Verbal Advantage Level 2 Flashcards
Learn 50 words
Define:
Advocate (AD-vuh-kayt)
To support, plead for, be in favor of, defend by argument; especially, to speak or write in favor or in defense of a person or cause.
Synonyms: champion, endorse, espouse.
Corresponding noun: advocate, a supporter or defender of a cause, a champion, or a
person who speaks for another.
Related words (from the Latin vocare, to call, summon): vocation; avocation;
vocational; vocal; convoke, to call together; convocation, the act of calling together, or a
group that has been summoned; evoke, to call out, call forth; and evocative, calling forth a
response, especially an emotional one.
Define:
Delegate (DEL-uh-gayt)
To entrust with authority or power, deliver to another’s care or management, hand over to an agent or representative.
Define:
Unprecedented (uhn-PRES-uh-den-tid)
Unheard-of, novel, new, having no precedent or parallel, having no prior example or justification.
Define:
Poignant (POYN-yint)
Piercing, sharp, penetrating; specifically, piercing or penetrating to the senses, to the emotions, or to the intellect.
Synonyms: biting, cutting, keen, acute.
Related words (from the Latin pungere, to pierce or prick): puncture; pungent, piercing
to the smell or taste; expunge, to punch out, erase, delete.
Define:
Nebulous (NEB-yuu-lus)
Unclear, vague, obscure, hazy, indefinite, indistinct.
Related word: nebula, a cloudy mass of dust or gas visible between stars in space
(plural, nebulae).
Define:
Clandestine (klan-DES-tin)
Kept secret, done in secrecy, especially for an evil, immoral, or illegal purpose.
Synonyms: private, concealed, covert, underhand, sly, stealthy, furtive, surreptitious.
Pronunciation tip: Avoid the recent variants klanDES-tyn, klan-DES-teen, KLAN-destyn,
and KLAN-des-teen. The traditional and preferred pronunciation is klan-DES-tin.
Define:
Tirade (TY-rayd or ty-RAYD)
A long-drawn-out speech, especially a vehement and abusive one.
Additional useful words: protracted, drawn out to great length (see Level 3, Word 25);
vituperative, full of harsh, abusive language; censorious, tending to censor, to blame or
condemn.
Define:
Recur (ri-KUR or nee-KUR)
To happen again, occur again, especially at intervals or after some lapse of time.
N.B. This discussion explains the distinction between the verbs recur and reoccur.
Define:
Tacit (TAS-it)
Unspoken, silent, implied or understood without words, done or made in silence, not expressed or declared openly.
Related word: taciturn (Level 3, Word 2).
Define:
Allegation (AL-uh-GAY-shin)
An assertion or declaration, especially one made without proof. In law, an allegation is an assertion of what one intends to prove.
Define:
Gullible (GUHL-uh-buul)
Easily deceived, fooled, or cheated.
Synonym: credulous.
Related words: gull and dupe, which both mean to fool, cheat, deceive, take advantage
of.
Define:
Benign (buh-NYN, rhymes with a sign)
(1) Kindly, good-natured, gracious, mild, having or showing a gentle disposition.
(2) Favorable, positive, propitious.
(3) Of the weather or climate, healthful, beneficial, wholesome, salubrious.
(4) In medicine: mild, not deadly, or severe.
Define:
Peripheral (puh-RIF-uh-rul)
External, outer, lying at or forming the outside or boundary of something; hence, not essential, irrelevant.
Define:
Rebuff (ri-BUF or ree-BUF)
To refuse bluntly, reject sharply, turn down abruptly, snub, spurn.
Corresponding noun: rebuff, an abrupt refusal or rejection.
Define:
Animosity (AN-i-MAH-si-tee)
Ill will, hostility, antagonism, strong dislike or hatred.
Synonyms: malice, aversion, malevolence, antipathy, rancor, enmity.
Define:
Tenuous (TEN-yoo-us)
Thin, slender, slight, flimsy, weak, not dense or substantial, lacking a strong basis, having little substance or strength.
Define:
Complacent (kum-PLAY-sint)
Self-satisfied, smug, overly pleased with oneself.
Usage tip: Take care to distinguish between complacent and complaisant, which is
pronounced kum-PLAY-zint and means inclined to please, gracious, obliging, courteous,
affable, and urbane (Level l, Word 45).
