Magoosh - Final Flashcards
feckless
✓ lazy, irresponsible
Two years after graduation, Charlie still lived with his parents and had no job, becoming more feckless with each passing day.
malapropism
✓ confusing
similar words Whenever I looked glum, my mother would offer to share an amusing “antidote” with me—an endearing malapropism of anecdote that never failed to cheer me up.
objurgate
✓ scold severely
The manager spent an hour objurgating the employee in the hopes that he would not make these mistakes again.
Bewildered
to perplex or confuse especially by a complexity, variety, or multitude of objects or considerations.
the change in policy seems to have bewildered many of our customers
hector
✓ bully
The boss’s hectoring manner put off many employees, some of whom quit as soon as they found new jobs.
vilify
✓ speak ill of
Todd was noble after the divorce, choosing to say only complimentary things about Barbara, but Barbara did not hesitate to vilify Todd.
immure
محصور ✓ confine
The modern supermarket experience makes many feel claustrophobic, as they are immured in walls upon walls of products.
exhort
✓ encourage
Nelson’s parents exhorted him to study medicine, urging him to choose a respectable profession; intransigent, Nelson left home to become a graffiti artist.
poignant
✓ emotionally touching
After the Montagues and Capulets discover the dead bodies of Romeo and Juliet, in the play’s most poignant moment, the two griefstricken familes agree to end their feud once and for all.
untoward
✓ inconvenient
Some professors find teaching untoward as having to prepare for lectures and conduct office hours prevents them from focusing on their research.
culpability
✓ state of guilt
Since John had left his banana peel at the top of the stairwell, he accepted culpability for Martha’s broken leg.
anathema
✓ detested person
Hundreds of years ago, Galileo was anathema to the church; today the church is anathema to some on the left side of the political spectrum.
graft
✓ corruption
In countries with rampant graft, getting a driver’s license can require no more than paying an official.
buck
✓ resist
The profits at our firm bucked the general downturn that affected the real estate industry.
unprepossessing
Unremarkable prepossessing having qualities that people like : appealing or attractive ✓ unremarkable
World leaders coming to meet Gandhi would expect a towering sage, and often would be surprised by the unprepossessing little man dressed only in a loincloth and shawl.
Flux
✓ uncertainty
Ever since Elvira resigned as the head of marketing, everything about our sales strategy has been in a state of flux.
semblance
✓ misleading appearance While the banker maintained a semblance of respectability in public, those who knew him well were familiar with his many crimes.
stultify
✓ sap enthusiasmيفسد، يسفه، يسخر
As an undergraduate Mark felt stultified by classes outside his area of study; only in grad school, in which he could focus solely on literary analysis, did he regain his scholarly edge.
tenacious
✓ not giving up Even the most tenacious advocates for gun ownership must admit some of the dangers that firearms present.
litany
1a long list of problems, excuses etc – used to show disapproval Mr. Rogers spoke to a Senate committee and did not give a litany of reasons to keep funding the program, but instead, appealed to the basic human decency of all present.
guffaw
✓ laugh loudly Whenever the jester fell to the ground in mock pain, the king guffawed, exposing his yellow, fang-like teeth.
choleric
✓ easily angered
While a brilliant lecturer, Mr. Dawson came across as choleric and unapproachable—very rarely did students come to his office hours
internecine
internecine fighting or struggles happen between members of the same group or nation: The guerilla group, which had become so powerful as to own the state police, was finally destroyed by an internecine conflict.
proselytize
to try to persuade people to join a religion, cause, or group
Lisa loves her Mac but says little about it; by contrast, Jake will proselytize, interrogating anyone with an Android about why she didn’t purchase an iPhone.
vaunt
يتبجح ✓ boasted about
For years, Mark talked up his Ping Pong game, yet when he entered the office tournament, his much vaunted skills suddenly failed him and he lost all three games he played.
duress
✓ compulsory force
The witness said he signed the contract under duress and argued that the court should cancel the agreement.
saturnine
✓ gloomy 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.
untrammeled
✓ not limited
The whole notion of living untrammeled inspired the American Revolution and was enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
inclement
قاسٍ ؛ وَحْشِيّ
glut
excessive supply The Internet offers such a glut of news related stories that many find it difficult to know which story to read first
quail
تَهَيَّبَ مِمَّا لَا يُخَاف ؛ جَبُن ؛ ضَعُف قَلْبُه ؛ كان جَبَانا
✓ draw back in fear
Craig always claimed to be a fearless outdoorsman, but when the thunderstorm engulfed the valley, he quailed at the thought of leaving the safety of his cabin.
staunch
مخلص و وفي ✓ dependable
No longer a staunch supporter of Anarchism, Terry now sometimes questions whether society would be better off without defined hierarchies.
circumscribe
✓ restrict within limits
Their tour of South America was circumscribed so that they saw only popular destinations and avoided the dangerous parts of cities.
jejune
✓ immature غير ممتع؛ ضحل؛
Although many top chefs have secured culinary foam’s popularity in haute cuisine, Waters criticizes it for being jejune and unfilling.
promulgate
✓ officially make known
The President wanted to promulgate the success of the treaty negotiations, but he had to wait until Congress formally approved the agreement.
peevish
✓ irritable
Our office manager is peevish, so the rest of us tip-toe around him, hoping not to set off another one of his fits.
schadenfreude
شاودنفرويده
A feeling of enjoyment that comes from seeing or hearing about the trouble of others
✓ joy in others’ suffering From his warm apartment window, Stanley reveled in schadenfreude as he laughed at the figures below, huddled together in the arctic chill.
infelicitous
✓ inappropriate غير لبق؛غير موفّق
During the executive meeting, the marketing director continued to make infelicitous comments about the CEO’s gambling habit.
wanton
✓ showing no limits عابث، مفرط، فاسق، فاجر، مستهتر
Due to wanton behavior and crude language, the drunk man was thrown out of the bar and asked to never return.
aboveboard
✓ honest
The mayor, despite his avuncular face plastered about the city, was hardly aboveboard – some concluded that it was his ingratiating smile that allowed him to engage in corrupt behavior and get away with it.
dispensation
✓ exemption Since her father is a billionaire, she is given dispensation from many of the school’s policies.
moot
✓ irrelevant Since the Board just terminated Steve as the CEO, the finance committee’s opinion of his marketing plan for next year is now moot.
incumbent
✓ necessary Middle managers at times make important decisions, but real responsibility for the financial well-being of the corporation is ultimately incumbent on the CEO.
