GRE Flashcards
Aberration
Noun
Definition: a departure from what is normal
Synonyms: anomaly, divergence, peculiarity, quirk
Sentence: Her claim of seeing an apparition was an aberration from her normal behavior, as she did not believe in ghosts
Antipathy
Noun
Definition: extreme dislike
Synonyms: animosity, antagonism, enmity, loathing, repugnance
Sentence: I feel antipathy for Kate
Lucid
Noun
Definition: clear and easily understood
Synonyms: clear, coherent, explicit, intelligible, limpid
Sentence: The old lady with dementia had a moment of lucidity in which she was able to remember her son
Panacea
Noun
Definition: a remedy for disease; a cure-all
Synonyms: universal cure
Sentence: The couple hoped that having a child would be a panacea for all their problems
Veracity
Noun
Definition: truth or accuracy
Synonyms: honesty, reliability
Sentence: He defended the veracity of his argument with such ferocity
Abate
Verb
Definition: to reduce in amount, degree, or severity
Synonyms: ebb, wane, slacken, subside
Sentence: Until her heartbreak abates, she will not go on a date
Augment
Verb
Definition: to add to something; to increase
Synonyms: amplify, enlarge, supplement
Sentence: I augment my vitamin intake with supplements
Disparage
Verb
Definition: to criticize or discredit
Synonyms: belittle, deprecate, deride, excoriate, impugn
Sentence: You should not disparage the art merely because it is unfamiliar
Fetter
Verb
Definition: to restrict or restrain
Synonyms: constrain, hinder, hamper, impede
Sentence: HIPPA fetters healthcare by making it harder to see medical records
Vacillate
Verb
Definition: to be indecisive
Synonyms: waver, dither, oscillate. fluctuate
Sentence: When buying a necklace, I vacillated between black and white
Apocryphal
Adjective
Definition: of doubtful authorship or authenticity
Synonyms: specious, spurious, ersatz, fallacious
Sentence: The rumors about the Beast being a monster were apocryphal, as it was later proved that Gaston was the real monster
Erudite
Adjective
Definition: learned, scholarly, bookish
Synonyms: sage, sagacious, wise, scholastic, astute, perspicacious
Sentence: In Divergent, the Erudite faction is full of intelligent people
Insipid
Adjective
Definition: lacking interest or flavor; boring
Synonyms: hackneyed, banal, quotidian, pedestrian, trite, stale
Sentence: He almost fell asleep during the insipid meeting
Laconic
Adjective
Definition: using few words
Synonyms: taciturn, reticent, terse, curt
Sentence: Elizabeth Bennet would describe Mr. Darcy as laconic
Loquacious
Adjective
Definition: talking freely; chatty; talkative
Synonyms: garrulous, voluble, verbose, prolix, effusive
Sentence: Mom always seems very loquacious with cashiers
Alacrity
Noun
Definition: promptness; cheerful readiness
Synonyms: willingness, fervor, eagerness, swiftness
Sentence: She choregraphed the dance to tomorrow’s show with alacrity, as she loved dancing
Caprice
Noun
Definition: a sudden change of mood or behavior
Synonyms: unpredictability, volatility, fickleness
Sentence: Kate constantly showed caprice, it was hard to tell how she would react
Obduracy
Noun
Definition: stubbornness
Synonyms: intransigence, doggedness, obstinacy
Sentence: His obduracy persisted, as he refused to admit that he was wrong
Prescience
Noun
Definition: foreknowledge
Synonyms: foresight, clairvoyance, intuition
Sentence: Professor Trelawney had prescience of Harry Potter’s danger
Quandary
Noun
Definition: a state of uncertainty over what to do in a difficult situation
Synonyms: predicament, dilemma
Sentence: Harry Potter had a quandary in which he was unsure if he should tell Dumbledore about hearing voices
Belie
Verb
Definition: to show to be false; to misrepresent
Synonyms: contradict, disprove, discredit
Sentence: The scientist’s results belied his hypothesis that grass is not green
Condone
Verb
Definition: to overlook, pardon, or disregard
Synonyms: exculpate, excuse, pardon, remit
Sentence: The teacher did not condone the behavior of the disrespectful students
Diverge
Verb
Definition: to turn from a set course or standard
Synonyms: deviate, digress, veer
Sentence: Elizabeth Bennet diverged from Mr. Collin’s plans for marriage
Exacerbate
Verb
Definition: to make worse
Synonyms: compound, aggravate, worsen
Sentence: The patient’s lack of sleep exacerbated her symptoms of mania
Mitigate
Verb
Definition: to soften; to lessen
Synonyms: allay, alleviate, assuage, palliate, mollify
Sentence: The ibuprofen mitigated the pain from her headache
Arduous
Adjective
Definition: difficult, requiring strenuous effort
Synonyms: onerous, taxing, laborious, strenuous, formidable
Sentence: Working in a lab is strenuous as there is a lot of physical labor
Crestfallen
Adjective
Definition: disappointed, sad
Synonyms: despondent, disconsolate, desolate, dejected, doleful
