Magoosh Common Words (1-4) Flashcards
Veracious
Truthful
He will be veracious so long as the consequences are not serious.
What is put before us is instinctively accepted as veracious, unless proven false by authorities.
Undermine
To weaken
News and information that undermine their credibility were aren’t welcomed.
The student undermined the teacher’s authority by questioning her education and her judgment.
Prevaricate
To speak evasively
My sister doesn’t take bad news well, so I prevaricated when having to tell her the tragic story.
Tell us exactly what happened and don’t prevaricate.
Venality
The condition of being susceptible to bribes or corruption.
Even some of the most sacred sporting events are not immune to venality, as many of the officials have received substantial bribes to make biased calls.
Artful
Exhibiting artistic skill, clever in a cunning way.
Bernie Madoff’s artful Ponzi scheme stole billions of dollars from intelligent investors and they didn’t even know it was happening.
Enervate
To sap energy from, to drain or weaken
The hot sun and the long hike enervated her to the point of near collapse.
Profligate
Spending resources recklessly or wastefully
She is well known for her profligate spending after winning the lottery.
The profligate use of antibiotics has led to antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria.
Amorphous
Shapeless
His plan to study for the GRE was at best amorphous.
Because the painting was amorphous, she had no idea what it represented.
Involved
Complicated and difficult to comprehend
The physics lecture became so involved that the undergraduates eyes glazed over.
Belie
To give a false representation to, misrepresent
The facts of the case belie his testimony.
The smile on her face belies the pain she is feeling.
Amenable
Easily persuaded
Even though she did not like the outdoors, Shirley was amenable and so her brother was able to persuade her to go camping.
The builders were amenable to our wishes and quickly changed the color of the brick.
Harangue
A long pompous speech or tirade
His colleagues politely listened to his harangue but ultimately ignored him.
Tired of his parents haranguing him about laziness and lack of initiative, he decided to move out.
Acrimony
Bitterness and ill will
The acrimony between the President and the VP sent a clear indication to voters; the health of the administration is imperiled.
Is it possible to evade such acrimony when going through a divorce?
Maintain
To assert
The scientist maintained that the extinction was most likely brought about by a drastic change in climate.
Betray
To reveal or make known something, usually unintentionally
The athlete wanted to appear confident, however his quivering lip betrayed his intense emotions.
Vindicate
To clear of accusation, blame, suspicious with supporting arguments or proof
The new evidence will vindicate the defendant, who has been falsely accused.
Censure
To express strong disapproval
Elizabeth has been censured for making no effort to support the community.
After being caught in bed with a mistress, the mayor was quickly censured by the city council.
Intimate
Suggest something subtly
The boy had an early morning, so he intimated that I should head home as it was getting late.
Parochial
Narrowly restricted in scope or outlook
When her brother arrived home from studying abroad in 15 different countries, he sneered at her parochial existence.
Prodigal
Rashly or wastefully extravagant
Successful professional athletes who do not fall prey to prodigality seem to be the exception - most live overly decadent lives.
Ambivalent
Conflicting emotions
Sam was ambivalent about studying for the exam because doing so ate up a lot of his time, yet he was able to improve his analytical skills.
Mercurial
Prone to unexpected and unpredictable changes in mood
Small rodents can be very mercurial, one minute curious the next skittish.
Demur
To object or show reluctance
The Koreans did not accept the restoration of Japanese influence without demur.
Wallace disliked the cold, so he demurred when his friends suggest a ski trip.
Ingenuous
To be naive and innocent
In two years Manhattan had changed Jenna, an ingenuous girl from the suburbs, into a shark unlikely to fall for any ruse.
Ambiguous
Open to more than one interpretation
Then ending of the movie was quite ambiguous and left people wondering if the main character was successful on his mission.
Disinterested
Unbiased, neutral
The potential juror knew the defendant and therefore could not serve on the jury, which must consist of only disinterested members.
Galvanize
To excite or inspire someone to action
He told a compelling, emotional story that galvanized team into action.
Iconoclast
Someone who attacks cherished institutions or beliefs.
People who argue Ghandi was actually a pedophile are iconoclasts.
Amalgam
Mixture of multiple things.
The band’s music was an amalgam of hip hop, jazz, and pop.
Upbraid
To reproach or scold
My parents are going to upbraid me for failing that class.
The captain had to upbraid his crew for falling asleep on deck.
Calumny
Making a false statement meant to injure a person’s reputation
With the presidential primaries well under way, the air was thick with calumny and the mud already waist high.
Venerate
To respect deeply
Venerate
To respect deeply
Athletes around the world venerate Serena Williams for all she has accomplished and all of the challenges she has overcome.
Innocuous
Not causing harm or ill effects
Everyone found Nancy’s banter innocuous - except for Mike who found it offensive.
Commensurate
To be in proportion or corresponding in degree or amount
His salary was commensurate with his education and experience.
The convicted felon’s life sentence was commensurate with the heinousness of his crime.
Wanting
Lacking
Her vocabulary was wanting as there were hundreds of words she had not yet memorized.
Laconic
Using very few words
While Martha always swooned over the hunky, laconic types in romantic comedies, her boyfriend was actually very talkative.
Chastise
Reprimand harshily
Restive
Restless
The crowd grew restive as the comedian’s jokes felt flat and the main act kept delaying
Gregarious
To be likely to socialize with others
Dolphins are gregarious - they live in pods and enjoy the company of others
Egregious
Shockingly bad, standing out in a negative way
The dictator’s abuse of human rights was so egregious that many would leaders demanded he go to international court.
Qualify
The make less severe or limit (a statement)
Chris qualified his love for NYC, adding he didn’t like the weather as much as he liked the weather on the west coast.
Equivocal
Confusing or ambiguous
The findings of the study were equivocal - the two researchers had different opinions on what the results indicate.
Castigate
Reprimand harshly
Drill sergeants are known to castigate new recruits to the points where many break down and cry
Parsimonious
Extremely frugal, miserly
Katie is so parsimonious that she only buys one pair of socks per year no matter how many holes her current socks may have.
Auspicious
Favorable, the opposite of sinister
The marriage did not get off to a very auspicious start, people thought they might even end up divorcing.
The road trip was off to an auspicious start - gas was cheap, snacks were prepared, and there was light traffic.
Aberration
A deviation from what is normal or expected
The aberration in the test results caused some concern to the researcher.
Extant
Still in existence (usually referring to documents)
Despite many bookstores closing, experts predict that some form of book dealing will still be extant generations from now.
Precocious
Exceptionally early development or maturity especially in mental aptitude
Though only 7 years old, she was a precocious chess prodigy.
Guileless
Free of deceit
At first I thought my niece was guileless, but I then found myself buying her ice cream every time we passed a shop.
Treacherous
Likely to betray, dangerously unstable/unpredictable
Even though Jesse James was an outlaw, his killer is remembered more for his treacherous actions than for eliminating a criminal murderer.
The treacherous bridge was built from twine and vine.
Avaricious
Excessively greedy
Since avaricious desire is similar to gluttony or lust (sins of excess) it was listed as one of the 7 deadly sins by the catholic church.
Contrive
To pull off a plan or scheme, usually through skill or trickery
Despite a low GPA, he contrived to get into college, going so far as to write his own glowing letters of recommendation.
Languid
Not inclined towards physical exertion or effort, slow and relaxed
We spent a languid week lying around the house after a long month of activities.
Delineate
Describe in detail
A brief summary of proper swimming technique is not enough. Instead, the coach delineated the specifics of each stroke, spending 30 mins on the backstroke alone.
Circumvent
To cleverly find a way out of one’s duties or obligations
