Magoosh Adv - I Flashcards
apogee
noun: the highest point
The apogee of the Viennese style of music, Mozart’s music continues to mesmerize audiences well into the 21st century.
attenuate
verb: to make something less or weaker:
verb: to make something longer and thinner:
Her animosity towards Bob attenuated over the years, and she even went so far as to invite him to her party.
fractious
adjective: easily upset or annoyed, and often complaining:
We rarely invite my fractious Uncle over for dinner; he always complains about the food, and usually launches into a tirade on some touchy subject.
base
adjective: not showing any honor and having no morals:
She was not so base as to begrudge the beggar the unwanted crumbs from her dinner plate.
beg the question
idom: If you say that something begs a particular question, you mean that it makes people want to ask that question; some people consider that this use is incorrect.
examples:
1. Spending the summer traveling around India is a great idea, but it does beg the question of how we can afford it.
2. Claiming that a certain product is superior because it’s the most popular begs the question of whether popularity is a reliable indicator of quality.
anathema
noun: something that is strongly disliked or disapproved of:
Credit controls are anathema to the government.
For older employees, the new system is an anathema.
nadir
noun: the lowest point
At its nadir in the mid-1980s, the pound was almost at parity with the dollar.
vicissitudes
noun: You use vicissitudes to refer to changes, especially unpleasant ones, that happen to someone or something at different times in their life or development.
Even great rulers have their vicissitudes—massive kingdoms have diminished overnight, and once beloved kings have faced the scorn of angry masses.
penurious
adjective: extremely poor
example: The penurious government cut funding for essential services, leading to widespread discontent.
malfeasance
noun: misconduct or wrongdoing (especially by a public official)
The company’s CEO was fired for malfeasance after embezzling millions of dollars.
zeitgeist
noun: the general set of ideas, beliefs, feelings, etc. that is typical of a particular period in history
Each decade has its own zeitgeist—the 1990’s was a prosperous time in which the promise of the American Dream never seemed more palpable.
imbibe
verb: to drink, especially alcohol:
verb: to receive and accept information, etc.
Plato imbibed Socrates’ teachings to such an extent that he was able to write volumes of work that he directly attributed, sometimes word for word, to Socrates.
jingoist
noun: a person who thinks their country is always right and who is in favor of aggressive acts against other countries
In the days leading up to war, a nation typically breaks up into the two opposing camps: doves, who do their best to avoid war, and jingoists, who are only too eager to wave national flags from their vehicles and vehemently denounce those who do not do the same.
arrant
adjective: complete and wholly (usually modifying a noun with negative connotation)
An arrant fool, Lawrence surprised nobody when he lost all his money in a pyramid scheme that was every bit as transparent as it was corrupt.
truculent
adjective: unpleasant and likely to argue a lot:
Standing in line for six hours, she became progressively truculent, yelling at DMV employees and elbowing other people waiting in line.
saturnine
adjective: serious and unfriendly:
Deprived of sunlight, humans become saturnine; that’s why in very northerly territories people are encouraged to sit under an extremely powerful lamp, lest they become morose.
untoward
adjective: unfavorable; inconvenient
Some professors find teaching untoward as having to prepare for lectures and conduct office hours prevents them from focusing on their research.
choleric
adjective: very angry or easily annoyed
While a brilliant lecturer, Mr. Dawson came across as choleric and unapproachable—very rarely did students come to his office hours.
insufferable
adjective: intolerable, difficult to endure
Chester always tried to find some area in which he excelled above others; unsurprisingly, his co-workers found him insufferable and chose to exclude him from daily luncheons out.
conciliate
verb: to make peace with
His opponents believed his gesture to be conciliatory, yet as soon as they put down their weapons, he unsheathed a hidden sword.
precipitate
adjective: hasty or rash
Instead of conducting a thorough investigation after the city hall break-in, the governor acted precipitately, accusing his staff of aiding and abetting the criminals.
verb: to cause to happen
The government’s mishandling of the hurricane’s aftermath precipitated a widespread outbreak of looting and other criminal activity.
This word has other definitions, but these are the most important ones to study
kowtow
verb: If you say that someone kowtows to someone else, you are criticizing them because they are too eager to obey or be polite to someone in authority.
