Magoosh common words - IV Flashcards
pundit
noun: a person who knows a lot about a particular subject and is therefore often asked to give an opinion about it:
Steven Pinker’s credentials are unquestioned as a pundit; he has taught at MIT and Stanford, teaches at Harvard, and has published a number of influential books on cognition, language, and psychology.
pragmatic
adjective: guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory
Rather than make a philosophical appeal to the Congressmen, the Speaker decided to take a far more pragmatic approach, making small side-deals that would add votes to his bill.
refute
verb: prove to be false or incorrect
No one could refute his theories or propositions, and that is why he was esteemed by all his colleagues in the philosophy department.
denigrate
verb: If you denigrate someone or something, you criticize them unfairly or insult them.
- Count Rumford denigrated the new theory of heat, demonstrating that it was wholly inadequate to explain the observations.
- You shouldn’t denigrate people just because they have different beliefs from you.
intransigent
adjective: unwilling to change one’s beliefs or course of action
Despite many calls for mercy, the judge remained intransigent, citing strict legal precedence.
decorum
noun: propriety in manners and conduct
“You will obey the rules of decorum for this courtroom or spend the night in a jail cell,” said the judge to the prosecutor.
adamant
adjective: refusing to change one’s mind
Civil rights icon Rosa Parks will forever be remembered for adamantly refusing to give up her seat on a public bus–even after the bus driver insisted, she remained rooted in place.
opaque
adjective: not clearly understood or expressed
The meaning of the professor’s new research was opaque to most people, so no one asked any questions.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
pedantic
adjective: If you think someone is pedantic, you mean that they are too concerned with unimportant details or traditional rules, especially in connection with academic subjects.
Professor Thompson was regarded as an expert in his field, but his lectures were utterly pedantic, focused on rigorous details of the most trivial conventions in the field.
ostentatious
adjective: intended to attract notice and impress others; tawdry or vulgar
Matt wanted to buy stone lions for front of the house, but Cynthia convinced him that such a display would be too ostentatious for a modest house in an unassuming neighborhood.
reconcile
verb: make (one thing) compatible with (another)
- It is sometimes difficult to reconcile science and religion.
- It’s difficult to reconcile such different points of view.
underscore
verb: give extra weight to (a communication)
While the hiking instructor agreed that carrying a first aid kit could be a good idea under certain circumstances, he underscored the importance of carrying enough water.
acerbic
adjective: harsh in tone
Most movie critics are acerbic towards summer blockbusters, often referring to them as garbage.
myopic
adjective: lacking foresight or imagination
The company ultimately went out of business because the myopic managers couldn’t predict the changes in their industry.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
tortuous
adjective: marked by repeated turns and bends; not straightforward
Because the logic behind McMahon’s side of the debate was so tortuous, his audience came out either completely confused or, worse, feeling they’d been tricked.
exacting
adjective: requiring and demanding lot of effort, care, or attention:
Though his childhood piano teacher was so exacting, Max is thankful now, as a professional pianist.
soporific
adjective: inducing mental lethargy; sleep inducing
Although the professor is brilliant, his bland monotone gives his lectures a soporific effect.
unscrupulous
adjective: without scruples or principles
In the courtroom, the lawyer was unscrupulous, using every manner of deceit and manipulation to secure a victory for himself.
ignoble
adjective: dishonorable
In 1919, the World Series was rigged–an ignoble act which baseball took decades to recover from.
copious
adjective: in abundant supply
In midsummer, there are copious popsicle stands at the beach; in the winter, there are none.
provincial
adjective: characteristic of a limited perspective; not fashionable or sophisticated
Maggie’s enthusiasm about her high school teams seemed provincial to her college classmates, all of whom were following a nationally ranked college team.
largess
noun: willingness to give money, or money given to poor people by rich people:
Uncle Frank was known for his largess, so his nephew was sad when he did not receive a present for his birthday.
burgeon
verb: grow and flourish
China’s housing market is burgeoning, but some predict that the growth is merely a bubble and will burst much like the U.S. real estate bubble of 2008.
exalt
verb: praise or glorify
The teenagers exalted the rock star, covering their bedrooms with posters of him.
petulant
adjective: easily irritated or annoyed
Although the three year old was often described as mature for his age, he was petulant and whiny whenever his father forgot to remove the crust from his sandwiches.
