Vocabulary Flashcards
AFFECTATION
A deliberate pretence or exaggerated display
ALLEVIATE
To make something easier to deal with or endure
AMALGAMATE
To bring together, unite; to combine different things to create something new
AMBIGUOUS
Unclear or vague in meaning; having more than one possible meaning
AMICABLE
Friendly, agreeable; characterised by or showing goodwill, peaceable
AMORPHOUS
Having no fixed form or a shape. In a broader sense, the word describes anything that lacks a distinct shape or organising theme, be it a work of art, a political movement, or even someone’s direction in life
ANACHRONISTIC
Out-of-date, not attributed to the correct historical period
ANEW
Once more; again; in a new, typically more positive, way
ANNIHILATION
Means a reaction of the transformation of particles and antiparticles when they collide into any other particles that are different from the original. For example, when an electron collides with e- and positron e+, they disappear, turning into photons
ANTITHESIS
Can be defined as ‘‘a figure of speech involving a seeming contradiction of ideas, words, clauses, or sentences within a balanced grammatical structure’’. In other words, it must always contain two ideas in one statement.
APATHY
Means lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern
APOSTASY
Is the act of giving up your religious or political beliefs and leaving or a political party. One who commits apostasy is known as an apostate
APOTHEOSIS
Is the glorification of a subject to divine level; the highest point in the development of something; a culmination
APPRISE
Means to inform somebody of something (for example: We must apprise them of the dangers that may be involved)
ARCHETYPE
Means something that is considered to be a perfect or typical example of a particular kind of person or thing, because it has all their most important characteristics. For example, the United States is the archetype of a federal society.
ARID
Means extremely dry or deathly boring. If you describe something, such as a period of your life, as arid , you mean that it has is has so little interest, excitement, or purpose that it makes you feel bored or unhappy
AROUSE
To cause someone to have a particular feeling or response; to cause an emotion or attitude
ASCETICISM
Is a lifestyle characterised by abstinence (the fact or practice of restraining oneself from indulging in something) from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals
ASSERTION
Is a statement, usually backed up by some kind of solid proof or reasoning; a confident and forceful statement of fact or belief
ASSIDUOUS
Means persistent, hard-working. If you call someone assiduous, it means they’re careful, methodical and very persistent.
ASSUAGE
Meaning to make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense
AUSTERE
Means stern and forbidding. If you describe something as austere, you approve of its plain and simple appearance
AVAIL
Means to be of use, help, worth, or advantage (to), as in accomplishing an end (for example: My attempts to improve the situation were of little/no avail)
AVARICE
Means greedy desire for wealth or material gain
AXIOM
Is a statement that is taken to be true, to serve as a premise or starting point for further reasoning and arguments
BANTER
Good-humored, playful conversation; the playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks
BEFOREHAND
At an earlier or preceding time; in advance; prior to; earlier (than a particular time)
BELICOSE
Inclined or ready to fight; aggressively hostile
BEGUILE
Means to persuade or trick someone into doing something, especially by saying nice things to them
BENEVOLENT
Friendly and helpful; characterised by or expressing goodwill or kindly feelings
BEWILDER
To become perplexed and confused (for example: Beware of false people and situations that may bewilder you temporarily)
BIAS
Means the action of supporting or opposing a particular person or thing in an unfair way or different from the way you treat other people
BLANDISHMENT
Pleasant things you do or say about someone in order to persuade or influence them
BRACKISH
Means distasteful and unpleasant (for example: Brackish water is slightly salty and unpleasant)
BURGEON
To develop, expand or grow rapidly
CADAVEROUS
Having appearance or coloraturas of dead human body; looking very pale and ill
CAMARADERIE
Brotherhood, partnership, jovial unity, sociability amongst friends
CANTANKEROUS
Means ill humoured, irritable, marked by ill-tempered contradiction or opposition, ugly, malicious
CASTIGATION
Means to criticise someone or something severely; verbal punishment. The word comes from the Latin ‘castigus’ which means ‘‘to make pure’’
CATHARSIS
Is the purging of the emotions, especially through certain kinds of art (as music or tragedy) that brings about spiritual renewal or release from tension
CIRCUITOUS
Indirect, taking the longest route (for example: A circuitous journey/path is longer than it needs to be because it is not direct)
CLAIREVOYANT
Exceptionally insightful, able to foresee the future. Clairvoyant is believed to know about future events or to be able to communicate with dead people
COERCION
Means the use of force to persuade someone to do do something that they are unwilling ti do
COGENT
Reasonable and convincing; based on evidence; forcefully persuasive
COINCIDE
Means to happen at or near the same time or during the same period, to occupy exactly the same space
COMITY
Is a state or atmosphere of harmony or mutual civility
COMMENSURATE
Corresponding in size or degree or extent
CONCEDE
Means to admit or accept that something is treater first denying or resisting it.
