September / October Flashcards
- Prevaricate
- Prognosticate
- Promiscuous
- Recourse
- Relegate
Prevaricate [V] (pra Vara kAt)
1. Lie.
“He was forced to prevaricate to save his life.”
Syn: Lie, fabricate, falsify, misrepresent, perjure.
Prognosticate [V]
1. Predict; to foretell from signs or symptoms.
“I prognosticate disaster unless we change our wasteful ways.”
Syn: forewarn, forecast, foretell, indicate, portend, omen.
Promiscuous [Adj] (pra MISS Q S)
1. Mixed indiscriminately; haphazard; irregular.
Specif: Not restricted to one sexual partner. Promiscuity (N)
“The habit of promiscuous intercourse.” Causal
“Promiscuous eating habits.”
Syn: Wanton, lascivious, lewd, licentious, unchaste.
Recourse [N]
1. Resorting to help when in trouble.
“The boy’s only recourse was to appeal to his father for aid.”
B. Someone or something that can be turned to for help, support, or
protection.
“Have recourse to religion.”
Syn: Expedient, refuge, resource, hope.
Relegate [V]
1. Banish; consign to inferior position. Demoted.
To put out of sight or mind.
“Relegate this sofa to the dumpster.”
Syn: Demote, bust, degrade, displace, downgrade.
- Risque
- Sapient
- Specious
- Stigmatize
- Substantiate
- Surmise
- Sustenance
- Terrestrial
- Trepidation
Risque [Adj] (Ris K)
1. Verging upon the improper; off color.
“A risque story.”
Rummage [V]
1. Ransack; thoroughly search.
“We rummaged through the attic.”
Syn: Search, comb, dig into, explore, ferret, frish, hunt.
Sapient [Adj] (sA pE ant)
1. Wise; shrewd. Sage
“The students enjoyed the professor’s sapient digressions more
than his formal lectures.”
Syn: Wise, sagacious, enlightened, judicious, sage.
Specious [Adj] (spE shas)
1. Seemingly plausible, but incorrect.
“Let us not be mislead by such specious doctrines.”
Apparently right or proper, but not so in reality.
Syn: Paradoxical, sophistic, sophistical.
Stigmatize [V]
1. Brand; stereotype as (wicked usually) Designate,
Identify.
“I wish they had not stigmatized me “Writer”.
“He was stigmatized a traitor.”
Substantiate [V]
1. Verify; support.
“I intend to substantiate my statement by producing witnesses.”
“Substantiate a charge.”
Syn: Champion, advocate, defend, espouse, fight for.
Surmise [V]
1. Guess.
“I surmise that he will be late for this meeting.”
Syn: Conjecture, guess, supposition, speculation.
Sustenance [N] (SuS ta nans)
1. Means of support; food, nourishment.
Necessaries of life.
“Money for the sustenance of the homeless.”
“The natives find sustenance easy to obtain.”
Syn: Livelihood, keep, maintenance, subsistence.
Terrestrial [Adj] (ta reS TrEE al)
1. Of or relating to the Earth or it’s
inhabitants. Global.
“Terrestrial habits.”
“Terrestrial practicality.”
Syn: Earthly, mundane, secular, physical.
Trepidation [N]
1. Fear. Trembling agitation.
“We must face the enemy without trepidation.”
- Amalgamate
- Atrocity
- Bantering
- Bereft
- Aberration
- Accentuate
- Intelligentsia
- Precipitate
- Sojourn
Amalgamate [N] (a MaL ga mAte)
1. Combine; Unite in one body. Integrate; To merge.
“CMA has a tendency to amalgamate with all Christian denominations.”
Syn: Integrate, affiliate, annex, assimilate, incorporate.
Atrocity [N] (a troSS a tE)
1. Brutal deed; cruel deed; wicked.
“The drunk committed one atrocity after another.”
B. The state of being atrocious.
Syn: Heinousness, depravity, debauchery, barbarism.