confound
verb: to cause confusion
Though Harry loved numbers, calculus confounded him.
verb: mistake one thing for another
Americans often confound sweet potatoes with yams, and refer to both vegetables by the same name.
forthcoming
adjective: at ease in talking to others
As a husband, Larry was not forthcoming: if Jill didn’t demand to know details, Larry would never share them with her.
adjective: happening soon:
- We have just received the information about the forthcoming conference.
adjective: produced, supplied, or given:
- No explanation for his absence was forthcoming.
hackneyed
adjective: lacking significance through having been overused
Cheryl rolled her eyes when she heard the lecturer’s hackneyed advice to “be true to yourself.”
idiosyncrasy
noun: a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual
Peggy’s numerous idiosyncrasies include wearing mismatched shoes, laughing loudly to herself, and owning a pet aardvark.
ingratiate
verb: If someone tries to ingratiate themselves with you, they do things to try and make you like them.
Even though Tom didn’t like his new boss, he decided to ingratiate himself to her in order to advance his career.
expound
verb: add details or explanation; clarify the meaning; state in depth
The CEO refused to expound on the decision to merge our department with another one, and so I quit.
contingent
noun: a gathering of persons representative of some larger group
A small contingent of those loyal to the king have gathered around the castle to defend it.
adjective: dependent on (usually used with upon/on)
- Whether the former world champions can win again this year is contingent upon none of its star players getting injured.
- The plans are contingent on extra funding being made available.
indifference
noun: the trait of seeming not to care
- In an effort to fight indifference, the president of the college introduced a new, stricter grading system.
- Many native speakers of a language show indifference to/toward grammatical points.
incorrigible
adjective: impervious to correction by punishment
- Tom Sawyer seems like an incorrigible youth until Huck Finn enters the novel; even Sawyer can’t match his fierce individual spirit.
- an incorrigible liar/rogue
discrete
adjective: constituting a separate entity or part
What was once known as Czechoslovakia has since split into two discrete, independent nations.
espouse
verb: to adopt or support an idea or cause
- As a college student, Charlie espoused Marxism, growing his beard out and railing against the evils of the free-market.
- He espoused conservative political views.
construe
verb: interpreted in a particular way
- The author’s inability to take a side on the issue was construed by both his opponents and supporters as a sign of weakness.
- Any changes to the plan would be construed as indecision.
exonerate
verb: pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
The document clearly indicated that Nick was out of the state at the time of the crime, and so served to exonerate him of any charges.
temperance
noun: the trait of avoiding excesses
Welles wasn’t known for his temperance–he usually ate enough for two and drank enough for three.
abstruse
adjective: difficult to understand; incomprehensible
Physics textbooks can seem so abstruse to the uninitiated that readers feel as though they are looking at hieroglyphics.
eradicate
verb: to completely destroy
I tried eradicating the mosquitos in my apartment with a rolled up newspaper, but there were too many of them.
iconoclastic
adjective: defying tradition or convention
Jackson Pollock was an iconoclastic artist, totally breaking with tradition by splashing paint on a blank canvas.
blatant
adjective: without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious
Allen was often punished in school for blatantly disrespecting teachers.
implausible
adjective: describing a statement that is not believable
The teacher found it implausible that the student was late to school because he had been kidnapped by outlaws on horseback.
apocryphal
adjective: being of questionable authenticity
The web is notorious for sandwiching apocryphal stories between actual news.
aberrant
adjective: markedly different from an accepted norm
When the financial director started screaming and throwing food at his co-workers, the police had to come in to deal with his aberrant behavior.
admonitory
adjective: serving to warn; expressing reproof or reproach especially as a corrective
At the assembly, the high school vice-principal gave the students an admonitory speech, warning them of the many risks and dangers of prom night.
bumbling
adjective: lacking physical movement skills, especially with the hands
Within a week of starting, the bumbling new waiter was unceremoniously fired.
implacable
adjective: incapable of making less angry or hostile
Win or lose, the coach was always implacable, never giving the athletes an easy practice or a break.
laudable
adjective: worthy of high praise
To say that Gandhi’s actions were laudable is the greatest understatement; he overthrew an empire without violence.
