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The Edge Vocab > Vocab > Flashcards

Vocab Flashcards

0
Q

Acquiesce

A

Accept something reluctantly but without protest.

Eg. Sara acquiesce in his decisions

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1
Q

Deprecate

A

Expressing disapproval of - another word for depreciate

Eg. He sniffed in a deprecating way

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2
Q

Belie

A

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

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3
Q

Contentious

A

Causing or likely to cause an argument / involving argument

Eg. A contentious issue

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4
Q

Antiquated

A

Old fashion or outdated

Eg. This central antiquated heater.

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5
Q

Explicit

A

Stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt.

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6
Q

Implicit

A

Implied though though not plainly expressed / absolute

Eg. The comments are seen as implicit criticism of the policies

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7
Q

Candor

A

The quality of being open and honest in expression. Frankness.

Eg. He is a man of candor

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8
Q

Frivolous

A

Not having any serious value or purpose

Eg.rules to stop frivolous lawsuits

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9
Q

Indolent

A

Wanting to avoid activity; lazy

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10
Q

Intractable

A

Hard to control or deal with. Difficult or stubborn

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11
Q

Prolific

A

Producing many offsprings or works. Present in large quantity.

Eg. In captivity, tigers are prolific breeders

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12
Q

Replete

A

Filled or well supplied with something

Eg. Novels these days are replete with sudden death

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13
Q

Trepidation

A

Feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen.

Eg. The men set out I. Fear and trepidation

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14
Q

Trite

A

Overused and lacking originality

Eg. This point may now seem obvious and trite

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15
Q

Tentative

A

Not certain or fixed. Done without confidence.

Eg. He tried a few tentative steps around his hospital room.

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16
Q

Torpor

A

A state of physical or mental inactivity

It’s a noun

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17
Q

Undermine

A

Damage or weaken gradually

Eg.this could undermine years of hard work

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18
Q

Placate

A

Make someone less angry or hostile

Eg. They attempted to placate the students with promises

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19
Q

Pragmatic

A

Dealing with things sensibly, practically and realistically.

Eg. A pragmatic approach to politics

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20
Q

Scrupulous

A

Diligent, thorough and extremely attentive to details

Eg. The research was carried out with scrupulous detail

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21
Q

Aesthetic

A

Concern with beauty.

Eg. The picture give great aesthetic pleasure

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22
Q

Ascetic

A

Characterized or suggesting the practice of severe self discipline from all forms of indulgence

Eg.an ascetic life of prayer, fasting and manual labor

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23
Q

Sedentary

A

Spending too much seated or inactive,

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24
Q

Ingenious

A

Clever, original, and inventive

Eg. He was ingenious enough to overcome the limited budget

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25
Q

Peripheral

A

Of, relating to, or situated on the edge of something

Eg. The peripheral areas of Europe

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26
Q

Pacifist

A

A person who believes that we and violence are unjustifiable

Eg. She was a committed pacifist all her life

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27
Q

Superficial

A

Existing or occurring at or on the surface, not deep

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28
Q

Autonomous

A

A county or religion having self government, acting independently

Eg. The federation include sixteen autonomous republics

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29
Q

Dilatory

A

Slow to act, intended to cause delay

Eg. He has been dilatory in appointing a partner

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30
Q

Fastidious

A

Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy detail, and cleanliness

e.g. he chooses his words with fastidious care.

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31
Q

Prodigal

A

spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant / having or giving something on a lavish scale

e.g. prodigal habits die hard.

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32
Q

pretentious

A

attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed

eg. a pretentious literary device.

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33
Q

Recant

A

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.

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34
Q

Remorse

A

deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed

eg. they were filled with remorse and shame.

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35
Q

Beguile

A

charm or enchant (someone), sometimes in a deceptive way/ trick (someone) into doing something

eg. they were beguiled into signing a peace treaty.

