List B1 Flashcards
lucrative
adj. producing wealth; profitable
uncanny
adj. strangely unsettling, as if of supernatural origin
utopia
n. an ideally perfect place
adj. utopian
hue
n. a shade of color
gross
adj. total, entire; glaringly obvious, flagrant
forlorn
adj. appearing sad because abandoned; in pitiful condition; almost without hope
ecstasy
n. state of overwhelming joy; rapture
adj. ecstatic
valid
adj. based on truth or fact; having legal force
v. validate
decry
v. to speak out against strongly and openly
check
v. to restrain or block
proximity
n. closeness
adj. proximate
corrupt
adj. marked by immorality; dishonest; containing errors (as in a text)
n. corruption
colossal
adj. very large
n. colossus
leery
adj. suspicious; distrustful
egress
n. going out; the right to go out or exit
archetype
n. the original pattern or model; a perfect example
adj. archetypal
referendum
n. direct popular vote on a law or measure of public policy
kin
n. one’s relatives
n. kinship
coax
v. to persuade or obtain by pleading or flattery
talisman
n. something thought to have magic power
truncate
v. to cut short
manifest
adj. obvious; very clear; evident
n. manifestation
august
adj. inspiring awe or admiration, esp. because of high rank or character
commodity
n. an item of trade or commerce, esp. as distinguished from a service
context
n. the circumstances in which something occurs
insinuate
v. to hint
n. insinuation
archaic
adj. of a much earlier, often more primitive period
flagrant
adj. conspicuously bad or offensive
rapcious
adj. excessively greedy; taking by force
n. rapacity
adapt
v. to adjust to a new situation or environment; to change
labyrinthine
adj. complicated; puzzling
n. labyrinth
debut
n. a first appearance before the public
consecrate
v. to make or set apart as sacred
n. consecration
stratum
n. a level or layer
pl. strata
v. stratify
morass
n. an area of swampy ground; something that thinders
prolific
adj. producing a lot
boycott
v. to refuse to buy, sell, or use
n. boycott
ostentatious
adj. showy, pretentious
n. ostentation
domain
n. a territory or range of rule or control
reek
v. to give off a strong, unpleasant odor; to be pervaded with something unpleasant
nefarious
adj. very wicked; villainous
deference
n. yielding an opinion, desire, or position to another out of respect
adj. deferential
innocuous
adj. harmless
resent
v. to feel hostility because of a perceived insult or injury
n. resentment
adj. resntful
pulpit
n. a podium used for preaching
vapid
adj. lacking interest, animation, or flavor
egalitarian
adj. of the belief that all people should have equal rights
harangue
n. a long pompous speech; a speech or piece of writing expressing strong emotion; a tirade
agrarian
adj. related to farming
regale
v. to delight or entertain
bar
v. to keep out; exlude
desultory
adj. lacking a plan or purpose; unmethodical
opportunist
n. one who takes advantage of every opportunity, whether or not it is moral to do so
adj. opportunistic
visceral
adj. instinctive; relating to the internal organs
permeate
v. to spread or flow throughout
adj. permeable
stagnant
adj. inactive; not moving
n. stagnation
v. stagnate
indiscriminate
adj. unselective; random; unrestrained
stark
adj. not ornamented; plain; absolute
rancorous
adj. bitter and resentful
n. rancor
prodigal
adj. exceedingly or recklessly wasteful
n. prodigality
disconcert
v. to make confused or uneasy
adj. disconcerting
patron
n. a sponsor; a supporter; a regular customer
n. patronage
n. patronize
margin
a border or edge; a limit in condition or ability; an amount or degree of difference
adj. marginal
fervent
adj. passionate; eager; earnest
n. fervor
penchant
n. a strong liking
climax
n. the point of greatest intensity, which marks the end of an ascending process
adj. climactic
requisite
adj. needed; necessary
cognizant
adj. aware (with “of”)
n. cognizance
amorphous
adj. without definite shape; shapeless; unorganized
demeanor
n. outward behavior, esp. that reveals one’s personality or attitude
artifact
n. an object produced by human work, esp. one of historical or archaeological interest
placebo
n. something presented as a drug, but having no actual effect
prosaic
adj. straightforward; lacing in imagination
tantamount
adj. equivalent in effect or value
caste
n. a rigid and hereditary social class
pummel
v. to beat, as with the fists
egregious
adj. outstanding for undesirable qualities; remarkably bad
sinecure
n. a paid position that requires little or no work
flamboyant
adj. extravagant; showy
n. flamboyance
balmy
adj. soothing, mild, pleasant
leaven
v. to add yeast; to fill (something) with a substance that changes it or makes it lighter
adj. leavened
exonerate
v. to find blameless
n. exoneration
puerile
adj. childish; foolishly immature
censure
v. to criticize severely
n. censure
machination
n. an artful or secret plot or scheme
court
v. to attempt to gain, esp. love or favor; to behave so as to invite
supplant
v. to take the place of
polyglot
n. one who speaks many languages; adj. speaking many languages
vicarious
adj. felt as if one were taking part in the experiences of another
capricious
adj. erratic; tending to change abruptly
n. caprice
urban
adj. relating to a city
vociferous
adj. loud and vehement
effusive
adj. overflowing; excessively emotional
inscribe
v. to write, carve or engrave words or letter on or in a surface
n. inscription
forthcoming
adj. about to appear; available when needed; communicative
inordinate
adj. excessive, unrestrained
amble
v. to walk slowly or leisurely
covenant
n. a binding agreement
pellucid
adj. transparently clear
latitude
n. freedom from normal limitations; room for movement or action
pecuniary
adj. of or involving money
flummox
v. to confuse or perplex
embed