Sentence: Hermione felt crestfallen when she saw that Ron was dating Lavender
Didactic
Adjective
Definition: intended to teach, especially to teach a moral lesson; in the manner of a teacher, especially in a patronizing way
Synonyms: instructive, educational, moralistic
Sentence: Dumbledore’s lessons were didactic, as they always had a moral lesson for Harry to learn
Impetuous
Adjective
Definition: quick to act without thinking
Synonyms: heedless, reckless, injudicious, impulsive, precipitate
Sentence: The teenager make an impetuous decision to get a tattoo
Mercurial
Adjective
Definition: subject to sudden and unpredictable changes of mood
Synonyms: capricious, volatile, temperamental, erratic
Sentence: People may feel mercurial when Mercury is in retrograde
Anodyne
Noun
Definition: something that calms or soothes pain
Synonyms: narcotic, nepenthe, opiate
Sentence: The heating pad was an anodyne that helped his sore back
Approbation
Noun
Definition: approval and praise
Synonyms: acclaim, adulation, applause, commendation, compliments, exaltation, extolment, hail, kudos, praise
Sentence: She received an approbation which included a Nobel Prize for her work in science
Boor
Noun
Definition: a crude person; one lacking manners or taste
Synonyms: cold, lout, oaf, vulgarian, yahoo
Sentence: The boors at the orchestra would not stop talking during the performances
Coffer
Noun
Definition: a strongbox; a large chest for money
Synonyms: chest, exchequer, treasury, war chest
Sentence: The man was on the hunt to steal the coffer which contained the crown jewels
Cloying
Adjective
Definition: sickly sweet; excessive
Synonyms: excessive, fulsome
Sentence: That one couple from APO always had cloying affection for each other
Aggrandize
Verb
Definition: to increase in power, influence, and reputation
Synonyms: amplify, apotheosize, augment, dignify, elevate, enlarge, ennoble, exalt, glorify, magnify, swell, uplift
Sentence: The girl aggrandized herself by taking credit for everyone else’s work
Amulet
Noun
Definition: an ornament worn as a charm against evil spirits
Synonyms: talisman
Sentence: The witch wore an amulet to protect her from dark spirits
Bilk
Verb
Definition: to cheat; to defraud
Synonyms: beat, defraud, overreach
Sentence: Realizing I was a foreigner, the greedy man bilked me out of a lot of money
Contrite
Adjective
Definition: deeply sorrowful and repentant for a wrong
Synonyms: apologetic, regretful, remorseful
Sentence: The boy felt contrite that his playful remark had hurt his friend’s feelings
Chauvinist
Noun
Definition: someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which they belong
Synonyms: bigot, jingoist, partisan
Sentence: The book, Men Who Hate Women, talks about male chauvinists who believe that are superior to women
Adulterate
Verb
Definition: to make impure
Synonyms: debase, doctor, load
Sentence: The girl adulterated her university degree as she had never been to school and needed a job
Corroborate
Verb
Definition: to support with evidence
Synonyms: authenticate, back, buttress, confirm, substantiate, validate, verify
Sentence: President Kirkman needed evidence to corroborate the claims that Secretary Moss committed a crime
Austere
Adjective
Definition: severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
Synonyms: bleak, dour, grim, hard, harsh, severe
Sentence: Professor Snape had an austere appearance with his simple black attire and frowning face
Cogent
Adjective
Definition: convincing and well-reasoned
Synonyms: convincing, persuasive, solid, sound, telling, valid
Sentence: President Kirkman gave a cogent speech to Congress so that they would not remove him from office
Burgeon
Verb
Definition: to grow and flourish
Synonyms: bloom, flourish, prosper, thrive
Sentence: The surgeon burgeoned at his job as he was talented and loved his work
Arbitrate
Verb
Definition: to judge a dispute between two opposing sides
Synonyms: adjudge, adjudicate, determine, intermediate, intervene, judge, moderate, referee, rule
Sentence: When the FBI accused President Kirkman’s wife of committing a crime, a judge had to arbitrate the matter
Archaic
Adjective
Definition: ancient; old-fashioned
Synonyms: ancient, antediluvian, antique, bygone, dated, dowdy, fusty, obsolete, old-fashioned, outdated, outmode, passe, prehistoric, stale, superannuated, superseded, vintage
Sentence: Allison asked Lydia to translate archaic Latin, as Allison did not know the old language
Collusion
Noun
Definition: a collaboration; complicity; conspiracy
Synonyms: connivance, intrigue, machination
Sentence: The Golden Trio had a collusion to create Dumbledore’s Army
Aberrant
Adjective
Definition: deviating from what is normal or expected
Synonyms: abnormal, anomalous, deviant, divergent, errant, irregular
