Unit 1 Flashcards
Goosebumps
(n) the bumps created by hairs standing up on the skin in response to cold, fear, etc.
Precursor
(n) something that comes before, esp. something that also announces or suggests something on its way
Sacrosanct
(adj) sacred, inviolable, not to be trespassed on or violated; above any criticism
Pugnacious
(adj) inclined to fight, combative
imminent
(adj) ready to occur, impending
Verbose
(adj) wordy
Nuance
(n) a subtle difference in tone, meaning, and expression
disabuse
(v) free someone from a mistake in thinking
adverse
(adj) opposing, harmful
Prudent
(adj) wise in practical matters, carefully providing for the future
Plausible
(n) believable; having the appearance of truth
Judicious
(adj) using good judgment; wise, sensible
Slack
(adj, v, n) loose, negligent, lazy, weak (adj); neglect to so one’s duties; loosen up, relax (verb); period of little work (noun)
aesthetic
(adj, n) concerning the appreciation of beauty or good taste, pertaining to the science of what is beautiful (adj); a sense of beauty and taste of a particular time and place (noun)
discrepancy
(n) difference or inconsistency
e.g.
(abbre.) for example, such as
Enumerate
(v) count or list; specify one-by-one
anoint
(v) rub or sprinkle oil on; make sacred, such as by ceremony that includes applying oil to someone
audacious
(adj) very bold or brave, often in a rude or reckless way; extremely original
Inherent
(adj) existing as a permanent, essential quality; intrinsic
Offset
(v, n) counteract, compensate for (verb); a counterbalance (noun)
Sanguine
(adj) cheerfully optimistic, hopeful; reddish, ruddy (as in rosy-red cheeks indicating health or vitality)
Perfidious
(adj) disloyal, treacherous, violating one’s trust
Reproach
(n, v) blame, disgrace (noun); criticize, express disappointment in (verb)
Eloquent
(adj) marked by forceful, fluid, apt speech; expressive, emotionally moving
Surfeit
(n) excess, excessive amount, overindulgence
Tangential
(adj) only slightly relevant, going off topic
abstain
(v) hold back, refrain (especially from something bad or unhealthy); decline to vote
alacrity
(n) cheerful or speedy willingness
Extraneous
(adj) irrelevant; foreign, coming from without, not belonging
Pith
(n) core, essence; significance or weight
Fanciful
(adj) whimsical, capricious; imaginary; freely imaginative rather than based on reason or reality
converge
(v) move towards one another or towards a point; unite
Forfeit
(v) surrender or lose as a result of an error, crime, or failure to fulfill an obligation
Prospective
(adj) potential, in the future
discerning
(adj) having good judgment or insight; able to distinguish mentally
Estimable
(adj) worthy of esteem, admirable; able to be estimated
Lament
(v, n) mourn; express grief, sorrow, or regret (verb); an expression of grief, esp. as a song or poem (noun)
Egregious
(adj) extraordinarily or conspicuously bad; glaring
Render
(v) give, submit, surrender; translate; declare formally; cause to become
Eschew
(v) shun, avoid, abstain from
Explicit
(adj) direct, clear, fully revealed; clearly depicting sex or nudity
Obsequious
(adj) servile, very compliant, fawning
aver
(v) declare or affirm with confidence
Replete
(adj) supplied in abundance, filled, gorged (used with with)
Volatile
(adj) varying, inconstant, fleeting; tending to violence, explosive
Indifferent
(adj) not caring, having no interest; unbiased, impartial
discriminating
(adj) judicious, discerning, having good judgment or insight
Profuse
(adj) abundant, extravagant, giving or given freely
admonish
(v) mildly scold; caution, advise, or remind to do something
disingenuous
(adj) insincere, not genuine
Savor
(v) appreciate fully, taste or smell with pleasure
covert
(adj) secret, veiled, undercover
Ingrained
(adj) deep-rooted, forming part of the very essence; worked into the fiber
Elated
(adj) very happy, in high spirits
Eminent
(adj) prominent, distinguished, of high rank
Unseemly
(adj) improper, inappropriate, against the rules of taste or politeness
Patent
(adj, n) obvious, apparent, plain to see (adj); a letter from the government guaranteeing an inventor rights to his or her invention (noun)
Mundane
(adj) common, ordinary, everyday
Elicit
(v) call forth, bring out, evoke
Onerous
(adj) burdensome, oppressive, hard to endure
bureaucracy
(n) government characterized by many bureaus and petty administrators or by excessive, seemingly meaningless requirements
Facilitate
(v) make easier, help the progress of
bogus
(adj) fake, fraudulent
cescendo
(n) steady increase in force, intensity, or the loudness of a musical passage; a climactic moment or peak
Lucid
(adj) clear, easy to understand; rational, sane
Plummet
(v) plunge, fall straight down
Sagacious
(adj) wise; showing good judgment and foresight
Propriety
(n) conforming to good manners or appropriate behavior; justness
Rhetoric
(n) the art or study of persuasion through speaking or writing; language that is elaborate or pretentious but actually empty, meaning little
Proliferate
(v) increase or spread rapidly or excessively
Rustic
(adj, n) relating to country life, unsophisticated; primitive; made of rough wood (adj); a rural or uncultured person (noun)
credulous
(adj) gullible; prone to believing or trusting too easily or without enough evidence
illiberality
(n) narrow-mindedness, bigotry; strictness or lack of generosity
Restive
(adj) impatient or uneasy under the control of another; resisting being controlled
derivative
(adj) derived from something else; not original
Reap
(v) harvest, such as by cutting; gather; get as a result of one’s effort
Dubious
(adj) doubtful, questionable, suspect
Hedonist
(n) person devoted to pleasure
Sportive
(adj) playful, merry, joking around, done “in sport” (rather than intended seriously)
Jargon
(n) vocabulary specific to a group or occupation; convoluted or unintelligible language
Peripheral
(adj) relating to or making up an outer boundary or region; not of primary importance
Sporadic
(adj) occasional, happening irregularly or in scattered locations
concede
(v) give in, admit, yield; acknowledge reluctantly; grant or give up (such as giving up land after losing a war)
artless
(adj) free of deceit or craftiness, natural, genuine; lacking skill or knowledge, crude, uncultured
digress
(v) go off-topic when speaking or writing
castigate
(v) criticize severely; punish in order to correct
Implication
(n) act of implying or that which is implied; close connection, esp. in an incriminating way
disinterested
(adj) unbiased, impartial; not interested
boor
(n) rude, ill-mannered, or insensitive person; a peasant or country bumpkin
Proscribe
(v) prohibit, outlaw; denounce; exile or banish
Inasmuch
(adv) in like manner, considering that (contradiction of “in as much,” generally followed by “as”)
Loquacious
(adj) talkative, wordy
Aberrant
(adj) abnormal, deviant
Dogma
(n) a system of principles laid down by an authority; established belief
Probity
(n) honesty, integrity
Retrospective
(adj, n) looking to the past or backward; applying to the past, retroactive (adj); an art exhibit of an artist’s work over a long period of time (n)
Pious
(adj) devout; religiously reverent and dutiful
Layperson
(n) a person who is not a member of the clergy or not a member of a particular profession (such as medicine, law, etc.)
arbitrary (adj.)
based entirely on one’s discretion; capricious, unreasonable, or having no basis
