My words Flashcards
ubiquitous
adj. present, appearing or found everywhere
It was co-written by OneRepublic’s seemingly ubiquitous Ryan Tedder
lethargy
n. being drowsy and dull
The atmosphere was one of gentle lethargy.
disparage
v. to reproach, belittle
It is all too easy to disparage “dropouts” as slackers.
paradoxical
adj. self-contradictory
Some might call this combination paradoxical , even contradictory.
capitulate
v. to give up resistance, to surrender
He has seemingly no escape, and must fight or capitulate .
acquiesce
v. to submit or comply silently
Avoiding public tantrums is a major reason we acquiesce and buy our kids junk.
constitute
v. to establish, create, form, set up
Parents, kids and pets constitute most people’s idea of a family.
The report suggested that the U.S.’s actions may constitute war crimes.
rectify
v. to make right
The best way to rectify such a situation is to make sure the next test is truer.
pedagogy
n. the function or work of a teacher
Is this another novel about the pitfalls of pedagogy? I wouldn’t say that.
disconcerting
adj. disturbing to one’s composure, upsetting, confusing
The two-facedness of this is extremely disconcerting .
The thought of all of this energy going into developing artificial brains is very disconcerting.
comprise
v. to include or contain, to be composed of
The researchers comprise two distinct disciplines, with widely divergent interests and approaches.
Games comprise of either one or two innings, and can last five full days.
supersede
v. to replace in power, use, etc.
v. cause to set aside as void, useless
In the long term sense, ideas would supersede individuals in making the world tick.
These two elements exist in all cultures and supersede any differences.
unprecedented
adj. never before known or experienced
He emphasized and supported the importance of education in a way that was perhaps unprecedented among his coaching colleagues.
inebriation
v. to make drunk
n. a drunk person
That being said, this had been an especially aggressive evening of inebriation.
abhor
v. regard with hatred and disgust
I considered myself immune to any of these afflictions spawning from a piece of technology I abhor.
enigma
n. a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling or difficult to understand
Candy Crush remained an unexplored enigma for the rest of the day.
obstinate
v. stubbornly
I became obstinately determined to defeat this stage of the game.
zugzwang
n. when a player is limited to moves that cost pieces or have a damaging positional effect
Zugzwang is required to win the elementary king and rook versus king endgame.
masochism
n. gratification gained from pain, deprivation, degradation, etc., inflicted on oneself
Really, this is just masochism on my part.
beset
adj. trouble or threaten persistently
20 years ago, beset by recurring leg injuries, I took to the water in order to minimize the pounding.
convolute
adj. complicated, intricately involved
No one is certain about what is actually going on in the animals’ large, convoluted brains.
prefect
n. a person appointed to some position of command, authority, or superintendence
The prefect grew furious at his constancy.
ensue
v. to follow as a consequence
Unless the politicians move fast, more turmoil could ensue .
deficiency
n. the amount lacked; a deficit
Blood loss is the prime suspect for iron deficiency .
prerogative
n. an exclusive right, privilege, etc.
She may not be interested in being friends, but that’s her prerogative .
bonafide
adj. made, done, presented
ad. authentic; true
A bona fide statement of intent to sell.
A bona fide sample of Lincoln’s handwriting.
consternation
n. a sudden, alarming amazement or dread that results in utter confusion
To her consternation , she realized she was in over her head.
perturb
v. to throw into great disorder; derange
It defies description, and that may perturb those who write about movies professionally.
emanate
v. to flow out from an origin, to emit
The first two bisectors to meet must emanate from adjacent vertices.
redress
v. to make right
Man has seen it fit to redress this omission.
enigmatic
adj. difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious
There was this enigmatic little saying my mom was fond of.
zealous
adj. ardently active, devoted, or diligent
He was a zealous hunter who loved his guns.
ubiquity
n. the state or capacity of being everywhere; omnipresence
And its ubiquity is proof that every age finds the heroes it needs.
captious
adj. apt to notice and make much of trivial faults or defects
As he aged, he only became more captious.
palpable
adj. capable of being touched or felt
adj. readily or plainly seen, heard, perceived, etc
The tension was palpable.
indolent
adj. wanting to avoid exertion
Many days it is still, almost indolent.
comrehensive
adj. of large scope; covering or involving much
It was a comprehensive list.
neurotic
adj. a person who has excessive anxiety or indecision and a degree of social maladjustment
Yes, Spencer is a bit neurotic.
monotony
n. wearisome uniformity or lack of variety
Something outlandish can break the monotony for students.
disposition
n. characteristic attitude
n. a state of mind regarding something
His disposition was orthodox and chivalrous.
conducive
adj. tending to produce
The weather is pretty conducive to milkshake-drinking, too.
nebulous
adj. hazy, cloudy, indistinct
They’ve just got this very nebulously-determined score range of one to six to go on.
foregoing
adj/n. just mentioned or stated
This shares the property stated in the foregoing theorem.
incredulous
adj. unwilling or unable to believe something
We were incredulous when he was not more forthcoming in his first broadcast interview.
exude
v. discharge (moisture or a smell) slowly and steadily
v. (of a person) display (an emotion or quality) strongly and openly
The beetle exudes a caustic liquid.
He exuded friendship and goodwill.
riposte
n/v. a quick clever reply to an insult or criticism.
He gave an indignant riposte.
cadaver
a dead body, especially a human body to be dissected; corpse
The candidate should also be able to supervise an anatomy cadaver lab.
facetious
adj. treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant
It’s a facetious point, but it’s also a serious one.
clinomania
adj. an obsession with bed rest
adj. causes sufferers to find it extremely difficult to get out of bed in the morning.
I have clinomania or i am a clinomaciac.
gratuitously
adj. given, done, bestowed, or obtained without charge or payment; free; voluntary
adj. being without apparent reason, cause, or justification
He replied with a gratuitous insult.
vertigo
n. a sensation of whirling and loss of balance, associated particularly with looking down from a great height; giddiness.
The steep narrow stairs give me vertigo.
arsenal
n. a place where weapons and military equipment are stored or made
n. an array of resources available for a certain purpose
We have an arsenal of computers at our disposal.
euphemism
n. the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive, harsh, or blunt
“To pass away” is a euphemism for “to die.”.
But that’s just a euphemism; if you want the truth, he was out of control.
scintillating
adj. sparkling or shining brightly
adj. brilliantly and excitingly clever or skillful
The audience loved his scintillating wit.
teetotaler
n. a person who never drinks alcohol
It’s unfortunate if you’re a teetotaler, but alcohol plays a large part of the backpacking experience.
inclement
adj. (of the weather) unpleasantly cold or wet
It’s possible that inclement weather isn’t in the forecast for your trip.
cogent
adj. (of an argument or case) clear, logical, and convincing
First, and perhaps most cogent, is the effect that lifting weights has on fat loss.
bodasious
adj. excellent, admirable, or attractive.
The restaurant serves bodacious grilled lobster.
serendipity
n. the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way
What a fortunate stroke of serendipity.
clutch
v. to preform under pressure
Yo did you see that catch? That was clutch.
proverbial
adj. (of a word or phrase) referred to in a proverb or idiom
adj. well known, especially so as to be stereotypical
I’m going to stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.
prodigious
adj. remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree
The stove consumed a prodigious amount of fuel.
posterity
n. all future generations of people
The victims’ names are recorded for posterity.
