Manhattan Vocab Flashcards
inchoate
(adj) not well formed
(adj) incoherent or lacking order
(adj) incipient, still developing or incomplete
She had inchoate feelings of affection for a man whom she had, up till now, thought of as only a friend.
obdurate
(adj) ornery, obstinate
(adj) unyielding to persuasion; resistant to appeals or softening influences
(adj) persistent in wrongdoing or impenitent; hardened against emotions
He is known for his obdurate determination.
amalgamate
(v) to mix, merge, or combine into a whole
They amalgamated the hospital and the university.
effrontery
(n) insolence, boldness, or presumption
The little squirt had the effrontery to deny eating any cookies, even with the crumbs still on his lips.
rarefy
(v) to make or become thin, less compact, or less dense
(v) to purify, refine, or make more spiritual
diatribe
(n) bitter, abusive criticism or denunciation
He was forced to sit through a long diatribe after he came home late once too often.
precipitate
(v) to throw of fall down headlong
(v) to bring about or cause to happen
(v) to cause to separate from a solution
(adj) speeding headlong, rapidly, or dangerously
(adj) occurring abruptly or unexpectedly
The air mass was dry, as much of the moisture had precipitated out on the other side of the mountains.
disabuse
(v) to free someone from a misconception or deception
Let me disabuse you of your foolish notions about married life
aver
(v) to assert or affirm positively
(v) to formally assert or prove in pleading a case
He averred that he was innocent.
condign
(adj) deserved, appropriate
A suspension without pay is condign punishment for breaking the company’s code of business ethics.
bolster
(v) to support, uphold, hearten, or boost
She came with me to bolster my confidence.
undermine
(v) to weaken by washing away the support or foundation underneath
(v) to weaken, injure, or ruin by degrees or a little at a time; to sap
(v) to subvert secretly or insidiously
(adj) to dig a mine or tunnel underneath
The events of the past month have undermined people’s confidence in the government.
deliberate
(v) to think carefully or consider
(adj) 1. carefully considered, 2. slowly, unhurriedly decided, 3. done intentionally or with awareness of the consequences
The NSA deliberated over the decision to spy on Americans.
assuage
(v) to make less intense or severe, to ease
(v) to satisfy, appease, or quench
(v) to pacify, sooth, or quiet
He couldn’t assuage his guilt over the betrayal.
laconic
(adj) concise, terse, or extremely sparing with words; using a minimum amount of words
He had a reputation for being laconic.
lucid
(adj) intelligible or readily understandable
(adj) sane or rational
(adj) translucent or clear; bright or luminous
He is able to recognize his wife in his lucid moments.
enervate
(v) to weaken or sap the strength, vigor, or vitality of
A lifetime of working in dreary jobs had enervated his very soul.
morose
(adj) sullen, gloomy, or melancholy
He became morose and withdrawn and would not talk to anyone.
eulogy
(n) a praising speech or tribute, especially honoring someone who has died
(n) high praise
He delivered a moving eulogy at his father’s funeral.
placate
(v) to soothe the anger of, mollify, or appease
They did everything the could to placate the armed bank robber before he went off the deep end and hurt somebody else.
antagonism
(n) hostility, opposition, or active resistance
The antagonism between them was so bad they couldn’t even sit near each other.
skeptical
(adj) showing, expressing, or given to doubt or questioning
He was skeptical of government intervention even before the leak about NSA spying activities.
intrepid
(adj) resolutely fearless or undaunted
He was an intrepid pilot who performed maneuvers that other flyers thought impossible.
mollify
(v) to soothe or calm the temper or feelings of
(v) to soften or make less rigid; to temper or lessen the intensity of
He tried to mollify his critics with an apology.
anomalous
(adj) deviating from the norm or expectations; irregular
(adj) uncertain or incongruous in nature
Researchers could not explain the anomalous test results.
mundane
(adj) ordinary, commonplace
(adj) of or related to this world, as opposed to the heavens
He lived a mundane life after he retired from the service.
quotidian
(adj) everyday, commonplace or ordinary
Not content with the quotidian quarrels that other couples had, they had rows that shook the entire neighborhood.
burgeon
(v) to produce or send out new growth; to sprout or bloom
(v) to grow, expand, or develop quickly
The market for collectibles has burgeoned in recent years.
sap
(n) 1. the circulatory fluid of a plant; an essential bodily fluid 2. health, vitality, or energy 3. a gullible person, fool
(v) 1. to deplete, drain, or weaken, 2. to diminish the intensity or supply of, 3. to undermine the foundations of
occult
(adj) secret or withheld from the uninitiated
(adj) mysterious, inscrutable, difficult, or impossible to comprehend
gainsay
(v) to deny or prove false
(v) to oppose or speak out against
He repeatedly tried to gainsay me, though every point I made was backed up by facts.
sanction
(positive) official permission; support; (v) to authorize or approve
It was a sanctioned hit.
(negative) a penalty meant to force compliance; (v) to penalize
complaisant
(adj) butt kissing
(adj) agreeable, eager to please, obliging
distend
(v) to extend; to swell from internal pressure
churlish
(adj) rude; marked by a lack of civility or graciousness, surly
(adj) difficult to work with or deal with
It would be churlish not to congratulate him.
sycophant
(adj) a person who praises powerful people in order to get their approval
When her career was riding high, the self-deluded actress often mistook sycophants for true friends.
exculpate
(v) to clear from alleged fault or guilt
The lawyer presented evidence that exculpated the defendant.
exonerate
(v) to relieve of a responsibility, obligation, or hardship
(v) to clear from accusation or blame
The results of the DNA fingerprinting finally exonerated the man, but only after he had wasted 10 years of his life in prison.
candor
(adj) honesty
She spoke with candor about racism.
truculent
(adj) feeling or displaying ferocity
(adj) aggressively self-assertive
Die-hard fans who became truculent and violent after their team’s loss.
paucity
(n) smallness of number or quantity
There is a paucity of useful answers to the problem of traffic congestion at rush hour.
economies of scale
increase in efficiency of production as the number of goods being produced increases
synergy
(n) combined action or operation
(n) a mutually advantageous compatibility of distinct business participants or elements
A synergy has developed among the different groups working on this project.