Sentence: Her claim that she had seen an apparition was aberrant as she did not believe in ghosts
Attenuate
Verb
Definition: to reduce in force or degree; to weaken
Synonyms: debilitate, devitalize, dilute, enervate, enfeeble, rarely, sap, thin, undermine, undo, unnerve, weaken
Sentence: Harry stabbing Tom Riddle’s journal with the Basilisk tooth attenuated Voldemort’s power
Ambiguous
Adjective
Definition: doubtful or uncertain; can be interpreted in several ways
Synonyms: cloudy, doubtful, dubious, equivocal, intermediate, nebulous, obscure, unclear, vague
Sentence: The clues given to the champions in the Tri-Wizard Tournament were very ambiguous, it was hard to tell what exactly they meant
Calumny
Noun
Definition: a false and malicious accusation; misrepresentation
Synonyms: defamation, libel, slander
Sentence: Secretary Moss used calumny to try and take down President Kirkman
Convoluted
Adjective
Definition: intricate and complicated
Synonyms: Byzantine, complex, elaborate, intricate, knotty, labyrinthine, perplexing, tangled
Sentence: Sarah had to solve the convoluted labyrinth in order to rescue her baby brother
Bolster
Verb
Definition: to support; to prop up
Synonyms: brace, buttress, crutch, prop, stay, support, sustain, underpin, uphold
Sentence: The extra credit of finding the dragon mosaic helped to bolster my grade
Credulous
Adjective
Definition: too trusting; gullible
Synonyms: naive, susceptible, trusting
Sentence: Throughout The Secret History, Richard is credulous as he believes much of what the others said
Arrogate
Verb
Definition: to claim without justification; to claim for oneself without right
Synonyms: appropriate, presume, take
Sentence: June arrogated the credit for The Last Front from Athena
Contumacious
Adjective
Definition: rebellious
Synonyms: factitious, insubordinat6e, insurgent, mutinous, rebellious, seditious
Sentence: The teenagers from World’s Strictest Parents are often contumacious
Anomaly
Noun
Definition: deviation from what is normal
Synonyms: aberrancy, aberration, abnormality, deviance, irregularity, preternaturalness
Sentence: There was an anomaly in the results of the experiment which led to the scientist repeating it
Craven
Adjective
Definition: lacking courage
Synonyms: fainthearted, spineless, timid
Sentence: the cowardly lion was craven
Demagogue
Noun
Definition: a leader or rabble-rouser, usually one appealing to emotion or prejudice
Synonyms: agitator, inciter, instigator
Sentence: Trump was a demagogue when he incited the Capitol riots
Emulate
Verb
Definition: to copy; to try to equal or excel
Synonyms: imitate, simulate
Sentence: People often try to emulate those they look up to in order to be more like them
Dupe
Verb
Definition: to deceive
Synonyms: beguile, betray, bluff, deceive, fool, hoodwink, humbug, mislead, take in, trick
Sentence: The golden trio duped the executer who was about to kill buckbeak
Gestation
Noun
Definition: the growth process from conception to birth
Synonyms: development, gravidity, pregnancy
Sentence: The longer gestation, the more developed the baby is at birth
Dictum
Noun
Definition: an authoritative statement
Synonyms: adage, aphorism, apothegm, decree, edict
Sentence: “Do not enter the forbidden forest” was the dictum Dumbledore made to the students
Forestall
Verb
Definition: to prevent or delay; to anticipate
Synonyms: avert, deter, hinder, obviate, preclude
Sentence:
Enervate
Verb
Definition: to reduce in strength
Synonyms: debilitate, enfeeble, sap, weaken
Sentence: Kadie knew that making turning Regina George’s friends against her would enervate her power
Dissonance
Noun
Definition: a harsh and disagreeabe combination, especially of sounds
Synonyms: clash, contention, discord, dissension, dissent, dissidence, friction, strife, variance
Sentence: Cognitive dissonance happens when you have a belief but your actions go against it
Euphemism
Noun
Definition: use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one
Synonyms: circumlocution, delicacy
Sentence: Sleeping together is sometimes used as a euphemism for hooking up
Restive
Adjective
Definition: impatient, uneasy, or restless
Synonyms: agitated, anxious, fretful
Sentence: The group became restive after waiting in line for two hours
Upbraid
Verb
Definition: to scold sharply
Synonyms: berate, chide, rebuke, reproach, tax
Sentence: The teenager was upbraided after graffitiing the school
Soporific
Adjective
Definition: causing sleep or lethargy
Synonyms: hypnotic, narcotic, slumberous, somnolent
Sentence: After a night of no sleep, the meeting was particularly soporific
Trenchant
Adjective
Definition: acute, sharp, or incisive; forceful; effective
Synonyms: biting, caustic, cutting, keen
Sentence:
Fractious
Adjective
Definition: unruly; rebellious
Synonyms: contentious, cranky, peevish, quarrelsome
