List A1 Flashcards
piquant
adj. agreeably pungent or sharp in taste; tart; agreeably stimulating or interesting n. piquancy
rouse
v. to wake or provoke
endow
v. to provide with material goods, talents, or qualities n. endowment
xenophobia
n. fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners adj. xenophobic
fathom
v. to measure the depth of; to understand
couch
v. to phrase in a particular way
banal
adj. dull or stale; commonplace n. banality
superlative
adj. excellent; of the highest quality
skirmish
n. a minor conflict
lassitude
n. a feeling of weakness
deranged
adj. mentally disturbed
draconian
adj. extremely harsh or severe
svelte
adj. slender and graceful in outline
resilient
adj. able to recover quickly (e.g., from bending or illness) n. resilience
crux
n. an essential or pivotal point; a perplexing difficulty
dapper
adj. neat and trim in appearance
apprehension
n. worry or unease adj. apprehensive
tender
v. to offer formally; n. a legal offer; something, esp. money, offered in payment
gradient
n. a ramp or slope
vantage
n. a position that gives a wide view
waggish
adj. mischievous; playful
reminisce
v. to recall the past; esp. fondly n. reminiscence adj. reminiscent
recluse
n. one who hides from the world adj. reclusive
knoll
n. a small rounded hill
canard
n. a false report
quip
n. a remark or reply that is witty or sarcastic
unkempt
adj. sloppy; messy; unclean
cadaver
n. a dead body; esp. a human body to be dissected adj. cadaverous
shade
n. a small variation; nuance; a small amount
warren
n. an enclosed space in which rabbits breed or are numerous; any place that is crowded like a rabbit warren
precede
v. to go before
coalesce
v. to grow together; to merge into a single body n. coalescence
furrow
n. a trench in the earth made by a plow; a wrinkle
recede
v. to go back; to withdraw
flower
v. to reach the best or most vigorous stage
lore
n. knowledge about a particular subject; esp. of a tradition or popular nature
recur
v. to repeat; to occur again adj. recursive
grotesque
adj. strangely or absurdly distorted
reluctant
adj. unwilling; disinclined n. reluctance
repose
n. relaxation; a state of rest
sullen
adj. showing silent anger and unwillingness to be pleasant to people
consul
n. official residing in a foreign country
baffle
v. to frustrate, as by confusing
candor
n. frankness or sincerity of expression adj. candid
slovenly
adj. careless about one’s own appearance
affluence
n. wealth adj. affluent
fluctuate
v. to move back and forth or up and down, esp. unpredictably
voluble
adj. talkative n. volubility
quixotic
adj. foolishly idealistic; extravagantly chivalrous
remonstrate
v. to make objections n. remonstration
tangible
adj. able to be touched or treated as real
embroil
v. to engage in trouble; to complicate
homely
adj. unattractive, plain looking
stamina
n. resistance to fatigue or hardship; endurance
primp
v. to dress or groom with careful attention to detail
posterity
n. future generations
kindling
n. dry sticks of wood used to start a fire
rift
n. a break in friendly relations
rancid
adj. spoiled or rotten (esp. oils or fats)
shard
n. a fragment of a brittle substance, e.g., glass or pottery; a small piece of something
sarcasm
n. harsh, often ironic ridicule, intended to hurt adj. sarcastic
deluge
n. a great flood
extortion
n. taking (property or money) by force or threat of force v. extort adj. extortionate
comely
adj. attractive or pleasing in appearance; pretty; handsome
vogue
n. prevailing fashion adj. voguish
obsequious
adj. showing too great a willingness to serve or obey
scion
n. an heir; a descendant
bowdlerize
v. to censor, esp. prudishly
defer
v. to delay; to put off n. deferment
become
v. to be appropriate or suitable to; to look good with
milestone
n. an important event
fleet
adj. moving swiftly
buoy
v. to keep afloat; to raise the spirits of adj. buoyant
euphony
n. pleasing sound, esp. of words adj. euphonious
hierarchy
n. a ranking according to status or ability; a group having authority adj. hierarchical
scintillate
v. to give off sparks; to be animated or brilliant adj. scintillating
anonymous
adj. having an unknown or unacknowledged name n. anonymity
lineaments
n. any of the features of the body, usually the face
dilute
v. to lessen the concentration, force, or purity of by adding something n. dilution
zeal
