NYT vocabulary Flashcards
reagents
a substance or mixture for use in chemical analysis or other reactions.
“this compound is a very sensitive reagent for copper”
invective
insulting, abusive, or highly critical language.
“he let out a stream of invective”
brandished
wave or flourish (something, especially a weapon) as a threat or in anger or excitement.
“a man leaped out brandishing a knife”
gambit
a device, action, or opening remark, typically one entailing a degree of risk, that is calculated to gain an advantage.
upend
set or turn (something) on its end or upside down.
teetering
move or unbanished…sway back and forth
conduit
a channel for conveying water or electricity
telemetry
the collection of measurements or other data at remote or inaccessible points and their automatic transmission to receiving equipment for monitoring.
repugnant
extremely distasteful;
unacceptable…repugnant to every rule of political calculation
draconian
excessively harsh and severe;
the Nazis destroyed the independence of the press by a series of draconian laws”
plenary
unqualified;
“crusaders were offered a plenary indulgence by the Pope”
unvarnished
plain and straightforward
deluge
a great quantity of something arriving at the same time.
veracity
accuracy
pretensions
a claim or assertion of a claim to something.
recriminations
an accusation in response to one from someone else.
quell
put an end to (a rebellion or other disorder), typically by the use of force.
vitriol
cruel and bitter criticism.
xenophobia
dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries.
admonision
an act or action of admonishing; authoritative counsel or warning.
commiserate
express or feel sympathy or pity; sympathize.
epoch
a period of time in history or a person’s life, typically one marked by notable events or particular characteristics.
pejorative
expressing contempt or disapproval.
“permissiveness is used almost universally as a pejorative term”
futility
pointlessness or uselessness.
fervor
intense and passionate feeling.
partisanship
prejudice in favor of a particular cause; bias.
fascism
a political system based on a very powerful leader, state control, and being extremely proud of country and race, and in which political opposition is not allowed
insurgent
someone who is fighting against the government in their own country.
pundit
a person who knows a lot about a particular subject and is therefore often asked to give an opinion about it:
perfunctory
(of an action or gesture) carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection.
“he gave a perfunctory nod”
levity
humor or frivolity, especially the treatment of a serious matter with humor or in a manner lacking due respect.
requisition
to officially request or take something:
The army requisitioned all the cars and trucks they could find.
relegated
to put someone or something into a lower or less important rank or position
brunt
the main force of something unpleasant
respite
a pause or rest from something difficult or unpleasant
pervasive
present or noticeable in every part of a thing or place
ennui
a feeling of being bored and mentally tired caused by having nothing interesting or exciting to do
relic
an object, tradition, or system from the past that continues to exist:
During the dig, the archaeological team found some relics from the Stone Age.
The country’s employment system is a relic of the 1960s when jobs were scarce.
subversion
the act of trying to destroy or damage an established system or government:
He was found guilty of subversion and imprisoned.
cacaphonous
having an unpleasant mixture of sounds:
We woke up to the cacophonous sound of birds.
The restaurant is a cacophonous, high-ceilinged room.
derision
the situation in which someone or something is laughed at and considered stupid or of no value:
They treated his suggestion with derision.
Her speech was met with hoots/howls of derision.
harbinger
a person or thing that shows that something is going to happen soon, especially something bad:
a harbinger of doom
insolvency
(especially of a company) the condition of not having enough money to pay debts, buy goods, etc., or an occasion when this happens:
The country will face insolvency unless the government adopts cost-cutting measures.
Analysts are predicting that corporate and personal insolvencies could start rising next year
proliferate
to increase a lot and suddenly in number
hydras
in ancient Greek stories, a creature with many heads that grew again when cut off
a difficult problem that keeps returning
incredulity
the feeling of not wanting or not being able to believe something:
He felt a sense of incredulity, anger, and pain at the accusation made against him.
A lot of people expressed incredulity that somebody of her age would want to die.
assailed
to attack someone violently or criticize someone strongly:
The victim had been assailed with repeated blows to the head and body.
He was assailed with insults and abuse as he left the court.
cronyism
the situation in which someone important gives jobs to friends rather than to independent people who have the necessary skills and experience
salvo
the action of firing several guns at the same time, either in a war or in a ceremony:
a salvo of guns/rocket
macabre
used to describe something that is very strange and unpleasant because it is connected with death or violence:
Even the police were horrified at the macabre nature of the killings.
She has a pretty macabre sense of humor.
vaunted
praised often in a way that is considered to be more than acceptable or reasonable:
His (much) vaunted new plan has been shown to have serious weaknesses.
bilk
to get money from someone unfairly or dishonestly:
He bilked clients out of tens of millions of dollars.
conciliatory
showing willingness to end a disagreement, or trying to make someone less angry:
a conciliatory gesture/remark
The UK government was not in a conciliatory mood.
apparatus
a set of equipment or tools or a machine that is used for a particular purpose:
a piece of apparatus
The divers checked their breathing apparatus.
profligate
spending money or using something in a way that wastes it and is not wise:
She is well-known for her profligate spending habits.
The profligate use of antibiotics has led to the evolution of resistant bacteria.
precariously
in a way that is likely to fall, be damaged, fail, etc.:
Her suitcase was precariously balanced on the tiny luggage rack above her head.
