Vocabulary Flashcards
Anthology
A collection of literary pieces.
Aesthetic
Having to do with the appreciation of beauty.
Contemporary
Current, modern; from the same time.
Dilettante
One with an amateurish or superficial understanding of a field of knowledge.
Eclectic
Made up of a variety of sources or styles.
Excerpt
A selected part of a passage or scene.
Genre
Describing a category or artistic endeavor.
Medley
An assortment or a mixture, especially of musical pieces.
Mural
A large painting applied directly to a wall or ceiling.
Narrative
(adj.) Characterized by the telling of a story, (n.) A story.
Parody
An artistic work that imitates the style of another work for comic effect.
Realism
Artistic representation that aims for visual accuracy.
Virtuoso
A tremendously skilled artist.
Dubious
Doubtful; Unlikely of authenticity.
Assertion
A declaration or statement.
Cogent
Convincing; reasonable.
Coherent
Logically connected.
Cohesive
Condition if sticking together
Didactic
Intended to instruct.
Discourse
Verbal expression or exchange; conversation.
Eloquence
The ability to speak vividly or persuasively.
Fluid
Easily flowing.
Implication
The act of suggesting or hinting.
Lucid
Easily flowing.
Rhetoric
The art of using language effectively an persuasively.
Arbiter
A judge who decides a disputes issue.
Biased
Prejudiced
Exculpate
To free from guilt or blame.
Impartial
Not in favor of one side or the other, unbiased.
Incontrovertible
Not able to be denied or disputes.
Integrity
Trustworthiness; completeness
Objectivity
Treating facts without influence from personal feelings or prejudices.
Plausible
Seemingly valid or acceptable; credible.
Substantiated
Supported with proof or evidence; verified.
Vindicated
Freed from blame.
Condescending
Treating people as weak or inferior.
Contemptuous
Feeling hatred; scornful.
Despotic
Exercising absolute power; tyrannical.
Dictatorial
Domineering; oppressively overbearing.
Disdain
Contempt, scorn; to regard or treat with contempt; to look down on.
Haughty
Arrogant; vainly proud.
Imperious
Arrogantly domineering or overbearing.
Patronizing
Treating in a condescending matter.
Convoluted
Intricate; complex.
Cryptic
Difficult to comprehend.
Futile
Having no useful purpose; pointless.
Impede
To slow the progress of.
Obscure
(adj.) relatively unknown, (v.) to conceal or make indistinct.
Quandary
A state of uncertainty or perplexity.
Indolent
Lazy
Insipid
Uninteresting, unchallenging.
Lament
Express grief for; mourn.
Decorous
proper; marked by good taste
Equanimity
The quality of being calm and even-tempered; composure
Modest
Quiet or humble in manner or appearance
Propriety
Appropriateness of behavior
Prudent
Exercising good judgement
Serene
calm
Staid
Unemotional; serious
Stoic
Indifferent to pleasure or pain; impassive
Condemn
To express strong disapproval of; denounce
Discredit
To cause to be doubted
Disparage
To speak of in a slighting way or negatively; to belittle
Pejorative
Describing words or phrases that belittle or speak negatively of someone
Plagiarism
The act of passing off the ideas or writing of another as one’s own
Vilify
To make vicious statements about
Listless
Lacking energy
Melancholy
sadness; depression
Torpor
laziness; inactivity, dullness
Alliance
A union of two or more groups
Disparity
Inequality in Age, rank, or degree; difference
Impinge
Hinder; interfere with
Sanction
An economic or military measure put in place to punish another country
Servile
Submissive; like a servant
Suppressed
Subdued; Kept from being Circulated
Embellish
To make beautiful by ornamenting; to decorate
Florid
Describing flowery or elaborate speech
Opulent
Exhibiting a display of great wealth
Ornate
