Princeton Vocab list Flashcards
candid
honest, straightforward
conjecture
guess, inference
didactic
teaching tone
Euphemism
mild term for something harsh
Extrapolate
known evidence –> inference
incoherent
doesn’t fit together, lacks connection
Insinuate
communicating something negative without explicitly stating it
Lucid
easily understood, clear
Rhetoric
art of speaking persuasively and effectively
Acumen
quick, accurate, keen insight and judgement
Adroit
dexterous, skillful
Astute
shrewd, clever
Perspicacious
shrewd, clear-sighted
Circumspect
careful, prudent, discreet
Disseminate
to scatter widely
Erudition
deep extensive learning
Ascertain
to fight out by investigation
Husbandry
principles of agriculture
Pedantic
concerned with book learning and formal rules
Pragmatic
practical
precocious
exhibiting unusually early intellectual aptitude and maturity
prospectus
formal proposal
rudimentary
basic, elementary, earliest stage of development
Abstruse
difficult to understand (lecture)
Inscrutable
difficult to fathom or understand, impenetrable (bad handwriting)
Convoluted
intricate, complex (directions–>lost)
Enigma
puzzle, mystery, riddle
Callous
emotionally hardened; no feelings (hurt someone’s feelings)
Staid
unemotional, serious (calm when everyone celebrates victory)
Reticent
inclined to keep silent; reserved
Arcane
known/understood by a few
Assimilate
to absorb /be absorbed, to become similar
Autonomy
independence, self-determination
Cosmopolitan
worldly, self-determination
Derivative
something that comes from a source
Entourage
group of associates surrounding an important person
Esoteric
intended for only a few to understand
gaffe
clumsy social error
idiosyncrasy
characteristic peculiar to an individual
Insular
isolated
orthodox
traditional
potentate
one who has the power and position to rule over others, monarch
Castigate
to scold, rebuke, or harshly criticize
Censure
to issue official blame
Denounce
to condemn openly
Reclusive
seeking or preferring seclusion or isolation
relinquish
to retire from, give up or abandon
renounce
to give up (a title, ex) especially by formal announcement
Vituperative
marked by harshly abusive condemnation
circumscribe
draw a circle around; restrict
Contiguous
sharing an edge or boundary
conciliatory
appeasing, soothing, showing willingness to reconcile (argue with parents –> peaceful)
credible
cable of being believed, plausible
Exonerate
free from blame (court)
Incontrovertible
indisputable
indict
to officially charge with wrongdoing or a crime (Nixon with Watergate scandal)
litigious
prone to engage in lawsuits (sue dog)
partisan
devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or clause
parity
equality (olympics judge)
rectitude
moral uprightness; righteousness
remiss
lax in attending to duty, negligent
repudiate
reject the authority of
sanctimonious
feigning piety or righteousness (pharisees)
Scrupulous
principled, having a strong sense of right and wrong, conscientious and exacting
solicitous
concerned
sophistry
plausible but misleading or fallacious argument
substantiate
to support with proof or evidence; verify
veracity
adherence to the truth; truthfulness
vindicate
to free from blame
Cajole
to urge with repeated appeals, teasing, or flattery (see movie for the 10th time)
Chicanery
trickery
Obsequious
fawning (exaggerated flattery) and servile (willing to please)
sycophant
insincere, obsequious flatterer
altruism
unselfish concern for the welfare of others, selflessness
eminent
distinguished, prominent
empathetic
understanding other’s situation feelings, and motives
extol
to praise highly
laudatory
full of praise
magnanimous
courageously or generously noble in mind and heart
philanthropic
humanitarian; benevolent; relating to monetary generosity
reciprocate
to mutually take or give; to respond in kind
defunct
no longer existing or functioning (theory that world = flat)
eradicate
to get rid as if by tearing it up by the roots; abolish (turnips)
expurgate
to remove objectionable content before publication or release (movie, internet)
extirpate
to destroy (termites with wood)
quell
to put down forcibly; suppress(riots)
raze
to level to the ground; demolish (take down building)
squelch
to crush as if by trampling, squash (an idea)
supplant
to usurp, especially through underhanded tactics
stymie
to thwart or stump (puzzle)
Abase
to lower in rank, prestige, or esteem
Deride
to mock contemptuously
derogatory
insulting
disparage
to belittle, speak negatively of
effrontery
brazen boldness, presumptuousness
ignominy
great personal dishonor or humiliation, disgraceful conduct
impugn
to attack as false or questionable
mar
to damage, especiall in a disfiguring way
pejorative
disparaging, belittling, insulting
vex
to annoy or bother, to perplex
vindictive
revengeful; spiteful
bombastic
given to pompous speech or writing
ebullience
intense enthusiasm
exorbitant
exceeding all bounds, as of custom or fairness (price of dress)
exuberant
unrestrained enthusiasm or joy
embellish
to ornament or decorate, to exaggerate (Don quixote’s stories)
Flagrant
extremely or deliberately shocking or noticeable
gratuitous
given freely; unearned; unnecessary (violence in movie)
lavish
extravagant
lugubrious
mournful/gloomy in an exaggerated or ludicrous tone
opulent
displaying great wealth
ornate
elaborately decorated
penchant
srong inclination or liking
redundant
needlessly repetitive
ubiquitous
omnipresent
vicarious
felt or undergone as if one were taking part in the experience of another
vignette
a short scene or story
amalgam
a combination of diverse elements; a mixture
inundate
to overwhelm as if with a flood, to swamp
multifarious
diverse, various
multiplicity
state of being various or manifold; a great number
alleviate
to ease pain/burden
ameliorate
to make better/improve
beneficial
helpful
curative
able to heal or cure
palliative
