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Verbal Advantage > Level 2 > Flashcards

Level 2 Flashcards

1
Q
  1. ADVOCATE (AD-vuh-kayt)
A

To support, plead for, be in favor of, defend by argument; especially, to speak or write in favor or in defense of a person or cause. Synonyms: champion, endorse, espouse.Corresponding noun: advocate, a supporter or defender of a cause, a champion, or a person who speaks for another. Related words (from the Latin vocare, to call, summon): vocation; avocation; vocational; vocal; convoke, to call together; convocation, the act of calling together, or a group that has been summoned; evoke, to call out, call forth; and evocative, calling forth a response, especially an emotional one.

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2
Q
  1. DELEGATE (DEL-uh-gayt)
A

To entrust with authority or power, deliver to another’s care or management, hand over to an agent or representative.

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3
Q
  1. UNPRECEDENTED (uhn-PRES-uh-den-tid)
A

Unheard-of, novel, new, having no precedent or parallel, having no prior example or justification.

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4
Q
  1. POIGNANT (POYN-yint)
A

Piercing, sharp, penetrating; specifically, piercing or penetrating to the senses, to the emotions, or to the intellect. Synonyms: biting, cutting, keen, acute.Related words (from the Latin pungere, to pierce or prick): puncture; pungent, piercing to the smell or taste; expunge, to punch out, erase, delete.

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5
Q
  1. NEBULOUS (NEB-yuu-lus)
A

Unclear, vague, obscure, hazy, indefinite, indistinct. Related word: nebula, a cloudy mass of dust or gas visible between stars in space (plural, nebulae).

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6
Q
  1. CLANDESTINE (klan-DES-tin)
A

Kept secret, done in secrecy, especially for an evil, immoral, or illegal purpose. Synonyms: private, concealed, covert, underhand, sly, stealthy, furtive, surreptitious.

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7
Q
  1. TIRADE (TY-rayd or ty-RAYD)
A

A long-drawn-out speech, especially a vehement and abusive one. Additional useful words: protracted, drawn out to great length (see Level 3, Word 25);vituperative, full of harsh, abusive language; censorious, tending to censor, to blame or condemn.

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8
Q
  1. RECUR (ri-KUR or nee-KUR)
A

To happen again, occur again, especially at intervals or after some lapse of time. N.B. This discussion explains the distinction between the verbs recur and reoccur.

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9
Q
  1. TACIT (TAS-it)
A

Unspoken, silent, implied or understood without words, done or made in silence, notexpressed or declared openly. Related word: taciturn (Level 3, Word 2).

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10
Q
  1. ALLEGATION (AL-uh-GAY-shin)
A

An assertion or declaration, especially one made without proof. In law, an allegation is an assertion. of what one intends to prove.

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11
Q
  1. GULLIBLE (GUHL-uh-buul)
A

Easily deceived, fooled, or cheated. Synonym: credulous. Related words: gull and dupe, which both mean to fool, cheat, deceive, take advantage of.

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12
Q
  1. BENIGN (buh-NYN, rhymes with a sign)
A

(1) Kindly, good-natured, gracious, mild, having or showing a gentle disposition. (2) Favorable, positive, propitious. (3) Of the weather or climate, healthful, beneficial, wholesome, salubrious. (4) In medicine: mild, not deadly, or severe.

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13
Q
  1. PERIPHERAL (puh-RIF-uh-rul)
A

External, outer, lying at or forming the outside or boundary of something; hence, not essential, irrelevant.

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14
Q
  1. REBUFF (ri-BUF or ree-BUF)
A

To refuse bluntly, reject sharply, turn down abruptly, snub, spurn. Corresponding noun: rebuff, an abrupt refusal or rejection.

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15
Q
  1. ANIMOSITY (AN-i-MAH-si-tee)
A

Ill will, hostility, antagonism, strong dislike or hatred. Synonyms: malice, aversion, malevolence, antipathy, rancor, enmity.

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16
Q
  1. TENUOUS (TEN-yoo-us)
A

Thin, slender, slight, flimsy, weak, not dense or substantial, lacking a strong basis, having little substance or strength.

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17
Q
  1. COMPLACENT (kum-PLAY-sint)
A

Self-satisfied, smug, overly pleased with oneself. Usage tip: Take care to distinguish between complacent and complaisant, which ispronounced kum-PLAY-zint and means inclined to please, gracious, obliging, courteous, affable, and urbane (Level l, Word 45).