Elaborately decorated
Ostentatious
Describing a showy or pretentious display
Poignant
Profoundly moving; touching
Ebullience
Intense enthusiasm
Effusive
Emotionally unrestrained; gushy
Egregous
Conspicuously bad or offensive
Flagrant
Extremely or deliberately shocking or noticeable
Frenetic
Wildly excited or active
Gratuitous
Given Freely; unearned; unwarranted
Superfuous
Extra; unnecessary
Alleviate
To ease a pain or burden
Asylum
A place of retreat or security
Auspicious
Favorable; promising
Benevolent
Well-meaning; generous
Benign
Kind and gentle
Mollify
To calm or soothe
Reclamation
The act of making something useful again
Sanction
To give official authorization or approval
Fabricated
Made; concocted to decieve
Hypocrisy
The practice of pretending to be something one is not; insincerity
Slander
False charges and malicious oral statements about someone
Spurious
Genuine
Astute
Shrewd; Clever
Clandestine
Secretive
Coup
A brilliantly executed plan
Disingenous
Not straightforward; crafty
Ruse
A crafty trick
Stratagem
A clever trick used to deceive or outwit
Surreptitiously
Done by secretive means
Wary
On guard
Wily
Cunning
Ambigious
Open to more than one interpretation
Ambivalent
Simultaneously having opposing feelings; uncertain
Apathetic
Feeling or showing little emotion
Arbitrary
Determined by Impulse rather than reason
Capricious
Impulsive and unpredictable
Equivocate
To avoid making a definite statement
Indifferent
Not caring one way or the other
Spontaneous
Unplanned; naturally occurring
Whimsical
Subject to erratic behavior; unpredictable
Inconsequential
Unimportant
Superficial
concerned only with what is on the surface or obvious; shallow
Tenous
Having little substance or strength; shaky; unsure, weak
Trivial
Of little importance or significance
Assidious
Hard-working
Compelling
Forceful, urgently demanding attention
Diligent
Marked by painstaking effort; hard-working
Dogged
Stubbornly persevering
Endure
To put up with; to survive a hardship
Intrepid
Courageous; fearless
Maverick
One who is independent and resists adherence to a group
Obdurate
Stubborn; inflexible
Obstinate
Stubbornly adhering to an opinion or a course of action
Proliferate
To grow or increase rapidly
Tenacity
Persistence
Vitality
Energy; power to survive
Assimilation
To absorb; to make similar
Consensus
General agreement
Context
Circumstances of a situation; environment
Derived
Copied or adapted from a source
Incumbent
Imposed as a duty; obligatory
Inevitable
Certain to happen; unavoidable
Malleable
Easily shaped or formed; easily influenced
Subdue
To restrain; to hold back
Acquired
Developed or learned; not naturally occurring
Conception
The ability to form or understand an idea
Conviction
A fixed or strong belief
Dogmatic
Stubbornly adhering to unproved beliefs
Enlightening
Informative; contributing to one’s awareness
Impression
A feeling or understanding resulting from an experience
Intuiton
The power of knowing things without thinking; sharp insight
Misconception
An incorrect understanding or interpretation
Perception
Awareness; insight
Perspective
Point of view
Profound
Having great depth or seriousness
Inherent
Inborn; built-in
Innate
Possessed from birth; inborn
Inveterate
Long established; deep-rooted; habitual
Omnipotent
All-powerful
Proximity
Closeness
Elusive
Difficult to capture, as in something actually fleeting
Emigrate
To leave one country or region and settle in another
Transient
Passing away with time; passing from one place to another
Transitory
Short-lived or temporary
Affable
Easy-going; friendly
Amenable
Responsive; agreeable
Camaraderie
Good will between friends
Cordial
Friendly; sincere
Facetious
Playfully humorous
Brusque
Rudely abrupt
