High Frequency Words Flashcards
Grandiloquent
Pompous; bombastic; speaking or expressed in a lofty style
Plethora
Excess; overabundance
Gregarious
Sociable
Commensurate
Proportional
Example: In the U.S., malpractice suits have raise the cost of medicine because doctors must pay more for insurance, and thus increase their fees commensurately.
Histrionic
Relating to exaggerated emotional behavior calculated for effect; theatrical arts or performances
Partisan
One-sided; committed to a party, group, or cause; prejudiced
Recant
To retract and statement or opinion
Transgression
Act of trespassing or violating a law or rule
Morose
Ill-humored; sullen
Existential
Having to do with existence; based on experience; having to do with the philosophy of existentialism
Appropriate
To take possession for one’s own use; confiscate
Approbation
Praise; approval
Effrontery
Shameless boldness; presumptuousness
Exigency
Crisis; urgent requirements
Pedantic
Showing off learning
Metaphysical
Branch of philosophy that investigates the ultimate nature of reality
Pellucid
Transparent; translucent; easily understood
Fallacious
Based on a false idea or fact; misleading
Reprobate
Morally unprincipled person
Diffuse
To spread out
Emulate
To imitate; copy
Penury
Extreme poverty
Austere
Stern; unadorned
Enervate
To weaken
Capricious
Fickle; likely to change
Misanthrope
One who hates humanity
Tangential
Peripheral; digressing
Ebullient
Exhilarated; enthusiastic
Viscous
Thick, syrupy, and sticky
Impervious
Impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected
Impassive
Showing no emotion
Disinterested
Unprejudiced; objective
Mollify
To soothe
Solicitous
Concerned; attentive; eager
Verbose
Wordy
Inured
Hardened; accustomed; used to
Whimsical
Fanciful; unpredictable
Precarious
Uncertain
Disabuse
To free from a misconception
Perfunctory
Superficial; not thorough; performed really as a duty
Sanction
To approve; ratify; permit
Paucity
Scarcity
Truculence
Aggressiveness; ferocity
Harangue
Long, pompous speech; tirade
Abeyance
Temporary suppression or suspension
Propitiate
To win over; appease
Recondite
Abstruse; profound
Platitude
Stale; overused expression
Refute
To contradict; disprove
Sage
Wise
Onerous
Burdensome
Veracious
Truthful; accurate
Exacting
To force the payment of; demand and obtain by authority
Recalcitrant
Resisting authority or control
Metamorphosis
Change; transformation
Stigma
Mark of disgrace or inferiority
Deference
Respect; regard for another’s wish
Lassitude
Lethargy; sluggishness
Dichotomy
Division into two usually contradictory parts
Fractious
Quarrelsome; unruly; rebellious
Untenable
Indefensible
Resolved
Determination; firmness of purpose
Prodigal
Wasteful; extravagant; lavish
Cacophonous
Unpleasant or harsh-sounding
Propriety
Correct conduct; fitness
Craven
Cowardly
Obsequious
Overly submissive
Extrapolation
The act of estimation by projecting known information
Diffidence
Shyness; lack of confidence
Proliferate
To increase rapidly
Paragon
Model of excellence or perfection
Endemic
inherent; belonging to an area
Resolute
Determination; resolve
Beneficent
Kindly; doing good
Belie
To contradict; misrepresent; give a false impression
Burnish
To polish
Turgid
Swollen; bloated; pompous
Inert
Unable to move; sluggish
Incongruity
State of not fitting
Alleviate
To relieve; improve partially
Conundrum
Riddle; puzzle with no solution
Laconic
Using few words
Eclectic
Selecting from various sources
Discrete
Constituting a separate thing; distinct
Contentious
Quarrelsome; causing quarrels
Mendacious
Dishonest
Fledgling
Beginner; novice
Indeterminate
Uncertain; indefinite
Assiduous
Diligent; hard-working
Audacious
Bold; daring
Iconoclastic
Attacking cherished traditions
Homily
Sermon; tedious moralizing lecture; platitude
Anarchy
Absence of government; state of disorder
Penchant
Inclination
Laud
To praise
Apathy
Indifference
Precipitate
Rash; hasty; sudden
Ameliorate
To improve
Magnanimity
Generosity; nobility
Meretricious
Gaudy; plausible but false; specious; apparently attractive but having in reality no value or integrity
