Vocab Capacity Flashcards
askew
slanted to one side
Your picture is askew because the earthquake skewed it from hanging evenly.
asperity
bad temper; hardship; rigorousness
I have asperity because I have a spear in me - can you blame me?
aspersion
a false claim intended to harm; a disparaging remark
when you cast aspersions on someone, you are questioning their abilities or doubting them.
Her aspersions about what I did last night felt like asp poison.
Krone said that the White House “likes to cast aspersions and point fingers at us.”
assail
attack; assault
Come at me, bro: if I assail you, I’ll make your ass sail out the window.
assiduous
hardworking; dedicated; diligent; sedulous
Assiduous Sid worked his ass off to assist us.
Good detectives are classically assiduous types.
assuage
make less severe; alleviate; palliate; mollify; conciliate
Getting a long massage will assuage those sore muscles.
astute
having keen judgment, shrewd
Astute tutors teach better than not-so-bright ones.
audacious
fearlessly bold; arrogantly bold; intrepid; daring and unconventional
Walking up to Obama and swiping his pen as he was about to sign the bill was so audacious that it awed us.
august
majestic; esteemed
Augustus Caesar, the first Roman emperor, was so august that they named a month after him.
auspicious
favorable; propitious
Dude, the chances she’ll go out with me are auspicious or “awe-spicious” because I’m suspicious that I’m awesome.
austere
plain; strict
Operating rooms are austere because they’re all sterile.
automaton
one who acts in a robotic way
Working on an assembly line where automation has replaced creativity can make you feel like an automaton.
avaricious
greedy
My band and I don’t trust you as an agent - you’re avaricious and just want to have our riches.
aver
to state confidently; declare; assert; maintain
After I verify that the blood sample from the crime scene matches your DNA, I’ll aver that you are the killer.
avuncular
like an uncle - kind and patient and generally indulgent with people younger than he is
The avuncular professor was like an uncle to him, dispensing well-intentioned advice.
Santa Claus.
babel
a jumble of sounds
When all the Kardashians get together and start to babble, it creates a confusing babel of voices.
badger
to annoy or pester
Good jerks can get laughs, but a bad jerk will just badger you with his attempts at humor.
barbarous
crude; uncivilized; cruel; violent
Are you surprised that the barbarian you’re dating was barbarous enough to try to eat your goldfish?
bauble
a small, inexpensive piece of jewelry, toy, trinkets
the small statue of the Eiffel tower your grandparents brought back from Paris; those big glass bulbs you use to decorate a Christmas tree; a computer mouse made to look like a hamburger
beatific
extremely happy
If you feel beatific, you probably walk around exclaiming “beautiful! terrific!” all day.
beatify
to bless; to make happy
The makeover will beautify your home and beatify your family.
becalm
When my 3-year-old is running around causing havoc, I usually whisper “be calm” to becalm him.
bedizen
to decorate in a flashy, gaudy way
Bedizen your clothes by bedazzling the butt of your jeans with sparkly rhinestones - it’s tacky, but you’ll get more attention.
bedlam
madness, chaos or great confusion
It was complete bedlam when I entered my hotel room and saw that the bed had a lamb sleeping in it.