Bantering [Adj]
1. Teasing; good natured ridiculing.
“She resented his bantering remarks.”
Bereft [Adj] (Be reFT)
1. Deprived of; lacking.
“Bereft of money, brains, morals, etc.”
Syn: Deprive, dispossess, divest, confiscate.
Aberration [N] (aB a rA shan)
1. Act of wandering away or of going astray:
Deviation from truth or a moral standard.
“Aberration of character” “Aberration of structure.”
Syn: Deviation, noncompliance, anomaly, departure.
Accentuate [V] (ak Cent Chew Ate)
1. To mark strongly, emphasize. To pronounce in reading
or speaking with heavy emphasis on a word in the sentence.
ie “If you don’t repent you are going to go to Hell!”
Syn: Emphasize, accent, feature, highlight.
Intelligentsia [N] (in TeL a JenT sE a)
1. Plural. 1. A class of well-educated articulate
persons. (collectively, like a consensus)
2. A class of people devoted to cerebral matters.
“Inferior people without intelligentsia.”
3. The aggregate of a person’s intelligence.
Precipitate [V or Adj] (pre SiP a tAte)
1. To cause to move or act very rapidly.
2. Acting by unwise haste. Rash, premature.
Urge or press on with eager haste or violence.
“I hate being pressured to do a precipitated repair.”
“Once I screw up a good golf game I’ll precipitate the majority
of my shots. Precipitation-N
Precipitately [Adv] “Declining precipitously”
“This already precipitous deficit.”
Syn: Result, aftermath, consequence, issue.
Sojourn [V] (SO jurn)
1. A temporary stay. “Returned after a long sojourn in
Europe.” 2. To stay as a temporary resident. Stop
“Sojourned for a month at Lake Tahoe.”
Syn: Reside, abide, board.
- Supposition
- Impetus
- Prodigious
- Per Capita
- Mandate
- Subvert
- Precocious
- Platitude
- Truism
- Ambivalence
- Acquiesce
Supposition [N]
1. Something that is supposed. Assuming something.
“I married her on the supposition that we could go to God with all
our problems.”
Syn: assumption, hypothesis, speculation, conjecture.
Impetus [N] (iM pa tas)
1. A driving or impelling force.
“Trying to discover the impetus behind all this activity.”
2. Incentive; stimulus.
Stimulation or encouragement resulting in increased activity.
“I felt no impetus to do well in school.” Alacrity; motivation.
Syn: Drive, impulse, momentum, propulsion, thrust.
Prodigious [Adj] (Pra DiJ as)
1. Causing one to marvel. Abnormal; strange.
2. Extraordinary in bulk, quantity, or degree. Enormous, vast.
“Prodigious in everything” “Have done a prodigious amount of
work.” Syn: monstrous
3. Marvelous; amazing.
“We ate such prodigious helpings that we could hardly move!”
Per Capita [Adv]
1. Equal to each person.
“The heaviest debt per capita of any nation.”
Mandate [N]
1. An authoritive command, order, or injunction”
A clear instruction, authorization. Similar to protocol.
“Acting under the mandate of company policy.”
Syn: Command, charge, dictate, order, ultimatum.
Subvert [V] 1. To overturn or overthrow; ruin utterly demolish.
Similar to insurrection and collusion.
“Jack would attempt to subvert all the new employees.”
Syn: Sabotage, undermine, wreck.
Precocious [Adj] (pra KO shas)
1. Exceptionally early in development; Manifesting
at an early age characteristics usually associated with maturity.
“A precocious child” “A precocious genius” “A precocious
achievement” Ahead of it’s time.
Platitude [N]
1. A thought or remark that is dull, insipid, stale,
commonplace. Esp. one uttered or written with an air of importance
or solemnity. “He just rambled of platitudes.”
“It is one of those platitudes which are constantly ignored.”
Syn: Cliche, stereotype, truism, commonplace.
Truism [N]
1. An undoubted or self evident truth. Esp. One too obvious
or unimportant for mention. “That’s a truism.”
