Vocab Flashcards
Acquiesce
Accept something reluctantly but without protest.
Eg. Sara acquiesce in his decisions
Deprecate
Expressing disapproval of - another word for depreciate
Eg. He sniffed in a deprecating way
Belie
Fail to fulfill or justify, disguise or contradict, and appearance that fails to give a true impression of something.
Eg. His lively belie manners belied his years
Contentious
Causing or likely to cause an argument / involving argument
Eg. A contentious issue
Antiquated
Old fashion or outdated
Eg. This central antiquated heater.
Explicit
Stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt.
Implicit
Implied though though not plainly expressed / absolute
Eg. The comments are seen as implicit criticism of the policies
Candor
The quality of being open and honest in expression. Frankness.
Eg. He is a man of candor
Frivolous
Not having any serious value or purpose
Eg.rules to stop frivolous lawsuits
Indolent
Wanting to avoid activity; lazy
Intractable
Hard to control or deal with. Difficult or stubborn
Prolific
Producing many offsprings or works. Present in large quantity.
Eg. In captivity, tigers are prolific breeders
Replete
Filled or well supplied with something
Eg. Novels these days are replete with sudden death
Trepidation
Feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen.
Eg. The men set out I. Fear and trepidation
Trite
Overused and lacking originality
Eg. This point may now seem obvious and trite
Tentative
Not certain or fixed. Done without confidence.
Eg. He tried a few tentative steps around his hospital room.
Torpor
A state of physical or mental inactivity
It’s a noun
Undermine
Damage or weaken gradually
Eg.this could undermine years of hard work
Placate
Make someone less angry or hostile
Eg. They attempted to placate the students with promises
Pragmatic
Dealing with things sensibly, practically and realistically.
Eg. A pragmatic approach to politics
Scrupulous
Diligent, thorough and extremely attentive to details
Eg. The research was carried out with scrupulous detail
Aesthetic
Concern with beauty.
Eg. The picture give great aesthetic pleasure
Ascetic
Characterized or suggesting the practice of severe self discipline from all forms of indulgence
Eg.an ascetic life of prayer, fasting and manual labor
Sedentary
Spending too much seated or inactive,
Ingenious
Clever, original, and inventive
Eg. He was ingenious enough to overcome the limited budget
Peripheral
Of, relating to, or situated on the edge of something
Eg. The peripheral areas of Europe
Pacifist
A person who believes that we and violence are unjustifiable
Eg. She was a committed pacifist all her life
Superficial
Existing or occurring at or on the surface, not deep
Autonomous
A county or religion having self government, acting independently
Eg. The federation include sixteen autonomous republics
Dilatory
Slow to act, intended to cause delay
Eg. He has been dilatory in appointing a partner
Fastidious
Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy detail, and cleanliness
e.g. he chooses his words with fastidious care.
Prodigal
spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant / having or giving something on a lavish scale
e.g. prodigal habits die hard.
pretentious
attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed
eg. a pretentious literary device.
Recant
say that one no longer holds an opinion or belief, esp. one considered heretical
eg.Galileo was forced to recant his assertion that the earth orbited the sun.
Remorse
deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed
eg. they were filled with remorse and shame.
Beguile
charm or enchant (someone), sometimes in a deceptive way/ trick (someone) into doing something
eg. they were beguiled into signing a peace treaty.
Turmoil
a state of great disturbance, confusion, or uncertainty
eg. the country was in turmoil
Transient
lasting only for a short time; impermanent:
terrestrial
of, on, or relating to the earth
eg.increased ultraviolet radiation may disrupt terrestrial ecosystems.
sycophant
a person who acts obedient (excess service) toward someone important in order to gain advantage.
surreptitious
kept secret, esp. because it would not be approved of
eg/ they carried on a surreptitious affair.
opulence
great wealth or luxuriousness
eg.rooms of spectacular opulence.
ominous
giving the impression that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen; threatening; inauspicious
eg. there were ominous dark clouds gathering overhead.
insipid
lacking flavor/ lacking vigor or interest
eg. many artists continued to churn out insipid, shallow works.
spurn
reject with disdain or contempt / strike, tread, or push away with the foot
eg. he spoke gruffly, as if afraid that his invitation would be spurned.
Malicious
characterized by malice; intending or intended to do harm
eg. malicious destruction of property
Benevolent
well meaning and kindly/ (of an organization) serving a charitable rather than a profit-making purpose
eg. a benevolent smile.
prudent
acting with or showing care and thought for the future
eg. no prudent money manager would authorize a loan without first knowing its purpose.
circumspect
wary and unwilling to take risks
eg. the officials were very circumspect in their statements.
Circuitous
(of a route or journey) longer than the most direct way
eg. the canal followed a circuitous route
Listless
(of a person or their manner) lacking energy or enthusiasm
eg. bouts of listless depression.
Laconic
(of a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words
eg. his laconic reply suggested a lack of interest in the topic.