relieving or soothing the symptoms of a disease without giving a cure
therapeutic
having healing powers
complement
something that completes, goes with, or brings perfection to
epitome
a representative or example of a type
felicitous
admirably suited; apt
belie
to misrepresent
debunk
to expose untruths, shams, or exaggerated claims
dubious
doubtful; of unlikely authenticity
duplicitous
deliberately deceptive
fabricate
to make up in order to deceive
fallacy
false notion
mendacious
lying, untruthful
specious
having a right of truth or plausibility but actually false
ambiguous
has more than one interpretation
ambivalent
simultaneously feeling opposite feelings, uncertain
apathetic
feeling or showing little emotion
capricious
impulsive and unpredictable
equivocal
two interpretations that mislead
erratic
markedly inconsistent
impetuous
suddenly and forcefully energetic or emotional, impulsive and passionate
impetus
an impelling force or stimulus
sporadic
occurring at irregular intervals, having no pattern or order in time
vacillate
to sway from one side to another; oscillate
whimsical
characterized by whim; unpredictable
flag (v)
to decline in vigor or strength
jaded
worn out, wearied
Ingenuous
lacking in cunning, guilde, or worldliness (easy for friends to deceive her)
subterfuge
a deceptive stratagem or device (undercover cops)
surreptitious
secretive, sneaky
dearth
scarce supply; lack (dearth of money in piggybank)
modicum
small, moderate, or token amount
paucity
smallness in number; scarcity
squander
to spend wastefully
temperate
moderate; restrained (temperate climates)
tenuous
having little substance or strength; shaky (grandfather)
diligent
hardworking
maverick
one who is independent and resists adherence to a group (Tom Cruise breaks rules)
mercenary
motivated solely by a desire for money
obstinate
stubbornly attached to an opinion or course of action (parents = obstinate, refuse to buy an Xbox)
proliferate
to grow or increase rapidly (cell phones proliferated)
tenacity
persistence
vigilant
on the alert; watchful
extraneous
irrelevant, inessential
juxtapose
to place side by side, especially for comparison or contrast
superfluous
extra, unnecessary
synergy
combined action or operation (H+0 = water)
Tangential
merely touching or slightly connected, only superficially relevant (thesis tangential to the proof)
aesthetic
relating to appreciation of beauty
aural
of or related to the ear or the sense of hearing
cacophony
discordant, unpleasant noise
dirge
funeral hymn or lament
eclectic
made up of a variety of sources or styles
incongruous
lacking in harmony; incompatible (chicken and jello soup)
sonorous
producing a deep or full sound (sonorous snoring)
strident
loud, harsh, grating, or shrill (strident shouting)
debacle
disastrous or ludicrous defeat or failure; fiasco
debilitate
impair the strength of; weaken
tumultous
noisy and disorderly
anachronistic
something in the wrong time period
archaic
old, characteristic of an earlier time
dilatory
habitually late
ephemeral
lasting for only a brief time
redolent
fragrant, aromatic, suggestive over time
temporal
of, relating to, or limited by time
onerous
troublesome or oppressive; burdensome
portent
omen
prescience
knowing actions/events before they occur
austere
without decoration, strict (gray walls make austere setting)
banal
drearily commonplace; predictable; trite
hackneyed
worn out through overuse; trite
insipid
uninteresting, unchallenging, lacking taste or savor (insipid movie is to predictable)
prosaic
unimaginative, dull
soporific
inducing or tending to induce sleep (soporific lecture)
vapid
lacking liveliness, animation, or interest; dull
brevity
state of being brief in duration
expedient
convenient, speedy, appropriate to purpose
transient
passing quickly in time or space
augment
to make greater in size, extent, or quantity, supplement
bolster
to hearten, support, or prop up
burgeon
to grow and flourish
copious
plentiful, having a large quantity
distend
to swell out or expand from internal pressure (balloon)
grandiose
great in scope or intent, grand
prodigious
enormous
profundity
great depth of intellect, feeling, or meaning
redouble
to double
scintillating
brilliant
averse
strongly disinclined
conspicuous
easy to notice; obvious
demure
modest and reserved
diffidence
timidity or shyness
docile
submissive to instruction; willing to be taught
innocuous
having no adverse effect; harmless
placid
calm or quiet, undisturbed
quiescent
quiet, still, or at rest; inactive
concord
agreement
discord
disagreement
concur
to agree
dogmatic
stubbornly attached to insufficiently proven beliefs
fastidious
carefully attentive to detail, difficult to please
intransigence
refusal to moderate a position or to compromise
jocular
characterized by or given to joking
meticulous
extremely careful and precise
affable
easy-going, friendly
alacrity
promptness in response; cheerful readiness, eagerness
amiable
friendly, agreeable, good-natured
benign
kind and gentle
sanguine
cheerfully confident; optimistic
belligerent
eager to fight; hostile or aggressive
byzantine
extremely complicated or devious
cantankerous
ill-tempered and quarrelsome; disagreeable
contentious
quarrelsome
deleterious
having a harmful effect
exacerbate
to aggravate, to increase the severity, violence, or bitterness of
flippant
disrespectfully humorous or casual
insolent
insulting in manner or speech
nefarious
flagrantly wicked; vicious
pernicious
extremely or irrevocably harmful; deadly
rancorous
marked by bitter, deep-seated ill will
repugnant
arousing disgust or aversion; offensive or repulsive
tawdry
gaudy and cheap
arboreal
relating to or resembling a tree or trees
invocation
call for assistance, support, or inspiration (upon higher power)
stratify
to layer or separate into layers
variegated
having streaks, marks or patches of a different color or colors
verdant
green with vegetation