CONFIDANT
Means someone to whom private matters are told.A confidant is a person you tell your secrets to.
CONSTRUE
Make sense of; to understand the meaning, especially of other people’s actions and statements, in a particular way
ex:His words could hardly be construed as an apology.
CONDESCENDING
Showing or characterised by a patronising or superior attitude toward others
CONNOTATION
Is a feeling or idea that is suggested by a particular word although it need not to be a part of the word’s meaning, or something suggested by an object or situation (for example, the word ‘lady’ has connotations of refinement and excessive femininity that some women find offensive)
CONVERGENCE
The state of separate elements joining or coming together (for example: If roads or paths converge, they move towards the same point where they join)
CORROBORATE
Means to confirm or make more certain
COUNTENANCE
Give sanctions or support to; tolerate or approve
CREDULOUS
Apt to believe on slight evidence; easily imposed upon; unsuspecting; believed too readily
DEARTH
Means scarcity, a lack of something, shortage of food, famine from failure or loss of crops
DELECTABLE
Delightful; delicious; extremely pleasing to the sense of taste
DELETORIOUS
Harmful, destructive, detrimental
DELINEATE
Portray; depict; draw or trace outline of; sketch out
DELINQUENT
Means failing in duty, offending by neglect of duty. A delinquent person behaves in a way that is illegal or not acceptable to most people.
DENOUNCE
Condemn openly; criticise; make known in formal manner
DEPRIVATION
Is the lack (or feeling of lack) of material benefits considered to be the basic necessities in a society; the lack of something considered to be a necessity in general (sleep deprivation, food deprivation, etc.; as an example, plants experiencing water deprivation will shrivel up and die.
DEPUTE
Means transfer power to someone; appoint or instruct (someone) to perform a task for which one is responsible
DETERRENT
Means something immaterial that interferes with action or progress (for example: The stop sign on the corner is supposed to be a deterrent that discourages speeding)
DEVIANT
(from the Latin word ‘deviare’ (meaning ‘‘to turn out of the way’’)) is a term used to describe a person or behaviour that is not usual and is generally considered to be different and unacceptable
DIGRESSION
The act of turning aside, staying from the main point, esp, in a speech or argument
DILIGENT
Having or showing care and integrity in one’s work or duties
DISCLOSE
Expose to view as by removing a cover; to make something known publicly, or to show something that was hidden
DISCONSOLATE
Sad; cheerless; gloomy; hopeless or not expecting
DISCORDANT
Not in agreement or harmony
DISDAIN
Means to regard with scorn or contempt. if you disdain to do something, you do not do it, because you feel that you are too important to do it
DISPERAGE
Express a negative opinion of (for example: He never missed an opportunity to disparage his competitors)
DOUR
Mean hard; inflexible; obstinate; gloomy in manner or appearance
DUALISM
(for the Latin word duo (meaning ‘‘two’’)) is the belief that things are divided into two often very different or opposing parts
EBULLIENT
Overflowing with fervor, enthusiasm, or excitement; high-spirited
ECLECTIC
Means something that is made up of various sources or styles; combination of the best or most useful things from many different areas or systems, rather than following a single system
EFFRONTERY
Audacious behaviour that you have no right to
EGREGIOUS
Conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible
ELUCIDATE
Means to explain something or make something clear
EMANCIPATION
Means any effort to procure economic and social rights, political rights or equality, often for a specially disenfranchised group, or many generally, in the discussion of such matters
EMBELLISH
To decorate, to add details to, enhance
EMPIRICAL
Means something that is based on investigation, observation, experimentation, or experience. If knowledge is empirical, it’s based on observation rather theory.