vocab Flashcards
1
Q
ambient
A
of or pertaining to the immediate surroundings; pervasive or encircling; relaxing
Ambient awareness is the experience of knowing what’s going on in the lives of other people - what they’re thinking about, what they’re doing, what they’re looking at - by paying attention to the small stray status messages that people are putting online.
2
Q
macabre
A
representing, personifying, or obsessed with death, often in a strange or unpleasant way; gruesome or ghastly
The appeal of the spectrally macabre is generally narrow because it demands from the reader a certain degree of imagination and a capacity for detachment from everyday life.
3
Q
spectral
A
of, pertaining to, or like a phantom or specter; ghostly; of or pertaining to a spectrum
4
Q
confection
A
a sweet preparation or candy; the act or process of compounding or mixing something
“I suspect music is auditory cheesecake, an exquisite confection crafted to tickle the sensitive spots of our mental faculties.”
5
Q
coven
A
a formal assembly of witches; a meeting of any group with similar interests or activities
6
Q
liminal
A
of or pertaining to a transition or threshold; existing on an edge, margin, or periphery; barely perceptible
7
Q
posthumous
A
occurring after one’s death
8
Q
moniker
A
name, nickname, or alias
9
Q
obsequious
A
excessively eager and attentive to follow, please, or obey; fawning, subservient
10
Q
implausible
A
not appearing to be true; provoking disbelief
11
Q
abase
A
to humiliate, degrade (After being overthrown and abased, the deposed
leader offered to bow down to his conqueror.)
12
Q
aberration
A
something that differs from the norm (In 1918, the Boston Red Sox won
the World Series, but the success turned out to be an aberration, and the Red Sox
have not won a World Series since.)
13
Q
abject
A
wretched, pitiful (After losing all her money, falling into a puddle, and
breaking her ankle, Eloise was abject.)
14
Q
abjure
A
to reject, renounce (To prove his honesty, the President abjured the evil
policies of his wicked predecessor.)
15
Q
abnegation
A
denial of comfort to oneself (The holy man slept on the floor, took only
cold showers, and generally followed other practices of abnegation.)
16
Q
abort
A
to give up on a half-finished project or effort (After they ran out of food, the
men, attempting to jump rope around the world, had to abort and go home.)
17
Q
abrogate
A
to abolish, usually by authority (The Bill of Rights assures that the
government cannot abrogate our right to a free press.)
18
Q
abscond
A
to sneak away and hide (In the confusion, the super-spy absconded into the
night with the secret plans.)
19
Q
absolution
A
) freedom from blame, guilt, sin (Once all the facts were known, the jury
gave Angela absolution by giving a verdict of not guilty.)
20
Q
abstain
A
to freely choose not to commit an action (Everyone demanded that Angus
put on the kilt, but he did not want to do it and abstained.)
21
Q
abstruse
A
hard to comprehend (Everyone else in the class understood geometry
easily, but John found the subject abstruse.)
22
Q
accede
A
to agree (When the class asked the teacher whether they could play baseball
instead of learn grammar they expected him to refuse, but instead he acceded to
their request.)
23
Q
accentuate
A
to stress, highlight (Psychologists agree that those people who are
happiest accentuate the positive in life.)
24
Q
acclaim
A
high praise (Greg’s excellent poem won the acclaim of his friends.)
25
accolade
high praise, special distinction (Everyone offered accolades to Sam after
he won the Noble Prize.)
26
accommodating
helpful, obliging, polite (Though the apartment was not big
enough for three people, Arnold, Mark, and Zebulon were all friends and were
accommodating to each other.)
27
accord
an agreement (After much negotiating, England and Iceland finally came to
a mutually beneficial accord about fishing rights off the cost of Greenland.)
28
accost
to confront verbally (Though Antoinette was normally quite calm, when the
waiter spilled soup on her for the fourth time in 15 minutes she stood up and accosted
the man.)
29
accretion
slow growth in size or amount (Stalactites are formed by the accretion of
minerals from the roofs of caves.)
30
acquiesce
to agree without protesting (Though Mr. Correlli wanted to stay outside
and work in his garage, when his wife told him that he had better come in to dinner,
he acquiesced to her demands.)
31
acrimony
bitterness, discord (Though they vowed that no girl would ever come
between them, Biff and Trevor could not keep acrimony from overwhelming their
friendship after they both fell in love with the lovely Teresa.)
32
acumen
keen insight (Because of his mathematical acumen, Larry was able to figure
out in minutes problems that took other students hours.)
33
adamant
impervious, immovable, unyielding (Though public pressure was
intense, the President remained adamant about his proposal.)
34
adroit
skillful, dexterous (The adroit thief could pick someone’s pocket without
attracting notice.)
35
adulation
extreme praise (Though the book was pretty good, Marcy did not believe
it deserved the adulation it received.)
36
adumbrate
to sketch out in a vague way (The coach adumbrated a game plan, but
none of the players knew precisely what to do.)
37
adverse
antagonistic, unfavorable, dangerous (Because of adverse conditions, the
hikers decided to give up trying to climb the mountain.)