Caustic
Bitingly sarcastic or witty
Fractious
Quarrelsome; unruly
Incorrigible
Unable to be reformed
Ingrate
An ungrateful person
Insolent
Insulting in manner or speech
Notorious
Known widely and usually unfavorably; infamous
Pugnacious
Combative; belligerent
Reprehensible
Worthy of blame
Deleterious
Having a harmful effect; injurious
Enmity
Mutual hatred or ill-will
Heinous
Hatefully evil; abominable
Malfeasance
Wrongdoing, misconduct
Malice
Extreme ill-will or spite
Putrid
Rotten
Rancorous
Hateful; marked by deep-seated ill-will
Toxic
Poisonous
Archaic
Characteristic of an earlier period; old fashioned
Hackneyed
Worn out through overuse; trite
Medieval
Referring to the Middle Ages; Old fashioned
Obsolete
No longer in use; old-fashioned
Austere
Without decoration; strict
Mediocrity
The state or quality of being average; of moderate to low quality
Mundane
Commonplace; ordinary
Ponderous
Extremely dull
Prosaic
Unimaginative; dull
Sedentary
Not migratory; settled
Apprehension
Anxiety or fear about the future
Harbinger
Something that indicates what is to come; a forerunner
Ominous
Menacing; threatening
Premonition
A feeling about the future
Timorous
Timid; fearful about the future
Trepidation
Uncertainty; apprehension
Having to do with the appreciation of beauty.
Aesthetic
A collection of literary pieces.
Anthology
Current, modern; from the same time.
Contemporary
One with an amateurish or superficial understanding of a field of knowledge.
Dilettante
Made up of a variety of sources or styles.
Eclectic
A selected part of a passage or scene.
Excerpt
Describing a category or artistic endeavor.
Genre
An assortment or a mixture, especially of musical pieces.
Medley
A large painting applied directly to a wall or ceiling.
Mural
(adj.) Characterized by the telling of a story, (n.) A story.
Narrative
An artistic work that imitates the style of another work for comic effect.
Parody
Artistic representation that aims for visual accuracy.
Realism
A tremendously skilled artist.
Virtuoso
Doubtful; Unlikely of authenticity.
Dubious
A declaration or statement.
Assertion
Convincing; reasonable.
Cogent
Logically connected.
Coherent
Condition if sticking together
Cohesive
Intended to instruct.
Didactic
Verbal expression or exchange; conversation.
Discourse
The ability to speak vividly or persuasively.
Eloquence
Easily flowing.
Fluid
The act of suggesting or hinting.
Implication
Easily flowing.
Lucid
The art of using language effectively an persuasively.
Rhetoric
A judge who decides a disputes issue.
Arbiter
Prejudiced
Biased
To free from guilt or blame.
Exculpate
Not in favor of one side or the other, unbiased.
Impartial
Not able to be denied or disputes.
Incontrovertible
Trustworthiness; completeness
Integrity
Treating facts without influence from personal feelings or prejudices.
Objectivity
Seemingly valid or acceptable; credible.
Plausible
Supported with proof or evidence; verified.
Substantiated
Freed from blame.
Vindicated
Treating people as weak or inferior.
Condescending
Feeling hatred; scornful.
Contemptuous
Exercising absolute power; tyrannical.
Despotic
Domineering; oppressively overbearing.
Dictatorial
Contempt, scorn; to regard or treat with contempt; to look down on.
Disdain
Arrogant; vainly proud.
Haughty
Arrogantly domineering or overbearing.
Imperious
Treating in a condescending matter.
Patronizing
Intricate; complex.
Convoluted
Difficult to comprehend.
Cryptic
Having no useful purpose; pointless.
Futile
To slow the progress of.
Impede
(adj.) relatively unknown, (v.) to conceal or make indistinct.
Obscure
A state of uncertainty or perplexity.
Quandary
Lazy
Indolent
Uninteresting, unchallenging.
Insipid
Express grief for; mourn.
