I Flashcards
Irritated iguanas impatiently invent invisible ice cream.
iconoclast
(n.)
one who attacks common beliefs or institutions
(Jane goes to one protest after another, but she seems to be an iconoclast rather than an activist with a progressive agenda.)
idiosyncratic
(adj.)
peculiar to one person; highly individualized
(I know you had trouble with the last test, but because your mistakes were highly idiosyncratic, I’m going to deny your request that the class be given a new test.)
idolatrous
(adj.)
excessively worshipping one object or person
(Xena’s idolatrous fawning over the band—following them on tour, starting their fan club, filming their documentary—is really beginning to get on my nerves.)
ignominious
(adj.)
humiliating, disgracing
(It was really ignominious to be kicked out of the dorm for having an illegal gas stove in my room.)
illicit
(adj.)
forbidden, not permitted
(The fourth-grader learned many illicit words from a pamphlet that was being passed around school.)
immerse
(v.)
to absorb, deeply involve, engross
(After breaking up with her boyfriend, Nancy decided to immerse herself in her work in order to avoid crying.)
immutable
(adj.)
not changeable
(The laws of physics are immutable and constant.)
impassive
(adj.)
stoic, not susceptible to suffering
(Stop being so impassive; it’s healthy
to cry every now and then.)
impeccable
(adj.)
exmplary, flawless
(If your grades were as impeccable as your sister’s, then you too would receive a car for a graduation present.)
impecunious
(adj.)
poor
(“I fear he’s too impecunious to take me out tonight,” the bratty girl whined.)
imperative
1.(adj.) 2.(n.)
- necessary, pressing
- a rule, command, or order
- (It is imperative that you have these folders organized by midday.)
- (Her imperative to have the folders organized by midday was perceived as ridiculous by the others.)
imperious
(adj.)
commanding, domineering
(The imperious nature of your manner led me to dislike you at once.)
impertinent
(adj.)
rude, insolent
(Most of your comments are so impertinent that I don’t wish to dignify them with an answer.)
impervious
(adj.)
impenetrable, incapable of being affected
(Because of their thick layer of fur, many seals are almost impervious to the cold.)
impetuous
(adj.)
rash; hastily done
(Hilda’s hasty slaying of the king was an impetuous, thoughtless action.)
impinge
(v.)
- to impact, affect, make an impression
- to encroach, infringe
- (The hail impinged the roof, leaving large dents.)
- (I apologize for impinging upon you like this, but I really need to use your bathroom. Now.)
implacable
(adj.)
incapable of being appeased or mitigated
(Watch out: once you shun Grandma’s cooking, she is totally implacable.)
implement
1.(n.) 2.(v.)
- an instrument, utensil, tool
- to put into effect, to institute
- (Do you have a knife or some other sort of implement that I could use to pry the lid off of this jar?)
- (After the first town curfew failed to stop the graffiti problem, the mayor implemented a new policy to use security cameras to catch perpetrators in the act.)
implicate
(v.)
to involve in an incrimination way, incriminate
(Even though Tom wasn’t present at the time of the shooting, he was implicated by the evidence suggesting that he had supplied the shooters with guns.)
implicit
(adj.)
understood but not outwardly obvious, implied
(I know Professor Smith didn’t actually say not to write from personal experience, but I think such a message was implicit in her instruction to use scholarly sources.)
impregnable
(adj.)
resistant to capture or penetration
(Though the invaders used battering rams, catapults, and rain dances, the fortress proved impregnable and resisted all attacks.)
impudent
(adj.)
casually rude, insolent, impertinent
(The impudent young man looked the princess up and down and told her she was hot even though she hadn’t asked him.)
impute
(v.)
to ascribe, blame
(The CEO imputed the many typos in the letter to his lazy secretary.)
inane
(adj.)
silly and meaningless
(Some films are so inane that the psychology of the characters makes absolutely no sense.)
inarticulate
(adj.)
incapable of expressing oneself clearly through speech
(Though he spoke for over an hour, the lecturer was completely inarticulate and the students had no idea what he was talking about.)
incarnate
1.(adj.) 2.(v.)
- existing in the flesh, embodied
- to give human form to
- (In the church pageant, I play the role of greed incarnate.)
