Vocab Day 9 Flashcards
Boorish
rough and bad-mannered, coarse | 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).
Brook
tolerate
Circumspect
adj) cautious; discreet
Given the recent theft of passwords, you need to be circumspect when sharing personal information on the internet.
Word Forms: circumspectly, circumspectness Antonym Forms: noncircumspect, noncircumspectly,
noncircumspectness
Comity
an association of nations for their mutual benefit/ considerate behavior towards others
Commensurate
corresponding in size or degree, in proportion
Cordial
warm and friendly
Deleterious
adj) harmful
The deleterious effects of cigarette smoking, such as lung cancer, are highlighted in the public service campaign.
Word Forms: deleteriously, deleteriousness Related Word: delete
Dichotomy
a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or
entirely different
Edify
instruct or improve (someone) morally or intellectually
Elicit
vb) to call or bring out | evoke or draw out (a reaction answer) from someone
The woman elicits sympathy from her audience by telling the story of her difficult childhood.
Word Forms: elicitation, elicitor Related Word: solicit
Note: elicit is often confused with illicit, which means illegal
Erudite
having or showing great knowledge or learning
Fecund
adj) productive; fruitful
The fecund field has been producing record-setting crops for many years.
Word Forms: fecundity, fecundate, fecundator, fecundatory
Feeble
lacking physical strength/ lacking strength of character/ failing to convince or impress
Felicitous
pleasing and appropriate style; happiness | well chosen or suited to the circumstances/ pleasing
The book review highlighted both the felicities and the imperfections of the novel.
Word Forms: felicitous, felicitously, felicitousness Antonym Forms: infelicity, infelicitous, infelicitously
Forbear
refrain from doing something
Haphazard
lacking any obvious principle of organization
Hodgepodge
a confused mixture
Impede
hinder
Impetuous
adj) impulsive | acting or done quickly and without thought or care
While at the airshow to see old war planes, Ivan made an impetuous decision to go skydiving.
Word Forms: impetuously, impetuousness, impetuosity Related Word: impetus
Irascible
having or showing a tendency to be easily angered | adj) quickly aroused to anger
The irascible old lady caused a scene at the restaurant by yelling at the manager when her hamburger was
overcooked.
Word Forms: irascibly, irascibleness, irascibility Related Word: ire
Mercenary
making money at the expense of ethics/ a professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army
Meticulous
very careful and precious
Mordant
(humor) having or showing a sharp or critical quality, biting
Outstrip
move faster and overtake/ exceed
Precarious
not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse/ uncertain
Quirky
having or characterized by peculiar or unexpected traits or aspects
Repudiate
vb) to reject | refuse to accept/ deny the truth or validity
The celebrity repudiated claims that she had undergone plastic surgery.
Word Forms: repudiable, repudiative, repudiation, repudiatory, repudiator
Tact
skill and sensitivity in dealing with others or with difficult issues
Trifling
unimportant or trivial
Turbulent
characterized by conflict, disorder/ not stable
