Vocab Week 10-16 Flashcards
Bamboozle
To cheat or steal
Charlatan
Quack. Imposter.
Circumspect
Cautious, prudent, wary; taking all circumstances into account.
Cleave
To split or penetrate; to cling or be faithful.
Disambiguation
The removal of ambiguity; clarification.
Draconian
Hard, severe, cruel.
Effrontery
Shameless audacity; rank impudence.
Egregious
Outstanding, usually in the negative sense. Outrageously bad.
Equivocate
To speak ambiguously or evasively, in such a way as to avoid taking a position; hedge.
Feckless
Ineffectual, ineffective, incompetent, weak.
Fortnight
Two weeks.
Genteel
Polite, refined, stylish or graceful in manner.
Imbroglio
A complicated disagreement; a confused or chaotic situation.
Jeremiad
A long and mournful story, often prophesying doom or at least decrying the sad state of society.
Assuage
To make something less painful or severe
Befuddle
To confuse, perplex or bewilder
Blithe
Joyous; lighthearted; casual; careless
Denigrate
Criticize; defame; disparage
Ennui
Boredom
Imperturbable
Marked by extreme calm; serene
Loquacious
Talkative; especially excessively so
Malfeasance
Wrongdoing, misconduct or misbehavior, especially by a public official
Apoplectic
Feeling intense rage or fury to the point of virtual paralysis.
Mercurial
Fickle or erratic
Obsequious
Overly deferential; fawningly submissive
Panache
Distinctive often flamboyant style or action
Paramount
Extreme importance
Succor
To help in a time of need or stress; to aid or relieve
Promulgate
To make known or public
Sagacity
Keen discernment or insight; sound judgement
Abominable
Loathsome.
EX) Jennifer’s neglect of her pets was abominable and inexcusable.
Bloviate
To speak at length in a boastful or pompous manner.
EX) I was totally put off by the winning coaches’ tendency to bloviate ad nauseam.
Cogent
Convincing, plausible.
EX) He presented a cogent argument that acid rain has killed off thousands of acres of US forest.
Discombobulate
Confuse or upset.
EX) He was discombobulated by his wife’s moodiness.
Eleemosynary
Charitable.
EX) Many people only become eleemosynary around the holiday’s.
Eviscerate
Literally, to disembowel. More commonly, to remove vital parts from something.
EX) Despite his good intentions, Brian’s bill to limit campaign spending was eviscerated in congress.
Flummox
Bewilder, baffle.
EX) Beth was completely flummoxed by the directions for taking her new birth control pills.
Indefatigable
Tireless; endlessly persistent.
EX) The English privateer Francis Drake was indefatigable in his attempts to find Spanish gold.
Innocuous
Harmless.
EX) The seemingly innocuous software code fix caused the entire East Coast electrical grid to fall.
Lachrymose
Tearful; mournful
EX) After the death of his dog, Rob was lachrymose for weeks.
Lugubrious
Extremely mournful or gloomy.
EX) His lugubrious mood was due to the death of his grandfather.
Mendacious
Untruthful; dishonest.
EX) His mendacious claim that he had a beautiful sister led to one of my most memorable surprises.
Obtuse
Dull; slow on the uptake.
EX) If you weren’t so obtuse, you would understand the problem.
Pariah
Outcast; someone to be avoided.
EX) Donald suspected that his fear of turkey’s made him a pariah at his family’s thanksgiving dinner.
Phlegmatic
Not easily excited or upset; calm or composed.
EX) Jeremy sat lost in thought, an island of phlegmatic cool amid the furor raging around him.
Arbiter
a judge who decides a disputed issue
Exculpate
to free from guilt or blame
Penitent
expressing remorse for deeds done
Haughty
Arrogant
Imperious
arrogantly domineering or overbearing
Convoluted
intricate
Indolent
lazy
Insipid
uninteresting
Torpor
laziness
Opulent
exhibiting a display of great wealth
Effusive
gushy; emotionally unrestrained
Gratuitous
unearned
Coup
a brilliantly executed plan
Dubious
doubtful; of unlikely authenticity
Wily
cunning
Churlish
Rude, boorish.
Consternation
Stunning or confounding amazement and/or dismay
Crestfallen
Disappointed, blue.
Cruz
The pivotal point in an argument
Didactic
Instructive; intended to teach
Disingenuous
Insincere
Dulcet
Pleasing to the ear or sweet to the taste
Esoteric
Understood or known by few
Fulsome
Excessively, even offensively, flattering or ingratiating
Imperious
Overbearing; arrogant; dictatorial
Intelligentsia
The intellectual elite
Kerfuffle
Brouhaha
Meretricious
Falsely attractive
Nadir
Lowest point
Ossify
To harden like a bone
Cadge
to mooch
Conundrum
A difficult decision
Dragoon
To force into compliance
Fractious
Cranky
Gallivant
to frolic or roam about in a joyful manner
Laggard
sluggish
Malapropism
The substitution of an incorrect word for one with a similar sound
Nonplus
To bewilder or confound
Odium
A state of disgrace resulting from hateful conduct
Parlous
Dangerous
Parsimonious
stingy
Petulant
Irritable
Proclivity
predisposition
Quaff
To drink deeply or with vigor
Resplendent
Splendid
Derision (noun)
Ridicule
Fervent (adj.)
Ardent, strongly felt, enthusiastic
Implore (verb)
To beseech or beg for strongly
Inadvertent (adj.)
Unintentional
Metamorphosis (noun)
A transformation
Multifaceted (adj.)
Possessing many sides
Perpetuate (verb)
To prolong memory or use of something
Proliferate (verb)
To multiply or come into being rapidly
Superlative (adj.)
To the highest possible degree
Ameliorate (verb)
To improve or upgrade
Indoctrinate (verb)
To instruct, especially in fundamental or basic skills
Lackadaisical (adj.)
To be lacking in life, spirit, or zest
Mitigate (verb)
To moderate
Caveat (noun)
A further explanation to prevent misinterpretation or to add a warning
Facetious (adj.)
Playful; communicated in jest
