Magoosh Words Flashcards
lambast
criticize severely or angrily.
=> showing no patience, the manager lambasted the sales team.
predilection
strong liking, bias
*predilection = preference.
But given those choices, judges tend to pick whatever authority supports their predilection.
Dogmatic
highly opinionated and asserting principles as the truth undeniably.
=> Kant himself distinguished two types of philosophy, which he called the dogmatic and critical types.
torpor
inactivity resulting from lethargy or lack of vigor or energy.
*How to remember: A topper does not torpor.
=> Elizabeth alone had the power to draw me from these fits; her gentle voice would soothe me when transported by passion, and inspire me with human feelings when sunk in torpor.
reticent
disinclined to talk, keeping thoughts to oneself, chilled, introverted.
=> Danger appears not to stir him, but he becomes reticent when asked about his work.
Volubility
sheer quality of talking and writing, fluency.
=> I’m talking, freed of all restraint a volubility which isn’t pleasant should you share the room with me.
Vociferous
conspicuously and offensively loud, outspoken, outcry.
=>
deferential
respectful in manner.
=> He reached forward and, head bowed in deferential respect, he made so as to lift the holy book, and it yielded to his purity and righteousness, and opened for him.
Superfluous
serving no useful purpose.
=> After defeated in the fight with Sakura, Sasori was superfluous to the Akatsuki.
God never intended for one group of people to live in superfluous inordinate wealth, while others live in abject deadening poverty. ‘
mawkish
overly sentimental.
=> The last episode was incredibly mawkish, to the point that racism was apparently a sane concept in comparison.
apathetic
marked by a lack of interest.
(way to remember: a__pathetic)
=> The fact that some may call San Diegans lazy and apathetic is just inaccurate and beyond the bounds of reasonableness and decency.
bucolic
relating to the pleasant aspects of the country life.
=> Casey was so intrigued after watching one season of Heartland that she wanted to move from NYC to the bucolic life of the pastures.
impudent
*How to remember: I’m putting a “dent”.
improperly forward or bold.
=> What some would call impudent, Teddy said, others might call spirited.
culpability
*How to remember: Culprit’s Ability.
a state of guilt.
=> I believe the issue of culpability is very important, and this nonsense of guilt on the part of derivative players such as Pelosi is a red herring, both legally and practically.
platitude
*How to remember: Pretty Latitude(obvious)
obvious remark.
=> Morley once warned the Emersonian that a platitude is not transformed into a profundity by being dressed up as a conundrum.
querulous
habitually complaining.
=> “Don’t stand looking any longer, for mercy’s sake!” called the querulous voice from the house.
gall
the trait of being rude or impertinent.
*how to remember: Gall -> Gal -> Girl -> rude without reason. -> defining trait.
=> The speeding car had the gall to switch five lanes at once, run through a red light, and then cut off a police car before finally coming to a stop in front of a sea of flashing red lights.
recondite
difficult to penetrate.
*How to remember: “recon” => difficult to infiltrate without recon.
=> For a popular treatment of the somewhat recondite underpinnings of this thesis, see R.
banal
repeated too often, overfamiliar through overuse.
*How to remember: offence repeated too often => you get banned; hence banal.
In his letter the pope said that in the wake of the sexual abuse crisis, the church had to be all the more watchful and attentive about who should become priests and ensure that future ministers do not succumb to what he called a banal and destructive sexuality.
chortle
to laugh or chuckle merrily.
*How to remember: choking chuckle => muffled laugh.
Walking into the cafe, I could hear happy, chortling people and smell the rich aroma of roasted coffee beans.
culminate
reach the highest or the most decisive point.
=> Beethoven’s musical genius culminated in the 9th Symphony, which many consider his greatest work.
culminate
reach the highest or the most decisive point.
=> Beethoven’s musical genius culminated in the 9th Symphony, which many consider his greatest work.
germane
relevant or appropriate.
=> The professor wanted to tell the jury in detail about his new book, but the lawyer said it wasn’t germane to the charges in the cases.
ameliorate
make something bad better.
*How to remember: opposite of deteriorate.
=> The question for me is: will the execution of Hussein ameliorate or worsen the situation in Iraq in the short term and in the long run?
staunch
support firmly.
*steady stance => staunch
=> Menino was described as a “staunch opponent” of the retailer.
languid
slow and relaxed; not inclined towards physical exertion.
*langda == slow => languid.
