Vocabulary Flashcards
distraught
adjective
: very upset
: so upset that you are not able to think clearly or behave normally
- She was distraught over the death of her partner.
disposition
noun
: the usual attitude or mood of a person or animal
: a tendency to act or think in a particular way
: a tendency to develop a disease, condition, etc.
- People with a genetic disposition toward a particular disease.
beckon
verb
: to signal (someone) with your arm or hand in order to tell that person to come closer or follow
: to appear attractive or inviting
: to attract (someone or something)
- She beckoned the waiter to come over.
torrent
noun
: a large amount of water that moves very quickly in one direction
: a large amount of something that is released suddenly
- The storm turned the stream into a raging torrent.
faux pas
noun
: an embarrassing social mistake
- Arriving too early would be a serious faux pas.
aficionado
noun
: a person who likes and knows a lot about something
- An aficionado of the sci-fi series who has seen all the movies several times
fervent
adjective
: felt very strongly
: having or showing very strong feelings
- A fervent speech that called for tolerance and compassion for those who are different
brunt
noun
: the principal force, shock, or stress (as of an attack)
: the greater part
- The brunt of the responsibility fell on her shoulders
bane
noun
obsolete : killer, slayer \: poison \: death, destruction \: woe \: a source of harm or ruin \: curse
- National frontiers have been more of a bane than a boon for mankind.
colloquial
adjective
: used when people are speaking in an informal way
: using an informal style
- The new coworker’s rudeness soon began—to use a colloquial expression—to rub me the wrong way.
sequester
transitive verb
: to keep (a person or group) apart from other people
law : to take (property) until a debt has been paid
- The jury was sequestered until a verdict was reached.
impartial
adjective
: treating all people and groups equally
: not partial or biased
- An impartial evaluation of the job applicant’s qualifications that does not consider age, gender, or race.
preempt
verb
: to prevent (something) from happening
: to take the place of (something)
: to be shown instead of (another television program)
- The state law was preempted by a federal law.
infallible
adjective
: not capable of being wrong or making mistakes : not fallible
: certain to work properly or succeed
- I never claimed to be infallible.
suffrage
noun
: the right to vote in an election
- Women who fought for suffrage.
nefarious
adjective
: evil or immoral
- A nefarious scheme to cheat people out of their money
behoove
verb
: to be necessary or proper for (someone)
- It behooves a good citizen to obey the law.
penultimate
adjective
: occurring immediately before the last one
: next to the last
- The penultimate syllable of the word.
demure
adjective
: quiet and polite
: not attracting or demanding a lot of attention
: not showy or flashy
- The demure charm of the cottage.
indolent
adjective
: not liking to work or be active
- She is indolent and irresponsible.
introspection
noun
: the process of examining your own thoughts or feelings
- A moment of quiet introspection.
retrospect
noun
: in considering the past or a past event
- In retrospect, we should have saved more money for college.
diligent
adjective
: characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort
: painstaking
- A student who has been unceasingly diligent in pursuit of a degree in mathematics.
obscure
adjective
: not well-known : not known to most people
: difficult to understand : likely to be understood by only a few people
: difficult or impossible to know completely and with certainty
- The movie is full of obscure references that only pop culture enthusiasts will understand.
crux
noun
: a puzzling or difficult problem
: an unsolved question
: an essential point requiring resolution or resolving an outcome
: a main or central feature (as of an argument)
- The crux of the problem is that the school’s current budget is totally inadequate.
diplomatic
adjective
: involving the work of maintaining good relations between the governments of different countries
: of or relating to diplomats or their work
: not causing bad feelings
: having or showing an ability to deal with people politely
- A diplomatic attempt at preventing any hurt feelings.
debauchery
noun
: bad or immoral behavior that involves sex, drugs, alcohol, etc.
- He recalled the evening’s debaucheries with regret.
prehensile
adjective
: capable of grabbing or holding something by wrapping around it
- The monkey has a prehensile tail.
transcend
verb
: to rise above or go beyond the normal limits of (something)
- She was able to transcend her own suffering and help others.
incorrigible
adjective
: not able to be corrected or changed
- He is always the class clown and his teachers say he is incorrigible.
aphorism
noun
: a short phrase that expresses a true or wise idea
- When decorating, remember the familiar aphorism, “less is more.”
expunge
verb
: to remove (something) completely
- Time and the weather have expunged any evidence that a thriving community once existed here.
precarious
adjective
: not safe, strong, or steady
- The strong wind almost knocked him off of his precarious perch on the edge of the cliff.
ephemeral
adjective
: lasting a very short time
- The autumnal blaze of colors is always to be treasured, all the more so because it is so ephemeral.
contrite
adjective
: feeling or showing regret for bad behavior
- Being contrite is not enough to spare you an arrest if you’re caught shoplifting.
snicker
intransitive verb
: to make a short, quiet laugh in a way that shows disrespect
- He snickered at the puzzled look on her face.
espouse
verb
: to express support for (a cause, belief, etc.)
