Vocab Words Flashcards
(Noun) A state of joyful exuberance.
Related: exhilaration, cheerfulness, glee, good humor, buoyancy, joyousness.
Ex: celebrated with fervor and ______.
Gaiety
(Verb, Noun) To speak in a playful, humorous, or facetious way, joke.
Related: Deride, Gibe, jeer, laugh, mock, ridicule, scoff, scout, twit
Ex: There is a thin line between a ___ and a sarcasm.
Jest
Adjective: deserving or inciting pity
Related: misfortunate, pathetic, piteous, miserable, wretched, jinxed, unto-ward, luckless, ill fated, Ill- starred,
Ex: The poor ____ man.
Hapless
Noun: A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group
Related: peculiarity, characteristic, eccentricity, mannerism, oddity, affectation, singularity, quirkiness, foible, pose
Ex: while my friend has many peculiar habits, her funniest ______ is writing something to on her body with her finger and then erasing it.
Idiosyncrasy
Noun: zealous and aggressive or blind enthusiasm for military glory, biased devotion to any group, attitude or cause
Related: fanaticism, nationalism, jingoism
Ex: Many sports fans fail to differentiate passion and _____.
Chauvinism
Verb: to address in an angry, vehement, or forcefully persuasive way.
Noun: a long angry speech
Related: Rant, Address, exhort, preach to, declaim, hold forth, perorate, rave, clap trap, fustian
Ex: while some coaches use uplifting speeches, others ____ their players
Harangue
Noun: outward appearance or aspect, semblance
Related: pretense, masquerade, veil, veneer, garb, gloss, mask, aspect, disguise, demeanor
Ex: The spy entered under the ____ of a legislator
Guise
Adjective: strange, departing from a recognized, conventional, or established norm or pattern.
Related: Bizarre, weird, peculiar, quirky, capricious, anomalous, freakish, idiosyncratic, nutty, kooky,
Ex: The ____ film maker is known for his unusual movies.
Eccentric
Verb: to comprehend after much thought; to understand
Noun: A unit of length equal to six feet, used in reference to the depth of water.
Related: Appreciate, comprehend, penetrate, plumb, unravel, apprehend, interpret, compass, conceive
Ex: Life is all about how one ____ it’s idiosyncrasies.
Fathom
Noun: the feeling of dissatisfaction or weakness as a result of lack of interest, boredom
Related: languor, boredom, dissatisfaction, tiredness, doldrums, lethargy, tedium, lassitude, melancholy, weariness, blahs, surfeit, yawns
Ex: After publishing 13 novels, the author felt ____ at the prospect of writing another.
Ennui
Adjective: tending to incite conflict or strong emotion, inflammatory
Related: inflammatory, provocative, subversive, seditious, rabble-rousing, firebomb
Ex: Online commenters often use _______ language in their responses rather than neutral or measured responses.
Incendiary
Noun: a difficult or precarious situation, a predicament
Related: difficulty, quandary, dilemma, pinch, plight, muddle, entanglement, bog, fen, marsh, slough, swamp, corner, plight, imbroglio
Ex: Few think that life is a _______, more you try to come out, more you sink.
Quagmire
Noun: a long angry speech, usually of a censorious or denunciatory nature; a diatribe
Related: outburst, diatribe, harangue, abuse, lecture, denunciation, invective, fulmina- tion, philippic, fulmination, harangue, jeremiad
Ex: While some people enjoyed the strong rhetoric of the politician, others were turned off by his angry _______.
Tirade
Noun: inarticulate or imperfect speech Verb: to utter sounds or words imperfectly, indistinctly, or without meaning
Related: gab, jabber, prattle, prate, gibberish, jargon, drivel
Ex: Though the cute baby ______ in a way which only his parents could understand.
Babble
Noun: an inharmonious mixture of harsh or loud sounds
Related: discord, noise, racket,
Ex: When entering the elementary school’s cafeteria during lunch, one is assaulted with a _______ of yelling, laughing, and playing.
cacophony