38
aerial
somehow related to the air (We watched as the fighter planes conducted
aerial maneuvers.)
39
aesthetic
artistic, related to the appreciation of beauty (We hired Susan as our
interior decorator because she has such a fine aesthetic sense.)
40
affinity
a spontaneous feeling of closeness (Jerry didn’t know why, but he felt an
incredible affinity for Kramer the first time they met.)
41
affront
an insult (Bernardo was very touchy, and took any slight as an affront to his
honor.)
42
aggrandize
) to increase or make greater (Joseph always dropped the names of the
famous people his father knew as a way to aggrandize his personal stature.)
43
aggregate
a whole or total (The three branches of the U.S. Government form an
aggregate much more powerful than its individual parts.) 2. (v.) to gather into a
mass (The dictator tried to aggregate as many people into his army as he possibly
could.)
44
aggrieved
distressed, wronged, injured (The foreman mercilessly overworked his
aggrieved employees.)
45
agnostic
believing that the existence of God cannot be proven or disproven
(Joey’s parents are very religious, but he is agnostic.)
46
aisle
a passageway between rows of seats (Once we got inside the stadium we
walked down the aisle to our seats.)
47
alacrity
eagerness, speed (For some reason, Chuck loved to help his mother
whenever he could, so when his mother asked him to set the table he did so with
alacrity.)
48
allay
to soothe, ease (The chairman of the Federal Reserve gave a speech to try to
allay investors’ fears about an economic downturn.)
49
allege
to assert, usually without proof (The policeman had alleged that Marshall
committed the crime, but after the investigation turned up no evidence, Marshall
was set free.)
50
altercation
a dispute, fight (Jason and Lionel blamed one another for the car
accident, leading to an altercation.)
51
amalgamate
to bring together, unite (Because of his great charisma, the presidential
candidate was able to amalgamate all democrats and republicans under his banner.)
52
ambivalent
having opposing feelings (My feelings about Calvin are ambivalent
because on one hand he is a loyal friend, but on the other, he is a cruel and vicious
thief.)
53
ameliorate
to improve (The tense situation was ameliorated when Sam proposed a
solution everyone could agree upon.)
54
amenable
willing, compliant (Our father was amenable when we asked him to
drive us to the farm so we could go apple picking.)
55
amenity
an item that increases comfort (Bill Gates’s house is stocked with so many
amenities, he never has to do anything for himself.)
56
amorous
showing love, particularly sexual (Whenever Albert saw Mariah wear
her slinky red dress, he began to feel quite amorous.)
57
amorphous
without definite shape or type (The effort was doomed from the start,
because the reasons behind it were so amorphous and hard to pin down.)
58
analgesic
something that reduces pain (Put this analgesic on the wound so that the
poor man at least feels a little better.)
59
anachronistic
being out of correct chronological order (In this book you’re
writing, you say that the Pyramids were built after the Titanic sank, which is
anachronistic.)
60
anathema
a cursed, detested person (I never want to see that murderer. He is an
anathema to me.)
61
anarchist
one who wants to eliminate all government (An anarchist, Carmine
wanted to dissolve every government everywhere.)
62
anesthesia
) loss of sensation (When the nerves in his spine were damaged, Mr.
Hollins suffered anesthesia in his legs.)
63
annex
to incorporate territory or space (After defeating them in battle, the
Russians annexed Poland.) 2. (n.) a room attached to a larger room or space (He
likes to do his studying in a little annex attached to the main reading room in the
library.)
64
annul
to make void or invalid (After seeing its unforeseen and catastrophic effects,
Congress sought to annul the law.)
65
anomaly
something that does not fit into the normal order (“That rip in the spacetime continuum is certainly a spatial anomaly,” said Spock to Captain Kirk.)
66
anonymous
(adj.) being unknown, unrecognized (Mary received a love poem from an
anonymous admirer.)
67
antecedent
something that came before (The great tradition of Western culture had
its antecedent in the culture of Ancient Greece.)
68
antediluvian
) ancient (The antediluvian man still believed that Eisenhower was
president of the United States and that hot dogs cost a nickel.)
69
anthology
a selected collection of writings, songs, etc. (The new anthology of Bob
Dylan songs contains all his greatest hits and a few songs that you might never have
heard before.)
70
antipathy
a strong dislike, repugnance (I know you love me, but because you are a
liar and a thief, I feel nothing but antipathy for you.)
71
antiquated
old, out of date (That antiquated car has none of the features, like
power windows and steering, that make modern cars so great.)
72
antiseptic
clean, sterile (The antiseptic hospital was very bare, but its cleanliness
helped to keep patients healthy.)
73
antithesis
the absolute opposite (Your values, which hold war and violence in the
highest esteem, are the antithesis of my pacifist beliefs.)
74
apathetic
lacking concern, emotion (Uninterested in politics, Bruno was
apathetic about whether he lived under a capitalist or communist regime.)
75
apocryphal
fictitious, false, wrong (Because I am standing before you, it seems
obvious that the stories circulating about my demise were apocryphal.)
