Vocabulary Flashcards
Empirical
Based on observation.
📍They provided considerable empirical evidence to support their idea.
Trifling
Unimportant or Trivial.
📍That is a trifling issue.
Disposition
A person’s inherent qualities of mind & character
📍Your bright disposition rubs off on those around you.
Jocular
Fond of joking. Of playful nature.
📍She sounded to be in a jocular mood.
Iridescent
Showing luminous colours that change based on angle from which you observe the object.
📍That bracelet had an iridescent silver sheen.
Prospective
An event or similar that is likely to happen at a future date.
📍She showed a prospective buyer around the house.
📍There’s a meeting shortly to discuss prospective changes to the company.
Poignancy
A quality that arouses emotions of pity &/or sorrow.
📍That play evoked a poignancy in her.
Boorish
Ill-mannered, coarse and vulgar in behaviour &/or appearance.
📍The girls came back looking very boorish.
Complacent
Overly content or showing smug with oneself.
📍You cannot afford to be complacent about security.
Imprudent
Rash and not showing any consequences for ones actions.
📍It would be imprudent to leave the first aid kit behind when going on a dangerous hike.
Urbane
Showing a high degree of refinement.
📍He’s charming and urbane.
Opulent
Rich & superior in quality
📍There’s nothing like the opulent comfort of a limousine.
Vacuous
Showing a lack of intelligence &/or emotion.
📍He gave the cameraman a vacuous smile.
Ineffectual
Not producing a desired effect.
📍That was ineffectual campaign.
Imperturbable
Showing great calmness and composure.
📍The theatre had an imperturbable silence before the movie began.
Candid
Straightforward and honest.
📍His responses were very candid.
Partisan
Biased in favour of a certain cause or party.
📍He was a famous Partisan of BJP.
📍Newspapers are becoming increasingly partisan these days.
Benign
Kind mannered OR a disease which is not at a harmful stage
📍He was a benign ruler of millions.
📍The tumour was benign.
Savvy
Showing hardheaded intelligence.
📍She is a savvy veteran who knows her way around things.
Lucid
Clearly expressed, easily understood.
📍The boy gave us a very lucid account of all the events that took place.
Meander
Wander around aimlessly (Physically & Vocally)
📍He kept meandering through the woods on his way home.
📍Instead of cutting straight to the chase, she chose to meander around pointlessly.
Esoteric
Something that is likely to only be understood by a small group of people with special knowledge of it.
📍Specialist dictionaries are required by the citizens to understand some of the words from esoteric texts.
Despondent
Discouraged, sad and without hope.
📍He was despondent over the loss of his job.
Advocate
To support or urge by argument, mostly in public.
📍He was an untiring advocate of the economic reform.
Undermine
Lessen the effectiveness.
📍The principal’s verdict undermined days of hard work.
Loquacious
Talkative and chatty.
📍The students become loquacious whenever the teacher leaves the classroom.
Ambivalent
Having mixed feelings &/or contradictory ideas about something or someone.
📍The staff were ambivalent about the new scheme proposed by the intern.
Capricious
A person or thing that’s unpredictable and impulsive.
📍The climate these days can be described as capricious.
Bombastic
Full of hot air i.e. someone who is just “all talk”.
📍The previous president was bombastic because he never delivered despite his grand promises to change the country.
Reticent
Not revealing ones thoughts or feelings readily.
📍Introverts are known to be very shy and reticent.
Pragmatic
The idea of dealing with things in a realistic and logical manner.
📍There were several pragmatic ways to deal with this situation.
Didactic
Teaching excessively
📍He’s writing a didactic novel set out to expose the wage gap.
Lofty
Imposing height, standing out above others.
📍The lofty mountains of Nepal stood very high.
Morbid
An unhealthy fascination with disturbing and unpleasant things.
📍 His morbid obsession with horror films is concerning.
Cathartic
Emotionally purging and draining.
📍That song was incredibly cathartic
Querulous
Constantly complaining in a whiny manner.
📍The toddler became querulous when her parents refused to buy her a new toy.
Flippant
An inappropriate lack of seriousness.
📍That was a flippant remark.
Globetrotter
A person who travels widely around the world.
📍Their history teacher was a major globetrotter.
Perilous
Something that is full of risk and danger.
📍It was a perilous journey to the west.
Adversary
Someone offering opposition.
📍He beat his adversary in the semi finals.
Magnanimous
Noble or of generous spirit towards the less powerful or towards a rival.
📍She was magnanimous in victory.
Lavish
Very generous OR rich & luxurious.
📍He was lavish with his hospitality.
📍It was a lavish banquet.
Proficient
Having knowledge in a certain field.
📍He was known to be a proficient paediatrician.
Novice
Someone new to a field or activity.
📍He was a complete novice in the marketing sector.
Philanderer
A man who has frequent and casual relationships with many women.
📍That man was known to be a philanderer.
Bolstered
Support or strengthen.
📍She immensely bolstered his courage.
Acclaim
Enthusiastic approval and public praise.
📍The movie met with modest acclaim.
Callow
Inexperienced and immature.