He lived somewhat precariously from one day to the next, never knowing where his next meal was coming from.
circumspect
careful not to take risks:
Officials were circumspect about saying what the talks had achieved.
acrimonious
full of anger, arguments, and bad feeling:
an acrimonious dispute
Their marriage ended eight years ago in an acrimonious divorce.
altruism
willingness to do things that bring advantages to others, even if it results in disadvantage for yourself:
She’s not known for her altruism.
banal
boring, ordinary, not original:
He just sat there making banal remarks all evening.
sublime
extremely good, beautiful, or enjoyable:
This book has sublime descriptive passages.
He possesses sublime self-confidence.
ominous
suggesting that something unpleasant is likely to happen:
There was an ominous silence when I asked whether my contract was going to be renewed.
The engine had been making an ominous sound all the way from my parents’ house.
ominous dark clouds
bellwether
someone or something that shows how a situation will develop or change:
The report is viewed as a bellwether for economic trends.
auspices
with the protection or support of someone or something, especially an organization:
Financial aid is being provided to the country under the auspices of the International Monetary Fund.
languish
to exist in an unpleasant or unwanted situation, often for a long time:
After languishing in obscurity for many years, her early novels have recently been rediscovered.
He has been languishing in jail for the past 20 years.
The ruling party is languishing in third place in the opinion polls.
arcane
mysterious and known only by a few people:
He was the only person who understood all the arcane details of the agreement.
This argument may seem arcane to those not closely involved in the world of finance
tome
a large, heavy book:
She’s written several weighty tomes on the subject.
fugue
a piece of music consisting of three or more tunes played together:
a Bach organ fugue
coy
intentionally keeping something secret:
She’s very coy about her age.
chauvinism
the strong and unreasonable belief that your own country or race is the best or most important:
The war stimulated an intense national chauvinism.
motley
consisting of many different types that do not appear to go together:
There’s a motley assortment/collection of old furniture in the house we’re renting now.
The people who turned up for the meeting were a motley crew (= a group consisting of many different types of people).
isomorphic
the same or similar in structure or shape:
isomorphic arrangement/pressure/power Outsourcing may create isomorphic pressures on other firms, who may want to be seen as savvy and competitive.
teetering
to appear to be about to fall while moving or standing:
Danielle was teetering around in five-inch heels.
august
having great importance and especially of the highest social class:
the society’s august patron, the Duke of Norfolk
imbue
to fill something or someone with a quality or feeling:
Her poetry was imbued with a love of the outdoors
semantic
connected with the meanings of words
denizens
an animal, plant, or person that lives in or is often in a particular place:
Deer and squirrels are among the denizens of the forest
scintillating
funny, exciting, and clever:
scintillating wit/repartee/conversation
a scintillating personality/speech
paragon
a person or thing that is perfect or has an extremely large amount of a particular good characteristic:
In the novel, Constanza is a paragon of virtue.
voraciously
in a way that is very eager to have a lot of something:
He read voraciously to learn about ideas that interested him.
As the bread arrives at the table she voraciously eats that too.
contrapuntal
Contrapuntal music has two or more separate tunes that are played or sung at the same time.
transmogrification
the act or process of changing or being changed completely:
We are witnessing one of those bizarre transmogrifications that can happen in politics.
This was less a fashion makeover and more a transmogrification.
insidious
(of something unpleasant or dangerous) gradually and secretly causing harm:
High blood pressure is an insidious condition which has few symptoms.
inimical
harmful or limiting:
Excessive managerial control is inimical to creative expression.
evanescent
lasting for only a short time, then disappearing quickly and being forgotten
militate
to make something less likely to happen or succeed:
The complexity and costliness of the judicial system militate against justice for the individual.
chagrin
disappointment or anger, especially when caused by a failure or mistake:
My children have never shown an interest in music, much to my chagrin.
esoteric
very unusual and understood or liked by only a small number of people, especially those with special knowledge:
He has an esoteric collection of old toys and games.
disapproving or humorous She has a somewhat esoteric taste in clothes.
bastion
something that keeps or defends a belief or a way of life that is disappearing or threatened:
British public schools are regarded as one of the last bastions of upper-class privilege.
axiomatic
obviously true and therefore not needing to be proved:
It is an axiomatic fact that governments rise and fall on the state of the economy.
It seems axiomatic that everyone would benefit from a better scientific education
allegory
a story, play, poem, picture, or other work in which the characters and events represent particular qualities or ideas that relate to morals, religion, or politics:
The play can be read as allegory.
Augustine’s “City of God” is an allegory of the triumph of Good over Evil.
circumlocution
(an example of) an indirect way of saying something, especially something unpleasant:
“Economical with the truth” is a circumlocution for “lying.”
Politicians are experts in circumlocution.
opine
to express an opinion:
Power grows from the barrel of a gun, opined Mao.
Ernest Rutherford opined that his work on radioactive substances would be of little or no practical use.
beleagured
having a lot of problems or difficulties:
The arrival of the fresh medical supplies was a welcome sight for the beleaguered doctors working in the refugee camps.
cavalier
not considering other people’s feelings or safety:
an economy in free fall and criticism
of his cavalier handling of one of
the world’s fastest growing coronavirus epidemics
incendiary
designed to cause fires
hegemony
(especially of countries) the position of being the strongest and most powerful and therefore able to control others:
The three nations competed for regional hegemony.
quagmire
an area of soft, wet ground that you sink into if you try to walk on it:
At the end of the game, the field was a real quagmire.
fulminate
to criticize strongly:
I had to listen to Michael fulminating against the government
malfeasance
an example of dishonest and illegal behavior, especially by a person in authority:
Several cases of malpractice and malfeasance in the financial world are currently being investigated.