Jocular
fond of or characterized by joking; humorous or playful
eg. she sounded in a jocular mood
lament
a passionate expression of grief or sorrow:
eg.she lamented the lack of shops in the town
buttress
a projecting support of stone or brick built against a wall./ a source of defense or support
eg. there was a demand for a new stable order as a buttress against social collapse.
bombastic
high-sounding but with little meaning
eg. bombastic music that drowned out what anyone was saying.
animosity
strong hostility
eg. the animosity between the king and his brother
cordial
warm and friendly/ strongly felt
eg. the atmosphere was cordial and relaxed.
corroborate
confirm or give support to (a statement, theory, or finding)
eg. the witness had corroborated the boy’s account of the attack.
discern
perceive or recognize (something) / distinguish (someone or something) with difficulty by sight or with the other senses
eg.she could faintly discern the shape of a skull.
devious
showing a skillful use of underhanded tactics to achieve goals / (of a route or journey) longer and less direct than the most straightforward way
eg. they arrived at the town by a devious route.
duplicitous
deceitful/ Law (of a charge or plea) containing more than one allegation.
eg. treacherous, duplicitous behavior.
fervor
intense and passionate feeling
eg. he talked with all the fervor of a new convert.
equitable
fair and impartial
eg. an equitable balance of power.
equivocate
use ambiguous language so as to conceal the truth or avoid committing oneself
eg. “Not that we are aware of,” she equivocated.
florid
having a red or flushed complexion/ elaborately or excessively intricate or complicated/ (of language) using unusual words or complicated rhetorical constructions/ Medicine (of a disease or its manifestations) occurring in a fully developed form: florid symptoms of psychiatric disorder.
eg.a stout man with a florid face.
disinclination
a reluctance or lack of enthusiasm
eg. Lucy felt a strong disinclination to talk about her engagement.
assiduous
showing great care and perseverance
eg. she was assiduous in pointing out every feature.
articulate
(of a person or a person’s words) having or showing the ability to speak fluently and coherently
eg. an articulate account of their experiences.
enigma
a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand.
elated
make (someone) ecstatically happy
eg. I felt elated at beating Dennis.
dogmatic
inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true
eg. he gives his opinion without trying to be dogmatic.
jubilant
feeling or expressing great happiness and triumph.
extraneous
irrelevant or unrelated to the subject being dealt with/ of external origin/ separate from the object to which it is attached
eg. one is obliged to wade through many pages of extraneous material.
fallacious
based on a mistaken belief
eg. fallacious arguments.
lavish
sumptuously rich, elaborate, or luxurious
Incontrovertible
not able to be denied or disputed
eg. incontrovertible proof
sage
a profoundly wise man, esp. one who features in ancient history or legend/ having, showing, or indicating profound wisdom
eg.they nodded in agreement with these sage remarks.
concise
giving a lot of information clearly and in a few words; brief but comprehensive
succinct
(esp. of something written or spoken) briefly and clearly expressed
eg. use short, succinct sentences.
scrutinize
examine or inspect closely and thoroughly
eg. customers were warned to scrutinize the small print.
resolve
settle or find a solution
superfluous
unnecessary, esp. through being more than enough
eg.the purchaser should avoid asking for superfluous information.
surfeit
an excessive amount of something
e.g. a surfeit of food and drink.
exonerate
(esp. of an official body) absolve (someone) from blame for a fault or wrongdoing / release someone from (a duty or obligation).
debunk
expose the falseness or hollowness of (a myth, idea, or belief)
eg. the magazine that debunks claims of the paranormal.
bolster
support or strengthen; prop up
eg. he wished to bolster up his theories with hard data.
ambivalent
having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone
taciturn
(of a person) reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little.
inundate
overwhelm (someone) with things or people to be dealt with / flood
eg. we’ve been inundated with complaints from listeners.
Diffidence
modesty or shyness resulting from a lack of self-confidence
eg. I say this with some diffidence.
Eulogy
a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly, typically someone who has just died
eg. his good friend delivered a brief eulogy.
Expedite
make (an action or process) happen sooner or be accomplished more quickly
eg. he promised to expedite economic reforms.
Gratify
give (someone) pleasure or satisfaction / indulge or satisfy (a desire)
eg. I was gratified to see the coverage in May’s issue
Feasible
possible to do easily or conveniently
Servile
having or showing an excessive willingness to serve or please others / of or characteristic of a slave or slaves.
eg. bowing his head in a servile manner.
Truncate
shorten (something) by cutting off the top or the end / Ending Abruptly
Venerate
egard with great respect; revere
eg. Mother Teresa is venerated as a saint.
Vilify
speak or write about in an abusively disparaging manner
eg. he has been vilified in the press.
Zealot
a person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other ideals.
Inherent
existing in something as a permanent, essential, or characteristic attribute
e.g. any form of mountaineering has its inherent dangers
Innate
inborn; natural
eg.her innate capacity for organization.
Rancor
bitterness or resentfulness, esp. when long-standing
eg. he spoke without rancor.
Ostentatious
characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice
e.g. books that people buy and display ostentatiously but never actually finish.
ineffable
too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words/ not to be uttered
eg. : the ineffable natural beauty of the Everglades
efficacy
the ability to produce a desired or intended result
eg. there is little information on the efficacy of this treatment.
ambiguous
open to more than one interpretation/ unclear or inexact because a choice between alternatives has not been made
meticulous
showing great attention to detail
eg. very careful and precise: he had always been so meticulous about his appearance.
opportunistic
exploiting chances offered by immediate circumstances without reference to a general plan or moral principle
eg. the change was cynical and opportunistic.
indefatigable
(of a person or their efforts) persisting tirelessly
eg. an indefatigable defender of human rights.
lithe
(esp. of a person’s body) thin, supple, and graceful.
despondent
in low spirits from loss of hope or courage.
edify
formal instruct or improve (someone) morally or intellectually.
exacerbate
make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse
eg. the forest fire was exacerbated by the lack of rain.
frugal
sparing or economical with regard to money or food
/ simple and plain and costing little
eg.: he led a remarkably frugal existence.
facilitate
make (an action or process) easy or easier
eg. schools were located on the same campus to facilitate the sharing of resources.
deleterious
causing harm or damage
e.g. divorce is assumed to have deleterious effects on children.
colloquial
(of language) used in ordinary or familiar conversation; not formal or literary.
euphemism
a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing
