vocab3 Flashcards
1
Q
Abate
A
to reduce in amount, degree, or severity; The headache abated after taking medicine.
“nothing abated his crusading zeal”
2
Q
abhor
A
to hate or detest; She abhors cruelty to animals.
3
Q
Abstain
A
to refrain or hold back voluntarily; He abstained from smoking.
4
Q
Accretion
A
a gradual buildup or growth by addition; An accretion of dust covered the furniture.
5
Q
Acerbic
A
sharp, biting, or caustic in tone; She made an acerbic retort.
6
Q
Acumen
A
keen insight or judgment; She has excellent business acumen.
7
Q
Admonish
A
to caution or advise against; The teacher admonished the students not to be late.
8
Q
Affable
A
friendly, good
9
Q
Banal
A
lacking originality, freshness, or novelty; The movie’s banal plot was forgettable.
10
Q
Belligerent
A
hostile, aggressive, or pugnacious; The belligerent gang was known for fighting.
11
Q
Benevolent
A
characterized by or expressing goodwill; He made a benevolent donation to the animal shelter.
12
Q
Boon
A
a blessing, timely benefit, or assistance; Winning the scholarship was a boon that enabled her to attend college.
13
Q
Brevity
A
concise expression without wasted words; Brevity is essential in a 30
14
Q
Brusque
A
abrupt or offhand in speech or manner; rudely concise; My request was met with a brusque refusal.
15
Q
Byzantine
A
very complicated or intricate; The byzantine tax codes were impossible to decipher.
16
Q
Callous
A
showing little sympathy for others; insensitive; He acted in a callous way toward those less fortunate.
17
Q
Candor
A
honesty, frankness, or sincere expression; I appreciated her candor and straightforward advice.
18
Q
Capricious
A
characterized by or subject to whim; impulsive; unpredictable; My capricious toddler was happy one minute, fussy the next.
19
Q
Castigate
A
to punish or criticize severely; The boss castigated the employee for repeated mistakes.
20
Q
Circumspect
A
cautious or prudent, especially in speech or action; We were circumspect in sharing details until we understood the risks involved.
21
Q
Coarse
A
rough, harsh, or uneven in texture; lacking refinement or elegance; His coarse language was inappropriate at the dignified ceremony.
22
Q
clamour
A
a loud and confused noise especially of people shouting
23
Q
Conscientious
A
guided by or in accordance with conscience or sense of right; governed by principle; a conscientious decision after much deliberation.
24
Q
complacent
A
overly satisfied with oneself and unaware of potential dangers or problems
25
Deride
to ridicule, mock, or scornfully laugh at; The bullies derided the shy student's stutter.
26
Disclose
to make known, reveal, or uncover; The CEO disclosed the company's financial problems.
27
Dubious
doubtful or suspect; of uncertain quality or outcome; She had dubious qualifications for the job.
28
Eclectic
deriving ideas or style from a diverse range of sources; Their home decor had an eclectic mix of modern and antique.
29
disparage
to belittle or criticize someone
30
Egalitarian
relating to or believing in equality for all people; He advocated an egalitarian society.
31
egregious
outstandingly bad
32
expedient
suitable for achieving a particular end; pragmatically useful; In a crisis, quick action may be more expedient than detailed planning.
33
Eminent
prominent, distinguished, or noteworthy; The eminent scholar was awarded the Nobel Prize.
34
extol
to praise highly
35
Equivocal
open to more than one interpretation; purposefully vague or ambiguous; His equivocal instructions left me confused about what to do.
36
Extricate
to free or release from a difficult situation or entanglement; Firefighters extricated the injured driver from the mangled car.
37
Fatuous
silly, foolish, smugly ignorant; He made fatuous arguments that revealed little understanding of the issue.
38
Feckless
weak, ineffective, incompetent; irresponsible; His feckless leadership led the company to ruin
39
Fervor
great warmth and intensity of feeling; She spoke with fervor about her political beliefs.
40
Flagrant
glaringly bad or offensive; a flagrant foul during the game; flagrant disregard for the law.