Lament
proper; marked by good taste
Decorous
The quality of being calm and even-tempered; composure
Equanimity
Quiet or humble in manner or appearance
Modest
Appropriateness of behavior
Propriety
Exercising good judgement
Prudent
calm
Serene
Unemotional; serious
Staid
Indifferent to pleasure or pain; impassive
Stoic
To express strong disapproval of; denounce
Condemn
To cause to be doubted
Discredit
To speak of in a slighting way or negatively; to belittle
Disparage
Describing words or phrases that belittle or speak negatively of someone
Pejorative
The act of passing off the ideas or writing of another as one’s own
Plagiarism
To make vicious statements about
Vilify
Lacking energy
Listless
sadness; depression
Melancholy
laziness; inactivity, dullness
Torpor
A union of two or more groups
Alliance
Inequality in Age, rank, or degree; difference
Disparity
Hinder; interfere with
Impinge
An economic or military measure put in place to punish another country
Sanction
Submissive; like a servant
Servile
Subdued; Kept from being Circulated
Suppressed
To make beautiful by ornamenting; to decorate
Embellish
Describing flowery or elaborate speech
Florid
Exhibiting a display of great wealth
Opulent
Elaborately decorated
Ornate
Describing a showy or pretentious display
Ostentatious
Profoundly moving; touching
Poignant
Intense enthusiasm
Ebullience
Emotionally unrestrained; gushy
Effusive
Conspicuously bad or offensive
Egregous
Extremely or deliberately shocking or noticeable
Flagrant
Wildly excited or active
Frenetic
Given Freely; unearned; unwarranted
Gratuitous
Extra; unnecessary
Superfuous
To ease a pain or burden
Alleviate
A place of retreat or security
Asylum
Favorable; promising
Auspicious
Well-meaning; generous
Benevolent
Kind and gentle
Benign
To calm or soothe
Mollify
The act of making something useful again
Reclamation
To give official authorization or approval
Sanction
Made; concocted to decieve
Fabricated
The practice of pretending to be something one is not; insincerity
Hypocrisy
False charges and malicious oral statements about someone
Slander
Genuine
Spurious
Shrewd; Clever
Astute
Secretive
Clandestine
A brilliantly executed plan
Coup
Not straightforward; crafty
Disingenous
A crafty trick
Ruse
A clever trick used to deceive or outwit
Stratagem
Done by secretive means
Surreptitiously
On guard
Wary
Cunning
Wily
Open to more than one interpretation
Ambigious
Simultaneously having opposing feelings; uncertain
Ambivalent
Feeling or showing little emotion
Apathetic
Determined by Impulse rather than reason
Arbitrary
Impulsive and unpredictable
Capricious
To avoid making a definite statement
Equivocate
Not caring one way or the other
Indifferent
Unplanned; naturally occurring
Spontaneous
Subject to erratic behavior; unpredictable
Whimsical
Unimportant
Inconsequential
concerned only with what is on the surface or obvious; shallow
Superficial
Having little substance or strength; shaky; unsure, weak
Tenous
Of little importance or significance
Trivial
Hard-working
Assidious
Forceful, urgently demanding attention
Compelling
Marked by painstaking effort; hard-working
Diligent
Stubbornly persevering
Dogged
To put up with; to survive a hardship
Endure
Courageous; fearless
Intrepid
One who is independent and resists adherence to a group
Maverick
Stubborn; inflexible
Obdurate
Stubbornly adhering to an opinion or a course of action
Obstinate
To grow or increase rapidly
Proliferate
Persistence
Tenacity
Energy; power to survive
Vitality