Syn: Adage, aphorism, dictum, maxim.
Ambivalence [N]
1. Simultaneous attraction toward and repulsion from
an object, person, or action.
“Apache ambivalence in attitude toward death.”
2. A continual oscillation as between one thing and another.
Syn: Hesitation, indecision, uncertainty, wavering.
Acquiesce [V] (aK WE eS)
1. To rest satisfied physically or mentally. To remain
submissive. Content with circumstances. (Often used with “in” or
“to”) “To acquiesce too much” “If we acquiesce in this swindle..”
“I’m reluctant to acquiesce with Dan’s Christian precepts.”
To accept as inevitable.
Syn: Assent, consent, grant, match.
- Onerous
- Osensible
- Austerity
- Brook
- Circumlocution
- Convalescent
- Demagogue
- Denigrate
- Ephemeral
- Insouciant
- Juxtapose
- Peon
- Penchant
Onerous [Adj] (oN ar as)
1. Arduous work, effort, difficulty or responsibility.
Heavily demanding. Troublesome burdensome. “Onerous duties”.
“Onerous task” “An unending, tiring, onerous job.”
“Faced with onerous debts.”
Syn: Burdensome, cumbersome, heavy, weighty.
Ostensible [Adj] (o steN sa bal)
1. Capable of being shown. Prepared to be exhibited.
B. Open to view. 2. Professing genuineness and sincerity but often
concealing the real aspects behind a plausible facade.
“…the ostensible reason for his trip duly appeared”.
Ostensibly [Adv] to all outward appearances.
Austerity [N] (a stare a TE)
Severity, sternness. 1. The state of being stern and
unyielding in appearance and manner. 2. An ascetic practice.
“Early Christian “Austerities”. Lack of luxuries.
“Live on an austerity diet.”
Syn: Modesty, plainness, simplicity, spareness.
Brook [V]
1. To put up with: Endure, bear, tolerate. Usually used in
negative. “They never would brook interference.”
Syn: Bear, endure, tolerate, abide, take, submit to.
Circumlocution [N] (SiR kam lOW Q shan)
1. The use of an unnecessary large number of words
to express an idea. Indirect or roundabout expression.
“Academic circumlocution” Beating around the bush.
“Circumlocution of Washington.”
Convalescent [Adj] (KoN va leSS ens)
1. Recovering from sickness: partially restored to health or strength.
“Convalescent children nearly ready to leave the hospital.”
Convalesce [V] To grow strong; To gather strength.
Syn: Recovery, healing, rally, resuscitation, restoration.
Demagogue [N] (DeM a GoG)
1. One aiming to gain personal advantage by arousing or
appealing to popular passions or prejudices. Esp. by making
specious or extravagant claims or promises.
“He’s a statesman one moment then a demagogue the next.”
Syn: Agitator, inciter, instigator, malcontent, rabble-rouser.
Denigrate [V]
1. Belittle maliciously. Defame.
“Denigrate his efforts.”
Syn: Badmouth, defame, libel, smear, tear down.
Ephemeral [Adj] (e FeM er al)
1. Temporary, lasting briefly.
“Ephemeral boundaries”
“Love is ephemeral and you need many more attractions to stay married.”
Insouciant [Adj] (in SUE sE ant)
What, me worry? 1. Freedom from concern or care. An
attitude of indifference or unconcern. Insouciance-n.
“People facing death sometimes become insouciant.”
Syn: Blithe, bouncy, carefree, fancy-free.
Juxtapose [V] Juxtaposition [N] (juK sta pOZ)
1. To place side by side.
“The huts were closely juxtaposed.”
Syn: Adjacent, compare, assess, contrast, correlate, rate.
Peon [N] (P ON)
1. A person held in a state of compulsory servitude to a
master: An unskilled laborer. 2. A person occupying a
position of subordination or drudgery, esp. through stupidity or
lack of initiative.
Penchant [N] (peN chant)
1. Syn: leaning. A strong leaning or attraction. Strong
and continued inclination. “A penchant for sharp criticism.”