v. to fix in a surrounding mass
rambunctious
adj. very loud and disorderly
interstices
n. small spaces between things
potent
adj. powerful; having a strong effect
n. potency
nepotism
n. showing favoritism to relatives
amiable
adj. friendly and agreeable; sociable
congregate
v. to assemble into a group
n. congregation
demographics
n. the distribution of human population groups
n. demography
n. demographer
ponderous
adj. clumsy and heavy; boring and labored
irony
n. a use of words in which the intended meaning is very different from the literal sense; an incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs, esp. one that suggests a lesson about human folly
adj. ironic
debris
n. bits and pieces of rubbish
preempt
v. to take the place of; to have priority or precedence over
tawdry
adj. tastelessly showy
apprehend
v. to become aware of through the senses
effect
v. to bring about
buttress
v. to prop up or support
n. buttress
concoct
v. to invent; to create by combing ingredient, as in cooking
n. concoction
amalgamate
v. to blend together into one; to unite
n. amalgamation
shrewd
adj. clever in practical matter; cunning
prognosticate
v. to predict
curfew
n. a regulation requiring people to be inside at a certain time
caustic
adj. capable of burning or corroding by chemical action; bitingly sarcastic, cutting
throe
n. a spasm of pain; strong yearning
sanction
v. to give official approval
resonate
v. to echo
n. resonance
herald
v. to bear news; to announce
n. herald
contumacious
adj. stubbornly disobedient; rebellious, insubordinate
n. contumacy
timorous
adj. full of fear
replete
adj. well-filled; abundantly supplied
exiguous
adj. scanty; meager; small; slender
negotiate
v. to succeed in going over, coping with, or accomplishing
rigor
n. strictness or severity
adj. rigorous
consensus
n. a position reached by a group as a whole or by majority will; general areement
cede
v. to give or formally surrender to another
downtrodden
adj. badly and unfairly treated; oppressed
oblivious
adj. unaware
skirt
v. to lie along the edge of; to pass nearby or around, rather than through
jargon
n. the specialized terminology of a profession; incoherent speech
anathema
n. someone or something that is hated
patriarch
n. a man who rules a family clan; a very respected old man
adj. patriarchal
n. patriarchy
belligerent
adj. eager to fight; aggressive; engaged in warfare
n. belligerence
epithet
n. a descriptive term for a person or thing
deficit
n. an inadequacy; an unfavorable condition or position
forbidding
adj. disagreeable; menacing
equanimity
n. evenness of temper, esp. as a characteristic state
emolument
n. payment for an office or employment
pacify
v. to make peaceful; to restore calm
entrenched
adj. dug in
discrepancy
n. lack of agreement; difference
adj. discrepant
viable
adj. able to live; capable of success
n. viability
insipid
adj. uninteresting; having no flavor
paternal
adj. relating to or characteristic of a father
cabal
n. a small group of secret plotters, i.e., against a government or authority
indigenous
adj. native, occurring naturally
repudiate
v. to reject as invalid or untrue
n. repudiation
decisive
adj. conclusive; beyond doubt; showing determination
behoove
v. to be necessary or proper for
deleterious
adj. harmful; destructive
radical
adj. favoring fundamental or extreme change; relating to roots or origins
lurid
adj. causing shock or horror; tastelessly vivid; glowing like fire though a haze
inexorable
adj. not able to be persuaded; unyielding; unalterable
broach
v. to raise for discussion
improvident
adj, not preparing for the future; incautious
n. improvidence
profound
adj. very deep; penetrating beyond the superficial
n. profundity
vacillate
v. to swing back and forth
n. vacillation
promulgate
v. to make known by official announcement
n. promulgation
construe
v. to interpret
ilk
n. kind; sort; class
dissent
v. to disagree
n. dissent
expatriate
v. to send into exile; n. one who has moved to a foreign country
emollient
adj. having a softening, soothing effect; n. an agent that softens, esp. the skin
doctrine
n. a set of principles (religious, political, etc.); a rule of law, esp. as established by precedent
adj. doctrinal
preclude
v. to make impossible; to prevent the occurrence of
expunge
v. to erase; to eliminate completely
fluent
adj. easy; graceful
n. fluency
abet
v. to encourage, assist, or support, usually in wrongdoing
comprehensive
adj. complete; covering broadly and all-inclusively
protocol
n. the customs and regulations dealing with formal behavior; the plan for carrying out a scientific study
replicate
v. to copy, reproduce, or repeat
gender
n. sexual identiity, esp. in relation to society or culture
ambiance
n. environment
adverse
adj. opposed, difficult
adumbrate
v. to give a sketchy outline; to foreshadow
enumerate
v. to count off or list
n. enumeration
matriarchy
n. a society where the mother is the head of the family and descent is traced through the mother’s side of the family
doctrinaire
adj. inflexible maintaining an idea without regard to practicality
feasible
adj. capable of being done
n. feasibility
venerable
adj. worthy of honor and respect by reason of dignity, age, etc.
connote
v. to imply something beyond a literal meaning
n. connotation
forge
v. to give form or shape to; to advance gradually
veer
v. to change direction
fanfare
n. a showy public display
paradigm
n. an example; a model
adj. paradigmatic
enmity
n. the bitter attitude or feelings of an enemy or of mutual enemies
flaunt
v. to display ostentatiously; to show off; to boast
empathy
n. ability to understand and identify with another’s feelings and emotions
adj. empathetic
v. empathize
adduce
v. to show as an example or means of proving something
halcyon
adj. calm; peaceful
