Vocab 3 Flashcards
Placid
Not easily upset/excited; tranquil; calm; equable
Insidious
Something that gradually and subtly causes harmful effects
Defer(ment)
To postpone or adjourn
Contention
- An argument or debate between two parties
2. An assertion or claim expressed in an argument
Eradicate
To completely destroy/remove; put to an end
Painstaking
Done carefully and thoroughly; meticulous; assiduous; sedulous
Lackadaisical
Lacking enthusiasm and determination; careless; lazy
Accentuate
Make more noticeable or prominent
Eg; The shirt accentuated his gut
Arbitrate
3rd party (arbiter) making judgement to settle dispute b/w 2 people
Eg; The arbiter agreed to arbitrate the opposing sides
Triumvirate
Regime ruled by 3 people
Intercede
To intervene on behalf of another; arbitrate; mediate
Byzantine
- Devious and surreptitious manner of operation
2. Difficult to understand; intricate
Tortuous
Full of twists and turns; sinuous
Sloven
Person who is habitually messy or careless (appearance, hygiene, manner, etc.)
Pernickety
Over-fastidious; exacting; punctilious; finicky; dainty
Insouciant
Nonchalant lack of concern; indifferent
Eg; He gave an insouciant shrug
Morose
Sullen and bad-tempered; gloomy
Capitulate (3 syn)
To surrender or give in; acquiesce; accede; relent
Remonstrate
Reproachful protest; expostulate; objurgate; denounce
Vexation
To be annoyed, frustrated, or worried
Eg; She held her tongue in vexation
Chagrin
Feeling upset from failure/humiliation; annoyance; irritation; vexation
Eg; Jeff, much to his chagrin, wasn’t invited
Condemn
- To express disapproval of; censure; castigate; chastise
2. To sentence someone to particular punishment, especially death
Volatility
- (Finance) Degree of variation in trading price
2. (Chemistry) Tendency of substance to evaporate at normal temperatures
Deride
To insult or express contempt; ridicule; mock
Eg; The bully derided other kids on the field
Emulate
Imitate or copy
Eg; They tried to emulate his style
Virtuoso
Person highly skilled in music or other arts
Bumpkin
Stereotype of an unsophisticated/socially awkward person from the countryside; Yokel
Lugubrious
Dismal; gloomy; morose; somber
Premonitory
Sign/warning that predicts negative events; ominous; portentous
Eg; A premonitory headache that comes before a flu
Bucolic
Relating to pleasant aspects of rural life; pastoral
Eg; He was calmed by his bucolic surroundings
Surreptitious
Covert; clandestine; secret; sneaky; hidden
Eg; “They surreptitiously made their way to the cookie jar”
Hubris
Excessive self-confidence; arrogance; haughtiness
Eg; “His hubris costed him his friendship”
Perspicacity
Quality of shrewdness/acumen, acuity, or insight
Encomium
Speech/writing that praises someone; eulogy
Obloquy
Strong criticism or verbal abuse; condemnation; vilification; flak
Eg; “He endured years of contempt and obloquy”
Pastiche
Visual art/music that imitates the style of another’s work
Panegyric
Accolade; encomium; eulogy
Inscrutable
Impossible to understand/interpret; enigmatic; cryptic
Tractable
Easy to control or influence; malleable
Recalcitrant
Intractable attitude towards authority; uncooperative
Espouse
Adopt or support
Calamitous/Calamity
Cataclysm/Cataclysmic
A disaster or catastrophe
Alacrity
Brisk and cheerful enthusiasm; eager/willingness
Eg; She accepted the invitation with alacrity
Maladroit
Ineffective, bungling, or clumsy
Lubucrate
Written in scholarly fashion
Quibble
Argue about trivial matters
Eg; They wouldn’t stop quibbling about the details
Arrant
Complete; utter; downright
Eg; What arrant nonsense!