“A penchant for art.”
Syn: Love, craving, leaning, strong liking, fondness, taste.
- Proclivity
- Reticencet
- Placate
- Portentous
- Propensity
- Procurator
- Promulgate
- Sanctimonious
- Soliloquy
- Snafu
Proclivity [N] (prO kliV a tE)
1. Penchant. Inclined to perform a certain way.
“Burgulars normally have a proclivity of working while their
victims are not home.”
Syn: Love, affection, fondness, strong liking, penchant.
Reticencet [Adj] (ReT a sent)
1.Inclined to be silent or uncommunicative.
Given to reserve in speech.
“Particularly reticencet about my marriage failure.”
“Reticencet of his opinions.” “Reticencet person.’” Reticence-N.
Syn: Aloofness, detachment, remoteness, isolation.
Placate [V] (plAy kATe)
1. Please; appease. To soothe, esp. by making concessions.
“To placate public opinion.” Help to reconcile differences.
Syn: Satisfy, fulfill, answer, appease, content, pacify.
Portentous [Adj]
1. Monstrous, prodigious, Marvelous.
2. Eliciting amazement or wonder.
“Portentous ability of Olym. performers.”
Syn: Oracular, predictable, prescient, prognostic, prophetic.
Propensity [N] (pra peN si tE)
1. A natural inclination or tendency.
“Propensity for versifying” “Propensity for adultery.”
Syn: Leaning, penchant, proclivity, inclination, disposition.
Procurator [N] (ProCK ya rA ter)
1. One that manages the affairs of another, esp. by
acting as the agent, proxy, or representative.
2. One that has power of attorney.
“I was appointed her procurator since she was bedridden.”
Syn: Representative, ambassador, deputy, proxy.
Promulgate [V] (ProM al gAte)
1. Proclaim. To announce officially.
To make known (as a decree or dogma) by open declaration.
“To promulgate our rally’s location”
Syn: Declare, announce, broadcast, publish.
Sanctimonious [Adj] (SanK ta mO nE as)
1. Hypocritically devout. Self-righteous.
Displaying high mindedness with intent to impress.
“Woman who was religious without being sanctimonious.”
Syn: Hypocritical, self-righteous.
Soliloquy [N] (sa LiL a kwE)
1. The act of talking to oneself. Monologue.
“MacEnroe would often soliloquy after a bad line call.”
Syn: Speech, utterance, verbalization, monologue, dissertation.
Snafu [Adj] (sna fOOL)
1. All fouled up: Awry: stalled in confusion.
“The whole project ended up a snafu.”
Syn: Muddle, jumble, foul-up, confusion, chaos.
- Importune
- Invariably
- Melodramatic
- Recaptiulate
- Repudiate
- Nefarious
- Neurotic
- Misnomer
- Indolent
- Deliberate
Importune [V] (iM poor TUne)
1. To pester with frequent or unreasonable request.
“Were being Importuned to try their luck with the play.”
“Citizens importune the president:” Annoy, worry, trouble.
Syn: Petition, supplicate, beseech, entreat, implore.
Invariably [Adv] (in VaR E a bully)
1. Without exception or change. Always. Consistently.
“Those most loved are Invariably those who believe in others.”
“I’ll Invariably screw up my second shot after a superlative drive.”
Syn: Constant, continuous, reliable, steady, Uniform,unchanging.
Recapitulate [V] 1. Restate briefly the principal stages of what
happened. Give a summary of. “Let’s R. what lead to his victory.”
“Let me R. the circumstances and you’ll see why I did it that way.”
Syn: Delineate, describe, chronicle, describe, enumerate.
Repudiate [V] (re PEW DE Ate)
1. Reject: Renounce. To refuse to accept as having
rightful authority. To refuse to acknowledge or pay.
“They repudiated the bill for the service call.”
Repudiation [N] “Repudiation of a contract”
“Repudiation of God’s word.”
Syn: Disaffirm, disavow, disclaim, recant, renounce.
