Vocab Flashcards
speculate
v. 1 a : to meditate on or ponder a subject : reflect b : to think or theorize about something in which evidence is too slight for certainty to be reached.
2. to assume a business risk in hope of gain; especially : to buy or sell in expectation of profiting from market fluctuations.
“Mia’s abrupt firing caused her coworker to speculate endlessly about what she might have done wrong.”
SPEK-yuh-layt
offal
n. the waste or by-products of a process: as trimmings of a hide.
“The city’s offal-strewn alleyways were often a haven for stray dogs and vermin.”
AW-ful
preterit
n. : past tense
“While the past tense of the word ‘sneak’ is traditionally ‘sneaked,’ the alternative preterit ‘snuck’ is increasingly used.”
PRET-uh-rut
monetary
adj. 1. of or relating to money
2. of or relating to the money in a country’s economy
“A crime committed for monetary gain.”
ˈmä-nə-ˌter-ē
spume
n. frothy matter on liquids: foam; scum
“The spume and sea spray from the rising tide made the rocks along the beach slick and treacherous.”
SPYOOM
emulate v.
v.1 a : to strive to equal or excel b : imitate ; especially : to imitate by means of an emulator 2 : to equal or approach equality with.
“Many try to emulate the world champion’s level of mastery.”
EM-yū-lāt
emulate adj.
adj. 1 a : inspired by or deriving from a desire to emulate b : ambitious or eager to emulate 2 obsolete : jealous
“Pricked on by a most emulate pride.”
EM-yuh-lāt
Stonewall
v. 1: to be uncooperative, obstructive, and evasive. 2 : to refuse to comply or cooperate with.
“The company’s executives stonewalled the investigation at every turn.”
“I think they’re stonewalling because there seems to be a lack of leadership on their side as to how to respond to these serious allegations.”
STOHN-wawl
motley
adj. 1: variegated in color 2: composed of diverse often incongruous elements.
“Lenny went to the medieval festival dressed in the motley garb of a court jester.”
MAHT-lee
gamut
n. 1 : the whole series of recognized musical notes. 2 : an entire range or scope of something.
“The whole gamut of human emotion.”
GAM-it
perdure
v. : to continue to exist
“The artist’s influence perdures in the themes and stylistic choices of his students.”
per-DUR
articulate (adj.)
adj.
articulate (v.)
v.
diction
n.
contestation
n. : controversy or debate
“The location of the new school has been a recurrent item of contestation at town meetings.”
kann-tess-TAY-shun
stoic
n. : one apparently or professedly indifferent to pleasure or pain.
“Pitchers can be stoics. They usually say not getting a win because of offensive shortcomings does not bother them.”
STOH-ik
incongruous
adj. 1 a : a lacking congruity: as
b : not harmonious : incompatible
c : not conforming : disagreeing
d : inconsistent within itself
“The sight of a horse and carriage amongst the cars on the road was a bit incongruous.”
in-KAHN-gruh-wus
evince
v. 1: yo constitute outward evidence of . 2 : to display clearly : reveal
“Melanie evinced an interest in art at an early age, so no one was surprised when she grew up to be an award-winning illustrator.”
ih-VINSS
sophomoric
adj. 1 : conceited and overconfident of knowledge but poorly informed and immature 2 : of, relating to, or characteristic of a sophomore.
“Judd’s behavior at the party was sophomoric, but I’ve seen a more mature side to him in other settings.”
/sahf-MOR-ik\
chivy
v. 1 to tease or annoy with persistent petty attacks. 2 to move or obtain by small maneuvers
“She watched her little brother chivy an olive out of the jar with his fingers.”
CHIV-ee
gamification
n. : the process of adding games or game-like elements to something (as a task) so as to encourage participation.