Foment
Instigate or provoke a course of action - typically undesirable/violent sentiment
Eg; He was arrested for fomenting a riot
Salacious
Undue emphasis on sexual matters; improper; obscene; lewd
Cunning
Astute; adroit; canny; devious; duplicitous; guileful; wily
Exculpate
Show or declare someone’s innocence; absolve; acquit; exonerate; vindicate
Disinterested
Uninterested/indifferent
Unbiased;impartial
Acquiesce
Accept reluctantly but without protest; permit; allow
Impecunious
Having little or no money; penurious; indigent
Dynamism
Vigorousness; activity; effectiveness
Ballad
Song or poem that tells a story
Incipient
Nascent; emerging; inceptive; initial; inchoate; rudimentary
Eg; “He could feel incipient anger building up”
Loll
Sit, lie, or stand in a lazy/relaxed way; lounge; sprawl
Heterodox
Not conforming to orthodox; heretical; unorthodox; dissenting
Inure
Accustom someone to something unpleasant; condition; toughen
Reverberate
A loud noise being echoed
Eg; “Her deep booming laugh reverberated around the room”
Abysmal
Extremely bad; appalling; awful
Court
To be romantically involved with
To pay special attention in attempt to win support
To risk, provoke, or attract
Recondite
Esoteric; arcane, abstruse; obscure
Eg; “The book is full of recondite information”
Canonize
Regard as belonging to a canon of artistic works; grouping
Eg; “They have become cult classics, canonized in American literature in many critics”
Disparate
Different in kind or not comparable; divergent; contrasting
Amiable
(adj.) Pleasant and friendly; affable
Divest
Deprive someone of something; despoil
Perfunctory
Cursory and desultory (lacking plan)
Facile
- Task done superficially; ignores true complexities of an issue
- Task done effortlessly; easily achieved
Germane
Relevant and applicable; pertinent; apposite; felicitous
Pejorative
Expressing contempt; disparaging; deprecating; derogatory
Eg; “Passiveness is used universally as a pejorative term”
Surly
Bad-tempered and unfriendly
Panacea
Cure-all remedy for all difficulties or diseases
Squalid
- Sordid; dirty (due to poverty/neglect)
2. Sordid; dishonest; debased; contemptible
Hidebound
Unwilling to change due to tradition or convention; conservative; orthodox; fundamentalist
Penchant
Habitual preference for something; predilection; proclivity
Eg; “He has a penchant for adopting stray dogs”
Outmode
Outdated or obsolete
Hortatory
Encouraging some course of conduct/action; exhorting; enjoining
Trifle
Of little value or importance; triviality; inessential
Eg; “No reason to argue over such trifles:
Unprecedented
Never done or known before; unparalleled
Impetus
The driving force; motivation; incitement
Blight
Have a detrimental effect on; devastate; frustrate; scotch
Eg; “The scandal blighted his career”
Fortuitous
Happening by accident/chance; serendipitous; inadvertent
Eg; “From a cash standpoint, the company’s timing is fortuitous”
Evanescent
Quickly fading out of sight, memory, or existence
Eg; A shimmering evanescent bubble
Meritorious
Deserving reward or praise; laudable
Onerous
Burdensome; arduous; formidable; exacting; exigent
Eg; “He found his duties increasingly onerous”
Splendor
Magnificent features; splendid ; grandeur
Eg; “The splendor of the Florida Keys”
Foible
Weakness; flaw; eccentricity; frailty; infirmity; idiosyncrasy
Eg; “They have to tolerate each other’s little foibles”
Jovial
Cheerful and friendly; ebullient; genial; congenial; convivial; buoyant; vivacious
Equanimity
Tranquility in the midst of chaos; aplomb; poise; sangfroid
Eg; “She accepted both the good and the bad with equanimity”
Augury
Omen; herald; harbinger
Irascible
Bad-tempered and irritable
Jejune (2)
- Naive; simplistic; superficial; unpretentious; credulous; puerile
- Banal; dreary; humdrum; mundane; tedious; insipid; sterile; trite
Upbraid
Scold; admonish; rebuke
Gerontocracy
State, society, or group governed by old people
Caricature
A parody or satire; to mock/ridicule
Fitful
Occurring intermittently or sporadically; not regular/steady
