Vocab Terms Packet Flashcards
descriptive
(de scrip tive)
She gave a descriptive account of the journey.
He read a poem full of descriptive detail.
- adjective
- using words to describe what something or someone is like or looks like
indescribable
(in de scrib able)
The sight brought her indescribable joy.
He was experiencing indescribable back pain.
- adjective
- impossible to describe, very great or extreme
nondescript
(non de script)
I work in one of the nondescript offfice buildings downtown.
- adjective
- not easily described; having no special or interesting qualities, parts, etc.
subscribe
(sub scribe)
He didn’t subscribe to the same set of values as his brother.
She couldn’t fully subscribe to the idea until she knew more.
- verb
- to belong to or support something (such as an organization)
genial
(ge ni al)
She is a genial host, always smiling and laughing.
The dentist was genial toward everyone.
- adjective
- cheerful and pleasant
genius
(ge nius)
Albert Einsten was a great scientific genius.
You don’t have to be a genius to see that this plan will never work.
- noun
- a very smart or talented person; a person who has a level of talent or intelligence that is very rare or remarkable
generated
(ge ner at ed)
His theories generated great interest among other scientists.
*Her funny comments generated a lot of laughter. *
- verb
- was the cause of or reason for (something, such as interest or excitement)
generally
(gen er al ly)
His suggestsions have generally been well received.
It generally takes about a month for the shipment to arrive.
- adverb
- in most cases
endemic
(en dem ic)
These rare plants are endimc to this region.
The endimic wildlife was being carefully protected.
- adjective
- growing or existing in a certain place or region
epidemiology
(ep i de mi ol o gy)
Thanks to epidemiology we can prevent lots of illnesses from speading.
She decided to study epidemiology because her family got sick because they were affected by the disease.
- noun
- the study of how disease spreads and can be controlled
unpopular
(un pop u lar)
Her third album has been unpopular with fans.
Recent conflicts have made him unpopular among his coworkers.
- adjective
- not likely by many people, not popular
popularization
(pop u lar i za tion)
Smartphones increased the popularization of video streaming.
She wrote a book about the popularization of Chinese food in America.
- noun
- the act or process of becoming popular or making something become popular
benevolence
(be ne vo lence)
Her volunteer work made her famous for her benevolence.
Benevolence is an excellent quality in any leader.
- noun
- kindness and generosity
benign
(be nign)
This chemical is benign, so scientists aren’t worried about it.
He has a noticable but benign habit of biting his nails.
- adjective
- not causing harm or damage
benevolent
(be nev o lent)
The little boy received a gift from a benevolent donor.
Because she is so benevolent, she will often volunteer her free time.
- adjective
- kind and generous
benefactor
(ben e fac tor)
With the help of a rich benefactor, he set up a charity.
The family was helped by an anonymous benefactor.
- noun
- someone who helps another person, group, etc., by giving money
benefactor
(ben e fac tor)
With the help of a rich benefactor, he set up a charity.
The family was helped by an anonymous benefactor.
- noun
- someone who helps another person, group, etc., by giving money
benefit
(be ne fit)
The new plan may be a benefit to students.
The produce medicines that benefit thousands of people.
- verb
- to be useful or helpful to (someone or something)
benedictions
(be ne dic tions)
At the New Years party, everyone shared heartfelt benedictions.
Her family members gave her their benedictions on her graduation day.
- noun
- utterances of good wishes
bonanza
(bo nan za)
Her research resulted in a bonanza of information.
*We received a bonanza of cash after selling the house. *
- noun
- a large amount of something valuable
bonus
(bo nus)
The product has the added bonus of providing extra vitamins.
The party was a blast, and as a bonus for our good behavior we were allowed to stay up late.
- noun
- something good that is more than what was expected or required
beneficiaries
(be ne fi ci ar ies)
Several charities were the beneficiaries of his generous donations.
The greatest beneficiaries of the teacher’s dedication and kindess are her students.
- noun
- people or organizations receiving something good or helpful
beneficial
(ben e fi cial)
Regular exercise has many beneficial health effects.
He hopes the new medication will prove producing benefits.
- adjective
- producing good or helpful results or effects; producing benefits
miscredit
(mis cre dit)
We reprinted the playbills to correct a miscredit in the cast list.
The author later corrected a miscredit in the article that had gone overlooked originally.
- noun
- wrongly assigned credit
credit
(cre dit)
He’s finally getting the credit he deserves.
You’ve got to give her credit; she knows what she’s doing.
- noun
- praise or special attention that is given to someone for doing something or for making something happen
credo
(cre do)
Our credo is “better safe than sorry.”
*“Treat others the way you’d like to be treated” is part of my personal credo. *
- noun
- an idor set of beliefs that guides the actions of a person or group
incredulity
(in cre du li ty)
The bizarre news gave rise to incredulity across the nation.
The news that he had quit was met with expressions of incredulity.
- noun
- a feeling that you do not or cannot believe or accept that something is true or real
ventriloquist
(ven tril o quist)
The ventriloquist arrived with a large chest of puppets and props.
As a singer and a musician, he might have had some talent as a ventriloquist.
- noun
- a performer who is able to speak in a way that makes it appear that words are being said by a large doll (called a dummy)
colloquial
(col lo qui al)
“Ain’t” and “gonna” are examples of colloquial language.
“It was inappropriate to use such a colloquial expression in the courtroom.”
- adjective
- used when people are speaking in an informal way
eloquent
(el o quent)
The politician was an eloquent speaker.
*The professor expected her students to write eloquent essays. *
- adjective
- having or showing the ability to use language clearly and effectively.
loquacious
(lo qua cious)
He is very shy and quiet, but his sister is very loquacious.