Sentence: The teacher had a hard time managing the fractious middle schoolers
Dogmatic
Adjective
Definition: dictatorial in one’s opinions
Synonyms: authoritarian, bossy, dictatorial, doctrinaire, domineering, imperious, magisterial, masterful, overbearing, peremptory
Sentence: Dictators are often dogmatic, claiming that they, and only they, are right
Exponent
Noun
Definition: one who champions or advocates
Synonyms: representative, supporter
Sentence: Malala is an exponent of women’s rights to education
Gregarious
Adjective
Definition: outgoing; sociable
Synonyms: affable, communicative, congenial, sociable
Sentence: Dad is quite gregarious, finding it easy to talk to strangers in social situations
Dyspeptic
Adjective
Definition: suffering from indigestion; gloomy and irritable
Synonyms: acerbic, melancholy, morose, solemn, sour
Sentence: The dyspeptic girl cast a gloom over her friends while hanging out, as she was upset
Ford
Verb
Definition: to cross a body of water by wading
Synonyms: traverse, wade
Sentence: Rather than taking his Ford car across the water, he decided to ford across the water himself
Doctrinaire
Adjective
Definition: rigidly devoted to theories without regard for practicality; dogmatic
Synonyms: dictatorial, inflexible
Sentence: Snape was a doctrinaire headmaster, with strict rules of what students could do
Edify
Verb
Definition: to instruct morally and spiritually
Synonyms: educate, enlighten, guide, teach
Sentence: In many adventure-type movies, there is a mentor who helps to edify the character in morals and spirituality
Elegy
Noun
Definition: a sorrowful poem or speech
Synonyms: dirge, lament
Sentence: Many books I like to read can contain some sort of elegy about life and death that can bring tears to one’s eyes
Epicure
Noun
Definition: a person with refined taste in food and wine
Synonyms: bon vivant, connoisseur, gastronome, gastronomist, gourmand, gourmet
Sentence: She was regarded as an epicure for her vast knowledge of cheese and wine pairings
Dogma
Noun
Definition: a firmly held opinion, especially a religious belief
Synonyms: creed, doctrine, teaching, tenet
Sentence: A common Christian dogma is that God loves everyone
Exigent
Adjective
Definition: urgent; requiring immediate action
Synonyms: critical, imperative, needed, urgent
Sentence: When the freezer hit -40 degrees, it was deemed exigent and someone rushed to check on it
Deface
Verb
Definition: to mar the appearance of; to vandalize
Synonyms: disfigure, impair, spoil
Sentence: The student who drew on their desk got detention for defacing school property
Deleterious
Adjective
Definition: subtly or unexpectedly harmful
Synonyms: adverse, hurtful, inimical, injurious
Sentence: I did not know that deleting the computer files would be deleterious later on or I would not have done it
Effrontery
Noun
Definition: impudent boldness; audacity
Synonyms: brashness, gall, nerve, presumption, temerity
Sentence: The old lady had the effrontery to ask me for a discount after being rude
Furtive
Adjective
Definition: secret; stealthy
Synonyms: clandestine, covert, shifty, surreptitious, underhand
Sentence: The fur thief made sure to plan a furtive mission
Discern
Verb
Definition: to perceive or recognize
Synonyms: catch, descry, detect, differentiate, distinguish, espy, glimpse, know, separate, spot, spy, tell
Sentence: The man could not discern between the Japanese and Chinese letters as he thought they were similar
Fatuous
Adjective
Definition: stupid, foolishly self-satisfied
Synonyms: absurd, ludicrous, preposterous, ridiculous, silly
Sentence: The boy’s fatuous statements embarrassed his serious girlfriend
Diaphanous
Adjective
Definition: allowing light to show through; delicate
Synonyms: gauzy, sheer, tenuous, translucent, transparent
Sentence: The diaphanous curtains did not block out much light
Droll
Adjective
Definition: amusing in a wry, subtle way
Synonyms: comic, entertaining, funny, risible, witty
Sentence: Dad jokes are often droll, causing a only slight giggle out of people
Engender
Verb
Definition: to produce, cause, or bring about
Synonyms: beget, generate, spawn
Sentence: Seeing a spider nearby engenders my anxiety
Effigy
Noun
Definition: a stuffed doll; a likeness of a person
Synonyms: dummy, figure, image
Sentence: Some people had a pinata effigy of Donald Trump to hit when they were angry that he was the president
Enumerate
Verb
Definition: to count, list, or itemize
Synonyms: catalog, index, tabulate
Sentence: It is helpful to enumerate your groceries before jumping in the 20 items or less lane
Exculpate
Verb
Definition: to clear from blame; to prove innocent
Synonyms: absolve, acquit, clear, exonerate, vindicate
Sentence: The ex-culprit was exculpated from his crimes as he was actually innocent
Equivocate
Verb