Nefarious [Adj] (na Fair E as)
1. Heinously wicked; Detestable; wrong.
“Nefarious schemes” “Nefarious practice” Nefariousness-N.
Syn: Wicked, awful, black-hearted, contemptible, despicable, diabolic.
Neurotic [Adj]
1. Pertaining to suffering from emotional disturbances,
usually involved in anxiety, depression and unresolved psychic
conflicts. “Betty is neurotic most of the time.”
Syn: Mentally ill, psychotic, crazy, demented, deranged.
Misnomer [N]
1. To call by a wrong name. An incorrect designation or term.
“It’s a misnomer to call fiction, a biography.”
Indolent [Adj] (iN da lant)
1. Causing little or no pain. “I. tumor” 2. Lazy.
Constantly indulging in ease and avoidance of exertion. “Old, fat
and I.” “I. writer, mechanic, worker.”
Syn: Languid, listless, inert, lackadaisical, lethargic, lazy.
Deliberate [V]
1. Characterized by unhurried, careful, thorough and cool calculations
and consideration of effects and consequences of a decision.
“A deliberate Judgment”
“Congress prefers the term deliberating to procrastinating.”
Syn: Think, inquire, theorize, cogitate, ponder, reflect.
Melodramatic [Adj]
1. A sensational drama or play in which songs and music were
interspersed (scattered here and there) and the action was accompanied
by orchestral music appropriate to the situations.
“James Bond Movies always have melodramatic music
playing during a chase scene.”
Syn: Sentimental and exaggerated spectacular, thrilling.
- Symposium
- Apparition
- Aerophobia
- Assimilate
- schizophrenia
- Schizoid Personality
- Escalate
- Indelible
Symposium [N] (sim pO zE am)
1. A meeting where several speakers deliver short
speeches on related topics pertaining to the basic subject. A
collection of opinions, (consensus) at a meeting on a subject.
“We attended a symposium on relationships that was great!”
Syn: Discussion group, class, consensus, council, seminar.
Apparition [N] (aP a riSH an)
1. A visual appearance of a disembodied spirit;
phantom; ghost. 2. Anything that appears, esp. if remarkable or
startling. “Some people see the apparition of Mary.”
Aerophobia [N] (AIR a fO bE a)
1. Fear of flying. Aerophobic-adj
“People take trains because they are aerophobic.”
Assimilate [V]
1. To make similar, compare: Cause to resemble-usually used with
“to or with”. 2. Become absorbed into the system.
“Assimilate our golf to the golf in Scotland.”
“Some foods A. more readily than others.”
“To become culturally assimilated.”
“Whose education and way of life assimilate them with the rich.”
“Children assimilate their nurses more that their mothers.”
Syn: Integrate, affiliate, amalgamate, absorb, ingrain, espouse, combine.
Schizophrenia [N]
1. Split personality.
“Many people are victims of schizophrenia and don’t realize it.”
Any of a group of psychotic disorders characterized by progressive deterioration of the personality, withdrawal from reality,
[MN: praying to a dead saint or a non-existent God.] hallucinations, delusions, social apathy, emotional instability, etc Seecatatonia, hebephrenia, paranoia MN: [Afraid of going to hell is a paranoid delusion]
(Informal) behaviour that appears to be motivated by contradictory or conflicting principles
Schizoid personality [N]
1.A personality disorder characterized by shyness, withdrawal,
inhibition of emotional expression. It is often evidenced by eccentric
behavior but not harming intellectual attributes and generally being in
contact with reality. Paranoid personality is endemic to a schizoid.
.Escalate [V]
1. To ascend or carry up as if on a conveyor belt.
Rising. “Escalating inflation.”
Syn: Ascend, boost, climb, elevate, hoist.
Indelible [Adj] (in deL a bal)
1. Permanent, lasting. 1. That cannot be removed,
washed away, or erased. “An Indelible stain.”
Syn: Ineffaceable, inexpungible, irreversible, irrevocable.