41
Flimsy
thin and easily bent or damaged; lacking plausibility; She offered a flimsy excuse for missing class.
42
Flout
to openly disregard rules or conventions; She flouted the school dress code with her outfit.
43
Garrulous
excessively talkative, especially about trivial matters; My garrulous neighbor loved chatting over the fence each morning.
44
Gregarious
sociable, seeking and enjoying the company of others; Humans are naturally gregarious and form bonds through social contact
45
Germane
relevant and appropriate for the subject at hand; His rambling anecdote was not germane to the discussion.
46
Guile
cunning, deceitful shrewdness or treachery; She betrayed her friend out of pure guile.
47
Gross
blatant, outrageous, or unambiguous; lacking refinement or dignity; His gross exaggerations undermined his credibility.
48
Iconoclast
one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions; The rebel was an iconoclast who challenged the status quo.
49
Impending
about to happen, imminent, approaching; We prepared for the impending storm.
50
Inadvertent
unintentional; not resulting from or due to a particular cause; His insult was inadvertent; he didn't realize his remark would offend.
51
Incisive
showing keen discernment, sharpness of mind; Her incisive critiques greatly improved the manuscript.
52
Incongruous
inconsistent; not harmonious; The bright pink couch was incongruous with the room's subdued color scheme.
53
Incredulous
unable or unwilling to believe something; She was incredulous that she won the lottery against such odds.
54
Indelible
making marks that cannot be erased, washed away, or removed; Childhood memories of summers at the lake were indelible, never fading with time.
55
Innocuous
harmless, causing no damage or offense; The comments in her speech were innocuous enough not to provoke much reaction.
56
Intrinsic
belonging naturally to someone or something; innate, inherent; Learning is an intrinsic reward of teaching.
57
Inundate
to overwhelm as if with a flood; My desk was inundated with paperwork.
58
immaterial
of no importance
59
implicate
to show or suggest that someone is involved in a wrong doing
60
implode
to burst inwards or to collapse violently
61
impromptu
done or said without preparation
62
inane
silly or stupid
63
Irreverent
showing lack of due respect or veneration; The student's irreverent remarks during chapel earned him a detention.
64
inaugurate
to officially begin or launch something
65
inherent
innate
66
insipid
lacking in taste or meaning
67
iternary
a planned route or scheduled travel
68
letharge
sluggish or slow-moving
69
magnimous
generous or forgiving
70
Laconic
using few words; terse, succinct; His laconic reply gave little information.
71
Languid
lacking energy, vitality or strength; lazy and relaxed; Moving with languid grace, the cat stretched in a patch of sunlight.
72
Misconstrue
to interpret something erroneously; take in a wrong sense; She misconstrued the honking horn to be meant as an insult.
73
Nebulous
vague, cloudy, lacking clearly defined form; The future was nebulous, and no one knew exactly what to expect.
74
mitigate
alleviate
75
momentus
of great importance
76
Notoriety
the condition of being famous or well
77
Nuance
a subtle difference or distinction in expression or meaning; There were subtle nuances in meaning between those two words that most people missed.
78
Obsolete
no longer used, out of date; Replaced by email, fax machines are now obsolete.
79
Onerous
involving heavy effort, burden, or hardship; The onerous chore of clearing the snowy driveway took several grueling hours.
80
Opulent
characterized by extravagant luxury and sumptuousness; The opulent mansion had every expensive amenity imaginable.
81
Overt
done or shown openly, plainly apparent; not hidden; His overt stare made his attraction to her obvious.
82
onslaught
a fierce attack
83
Palliate
to lessen the severity of; moderate; His medication helped palliate, but not eliminate, his chronic pain.
84
Paltry
insignificant or inadequate; The paltry sum barely covered expenses.
85
Perfunctory
routine, mechanical, done without care; His perfunctory handshake revealed his apathy toward meeting me.
86
Perpetual
uninterrupted, ceaseless, eternal; The perpetual tide ebbs and flows without pause.
87
Perspicacious
acutely perceptive or discerning; penetrating; The detective was known for his perspicacious observations at crime scenes.
