Unit 2 Flashcards
Malleable
(adj) able to be bent, shaped, or adapted
Mitigate
(v) make less severe; lessen or moderate (damage, grief, pain, etc.)
Abate
(v) reduce, diminish
Resolve
(v, n) find a solution to; firmly decide to do something; decide by formal vote (verb); firmness of purpose (noun)
crafty
(adj) cunning, skillful in deception or underhanded schemes
dispassionate
(adj) unbiased, not having a selfish or personal motivation; calm, lacking emotion
Erratic
(adj) inconsistent, wandering, having no fixed course
Sanction
(n, v) permission or approval, something that gives support or authority to something else (noun); to allow, confirm, ratify (verb); OR a legal action against another country to get it to comply (noun); to place sanctions or penalties on (verb)
adhere
(v) stick (to), such as with glue, or to a plan or belief
Haven
(adj) harbor or port; refuge, safe place
Feasible
(adj) possible; logical or likely; suitable
Overshadow
(v) cast a shadow over, darken; dominate, make to seem less important
Rescind
(v) annul, repeal, make void
Speculate
(v) contemplate; make a guess or educated guess about; engage in a risky business transaction, gamble
Secular
(adj) not religious or holy; pertaining to worldly things
Prodigious
(adj) extraordinarily large, impressive, etc.
Tractable
(adj) easily controlled or managed, docile; easily shaped or molded
artifact
(n) any object made by humans, especially those from an earlier time, such as those excavated by archaeologists
Enervate
(v) weaken, tire
Spate
(n) sudden outpouring or rush; flood
Stolid
(adj) unemotional, showing little emotion, not easily moved
Venerate
(v) revere, regard with deep respect and awe
Preamble
(n) introductory statement, preface
Refute
(v) prove to be false
deem
(v) judge; consider
Zeal
(n) great fervor or enthusiasm for a cause, person, etc.; tireless diligence in furthering that cause; passion, ardor
copious
(adj) plentiful, bountiful
Equitable
(adj) fair, equal, just
Jocular
(adj) joking or given to joking all the time; jolly, playful
Mendacious
(adj) lying, habitually dishonest
alleviate
(v) lessen, make easier to endure
Levy
(v, n) collect tax from, wage war on, or enlist for military service (verb); act of collecting tax or amount owed, or the drafting of troops into military service (noun)
Obstinate
(adj) stubborn or hard to control
Repudiate
(v) reject, cast off, deny that something has authority
connoisseur
(n) expert, especially in the fine arts; person of educated, refined tastes
Fleeting
(adj) passing quickly, transitory
contentious
(adj) controversial; prone to causing arguments, especially gratuitous or petty ones
didactic
(adj) intended to instruct; teaching, or teaching a moral lesson
Simultaneous
(adj) at the same time
distill
(v) purify; extract the essential elements of
Subjective
(adj) existing in the mind or relating to one’s own thoughts, opinions, emotions, etc.; personal, individual, based on feelings
Outstrip
(v) surpass, exceed; be larger or better than; leave behind
Viable
(adj) capable of living (or growing, developing, etc.); practical, workable
Nascent
(adj) coming into existence, still developing
anarchy
(n) absence of law or government; chaos, disorder
Predisposed
(adj) having an inclination or tendency beforehand; susceptible
Rudimentary
(adj) elementary, relating to the basics; undeveloped, primitive
zenith
(n) high point, culmination
default
(n, v) failure to act, neglect (noun); fail to fulfill an obligation, esp. a financial one (verb)
arduous
(adj) very difficult, strenuous; severe, hard to endure
Sound
(v) measure the depth of (usually water) as with a sounding line; penetrate and discover the meaning of, understand (usually as sound the depths)
Gainsay
(v) declare false, deny; oppose
Implode
(v) burst inward
abridge
(v) reduce or lessen; shorten by omitting parts throughout while retaining the main idea
base
(adj) morally low, mean, dishonorable; of little or no value; crude and unrefined; counterfeit
Hierarchy
(n) a ranked series; a classification of people according to rank, ability, etc.; a ruling body
Presumptuous
(adj) too bold or forward; going beyond that which is proper
Hackneyed
(adj) so commonplace as to be stale; not fresh or original
Metamorphosis
(n) a complete change or transformer (in biology, a change such as a caterpillar becoming a pupa and then a butterfly)
Undermine
(v) weaken cause to collapse by digging away at the foundation (of a building or an argument); injure or attack in a secretive or underhanded way
buffer
(n) something that shields, protects, absorbs shock, or cushions
conundrum
(n) riddle, the answer to which involves a play on words; any mystery
catalyst
(n) causer of change
Tacit
(adj) understood without being said; implied, not stated directly; silent
Transitory
(adj) temporary, short-lived, not lasting
Soporific
(adj, n) causing sleep; sleepy, drowsy (adj); something that causes sleep (noun)
credibility
(n) believability, trustworthiness
Keen
(adj) sharp, piercing; very perceptive or mentally sharp; intense (of a feeling)
bolster
(v) strengthen or support
defamatory (adj.)
slanderous, injurious to someone’s reputation
Stark
(adj) complete, total, utter; harsh or grim; extremely simple, severe, blunt, or plain
Requite
(v) reciprocate, repay, or revenge
archaic
(adj) characteristic of an earlier period, ancient, primitive
Incongruous
(adj) out of place, inappropriate, not harmonious
Lull
(n, v) soothe or cause to fall asleep (as in a lullaby); quiet down; make to feel secure, sometimes falsely (verb); a period of calm or quiet (noun)
Reverent
(adj) feeling or expressing very deep respect and awe
Spectrum
(n) a broad range of nevertheless related qualities or ideas, esp. those that overlap to create a continuous series (as in a color spectrum, where each color blends into the next in a continuous way)
Trite
(adj) lacking freshness or originality, lacking effectiveness due to overuse, cliche
Profligate
(adj) completely and shamelessly immoral, or extremely wasteful
Gist
(n) main idea, essence
Vacillate
(v) waver in one’s mind or opinions, be indecisive
Divine
(v) discover through divination or supernatural means; perceive by insight
Stoic or Stoical
(adj, n) indifferent to pleasure or pain, enduring without complaint (adj); person indifferent to pleasure or pain (noun)
denigrate
(v) belittle, attack the reputation of
Flag
(v) get tired, lose enthusiasm; hang limply or droop
antagonize
(v) make hostile or unfriendly
benign
(adj) harmless; favorable; kindly, gentle, or beneficial; not cancerous
Liberal
(adj, n) favorable to progress or reform; believing in maximum possible individual freedom; tolerant, open-minded; generous (adj); a person with such beliefs or practices (noun)
Fanatical
(adj) excessively devoted, enthusiastic, or zealous in an uncritical way
Pedestrian
(adj) ordinary, dull, commonplace
Resolution
(n) the quality of being firmly determined; resolving to do something; a formal judgment, esp. decided by a vote
Indeterminate
(adj) not fixed or determined, indefinite; vague
Maverick
(n) rebel, individualist, dissenter
constrict
(v) squeeze, compress; restrict the freedom of
Laconic
(adj) using few words, concise
convoluted
(adj) twisted; very complicated
deface
(v) vandalize, mar the appearance of
disquieting
(adj) disturbing, causing anxiety
Lassitude
(n) tiredness, weariness; lazy indifference
assuage
(v) make milder, relieve; soothe, pacify, or calm