=> I find it interesting that the review says the first half was ‘languid’ - I thought it was rushed and choppy .. the romance is more assumed than shown, which was too bad.
Delineate
explain something meticulously and properly.
*Delineate = (Diligently and neatly)
=> Tallies of living languages differ widely depending on how evaluators delineate one language from another.
subsume
contain or include.
*subsume = consume but not completely(i.e. sub-consume)
=> Don Quixote of La Mancha subsumes all other modern novels, demonstrating modern literary devices and predating even the idea of a postmodern, metanarrative.
quotidian
found in ordinary course of events.
*Quotidian=Quoted every day.
=> Under his expert hand, the Wiener Philharmoniker, apt to phone it in for something as “quotidian” as Mozart’s 40th, shines and sparkles with the swank and swagger only it has.
vehement
marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions.
*Vehement: Via-payment; hence forcefully.
=> Andrew responded in a vehement manner, tipping over his desk and shouting at the top of his lungs.
eclectic
comprising of variety of styles.
=> I rarely match in that official “ladies who lunch” way, but I firmly believe that coloring outside of the lines and being eclectic is the true measure of an interesting person that I want to know better.
forlorn
marked by or showing hopelessness.
*FOR + LOAN =aap loan lene gaye aur vaha se hope less ho kar vapas aaye.. FORLON
=> I saw my kind, our women with us, in forlorn hopes and lost endeavors, pent in hill fortresses, rotted in jungle fastnesses, cut down to the last one on the decks of rocking ships.
rudimentary
in the early stages of development.
=> Without memory we would have to relearn everything every day and society would remain rudimentary at best.
ephemeral
lasting a very short time.
*e-funeral = electric funeral = SHORT.
=> How, then, with that kind of history, do you think the government will fare attempting to prevent the flow of something so ephemeral is “electronic bits” around the world?
avaricious
excessively greedy.
*a + very + rich > a strong greed to be ‘a very rich’ person.
=> Men hate the individual whom they call avaricious only because there is nothing to be gained by him.
vilify
spread negative information about.
*opposite of glorify.
=> However, hardly anyone has seriously attempted to “vilify” them since the fact of the matter is simple: one lost and the other is losing.
belligerent
characteristic of one that is eager to fight.
=> Tom said that he was arguing the matter purely for philosophical reasons, but his belligerent tone indicated an underlying anger about the issue.
precocious
characterized by exceptionally early development.
=> Though only seven years old, she was a precocious chess prodigy, able to beat players twice her age.
tantamounted
being essentially equal to something.
*tanta = tauto
=> In many situations, remaining silent is tantamount to admitting guilt, so speak to prove your innocence.
spurious
plausible but false.
* to “spurn” means to reject.
=> A novel on more positive, constructive lines, and not emotionally spurious, is at present very difficult to imagine
mollify
to make someone angry less angry.
*mollify = PACIFY.
=>In the morning, Janine was unable to mollify Harry, if he happened to become angry, unless he’d had his cup of coffee.
mollify
to make someone angry less angry.
*mollify = PACIFY.
=>In the morning, Janine was unable to mollify Harry, if he happened to become angry, unless he’d had his cup of coffee.
unequivocal
having only one meaning or interpretation.
=> The President’s first statement on the subject was vague and open to competing interpretations, so when he spoke to Congress about the same subject later, he was careful to make his position completely unequivocal.
haughty
having shown oneself as a superior and disdain views of others as unworthy.
=> The haughty manager didn’t believe that any of his subordinates could ever have an insight as brilliant as his own.
magnanimous
noble and generous in spirit.
*magna = large magnitude.
=> he was a great sportsman, in defeat he was magnanimous.
heretic
a person who holds unorthodox opinions.
=> Though everybody at the gym told Mikey to do cardio before weights, Mikey was a heretic and always did the reverse.
indignant
feeling anger over perceived injustice.
=> Don’t get so friggin ‘indignant about your own hallucinations, m’kay?
remiss
to be negligent in one’s duty.
*remiss = Repeat + Miss
=> I vowed to myself to never remiss towards my work.
unnerve
to make nervous or lose courage or purpose.
*unnerve = stopping nerves from doing something important to you.
=> New equity targets would not be introduced when the charter was revised by the end of June because they would “unnerve” investors and companies yet to attain that level, Nogxina said.
tirade
an angry speech.
*tirade = Ti + Rage.
=> In terms of political change, a tirade oftentimes does little more than make the person speaking red in the face.
slapdash
carelessly and hastily put together.