To absorb; to make similar
Assimilation
General agreement
Consensus
Circumstances of a situation; environment
Context
Copied or adapted from a source
Derived
Imposed as a duty; obligatory
Incumbent
Certain to happen; unavoidable
Inevitable
Easily shaped or formed; easily influenced
Malleable
To restrain; to hold back
Subdue
Developed or learned; not naturally occurring
Acquired
The ability to form or understand an idea
Conception
A fixed or strong belief
Conviction
Stubbornly adhering to unproved beliefs
Dogmatic
Informative; contributing to one’s awareness
Enlightening
A feeling or understanding resulting from an experience
Impression
The power of knowing things without thinking; sharp insight
Intuiton
An incorrect understanding or interpretation
Misconception
Awareness; insight
Perception
Point of view
Perspective
Having great depth or seriousness
Profound
Inborn; built-in
Inherent
Possessed from birth; inborn
Innate
Long established; deep-rooted; habitual
Inveterate
All-powerful
Omnipotent
Closeness
Proximity
Difficult to capture, as in something actually fleeting
Elusive
To leave one country or region and settle in another
Emigrate
Passing away with time; passing from one place to another
Transient
Short-lived or temporary
Transitory
Easy-going; friendly
Affable
Responsive; agreeable
Amenable
Good will between friends
Camaraderie
Friendly; sincere
Cordial
Playfully humorous
Facetious
Rudely abrupt
Brusque
Bitingly sarcastic or witty
Caustic
Quarrelsome; unruly
Fractious
Unable to be reformed
Incorrigible
An ungrateful person
Ingrate
Insulting in manner or speech
Insolent
Known widely and usually unfavorably; infamous
Notorious
Combative; belligerent
Pugnacious
Worthy of blame
Reprehensible
Having a harmful effect; injurious
Deleterious
Mutual hatred or ill-will
Enmity
Hatefully evil; abominable
Heinous
Wrongdoing, misconduct
Malfeasance
Extreme ill-will or spite
Malice
Rotten
Putrid
Hateful; marked by deep-seated ill-will
Rancorous
Poisonous
Toxic
Characteristic of an earlier period; old fashioned
Archaic
Worn out through overuse; trite
Hackneyed
Referring to the Middle Ages; Old fashioned
Medieval
No longer in use; old-fashioned
Obsolete
Without decoration; strict
Austere
The state or quality of being average; of moderate to low quality
Mediocrity
Commonplace; ordinary
Mundane
Extremely dull
Ponderous
Unimaginative; dull
Prosaic
Not migratory; settled
Sedentary
Anxiety or fear about the future
Apprehension
Something that indicates what is to come; a forerunner
Harbinger
Menacing; threatening
Ominous
A feeling about the future
Premonition
Timid; fearful about the future
Timorous
Uncertainty; apprehension
Trepidation
Innovative
Introducing something new
Naive
Lacking sophistication
Nascent
Coming into existence; emerging
Novel
Strikingly new or unusual
Novice
A beginner
Candor
Sincerity; openness
Frank
Open and sincere in expression; straightfoward
Arid
Describing a dry, rainless climate
Conflagration
A widespread fire
Nocturnal
Of or occuring in the night
Sonorous
Producing a deep or full sound
Ample
Describing a large amount of something
Comprehensive
Large in scope or content
Copious
Plentiful; having a large quantity
Permeated
Spread or flowing throughout
Pervasive
Dispersed throughout
Prodigious
Enormous
Replete
Abunduntly supplied; filled to capacity
Exemplary
Commendable; worthy of immitation
Idealize
To consider perfect
Laudatory
Giving praise
Paramount
Of chief concern or importance
Venerated
High respected
Catalog (v.)