Definition: to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
Synonyms: be ambiguous, evade, waffle
Sentence: The girl equivocated her words to make both girls in the fight think that she believed them
Hermetic
Adjective
Definition: tightly sealed
Synonyms: airtight, impervious, watertight
Sentence: The seal of the jar was hermetic and I needed help opening it
Ingrate
Noun
Definition: an ungrateful person
Synonyms: cad, churl
Sentence: The rich boy was an ingrate as he did not seem to care that his parents bought him a car
Malinger
Verb
Definition: to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
Sentence: I often malingered at my lab job to avoid going in and working/seeing Kate
Luminous
Adjective
Definition: bright; brilliant; glowing
Synonyms: incandescent, lucent, lustrous, radiant, resplendent
Sentence: Casting Lumos causing a luminous glow to come from the wand
Lapidary
Adjective
Definition: relating to precious stones or the art of cutting them
Synonyms: N/A
Sentence: In Uncut Gems, Adam Sandler did lapidary work
Hegemony
Noun
Definition: the domination of one state or group over its allies
Synonyms: authority, power
Sentence: Russia has been declaring hegemony over Ukraine
Heterogeneous
Adjective
Definition: composed of unlike parts; different; diverse
Synonyms: assorted, miscellaneous, mixed, motley, varied
Sentence: The smoothie was heterogeneous, composed of many different components
Liberal
Adjective
Definition: tolerant or broad-minded; generous or lavish
Synonyms: bounteous, latitudinarian, munificent, permissive, progressive
Sentence: My parents raised me liberally, often having trust in me to manage my own life
Invidious
Adjective
Definition: envious, obnoxious, or offensive; likely to promote ill-will
Synonyms: discriminatory, insulting, jaundiced, resentful
Sentence: The girl felt invidious that her brother was favored by her parents
Incarnadine
Adjective
Definition: blood-red in color
Synonyms: reddened, ruby, ruddy
Sentence: The rose was incarnadine
Mollify
Verb
Definition: to calm or make less severe
Synonyms: appease, assuage, conciliate, pacify
Sentence: Molly tried to mollify the tensions between the two boys
Mores
Noun
Definition: fixed customs or manners; moral attitudes
Synonyms: conventions, practices
Sentence: The mores of the Moors were to treat everyone with kindness
Insurrection
Noun
Definition: rebellion
Synonyms: mutiny, revolt, revolution, uprising
Sentence: Trump caused the capitol insurrection
Lumber
Verb
Definition: to move slowly and awkwardly
Synonyms: galumph, lurch, stumble
Sentence: Richard often lumbered to his room after a long day of dealing with Henry
Hyperbole
Noun
Definition: purposeful exaggeration for effect
Synonyms: embellishment, inflation, magnification
Sentence: I’m so hungry I could eat a horse is a hyperbole
Impugn
Verb
Definition: to call into question; to attack verbally
Synonyms: challenge, dispute
Sentence: The girl impugned the boys intentions for dating her since she was rich
Investiture
Noun
Definition: ceremony conferring authority
Synonyms: inaugural, inauguration, induction, initiation, installation
Sentence: Presidents have an investiture before taking office
Intransigent
Adjective
Definition: uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled
Synonyms: implacable, inexorable, irreconcilable, obdurate, obstinate, remorseless, rigid, unbending, unrelenting, unyielding
Sentence: The stubborn man was intransigent and would not listen to anyone
Licentious
Adjective
Definition: immoral; unrestrained by society
Synonyms: lewd, wanton
Sentence: Hippies were seen as licentious
Misanthrope
Noun
Definition: a person who dislikes others
Synonyms: curmudgeon
Sentence: Those who do not know Mr. Darcy may describe him as a misanthrope
Kinetic
Adjective
Definition: relating to motion; characterized by movement
Synonyms: active, dynamic, mobile
Sentence: Newtons cradles are kinetic
Inquest
Noun
Definition: an investigation; an inquiry
Synonyms: probe, quest, research
Sentence: An inquest was ordered after the police chief was suspiciously murdered
Leery
Adjective
Definition: suspicious
Synonyms: distrustful, guarded, wary
Sentence: Before his death, Bunny became leery of his friends
Myopic
Adjective
Definition: lacking foresight; having a narrow view or short-range perspective
Synonyms: short-sighted, unthinking
Sentence: The myopic man did not think investing in a nice fridge was necessary, even while living in a place with frequent power outages
Inchoate
Adjective
Definition: not fully formed; disorganized
Synonyms: amorphous, incoherent, incomplete, unorganized
Sentence: Athena’s manuscript was inchoate compared to the finished novel
Nadir
Noun
Definition: lowest point
Synonyms: bottom, depth, pit
Sentence: Charles had reached a nadir when he was constantly drinking and in the hospital