76
appalling
inspiring shock, horror, disgust (The judge found the murderer’s crimes
and lack of remorse appalling.)
77
appease
to calm, satisfy (When the child cries, the mother gives him candy to
appease him.)
78
apprehend
to seize, arrest (The criminal was apprehended at the scene.) 2. (v.) to
perceive, understand, grasp (The student has trouble apprehending concepts in
math and science.)
79
appropriate
to take, make use of (The government appropriated the farmer’s land
without justification.)
80
aquatic
relating to water (The marine biologist studies starfish and other aquatic
creatures.)
81
arable
suitable for growing crops (The farmer purchased a plot of arable land on
which he will grow corn and sprouts.)
82
arbiter
one who can resolve a dispute, make a decision (The divorce court judge
will serve as the arbiter between the estranged husband and wife.)
83
arbitrary
based on factors that appear random (The boy’s decision to choose one
college over another seems arbitrary.)
84
arbitration
the process or act of resolving a dispute (The employee sought official
arbitration when he could not resolve a disagreement with his supervisor.)
85
arboreal
of or relating to trees (Leaves, roots, and bark are a few arboreal traits.)
86
arcane
obscure, secret, known only by a few (The professor is an expert in arcane
Lithuanian literature.)
87
archaic
of or relating to an earlier period in time, outdated (In a few select regions
of Western Mongolian, an archaic Chinese dialect is still spoken.)
88
archetypal
the most representative or typical example of something (Some
believe George Washington, with his flowing white hair and commanding stature,
was the archetypal politician.)
89
ardor
extreme vigor, energy, enthusiasm (The soldiers conveyed their ardor with
impassioned battle cries.)
90
arid
excessively dry (Little other than palm trees and cacti grow successfully in
arid environments.)
91
arrogate
) to take without justification (The king arrogated the right to order
executions to himself exclusively.)
92
artifact
) a remaining piece from an extinct culture or place (The scientists spent all
day searching the cave for artifacts from the ancient Mayan civilization.)
93
artisan
a craftsman (The artisan uses wood to make walking sticks.)
94
ascertain
to perceive, learn (With a bit of research, the student ascertained that
some plants can live for weeks without water.)
95
ascetic
practicing restraint as a means of self-discipline, usually religious (The
priest lives an ascetic life devoid of television, savory foods, and other pleasures.)
96
ascribe
to assign, credit, attribute to (Some ascribe the invention of fireworks and
dynamite to the Chinese.)
97
aspersion
a curse, expression of ill-will (The rival politicians repeatedly cast
aspersions on each others’ integrity.)
98
aspire
to long for, aim toward (The young poet aspires to publish a book of verse
someday.)
99
assail
to attack (At dawn, the war planes assailed the boats in the harbor.)
100
assess
to evaluate (A crew arrived to assess the damage after the crash.)
101
assiduous
hard-working, diligent (The construction workers erected the
skyscraper during two years of assiduous labor.)
102
assuage
to ease, pacify (The mother held the baby to assuage its fears.)
103
astute
very clever, crafty (Much of Roger’s success in politics results from his
ability to provide astute answers to reporters’ questions.)
104
asylum
a place of refuge, protection, a sanctuary (For Thoreau, the forest served
as an asylum from the pressures of urban life.) 2. (n.) an institution in which the
insane are kept (Once diagnosed by a certified psychiatrist, the man was put in an
asylum.)
105
atone
to repent, make amends (The man atoned for forgetting his wife’s birthday
by buying her five dozen roses.)
106
atrophy
to wither away, decay (If muscles do not receive enough blood, they will
soon atrophy and die.)
107
attain
to achieve, arrive at (The athletes strived to attain their best times in
competition.)
108
attribute
to credit, assign (He attributes all of his success to his mother’s undying
encouragement.) 2. (n.) a facet or trait (Among the beetle’s most peculiar attributes is
its thorny protruding eyes.)
109
atypical
not typical, unusual (Screaming and crying is atypical adult behavior.)
110
audacious
excessively bold (The security guard was shocked by the fan’s
audacious attempt to offer him a bribe.)
111
audible
able to be heard (The missing person’s shouts were unfortunately not
audible.)
112
augment
(v.) to add to, expand (The eager student seeks to augment his knowledge of
French vocabulary by reading French literature.)
113
auspicious
(adj.) favorable, indicative of good things (The tennis player considered the
sunny forecast an auspicious sign that she would win her match.)
114
austere
(adj.) very bare, bleak (The austere furniture inside the abandoned house made
the place feel haunted.)
115
avarice
(n.) excessive greed (The banker’s avarice led him to amass a tremendous
personal fortune.)
116
avarice
(n.) excessive greed (The banker’s avarice led him to amass a tremendous
personal fortune.)
117
avenge
(v.) to seek revenge (The victims will take justice into their own hands and
strive to avenge themselves against the men who robbed them.)
118
aversion
(n.) a particular dislike for something (Because he’s from Hawaii, Ben has an
aversion to autumn, winter, and cold climates in general.)
