List Of Word V Flashcards
Vapid ( VAP id)
Adjective
Without liveliness; dull; spiritless
The novelist’s prose was so vapid that Mary could not get beyond the first page
Vacillate (VAS uh LAYT)
Verb
To be indecisive; to waver
Tyler vacillated about buying a new car. He could not decide whether to get one.
Vehement ( VEE uh munt)
Adjective
Intense; forceful; violent
Shaking his fist and stomping his foot, Gerry was vehement in his denial
Venal ( VEEN ul)
Adjective
Capable of being bribed; willing to do anything for money; corrupt
The venal judge reserved his favorable ruling when the defendant refused to make good on his promised bribe
Venerate (VEN uh rayt)
Verb
To revere ; to treat as something holy, especially because of great age
Lester venerated his grandfather; he worshiped the ground the old man limped on
Veracity (vuh RAS uh tee)
Noun
Truthfulness
The veracity of young George Washington is apocryphal
Verbose (vur BOHS)
Adjective
Using too many words; not succinct; circumlocutory
Verisimilitude ( ver uh si MIL uh tood)
Noun
Similarity to reality; the appearance of truth; looking like the real thing
They used pine cones and old truck tires to make statues of Holloywood celebrities that were remarkable for their verisimilitude
Vernacular (vur NAK yuh lur)
Noun
Everyday speech; slang; idiom
Our teacher said that we should save our vernacular for the street; in the classroom we should use proper grammar
Vestige (VES tij)
Noun
A remaining bit of something; a last trace
The unhappy young man found vestiges of his fiancée in the ruble, but the explosion had effectively ended their romance
Vex (veks)
Verb
To annoy; to pester ; to confuse
Margaret vexed me by poking me with a long, sharp stick
Viable ( VYE uh bull)
Adjective
Capable of living; workable
When a doctor says that a patient is no longer viable, it’s time to begin planning a funeral
Vicarious ( vye KAR ee us)
Adjective
Experienced, performed, or suffered through someone else, living through the experience of another as though they were one’s own experience
To take vicarious pleasure in someone else’s success is to enjoy that person’s success a though it were your own
Vicissitude (vi SIS uh tood)
Noun
Upheaval ; natural change; change in fortune
The vicissitudes of the stock market were too much for Karen; she decided to look for a job that would stay the same from one day to the next
Vilify (VIL uh fye)
Verb
To say vile thing about; to defame
The teacher was reprimanded for vilifying the slow strident in front of the rest of the class
Vindicate (VIN duh kayt)
Verb
To clear from all blame or suspicion; to justify
George, having been accused of stealing money from the cash register, was vindicated when the store manager counted the money again and found that none was missing after all
Vindictive
Adjective
Seeking revenge
Samantha’s vindictive ex drove all the way across the country just to put a stink bomb in her car
Virtuoso ( vur choo WOH soh)
Noun
A masterful musician ; a masterful practitioner in some other field
As an artist, he was a virtuoso; as a husband he was a chump
Virulent (VIR uh lunt)
Adjective
Extremely poisonous; malignant; full of hate
The snake was a member of a particularly virulent breed; its bite could kill an elephant
Visionary
Noun
A dreamer; someone with impractical goals or ideas about the future
Vitiate (VISH ee ayt)
Verb
To make impure; to pollute
Smoke vitiates the surroundings.
Vitriolic (vi tree AHL ik)
Adjective
Caustic; full of bitterness
To be vitriolic is to say or do something so nasty that your words or actions burn like acid
Vocation
Noun
An occupation; a job
The accountant’s vocation bored her, but her avocation of mountain climbing did not
Vociferous (voh SIF ur us)
Adjective
Loud and noisy
Randy often becomes vociferous during arguments. He doesn’t know what he believes, but he states it loudly nevertheless