Paul kowtowed to his boss so often the boss herself became nauseated by his sycophancy.
churlish
adjective: rude, unfriendly, and unpleasant:
They invited me to dinner and I thought it would be churlish to refuse.
factious
adjective: likely to argue or disagree:
The Lisbon Treaty was the result of long negotiations among the factious states of Europe.
diatribe
noun: an angry speech or piece of writing that severely criticizes something or someone:
Steve’s mom launched into a diatribe during the PTA meeting, contending that the school was little more than a daycare in which students stare at the wall and teachers stare at the chalkboard.
lascivious
adjective: lecherous; sexually perverted
Lolita is a challenging novel for many, not necessarily because of the elevated prose style but because of the depravity of the main character, Humbert Humbert, who, as an old, lascivious man, lusts after a girl.
sedulous
adjective: done diligently and carefully
An avid numismatist, Harold sedulously amassed a collection of coins from over 100 countries—an endeavor that took over fifteen years across five continents.
turpitude
noun: depravity; a depraved act
During his reign, Caligula indulged in unspeakable sexual practices, so it is not surprising that he will forever be remembered for his turpitude.
hector
verb: to bully or intimidate
The boss’s hectoring manner put off many employees, some of whom quit as soon as they found new jobs.
byzantine
adjective: intricate and complex
Getting a driver’s license is not simply a matter of taking a test; the regulations and procedures are so byzantine that many have found themselves at the mercy of the Department of Motor Vehicles.
contentious
adjective: causing , involving, or likely to cause disagreement and argument:
a contentious decision/policy/issue/subject
perfunctory
adjective: done quickly and with little interest or care
She asked a few perfunctory questions about my family and then ended the conversation.
pariah
noun: an outcast
The once eminent scientist, upon being found guilty of faking his data, has become a pariah in the research community.
chary
adjective: If you are chary of doing something, you are fairly cautious about doing it.
Having received three speeding tickets in the last two months, Jack was chary of driving at all above the speed limit, even on a straight stretch of highway that looked empty for miles ahead.
supercilious
adjective: haughty and disdainful; looking down on others
Nelly felt the Quiz Bowl director acted superciliously towards the underclassmen; really, she fumed, must he act so preternaturally omniscient each time he intones some obscure fact—as though everybody knows that Mt. Aconcagua is the highest peak in South America.
cow
verb: to intimidate
Do not be cowed by a 3,000-word vocabulary list: turn that list into a deck of flashcards!
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
ponderous
adjective: slow and awkward because of being very heavy or large:
Laden with 20 kilograms of college text books, the freshman moved ponderously across the campus.
alacrity
noun: speed and eagerness:
The first three weeks at his new job, Mark worked with such alacrity that upper management knew it would be giving him a promotion.
expunge
verb: to eliminate completely
When I turned 18, all of the shoplifting and jaywalking charges were expunged from my criminal record.
artless
adjective: without cunning or deceit
Despite the president’s seemingly artless speeches, he was a skilled and ruthless negotiator.
catholic
adjective: of broad scope; universal
Jonah’s friends said that Jonah’s taste in music was eclectic; Jonah was quick to point out that not only was his taste eclectic but it was also catholic: he enjoyed music from countries as far-flung as Mali and Mongolia.
defray
verb: to help pay the cost of, either in part or full
In order for Sean to attend the prestigious college, his generous uncle helped defray the excessive tuition with a monthly donation.
prosaic
adjective: dull and lacking imagination
Only a few prosaic tables and chairs remained by the time we got to the auction.
Apostate
noun: someone who has given up their religion or left a political party
An apostate of the Orthodox faith he was raised in, Sheldon continues to seek a more like-minded religious community.
exegesis
noun: critical explanation or analysis, especially of a text
The professor’s exegesis of the complex text was insightful and illuminating.
overweening
adjective: arrogant; presumptuous
Mark was so convinced of his basketball skills that in his overweening pride he could not fathom that his name was not on the varsity list; he walked up to the basketball coach and told her she had forgotten to add his name.
indigent
adjective: poor; having very little
In the so-called Third World, many are indigent and only a privileged few have the resources to enjoy material luxuries.
noun: a poor or needy person
The indigents, huddled under the overpass, tried to start a small bonfire in the hope of staying warm.
feckless
adjective: weak in character and lacking determination:
Two years after graduation, Charlie still lived with his parents and had no job, becoming more feckless with each passing day.
equivocate
verb: to speak in a way that is intentionally not clear and confusing to other people, especially to hide the truth:
After Sharon brought the car home an hour after her curfew, she equivocated when her parents pointedly asked her where she had been.
expansive
adjective: very happy to talk to people in a friendly way:
He was in an expansive mood on the night of the party.