“Users can pop open the dating app on a lunch break or at happy hour and scan for suitable matches in their free time. There’s also a gamification aspect: the delight of swiping through and finding a match is something Tinder has accurately captured, and it makes it all feel like a game.”
gay-muh-fuh-KAY-shun
germane
adj. : being at once relevant and appropriate : fitting
“While his comments were witty and entertaining, they weren’t particularly germane to the overall discussion.”
jer-MAYN
homonymous
adj. 1 : ambiguous. 2 : having the same designation 3 : of, relating to, or being homonyms
“We always called the elder Michael ‘Big Mike’ to distinguish him from his homonymous son.”
hoh-MAH-nuh-mus
duplicity
n. the disguising of the true intentions by deceptive words or action
“In a shameful act of duplicity, Jerry took the money he was entrusted to donate to the homeless shelter and instead used it to buy drugs.”
doo-PLISS-uh-tee
ambiguous
adj. : able to be understood in more than one way : having more than one possible meaning
: not expressed or understood clearly
“Due to the ambiguous nature of the question, it was difficult to choose the right answer.”
am-ˈbi-gyə-wəs
impetus
adj. : a force that causes something (such as a process or activity) to be done or to become more active
: a force that causes an object to begin moving or to continue to move
“His discoveries have given impetus to further research.”
IM-peh-tus
traverse
v.
vintner
n. : a person who makes or sells wine
VINT-nur
exacerbate
v. : to make (a bad situation, a problem, etc.) worse
“His angry comments have exacerbated tensions in the negotiation process.”
ig-ZA-sur-bait
vaunted
adj. : highly or widely praised or boasted about
“We were able to overcome our opponents’ vaunted defense and achieve an upset victory which will take us to the finals.”
VAWN-tud
hobbyhorse
n. 1 a : a stick having an imitation horse’s head on one end that a child pretends to ride b a rocking horse c a toy horse suspended by springs from a frame
2 a topic to which one constantly reverts
“This has long been a hobbyhorse for McCain; who could forget literally, because he said it roughly one billion times during the 2000/2008 campaigns that congress spent three million dollars to study the DNA of bears in Montana.
HAH-bee-horss
juxtapose
v. : to place (different things) together in order to create an interesting effect or to show how they are the same or different
“…a display that juxtaposes modern art with classical art.”
ˈjək-stə-ˌpōz
deference
n. : a way of behaving that shows respect for someone or something
“Deference to leaders and intolerance toward outsiders (and toward “enemies within”) are hallmarks of tribalism.”
ˈde-fə-rən(t)s
savvy
v. : a state of understanding
“the man growled, “Don’t ever date my daughter again—you savvy?””
ˈsa-vē
immutable
adj. : not capable of or susceptible to change
“one of the immutable laws of television is that low ratings inevitably lead to cancellation”
i(m)-ˈmyü-tə-bəl
walleyed
adj. 1 : having walleyed or affected with walleye
2 : marked by a wild and irrational staring of the eyes
“After being beaned by the pitcher, the walleyed batter was immediately checked by the paramedics for signs of a concussion.”
WAWL-EYED
blandish
v. : to coax or persuade with flattery : cajole
2 : to act or speak in a flattering or coaxing manner
“Some of Tim’s coworkers even managed to blandish him into doing their work for them by complementing him shamelessly.”
BLAN-dish
ensconce
v. : to firmly place or hide (someone or something)
“The sculpture is safely ensconced behind glass.”
\in-ˈskän(t)s\
tenacity
n. level of persistency in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired
fiduciary
adj. 1 : involving a confidence or trust
2 : held or holding in trust for another
“While bank trust departments have a fiduciary duty to file claims on behalf of their clients many are overworked and understaffed.”
fuh-DOO-shee-air-ee
v. interpolate
- a : to change (as a text) by inserting new or foreign matter b : to insert (words) into a text or into a conversation
2 : to insert (something) between other things or parts : to make insertions
3 : to estimate values of (data or function) between two known values.
“Ellis nicely interpolated a harpsichord solo between Bach’s two movements.”
in-TER-puh-layt
despotic
adj.
coherence
n.
enmity
n.
attrition
n.
apogee
n.
