Mangoosh - Common words 1 Flashcards
equivocal
adjective: confusing or ambiguous
The findings of the study were equivocal—the two researchers had different opinions on what the results signified.
enervate
enervate
verb: to sap energy from
John preferred to avoid equatorial countries; the intense sun would always leave him enervated after he’d spent the day sightseeing.
calumny
noun: making of a false statement meant to injure a person’s reputation
With the presidential primaries well under way, the air is thick with calumny, and the mud already waist-high.
harangue
noun: a long pompous speech; a tirade
Dinner at Billy’s was more a punishment than a reward, since anyone who sat at the dinner table would have to listen to Billy’s father’s interminable harangues against the government.
verb: to deliver a long pompous speech or tirade
Tired of his parents haranguing him about his laziness and lack of initiative, Tyler finally moved out of home at the age of thirty-five.
galvanize
verb: to excite or inspire (someone) to 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.
extant
adjective: still in existence (usually refers to documents).
- Despite many bookstores closing, experts predict that some form of book dealing will still be extant generations from now.
- We have some extant parish records from the 16th century.
profligate
adjective: spending resources recklessly or wastefully
The composer Wagner, while living on a limited salary, was so profligate as to line all the walls of his apartment with pure silk.
noun: someone who spends resources recklessly or wastefully
Most lottery winners go from being conservative, frugal types to outright profligates who blow millions on fast cars, lavish homes, and giant yachts.
disinterested
adjective: unbiased; neutral
The potential juror knew the defendant, and therefore could not serve on the jury, which must consist only of disinterested members.
extant
adjective: still in existence (usually refers to documents).
- We have some extant parish records from the 16th century.
- Despite many bookstores closing, experts predict that some form of book dealing will still be extant generations from now.
iconoclast
noun: somebody who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions
- Rogers, an iconoclast in architecture, is sometimes described as putting the insides of buildings on the outside.
censure
verb: to express strong disapproval
After being caught in bed with a mistress, the mayor was quickly censured by the city council.
veracious
adjective: truthful
While we elect our leaders in the hope that every word they speak will be veracious, history has shown that such a hope is naive.
parochial
adjective: narrowly restricted in scope or outlook
- a parochial view/opinion
- Although it’s just a local paper, it somehow manages not to be too parochial in its outlook.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
amenable
adjective: easily persuaded
- She might be more amenable to the idea if you explained how much money it would save.
- Do you think the new manager will prove more amenable to our proposals?
amalgam
noun: a mixture of multiple things
- The show was a wonderful amalgam of dance, music, and drama.
- The band’s music was an amalgam of hip-hop, flamenco and jazz, blending the three styles with surprising results.
amenable
adjective: easily persuaded
Even though she did not like the outdoors, Shirley was generally amenable and so her brother was able to persuade her to go camping.
belie
verb: to give a false representation to; misrepresent
- The smile on her face belies the pain she must feel after the death of her husband.
- Her calm face belied the terror she was feeling.
prevaricate
verb: to speak in an evasive way
- The cynic quipped, “There is not much variance in politicians; they all seem to prevaricate”.
- He accused the minister of prevaricating.
castigate
verb: to reprimand harshly
Drill sergeants are known to castigate new recruits so mercilessly that the latter often break down during their first week in training.
frugal
adjective: not spending much money (but spending wisely)
Monte was no miser, but was simply frugal, wisely spending the little that he earned.
acrimony
noun: bitterness and ill will
The acrimony between the president and vice-president sent a clear signal to voters: the health of the current administration was imperiled.
artful
adjective: exhibiting artistic skill
Picasso is generally considered the most artful member of the Cubist movement.
adjective: clever in a cunning way
- Bernie Madoff’s artful Ponzi scheme stole billions of dollars from investors and is considered the largest financial fraud in U.S. history.
- …an artful political gesture.
laconic
adjective: (describes a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words
While Martha always swooned over the hunky, laconic types in romantic comedies, her boyfriends inevitably were very talkative—and not very hunky.
parsimonious
adjective: extremely frugal; miserly
Katie is so parsimonious that she only buys a pair of socks if all of her other socks have holes in them.
gregarious
adjective: to be likely to socialize with others
Often we think that great leaders are those who are gregarious, always in the middle of a large group of people; yet, as Mahatma Gandhi and many others have shown us, leaders can also be introverted.
maintain
verb: to assert
- The scientist maintained that the extinction of dinosaurs was most likely brought about by a drastic change in climate.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study - He maintains that he has never seen the woman before.
ambiguous
adjective: open to more than one interpretation
- The coach told his team, “Move towards that side of the field”; because he did not point, his directions were ambiguous, and the team had no idea to which side he was referring.