88
Pertinent
directly and significantly related to the matter at hand; His pertinent insights shed new light on the issue being discussed.
89
Peruse
to read or examine, typically with thoroughness or care; I perused the document carefully before signing it.
90
Petulant
rudely impatient, irritable; childishly sulky or bad
91
Placate
to make less hostile or angry, typically by showing willingness to negotiate or compromise; The management tried to placate the dissatisfied workers by promising better conditions.
92
Precarious
dangerously lacking stability or certainty; dependent on chance; The vase was in a precarious position on the tilting table.
93
Preclude
to prevent from happening; exclude; Circumstances precluded her from accepting the job offer.
94
Preeminent
superior in achievement or standing; foremost; She is the preeminent expert in her scientific field.
95
Premeditate
to plan or plot in advance; The robbery was premeditated, not spontaneous.
96
Presumptuous
overstepping due bounds; taking liberties; I felt it was presumptuous of him to assume we were friends.
97
Pretense
a false display, a claim not supported by fact; His anger was just a pretense to cover his sadness and hurt.
98
Principled
guided by moral values; She was a principled leader who always tried to do what was right.
99
Profound
showing deep knowledge and insight; His speech shared profound wisdom from decades of experience.
100
Prolific
abundantly productive; immensely creative; The prolific composer created hundreds of musical works in his lifetime.
101
Promulgate
to proclaim or put a law or policy into action or force; The president promulgated a controversial new initiative.
102
Prudent
wisely careful and sensible, marked by sound judgment; It would be more prudent to save for retirement than splurge on a fancy car.
103
palpable
able to be touched or felt; easily perceived
104
paragon
a model of excellence
105
patronize
treat someone in a condescending mannerr
106
perennial
lasting for a long time
107
pernicious
insidious
108
pertinent
relevant or applicable to a particular matter
109
piety
the quality of being religious
110
pragmatic
dealing with things sensibly
111
predilection
a preference or liking for something
112
protract
to extend to a period of time
113
prudent
showing care
114
Quandary
a state of perplexity, uncertainty what to do; I faced an ethical quandary between competing loyalties.
115
Quibble`
to argue or complain about trivial matters; He has a tendency to quibble over minor details.
116
Quiescent
at rest, dormant, temporarily inactive; The volcanoes were quiescent for centuries before unexpectedly erupting.
117
Quixotic
idealistic without regard to practicality; impractical or unrealistic; His quixotic plan had little chance of succeeding in the real world.
118
Quotidian
everyday, mundane, commonplace; Making my morning coffee was part of my quotidian routine.
119
Rancid
having a harsh or unpleasant smell or taste, often due to decay; The rancid milk was spoiled and inedible.
120
Rarefied
refined; relating to a select group; The rarefied intellectual discussion was beyond me.
121
Rebuff
to reject bluntly; snub; She rebuffed his flirtatious advances.
122
Recalcitrant
obstinately defiant; stubbornly resistant to authority; The recalcitrant child flatly refused to obey her parents' rules.
123
Recant
to retract a previous statement; take back as erroneous; Under questioning, she recanted her earlier testimony.
124
Reconcile
to make consistent or compatible; settle; I tried to reconcile the contradictory statements.
125
Relegate
to assign to an unimportant position; The actor was relegated to minor supporting roles after starring in films.
126
Render
to provide, deliver, or represent; I will render assistance any way I can.
127
Renege
to fail to honor a commitment or promise; She reneged on her offer to help with the bake sale.
128
Reprehensible
deserving severe condemnation, completely unacceptable; Society considered racism utterly reprehensible.
129
Reprobate
an unprincipled, wicked person; That reprobate was nothing but trouble and should be avoided.
130
Retribution
deserved punishment for wrongdoing; He avoided jail, but retribution finally caught up to him.
131
Reverent
feeling or displaying a sense of awe and respect; She had a reverent admiration of nature's power and beauty.
132
Rue
to feel regret, remorse, or repentance over; He rued the mistake that cost him his job.
