Level 2L Words Flashcards
laconic
using few words, especially to the point of seeming rude
languid
to be weak, listless, or depressed
largess
a generous giving of gifts (or the gifts themselves); generosity; philanthropy; also spelled largesse
lassitude
tiredness; laziness
laud
to praise; to applaud; to extol; to celebrate
lax
loose; not strict
levity
lightness; frivolity; unseriousness; lightheartedness
licentious
lacking restraint
lionized
treated with great interest; treated as a celebrity
listless
having little interest or energy
lithe
flexible; graceful
loll
to hang out lazily
loquacious
talking a lot or too much
lovelorn
without love
lucre
money; profit
ludicrous
ridiculous
lugubrious
exaggeratedly mournful
luminary
one regarded for his brilliant achievements
macerate
to weaken, break down, or make soft
magisterial
having strong authority; kingly
magnanimous
forgiving; unresentful; noble in spirit; generous
magnate
a rich, powerful, or very successful business-person
malevolent
evil
malign
to speak evil of
malleable
easy to shape or bend
mandate
a command or authorization to do something; the will of the voters as expressed by the results on an election
manifold
diverse; varied
marginal
limited
marshal
to arrange in order; to gather together for the purpose of doing something
maudlin
overly sentimental; silly and sentimental
mawkish
overly sentimental
mellifluous
sweetly flowing (Greek roots: “honey flowing”)
melodramatic
overly dramatic
menial
a task suitable to a servant
mercurial
emotionally unpredictable; rapidly changing in mood
miasma
an unhealthy atmosphere
microcosm
the world in miniature
milieu
environment; surroundings
minion
a servant; a follower
misanthrope
one who hates everyone
miscreant
a person who behaves badly or in a way that breaks the law
misnomer
a wrong or inappropriate name
mitigate
to moderate the effect of something
modicum
a small amount
modish
fashionable
morass
a situation that makes you stuck
mores
customary rules and standards
morose
gloomy; sullen
motley
made up of several different parts
munificent
very generous; lavish
myopic
shortsighted
myriad
a huge number
nebulous
vague; hazy; indistinct
neophyte
a beginner
nepotism
showing favoritism to friends or family in business or politics
nettle
to irritate
noisome
stinky
non sequitur
something unrelated
nondescript
plain
nostalgia
a sentimental longing for the past; homesickness
notorious
famous for something bad
obfuscate
to darken; to confuse; to make confusing
occluded
closed up; blocked
odious
arousing or deserving hatred
officious
annoyingly eager to help or advise; bossy
omniscient
all-knowing
onus
burden; obligation
openhanded
generous
opportune
well-timed
orthodox
conventional; adhering to established principles or doctrines, especially in religion; by the book
ossified
became hard or inflexible
ostentatious
excessively conspicuous; showing off
ostracized
excluded
outstrip
to outrun or to exceed
overweening
arrogant
pacific
soothing
palatable
tasty
palliate
to relieve or alleviate something without getting rid of the problem; to assuage; to mitigate
pallid
lacking color
panacea
a cure-all
pander
to appeal to someone’s desire for selfish reasons
pangs
sharp feelings of pain
paragon
a model of excellence
pariah
an outcast
parley
to talk
parochial
narrow or confined in point of view; provincial
parsimonious
stingy
partisan
one who supports a particular person, cause, or idea
partisan
biased toward one side
patent
obvious
pathos
a quality that evokes feelings of sadness or pity
paucity
scarcity
pedestrian
unimaginative; banal
peevish
irritable; whiny; bratty
pejorative
negative; disparaging
penchant
a strong taste or liking for something; a predilection
pendulous
hanging loosely; sagging
penitent
sorry; repentant; contrite
peons
lower-class workers used by someone of a superior class
perennial
continual; happening again and again or year after year
perfunctory
unenthusiastic; careless
permeate
to spread or seep through; to penetrate
perturb
to disturb greatly
petulant
rude; cranky; ill-tempered
picturesque
lovely
piquant
pleasantly spicy or tangy
pittance
a very small amount
plaintive
expressing sadness or sorrow
platitude
a dull or trite remark; a cliché
platonic
not related to romance or sex
plaudits
approval
plebian
common; vulgar; low class; bourgeois; opposite of aristocratic
pluck
courage; spirit
plutocracy
government controlled by the wealthy
poignant
painfully emotional; extremely moving; sharp or astute
poseur
one who pretends to be something he is not
prattle
meaningless talk
precarious
dangerously unstable
precocious
very talented at a young age
precursor
forerunner; something that goes before and anticipates or paves the way for whatever it is that follows
prescient
seeing the future, well-planned and thought out
pretext
a fake excuse
proclivity
a tendency or inclination
prodigious
extraordinary; enormous
proliferate
to spread or grow rapidly
propensity
a natural inclination or tendency ; a predilection
propensity
a natural tendency
prophetic
that which foretells the future
propriety
properness; good manners
prosaic
dull; unimaginative; like prose (as opposed to poetry)
provincial
narrow-minded
prowess
exceptional bravery or skill
proximity
nearness
puerile
childish
pugnacious
wanting to fight
punctilious
marked by following the rules strictly
pungent
strongly scented
punitive
involving punishment
quagmire
a difficult situation
quail
to pull back in fear
quash
to completely stop from happening
quizzical
questioning; teasing
raiment
clothing
rampant
widespread; uncontrolled
rankled
irritated
rapacious
greedy; plundering; avaricious
rapturous
full of wonderful feelings; ecstatic
rash
hasty; incautious