Harried
feeling strained as a result of having demands persistently made on one; harassed.
“harried reporters are frequently forced to invent what they cannot find out”
intimate
Hint
at At first Manfred’s teachers intimated to his parents that he was not suited to skip a grade; when his parents protested, teachers explicitly told them that, notwithstanding the boy’s precocity, he was simply too immature to jump to the 6th grade.
besmirch
✓ dishonor The prince’s distasteful choice of words besmirched not only his own name, but the reputation of the entire royal family.
Pollyannaish
✓ overly optimistic Even in the midst of a lousy sales quarter, Debbie remained Pollyannaish, never losing her shrill voice and wide smile, even when prospective customers hung up on her.
caviled
Make complaint over trivial things.
It is nice to read a movie review in which the critic raves about the entire film and does not cavil about a trivial flaw in the plot.
atavism
: recurrence of or reversion to a past style, manner, outlook, approach, or activity Much of the modern art movement was an atavism to a style of art found only in small villages through Africa and South America.
derelict
مهمل ✓ avoiding duties The teacher was derelict in her duties because she hadn’t graded a single student paper in three weeks.
deign
يتنازل ✓ stoop to The master of the house never deigned to answer questions from the servants.
disenfranchised
deprive (someone) of the right to vote. “the law disenfranchised some 3,000 voters on the basis of a residence qualification” deprived of power; marginalized. “a hard core of kids who are disenfranchised and don’t feel connected to the school” deprive (someone) of a right or privilege. “a measure that would disenfranchise people from access to legal advice”
factitious
✓ artificial The defendant’s story was largely factitious and did not accord with eyewitness testimonies
glib
✓ insincere I have found that the more glib the salesman, the worse the product.
parvenu
an insulting word for someone from a low social position who has suddenly become rich and powerful. upstart The theater was full of parvenus who each thought that they were surrounded by true aristocrats.
demure
modest, shy The portrait of her in a simple white blouse was sweet and demure.
goad
✓ aggressively urge on Doug did not want to enter the race, but Jim, through a steady stream of taunts, goaded him into signing up for it.
remonstrate
✓ forcefully protest The mothers of the kidnapped victims remonstrated to the rogue government, claiming that the detention violated human rights.
abrogate
As part of the agreement between the labor union and the company, the workers abrogated their right to strike for four years in exchange for better health insurance.
broadside
✓ verbal attack Political broadsides are usually strongest in the weeks leading up to a national election.
piquant
✓ pungent in taste The chef, with a mere flick of the salt shaker, turned the bland tomato soup into a piquant meal.
pontificate
✓ speak pompously The vice-president would often pontificate about economic theory, as if no one else in the room were qualified to speak on the topic.
cogent
✓ convincing A cogent argument will change the minds of even the most skeptical audience.
apotheosis
✓ height of development تأليه وتمجيد As difficult as it is to imagine, the apotheosis of Mark Zuckerberg’s career, many believe, is yet to come.
unstinting
very generous used to say that someone gives something (such as praise or support) in a very strong and generous way Helen is unstinting with her time, often spending hours at the house of a sick friend.
maladroit
Mal - Adroit ✓ clumsy As a child she was quite maladroit, but as an adult, she has become an adept dancer.
superfluous
✓ more than necessary How can we hope to stay open if we don’t eliminate all superfluous spending, like catered meetings and free acupucture Tuesday?
glean
✓ collect Herb has given us no formal statement about his background, but from various hints, I have gleaned that he grew up in difficult circumstances.
coterminous
having the same or coincident boundaries : مجاور
coextensive in scope or duration The border of the state is coterminous with geographic limits on travel; the east and north are surrounded by a nearly uncrossable river and the south by a desert.
checkered
✓ disreputable One by one, the presidential candidates dropped out of the race, their respective checkered pasts— from embezzlement to infidelity—sabotaging their campaigns.
excoriate
✓ criticize harshly Entrusted with the prototype to his company’s latest smartphone, Larry, during a late night karaoke bout, let the prototype slip into the hands of a rival company—the next day Larry was excoriated, and then fired.
bilious
✓ grumpy Rex was bilious all morning, and his face would only take on a look of contentedness when he’d had his morning cup of coffee.
consummate
showing a high degree of skill and flair; complete or perfect.
“she dressed with consummate elegance”
synonyms:supreme,superb,superlative,superior,accomplished,expert,proficient,skillful,skilled,masterly,master,first-class,talented,gifted,polished,practiced,perfect,ultimate;More
Gargantuan
Huge»_space; Donald Trump
Stupendous
Huge»_space; Again
behoove
ينبغي، يتوجب ✓ be one’s duty The teacher looked down at the student and said, It would behoove you to be in class on time and complete your homework, so that you don’t repeat freshman English for a third straight year.