*slapped + ass = for being careless.
=> But that’s not going to keep her original, “slapdash,” study from being widely cited by the usual ranters.
macabre
suggesting horror death or decay.
* => My taste in movies is rather dark, I enjoy mostly macabre horror films.
demure
to be modest or shy or reserved.
*demur + e = showing shy reluctance.
=> Above his head, Jasmine curls her body into a Scorpion, her expression demure, bordering on bashful.
inundate
to flood or overwhelm.
*inundate == increasingly update => to flood.
=> The newsroom was inundated with false reports that only made it more difficult for the newscasters to provide an objective account of the bank robbery.
apocryphal
being of questionable authenticity.
apo == a poor, cry, phal == false. hence questionable.
=> Nor can any further light be gained from the story of what Mr. Lang has happily termed the apocryphal eight which the King of Scots stroked on the Dee in the reign of Edgar.
ostentatious
showy.
*Oz tent was spacious (ostentatious) and had a chandelier and a welcome mat at its entrance. It sure was showy.
=> We dined anywhere from seven to nine, and soothed each other’s irritation by calling ostentatious attention to the delicacy and perfection of each dish as it came on the table.
adultation
severe flattery.
*adultation = adulting => excessvie mixing bad things.
bellicose
warlike; inclined to quarrel.
=> Known for their bellicose ways, the Spartans were once the most feared people from Peloponnesus to Persia.
pithy
concise and full of meaning.
*pithy = pi + tha => pi bht precise tha.
=> I enjoy reading the Daodejing for its pithy and insightful prose; it always gives me something to think about.
soporific
sleep inducing.
obdurate
stubborn; unyielding.
*obdurate = obviously durable; hence stubborn.
=> No number of pleas and bribes would get him to change his obdurate attitude.
impertinent
being disrespectful.
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?
munificent
very generous.
*munificent = muni => rishimuni who are very generous.
=> Uncle Charley was known for his munificence, giving all seven of his nephews lavish Christmas presents each year.
avarice
greed.
*avarice = a very rich person => greedy.
=> The Spanish Conquistadores were known to be avarice
erudite
scholarly
*erudite = r u deity => deities are scholarly.
=> In comparison with her, a woman, I might have been called erudite and well-informed.
unscrupulous
without principles.
=> In the courtroom, the lawyer was unscrupulous, using every manner of deceit and manipulation to secure a victory for himself.
implacable
incapable to making less angry or hostile.
=> Win or lose, the coach was always implacable, never giving the athletes an easy practice or a break.
pedantic
marked by a narrow focus on or display or learning especially its trivial aspects.
*pedant = patent => research i.e. they researched the trivial aspects.
=> 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.
ingratiate
gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts.
petulant
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.
incorrigible
impervious to correction by punishment.
=> Tom Sawyer seems like an incorrigible youth until Huck Finn enters the novel.
burgeon
grow and flourish.
*BURGEr+piGEON = if you eat too many burgers you grow like a pigeon!
=> 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.
idiosyncrasy
a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual.
*idiosyncrasy = distinctive, peculiar.
=> Peggy’s numerous idiosyncrasies include wearing mismatched shoes, laughing loudly to herself, and owning a pet aardvark.
indifference
the trait of seeming not to care.
=> In an effort to fight indifference, the president of the college introduced a new, stricter grading system.
intransigent
unwilling to change one’s course of action.
*In = not, trans = change, for igent think ‘disagreement.
=> despite many calls for mercy, the judge remained intransigent, citing legal precedence.
tortuous
marked by repeated bends and turns.
*had to steer the car down a tortuous track.
=> Winds and seismic and tectonic disruptions have left their mark in tortuous folds and uplifts, deep gashes, and conical incrustations that hark back far before the age of human folly.
espouse
to support an ideology.
=> As a college student, Charlie espoused Marxism, growing his beard out and railing against the evils of the free-market.
iconoclastic
defying rules and traditions.
*icon = idol clash = fragments. So, one who destroys idols into pieces is iconoclast.
=> Jackson Pollock was an iconoclastic artist, totally breaking with tradition by splashing paint on a blank canvas.
soporific
inducing mental lethargy.
*sopor rhymes with torpor which means being a lazy minded asshole.
=> Although the professor is brilliant, his bland monotone gives his lectures a soporific effect.
exonerate
pronounce not guilty of any charges.
*exonerate rhymes with exempted.