Polemic
Noun
Definition: controversy; argument; verbal attack
Synonyms: denunciation, refutation
Sentence: Harry’s polemic against Snape was that Snape killed Dumbledore and does not deserve to be headmaster
Placate
Verb
Definition: to soothe or pacify
Synonyms: appease, conciliate, mollify
Sentence: It is easy to placate a crying child by giving it a pacifier
Parley
Noun
Definition: discussion, usually between enemies
Synonyms: debate, dialogue, negotiations, talks
Sentence: Elizabeth claimed parley, in order to have a discussion with the pirates’ captain
Proliferate
Verb
Definition: to increase in number quickly
Synonyms: breed, multiply, procreate, propagate, reproduce, spawn
Sentence: The girl allowed the mold to proliferate by placing it in a humid environment
Obstinate
Adjective
Definition: stubborn; unyielding
Synonyms: intransigent, mulish, persistent, pertinacious, stubborn, tenacious
Sentence: The obstinate cat refused to eat the cheaper dry food as opposed to the expensive wet food
Potentate
Noun
Definition: a monarch or ruler with great power
Synonyms: dominator, leader
Sentence: Cats are sometimes seen as potentates of the household, having much power
Precis
Noun
Definition: short summary of facts
Synonyms: summary
Sentence: She shared a precis of the book to her friend who wanted to borrow the book
Peripatetic
Adjective
Definition: wandering from place to place, especially on foot
Synonyms: itinerant, nomadic, wayfaring
Sentence: Her morning walks were often peripatetic, often taking her all over
Pejorative
Adjective
Definition: having bad connotations; disparaging
Synonyms: belittling, dismissive, insulting
Sentence: The boy made pejorative comments about the girls outfit, causing her to cry
Opaque
Adjective
Definition: impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light
Synonyms: blurred, cloudy, nontransparent
Sentence: The cloudy water had an opaque appearance
Neologism
Noun
Definition: new word or expression
Synonyms: slang, coinage
Sentence: Camp is a neologism that took me a while to understand
Obsequious
Adjective
Definition: overly submissive and eager to please
Synonyms: compliant, deferential, servile, subservient
Sentence: The new employee was obsequious and anxious to impress her boss
Neophyte
Noun
Definition: novice; beginner
Synonyms: apprentice, greenhorn, tyro
Sentence: She was a neophyte at surfing and kept falling off her board
Panoply
Noun
Definition: impressive array
Synonyms: array, display, fanfare, parade, pomp, shine, show
Sentence: The new cupcake shop had a panoply of exotic cupcakes
Ossify
Verb
Definition: to change into bone; to become hardened or set in a rigidly conventional pattern
Synonyms: N/A
Sentence: Experts can tell the age of a fossil based on how ossified it is
Propriety
Noun
Definition: the quality of behaving in a proper manner; obeying rules and customs
Synonyms: appropriateness, decency, decorum, modesty
Sentence: The wealthy family maintained high propriety by practicing strict social etiquette
Obviate
Verb
Definition: to make unnecessary
Synonyms: forestall, preclude, prohibit
Sentence: My height often obviates the need for a step stool
Paradox
Noun
Definition: a contradiction or dilemma
Synonyms: ambiguity, incongruity
Sentence: It is a paradox that most people who need mental health support cannot afford it
Pervade
Verb
Definition: to be present throughout; to permeate
Synonyms: imbue, infuse, penetrate, permeate, suffuse
Sentence: Bananas pervade the taste in any smoothie they’re added to
Obdurate
Adjective
Definition: hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion
Synonyms: inflexible, intransigent, recalcitrant, tenacious, unyielding
Sentence: The man was obdurate that he was right and no one could convince him otherwise
Soporific
Adjective
Definition: causing sleep or lethargy
Synonyms: hypnotic, narcotic, slumberous, somnolent
Sentence: The children’s play was so soporific that some parents fell asleep
Torpor
Noun
Definition: extreme mental and physical sluggishness
Synonyms: apathy, languor
Sentence: After the bootcamp, the girl was taken over by torpor
Sublime
Adjective
Definition: lofty or grand
Synonyms: august, exalted, glorious, grand, magnificent, majestic, noble, resplendent, superb
Sentence: The music was so sublime that it transported me
Umbrage
Noun
Definition: offense; resentment
Synonyms: asperity, dudgeon, ire, pique, rancor
Sentence: Harry to umbrage at Umbridge’s accusation of lying in class
Perfunctory
Adjective
Definition: done in a routine way; indifferent
Synonyms: apathetic, automatic, mechanical
Sentence: The experienced employee had a perfunctory way of greeting customers
Phlegmatic
Adjective
Definition: calm and unemotional in temperament