- The new theory has been espoused by many leading physicists.
propriety
noun
: behavior that is accepted as socially or morally correct and proper
: the state or quality of being correct and proper
proprieties : rules of correct social behavior
- When attending a wedding, there are certain proprieties that must be observed.
caprice
noun
: a sudden change; especially
: a sudden change in someone’s mood or behavior
- Employees have complained of being at the mercy of the manager’s every whim and caprice.
mercurial
adjective
: changing moods quickly and often
: changing often
: very changeable
: very lively and quick
- The boss’s mood is so mercurial that we never know how he’s going to react to anything.
reticent
adjective
: not willing to tell people about things
- The panel decided to investigate the fraud charges against the company, which has always been reticent about its internal operations.
enmity
noun
: a very deep unfriendly feeling
- We need to put aside old enmities for the sake of peace.
traduce
transitive verb
: to tell lies about (someone)
- He was traduced in the press.
clairvoyance
noun
: an ability to communicate with dead people, to predict future events, or to know about things that you did not actually see happen or hear about
- I don’t believe in clairvoyance, but I can’t explain how he knew those things about my grandmother.
schmooze
verb
: to talk with someone in a friendly way often in order to get some advantage for yourself
- Spent every spare minute of the conference schmoozing with the industry’s power players.
seedy
adjective
: dirty or in bad condition
: not respectable or decent
: having bad morals
- A seedy area of the city.
enthrall
verb
: to hold the attention of (someone) by being very exciting, interesting, or beautiful
- For years these master magicians have been enthralling audiences with their astounding illusions.
penchant
noun
: a strong liking for something or a strong tendency to behave in a certain way
- A penchant for sitting by the window and staring moodily off into space.
vacuous
adjective
: having or showing a lack of intelligence or serious thought : lacking meaning, importance, or substance
- A dull and vacuous movie.
sinecure
noun
: a job or position in which someone is paid to do little or no work
- Early in his political career, he intended to retire in a sinecure position.
donnybrook
noun
: a public argument
: an uncontrolled fight
- A dozen people were arrested after the donnybrook at the stadium.
superfluous
adjective
: beyond what is needed
: not necessary
- Cleared off all the superfluous stuff on his desk to make room for the new computer.
dystopia
noun
: an imaginary place where people are unhappy and usually afraid because they are not treated fairly
- In a dystopian future, teens Katniss and Peeta are drafted for a televised event pitting young competitors against each other in a fight to the death.
swoon
intransitive verb
: to become very excited about someone or something
: to suddenly become unconscious
- Swooning with joy.
slander
transitive verb
: to make a false spoken statement that causes people to have a bad opinion of someone
- For some reason, that newspaper seems determined to slander one particular celebrity.
procure
verb
: to get (something) by some action or effort
: to find or provide (a prostitute) for someone
- She managed to procure a ticket to the concert.
chasm
noun
: a deep hole or opening in the surface of the earth
: a major division, separation, or difference between two people, groups, etc.
- A chasm in the ocean floor.
vehement
adjective
: showing strong and often angry feelings
: very emotional
- The proposal has faced vehement opposition from many teachers.
prude
noun
: a person who is easily shocked or offended by things that do not shock or offend other people
- He is too much of a prude to enjoy movies containing sex and violence.
obdurate
adjective
: refusing to do what other people want
: not willing to change your opinion or the way you do something
- He is known for his obdurate determination.
forthwith
adverb
: without delay
- If the fire alarm rings, leave the building forthwith.
malady
noun
: a disease or illness
- In the olden days people were always suffering from some unknown malady.
docile
adjective
: easily taught, led, or controlled
- His students were docile and eager to learn.
perseverance
noun
: the quality that allows someone to continue trying to do something even though it is difficult
- His perseverance was rewarded: after many rejections, he finally found a job.
egregious
adjective
: very bad and easily noticed
- The student’s theme was marred by a number of egregious errors in spelling.
comestible
adjective
: edible
- Some mushrooms are comfortably comestible, but others are decidedly poisonous.
admonition
noun
: a criticism or warning about behavior
- He offered words of advice and admonition.
wry
adjective
: humorous in a clever and often ironic way
: showing both amusement and a feeling of being tired, annoyed, etc.
