Session 5 Words Flashcards
canard
folk tale, urban legend
“According to a Ghanaian canard, ghosts saunter on the Elmina Beach at night”
staid
serious, respectable, composed
“Staid colleges such as Duke have well-established systems to support international students”
hubristic
arrogant
“Prior to the 2020 elections, Donal Trump had a hubristic perception that he would win by a landslide”
verdant
green, lush, flourishing
“Before the Lewis and Clark expedition, the West was a stretch of gorgeous, verdant land”
impetuous
hasty, rash, reckless
“To ace the GRE, you have to first look at problems in a big picture as being impetuous can bring severe ramifications”
provenance
origin, source
“The provenance of the animosity between the British and the French can be traced back to the American Revolution”
bombast
pomposity, ranting, ostentation
“Before Elon Musk’s speech, the dean went on a bombast about how he loved Tesla cars though he vilified the company at PTA in the previous month”
toady
fawner
“Barca fans can be toadies sometimes. They never want to acknowledge when their team performs terribly”
recidivism
the tendency for criminals to reoffend
“Prisons are meant to reduce recidivism not leave inmates suicidal”
ramification
consequence, result, aftermath
“Unfortunately the pardon did not absolve Bill Cosby of the harsh ramifications of his crimes”
iridescent
colorful, lustrous, refulgent, lurid
“The crowd was dazzled by the iridescent feathers of the peacock”
dogmatic
opinionated, assertive, insistent
“The work at this company involves a great deal of cooperation and collaboration. Dogmatic people like Kwasi may not be a great addition to the team”
beset
surround, besiege, plague, beleaguer
“Before sounding the trumpets, the Israelites beset the walls of Jericho”
pedantic
precise, exact, scrupulous
“The art piece is very delicate so take pedantic steps when taking it to the top floor”
abase
humble, humiliate, belittle
“Mbappe’s penalty miss at the Euros abased the hubristic ego he developed prior to the tournament”
gravitas
dignity, solemnity, grandeur
“For a project of such importance, you need an architect with high gravitas”
insidious
stealthy, cunning, surreptitious
“Conspiracy theories about Hitler’s death base their standpoints on insidious letters he exchanged with his defense minister a few days before his demise”
forbearance
tolerance, resignation, endurance
“As a White House press secretary you need to have strong forbearance to withstand vexing reporters”
morass
muddle, chaos, confusion
“Kamala Harris’ comments about the border crisis incited morass at the senate”
eclectic
broad, wide
“I have an eclectic taste of music. I enjoy tunes ranging from reggae to country-pop”
egregious
appalling, horrifying, terrible
“The extent of damage during the 2015 earthquake in Nepal was egregious”
diffident
shy, bashful "My dad told me to speak up in class and not be diffident as I earned my place to the school"
rue
regret
“As he left his job at Goldman Sachs, his manager advised against taking a decision he might rue in the future”
dilatory
sluggish, slow, tardy
“In football, it is common for the winning team to exhibit dilatory play during injury time”
verisimilar
probable
“I am not ruling out the theory that Atlantis existed in ancient history as recovered fossils in the area make the story verisimilar”
teetotaler
nondrinker
“Over recent years, several bars are making accommodations for teetotalers to enjoy the nightlife experience”
fringe
edge, margin
“Mount Everest lies at the fringes of Nepal”
egress
exit, leave
“According to the resident assistant, the alarm was not a drill and we had to egress the building”
divestiture
sale of assets
“To become solvent again, MensGold had to undergo a huge divestiture of its assets”
gossamer
fine, delicate
“The new iPhone 12 Pro has a sleek shape with a gossamer edge”
gratuitous
uncalled for, unwarranted
“The fracas between Conti and Katanga during the SRC vetting was gratuitous. They should learn to be temperate during formal events”
apathetic
uninterested, unconcerned, indifferent, insouciant, tepid, cavalier
“The teacher remained apathetic despite the wails of the injured student”