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36
Q

Turmoil

A

a state of great disturbance, confusion, or uncertainty

eg. the country was in turmoil

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37
Q

Transient

A

lasting only for a short time; impermanent:

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38
Q

terrestrial

A

of, on, or relating to the earth

eg.increased ultraviolet radiation may disrupt terrestrial ecosystems.

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39
Q

sycophant

A

a person who acts obedient (excess service) toward someone important in order to gain advantage.

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40
Q

surreptitious

A

kept secret, esp. because it would not be approved of

eg/ they carried on a surreptitious affair.

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41
Q

opulence

A

great wealth or luxuriousness

eg.rooms of spectacular opulence.

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42
Q

ominous

A

giving the impression that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen; threatening; inauspicious

eg. there were ominous dark clouds gathering overhead.

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43
Q

insipid

A

lacking flavor/ lacking vigor or interest

eg. many artists continued to churn out insipid, shallow works.

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44
Q

spurn

A

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.

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45
Q

Malicious

A

characterized by malice; intending or intended to do harm

eg. malicious destruction of property

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46
Q

Benevolent

A

well meaning and kindly/ (of an organization) serving a charitable rather than a profit-making purpose

eg. a benevolent smile.

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47
Q

prudent

A

acting with or showing care and thought for the future

eg. no prudent money manager would authorize a loan without first knowing its purpose.

48
Q

circumspect

A

wary and unwilling to take risks

eg. the officials were very circumspect in their statements.

49
Q

Circuitous

A

(of a route or journey) longer than the most direct way

eg. the canal followed a circuitous route

50
Q

Listless

A

(of a person or their manner) lacking energy or enthusiasm

eg. bouts of listless depression.

51
Q

Laconic

A

(of a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words

eg. his laconic reply suggested a lack of interest in the topic.

52
Q

Jocular

A

fond of or characterized by joking; humorous or playful

eg. she sounded in a jocular mood

53
Q

lament

A

a passionate expression of grief or sorrow:

eg.she lamented the lack of shops in the town

54
Q

buttress

A

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.

55
Q

bombastic

A

high-sounding but with little meaning

eg. bombastic music that drowned out what anyone was saying.

56
Q

animosity

A

strong hostility

eg. the animosity between the king and his brother

57
Q

cordial

A

warm and friendly/ strongly felt

eg. the atmosphere was cordial and relaxed.

58
Q

corroborate

A

confirm or give support to (a statement, theory, or finding)

eg. the witness had corroborated the boy’s account of the attack.

59
Q

discern

A

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.

60
Q

devious

A

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.

61
Q

duplicitous

A

deceitful/ Law (of a charge or plea) containing more than one allegation.

eg. treacherous, duplicitous behavior.

62
Q

fervor

A

intense and passionate feeling

eg. he talked with all the fervor of a new convert.

63
Q

equitable

A

fair and impartial

eg. an equitable balance of power.

64
Q

equivocate

A

use ambiguous language so as to conceal the truth or avoid committing oneself

eg. “Not that we are aware of,” she equivocated.

65
Q

florid

A

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.

66
Q

disinclination

A

a reluctance or lack of enthusiasm

eg. Lucy felt a strong disinclination to talk about her engagement.

67
Q

assiduous

A

showing great care and perseverance

eg. she was assiduous in pointing out every feature.

68
Q

articulate

A

(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.

69
Q

enigma

A

a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand.

70
Q

elated

A

make (someone) ecstatically happy

eg. I felt elated at beating Dennis.

71
Q

dogmatic

A

inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true

eg. he gives his opinion without trying to be dogmatic.

72
Q

jubilant

A

feeling or expressing great happiness and triumph.

73
Q

extraneous

A

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.

74
Q

fallacious

A

based on a mistaken belief

eg. fallacious arguments.

75
Q

lavish

A

sumptuously rich, elaborate, or luxurious

76
Q

Incontrovertible

A

not able to be denied or disputed

eg. incontrovertible proof

77
Q

sage

A

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.

78
Q

concise

A

giving a lot of information clearly and in a few words; brief but comprehensive

79
Q

succinct

A

(esp. of something written or spoken) briefly and clearly expressed
eg. use short, succinct sentences.