133
Ruthless
having no pity; merciless, cruel; The ruthless conqueror showed no mercy to those defeated.r
134
rancor
bitter or resentful feeling
135
ratify
to approve or confirm something
136
raze
to completely destroy or demolish
137
rebuke
to express sharp disproval of something
138
reclusive
avoiding the company of others
139
regress
to return to an earlier or less advanced state
140
reparation
making amends
141
repudiate
to reject or deny the validity of
142
reulgent
shining brightly
143
Sacrilegious
violating or misusing what is regarded as sacred; The artwork was considered sacrilegious for its irreverent depiction of religious figures.
144
Sagacious
having keen discernment and good judgment; perceptive; My sagacious grandmother gave insightful advice on life.
145
Sanction
authoritative permission or approval; officially authorized; The government put sanctions on trade with certain nations.
146
Satiate
to satisfy fully; The lavish buffet left us satiated, unable to take another bite.
147
Scant
barely sufficient; meager; lacking in quantity; I arrived with scant minutes to catch my departing train.
148
Scathing
severely critical; harshly condemnatory; Her scathing review showed no mercy, tearing apart the flawed novel.
149
Slander
defamation; false statements harming a reputation; She sued over the slanderous accusations against her good character.
150
Sober
marked by serious thoughtfulness; solemnly thoughtful; She maintained a sober attitude despite the celebratory mood.
151
Solicit
to try to obtain by entreaty, earnest or respectful request; He solicited donations from the wealthy philanthropist.
152
Somber
gloomy; depressing; The somber rainy day matched her melancholy mood.
153
Sordid
vile, base; marked by immorality and squalor; He described sordid details from a childhood spent neglected and deprived.
154
Specious
deceptively plausible or attractive but actually wrong; He argued that the specious reasoning sounded good but lacked substance.
155
Spew
to eject or discharge in a gushing stream; The volcano spewed hot lava down its slopes.
156
Sporadic
occurring at irregular intervals; not constant; only occasional; Power outages were sporadic, but we never knew when to expect one.
157
Staid
sedate, sober, characterized by dignity and propriety; The staid professor conducted class with utmost seriousness.
158
Stalwart
steadfast, loyal, unwavering; The stalwart fans supported their team through years of defeat.
159
Stigma
mark of disgrace or infamy; a stain on one's reputation; Unfair stigma still surrounds certain conditions that need better awareness.
160
Stolid
expressing little or no sensibility; impassive; She remained stolid and composed even under immense pressure.
160
Strenuous
requiring tremendous energy or stamina; difficult; arduous; marathon training is strenuous work.
161
Strife
bitter conflict or rivalry; They sought to settle their strife peacefully before it escalated further.
162
Stringent
imposed strictly; harsh; having a precise standard; Stringent security made entering difficult.
163
Stymie
to block, thwart; Confusion will stymie their efforts to move forward on the project.
164
Suave
smoothly and effortlessly polished; charmingly tactful; He had a suave manner that put everyone at ease in conversation.
165
Sublime
awe
166
Subpoena
writ commanding a person to appear in court under penalty for failure; She was subpoenaed to testify at the criminal trial.
167
Subside
to decrease in amount or intensity; The fever subsided after a few days.
168
Substantiate
to provide evidence or proof in support of a claim; Can you substantiate your alibi that you were elsewhere that night?
169
Sumptuous
richly splendid or magnificent; luxurious; We dined on a sumptuous feast of lobster and chocolate cake.
170
Surly
rudely unfriendly or impatient; The surly cashier was clearly in a bad mood.
171
Supposition
an uncertain belief; something theoretically assumed to be true; I made the supposition he would arrive on time, but I was wrong.
172
Sweltering
intensely hot, stifling; We sweltered in the sweltering heat without air conditioning.
173
Sycophant
one who flatters for self
174
Tacit
implied or indicated but not directly expressed; Her tacit disapproval was obvious though she didn't criticize out loud.
175
Tactile
perceptible by touch; relating to the sense of touch; The tactile exhibit let blind visitors feel the sculptures.
176