*She imagined becoming the loquacious host of a radio talk show. *
- adjective
- liking to talk and talking smoothly and easily
logical
(log i cal)
They came to a logical decision.
Since she helped us before, it’s logical to assume that she’ll help us again.
- adjective
- agreeing with the rules of logic; sensible or reasonable
soliloquy
(so lil o quy)
His soliloquy went on too long.
The playwright included a soliloquy in the first act.
- noun
- a long, usually serious speech in a play that a character makes to an audience and that reveals the character’s thoughts
apology
(a pol o gy)
He offered his apology for his bad behavior.
Will you please accept my apology?
- noun
- a statement saying that you are sorry about something; an expression of regret for having done or said something wrong
analogy
(a nal o gy)
The analogy helped her see they were actually somewhat alike.
He made an analogy comparing the emotional twists and turns of the book to a rollercoaster.
- noun
- a comparison of two things based on their being alike in some way
logic
(lo gic)
Her decision defies logic.
If you use just a little logic, you’ll see I’m right.
- noun
- a proper or reasonable way of thinking abour or understanding something
logistics
(lo gis tics)
My mother was in charge of the logistics of our camping trip.
The event went off without a hitch because the planner was a master of logistics.
- noun
- the things that must be done to plan and organize a complicated event or activity that involves many people
critique
(cri tique)
The gave a fair and honest critique of her art.
*Each student was asked to write a thoughtful critique of the film. *
- noun
- a careful judgment in which you give your opinion about the good and bad parts of something (such as a piece of writing or a work of art)
critical
(crit i cal)
She has a talen for critical thinking.
We need to look at these proposed changes with a critical eye before we accept them.
- adjective
- using or involving careful judgment about the good and bad parts of something
criticism
(crit i cism)
In this job you need to be able to accept criticism.
I asked my sister for some constructive criticism of my essay tried to revise it.
- noun
- the act of expressing disapproval and of noting the problems or faults of a person or thing; the act of criticizing someone or something
critically
(cri ti cal ly)
Be sure to look at your own work critically.
*It’s important to think critically about the articles that you are reading. *
- adverb
- in a way that involves careful judgment
hypocrite
(hyp o crite)
He’s a hypocrite because he criticizes others for his same qualities.
*She felt like a hypocrite for telling him not to lie when she knew that she herself had lied in the past. *
- noun
- a person who claims or pretends to have certain beliefs about what is right but who behaves in a way that disagrees with those beliefs
critic
(crit ic)
The critic praised the book.
He is an influential film critic.
- noun
- a person who gives opinions about books, movies, or other forms of art
aggressive
(ag gres sive)
The publisher has been very aggressive in promoting the book.
The city began an aggressive campaign to encourage recycling.
- adjective
- using forceful methods to succeed or do something
regress
(re gress)
The patient will likely regress to his previous state.
He vowed not to regress to his old habits.
- verb
- to return to an earlier and usually worse or less developed condition or state
degraded
(de gra ded)
Pollution has degraded air quality.
Scratches on a camera lens have degraded the image.
- verb
- make the quality of (something) worse
genes
The plants with pink flowers have recessive genes.
*She inherited a good set of genes from her parents. *
- noun
- parts of a cell that control of influence the appearance, growth, or other traits ofa living thing
genetic
(ge net ic)
*The tree had a genetic disease. *
Scientists collected a sample of genetic material.
- adjective
- of, relating to, or involving genes
generation
(gen er a tion)
The jewel was passed down the family from one generation to the next.
Each generation of the family, from the great-grandparents to their great-granchildren, gathered for the photo.
- noun
- the people in a family born and living during the same time
progeny
(prog e ny)
Many Americans are the progeny of immigrants.
*The billionaire had no spouse or progeny, so his estate went to the charity when he died. *
- noun
- the child or descendant of someone
generate
(gen er ate)
The windmills are used to generate electricty.
We hope to generate some new ideas at the meeting.
- verb
- to produce (something) or cause (something) to be produced
generous
(gen er ous)
We thanked him for his generous donation.
Her generous spirit can be seen in the many gifts she gives.
- adjective
- showing kindness and concern for otheres
democracy
(de moc ra cy)
The nation has chosen demoracy over monarchy.
The country will be ruled by the principals of democracy.
- noun
- a form of government in which people choose leaders by voting
demagogue
(dem a gogue)
His oppontent called him a bigoted demagogue.
If a demagogue wins the election, the country will be in trouble.
- noun
- a political leader who tries to get support by making false claims and promises and using arguments based on emotion rather than reason.
democratic
(dem o crat ic)
Debates are an important part of the democratic process.
The dictatorship gave way to a democratic government.
- adjective
- based on a form of government in which the people choose leaders by voting; of or relating to a democracy
pandemic
(pan dem ic)
The 1918 flu pandemic claimed millions of lives.
Washing hands thoroughly and wearing masks can help prevent the spread of a pandemic.
- noun
- an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people over a wide area or throughout the world
populace
(pop u lace)
The poulace was upset by the raised taxes.
The city has a diverse and educated populace.
- noun
- the people who live in a country or area
demographic
(dem o gra phic)
The TV show especially appealed to a young demographic.
The town’s demographic data suggesets that the restaraunt will do well there.
- noun
- the qualities (such as age, gender, and income) of a specific group of people
credentials
(cre den tials)
Her experiences as a manager were her strongest credentials.
he was hired for the job because of his impressive credentials.
- noun
- qualities, skills, or experience that make a person suited to do a job
credence
(cre dence)
This new evidence givecs credence to their theory.
The theory is gaining credence among scientists.
- noun
- the quality of being believed of accepted as something true or real