VOCAB Flashcards
Ineluctable
unable to be resisted or avoided
Invidious
likely to arouse or incur resentment or anger in others
Plangent
loud, reverberant, melancholy sound
Nugatory
of no value or importance
Contentious
controversial
Denouement
final part in a play/movie
Prerogative
a right or privilege exclusive to a certain class
pragmatic
dealing with things sensibly and realisitcally
transient
lasting only for a short time
stolidity
apathy
commensurate
corresponding in size or degree
sidereal
with respect to the distant stars
etiolated
pale, like a dying plant
Antediluvian
ridiculously old-fashioned
pusillanimous
timid; showing a lack of courage
jejune
naive, simplistic, juvenile
belied
disguise or contradict
demarcate
separate or distinguish from
antedates
precede in time, come before something
apocryphal
of doubtful authenticity
superannuation
a regular payment into an employee’s fund (for pension)
senescence
the condition or process of deterioration with age
acrimonious
angry, bitter
decorous
polite and restrained
turgid
swollen and congested
timorous
showing or suffering from nervousness, fear, or lack of confidence
inveterate
longstanding and unlikely to change
repatriate
to send someone back to their country
extradite
to hand over an accused back to the foreign country where the crime was committed
interdict
an authoritative prohibition
expurgate
remove material thought to be objectionable or unsuitable from an account or text
indigence
state of extreme poverty
opulence
great wealth or luxuriousness
pernicious
having a harmful effect, but in a subtle way
deleterious
causing harm or damage
probity
honesty, integrity
precocious
the state of having certain abilities at an earlier age than usual
parsimony
extreme unwillingness to spend money or use resources
ignoble
not honorable in character/purpose
antipathy
an intense feeling of dislike
prepossessing
attractive or appealing in appearance
pedestrian
ordinary
odium
general disgust towards someone as a result of their actions
maladroit
ineffective or clumsy
sanguine
optimistic/positive
choleric
bad-tempered/irritable
physiognomy
a person’s facial features or expressions
polemical
strictly critical/controversial in writing or speech
concomitant
naturally accompanying or associated
abjure
to renounce or reject solemnly
adumbrate
to foreshadow vaguely
anathema
a solemn or religious curse
anodyne
soothing
apogee
farthest or highest point; culmination
apostate
one who abandons long-held religious or political conventions
apotheosis
deification; a model of excellence
asperity
severity; roughness
asseverate
to assert or aver
assiduous
diligent, hard-working
augury
omen, portent
bellicose
warlike, belligerent
calumniate
to slander, to make a false accusation
captious
disposed to point out trivial faults
cavil
to find fault without good reason
celerity
speed, alacrity
chimera
an illusion
contumacious
rebellious; insubordinate
denouement
an outcome or solution; the unraveling of a plot
descry
to catch sight of
desuetude
disuse
desultory
random; aimless
diaphanous
transparent
diffident
reserved, shy; lacking in self-confidence
dirge
a song of grief
encomium
glowing and enthusiastic praise
panegyric
a praising speech or text
eschew
to shun or avoid
excoriate
to denounce scathingly
execrate
to curse, to feel loathing for
exegesis
critical examination
expiate
to atone or make amends for
extirpate
to destroy, to cut out
fatuous
silly, inanely foolish
fractious
quarrelsome, rebellious
gainsay
to deny, to contradict
heterodox
unorthodox
imbroglio
difficult or embarrassing situation
indefatigable
tireless; not easily exhaustible
ineluctable
certain, inevitable
inimitable
one of a kind
insouciant
unconcerned, carefree
inveterate
deep rooted, ingrained, habitual
jejune
vapid, uninteresting; childish
lubricious
lewd, greasy
mendicant
a beggar
meretricious
cheap, showy
minatory
menancing, threatening
nadir
low point
nonplussed
baffled, at a loss
obstreperous
noisily and stubbornly defiant
ossified
tending to become more rigid; conventional and reactionary with age
palliate
to make less severe or seem less serious
parsimonious
cheap, miserly
pellucid
transparent, easy to understand
peroration
the concluding part of a speech; flowery, rhetorical speech
plangent
pounding, thundering, resounding
prolix
long-winded, verbose
propitate
to appease
puerile
childish, immature
puissance
power, strength
pusillanimous
cowardly, craven
remonstrate
to protest, to object
sagacious
perceptive, wise; having sound judgment
salacious
lustful, lascivious
salutary
remedial, wholesome, causing improvement
sanguine
cheerful, confident
saturnine
gloomy, dark, sullen
sententious
aphoristic or moralistic
stentorian
extremely loud and powerful
stygian
gloomy, dark
tendentious
biased
timorous
timid, fearful
tyro
novice
vitiate
to corrupt, to spoil
voluble
fluent, verbal, having easy use of spoken language
forestall
to prevent or obstruct by taking action ahead of time
unstinting
given/giving without restraint
gauche
socially awkward; lacking ease or grace
prosaic
commonplace; lacking poetic beauty
propriety
the state/quality of conforming to conventionally accepted standards of behavior or morals
doughty
brave and persistent
retrench
to reduce costs or spending in response to economic difficulty
perfidy
untrustworthiness; deceitfulness
sophistry
the use of seemingly true arguments, especially with the intention of deceiving
expiate
atone for (guilt or sin)
sedulous
showing dedication and diligence
coruscating
flashing; sparkling OR severely critical
countenance
a person’s face or facial expression
preternatural
beyond normal or natural
teleological
relating to the purpose and design of the matieral world
edifying
providing moral or intellectual instruction
cadge
ask for or obtain
allay
put at rest; alleviate
monocoque
constructed in one piece
pavonine
of or like a peacock; colorful
parietal
denoting the wall of a body OR college-related
promulgated
promote or make widely known
repudiate
refuse to accept or be associated with
tepid
lukewarm; showing little enthusiasm
equanimity
mental calmness, evenness of temper
ardent
enthusiastic; passionate
precipitous
dangerously high or steep
dour
stern, gloomy, severe in manner or appearance
effusive
expressing gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained manner
thewy
muscular; sinewy
superfluous
unnecessary
pnuematic
full of air (literally)
flocculent
covered in wool
atrophied
wasted away; shriveled due to disuse
vituperative
bitter and abusive
capitulate
to surrender
dissent
to disagree
adroit
clever or skillful, especially using the hands
venal
susceptible to bribery
insolvent
unable to pay debts
exscind
to cut out
obloquy
strong public criticism or verbal abuse
evince
to show; reveal the prescence of
recreant
cowardly
redolent
strongly reminiscent of
recondite
obscure; hard to understand
arcane
understood by few; mysterious
limpid
easily understood; completely clear
droll
unusual in a way that provokes dry amusement
rarefied
thin (like air); distant from the lives and concerns of ordinary people
verisimilitude
the appearance of being true or real
august
respected and impressive
specious
plausible, but actually wrong
noisome
having an extremely offensive smell
atavistic
characterized by a reversion to something ancient
mephitic
foul-smelling