Canard
Rumor
frivolous
✓ not serious Compared to Juliet’s passionate concern for human rights, Jake’s non-stop concern about football seems somewhat frivolous.
abstruse
Incomprehensible Physics textbooks can seem so abstruse to the uninitiated that readers feel as though they are looking at hieroglyphics.
bridle
✓ restrain New curfew laws have bridled people’s tendency to go out at night.
fractious
✓ irritable We rarely invite my fractious Uncle Nino over for dinner; he always complains about the food, and usually launches into a tirade on some touchy subject.
bumbling
✓ clumsy Within a week of starting, the bumbling new waiter was unceremoniously fired.
umbrage
امتعاض ، إساءة ✓ offense Since he was so in love with her, he took umbrage at her comments, even though she had only meant to gently tease him.
conflate
✓ mix together In her recent book, the author conflates several genres–the detective story, the teen thriller, and the vampire romance–to create a memorable read.
macabre
✓ gruesome رهيب ومروع
Edgar Allen Poe was considered the master of the macabre; his stories vividly describe the moment leading up to—and often those moments after—a grisly death.
embroiled
✓ in an argument to involve someone or something in a difficult situation These days we are never short of a D.C. politician embroiled in scandal—a welcome phenomenon for those who, having barely finished feasting on the sordid details of one imbroglio, can sink their teeth into a fresh one.
subdued
soft and restrained.
qualm
✓ uneasiness While he could articulate no clear reason why Harkner’s plan would fail, he nevertheless felt qualms about committing any resources to it.
tantamount
equivalent in seriousness to; virtually the same as.
“the resignations were tantamount to an admission of guilt”
synonyms:equivalent to,equal to,as good as,more or less,much the same as,comparable to,on a par with,commensurate with
“this istantamount tomutiny”
gumption
ذكاء والمعية Wallace Stegner lamented the lack of gumption in the U.S. during the sixties, claiming that no young person knew the value of work.
arriviste
: one that is a new and uncertain arrival (as in social position or artistic endeavor The city center was aflutter with arrivistes who each tried to outdo one another with their ostentatious sports cars and chic evening dress.
contingent
✓ small group A small contingent of those loyal to the king have gathered around the castle to defend it.
finagle
✓ get through trickery Steven was able to finagle one of the last seats on the train by convincing the conductor that his torn stub was actually a valid ticket.
feckless
✓ lazy, irresponsible Two years after graduation, Charlie still lived with his parents and had no job, becoming more feckless with each passing day.
incorrigible
✓ not reformable عنيد
Tom Sawyer seems like an incorrigible youth until Huck Finn enters the novel; even Sawyer can’t match his fierce individual spirit.
renege
✓ go back on
We will no longer work with that vendor since it has reneged on nearly every agreement.
furtive
✓ stealthy, secretive
While at work, George and his boss Regina felt the need to be as furtive as possible about their romantic relationship.
simulacrum
✓ bad imitation
The Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center showcases a simulacrum of all the present and approved buildings in the city of Shanghai.
devolve
✓ delegate
The company was full of managers known for devolving tasks to lower management, but never doing much work themselves.
chortle
✓ laugh merrily
Walking into the cafe, I could hear happy, chortling people and smell the rich aroma of roasted coffee beans.
desideratum
✓ necessity
The desideratum of the environmental group is that motorists should rely on carpooling.
appurtenant
✓ supporting
In hiking Mt. Everest, sherpas are appurtenant, helping climbers both carry gear and navigate treacherous paths.
cavalier
✓ not caring
Percy dismissed the issue with a cavalier wave of his hand.
sangfroid
✓ poise under pressure
The hostage negotiator exhibited a sangfroid that oftentimes was more menacing than the sword at his throat, or the gun at his head.
underwrite
✓ support financially
The latest symphony broadcast was made possible with underwriting from the Carnegie Endowment.
fete
✓ celebrate a person
After World War II, war heroes were feted at first but quickly forgotten.
entrenched
fixed firmly
By the time we reach 60-years old, most of our habits are so entrenched that it is difficult for us to change.
expansive
✓ sociable
After a few sips of cognac, the octogenarian shed his irascible demeanor and became expansive, speaking fondly of the “good old days”.
doughty
brave, bold
I enjoy films in which a doughty group comes together to battle a force of evil.
raillery
✓ light teasing
friendly joking about someone:
The new recruit was not bothered by the raillery, finding most of it light-hearted and good-natured.
redoubtable
someone who is redoubtable is a person you respect or fear:
He had never met a more redoubtable fighter.
smattering
✓ small amount
I know only a smattering of German, but Helen is able to read German newspapers and converse with natives.
pillory
✓ ridicule publicly
After the candidate confessed, the press of the opposing party took the opportunity to pillory him, printing editorials with the most blatantly exaggerated accusations.
المُشَهِّرَة:
آلة خشبية للتعذيب تُدخل فيها يداالمجروم ورأسه.
polemic
✓ verbal attack
The professor launched into a polemic, claiming that Freudian theory was a pack of lies that absolutely destroyed European literary theory.
sordid
✓ morally questionable
The nightly news simply announced that the senator had had an affair, but the tabloid published all the sordid details of the interaction.
pyrrhic
✓ of a costly victory
George W. Bush’s win in the 2000 election was in many ways a pyrrhic victory: the circumstances of his win alienated half of the U.S. population.
posit
✓ assume as fact
Initially, Einstein posited a repulsive force to balance Gravity, but then rejected that idea as a blunder.
Enjoin
✓ prohibit
The government agency enjoined chemical companies from dumping chemical waste that had not been first securely stored in specially marked containers.
eke
1eke out a living/ existence
to manage to live with very little money or food:
They eke out a miserable existence in cardboard shacks.
