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NYT vocabulary Flashcards

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1
Q

reagents

A

a substance or mixture for use in chemical analysis or other reactions.

“this compound is a very sensitive reagent for copper”

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2
Q

invective

A

insulting, abusive, or highly critical language.

“he let out a stream of invective”

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3
Q

brandished

A

wave or flourish (something, especially a weapon) as a threat or in anger or excitement.

“a man leaped out brandishing a knife”

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4
Q

gambit

A

a device, action, or opening remark, typically one entailing a degree of risk, that is calculated to gain an advantage.

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5
Q

upend

A

set or turn (something) on its end or upside down.

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6
Q

teetering

A

move or unbanished…sway back and forth

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7
Q

conduit

A

a channel for conveying water or electricity

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8
Q

telemetry

A

the collection of measurements or other data at remote or inaccessible points and their automatic transmission to receiving equipment for monitoring.

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9
Q

repugnant

A

extremely distasteful;

unacceptable…repugnant to every rule of political calculation

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10
Q

draconian

A

excessively harsh and severe;

the Nazis destroyed the independence of the press by a series of draconian laws”

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11
Q

plenary

A

unqualified;

“crusaders were offered a plenary indulgence by the Pope”

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12
Q

unvarnished

A

plain and straightforward

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13
Q

deluge

A

a great quantity of something arriving at the same time.

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14
Q

veracity

A

accuracy

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15
Q

pretensions

A

a claim or assertion of a claim to something.

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16
Q

recriminations

A

an accusation in response to one from someone else.

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17
Q

quell

A

put an end to (a rebellion or other disorder), typically by the use of force.

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18
Q

vitriol

A

cruel and bitter criticism.

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19
Q

xenophobia

A

dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries.

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20
Q

admonision

A

an act or action of admonishing; authoritative counsel or warning.

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21
Q

commiserate

A

express or feel sympathy or pity; sympathize.

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22
Q

epoch

A

a period of time in history or a person’s life, typically one marked by notable events or particular characteristics.

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23
Q

pejorative

A

expressing contempt or disapproval.

“permissiveness is used almost universally as a pejorative term”

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24
Q

futility

A

pointlessness or uselessness.

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25
Q

fervor

A

intense and passionate feeling.

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26
Q

partisanship

A

prejudice in favor of a particular cause; bias.

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27
Q

fascism

A

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

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28
Q

insurgent

A

someone who is fighting against the government in their own country.

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29
Q

pundit

A

a person who knows a lot about a particular subject and is therefore often asked to give an opinion about it:

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30
Q

perfunctory

A

(of an action or gesture) carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection.

“he gave a perfunctory nod”

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31
Q

levity

A

humor or frivolity, especially the treatment of a serious matter with humor or in a manner lacking due respect.

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32
Q

requisition

A

to officially request or take something:

The army requisitioned all the cars and trucks they could find.

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33
Q

relegated

A

to put someone or something into a lower or less important rank or position

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34
Q

brunt

A

the main force of something unpleasant

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35
Q

respite

A

a pause or rest from something difficult or unpleasant

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36
Q

pervasive

A

present or noticeable in every part of a thing or place

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37
Q

ennui

A

a feeling of being bored and mentally tired caused by having nothing interesting or exciting to do

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38
Q

relic

A

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.

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39
Q

subversion

A

the act of trying to destroy or damage an established system or government:

He was found guilty of subversion and imprisoned.

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40
Q

cacaphonous

A

having an unpleasant mixture of sounds:

We woke up to the cacophonous sound of birds.

The restaurant is a cacophonous, high-ceilinged room.

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41
Q

derision

A

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.

42
Q

harbinger

A

a person or thing that shows that something is going to happen soon, especially something bad:

a harbinger of doom

43
Q

insolvency

A

(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

44
Q

proliferate

A

to increase a lot and suddenly in number

45
Q

hydras

A

in ancient Greek stories, a creature with many heads that grew again when cut off

a difficult problem that keeps returning

46
Q

incredulity

A

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.