Eg; “I had a few hours of fitful sleep”
Pompous
Conceited; domineering; imperious; overbearing; self-important
Eg; “He’s a pompous ass who pretends he knows everything”
Imperious
Assuming power without justification; arrogant and domineering; officious; peremptory; dictatorial
Reproach
Scold; admonish; rebuke
Dote
To adore or idolize; amorous; besotted; solicitous
Deposition (2 def)
- To remove or overthrow someone
2. Process of giving sworn evidence
Repine
Feel/express discontent; fret; sorrow; lament
Eg; “Must not let yourself repine”
Inveterate
Habitual habits/attitudes; entrenched; chronic; congenital; incorrigible
Eg; “He’s an inveterate liar”
Derision
Contemptuous ridicule or mockery
Eg; “My story was greeted with derision and disbelief
Ostracize
Exclude; boycott; repudiate; spurn
Venerate
Revere/reverence
Presage
A sign/warning that something bad will happen; an omen
Benison
A blessing
Eg; “The rewards and benisons of marriage”
Guile
Artifice; cunning; deception; duplicity
Eg; “He used all his guile to free himself from the situation”
Pervade
Spread throughout; permeate; infuse; suffuse
Eg; “The smell of shit pervaded the air”
Quotidian
Something that’s commonplace or occurs daily
Canny
Sharp powers of judgement; astute; shrewd
Happenstance
Coincidence; serendipity; fortuity; providence
Impute
To credit someone as responsible for something; attribute/ascribe (Typically bad)
Eg; “The crimes imputed to Richard”
Objurgate
Scold; admonish; rebuke
Coalesce
Combine to form a whole; amalgamate; unite; merge
Eg; “The puddles has coalesced into shallow streams”
Rarefy
Become less rare, thin, or dense
Utilitarian
Designed for practical reasons rather than attractive; functional
Supplicate
Humbly ask/beg; beseech; entreat; implore; petition
Incensed
Apoplectic; incandescent
Eg; “She was incensed by the accusations”
Apoplectic; incandescent
Incensed
Buccaneer
Daring and adventurous; unscrupulous; audacious
Vanity
Arrogance; egocentrism; narcissism; haughtiness; self-adulation
Supposition
Uncertain belief; conjecture; deduction; inference; postulation; surmise
Largesse
Generosity; altruism; benevolence; munificence; magnanimity
Eg; “He’s dispensing his money with such largesse”
Perquisite
Perk; privilege; gratuity (reward)
Avarice
Greed; acquisitiveness; cupidity
Greed; acquisitiveness; cupidity
Avarice
Conflate
Amalgamate; combine; consolidate; coalesce
Amalgamate; combine; consolidate; coalesce
Conflate
Jocular
Humorous; jovial; jocose; ludic
Humorous; jovial; jocose; ludic
Jocular
Distend
Expand; intumesce; protuberant; tumescent; turgescent; ventricose
Eg; “The abdomen distended rapidly”
Expand; intumesce; protuberant; tumescent; turgescent; ventricose
Distend
Unlettered
Ignorant; benighted; nescient; philistine; vulgar
Ignorant; benighted; nescient; philistine; vulgar
Unlettered
Expedite
Accelerate; facilitate; precipitate
Accelerate; facilitate; precipitate
Expedite
Doff
Remove; shed; discard
Opposite: Don (put on)
Remove; shed; discard
Opposite:
Doff
Opposite: Don
Inert
Apathetic; dormant; inactive; indifferent; indolent (lazy)
Apathetic; dormant; inactive; indifferent; indolent (lazy)
Inert
Scotch
Put an end to; destroy; devastate; frustrate; foil; thwart
Put an end to; destroy; devastate; frustrate; foil; thwart
Scotch
Cant
- Hypocritical; sanctimonious (self-righteous); humbug (deceptive)
- Slang; vernacular; jargon; idiom; argot
- Hypocritical; sanctimonious (self-righteous); humbug (deceptive)
- Slang; vernacular; jargon; idiom; argot
Cant
Ascetic
Person who practices austerity, abstinence, and solidarity; recluse; hermit
Person who practices austerity, abstinence, and solidarity; recluse; hermit
Ascetic
Effuse
Give off; disseminate; decant
Eg; “The town effuses warmth and hospitality”
Give off; disseminate; decant
Effuse
Vestige
Trace; sign; remnant; remainder
Eg; “He said, without a vestige of empathy”
Trace; sign; remnant; remainder
Vestige
Cardinal
Fundamental; integral; paramount; preeminent