Synonyms: apathetic, calm, emotionless, impassive, indifferent. passionless, unemotional
Sentence: The phlegmatic man didn’t seem to panic at the fire
Pristine
Adjective
Definition: fresh and clean; uncorrupted
Synonyms: innocent, undamaged
Sentence: She was surprised that the boys room looked pristine as she thought he was a slob
Prattle
Noun
Definition: meaningless, foolish talk
Synonyms: babble, blather, chatter, drivel, gibberish
Sentence: The misbehaving boys prattle annoyed those who were sitting next to him
Naive
Adjective
Definition: lacking sophistication or experience
Synonyms: artless, credulous, guileless, ingenuous, simple, unaffected, unsophisticated
Sentence: The naive writer assumed bigger words would make her sound smarter
Plucky
Adjective
Definition: courageous; spunky
Synonyms: bold, brave, gutsy
Sentence: Hermione was plucky, as she had no problem sneaking into the restricted section to get a book for her friends
Phalanx
Noun
Definition: a compact or close-knit body of people, animals, or things
Synonyms: legion, mass
Sentence: The phalanx of animals huddled together for warmth
Quiescent
Adjective
Definition: motionless
Synonyms: dormant, latent
Sentence: The quiet quiescent animal was hoping not to be seen
Pugilism
Noun
Definition: boxing
Synonyms: fighting, sparring
Sentence: Pugilism was a favorite activity of the feisty pug
Plastic
Adjective
Definition: able to be molded, altered, or bent
Synonyms: adaptable, ductile, malleable, pliant
Sentence: Children’s brains are very plastic which helps them learn things quickly
Querulous
Adjective
Definition: inclined to complain; irritable
Synonyms: peevish, puling, sniveling, whiny
Sentence: Deanna’s sister is querulous
Pathogenic
Adjective
Definition: causing disease
Synonyms: infecting, noxious
Sentence: COVID is pathogenic
Quotidian
Adjective
Definition: occurring daily; commonplace
Synonyms: everyday, normal, usual
Sentence: Seeing people on the T acting strange is quotidiqan in Boston
Pedant
Noun
Definition: someone who shows off learning
Synonyms: doctrinaire, nitpicker, pedagogue, sophist
Sentence: The PhD professor was a pedant about his work
Palliate
Verb
Definition: to make less serious; to ease
Synonyms: alleviate, assuage, extenuate, mitigate
Sentence: The crime podcast had a hard time palliating the crime to make it more palatable for their audience
Nettle
Verb
Definition: to irritate
Synonyms: annoy, vex
Sentence: The cat started to nettle its owner by nestling on her neck to sleep
Scintilla
Noun
Definition: trace amount
Synonyms: atom, iota, mote, spark, speck
Sentence: Only a scintilla of poison is needed to kill someone
Zealot
Noun
Definition: someone passionately devoted to a cause
Synonyms: enthusiast, fanatic, militant, radical
Sentence: The man was a religious zealot, devoted to his religion
Turgid
Adjective
Definition: swollen as from a fluid; bloated
Synonyms: distended
Sentence: The boys stomach was turgid as he was retaining water
Slake
Verb
Definition: to calm down or moderate
Synonyms: quench, satisfy
Sentence: The boy slaked his anger by taking deep breaths
Affected
Adjective
Definition: phony; artificial
Synonyms: insincere, pretentious, put-on
Sentence: The affected girl kept saying French phrases even though whe wasn’t French
Analgesia
Noun
Definition: a lessening of pain without loss of consciousness
Synonyms: N/A
Sentence: The morphine provided the patient with a feeling of analgesia
Chaos
Noun
Definition: great disorder; a confused situation
Synonyms: clutter, confusion, disarrangement, disarray, disorder, disorderliness, disorganization, jumble, mess, muddle, scramble, snarl, turmoil
Sentence: The unexpected tornado caused a state of chaos
Xenophobia
Noun
Definition: aa fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers
Synonyms: bigotry, chauvinism, prejudice
Sentence: In South Korea, many clubs are xenophobic, and do not allow foreigners
Terrestrial
Adjective
Definition: earthly; down-to-earth; commonplace
Synonyms: earthbound, mundane, sublunary, tellurian, terrene
Sentence: Extraterrestrials like aliens are the opposite of terrestrial like humans
Seraphic
Adjective
Definition: angelic; sweet
Synonyms: cherubic, heavenly
Sentence: The bride looked seraphic on her wedding day
Surfeit
Noun
Definition: excessive amount
Synonyms: glut, plethora, repletion, superfluity, surplus
Sentence: She had a surfeit of tattos on her feet
Variegated
Adjective
Definition: varied; marked with different colors
Synonyms: diversified
Sentence: She had a variegated closet of clothes, she could dress for any occassion
Bevy
Noun
Definition: a group
Synonyms: band, bunch, gang, pack, troop
Sentence: The bevy of friends went out to dinner together
Alleviate
Verb
Definition: to make more bearable
Synonyms: allay, assuage, comfort, ease, lessen, lighten, mitigate, palliate, relieve