Define:
Acme (AK-mee)
The peak, highest point, especially the point of culmination, the highest possible point in the development or progress of something.
Synonyms: summit, zenith.
Corresponding adjective: acmatic.
Define:
Defunct (di-FUNGKT or dee-FUNGKT)
Dead, extinct, obsolete; no longer in existence, effect, operation, or use.
Define:
Abet (uh-BET)
To encourage, support, help, aid, promote, assist in achieving a purpose (either good or evil).
Usage tip: Abet is often used to mean assist in wrongdoing, as in the legal cliché “to aid
and abet,” but abet may also be used favorably to mean assist in achieving a good
purpose.
Define:
Haggard (HAG-urd)
Worn out, tired, drawn; wild-eyed and wasted, as from exhaustion, illness, or grief.
Synonyms: gaunt, emaciated.
Define:
Waive (like wave)
To relinquish voluntarily, give up, forgo; also, to postpone, defer, or dispense with.
Define:
Carnal (KAHR-nul)
Bodily, pertaining to the flesh as opposed to the spirit.
Synonyms: sensual, corporeal.
Usage tip: Carnal is used of basic physical appetities.
Define:
Sanction (SANGK-shin, be sure to pronounce the C)
To approve, allow, permit, authorize, certify, ratify.
Define:
Ambiguous (am-BIG-yoo-us)
Uncertain, unclear, doubtful, dubious, questionable, puzzling, having an obscure or indefinite meaning.
Synonyms: enigmatic, cryptic, equivocal.
Antonyms: distinct, apparent, evident, conspicuous, manifest.
Define:
Spendthrift (pronounced as spelled, stress on spend)
Wasteful, spending extravagantly or foolishly, squandering one’s resources.
Synonyms: improvident, prodigal, profligate
Define:
Mollify (MAH-li-fy)
To calm, soothe, soften in feeling or tone, make less harsh or severe.
Synonyms: pacify, appease, assuage (Level 2, Word 37).
Related word: emollient (adjective), softening, soothing, mollifying; (noun) a softening
or soothing agent.
Define:
Unequivocal (UHN-i-KWIV-uh-kul)
Clear and direct, definite, straightforward, certain; having a single, obvious meaning; capable of being interpreted in only one way.
Antonyms: equivocal, ambiguous (Level 2, Word 25).
Pronunciation tip: Many people mispronounce (and misspell) unequivocal as
unequivocable. Unequivocal ends with -vocal, not -vocable. Take care to pronounce the
word in five syllables: un-e-qui-vo-cal.
Define:
Malleable (MAL-ee-uh-buul or MAL-yuhbuul)
Capable of being shaped, able to be molded or manipulated.
Synonyms: adaptable, impressionable, tractable.
Antonyms: inflexible, unyielding, stubborn, adamant, obstinate, intransigent.
Define:
Verbose (vur-BOHS)
Wordy, having too many words, long-winded, full of verbiage.
Synonyms: garrulous (Level 4, Word 8), loquacious, voluble (Level 5, Word 1), prolix
(Level 9, Word 1).
Corresponding noun: verbosity.
Related words (from the Latin verbum, word): verbal; verbatim, expressed in precisely
the same words; verbiage, an excess or overabundance of words.
Additional useful word: proffer, to put forward for acceptance, present as a gift.
Pronunciation tip: Carriage and marriage have two syllables, but verbiage and foliage
have three. Don’t say VUR-bij and FOH-lij (or FOY-lij). Take care to pronounce these
words in three syllables: VUR-bee-ij and FOH-lee-ij.
Define:
Transient (TRAN-shint)
Temporary, passing away with time, lasting or staying only a short while, momentary, fleeting, short-lived.
Synonyms: transitory, evanescent, ephemeral (Level 4, Word 12), fugitive, fugacious.
Antonyms: permanent, timeless, eternal, everlasting.
Pronunciation tip: Pronounce transient in two syllables, with the same sh sound as in
ancient. Also, in the words short-lived and long-lived, the second half, -lived, does not
come from the verb to live but from the noun life plus the suffix -ed. Therefore the
preferred pronunciation for the I is long, as in the adjective alive.