n. an intense passion or enthusiasm adj. zealous n. zealot
blanket
adj. applying to all conditions or instances
deviate
v. to depart from the norm adj. deviant
dynasty
n. a succession of rulers or people in power from the same family adj. dynastic
detriment
n. injury or damage adj. detrimental
gauge
n. an instrument for measuring or testing; v. to measure
wreak
v. to inflict; to cause (something bad)
maverick
n. one who rebels; a nonconformist; an individualist
protean
adj. easily taking on different forms
lenient
adj. inclined not to be strict v. leniency
éclat
n. great brilliance, as of performance or achievement; conspicuous success
ravine
n. a deep, narrow gorge, esp. one worn down with running water
malinger
v. to act sick in order to avoid work
chauvinism
n. unreasoning and boastful devotion to one’s country or sex adj. chauvinistic
placid
adj. calm, undisturbed n. placidity
voracious
adj. devouring; extremely hungry n. voracity
skulk
v. to lurk; to move secretively
malaise
n. a vague feeling of physical discomfort or uneasiness
lineage
n. direct descent from an ancestor; derivation
diverge
v. to depart from a set course or opinion adj. divergent n. divergence
clamber
v. to crawl or climb with difficulty, esp. on all fours
bulwark
n. a wall or embankment used for a defensive fortification; something serving as a defense or safeguard, often figurative
acme
n. the highest point, as of perfection
ostracize
v. to shun n. ostracism
waif
n. a person without home or friends
skittish
adj. nervous; easily frightened
filament
n. a fine wire or thread
perpetuity
n. a state of infinite or indefinitely long duration adj. perpetual
palpable
adj. capable of being handled, touched, or felt; easily protected
demure
adj. coy; modest; reserved
elucidate
v. to make something clear; to clarify
claustrophobia
n. fear of confined spaces adj. claustrophobic
mien
n. bearing or manner, esp. as revealing as one’s inner state of mind
discard
v. to throw out
bedlam
n. any place or condition of noise and confusion
chary
adj. very cautious
mélange
n. a mixture; a hodgepodge
improvise
v. to do without preparation
indulgent
adj. lenient; giving in to the desires of others v. indulge n. indulgence
premonition
n. a sense of a future event; a warning in advance
occult
adj. relating to the supernatural; beyond human comprehension; mysterious
queasy
adj. sick to one’s stomach; nauseated
mortal
adj. subject to death; causing death
insidious
adj. subtly harmful; stealthy; sneaky
beleaguered
adj. harassed; besieged v. beleaguer
elysian
adj. heavenly or delightful
gist
n. the main objective or point
loquacious
adj. very talkative
procrastinate
v. to delay; to put off
impervious
adj. completely resistant to penetration; unaffected
fidelity
n. strict faithfulness to vows or promises; exact correspondence with fact
aptitude
n. an inherent capacity for learning, understanding, or performing
parochial
adj. restricted; limited; narrow; local
acclaim
v. to praise enthusiastically, esp. publicly n. acclaim
incessant
adj. never pausing; continuous; without a stop
intrinsic
adj. relating to the essential nature of something
recumbent
adj. lying down in a position of comfort
ramification
n. a development or consequence resulting from a course of action
gauche
adj. socially awkward
adept
adj. very skilled, esp. natural talent improved by practice
windfall
n. unexpected good fortune
curtail
v. to cut short; abbreviate
bulk
v. to stop short and refuse to continue
reciprocate
v. to give something in return adj. reciprocal
facilitate
v. to make easier
pedagogy
n. the art or profession of teaching n. pedagogue
pristine
adj. remaining in a pure state
arduous
adj. difficult; laborious
innate
adj. possessed at birth; inborn
pique
v. to arouse (interest, curiosity, etc.); to irritate
rote
n. mechanical memorization, often without full understanding
exacerbate
v. to make more violent, bitter, or severe
rue
v. to regret adj. rueful
esteem
n. high regard; respect; v. to regard highly
foster
v. to bring up or nurture
aesthetic
adj. relating to beauty n. aestheticism
specious
adj. seeming to be truthful on the surface but actually false
progenitor
n. a direct ancestor
audacious
adj. fearlessly, often recklessly bold; insolent n. audacity
fluster
v. to make nervous or upset
warrant
v. to justify or deserve