Disingenuous
Not candid; crafty
Gullible
Easily deceived
Rarefied
Refined
Desiccate
To dry completely
Apprise
To inform
Pathological
Departing from normal condition
Homogeneous
Composed of identical parts; uniform in composition
Tirade
Long, violent speech; verbal assault
Inadvertently
Carelessly; unintentionally
Malleable
Capable of being shaped by pounding; impressionable
Maverick
Dissenter; a person pursuing rebellious, even potentially disruptive, policies or ideas
Supersede
To replace, especially to displace as inferior or antiquated
Ascetic
One who practices self-denial
Vacillate
To waver; oscillate
Aver
To affirm; declare to be true; to assert with confidence
Meticulous
Very careful; fastidious
Piety
Devoutness
Skeptic
One who doubts
Problematic
Posing a problem; doubtful; unsettled
Banal
Commonplace; trite; devoid of freshness or originality
Cosmology
Study of the universe as a totality; theory of the origin and structure of the universe
Diatribe
Bitter verbal attack
Insinuate
To suggest; say indirectly; imply
Coagulate
Thicken; congeal
Alacrity
Cheerful willingness; eagerness; speed
Esoteric
Hard to understand; known only to a few
Ideological
Relating to ideology; the set of ideas that form the basis of a political or economic system
Sporadic
Irregular
Immutable
Unchangable
Perfidious
Faithless; disloyal; untrustworthy
Euphemism
Use of agreeable or inoffensive language in place of unpleasant or offensive language
Proscribe
To condemn; forbid; outlaw
Insensible
Unconscious; unresponsive
Dissemble
To pretend; disguise one’s motives
Impermeable
Impossible to penetrate
Disseminate
To spread; scatter; disperse
Soporific
Sleep producing
Tortuous
Having many twists and turns; highly complex
Refractory
Stubborn; unmanageable; resisting ordinary methods of treatment
Dismiss
Put away from consideration; reject
Insipid
Lacking in flavor; dull
Opprobrium
Disgrace; contempt
Supposition
The act of assuming to be true or real
Elegy
Poem or song expressing lamentation
Placate
To lessen another’s anger; to pacify
Catalyst
Something causing change
Intractable
Not easily managed
Extant
In existence; not lost
Analogous
Comparable
Ambivalence
The state of having conflicting emotional attitudes
Repudiate
To reject as having no authority
Felicitous
Suitably expressed; appropriate; well-chosen
Anomalous
Irregular; deviating from the norm
Qualified
Limited; restricted
Tenuous
Weak; insubstantial
Profound
Deep; not superficial
Facetious
Humorous
Boorish
Rude; insensitive
Limpid
Clear; transparent
Reproach
To find fault with; blame
Dissolution
Disintegration; debauchery
Salutary
Expecting an improvement; favorable to health
Imperturbable
Not easily disturbed
Demotic
Pertaining to people
Insularity
Narrow-mindedness; isolation
Artless
Guileless; natural
Anachronism
Something out of the proper time
Abstemious
Moderate in appetite
Equivocate
To intentionally use vague language
Tacit
Silently understood; implied
Inherent
Firmly established by nature or habit
Extraneous
Not essential
Ephemeral
Short-lived; fleeting
Attenuate
To weaken
Intransigence
Stubbornness; refusal to compromise
Guileless
Free of cunning or deceit; artless
Denigrate
To slur someone’s reputation
Execrable
Detestable; abhorrent
Idolatry
Idol worship; blind or excessive devotion
Stolid
Having or showing little emotion
Convoluted
Twisted; complicated
Viable
Practicable; capable of developing
Garrulous
Very talkative; wordy
Irascible
Easily annoyed
Pristine
Untouched; uncorrupted
Propensity
Inclination; tendency
Pervasive
Spread throughout every part
Effete
Depleted of vitality; overrefined; decadent
Sentient
Aware; conscious; able to perceive
Stipulate
To specify as an essential condition
Vapid
Tasteless; dull
Officious
Too helpful; meddlesome
Invective
Verbal abuse
Causality
Involving a cause
Probity
Honesty; high-mindedness; integrity and uprightness
Ineluctable
Not to be avoided or escape; inevitable
Torpor
Lethargy; dormancy; sluggishness
Innocuous
Harmless
Loquacious
Talkative
Obdurate
Stubborn
Aesthetic
Relating to beauty or art
Heterodox
Unorthodox; not widely accepted