80
Q

scrutinize

A

examine or inspect closely and thoroughly

eg. customers were warned to scrutinize the small print.

81
Q

resolve

A

settle or find a solution

82
Q

superfluous

A

unnecessary, esp. through being more than enough

eg.the purchaser should avoid asking for superfluous information.

83
Q

surfeit

A

an excessive amount of something

e.g. a surfeit of food and drink.

84
Q

exonerate

A

(esp. of an official body) absolve (someone) from blame for a fault or wrongdoing / release someone from (a duty or obligation).

85
Q

debunk

A

expose the falseness or hollowness of (a myth, idea, or belief)

eg. the magazine that debunks claims of the paranormal.

86
Q

bolster

A

support or strengthen; prop up

eg. he wished to bolster up his theories with hard data.

87
Q

ambivalent

A

having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone

88
Q

taciturn

A

(of a person) reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little.

89
Q

inundate

A

overwhelm (someone) with things or people to be dealt with / flood

eg. we’ve been inundated with complaints from listeners.

90
Q

Diffidence

A

modesty or shyness resulting from a lack of self-confidence

eg. I say this with some diffidence.

91
Q

Eulogy

A

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.

92
Q

Expedite

A

make (an action or process) happen sooner or be accomplished more quickly

eg. he promised to expedite economic reforms.

93
Q

Gratify

A

give (someone) pleasure or satisfaction / indulge or satisfy (a desire)

eg. I was gratified to see the coverage in May’s issue

94
Q

Feasible

A

possible to do easily or conveniently

95
Q

Servile

A

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.

96
Q

Truncate

A

shorten (something) by cutting off the top or the end / Ending Abruptly

97
Q

Venerate

A

egard with great respect; revere

eg. Mother Teresa is venerated as a saint.

98
Q

Vilify

A

speak or write about in an abusively disparaging manner

eg. he has been vilified in the press.

99
Q

Zealot

A

a person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other ideals.

100
Q

Inherent

A

existing in something as a permanent, essential, or characteristic attribute

e.g. any form of mountaineering has its inherent dangers

101
Q

Innate

A

inborn; natural

eg.her innate capacity for organization.

102
Q

Rancor

A

bitterness or resentfulness, esp. when long-standing

eg. he spoke without rancor.

103
Q

Ostentatious

A

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.

104
Q

ineffable

A

too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words/ not to be uttered

eg. : the ineffable natural beauty of the Everglades

105
Q

efficacy

A

the ability to produce a desired or intended result

eg. there is little information on the efficacy of this treatment.

106
Q

ambiguous

A

open to more than one interpretation/ unclear or inexact because a choice between alternatives has not been made

107
Q

meticulous

A

showing great attention to detail

eg. very careful and precise: he had always been so meticulous about his appearance.

108
Q

opportunistic

A

exploiting chances offered by immediate circumstances without reference to a general plan or moral principle

eg. the change was cynical and opportunistic.

109
Q

indefatigable

A

(of a person or their efforts) persisting tirelessly

eg. an indefatigable defender of human rights.

110
Q

lithe

A

(esp. of a person’s body) thin, supple, and graceful.

111
Q

despondent

A

in low spirits from loss of hope or courage.

112
Q

edify

A

formal instruct or improve (someone) morally or intellectually.

113
Q

exacerbate

A

make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse

eg. the forest fire was exacerbated by the lack of rain.

114
Q

frugal

A

sparing or economical with regard to money or food
/ simple and plain and costing little

eg.: he led a remarkably frugal existence.

115
Q

facilitate

A

make (an action or process) easy or easier

eg. schools were located on the same campus to facilitate the sharing of resources.

116
Q

deleterious

A

causing harm or damage

e.g. divorce is assumed to have deleterious effects on children.

117
Q

colloquial

A

(of language) used in ordinary or familiar conversation; not formal or literary.

118
Q

euphemism

A

a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing

The Edge Vocab (2 decks)

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