📍The young interns were all very callow.
Scintillating
Showing high spirits or excitement.
📍The kids have an extremely scintillating personality.
Brazen
Shameless and bold.
📍There were several instances of brazen cheating during the examination.
Indifference
Lack of concern or sympathy.
📍She shrugged, feigning in indifference.
Facilitate
Make something easier.
📍You could facilitate the process by sharing your ideas.
Coercion
Making something happen by force.
📍The bullies used coercion to force the boy to give them his lunch money.
Creditable
Worthy of limited commendation.
📍The essay - though wasn’t marvellous - was still creditable.
Cynic
One who believes only selfishness motivates human action.
📍A cynic may believe the president visited the hospital only to gain votes.
Divisive
Tending to cause disagreement or argument between people.
📍The highly divisive issue of stem cells and cloning.
Contempt
Disregard for something that should be considered.
📍This idea displays a contempt for the wishes of the majority.
Tenacity
The quality of being able to grip something firmly, persistence.
📍The sheer tenacity of the students was commendable.
Perplex
Feeling of confusion, be-wilderness or being completely puzzled.
📍She was perplexed by her friends sudden change of attitude.
Condemn
Expressing complete disapproval of something.
📍Don’t condemn him before you hear his ideas.
Plausibility
The quality of seeming reasonable and credible.
📍The plausibility of his story was accepted by the majority.
Denounce
Condemn openly, criticise.
📍The assembly denounced the use of violence.
Digress
To wander away from the main topic or argument when speaking or writing.
📍She slightly digressed away from her initial plan of building a farmhouse.
Profound
Showing deep insight or understanding.
📍The teacher’s report has profound implications for schools.
Misconceive
To interpret wrongly or misunderstand something.
📍People tend to misconceive famous poems when unaware of the actual message.
Pacifism
The belief that war and violence are unjustifiable and that all disputes must be resolved by peaceful means.
📍The author portrays a sense of pacifism by the quote “the idea of war should be diminished”.
Prudent
Wisely careful, showing good judgement.
📍Isn’t seeking medical advice a prudent course to take?
Benevolent
Well meaning and kind.
📍The benevolent gentleman left a generous some of $500 to be shared among the poor.
Longevity
Long shelf life, long life.
📍Rapidity and longevity vary greatly between different species.
Forebode
To predict, forecast, foresee or warn.
📍The dark clouds forebode a probable rainstorm.
Predilection
A partiality or preference towards something.
📍My predilection towards South Indian food is very high.
Crude
In a raw/unrefined state OR vulgar looking and lacking culture.
📍The process of fractional distillation is used to separate crude oil.
📍That boy made a very crude joke in the middle of class.
Indignation
Anger and annoyance provoked by unfair treatment.
📍The customer wrote a nasty letter to the company to express his indignation as a consumer.
Pretension
Claiming, or assertion of claiming a particular thing.
📍His pretensions to the family heirloom.
Detract
To diminish the worth of value of something.
📍The traffic jam will definitely detract from the enjoyment of our road trip.
Dilettante
A person whose interest in art or in an area of knowledge is not very serious.
📍When it comes to learning an instrument, she is a dilettante who’ll practice one day and forget about it the next.
Amass
To collect/accumulate.
📍To start a business, one needs to amass a huge sum of cash.
Equanimity
To stay calm/maintain composure under stress.
📍His equanimity ensured for a safe escape out of the burning building.
Congenial
Agreeable/suitable in nature.
📍Everyone invites her to parties due to her congenial nature.
Deference
Great regard for people’s feelings.
📍Show some deference to your classmates by not shouting out the answers.
Benefactor
A kind person who helps others by usually making a payment.
📍An anonymous benefactor did not want his charity donation made public.
Demagogue
A political leader who influences people by arousing people’s emotions.
📍Only a demagogue could persuade so many people to rebel against stem cells.
Personage
An important/notable person.
📍He must be a very important personage as he has a prominent seat on the first row.
Consensus
General agreement about something.
📍The teacher requested the group to reach a consensus on who would present to the class.
Afflict
Cause pain or despair to.
📍The man was afflicted with a painful snake bite after a hike.
Adept
Skilled at something that isn’t easy.
📍She is adept at calculus.
Disparage
To express a negative opinion and belittle.
📍It is never right to disparage people based on age.
Embellish
To make something sound of look better than it actually is, for e.g. by decorating.
📍If you want to make your shoes look new, you can embellish the, by adding some jewels and bows.
Defiance
A bold resistance to authority or force.
📍Her defiance is irritating, because she never listens to her parents.
Eradicate
To get rid of or eliminate something.
📍A vaccine was made to eradicate the virus.
Contend
To argue or challenge.
📍After the call was made against his team, the coach tried to contend with the umpire.
Substantiate
To prove the truth of something.
📍He substantiated his right to inherit the billionaire’s fortune.
Ingenuity
To be able to find the solutions to tough problems by being resourceful and innovative.
📍When he fixed the jeep, his friends were impressed by his mechanical ingenuity.
Autonomy
The state of being independent.
📍Staff should have the autonomy to make their own decisions.