- (The alien evaded detection by incarnating himself in a human form.)
incendiary
1.(n.) 2.(adj.)
- a person who agitates
- inflammatory, causing combustion
- (If we catch the incendiary who screamed “bomb” in the middle of the soccer match, we’re going to put him in jail.)
- (Gas and lighter fluid are incendiary materials that should be kept out of hot storage areas.)
incessant
(adj.)
unending
(We wanted to go outside and play, but the incessant rain kept us indoors for two days.)
inchoate
(adj.)
unformed or formless, in a beginning stage
(The country’s government is still inchoate and, because it has no great tradition, quite unstable.)
incisive
(adj.)
clear, sharp, direct
(The discussion wasn’t going anywhere until her incisive comment allowed everyone to see what the true issues were.)
inclination
(n.)
a tendency, propensity
(Sarah has an inclination to see every foreign film she hears about, even when she’s sure that she won’t like it.)
incontrovertible
(adj.)
indisputable
(Only stubborn Tina would attempt to disprove the incontrovertible laws of physics.)
incorrigible
(adj.)
incapable of correction, delinquent
(You can buy Grandma nicotine gum all you want, but I think that after sixty-five years of smoking she’s incorrigible.)
increment
(n.)
an enlargement; the process of increasing
(The workmen made the wall longer, increment by increment.)
incumbent
1.(n.) 2.(adj.)
- one who holds an office
- obligatory
- (The incumbent senator is already serving his fifth term.)
- (It is incumbent upon this organization to offer aid to all who seek it.)
indefatigable
(adj.)
incapable of defeat, failure, decay
(Even after traveling 62 miles, the indefatigable runner kept on moving.)
indigenous
(adj.)
originating in a region
(Some fear that these plants, which are not indigenous to the region, may choke out the vegetation that is native to the area.)
indigent
(adj.)
very poor, impoverished
(I would rather donate money to help the indigent population than to the park sculpture fund.)
indignation
(n.)
anger sparked by something unjust or unfair
(I resigned from the sorority because of my indignation at its hazing of new members.)
indolent
(adj.)
lazy
(Why should my indolent children, who can’t even pick themselves up off the couch to pour their own juice, be rewarded with a trip to the mall?)
indomitable
(adj.)
not capable of being conquered
(To be honest, Jim, my indomitable nature means I could never take orders from anyone, and especially not from a jerk like you.)
induce
(v.)
to bring about, stimulate
(Who knew that our decision to boycott school lunch would induce a huge riot?)
ineffable
(adj.)
unspeakable, incapable of being expressed through words
(It is said that the experience of playing with a dolphin is ineffable and can only be understood through direct encounter.)
inept
(adj.)
not suitable or capable, unqualified
(She proved how inept she was when she forgot three orders and spilled a beer in a customer’s lap.)
inexorable
(adj.)
incapable of being persuaded or placated
(Although I begged for hours, Mom was inexorable and refused to let me stay out all night after the prom.)
inextricable
(adj.)
hopelessly tangled or entangled
(Unless I look at the solution manual, I have no way of solving this inextricable problem.)
infamy
(n.)
notoriety, extreme ill repute
(The infamy of his crime will not lessen as the decades pass.)
infusion
(n.)
an injection of one substance into another; the permeation of one substance by another
(The infusion of Eastern religion into Western philosophy created interesting new schools of thought.)
ingenious
(adj.)
clever, resourceful
(Her ingenious use of walnuts instead of the peanuts called for by the recipe was lauded by the other garden club members who found her cake delicious.)
ingenuous
(adj.)
not devious; innocent and candid
(He must have writers, but his speeches seem so ingenuous it’s hard to believe he’s not speaking from his own heart.)
inhibit
(v.)
to prevent, restrain, stop
(When I told you I needed the car last night, I certainly never meant to inhibit you from going out.)
inimical
(adj.)
inimical
(adj.)
