Set 25 Flashcards
Forswear
To renounce, disallow, repudiate
Forswearing all previous alliances, the paranoid dictator vowed to allow no one to share his power
Fortuitous
Happening by fortunate accident or by chance
How fortuitous that I happened to be home when the sweepstakes people stopped by to give me a million dollars
Fracas
Noisy fight or quarrel, brawl
The fracas that started between the two cab drivers gradually grew until it included most of the bystanders as well and turned into a small riot
Fractious
Quarrelsome, rebellious, unruly, cranky
Vince’s fractious response to my suggestion was completely uncharacteristic, given his usually easygoing and agreeable attitude
Froward
Intractable; not willing to yield or comply; stubbornly disobedient
Two year olds have a reputation for being froward; they’ve discovered the pleasure of saying no
Frugal
Prudent in saving; not wasteful
Fulminate
To attack loudly or denounce
Since he had been fulminating against corporate misconduct for years, his enemies were gleeful to uncover evidence of the million dollar payoff he received from the state’s largest company
Furtive
Marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
The dog’s furtive attempts to steal food from the table while no one was looking were thwarted when a whole turkey came crashing to the floor
Gainsay
To deny, dispute, contradict, oppose
It is difficult to gainsay the critics when every new movie the director makes is a flop
Galvanize
To startle into sudden action, stimulate
Her powerful speeches galvanized people into action
Gambol
To skip about playfully, frolic
Every march, the students performed the rites of spring by gambling around the May pole
Forestall
To act in a way to hinder, exclude it prevent action, to circumvent or thwart
The famous actress was trying to forestall aging by undergoing ever more bizarre therapies and cosmetic surgeries
