - to increase gradually in size or degree
weather
(v.) - to withstand or survive a situation (like a storm)
winsome
(adj.) - charming, attractive
Zeitgeist
(n.) - the spirit of the time