Plasticity
Condition of being able to be shaped or formed; pliability
Inchoate
Imperfectly formed or formulated
Antipathy
Dislike; hostility
Discordant
Not in tune
Credence
Acceptance of something as true
Permeable
Penetrable
Frugality
Thrift
Discrepancy
Difference between
Oscillate
To move back and forth
Concilatory
Overcoming distrust or hostility
Implicit
Implied; understood but not stated
Cant
Insincere talk; language of a particular group
Tractable
Obedient; yielding
Bombastic
Pompous; using inflated language
Irresolute
Unsure of how to act; weak
Mitigate
To cause to become less harsh; severe, or painful; alleviate
Ingenous
Naive and trusting; lacking sophistication
Obviate
To make unnecessary; to anticipate and prevent
Delineate
To represent or depict
Hyperbole
Purposeful exaggeration for effect
Substantiate
To support with proof or evidence
Volatile
Tending to vary frequently; fickle
Arcane
Known or understood by very few; mysterious; secret; obscure; esoteric
Disparage
To belittle
Zealot
One who is fanatically devoted to a cause
Specious
Seeming to be logical and sound, but not really so
Mundane
Worldly as opposed to spiritual; concerned with the ordinary
Sensual
Relating to the senses; gratifying the physical senses; especially sexual appetites
Neophyte
Novice; beginner
Satiate
To satisfy
Occlude
To shut; block
Aberrant
Deviating from what is normal
Reverence
Expressing deep respect; worshipful
Misogynist
One who hates women
Elicit
To provoke; draw out
Derivative
Something derived; unoriginal
Desultory
Random; disconnected; rambling
Presumptuous
Rude; improperly bold; readiness to presume
Fulminate
To attack loudly; denounce
Igneous
Produced by fire; volcanic
Exulpate
To clear of blame; vindicate
Salubrious
Healthful
Conventional
Practice widely observed in a group; custom; accepted technique or device
Gainsay
To deny; dispute; oppose
Doctrinaire
Relating to a person who cannot compromise about points of a theory or doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding
Indolent
Habitually lazy; idle
Striated
Marked with thin, narrow grooves or channels
Reticent
Not speaking freely; reserved; reluctant
Phlegmatic
Calm in temperament; sluggish
Relegate
To consign to an inferior position
Vitiate
To impair the quality of; corrupt morally; make inoperative
Sensuous
Relating to the senses; operating through the senses
Ambiguous
Unclear or doubtful in meaning
Amalgamate
To combine into a unified whole
Equanimity
Mental or emotional stability or composure, especially under tension or strain; calmness
Chicanery
Trickery; fraud
Arduous
Extremely difficult; laborious
Inundate
To cover with water; overwhelm
Vituperative
Using or containing harsh, abusive censure
Taciturn
Habitually untalkative
Empirical
Derived from observation or experiment
Dissonance
Discord; lack of harmony
Castigation
Punishment; chastisement; criticism
Prevaricate
To quibble; evade the truth
Juxtapose
Place side by side
Forestall
To prevent; delay
Pragmatic
Practical
Decorum
Proper behavior
Aspersion
Slander; false rumor
Burgeon
To flourish
Levity
Light manner or attitude
Complaisant
Overly polite; willing to please; obliging
Quiescent
Inactive; still; being at rest
Precursor
Forerunner; predecessor
Demur
To express doubt
Venerate
To adore; honor; respect
Dogmatic
Stating opinions without proof
Ostentatious
Showy; trying to attract attention; pretentious
Confound
To baffle; perplex; mix up
Exacerbate
To aggravate; make worse
Erudite
Learned; scholarly
Sartorial
Pertaining to tailors
Embellish
To adorn; decorate; enhance; make more attractive by adding details
Rescind
To cancel
Malinger
To feign illness or escape duty
Lethargic
Inactive
Concomitant
Existing concurrently
Subsume
To include; incorporate
Implacable
Inflexible; incapable of being pleased
Disparate
Dissimiliar
Compendium
Brief; comprehensive summary
Denouement
Outcome; unraveling of the plot of a play or work of literature
Buttress
To reinforce; support
Indigence
Poverty
Efficacy
Efficiency; effectiveness
Forment
To incite; arouse
Fatuous
Foolishly self-satisfied