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18
Q
  1. ACME (AK-mee)
A

The peak, highest point, especially the point of culmination, the highest possible point inthe development or progress of something. Synonyms: summit, zenith. Corresponding adjective: acmatic.

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19
Q
  1. DEFUNCT (di-FUNGKT or dee-FUNGKT)
A

Dead, extinct, obsolete; no longer in existence, effect, operation, or use.

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20
Q
  1. ABET (uh-BET)
A

To encourage, support, help, aid, promote, assist in achieving a purpose (either good or evil). Usage tip: Abet is often used to mean assist in wrongdoing, as in the legal cliche ‘to aid and abet,’ but abet may also be used favorably to mean assist in achieving a good purpose.

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21
Q
  1. HAGGARD (HAG-urd)
A

Worn out, tired, drawn; wild-eyed and wasted, as from exhaustion, illness, or grief. Synonyms: gaunt, emaciated.

22
Q
  1. WAIVE (like wave)
A

To relinquish voluntarily, give up, forgo; also, to postpone, defer, or dispense with.

23
Q
  1. CARNAL (KAHR-nul)
A

Bodily, pertaining to the flesh as opposed to the spirit. Synonyms: sensual, corporeal. Usage tip: Carnal is used of basic physical appetities.

24
Q
  1. SANCTION (SANGK-shin, be sure to pronounce the C)
A

To approve, allow, permit, authorize, certify, ratify.

25
Q
  1. AMBIGUOUS (am-BIG-yoo-us)
A

Uncertain, unclear, doubtful, dubious, questionable, puzzling, having an obscure or indefinite meaning. Synonyms: enigmatic, cryptic, equivocal. Antonyms: distinct, apparent, evident, conspicuous, manifest.

26
Q
  1. SPENDTHRIFT (pronounced as spelled, stress on spend)
A

Wasteful, spending extravagantly or foolishly, squandering one’s resources.Synonyms: improvident, prodigal, profligate

27
Q
  1. MOLLIFY (MAH-li-fy)
A

To calm, soothe, soften in feeling or tone, make less harsh or severe.Synonyms: pacify, appease, assuage (Level 2, Word 37). Related word: emollient (adjective), softening, soothing, mollifying; (noun) a softening or soothing agent.

28
Q
  1. UNEQUIVOCAL (UHN-i-KWIV-uh-kul)
A

Clear and direct, definite, straightforward, certain; having a single, obvious meaning; capable of being interpreted in only one way. Antonyms: equivocal, ambiguous (Level 2, Word 25).

29
Q
  1. MALLEABLE (MAL-ee-uh-buul or MAL-yuhbuul)
A

Capable of being shaped, able to be molded or manipulated. Synonyms: adaptable, impressionable, tractable. Antonyms: inflexible, unyielding, stubborn, adamant, obstinate, intransigent.

30
Q
  1. VERBOSE (vur-BOHS)
A

Wordy, having too many words, long-winded, full of verbiage. Synonyms: garrulous (Level 4, Word 8), loquacious, voluble (Level 5, Word 1), prolix(Level 9, Word 1).Corresponding noun: verbosity. Related words (from the Latin verbum, word): verbal; verbatim, expressed in precisely the same words; verbiage, an excess or overabundance of words. Additional useful word: proffer, to put forward for acceptance, present as a gift. Pronunciation tip: Carriage and marriage have two syllables, but verbiage and foliage have three. Don’t say VUR-bij and FOH-lij (or FOY-lij). Take care to pronounce these words in three syllables: VUR-bee-ij and FOH-lee-ij.

31
Q
  1. TRANSIENT (TRAN-shint)
A

Temporary, passing away with time, lasting or staying only a short while, momentary, fleeting, short-lived. Synonyms: transitory, evanescent, ephemeral (Level 4, Word 12), fugitive, fugacious. Antonyms: permanent, timeless, eternal, everlasting. Also, in the words short-lived and long-lived, the second half, -lived, does not come from the verb to live but from the noun life plus the suffix -ed.

32
Q
  1. NETTLE (NET’l)
A

To irritate, annoy, vex, harass, pester, provoke.

33
Q
  1. REPUDIATE (ri-PYOO-dee-ayt)
A

(1) To reject, cast off, disown, renounce, refuse to accept as one’s own. (2) To reject as false, deny the authority of, refuse to accept as true.

