vocab 4 Flashcards
bifurcate
(vb) to divide into two branches
Biff’s family tree bifurcated in 1946 when his grandmother remarried, thus creating a second branch of relatives.
Word Forms: bifurcately, bifurcation, bifurcous Related Word: fork
bombast
(n) high-sounding language with little meaning, used to impress people.
Be sure that your speech isn’t pretentious or inflated, as the audience has no time to listen to bombast.
Word Forms: bombastic, bombastically, bombaster
bonhomie
(n) friendliness
Bonnie had many friends who admired her kind nature and bonhomie.
Word Form: bonhomous
humbug
deceptive or false talk or behaviour.
“his comments are sheer humbug”
boor
(n) a person who is rude, clumsy, and lacking social manners
Boris was a boor at the dinner party; after telling the host that her house was cheaply decorated, he ate his steak
with his fingers and burped during the meal.
Word Forms: boorish, boorishly, boorishness
Note: Be careful not to confuse a boor (a rude person) with a bore (a boring person).
bromide
(n) a common saying
As true as the old bromides are, such as “It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all,” none of
them are much comfort to a newly-broken heart.
Word Forms: bromidic, bromidically
bucolic
(adj) relating to country life; rural
The farmer lived a bucolic lifestyle, rising with the sun to tend the farm and retiring at sundown.
Word Forms: bucolical, bucolically
burgeon
(vb) to flourish
Under the mayor’s direction, the quiet town burgeoned into an active city.
burnish
(vb) to polish
In preparation for his dinner party, Bernie burnished the silverware and serving platters.
Word Forms: burnishable, burnishment, burnisher Antonym Form: unburnished
byzantine
(adj) highly complex or intricate
In a home loan, the byzantine language and unfamiliar terminology can be intimidating to a first-time home buyer.
cabal
(n) a secret group of plotters or schemers
The cabal met in a church basement to plan the overthrow of the government.
Word Form: caballer Related Word: cabala
cacophony
(n) harsh, jarring sound
On the first day of school, the band’s output was a cacophony of trumpets and horns; however, by the end of the year,
the horn section blended well with the rest of the ensemble.
Word Forms: cacophonic, cacophonous, cacophonously
cajole
(vb) to influence by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
Caleb cajoled his mother into letting him borrow the car by telling her how young and pretty she looked today.
Word Forms: cajolement, cajolingly, cajolery, cajoler
callous
(adj) insensitive; emotionally hardened
The senator’s callous indifference to the suffering of the people in the war-torn country cost him reelection.
Word Forms: callously, callousness Related Word: callus
calumny
(n) a false statement intended to harm someone’s reputation
Callie delivered the calumny about Brittany to an audience in the cafeteria; she hoped the lie would keep the other
girl from becoming Prom queen.
Word Forms: calumniate, calumniation, calumnious, calumniously, calumniatory, calumniator
canard
(n) false story or rumor
The belief that Napoleon was short is a canard; he was actually 5’7”, an above average height for a Frenchman in
1800.
canonical
(adj) authorized or accepted
Pluto is no longer a canonical planet; due to its small mass, it was reclassified as a “dwarf planet” in 2006.
Word Forms: canonically, canon, canonic Antonym Forms: uncanonical, uncanonically
cantankerous
(adj) ill-tempered and unwilling to cooperate
The cantankerous old man took the little boy’s sucker and refused to give it back.
Word Forms: cantankerously, cantankerousness
capricious
(adj) apt to change suddenly
given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behaviour.
Cane’s capricious personality made him a fun friend but a terrible boss; social spontaneity was exciting but
workplace unpredictability was frustrating.
Word Forms: capriciously, capriciousness, caprice
fickle
changing frequently, especially as regards one’s loyalties or affections.
“celebs trying to appeal to an increasingly fickle public”
