Vocab Flashcards
Adverb
Word that addresses where (here), how (easily), how often and when (yesterday)
Expropriation
The act of taking privately owned property by a government to be used for the benefit of the public. In the US, the government has the right to take property through eminent domain.
Ceterus paribus
All other things being equal
Preponderance
Majority
“A preponderance of the evidence points to the guilt of the defendant.”
Obsequious
Servile, obedient
Sycophant
Fawning flatterer
Ephemeral
Short lasting
His fame was ephemeral - it dissipated quickly
The storm was ephemeral
I have an ephemeral memory
Amenable
Accommodating
Laconic
Short, succinct, concise
He is one of those hunky, laconic types in romantic comedies
Modicum
A small amount
“A modicum of success”
Effusive
Gushy
Prescience
Knowing something before it takes place; foresight
Alacrity
Eager, cheerful readiness
The boy jumped up and down with alacrity as he approached the candy store
I took the exam with alacrity
My alacrity for playing ball is much higher than writing a paper
Auspicious
Favorable
Despite an auspicious beginning
Amenable
Easily persuaded
Demur
To object or show reluctance
Anathema
Something or someone that is strongly disliked, cursed
The dictator was considered an anathema.
Heresy
The willful and persistent rejection of any article of faith
Qualify
To make less severe
Enervate
To sap energy from
The intense sun left him enervated
Vindicate
Clear of blame
Seven Tour de France wins cannot vindicate lance Armstrong
Capricious
Fickle
Monolithic
Unmovable
Anachronism
out of place
My mom is proud to be an anachronism when she walks around in a poodle skirt
The presence of metal tools in the Stone Age was an unexpected anachronism
The habit of introducing yourself to a neighbor with a welcome gift has become an anachronism
Amalgam
A mixture of multiple things
The bands music was an amalgam of hip hop, rap, etc.
Amorphous
Shapeless
The students plan to study was amorphous
Impertinent
Being disrespectful or unnecessarily forward
Cops questions were impertinent
Belie
Misrepresent
The smile on her face belies the pain…
Parochial
Narrow in scope
His culinary tastes were too parochial
Equivocal
Ambiguous or confusing
The findings of the study were equivocal
Upbraid
Scold
He had to upbraid the apparently drunk barber for giving him a bad haircut
Ingenuous
Naive, innocent
She had changed from an ingenuous girl from the suburbs to a jaded girl in the city
Profligate
To spend resources unwisely
The composer was so profligate as to line the walls with silk
Harangue
A long pompous speech, a tirade
We had to sit there and listen to Kevin’s grandfather’s interminable harangues against Obama
Dour
Gloomy, solemn
Attenuate
Thin, reduce the effect of something
Reading Shakespear in high school can attenuate people’s interest in reading
Adroit
Clever
Ostensibly
Apparently
Cogent
Logical
Cogent argument
Myopic (my.opp.ic)
Short sighted
Magnanimous
Kind, generous
Esoteric
Understood by a select few
Enigma
Person who is difficult to understand
Ethereal
Delicate
Convexity
Measures bond price sensitivity to change in interest rates
GDP
Consumer + Investment + government expenditure + net export
Fed funds rate
Interest rate at which banks lend to each other
Quid pro quo
Reciprocal exchange
Prodigal
Wasteful spending
Verb
Word that conveys action, a state of being or an occurrence
She Enjoys food She was cold Runs Ate Washed Studied
Parsimonious
Unwilling to spend money
I’m a fairly parsimonious person
Tenuous
Weak, insubstantial
A tenuous argument
Nefarious
Evil
The nefarious bully
Racism is a nefarious reality
The nefarious attacks on 9/11
One guy employed his nefarious scheme
Ecumenical
All-inclusive
Universal, wide, general application
Ensconce
To establish or settle firmly for a period of time
I found him in the library, ensconced in an armchair.
Pyrrhic victory
Peer.ic victory
A victory won with a devastating cost
Iconoclast
Person who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions
Bill maher is an iconoclast
Negligible
Small, of no consequence
Tenuous
Weak or slight
Tenuous link or connection
Fastidious
Very attentive and concerned about accuracy and detail
He chose his words with fastidious care
Concerned about matters of cleanliness
Child seemed fastidious about getting his hands dirty
Hyper vigilant
Experience of being constantly tense and “on guard”. Hyper aware
They develop extreme hyper vigilance bc they never know what will happen next
PTSD
Milieu
Social environment, background
That was my milieu.
Self flagellating
The act of punishing or criticizing ones self
Assail
People assail you with advice when you’re pregnant or engaged
Obviate
Remove
The Venetian blinds obviates the need for curtains
Abstracted
Showing a lack of concentration
He seemed abstracted and unaware of his surroundings
Virtuous
Even the most virtuosic actor …
Person who has special knowledge or skill in a field
Pernicious
Purr.nish.ous
Gradually harmful
More money-based but just as pernicious