Stranded in a cabin over the winter, Terry was able to eke out an existence on canned food.
travail
✓ hard work
While they experienced nothing but travails in refinishing the kitchen, they completed the master bedroom in less than a weekend.
exegesis
✓ critical analysis
The Bible is fertile ground for exegesis—over the past five centuries there have been as many interpretations as there are pages in the Old Testament.
peremptory
✓ bossy
My sister used to peremptorily tell me to do the dishes, a chore I would either do perfunctorily or avoid doing altogether.
mendacity
mendacity
✓ deceit
I can forgive her for her mendacity but only because she is a child and is seeing what she can get away with.
benighted
✓ ignorant
Far from being a period of utter benightedness, The Medieval Ages produced some great works of theological speculation.
rakish
✓ disreputable
As soon as he arrived in the city, the rakish young man bought some drugs and headed straight for the seedy parts of town.
subversive
✓ opposing authority
The ruling political party has begun a campaign to shut down subversive websites that it deems as a threat to national safety.
hamstrung
✓ made powerless
The FBI has made so many restrictions on the local police that they are absolutely hamstrung, unable to accomplish anything.
venial
✓ pardonable
His traffic violations ran the gamut from the venial to the egregious—on one occasion he simply did not come to a complete stop; another time he tried to escape across state lines at speeds in excess of 140 mph.
obtrusive
noticeable in an unpleasant or annoying way
mischievous
1someone who is mischievous likes to have fun, especially by playing tricks on people or doing things to annoy or embarrass them:
Their sons are noisy and mischievous.
mischievous smile/ look etc
Gabby looked at him with a mischievous grin.
There was a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
haste
Great speed in doing something, especially because you do not have enough time
I soon regretted my haste.
in your haste to do something
In his haste to leave, he forgot his briefcase.
forswear
to stop doing something or promise that you will stop doing something
SYN renounce
We are forswearing the use of chemical weapons for any reason.
Amulet
a small piece of jewellery worn to protect against bad luck, disease etc حرز
allay
allay (somebody’s) fear/ concern/ suspicion etc
to make someone feel less afraid, worried etc:
The president made a statement to allay public anxiety.
Beset
make someone experience serious problems or dangers:
beset somebody with/ by something
The business has been beset with financial problems.
the injuries which have beset the team all season
harbinger
a sign that something is going to happen soon:
harbinger of
These birds are considered to be harbingers of doom.
Word origin
portend
to be a sign that something is going to happen, especially something bad:
strange events that portend disaster
Word origin
presage
to be a sign that something is going to happen, especially something bad:
The large number of moderate earthquakes that have occurred recently could presage a larger quake soon.
pester
to annoy someone, especially by asking them many times to do something➔ harass:
She’d been pestered by reporters for days.
relent
to change your attitude and become less strict or cruel towards someone
SYN give in
At last her father relented and came to visit her.
underpin
to give strength or support to something and to help it succeed:
the theories that underpin his teaching method
America’s wealth is underpinned by a global system which exploits the world’s poor.
brace
something that is used to strengthen or support something, or to make it stiff:
The miners used special braces to keep the walls from collapsing.
debutante
a young rich upper-class woman who starts going to fashionable events as a way of being introduced to upper-class society
upbraid
o tell someone angrily that they have done something wrong
chide
to tell someone that you do not approve of something that they have done or said
SYN scold
‘Edward, you are naughty,’ Dorothy chided.
barricade
a temporary wall or fence across a road, door etc that prevents people from going through:
The fans were kept back behind barricades.
strife
trouble between two or more people or groups
sapient
Very wise
banquet
a formal dinner for many people on an important occasion:
a state banquet (=one attended by heads of government and other important people)
2a large and impressive meal
forlorn
✓ hopeless
After her third pet dog died, Marcia was simply forlorn: this time even the possibility of buying a new dog no longer held any joy.
indignant
✓ angry
When the cyclist swerved into traffic, it forced the driver to brake and elicited an indignant shout of Hey, punk, watch where you’re going!
importuned
✓ asked persistently
After weeks of importuning the star to meet for a five-minute interview, the journalist finally got what she wanted.
splenetic
✓ highly irritable
Ever since the car accident, Frank has been unable to walk without a cane, and so he has become splenetic and unpleasant to be around.
aphoristic
✓ concise, true
Sometimes I can’t stand Nathan because he tries to impress everyone by being aphoristic, but he just states the obvious.
arch
✓ teasing
The baroness was arch, making playful asides to the townspeople; yet because they couldn’t pick up on her dry humor, they thought her supercilious.
factious
causing dissension
The controversial bill proved factious, as dissension even within parties resulted
slapdash
hastily put together
The office building had been constructed in a slapdash manner, so it did not surprise officials when, during a small earthquake, a large crack emerged on the façade of the building.
derisive
✓ full of ridicule
I was surprised by her derisive tone; usually, she is sweet, soft spoken, and congenial.
chary
cautious
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.
picayune
trifling, petty
English teachers are notorious for being picayune; however, the English language is so nuanced and sophisticated that often such teachers are not being contrary but are only adhering to the rules.
perplexity
the feeling of being confused or worried by something you cannot understand
clique
a small group of people who think they are special and do not want other people to join them – used to show disapproval:
clique of
a ruling clique of officials
the cliques formed by high school students
inscrutable
✓ unfathomable
His speech was so dense and confusing that many in the audience found it inscrutable.
Lambast
✓ criticize severely
Showing no patience, the manager utterly lambasted the sales team that lost the big account.
overweening
extremely proud
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.
blinkered
1having a limited view of a subject, or refusing to accept or consider different ideas
SYN narrow-minded:
a blinkered attitude/ approach
a blinkered attitude to other cultures
In gambling, the addict is easily blinkered by past successes and/or past failures, forgetting that the outcome of any one game is independent of the games that preceded it.
carping
✓ fault-finding
What seemed like incessant nagging and carping about my behavior from my mother turned out to be wise and useful advice that has served me well.
contrive
1formal to succeed in doing something in spite of difficulties:
contrive to do something
Schindler contrived to save more than 1,000 Polish Jews from the Nazis.
