Vocabulary Flashcards
Equivocal
Not easily understood or explained.
Politicians have been known to provide equivocal answers to reporters’ questions.
Lucid
Very clear and easy to understand
The lecture was lucid and straightforward, allowing the students to fully grasp the concepts presented.
Precipitate
To cause something to happen quickly or suddenly.
Unforeseen costs can precipitate a budget crisis.
Assuage
To make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense
A massage can assuage the soreness in your muscles.
Erudite
Having or showing great knowledge
High school students often struggle with novels that are more erudite than they are entertaining.
Opaque
Not able to be seen through; not easily understood
Medical jargon includes many opaque terms like macrosomic, which describes a newborn who weighs more than 4,000 grams.
Prodigal
Wastefully extravagant.
The prodigal prince bought lavish gifts and planned expensive events.
Enigma
A person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand.
Scientists continue to research cancer to solve the enigma of its primary cause, which will hopefully lead to a cure.
Fervid
Intensely enthusiastic or passionate.
The child showed a fervid fascination for superheroes, pouring over comic books for hours.
Desicate
Remove the moisture from something.
The heat and energy from the sun can desiccate even the most heart plants.
Laudable
Preserving praise and commendation.
Providing affordable healthcare for all citizens is a laudable goal.
Pedant
A person who makes an excessive display of learning.
Professor Blackwell, a well-known pedant, required his pre-med students to speak in Latin throughout the entire semester.
Vacillate
To waver between different opinions or actions.
Undergraduate students often vacillate among various majors before deciding which degree to pursue.
Capricious
The capricious supervisor would hand out raises one day and fire his entire staff the next.
Engender
to produce, cause, or give rise to (something).
Political debates can engender controversy regarding the subjects discussed.
Loquacious
Tending to talk a lot.
The loquacious professor was known for his five-hour lectures.
Ephemeral
Lasting for a very short time.
An ephemeral moment of victory may last mere seconds, but it can remain as a triumphant memory for decades.
Laconic
The student’s laconic response suggested that she did not know very much about the topic the professor was discussing.
Propriety
The state of or quality of being correct or proper.
The students were instructed to behave with the utmost propriety while on their class field trip.
Enervate
Cause someone or something to feel drained of energy; weaken.
The boxer used a swift left uppercut to the jaw to enervate his opponent.
Ingenuous
Innocent and unsuspecting.
The scam artist preyed on ingenuous nursing home residents.