Discern
To be able to see, recognise, understand or decide something.
📍I wore sunglasses so people couldn’t discern my red eyes.
Futile
Incapable of producing any results.
📍Although the dog constantly chewed on his leash, his efforts to break free were futile.
Erratic
Unpredictable.
📍The man knew the bird was wounded due to its erratic flight pattern.
Forbear
To refrain from engaging in something.
📍Due to her diet, she has to forbear eating cheesy foods.
Frivolous
Lack of seriousness or not worthy of serious notice.
📍She blew all of her salary away on frivolous purchases.
Anachronism
Something that doesn’t fit it’s time period.
📍Using a rotary telephone has become an anachronism.
Exemplify
To show or illustrate by example.
📍The decrease in lottery sales exemplifies the public’s lack of interest in gambling these days.
Hostility
Meanness or bitterness.
📍The hostility between the 2 teams was not a sign of sportsmanship.
Vindictive
Revengeful or spiteful.
📍Her vindictive nature led her to feeling joy after her abusive boss got fired.
Callous
Emotionally hardened.
📍That lady was a callous woman who never donated to anyone in need, despite her wealth.
Connoisseur
An expert on a particular subject.
📍She is a connoisseur of fine art & would rarely miss an exhibit at the museum.
Disdain
Lack of respect with a feeling of dislike.
📍I have disdain for those who cheat on their exams.
Brevity
Briefness.
📍At only 4 lines long, the brevity of this exemplary answer to this 6 mark question is remarkable.
Lament
To express sorrow or regret.
📍I cannot help but lament the moving of my best friend to another country.
Mitigate
Make something less painful/severe.
📍His mom gave him some warm water to mitigate the soreness in his throat.
Linguistics
Study of languages.
📍I want to take a linguistic course before moving to a new country.
Duplicity
Dishonest behaviour or being 2-faced.
📍Her duplicity was revealed when he caught her backbiting about him.
Erroneous
Something that has an error or is incorrect.
📍She had to redo her sales report due to the erroneous statistics included.
Refute
To prove wrong by argument or evidence.
📍Our chemistry teacher challenged us to refute her hypothesis with our own evidence.
Rouse
Cause to stop sleeping.
📍She was roused from a deep sleep by turbulence on the plane.
Somber
Dark/Dull in colour OR feeling a deep sadness.
📍The night skies were somber & starless.
📍He looked at her with a somber expression.
Debilitate
To weaken.
📍He will not let the injury debilitate him.
Obscure
Relatively unknown.
📍The obscure writer was not well known in the town’s literary community.
Penchant
A strong liking.
📍Her, being a music major, had a penchant for playing the harp.
Steadfast
Faithful to a person, belief, or goal.
📍He remained in his steadfast belief that he had done the right thing.
Admonish
To scold or reprimand.
📍The kids were running around the store and knocking everything over, so their mom had to admonish them.
Enigma
Someone or something that’s hard to understand.
📍That lecture was an enigma to everyone.
Reverence
Honour or respect felt, or shown.
📍Everyone treated the priest with reverence at the temple.
Alleviate
Making something less painful or severe.
📍Take a tablet, it’ll alleviate the pain.
Apathetic
Having little to no emotion or interest.
📍His apathetic attitude was shown through his rude way of greeting others.
Articulate
Expressing oneself clearly.
📍She was able to articulate her points during any discussion or debate.
Incredulous
Something that is unbelievable and can’t be accepted as the truth.
📍The lottery winner was incredulous and couldn’t believe he won.
Ascertain
Learn or discover with certainty through experimentation or investigation.
📍People find it easy to ascertain when he’s lying.
Ornate
Fancily decorate OR extravagantly worded.
📍Every room in the billionaire’s mansion is ornate with luxurious furnishing.
📍The kids could not understand a word of the ornate speech made by the college professor.
Commonplace
Ordinary, dull or not unusual.
📍High unemployment rates was commonplace in this field.
Conform
Complying with rules, laws or standards.
📍This hotel does not conform to the hygiene regulations.
Tyrannical
Exercising power in a cruel way.
📍The government can be described as tyrannical.
Insolent
Showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect.
📍Due to his insolent behaviour towards the teacher, he got suspended for a week.
Constituent
Being a component of a whole.
📍The constituent minerals of the rock.
Tact
Skill in dealing with tough situations without offending anyone.
📍Because he lacks tact and discretion, anything he says sounds offensive.
Arbitrary
Something based on random choice rather than a system or algorithm.
📍He made an arbitrary decision to tag along on the trip.
Unprecedented
Something that has never been seen or experienced by someone before.
📍It is unprecedented for so many countries to change their form of government so quickly.
Stringent
Very strict or severe.
📍He was very relieved to move out of the boarding house and escape their stringent rules.
Reform
Making changes to something by removing or correcting errors to make it more efficient.
📍The loan application process was quite lengthy and in need of reform.
Repute
The opinion or reputation held of something or someone.
📍The politician’s solid repute confirms her position in the next election.
Dominion
Control over something or someone.
📍The dictator has complete dominion over all of his subjects.