Define:
Nettle (NET’l)
To irritate, annoy, vex, harass, pester, provoke.
Define:
Repudiate (ri-PYOO-dee-ayt)
(1) To reject, cast off, disown, renounce, refuse to accept as one’s own.
(2) To reject as false, deny the authority of, refuse to accept as true.
Define:
Impetuous (im-PETCH-oo-us)
Hasty, rash, overeager; acting in a sudden, vigorous, emotional way, with little thought.
Synonyms: impulsive.
Antonyms: prudent (Level 1, Word 47), discreet, circumspect (Level 3, Word 21).
Define:
Frugal (FROG-gul)
Spending carefully and wisely; also, involving little expense, not wasteful or lavish.
Synonyms: thrifty, economical, provident, parsimonious.
Define:
Incongruous (in-KAHNG-groo-us)
Out of place, inappropriate, inconsistent, unsuitable, lacking harmony of parts or agreement in character.
Related words: congruous and congruent, which both mean coming together
harmoniously, fitting in consistently.
Define:
Assuage (uh-SWAYJ)
To relieve, ease, make less severe or intense; also, to satisfy, appease, make content.
Synonyms: allay, mollify (Level 2, Word 27), mitigate.
- *Pronunciation tip:** Don’t pronounce the G in assuage like the G in garage or the Z in
azure. In assuage, the A is long (as in day) and the G is pronounced like J: uh-SWAYJ.
Define:
Corroborate (kuh-RAHB-uh-rayt)
To confirm, support, make more certain or believable, strengthen by providing additional evidence or proof.
Synonyms: authenticate, verify, substantiate.
Define:
Embelish (em-BEL-ish)
To decorate, dress up, adorn, enhance with ornamentation, make more beautiful, elegant, or interesting.
Corresponding noun: embellishment, an ornament, decoration.
Define:
Avaricious (AV-uh-RISH-us)
Greedy, money-grubbing, miserly, consumed with a selfish desire to accumulate money or property.
Synonyms: covetous, mercenary (Level 3, Word 14).
Corresponding noun: avarice, greed, an inordinate desire for wealth.
Define:
Cursory (KUR-suh-ree or KUR-sur-ee)
Quick, hasty, not methodical, done rapidly with little attention to detail, passing quickly over or through something that deserves closer examination.
Synonyms: hurried, haphazard, slapdash, superficial.
Antonyms: thorough, careful, scrupulous, exhaustive, prolonged, protracted.
Related words (from the Latin currere, to run): course, curriculum, courier.
Define:
Vacillate (VAS-i-layt)
To waver, fluctuate, be indecisive, show uncertainty, hesitate in making up one’s mind.
Define:
Clement (KLEM-int)
(1) Mild, calm, tranquil, moderate, temperate, not severe or extreme.
(2) Merciful, lenient, inclined to pardon or forgive.
Corresponding noun: clemency.
Define:
Lucrative (LOO-kruh-tiv)
Profitable, producing wealth, money-making, financially productive, remunerative.
Related word: lucre (LOO-kur), money, profit, especially tainted money, ill-gotten gains
(as in the cliché “filthy lucre”).
Define:
Allocate (AL-uh-kayt or AL-oh-kayt)
To assign, designate, earmark, set aside for a specific purpose.
Define:
Reconcile (REK-un-syl or rek-un-SYL)
(1) To make friendly again, restore friendly relations between, settle, resolve, bring into harmony or agreement.
(2) To bring into agreement, make consistent.
(3) To resign oneself to accept something undesirable.
Define:
Paragon (PAR-uh-gahn)
A model of excellence, perfect example.
Define:
Analogous (uh-NAL-uh-gus)
Similar, alike in certain ways, corresponding partially, sharing some aspects of form, function, or content.
Synonyms: akin, comparable.
Related word: analogy, a partial similarity, likeness, or resemblance that allows for a
comparison between things.
Define:
Diurnal (dy-URN-‘l)
(1) Daily, recurring each day, performed or happening in the course of a day.
(2) Active during the day, as opposed to nocturnal, active at night.
Define:
Pretext (PREE-tekst)
An excuse, ostensible reason or motive, professed purpose; specifically, an excuse or false reason given to hide the true reason or purpose.