Eg; “The cardinal rule of marriage is loyalty”
Hardheaded
Realistic; practical; pragmatic; unsentimental
Realistic; practical; pragmatic; unsentimental
Hardheaded
Flak
Strong criticism; pan; censure; disappropriation; obloquy
Eg; “You have to be strong enough to take the flak”
Strong criticism; pan; censure; disappropriation; obloquy
Flak
Hapless
Opposite:
Unfortunate/unlucky and usually unhappy
Opposite: Hap (Fortunate/lucky and usually happy)
Unfortunate/unlucky and usually unhappy
Hapless
Effervescent
- Enthusiastic; vivacious; ebullient; scintillating
2. Carbonated; fizzy; aerated
- Enthusiastic; vivacious; ebullient; scintillating
2. Carbonated; fizzy; aerated
Effervescent
Prophetic
Predictive; prescient; oracular
Eg; “His warnings proved prophetic”
Predictive; prescient; oracular
Prophetic
Fetid
Noxious odor; acrid; pungent; malodorous
Noxious odor; acrid; pungent; malodorous
Fetid
Sinecure
Paid position involving little or no work; easy money
Eg; “Even though it was a seen as a sinecure, she took her job seriously”
Paid position involving little or no work; easy money
Sinecure
Prerogative
Exclusive privilege or right; entitlement
Exclusive privilege or right; entitlement
Prerogative
Perquisite
Incidental perk/benefit gained from employment
Eg; “Among many of the perquisites, I was given a company car”
Incidental perk/benefit gained from employment
Perquisite
Aver
Assert; attest; affirm; profess
Eg; “He averred that he was innocent”
Assert; attest; affirm; profess
Aver
Polymath
Person of wide-ranging knowledge; erudite; cultivated; intellect; lettered
Person of wide-ranging knowledge; erudite; intellect; cultivated; sagacious
Polymath
Abrogate
Avoid; abolish; disaffirm; repudiate; rescind; evade
Eg; “They proposed to abrogate the legislation”
Avoid; abolish; disaffirm; repudiate; rescind; evade
Abrogate
Illiberal
- Parochial; dogmatic; intolerant; hidebound
2. Miserly; stringy; parsimony
- Parochial; dogmatic; intolerant; hidebound
2. Miserly; stringy; parsimony
Illiberal
Involved
Complex; bewildering; tortuous; labyrinthine
Complex; bewildering; tortuous; labyrinthine
Involved
Unexceptional - positive/negative connotation in what context?
Ordinary; average; pedestrian
- Good in scientific context
- Bad in descriptive context
Ordinary; average; pedestrian
Unexceptional
Torrid
- Hot and dry; sweltering; sultry
- Difficult or tribulating (distressful)
Eg; “We’re in for a torrid time in the next few weeks”
- Hot and dry; sweltering; sultry
2. Difficult or tribulating
Torrid
Tribulation
Affliction; anxiety; distress; suffering
Eg; “The tribulations of medical school”
Affliction; anxiety; distress; suffering
Tribulation
Sultry
- Humid; stifling; torrid (Weather)
2. Attractive; passionate; sensual (People)
- Humid; stifling; torrid (Weather)
2. Attractive; passionate; sensual (People)
Sultry
Indecorous
Inappropriate; inapposite; unbecoming
Eg; “There was something indecorous about her proposal”
Inappropriate; inapposite; unbecoming
Indecorous
Timorous
Lacking confidence; diffident; reticent; meek
Eg; “He said, in a timorous voice”
Lacking confidence; diffident; reticent; meek
Timorous
Dispense
- Distribute; bestow; confer
2. Waive; omit; renounce
- Distribute; bestow; confer
2. Waive; omit; renounce
Dispense
Hodgepodge
Cluttered mixture; assemblage; miscellany
Cluttered mixture; assemblage; miscellany
Hodgepodge
Intractable
Recalcitrant; difficult; uncontrollable
Recalcitrant; difficult; uncontrollable
Intractable
Pernicious
Harmful; inimical; noxious; malign
Eg; “Media has a pernicious influence”
Harmful; inimical; noxious; malign
Pernicious
Salubrious
- Healthy; beneficial; salutary
2. Pleasant; luxurious; fancy
- Healthy; beneficial; salutary
2. Pleasant; luxurious; fancy
Salubrious
Judicious
Shrewd; astute; canny; circumspect; sagacious; prudent
Shrewd; astute; canny; circumspect; sagacious; prudent
Judicious
Crass
Insensitive; unrefined; unintelligent
Eg; “They immediately made crass assumptions about her”
Insensitive; unrefined; unintelligent
Crass