raucous
noisy; disorderly
raze
to completely destroy
recant
to publicly take back and deny (something previously said or believed); to openly confess error
reclusive
hermitlike; withdrawn from society
rectitude
extreme integrity
redress
to set right
reductive
related to making something smaller or simpler
refracted
distorted or changed from an initial direction
rejuvenated
gave new life to
relish
to enjoy; to savor
remedial
intended to correct at a basic level
remiss
careless
remunerated
compensated or paid for
renowned
famous in a good way
replete
completely filled; abounding
reprehensible
worthy of blame or censure
repugnant
gross
requisite
required; necessary
resigned
reluctantly accepting of a bad situation
respite
a period of rest or relief
resplendent
shining brilliantly
restitution
the act of making up for something bad
reticent
quiet; restrained; reluctant to speak, especially about oneself
retiring
shy
retrospection
the act of thinking about the past
revamp
to revise, improve, or make over
reverberate
to echo
revere
to respect highly; to honor
reverent
having deep respect for
revulsion
disgust
rhapsodize
to enthusiastically praise
rickety
weak
risible
funny; inclined to laugh
risque
almost improper or indecent
riveting
fascinating
rudimentary
basic; crude; unformed or undeveloped
ruffian
a brutal person
ruminate
to contemplate; to ponder; to mull over
saccharine
sweet; excessively or disgustingly sweet
sacrosanct
sacred; held to be inviolable
salacious
appealing to sexual desire
salutary
healthful; remedial; curative
sanguine
cheerful; optimistic; hopeful
sapid
flavorful
sapient
wise
sardonic
mocking; scornful
sashayed
strutted or walked in a showy or flashy way
satiated
satisfied
scapegoat
one that takes the blame
scathing
sharply critical
scintillate
to sparkle, either literally or figuratively
scintillating
sparkling; brilliant
scrupulous
strict; careful; hesitant for ethical reasons
scuttle
to destroy; to scrap
secretes
forms and gives off
sectarian
limited
sedentary
inactive; lazy
segue
a transition
semblance
an outward appearance; an image
seminal
important; original
serendipity
accidental good fortune; discovering good things without looking for them
servile
submissive and subservient; like a servant
simper
to smile in a silly way
sinuous
having many curves
skittish
restless; easily frightened
skulk
to hide or be stealthy
slake
to quench or satisfy
slipshod
careless; sloppy
solicitous
concerned for
sonorous
having a deep, rich sound
sophomoric
immature
sordid
vile; filthy; squalid
sovereign
having supreme power
specious
deceptively plausible or attractive
spurious
false; fake
squalid
filthy; sordid
steadfast
loyal; faithful
stigmas
marks of shame
stilted
overly formal; stiff
stolid
unemotional
storied
having an interesting / celebrated history
strategem
a clever scheme
streamlined
simplified; modernized
stricture
a restriction; a limitation; a negative criticism
strident
harsh; loud
stringent
strict; restrictive
stupified
stunned
sublime
awesome; extremely exalted; lofty; majestic
subvert
to weaken or ruin
succor
aid
succumb
to yield or submit; to die
suffrage
the right to vote
supercilious
haughty; patronizing
superfluous
extra; unnecessary; redundant
supplant
replace
surmise
to guess
surpassing
really, really great
synergy
combined action that produces mutually helpful results
tacit
implied; not spoken
taciturn
untalkative by nature
temperance
moderation
tempestuous
stormy
temporal
related to time
tenable
defensible, as in one’s position in an argument; capable of being argued successfully; valid
tenuous
flimsy; extremely thin
timorous
fearful
tirade
a prolonged, bitter speech
tonic
something helpful
toothsome
tasty; appealing
tortuous
winding
totalitarian
relating to a government with total power
tout
to praise highly; to brag publicly about
trite
not original
tumultuous
disorderly; like a riot
ubiquitous
being everywhere at the same time
umbrage
offense; annoyance
unassuming
modest
unbridled
not restrained
unconscionable
unreasonable; not guided by conscience
undulate
to move in a smooth, wavelike way
unkempt
untidy
unsavory
unpleasant, esp. morally unpleasant
untoward
improper, troublesome
unwieldy
awkward; cumbersome
urbane
poised; sophisticated; refined
usurp
to seize wrongfully
utilitarian
stressing usefulness or utility above all other qualities; pragmatic
vacuous
stupid
vapid
without liveliness; dull; spiritless
vaunted
widely praised
vehement
intense; forceful; violent
venal
capable of being bribed; willing to do anything for money; corrupt
verbose
using too many words; not succinct; circumlocutory
vernacular
everyday speech; slang; idiom
vex
to annoy, to pester; to confuse
vicarious
experienced, performed, or suffered through someone else; living through the experiences of another as though they were one’s own experiences
vilify
to say vile things about; to defame
vindictive
seeking revenge
virtuoso
a masterful musician; a masterful practitioner in some other field
viscous
syrupy
vivacious
lively
vocation
an occupation, a job
vociferous
loud, noisy
volition
will; conscious choice
voluminous
large or numerous
voracious
having a huge appetite
waffle
to go back and forth
wan
sick-looking
wanting
lacking or absent
wathershed
a turning point
whet
to sharpen; to make more intense
willful
deliberate; obstinate; insistent on having one’s way
winnow
to separate the useful from the not-useful
winsome
charming and pleasing
wistful
yearning; sadly longing
wizened
shrunken and wrinkled, usually due to age
wont
accustomed
workmanlike
good, but not great
wry
cleverly and/or ironically humorous
zealous
enthustiastically devoted to something; fervent
zenith
the highest point
