Top Words in Context Flashcards
Adulterate
to make impure
The chef made his ketchup last longer by ADULTERATING it with water.
Aggrandize
to increase in power, influence and reputation
The supervisor sought to AGGRANDIZE himself by claiming that the achievements of his staff were actually his own.
Anachronism
something out of place and time
The aged hippie used ANACHRONISTIC phrases like ‘groovy’ and ‘far out’ that had not been popular for years.
Antipathy
extreme dislike
The ANTIPATHY between the French and English regularly erupted into open warfare.
Ardor
intense and passionate feeling
Bishop’s ARDOR for landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of the scenic Hudson Valley.
Austere
severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
The lack of decoration makes Zen temples seem AUSTERE to the untrained eye.
Capricious
changing one’s mind quickly and often
Queen Elizabeth I was quite CAPRICIOUS; her courtiers could never be sure which of their number would catch her fancy.
Castigate
to punish or criticize harshly
Americans are amazed at how harshly the authorities in Singapore CASTIGATE perpetrators of what would be considered minor crimes in the United States.
Chicanery
deception by means of craft or guile
Dishonest used car salespeople often use CHICANERY to sell their beat-up old cars.
Credulous
too trusting; gullible
Although some 4-year-olds believe in the Easter Bunny, only the most CREDULOUS 9-year-olds also believe in him.
Desiccate
to dry out thoroughly
After a few weeks of lying on the desert’s baking sands, the cow’s carcass became completely DESICCATED.
Desultory
jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
Diane had a DESULTORY academic record; she had changed majors 12 times in three years.
Diffident
lacking self-confidence
Steve’s DIFFIDENT manner during the job interview stemmed from his nervous nature and lack of experience in the field.
Dilatory
intended to delay
The congressman used DILATORY measures to delay the passage of the bill.
Enervate
to reduce in strength
The guerrillas hoped that a series of surprise attacks would ENERVATE the regular army.
Engender
to produce, cause, or bring about
His fear and hatred of clowns was ENGENDERED when he witnessed the death of his father at the hands of a clown.
Equivocal
to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
When faced with criticism of his policies, the politician EQUIVOCATED and left all parties thinking he agreed with them.
Estimable
admirable
Most people consider it ESTIMABLE that Mother Teresa spent her life helping the poor of India.
Exigent
urgent; requiring immediate action
The patient was losing blood so rapidly that it was EXIGENT to stop the source of the bleeding.
Foment
to arouse or incite
The protesters tried to FOMENT feeling against the war through their speeches and demonstrations.
Garrulous
tending to talk a lot
The GARRULOUS parakeet distracted its owner with its continuous talking.
Gregarious
outgoing, sociable
She was so GREGARIOUS that when she found herself alone she felt quite sad.
Iconoclast
one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
His lack of regard for traditional beliefs soon established him as an ICONOCLAST.
Impetuous
quick to act without thinking
It is not good for an investment broker to be IMPETUOUS, because much though should be given to all the possible options.
Inimical
hostile, unfriendly
Even though a cease-fire had been in place for months, the two sides were still INIMICAL to each other.
Intransigent
uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled
The professor was INTRANSIGENT on the deadline, insisting that everyone turn in the assignment at the same time.
Irascible
easily made angry
Attila the Hun’s IRASCIBLE and violent nature made all who dealt with him fear for their lives.
Laconic
using few words
She was a LACONIC poet who built her reputation on using words as sparingly as possible.
Malinger
to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
A common way to avoid the draft was by MALINGERING - pretending to be mentally or physically ill so as to avoid being taken by the Army.
Mollify
to calm or make less severe
Their argument was so intense that it was difficult to believe any compromise would MOLLIFY them.
Obdurate
hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion
The president was completely OBDURATE on the issue, and no amount of persuasion would change his mind.
Obsequious
overly submissive and eager to please
The OBSEQUIOUS new associate made sure to compliment her supervisor’s tie and agree with him on every issue.
Obviate
to prevent; to make unnecessary
The river was shallow enough to wade across at many points, which OBVIATED the need for a bridge.
Opprobrium
public disgrace
After the scheme to embezzle from the elderly was made public, the treasurer resigned in utter OPPOBRIUM.
Perfidious
willing to betray one’s trust
The actress’s PERFIDIOUS companion revealed all of her intimate secrets to the gossip columnist.
Prevaricate
to lie or deviate from the truth
Rather than admit that he had overslept again, the employee PREVARICATED and claimed that heavy traffic had prevented him from arriving at work on time.
Proliferate
to increase in number quickly
Although he had only kept two guinea pigs initially, the PROLIFERATED to such an extent that he soon had dozens.
Propitiate
to conciliate; to appease
The management PROPITIATED the irate union by agreeing to raise wages for its members.
Quiescent
motionless
Many animals are QUIESCENT over the winter months, minimizing activity in order to conserve energy.
Taciturn
silent, not talkative
The clerk’s TACITURN nature earned him the name “Silent Bob”.
Torpor
extreme mental and physical sluggishness
After surgery, the patient experiences TORPOR until the anesthesia wore off.
Vacillate
to sway physically; to be indecisive
The customer held up the line as he VACILLATED between ordering chocolate chip or rocky road ice cream.
Venerate
to respect deeply
In a traditional Confucian society, the young VENERATE their elders, deferring to the elders’ wisdom and experience.