47
Q

assailed

A

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.

48
Q

cronyism

A

the situation in which someone important gives jobs to friends rather than to independent people who have the necessary skills and experience

49
Q

salvo

A

the action of firing several guns at the same time, either in a war or in a ceremony:
a salvo of guns/rocket

50
Q

macabre

A

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.

51
Q

vaunted

A

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.

52
Q

bilk

A

to get money from someone unfairly or dishonestly:

He bilked clients out of tens of millions of dollars.

53
Q

conciliatory

A

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.

54
Q

apparatus

A

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.

55
Q

profligate

A

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.

56
Q

precariously

A

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.

57
Q

circumspect

A

careful not to take risks:

Officials were circumspect about saying what the talks had achieved.

58
Q

acrimonious

A

full of anger, arguments, and bad feeling:

an acrimonious dispute

Their marriage ended eight years ago in an acrimonious divorce.

59
Q

altruism

A

willingness to do things that bring advantages to others, even if it results in disadvantage for yourself:

She’s not known for her altruism.

60
Q

banal

A

boring, ordinary, not original:

He just sat there making banal remarks all evening.

61
Q

sublime

A

extremely good, beautiful, or enjoyable:

This book has sublime descriptive passages.

He possesses sublime self-confidence.

62
Q

ominous

A

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

63
Q

bellwether

A

someone or something that shows how a situation will develop or change:

The report is viewed as a bellwether for economic trends.

64
Q

auspices

A

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.

65
Q

languish

A

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.

66
Q

arcane

A

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

67
Q

tome

A

a large, heavy book:

She’s written several weighty tomes on the subject.

68
Q

fugue

A

a piece of music consisting of three or more tunes played together:

a Bach organ fugue

69
Q

coy

A

intentionally keeping something secret:

She’s very coy about her age.

70
Q

chauvinism

A

the strong and unreasonable belief that your own country or race is the best or most important:

The war stimulated an intense national chauvinism.

71
Q

motley

A

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).

72
Q

isomorphic

A

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.

73
Q

teetering

A

to appear to be about to fall while moving or standing:

Danielle was teetering around in five-inch heels.

74
Q

august

A

having great importance and especially of the highest social class:

the society’s august patron, the Duke of Norfolk

75
Q

imbue

A

to fill something or someone with a quality or feeling:

Her poetry was imbued with a love of the outdoors

76
Q

semantic

A

connected with the meanings of words

77
Q

denizens

A

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

78
Q

scintillating

A

funny, exciting, and clever:

scintillating wit/repartee/conversation
a scintillating personality/speech

79
Q

paragon

A

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.

80
Q

voraciously

A

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.

81
Q

contrapuntal

A

Contrapuntal music has two or more separate tunes that are played or sung at the same time.

82
Q

transmogrification

A

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.

83
Q

insidious

A

(of something unpleasant or dangerous) gradually and secretly causing harm:

High blood pressure is an insidious condition which has few symptoms.

84
Q

inimical

A

harmful or limiting:

Excessive managerial control is inimical to creative expression.

85
Q

evanescent

A

lasting for only a short time, then disappearing quickly and being forgotten

86
Q

militate

A

to make something less likely to happen or succeed:

The complexity and costliness of the judicial system militate against justice for the individual.

87
Q

chagrin

A

disappointment or anger, especially when caused by a failure or mistake:

My children have never shown an interest in music, much to my chagrin.

88
Q

esoteric

A

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.

89
Q

bastion

A

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.

90
Q

axiomatic

A

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

91
Q

allegory

A

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.

92
Q

circumlocution

A

(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.

93
Q

opine

A

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.

94
Q

beleagured

A

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.

95
Q

cavalier

A

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

96
Q

incendiary

A

designed to cause fires

97
Q

hegemony

A

(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.

98
Q

quagmire

A

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.

99
Q

fulminate

A

to criticize strongly:

I had to listen to Michael fulminating against the government

100
Q

malfeasance

A

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.

New Vocabulary (14 decks)

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