2to arrange an event or situation in a clever way, especially secretly or by deceiving people:
The lawsuit says oil companies contrived the oil shortage in the 1970s.
✓ pull off a scheme
Despite a low GPA, he contrived to get into college, going so far as to write his own glowing letters of recommendation.
palimpsest
something reused
The downtown was a palimpsest of the city’s checkered past: a new Starbucks had opened up next to an abandoned, shuttered building, and a freshly asphalted road was inches away from a pothole large enough to swallow a small dog.
hagiographic
✓ idealizing a subject
Most accounts of Tiger Woods life were hagiographic, until, that is, his affairs made headlines.
insolvent
✓ bankrupt
With credit card bills skyrocketing, a shockingly large number of Americans are truly insolvent.
Tycoon
someone who is successful in business or industry and has a lot of money and power:
Jermiad
a long speech or piece of writing that complains about a situation, or says that bad things will happen
Mulish
refusing to do something or agree to something, in an unreasonable way
SYN stubborn
Candor
Candid
portentous
✓ prophetic
When the captain and more than half the officers were sick on the very first night of the voyage, many of the passengers felt this was portentous, but the rest of the voyage continued without any problems.
nonplussed
✓ unsure how to act
Shirley was totally nonplussed when the angry motorist cut her off and then stuck his finger out the window.
Drivel
something that is said or written that is silly or does not mean anything:
Don’t talk such drivel!
Argot
expressions used by a particular group of people
SYN jargon
teenage argot
Faux pas فو با
an embarrassing mistake in a social situation
Bashful
easily embarrassed in social situations
SYN shy
a bashful grin
Don’t be bashful about telling people how you feel.
Caper
To jump around and play in a happy excited way
Cavort
To jump or dance around in ta playful or sexual way
Frolic
Gambol, cavort, caper
Cozen
To humbug, to deceive
Inaugural
an inaugural speech is the first given by someone who is starting an important job:
the president’s inaugural address
the inaugural lecture of the new Professor of American Literature
Impetus
1an influence that makes something happen or makes it happen more quickly:
impetus for
The report may provide further impetus for reform.
The discovery gave fresh impetus to the research.
Clod
Boorish, lout
Falter
1[intransitive]to become weaker and unable to continue in an effective way:
The economy is showing signs of faltering.
My mother’s grip upon the household never faltered.
2[intransitive and transitive]to speak in a voice that sounds weak and uncertain, and keeps stopping:
Laurie’s voice faltered as she tried to thank him.
‘I can’t,’ she faltered.
3[intransitive]to become less certain and determined that you want to do something:
We must not falter in our resolve.
Intricate
containing many small parts or details that all work or fit together➔ complex:
intricate patterns
—intricately adv:
intricately woven fabric
Penniless
Destitute
extenuating
making less guilty
The jury was hardly moved by the man’s plea that his loneliness was an extenuating factor in his crime of dognapping a prized pooch.
arrant
✓ utter
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.
used to emphasize how bad something is:
What arrant nonsense!
foible
✓ small weakness
When their new roommate sat staring at an oak tree for an hour, Marcia thought it indicated a mental problem, but Jeff assured her it was a harmless foible.
harried
✓ troubled persistently
With a team of new hires to train, Martha was constantly harried with little questions and could not focus on her projects.
insouciance
lack of concern Surprisingly, Hank had become a high-powered CEO; his high school friends remembered him as Hanky Panky, who shrugged off each failed class with insouciance.
virago
an offensive word for an angry woman who often argues with people.
Screaming woman
Poor Billy was the victim of the virago’s invective—she railed at him for a good 30-minutes about how he is the scum of the earth for speaking loudly on his cellphone in public.
propitiate
✓ appease
The two sons, plying their angry father with cheesy neckties for Christmas, were hardly able to propitiate him – the father already had a drawer full of ones he had never worn before or ever planned to.
spurn
✓ reject with contempt
She spurned all his flattery and proposals, and so he walked off embarrassed and sad.
remiss
✓ be negligent
Remiss in his duty to keep the school functioning efficiently, the principal was relieved of his position after only three months.
repudiate
✓ deny as untrue
Many in the public believed the rumors of a UFO crash outside town, so the chief of police did everything he could to repudiate the rumors.
Ferret
to search for something that is lost or hidden among a lot of things or inside a drawer, box etc
perquisite
something that you get legally from your work in addition to your wages, such as goods, meals, or a car:
parochial
✓ narrow-minded
Jasmine was sad to admit it, but her fledgling relationship with Jacob did not work out because his culinary tastes were simply too parochial; After all, she quipped on her blog, he considered Chef Boyardee ethnic food.
agrarian
relating to farming or farmers:
Ignominy
an event or situation that makes you feel ashamed or embarrassed, especially in public
Gastronomic
relating to the art of cooking good food or the pleasure of eating it:
the gastronomic delights of Thailand
Feint
a movement or an attack that is intended to deceive an opponent, especially in boxing
Ruse
a clever trick used to deceive someone:
Agnes tried to think of a ruse to get Paul out of the house.
Blemish
to spoil the beauty or appearance of something, so that it is not perfect➔ unblemished
Masquerade
a way of behaving or speaking that hides your true thoughts or feelings
SYN pretence
She didn’t really love him, but she kept up the masquerade for the children’s sake.
Lewd
using rude words or movements that make you think of sex:
lewd comments
Declamatory
declamatory speech or writing expresses feelings and opinions very strongly:
a declamatory style
Acquit
to give a decision in a court of law that someone is not guilty of a crime:
All the defendants were acquitted.
acquit somebody of something
The judge directed the jury to acquit Phillips of the murder.
Flippant
not being serious about something that other people think you should be serious about:
a rather flippant remark
flippant about
You shouldn’t be flippant about such things.