=> 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.
denigrate
charge falsely or with malicious intent.
* DENY to be GRATEful
=> Count Rumford denigrated the new theory of heat, demonstrating that it was wholly inadequate to explain the observations.
pragmatic
guided by practical experience and observations.
=> 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.
abstruse
difficult to understand.
=>Physics textbooks can seem so abstruse to the uninitiated that readers feel as though they are looking at hieroglyphics.
admonitory
serving to warn.
*Remember MONITOR in class who used to give admonitory gesture and warning other students not to talk
=> 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.
temperance
the trait of avoiding excesses.
*Synonyms for TEMPERANCE: moderateness, moderation, temperateness
=> Welles wasn’t known for his temperance–he usually ate enough for two and drank enough for three.
construe
interpreted in a particular way.
*CONcentrate on decoding the TRUE messages.
=> The author’s inability to take a side on the issue was construed by both his opponents and supporters as a sign of weakness.
acerbic
harsh in tone.
*Sounds like “Acidic.” Lemons have a sour taste and are acidic.
=> Most movie critics are acerbic towards summer blockbusters, often referring to them as garbage.
unscrupulous
without principles.
*no morals.
=> In the courtroom, the lawyer was unscrupulous, using every manner of deceit and manipulation to secure a victory for himself.
fulsome
complimentary or flattering to an excessive degree.
=> The press are embarrassingly fulsome in their appreciation.
derision
subjection to ridicule or mockery.
*neecha dikhana is derision.
=> His stories were greeted with derision and disbelief.
posthumous
Appearing or existing after the death or cessation of that to which its origin is due; especially, of books, published after the death of the author: as, posthumous works.
paucity
a lack of something.
*paucity == pauper; someone who has a “lack” of money.
=> There is a paucity of jobs hiring today that require menial skills, since most such jobs have either been automated or outsourced.
insidious
working in a subtle but destructive way.
=> Plaque is insidious: we cannot see it, but each day it eats away at our enamel, causing cavities and other dental problems.
coda
the tail or stem of a note.
=> A coda is the part of a book or musical piece that comes at the very end. We are not focused on the ordering of a specific text.
inkling
a slight suggestion or vague understanding.
*inkling => linking == a hint or a clue!
=> Lynne speaks four Romance languages, but she doesn’t have an inkling about how East Asian languages are structured.
innocuous
not harmful.
=> I thought Jim’s comment about how much salt I’d put on my food were innocuous until I realized he was criticizing my health choices.
conspicuous
without any attempt of concealment; completely obvious.
=> Among the tall trees and flower fields, the building seemed out of place with its conspicuous, cold concrete and angular steel exterior.
vacuity
The state of being empty.
*sounds like vacuum and paucity combined and hence EMPTY!
=> It was a kind of vacuity, in which he wished for nothing and took no interest in anything, but only staggered along mechanically at the back of the bar.
taciturn
habitually reserve and uncommunicative.
=> While the CEO enthusiastically shares his plans and agenda with all who will listen, the CFO is far more taciturn, rarely revealing his perspective.
inscrutable
not easily understood.
precipitous
done with very great haste and without due deliberation.
=> 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.
ravenous
extremely hungry.
=> John didn’t eat much at all during the week he had the flu, so now that he is regaining his health, it’s not surprising that he has a ravenous appetite.
sporadic
recurring in scattered and irregular instances.
*Sporadic == sometimes periodic.
=>The signals were at first sporadic, but now we detect a clear, consistent pattern of electromagnetic radiation emanating from deep space.
obsequious
attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery.
*obstinate in getting a yes (qui) from everyone
=> The obsequious waiter did not give the couple a moment’s peace all through the meal, constantly returning to their table to refill their water glasses and to tell them what a handsome pair they made.
dilettante
an amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions and who pretends to have knowledge.
=> Fred has no formal medical training; while he likes to claim authority on medical issues, he is little more than a dilettante.
inimical
hostile.
*inimical = intimidating
Venus, with a surface temperature that would turn rubber to liquid, is inimical to any form of life.
admonish
to warn strongly.
=> Before the concert began, security personnel admonished the crowd not to come up on stage during the performance.
Gauche
lacking social polish.
=> Sylvester says the most gauche things, such as telling a girl he liked that she was much prettier when she wore makeup.
masochist
a person who derives sexual gratification from their own pain or humiliation.
=> What kind of masochist would take part in such an experiment?
