Vocab 10 Flashcards
livid
discolored from a bruise; pale; reddened with anger
Andre was living when he discovered that someone had spilled grape juice all over his cashmere coat.
loquacious
talkactive
She is naturally loquacious, which is a problem in situations where listening is more important than talking.
lucid
clear and easily understood
The explanations were written in a simple and lucid manner so that students were immediately able to apply what they had learned.
lugubrious
sorrowful; mournful; dismal
Irish wakes are a rousing departure from the lugubrious funeral services to which most people are accustomed.
contumacious
rebellious
The contumacious teenager ran away from home when her parents told her she was grounded.
equivocate
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.
erratic
wandering and unpredictable
The plot seemed predictable until it suddenly took a series of erratic turns that surprised the audience.
ersatz
fake
inquest
an investigation; an inquiry
The police chef ordered an inquest to determine what went wrong.
erudite
learned; scholarly; bookish
The annual meeting of philosophy professors was a gathering of the most erudite, well-published individuals in the field.
insipid
lacking interest or flavor
The critic claimed that the painting was insipid, containing no interesting qualities at all.
eschew
to shun; to avoid (as something wrong or distasteful)
The filmmaker eschewed artificial light for her actors, resulting in a stark movie style.
insurrection
rebellion
After the emperor’s troops crushed the insurrection, its leaders fled the country.
inter
to bury
After giving the masses one last chance to pay their respects, the leader’s body was interred.
interregnum
a period between reigns
When John F. Kennedy was shot, there was a brief interregnum before Lyndon B. Johnson became president.
intractable
not easily managed or manipulated
Intractable for horse, the wild horse eventually allowed the rider to mount.
intransigent
uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled
The professor was intransigent on the deadline, insisting that everyone turn the assignment in at the same time.
intrepid
fearless; resolutely courageous
Despite freezing winds, the intrepid hiker completed his ascent.
inundate
to overwhelm; to cover with water
The tidal wave inundated Atlantis, which was lost beneath the water.
inure
to harden; accustom
Eventually, Hassad became inured to the sirens that went off every night and could sleep through them.
invective
abusive language
investiture
ceremony conferring authority
At Napoleon’s investiture, he grabbed the crown from the Pope’s hands and placed it on his head himself.
invidious
envious, obnoxious, or offensive; likely to promote ill-will
It is cruel and invidious for parents to play favorites with their children.
irascible
easily made angry
Attila and Hun’s irascible and violent nature made all who dealt with him fear for their lives.
enervate
to reduce in strength
engender
to produce, cause, or bring about
His fear and hatred of clowns was engendered when he witnessed a bank robbery carried out by five men wearing clown suits and make-up.
enigma
a puzzle; a mystery
Speaking in riddles and dressed in old robes, the artist gained a reputation as something of an enigma.
esoteric
known or understood only by a few
Only a handful of experts are knowledgeable about the esoteric world of particle physics.
estimable
admirable
Most people consider it estimable that Mother Teresa spent her life helping the poor of India.
ethos
the beliefs or character of a group
It is the Boy Scouts’ ethos that one should always be prepared.
hyperbole
purposeful exaggeration for effect
When the mayor claimed his town was one of the seven wonders of the world, outsiders classified his statement as a hyperbole.
iconoclast
one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
His lack of regard for traditional beliefs soon established him as an iconoclast.
idiosyncrasy
peculiarity of temperament; eccentricity
His numerous idiosyncrasies included a fondness for wearing bright green shoes with mauve socks.
inexorable
inflexible; unyielding
The inexorable force of the twister swept away their house.
ingenuous
showing innocence or childlike simplicity
She was so ingenuous that her friends feared that her innocence and trustfulness would be exploited when she visited the big city.
ingrate
an ungrateful
When none of her relatives thanked her for the fruitcakes she had sent them, Audrey condemned them all as ingrates.
ingratiate
to gain favor with another by deliberate effort; to seek to please somebody so as to gain an advantage
The new intern tried to ingratiate herself with the managers so that they might consider her for a future job.
inimical
hostile; unfriendly
Even though a cease-fire had been in place for months, the two sides were still inimical to each other.
iniquity
a sin; an evil act
I promise to close every den of iniquity in this town! thundered the conservative new mayor.
innocuous
harmless
Some snakes are poisonous, but most species are innocuous and pose no danger to humans.
martinet
strict disciplinarian one who rigidly follows rules
A complete martinet, the official insisted that Pete fill out all the forms again even though he was already familiar with his case.
accretion
a gradual growth in size; an increase in amount
The committee’s strong fund-raising efforts resulted in an accretion in scholarship money.
abstemious
moderate in appetite
Because Alyce is a vegetarian, she was able to eat only an abstemious meal at the Texas Steakhouse.
abyss
an extremely deep hole
The submarine dove into the abyss to chart the previously unseen depths.
abscond
to leave secretly
The patron absconded from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door.
abstain
to choose not to do something
Before the medical procedure, you must abstain from eating.
abjure
to reject; to abandon formally
The spy abjured his allegiance to the United States when he defected to Russia.
adulterate
to make impure
The restaurateur made his ketchup last longer by adulterating it with water.
abeyance
temporary suppression or suspension
The baseball game was held in abeyance while it continued to rain.
mendacious
dishonest
So many of her stories were mendacious that I decided she must be a pathological liar.