34
Q
  1. IMPETUOUS (im-PETCH-oo-us)
A

Hasty, rash, overeager; acting in a sudden, vigorous, emotional way, with little thought. Synonyms: impulsive. Antonyms: prudent (Level 1, Word 47), discreet, circumspect (Level 3, Word 21).

35
Q
  1. FRUGAL (FROG-gul)
A

Spending carefully and wisely; also, involving little expense, not wasteful or lavish. Synonyms: thrifty, economical, provident, parsimonious.

36
Q
  1. INCONGRUOUS (in-KAHNG-groo-us)
A

Out of place, inappropriate, inconsistent, unsuitable, lacking harmony of parts or agreement in character. Related words: congruous and congruent, which both mean coming together harmoniously, fitting in consistently.

37
Q
  1. ASSUAGE (uh-SWAYJ)
A

To relieve, ease, make less severe or intense; also, to satisfy, appease, make content. Synonyms: allay, mollify (Level 2, Word 27), mitigate. Pronunciation tip: Don’t pronounce the G in assuage like the G in garage or the Z in azure. In assuage, the A is long (as in day) and the G is pronounced like J: uh-SWAYJ.

38
Q
  1. CORROBORATE (kuh-RAHB-uh-rayt)
A

To confirm, support, make more certain or believable, strengthen by providing additional evidence or proof. Synonyms: authenticate, verify, substantiate.

39
Q
  1. EMBELLISH (em-BEL-ish)
A

To decorate, dress up, adorn, enhance with ornamentation, make more beautiful, elegant, or interesting. Corresponding noun: embellishment, an ornament, decoration.

40
Q
  1. AVARICIOUS (AV-uh-RISH-us)
A

Greedy, money-grubbing, miserly, consumed with a selfish desire to accumulate money or property.Synonyms: covetous, mercenary (Level 3, Word 14). Corresponding noun: avarice, greed, an inordinate desire for wealth.

41
Q
  1. CURSORY (KUR-suh-ree or KUR-sur-ee)
A

Quick, hasty, not methodical, done rapidly with little attention to detail, passing quickly over or through something that deserves closer examination. Synonyms: hurried, haphazard, slapdash, superficial. Antonyms: thorough, careful, scrupulous, exhaustive, prolonged, protracted. Related words (from the Latin currere, to run): course, curriculum, courier.

42
Q
  1. VACILLATE (VAS-i-layt)
A

To waver, fluctuate, be indecisive, show uncertainty, hesitate in making up one’s mind.

43
Q
  1. CLEMENT (KLEM-int)
A

(1) Mild, calm, tranquil, moderate, temperate, not severe or extreme. (2) Merciful, lenient, inclined to pardon or forgive.Corresponding noun: clemency.

44
Q
  1. LUCRATIVE (LOO-kruh-tiv)
A

Profitable, producing wealth, money-making, financially productive, remunerative. Related word: lucre (LOO-kur), money, profit, especially tainted money, ill-gotten gains(as in the cliche ‘filthy lucre’).

45
Q
  1. ALLOCATE (AL-uh-kayt or AL-oh-kayt)
A

To assign, designate, earmark, set aside for a specific purpose.

46
Q
  1. RECONCILE (REK-un-syl or rek-un-SYL)
A

(1) To make friendly again, restore friendly relations between, settle, resolve, bring intoharmony or agreement. (2) To bring into agreement, make consistent. (3) To resign oneself to accept something undesirable.

47
Q
  1. PARAGON (PAR-uh-gahn)
A

A model of excellence, perfect example.

48
Q
  1. ANALOGOUS (uh-NAL-uh-gus)
A

Similar, alike in certain ways, corresponding partially, sharing some aspects of form, function, or content. Synonyms: akin, comparable.Related word: analogy, a partial similarity, likeness, or resemblance that allows for a comparison between things.

49
Q
  1. DIURNAL (dy-URN-‘l)
A

(1) Daily, recurring each day, performed or happening in the course of a day. (2) Active during the day, as opposed to nocturnal, active at night.

50
Q
  1. PRETEXT (PREE-tekst)
A

An excuse, ostensible reason or motive, professed purpose; specifically, an excuse or false reason given to hide the true reason or purpose.

Verbal Advantage (6 decks)

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