Hard Flashcards
Abash
To make ashamed; to embarrass
Abortive
Unsuccessful
Abridge
Shorten; to condense
Averse
Opposed to (averse to doing something)
Affable
Friendly; easy to talk to
Alacrity
Cheerful readiness
Amenity
Pleasantness
Apocryphal
Of dubious authenticity
Arbiter
A judge; one who decides
Arcane
Mysterious; hieroglyphic
Artifice
Trickery
Ascendancy
Supremacy; domination
Attrition
Gradual wearing away; weakening or loss
Austere
aw STEER
Unadorned; stern; forbidding; without excess
Bane
Poison
Bastion
A stronghold
Beleaguer
To surround
Beset
Harassed
Blight
Plant disease
Blithe
Carefree
Broach
Open a (delicate) subject
Burgeon
To flourish
Burlesque
Ludicrous imitation
Catharsis
Relieving purification
Catholic
Universal
Chagrin
Humiliation; embarrassed disappointment
Charlatan
Fraud
Chicanery
Trickery; deceitfulness; artifice
Chimera
An illusion; a foolish fantasy
Choleric
Hot-tempered
Clemency
Mercy; forgiveness
Cogent
Powerfully convincing
Collusion
A conspiracy
Compendium
Summary
Confluence
Flowing together
Congenial
Agreeably suitable; pleasant
Desecrate
To treat irreverently
Construe
Interpret
Convivial
Festive
Coup
Brilliant victory
Covet
To wish for enviously
Cynic
One who distrusts humanity
Debacle
Violent breakdown
Decimate
To kill a a large part of
Decorous
Proper
Deference
Respect; courtesy
Delude
To deceive
Dialectical
Relating to discussions
Dictum
An authoritative saying
Distend
To swell
Ebullient
Bubbling either excitement
Effusion
A pouring forth
Elliptical
Oval; elliptical
Encroach
To trespass
Endemic
Native
Enormity
An extreme evil
Epigram
Brief, witty saying
Epigraph
Apt quotation
Epitaph
Inscription on a grave
Epithet
Characterizing term, usually disparaging
Equanimity
Composure
Equitable
Fair
Equivocal
Intentionally confusing
Expatriate
To throw out of native land
Expedient
Immediately advantageous
Extol
To praise highly
Extricate
To free from difficulty
Exult
To rejoice; to celebrate
Facetious
Humorous; not serious; clumsily humorous
Facile
Superficially skillful
Farcical
Absurd; ludicrous
Fatuous
Foolish; silly; idiotic
Fetter
To restrain
Finesse
Skillful maneuvering
Flaunt
To show off
Flout
To disregard contemptuously
Foible
A minor character flaw
Forbear
To refrain from
Forgo
To do without
Fortuitous
Happening by chance; accidental
Founder
To fail; to collapse; to sink
Flounder
To move in confusion
Furtive
Secretive; sly
Garrulous
Chatty; talkative
Genteel
Refined; polite; aristocratic
Glut
A surplus; an over abundance
Grandiloquent
Pompous
Grandiose
Absurdly exaggerated
Gratuitous
Given freely (something bad); unjustified; unprovoked; uncalled for
Gregarious
Sociable; enjoying the company of others
Guile
Cunning; duplicity; artfulness
Hapless
Unlucky
Hermetic
Impervious to external influence
Histrionic
Overly dramatic; theatrical
Homily
A sermon
Impetuous
Impulsive; extremely impatient
Impugn
To attack the truth or integrity of something
Inane
Silly; senseless
Incense
To make very angry (in SENS)
Incisive
Cutting right to the heart of the matter
Incongruous
Not harmonious; not fitting in
Infatuated
Foolish; foolishly attracted
Injunction
A command or order, especially a court
Inordinate
Excessive; unreasonable
Insidious
Treacherous, sneaky
Insolent
Arrogant, insulting
Insular
Like an island, isolated
Intractable
Uncontrollable, stubborn, disobedient
Invective
(n.) insulting or abusive speech
Inveterate
Habitual, firm in habit, deeply rooted
Irascible
Easily angered or provoked
Itinerant
Moving from place to place, peripatetic
Latent
Present but not visible
Lethargy
Sluggishness; laziness; drowsiness
Levity
Lightness; frivolity; unseriousness
Litigate
To try in court
Loquacious
Talking a lot or too much
Lugubrious
Exaggeratedly mournful
Magnate
Rich business person
Malfeasance
Illegal act
Malinger
(muh LIN ger)
To pretend to be sick in order to avoid work
Marshal
To arrange in order
Maudlin
Overly sentimental
Maxim
Fundamental principle
Mendacious
Lying
Mendicant
Beggar
Mercenary
Hired soldier, someone who will do anything for money
Mercurial
Emotionally unpredictable, capricious
Milieu
Environment
Mollify
To soften
Monolithic
Massive and unyielding
Morose
Gloomy, sullen
Munificent
Very generous, lavish
Nepotism
Favoritism, especially in business or politics