- When I asked her how she felt after winning the race, she gave me a wry smile and said, “Pretty tired.”
sinuous
adjective
: having many twists and turns
: moving and bending in a smooth and attractive way
- The river flowed in a sinuous path through the lush valley.
assuage
verb
: to make (something, such as an unpleasant feeling) less painful, severe, etc.
- a mother cooing to her toddler and assuaging his fear of the dark
- A mother cooing to her toddler and assuaging his fear of the dark.
ominous
adjective
: suggesting that something bad is going to happen in the future
- An ominous threat of war
dismay
verb
: to cause (someone) to feel very worried, disappointed, or upset
- Her choice of career dismays her parents.
wary
adjective
: not having or showing complete trust in someone or something that could be dangerous or cause trouble
- Investors are increasingly wary about putting money into stocks.
rueful
adjective
: showing or feeling regret for something done
- He gave me a rueful smile and apologized.
avarice
noun
: a strong desire to have or get money
- The corporate world is plagued by avarice and a thirst for power.
subvert
transitive verb
: to secretly try to ruin or destroy a government, political system, etc.
: to make (something) weaker or less effective
- They conspired to subvert the government.
eccentric
adjective
: tending to act in strange or unusual ways
: strange or unusual
: not following a perfectly circular path
- He was a kind but eccentric man.
clout
noun
: the power to influence or control situations
: a hit especially with the hand
- She used her political clout to have another school built.
languid
adjective
: showing or having very little strength, energy, or activity
- It was a hot, languid summer day.
augment
verb
: to increase the size or amount of (something)
: to add something to (something) in order to improve or complete it
- Heavy rains augmented the water supply.
taut
adjective
: very tight from being pulled or stretched
: not loose or slack
: firm and strong : not loose or flabby
: very tense
- The rope was drawn taut.
aberration
noun
: something (such as a problem or a type of behavior) that is unusual or unexpected
- For her, such a low grade on an exam was an aberration.
devoid
adjective
: not having (something usual or expected)
: completely without (something)
- The picnic jug was completely devoid of juice after only a few minutes.
allegory
noun
: a story in which the characters and events are symbols that stand for ideas about human life or for a political or historical situation
- The long poem is an allegory of love and jealousy.
disparage
verb
: to describe (someone or something) as unimportant, weak, bad, etc.
- Voters don’t like political advertisements in which opponents disparage one another.
onus
noun
: the responsibility for something
- He perpetually tries to shift the onus for any mistakes onto other team members
prudent
adjective
: having or showing careful good judgment
- He always listened to her prudent advice.
debacle
noun
: a great disaster or complete failure
- After the debacle of his first novel, he had trouble getting a publisher for his next book.
renege
verb
: to refuse to do something that you promised or agreed to do
- They had promised to pay her tuition but later reneged.
poignant
adjective
: causing a strong feeling of sadness
- The photograph was a poignant reminder of her childhood.
tout
verb
: to talk about (something or someone) as being very good, effective, skillful, etc.
: to try to persuade people to buy your goods or services
: to buy tickets for an event and resell them at a much higher price
- The company is running advertisements touting the drug’s effectiveness.
- People were touting tickets outside the stadium.
brevity
noun
: the use of few words to say something
: the quality or fact of lasting only for a short period of time
- The best quality a graduation speech can have is brevity.
philanthropy
noun
: the practice of giving money and time to help make life better for other people
- The family’s philanthropy made it possible to build the public library.
mar
verb
: to ruin the beauty or perfection of (something)
: to hurt or damage the good condition of (something)
- A large scar marred his face.
concatenate
verb
: to link together in a series or chain
- Concatenate several lists of instructions into a single master file.
bamboozle
verb
: to trick or confuse (someone)
- Bamboozled by con men into buying worthless land in the desert.
enigma
noun
: someone or something that is difficult to understand or explain
- To his friends, he was always something of an enigma.
exodus
noun
: a situation in which many people leave a place at the same time
- The mass exodus from the cities for the beaches and the mountains on most summer weekends
affluent
adjective
: having a large amount of money and owning many expensive things
- He is affluent and can afford to send his children to the best schools.
grandeur
noun
: a great and impressive quality
- His paintings capture the beauty and grandeur of the landscape.
juxtapose
verb
: to place (different things) together in order to create an interesting effect or to show how they are the same or different
- A display that juxtaposes modern art with classical art