Sentence: I take ibuprofen to alleviate headaches
Audacious
Adjective
Definition: fearless and daring
Synonyms: adventuresome, aggressive, assertive, bold, brave, courageous, daring, dauntless, doughty, fearless, gallant, game, heroic, intrepid, mettlesome, plucky, stout, stouthearted, unafraid, undaunted, valiant, valorous, venturesome, venturous
Sentence: The audacious child stood up to the bully
Articulate
Adjective
Definition: able to speak clearly and expressively
Synonyms: eloquent, expressive, fluent, lucid, silver-tongued, smooth-spoken
Amortize
Verb
Definition: to diminish by installment payments
Synonyms: decrease, reduce
Sentence: He amortized his debt by paying the bill every month
Caustic
Adjective
Definition: biting in wit
Synonyms: acerbic, biting, mordant, trenchant
Sentence: Most main characters are known to be caustic with witty insults
Bifurcate
Verb
Definition: to divide into two parts
Synonyms: bisect, split
Sentence: She bifurcated her for coat collection with her twin sister
Abjure
Verb
Definition: to reject; to abandon formally
Synonyms: forswear, recall, recant, retract, take back
Sentence: Snowden abjured his alliance to the US when he fled to Russia for safety
Accretion
Noun
Definition: a gradual growth in size; an increase in amount
Synonyms: accumulation, buildup
Sentence: There was an accretion of mold on the fold since it had expired
Abscond
Verb
Definition: to leave secretly
Synonyms: decamp, escape, flee
Sentence: The absconder absconded from the poacher back to its nest
Chicanery
Noun
Definition: deception by means of craft or guile
Synonyms: artifice, conniving, craftiness, deception, deviousness, misrepresentation, pettifoggery, shadiness, sneakiness, sophistry, subterfuge, underhandedness
Sentence: Auto-part workers often use chicanery to get people to pay more for car repairs
Blithe
Adjective
Definition: joyful, cheerful, or without appropriate thought
Synonyms: carefree, lighthearted, merry
Sentence: The child was blithe after seeing the sign for ice cream
Arbitrary
Adjective
Definition: determined by chance or impulse
Synonyms: changeable, erratic, indiscriminate, random, wayward
Sentence: The boy had to make an arbitrary decision as he was running out of time
Apostate
Noun
Definition: one who renounces a religious faith
Synonyms: defector, deserter, traitor
Sentence: I was raised Catholic but am now an athiest, therefore an apostate
Catalyst
Noun
Definition: something that brings about a change in something else
Synonyms: accelerator, goad, impetus, impulse, incentive, motivation, spur, stimulant
Sentence: Trump was a catalyst for the January 6 insurrection
Catalyst
Noun
Definition: something that brings about a change in something else
Synonyms: accelerator, goad, impetus, impulse, incentive, motivation, spur, stimulant
Sentence: Trump was a catalyst for the January 6 insurrection
Catalyst
Noun
Definition: something that brings about a change in something else
Synonyms: accelerator, goad, impetus, impulse, incentive, motivation, spur, stimulant
Sentence: Trump was a catalyst for the January 6 insurrection
Catalyst
Noun
Definition: something that brings about a change in something else
Synonyms: accelerator, goad, impetus, impulse, incentive, motivation, spur, stimulant
Sentence: Trump was a catalyst for the January 6 insurrection
Belfry
Noun
Definition: a bell tower; the room in which the bell is hung
Synonyms: spire, steeple
Sentence: The belfry at the church was known to be beautiful
Assuage
Verb
Definition: to make something unpleasant less severe
Synonyms: allay, alleviate, appease, comfort, conciliate, ease, lighten, mitigate, mollify, pacify, palliate, placate, propitiate, relieve, soothe, sweeten
Sentence: Having a fun teacher helped assuage the boring and difficult chemistry lesson
Connoisseur
Noun
Definition: a person with expert knowledge or discriminating tastes
Synonyms: authority, epicure, expert, gastronome, gourmet
Sentence: He was a wine connoisseur and would only drink the best of wine
Bonhomie
Noun
Definition: good-natured geniality; an atmosphere of good cheer
Synonyms: affability, amiability, cordiality, geniality
Sentence: There was always a good bonhomie at my old co-op
Antagonize
Verb
Definition: to annoy or provoke anger
Synonyms: clash, conflict, incite, irritate, oppose, pester,
provoke, vex
Sentence: The student antagonized the teacher by constantly interrupting him
Aesthetic
Adjective
Definition: concerning the appreciation of beauty
Synonyms: artistic, tasteful
Sentence: She didn’t understand the art but she appreciated the aesthetic of it
Canard
Noun
Definition: a lie
Synonyms: falsehood, falsify, fib, misrepresentation, prevarication, tale, untruth
Sentence: The rumor that the couple had broken up was a canard, as they were still together