Clutter
1to cover or fill a space or room with too many things, so that it looks very untidy:
Piles of books and papers cluttered his desk.
be cluttered (up) with something
The walls were cluttered with paintings and prints.
2to fill your mind with a lot of different things:
the everyday tasks that clutter our lives
Bewail
To grieve
dudgeon
an angry or offended way – often used humorously
Parsimonious
extremely unwilling to spend money
rivalry
a situation in which two or more people, teams, or companies are competing for something, especially over a long period of time, and the feeling of competition between them➔ competition:
rivalry between
There has always been intense rivalry between New Zealand and Australia.
The two players have developed a friendly rivalry.
Mordant
unkind and insulting humour etc that is also funny
SYN biting
The play’s mordant comedy makes for compelling viewing.
Word origin
✓ biting, caustic
While Phil frequently made mordant remarks about company policy overall, he always was considerably gentler in discussing any person in particular.
Ignominious
✓ disgraceful حقير ومذل
Since the politician preached ethics and morality, his texting of revealing photographs was ignominious, bringing shame on both himself and his party.
rankle
✓ get under one’s skin
His constant whistling would rankle her, sometimes causing her to leave in a huff.
inveterate
✓ habitual
He is an inveterate smoker and has told his family and friends that there is no way he will ever quit.
spurious
✓ fake
When listening to a politician speak, it is hard to distinguish the spurious claims from the authentic ones.
reprobate
✓ unprincipled person
Those old reprobates drinking all day down by the river–they are not going to amount to much.
incisive
✓ highly analytical
The lawyer had an incisive mind, able in a flash to dissect a hopelessly tangled issue and isolate the essential laws at play.
parsimonious
✓ miserly
Katie is so parsimonious that she only buys a pair of socks if all of her other socks have holes in them.
propitious
✓ favorable
The child’s heartbeat is still weak, but I am seeing many propitious signs and I think that she may be healing.
gossamer
✓ delicate
The gossamer wings of a butterfly, which allow it to fly, are also a curse, so delicate that they are often damaged.
restive
✓ restless
The crowd grew restive as the comedian’s opening jokes fell flat.
execrate
✓ curse, hiss at
Though the new sitcom did decently in the ratings, Nelson railed against the show, saying that it was nothing more than an execrable pastiche of tired cliché’s and canned laughter.
travesty
✓ mockery
What I expected to be an intelligent, nuanced historical documentary turned out to be a poorly-produced travesty of the form.
galvanize
✓ urge into action
At mile 23 of his first marathon, Kyle had all but given up, until he noticed his friends and family holding a banner that read, “Go Kyle”; galvanized, he broke into a gallop, finishing the last three miles in less than 20 minutes.
aptitude
Natural ability or skill, especially in learning:
aptitude for
He has a natural aptitude for teaching.
Aptitude test
a test that measures your natural skills or abilities
menace
A threatening quality, feeling, or way of behaving
Why should the success of the children of Asian doctors, nurtured by teachers, be reassuring to a black boy in Baltimore who is raised by a struggling single mom, whom society regards as a potential menace?
scapegoat
2 a : one that bears the blame for others
Although there is no established connection between autism and murder, some eagerly leapt to causality and scapegoating.
Perplexity
state of being very confused because something is difficult to understand
: something that is confusing and difficult to understand
Such prejudice arises in part from confusion about autism, which manifests in a multiplicity of symptoms, making generalizations difficult. Some people with autism cannot easily guess what other people are thinking, and therefore act without socially appropriate nuance. This perplexity is often conflated, unfairly, with lack of emotional empathy or even unkindness.
gamut
Entire range
Autistic people run the same gamut as other people: Some are kinder than others.
Imbecile
someone who is very stupid or behaves very stupidly
George Constanta imbecile niece
recuperate
to return to normal health or strength after being sick, injured,
surmount
To succeed in dealing with a problem or difficulty
Depose
ينحي ويعزل من الملك والرئاسة
Herald
مبشر، رسول و نذير ، وتوصف الشيئ انه مبشر- فيه بشرى
Stout
Thick
The plant has a stout stem.
stout legs
a stout neck
Motly
made up of many different people or things
Full
متعدد الألوان متنافر
Artifact
أداة؛ شئ من صنع الانسان أو من نتاج براعتة نتاج صنعى أو اصطناعى؛ شَيْءٌ من صُنْعِ الإِنْسان
Artifice
Tricky, deception
Garland
أكليل ، يكلل
Deification
تقديس وتأليه
Appropriate
خصص
Discretion
التمييز
Alloy
Fusion of two or more materials
Iniquity
sin or wrong doing
Expunge
erase
When I turned 18, all of the shoplifting and jaywalking charges were expunged from my criminal record.
squander
waste بدد ، فرط ، بعثر
Fearing his money would be squandered by his family, he gave all of it to charity when he died.
chagrin
dismay غم وكدر
annoyance and disappointment because something has not happened the way you hoped
Much to the timid writer’s chagrin, the audience chanted his name until he came back on the stage.
gambit
✓ scheme مناورة
Randy played a gambit, telling his boss that he would leave at the end of the week if he didn’t get a raise.
antic
grotesque تصرف شاذ وغريب
behaviour that seems strange, funny, silly, or annoying
The clown’s antic act was too extreme for the youngest children, who left the room in tears.
Resignation
accepting the unpleasant
Since Jack could not think of a convincing reason why he had to miss the seminar, he attended it with a sense of resignation.
Ingenuity
cleverness
Daedalus was famous for his ingenuity; he was able to fashion his son Icarus with a pair of wings, using wax to hold them togethe
powwow
✓ conference
Before the team takes the field, the coach always calls for a powwow so that he can make sure all the players are mentally in the right place.
capitulate
✓ surrender
Paul, losing 19-0 in a ping-pong match against his nimble friend, basically capitulated when he played the last two points with his eyes closed.
hubris
✓ excessive pride
Bill Clinton was criticized for his hubris, since he believed he could get away with anything once in the White House.