To make an itemized list of
Facile
Done or achieved with little effort; easy
Fastidious
Possessing careful attention to detal; difficult to please
Hierarchy
A group organized by rank
Meticulous
Extremely careful and precise
Pragmatic
Practical
Solvent
Able to pay one’s debts
Alienated
Removed or disassociated from (friends,family, or homeland)
Abstract
Not applied to actual objects
Anachronism
Something out of place in time or sequence
Anthropomorphism
The attribution of humanlike characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, or forces of nature
Apology
Defense of an idea
Apparatus
Equpment; a group of machines
Apposition
A grammar construction in which a noun (or noun phrase) is laced with another as an explanation
Archetype
A perfect example; an original pattern or model
Brittle
Easily broken when subjected to pressure
Chiasmus
An inversion in the second of two parallel phrases
Gesticulating
Making gestures while speaking
Hypothetical
Existing only as an assumption or speculation
Lexicon
A word book describing language with definitons; a dictionary
Metonymy
A type of figurative language in whcih one term is substituted for another term with which it is close associated
Oxymoron
An apparent contradiction of terms
Panegyric
A statement of high praise
Paradigm
An example or model
Parallelism
A grammar construction in which two identical syntactic constructions are used
Penitent
Expressing remorse for one’s misdeeds
Period (periodic sentence)
Long, complex, grammatically correct sentence
Pernicious
Causing great harm
Phenomenon
An unusual, observable event
Propitious
Presenting favorable circumstances; auspicious
Rational
Logical; motivated by reason rather than feeling
Sardonic
Disdainfully or Ironically humorous; harsh, bitter, or caustic
Syllogism (syllogistic reasoning)
A form of deductive reasoning: a major premise. a minor premise, and a conclusion
Synecdoche
A form of metonymy that’s restricted to cases where a part is used to signify the whole
Theoretical
Lacking application or practical application
Truncated
Shortened; cut off
Introducing something new
Innovative
Lacking sophistication
Naive
Coming into existence; emerging
Nascent
Strikingly new or unusual
Novel
A beginner
Novice
Sincerity; openness
Candor
Open and sincere in expression; straightfoward
Frank
Describing a dry, rainless climate
Arid
A widespread fire
Conflagration
Of or occuring in the night
Nocturnal
Producing a deep or full sound
Sonorous
Describing a large amount of something
Ample
Large in scope or content
Comprehensive
Plentiful; having a large quantity
Copious
Spread or flowing throughout
Permeated
Dispersed throughout
Pervasive
Enormous
Prodigious
Abunduntly supplied; filled to capacity
Replete
Commendable; worthy of immitation
Exemplary
To consider perfect
Idealize
Giving praise
Laudatory
Of chief concern or importance
Paramount
High respected
Venerated
To make an itemized list of
Catalog (v.)
Done or achieved with little effort; easy
Facile
Possessing careful attention to detal; difficult to please
Fastidious
A group organized by rank
Hierarchy
Extremely careful and precise
Meticulous
Practical
Pragmatic
Able to pay one’s debts
Solvent
Removed or disassociated from (friends,family, or homeland)
Alienated
Not applied to actual objects
Abstract
Something out of place in time or sequence
Anachronism
The attribution of humanlike characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, or forces of nature
Anthropomorphism
Defense of an idea
Apology
Equpment; a group of machines
Apparatus
A grammar construction in which a noun (or noun phrase) is laced with another as an explanation
Apposition
A perfect example; an original pattern or model
Archetype
Easily broken when subjected to pressure
Brittle
An inversion in the second of two parallel phrases
Chiasmus
Making gestures while speaking
Gesticulating
Existing only as an assumption or speculation
Hypothetical
A word book describing language with definitons; a dictionary
Lexicon
A type of figurative language in whcih one term is substituted for another term with which it is close associated
Metonymy
An apparent contradiction of terms
Oxymoron
A statement of high praise
Panegyric
An example or model
Paradigm
A grammar construction in which two identical syntactic constructions are used
Parallelism
Expressing remorse for one’s misdeeds
Penitent
Long, complex, grammatically correct sentence
Period (periodic sentence)
Causing great harm
Pernicious
An unusual, observable event
Phenomenon
Presenting favorable circumstances; auspicious
Propitious
Logical; motivated by reason rather than feeling
Rational
Disdainfully or Ironically humorous; harsh, bitter, or caustic
Sardonic
A form of deductive reasoning: a major premise. a minor premise, and a conclusion
Syllogism (syllogistic reasoning)
A form of metonymy that’s restricted to cases where a part is used to signify the whole
Synecdoche
Lacking application or practical application
Theoretical
Shortened; cut off
Truncated