Novel
Original, new
Opulent
Luxurious
Officious
Annoyingly helpful
Oblivion
Forgetfulness
Parochial
Narrow in point of view
Partisan
Supporter of a cause; or biased
Paltry
Insignificant, worthless
Penchant
String liking
Paucity
Scarcity, dearth
Pernicious
Deadly
Peripatetic
Wandering, itinerant
Perfunctory
Unenthusiastic
Peremptory
Final, categorical, didactic
Placate
To soothe/pacify
Petulant
Rude
Philistine
Singly ignorant person
Plaintive
Expressing sadness
Platitude
Trite remark
Plebeian
Low class
Poignant
Painfully emotional; sharp or astute
Polemic
A powerful refutation
Ponderous
Massive and clumsy
Portentous
Ominous
Precept
Rule to live by
Precipitate
To cause to happen abruptly
Precipitous
Steep
Preeminent
Outstanding, the best in the field
Preempt
To seize by prior right
Premise
Assumption
Prepossess
To preoccupy
Prerogative
A right or privilege connected exclusively with a group or classification
Unprepossessing
Unimpressive
Prodigal
Wastefully extravagant
Profligate
Extravagantly wasteful
Profuse
Flowing
Proliferate
To spread or grow rapidly
Prolific
Abundantly productive
Promulgate
To proclaim
Propitious
Marked by favorable signs
Propriety
Good manners
Prosaic
Dull
Protract
To prolong
Provident
Preparing for the future; frugal
Putative
Commonly accepted
Querulous
Complaining
Quixotic
Foolishly romantic
Rapacious
Greedy
Rebut
To contradict
Recant
To publicly take back and deny; to openly confess error
Recondite
Hard to understand; over one’s head
Recrimination
A bitter counteraccusation.
Redolent
Fragrant (redolent of)
Remonstrate
To argue against
Reprisal
An act of revenge
Ruminate
To ponder; to contemplate
Preclude
To prevent
Largesse
Generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others
Jettison
To throw or drop (something) from an aircraft or ship; to abandon or discard.
Progenitor
An ancestor or parent
Innuendo
An oblique remar or hint, typically a suggestive or disparaging one.
Subterfuge
Deceit used in order to achieve one’s goal
Acme
Climax, zenith
Unpalatable
Not pleasant to taste
Sacrilege
A violation of something sacred; blasphemy
Sacrosanct
Sacred; held to be inviolable
Sage
Wise from experience or learning (also noun)
Salutary
Healthful; remedial; curative
Sanguine
Cheerful; optimistic; hopeful
Sardonic
mocking; scornful
Scintillate
to sparkle, either literally or figuratively
Sentient
able to perceive by the senses; conscious
Sequester
to set or keep apart
Serendipity
accidental good fortune
Servile
submissive
Slavish
extremely subservient
Sloth
laziness
Solicitous
eager and attentive, often to the point of hovering; anxiously caring or attentive
Solvent
not broke or bankrupt
Soporific
sleep inducing
Sordid
vile; filthy; squalid
Spawn
to produce a large number; to bring forth
Specious
deceptively plausible
Spurious
false; fake
Staunch
firmly committed
Steadfast
firmly committed; staunch
Stigmatize
to place a mark of disgrace upon
Stricture
a restriction; a limitation; a negative criticism
Strife
bitter conflict
Stringent
Strict
Stymie
to hinder
Insubordinate
not respectful of authority
Subversive
corrupting; overthrowing; undermining
Surfeit
excess; excess or overindulgence in eating or drinking
Surrogate
substitue
Sycophant
one who sucks up to others
Tacit
implied; not spoken
Taciturn
naturally untalkative
Tangential
not deeply relevant
Tantamount
equivalent to
Tautological
redundant
Tenable
defensible
Tenuous
flimsy
Terse
without unnecessary words
Torpor
Sluggishness
Tirade
bitter speech; harangue
Touchstone
standard; a test of authenticity or quality
Unconscionable
Unscrupulous
Unwitting
Unintentional; ignorant; not aware
Urbane
poised; sophisticated; refined; genteel
Utilitarian
Pragmatic
Vapid
boring, dull
Venal
capable of being bribed; willing to do anything for money; corrupt
Verisimilitude
similarity to reality; the appearance of truth; looking like the real thing
Viable
Capable of living; workable
Vicarious
experienced through someone else
Vilify
to say vile things about
Vindictive
seeking revenge (adj.)
Virulent
extremely poisonous; malignant; full of hate
Vitriolic
caustic; full of bitterness
Volition
will; conscious choice
Wanton
malicious; unjustifiable; unprovoked; egregious
Wistful
yearning; sadly longing