Moment
importance
Despite the initial hullabaloo, the play was of no great moment in Hampton’s writing career, and within a few years the public quickly forgot his foray into theater art
chimera
✓ illusion
Many believe that a world free of war is a chimera—a dream that ignores humanity’s violent tendencies.
dolorous
sorrowful
Chopin’s ballades are filled with sharp changes in moods–a dolorous melody can give way to a lighthearted tempo.
tempestuous
intensely emotional عاصف
Chuck and Kathy had always been stable and agreeable people on their own, but when they got involved, it was a tempestuous relationship.
precarious
✓ dangerous
People smoke to relax and forget their cares, but ironically, in terms of health risks, smoking is far more precarious than either mountain-climbing or skydiving.
charlatan
Con artist
Ray Kurzweil is no charlatan. He writes about immortality because he truly believes in it—not just to sell expensive magazines.
transmute
✓ alter in form
One of the goals of alchemy was to find the substance or process that would transmute lead into gold.
incessant
not stopping متتابع متتالي متلاحق
I don’t mind small children in brief doses, but I think the incessant exposure that their parents have to them would quickly wear me down.
surreptitious
سِرّيّ؛مختَلَس؛زائف؛مُسْتَسِرّ؛عاملٌخِلسة
stealthy
Since his mom was a light sleeper, Timmy had to tiptoe surreptitiously through the entire house, careful to not make the floors creak, until he at last was able to enjoy his plunder: a box of chocolate chip cookies.
deride
يسخرمن؛يهزأ
put down
The nun derided the students for trying to sneak insects and worms into the classroom.
disparate
تفاوُت؛تبايُن
With the advent of machines capable of looking inside the brain, fields as disparate as religion and biology have been brought together by scientists trying to understand what happens in the brain when people have a religious experience.
unimpeachable
موثوق:
لايرقىإليهالشكّأوالاتّهاء.
✓ blameless
After his long and unimpeachable service to the company, Sharat felt that a gold watch was a slap in the face rather than an honor.
smug
أنيق؛نظيف؛معتدّبنفسِهِ.
✓ self-satisfied
When Phil was dating the model, he had a smug attitude that annoyed his buddies.
dilapidated
خَرِب؛مُتهدّم.
✓ run down
The main house has been restored but the gazebo is still dilapidated and unuseable.
retiring
✓ shy
Nelson was always the first to leave soirees—rather than mill about with “fashionable” folk, he was retiring, and preferred the solitude of his garret.
malfeasance
misconduct ارتكاب عمل محظور
Not even the mayor’s trademark pearly-toothed grin could save him from charges of malfeasance: while in power, he’d been running an illegal gambling ring in the room behind his office.
pundit
مثقف
hauteur
✓ extreme pride استكبار وخيلاء
As soon as she won the lottery, Alice began displaying a hauteur to her friends, calling them dirty-clothed peasants behind their backs.
mellifluous
sweet-sounding
Chelsea’s grandmother thought Franz Schubert’s music to be the most mellifluous ever written; Chelsea demurred, and to her grandmother’s chagrin, would blast Rihanna on the home stereo speakers.
verisimilitude
✓ appearance of truth
All bad novels are bad for numerous reasons; all good novels are good for their verisimilitude of reality, placing the readers in a world that resembles the one they know.
subterfuge
✓ deceit حيلة ذريعة
Finally deciding to abandon all subterfuge, Arthur revealed to Cindy everything about his secret affair over the past two years.
reprisal
✓ retaliatory action
The Old Testament doctrine of an eye for an eye is not the kind of retaliation practiced in war; rather, an arm, a leg, and both ears are the reprisal for the smallest scratch.
ethereal
Extremely delicate رقيق
Because she dances with an ethereal style, ballet critics have called her Madame Butterfly.
obstreperous
✓ noisily defiant صاخب، صعب المراس
When the teacher asked the obstreperous student simply to bus his tray, the student threw the entire tray on the floor, shouted an epithet, and walked out.
moribund
about to die
Whether you like it or not, jazz as a genre is moribund at best, possibly already dead.
chastise
scold
Though chastised for eating the snacks for the party, Lawrence shrugged off his mother’s harsh words, and continued to plow through jars of cookies and boxes of donuts.
tender
offer up formally
The government was loath to tender more money in the fear that it might set off inflation.
browbeat
✓ boss around, bully يرهب
During the interrogation, the suspect was browbeaten into signing a false confession.
inkling
vague sense
Lynne speaks four Romance languages, but she doesn’t have an inkling about how East Asian languages are structured.
enormity
فداحة شناعة
great wickedness
The enormity of Pol Pot’s regime is hard to capture in words–within months hundreds of thousands of Cambodians lost their lives.
tout
فداحة شناعة
great wickedness
The enormity of Pol Pot’s regime is hard to capture in words–within months hundreds of thousands of Cambodians lost their lives.
hobble
hold back
Bad weather has hobbled rescue efforts, making it difficult for crews to find bodies in the wreckage.
impetuous
rash
Herbert is rarely impetuous, but on the spur of the moment, he spent thousands of dollars on a motorcycle today.
complicit
✓ taking part in
While the grand jury cleared the senator of all criminal charges, in the public mind he was still complicit in the corruption.
vacuous
✓ lacking intelligence
فارغ ابله
To the journalist’s pointed question, the senator gave a vacuous response, mixing a few of his overall campaign slogans with platitudes and completely avoiding the controversial subject of the question.
discursive
استطرادي
✓ tangential
Many readers find it tough to read Moby Dick since the author is discursive, often cutting the action short to spend 20 pages on the history of a whale.