- The wording of the agreement is ambiguous.
venality
noun: 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.
egregious
adjective: standing out in a negative way; shockingly bad
The dictator’s abuse of human rights was so egregious that many world leaders demanded that he be tried in an international court for genocide.
prodigal
adjective: rashly or wastefully extravagant
Successful professional athletes who do not fall prey to prodigality seem to be the exception—most live decadent lives.
commensurate
adjective: to be in proportion or corresponding in degree or amount
The convicted felon’s life sentence was commensurate with the heinousness of his crime.
intimate
verb: to suggest something subtly
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.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
amorphous
adjective: shapeless
His study plan for the GRE was at best amorphous; he would do questions from random pages in any one of seven test prep books.
mercurial
adjective: (of a person) prone to unexpected and unpredictable changes in mood
The fact that Ella’s moods were as mercurial as the weather was problematic for her relationships—it didn’t help that she lived in Chicago.
qualify
verb: to make less severe; to limit (a statement)
- Chris qualified his love for San Francisco, adding he didn’t like the weather there as much as he liked the weather in Los Angeles.
- I’d like to qualify my criticisms of the school’s failings, by adding that it’s a very happy place.
This word has other definitions, but this is the most important one to study
ambivalent
adjective: mixed or conflicting emotions about something
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.
aberration
noun: a deviation from what is normal or expected
Aberrations in climate have become the norm: rarely a week goes by without some meteorological phenomenon making headlines.
vindicate
verb: to clear of accusation, blame, suspicion, or doubt with supporting arguments or proof
- The decision to include Morris in the team was completely vindicated when he scored two goals.
- The investigation vindicated her complaint about the newspaper.
chastise
verb: to reprimand harshly
- Charity organizations have chastised the government for not doing enough to prevent the latest famine in Africa.
- 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.
upbraid
verb: to reproach; to scold
- In newspaper articles she consistently upbraided those in authority who overstepped their limits.
restive
adjective: restless
- The crowd grew restive as the comedian’s opening jokes fell flat.
- The audience was becoming restive as they waited for the performance to begin.
venerate
verb: to respect deeply
The professor, despite his sleep-inducing lectures, was venerated amongst his colleagues, publishing more papers yearly than all of his peers combined.
betray
verb: to reveal or make known something, usually unintentionally
- With the gold medal at stake, the gymnast awaited his turn, his quivering lip betraying his intense emotions.
- Although she often seems quite cold, her smiling eyes betray her true nature.
It has other meanings too
wanting
adjective: lacking
- She did not think her vocabulary was wanting, yet there were so many words that inevitably she found a few she didn’t know.
- I think she’s perhaps a little wanting in charm.
auspicious
adjective: favorable, the opposite of sinister
Despite an auspicious beginning, Mike’s road trip became a series of mishaps, and he was soon stranded and penniless, leaning against his wrecked automobile.
anomalous
adjective: not normal
- According to those who do not believe in climate change, the extreme weather over the last five years is simply anomalous—daily temperatures should return to their old averages, they believe.
- The experiment yielded anomalous results.
demur
verb: to object or show reluctance
- Wallace disliked the cold, so he demurred when his friends suggested they go skiing in the Alps.
- The lawyer requested a break in the court case, but the judge demurred.
innocuous
adjective: harmless and doesn’t produce any ill effects
Everyone found Nancy’s banter innocuous—except for Mike, who felt like she was intentionally picking on him.
ingenuous
adjective: to be naïve and innocent
- Two-years in Manhattan had changed Jenna from an ingenuous girl from the suburbs to a jaded urbanite, unlikely to fall for any ruse, regardless of how elaborate.
- It has to be said it was rather ingenuous of him to ask a complete stranger to take care of his luggage.
involved
adjective: complicated, and difficult to comprehend
- The physics lecture became so involved that the undergraduate’s eyes glazed over.
- The plot of the film was too involved - I couldn’t understand it.