(I don’t see how I could ever work for a company that was so cold and inimical to me during my interviews.)
iniquity
(n.)
wickedness or sin
(“Your iniquity,” said the priest to the practical jokester, “will be forgiven.”)
injunction
(n.)
an order of official warning
(After his house was toilet-papered for the fifth time, the mayor issued an injunction against anyone younger than 21 buying toilet paper.)
innate
(adj.)
inborn, native, inherent
(His incredible athletic talent is innate, he never trains, lifts weights, or practices.)
innocuous
(adj.)
harmless, inoffensive
(In spite of their innocuous appearance, these mushrooms are actually quite poisonous.)
innovate
(v.)
to do something in an unprecendented way
(Because of the stiff competition, the company knew it needed to pour a lot of energy into innovating new and better products.)
innuendo
(n.)
an insinuation
(During the debate, the politician made several innuendos about the sexual activities of his opponent.)
inoculate
(v.)
to introduce a microorganism, serum, or vaccine into an organism in order to increase immunity to illness; to vaccinate
(I’ve feared needles ever since I was inoculated against 37 diseases at age one; but I have also never been sick.)
inquisitor
(n.)
one who inquires, especially in a hostile manner
(The inquisitor was instructed to knock on every door in town in order to find the fugitive.)
insatiable
(adj.)
incapable of being satisfied
(My insatiable appetite for melons can be a real problem in the winter.)
insidious
(adj.)
appealing but imperceptibly harmful, seductive
(Lisa’s insidious chocolate cake tastes so good but makes you feel so sick later on!)
insinuate
(v.)
to suggest indirectly or subtly
(I wish Luke and Spencer would stop insinuating that my perfect report card is the result of anything other than my superior intelligence and good work habits.)
insipid
(adj.)
dull, boring
(The play was so insipid, I fell asleep halfway through.)
insolent
(adj.)
rude, arrogant, overbearing
(That celebrity is so insolent, making fun of
his fans right to their faces.)
instigate
(v.)
to urfe, goad
(The demagogue instigated the crowd into a fury by telling them that they had been cheated by the federal government.)
insular
(adj.)
separated and narrow-minded; tight-knit, closed off
(Because of the sensitive nature of their jobs, those who work for the CIA must remain insular and generally only spend time with each other.)
insurgent
(n.)
one who rebels
(The insurgent snuck into and defaced a different classroom each night until the administration agreed to meet his demands.)
integral
(adj.)
necessary for completeness
(Without the integral ingredient of flour, you wouldn’t be able to make bread.)
interject
(v.)
to insert between other things
(During our conversation, the cab driver occasionally interjected his opinion.)
interlocutor
(n.)
someone who participates in a dialogue or conversation
(When the officials could not come to an agreement over the correct cover of the flags, the prime minister acted as an interlocutor.)
interminable
(adj.)
without possibility of end
(The fact that biology lectures came just before lunch made them seem interminable.)
intimation
(n.)
an indirect suggestion
(Mr. Brinford’s intimation that he would soon pass away occurred when he began to discuss how to distribute his belongings among his children.)
intractable
(adj.)
difficult to manipulate, unmanageable
(There was no end in sight to the intractable conflict between the warring countries.)
intransigent
(adj.)
refusing to compromise, often on an extreme opinion
(The intransigent child said he would have 12 scoops of ice cream, or he would bang his head against the wall until his mother fainted from fear.)
intrepid
(adj.)
brave in the face of danger
(After scaling a live volcano prior to its eruption, the explorer was praised for his intrepid attitude.)
inundate
(v.)
to flood with abundance
(Because I am the star of a new sitcom, my fans are sure to inundate me with fan mail and praise.)
inure
(v.)
to cause someone or something to become accustomed to a situation
(Twenty years in the salt mines inured the man to the discomforts of dirt and grime.)
invective
(n.)
an angry verbal attack
(My mother’s irrational invective against the way I dress only made me decide to dye my hair green.)
inveterate
(adj.)
stubbornly established by habit
(I’m the first to admit that I’m an inveterate coffee drinker—I drink four cups a day.)
inviolable
(adj.)
secure from assault
(Nobody was ever able to break into Batman’s inviolable Batcave.)
irascible
(adj.)
easily angered
(At the smallest provocation, my irascible cat will begin scratching and clawing.)
iridescent
(adj.)
showing rainbow colors
(The bride’s large diamond ring was iridescent in the afternoon sun.)
irreverence
(n.)
disrespect
(The irreverence displayed by the band that marched through the chapel disturbed many churchgoers.)
irrevocable
(adj.)
incapable of being taken back
(The Bill of Rights is an irrevocable part of American law.)