snide
✓ indirectly mocking
The chairman interpreted Taylor’s question about promotions as a snide remark, but in all innocence Taylor was trying to figure out the company’s process.
amok
frenzied
to get out of control and cause a lot of problems
Wherever the bowl haircut teen-idol went, his legions of screaming fans ran through the streets amok, hoping for a glance at his boyish face.
flounder
✓ struggle
Sylvia has excelled at advanced calculus, but ironically, when she has deal with taxes, she flounders.
impugn
يشكك
✓ call into question
Though many initially tried to impugn Darwin’s theory, in scientific circles today, the idea is taken as truth.
incense
✓ make furious
When Herb bought football tickets for a game on the day of their wedding anniversary, Jill was incensed.
lascivious
✓ 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, falls in love with a girl.
rile
✓ annoy
Dan is usually calm and balanced, but it takes only one intense glare from Sabrina to rile him.
besotted
✓ very infatuated
Even though her father did not approve, Juliet became besotted with the young Romeo.
respite
✓ pause from work
Every afternoon, the small company has a respite in which workers play foosball or board games.
row
✓ angry dispute
The Prime Minister looked very foolish after his row with the foreign dignitary was caught on video and posted on youtube.
hail
✓ celebrate something
Many college superstar athletes are hailed as the next big thing, but then flop at the professional level.
obtuse
✓ slow to learn
Jackson was the most obtuse member of the team: the manager’s subtle ironies were always lost on him.
bemoan
✓ lament
While the CFO carefully explained all the reasons for the cuts in benefits, after the meeting employees bemoaned the cuts as further evidence that management was against them.
Provenance
formal the place where something originally came from
SYN origin
The provenance of the paintings is unknown.
bloviate
To speak or write for too long and to use words that are too long and formal, especially on a blog
decrepit
old and in bad condition:
The buildings were in a decrepit state.
He was a rather decrepit old man.
Gall
✓ rudeness
Even though Carly was only recently hired, she had the gall to question her boss’s judgment in front of the office.
petulant
behaving in an unreasonably impatient and angry way, like a child
When Ed first met Ruth, he didn’t realize she was so petulant, but now that they are three months into their relationship, Ed feels a day doesn’t go by in which she isn’t whining about some minor issue.
querulous
✓ complaining
The querulous old woman was begining to wear down even the happier members of the staff with her ceaseless complaining.
impudent
✓ rude
In an impudent move, the defendant spoke out of order to say terribly insulting things to the judge.
exiguity
: the quality or state of being exiguous : scantiness
✓ meagerness
After two months at sea, the exiguity of the ship’s supplies forced them to search for fresh water and food.
palaver
Fuss
unnecessary trouble and anxiety that makes something seem more important than it really is
SYN fuss
We could have done without all this palaver.
What a palaver over nothing!
impertinent
✓ disrespectful
SYN : Cheeky
Dexter, distraught over losing his pet dachshund, Madeline, found the police officer’s questions impertinent—after all, he thought, did she have to pry into such details as to what Madeline’s favorite snack was?
Screed
✓ abusive rant
Joey had difficulty hanging out with his former best friend Perry, who, during his entire cup of coffee, enumerated all of the government’s deficiencies–only to break ranks and launch into some screed against big business.
sententious
telling people how they should behave – used in order to show disapproval:
The old man, casting his nose up in the air at the group of adolescents, intoned sententiously, “Youth is wasted on the young.”
staid
✓ serious, dignified
Frank came from a staid environment, so he was shocked that his college roommate sold narcotics.
Subsume
to include someone or something as a member of a group or type, rather than considering it separately:
subsume somebody/ something under something
A wide range of offences are usually subsumed under the category of robbery.
disaffected
not satisfied with your government, leader etc, and therefore no longer loyal to them or no longer believing they can help you:
the disaffected youth from poor neighborhoods
mawkish
✓ overly sentimental
The film was incredibly mawkish, introducing highly likeable characters only to have them succumb to a devastating illnesses by the end of the movie.
mulct
✓ swindle
The so-called magical diet cure simply ended up mulcting Maria out of hundreds of dollars, but did nothing for her weight.
precipitous
✓ hasty
Instead of calling his financial advisor, Harold acted precipitously, buying 4,000 shares of the latest hot stock, only to find out that the company had a history of inflating its year end numbers.
venality
✓ 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.
askance
✓ suspiciously
The old couple looked askance at the teenagers seated next to them, whispering to each other, They’ve got rings through their noses and purple hair!
raffish
✓ slightly disreputable
The men found him raffish, but the women adored his smart clothes and casual attitude.
Apprentice
someone who works for an employer for a fixed period of time in order to learn a particular skill or job:
She works in the hairdresser’s as an apprentice.
an apprentice electrician
Peril
great danger, especially of being harmed or killed:
in peril
They put their own lives in peril to rescue their friends.
great/ grave/ serious peril
The economy is now in grave peril.
a voyage that was fraught with peril (=full of danger)
tenet
a principle or belief, especially one that is part of a larger system of beliefs: central/ basic/ fundamental etc tenet one of the basic tenets of democracy tenet of the main tenet of his philosophy
ascetic
living without any physical pleasures or comforts, especially for religious reasons:
an ascetic life
trepidation
a feeling of anxiety or fear about something that is going to happen:
With some trepidation, I opened the door.
sophistry
the clever use of reasons or explanations that seem correct but are really false, in order to deceive people
deft
A deft movement is skilful, and often quick:
He sketched her with quick, deft strokes.
deft footwork
Skilful at doing something
SYN adept
his deft chairmanship of the company
peasant
a poor farmer who owns or rents a small amount of land, either in past times or in poor countries:
Most villagers are peasant farmers.
