Vocabulary Flashcards

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1
Q

amenable

A
  • open and responsive to suggestion; easily persuaded or controlled
    e. g. “parents who have amenable children”
  • capable of being acted upon in a particular way; susceptible.
    e. g. “cardiac failure not amenable to medical treatment”
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2
Q

conscientious

A

1) wishing to do one’s work or duty well and thoroughly.
“a conscientious man, he took his duties very seriously”
2) relating to a person’s conscience.
“the individual is denied even the opportunity to break the law on conscientious grounds”

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3
Q

insensitive

A
1.
showing or feeling no concern for others' feelings.
"an insensitive remark"
2.
not sensitive to a physical sensation.
"she was remarkably insensitive to pain"
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4
Q

nonchalant

A

(of a person or manner) feeling or appearing casually calm and relaxed; not displaying anxiety, interest, or enthusiasm.
“she gave a nonchalant shrug”

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5
Q

cordial

A

1) warm and friendly.
2) strongly felt.
“I earned his cordial loathing”

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6
Q

bigotry

A

intolerance towards those who hold different opinions from oneself.
“the difficulties of combating prejudice and bigotry”

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7
Q

condone

A

accept (behaviour that is considered morally wrong or offensive).
“the college cannot condone any behaviour that involves illicit drugs”
“those arrested were released and the exhibition was officially condoned a few weeks later”

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8
Q

allude

A

suggest or call attention to indirectly; hint at.
“she had a way of alluding to Jean but never saying her name”
“the Vice Chancellor alluded to the same idea”
mention without discussing at length.
“we will allude briefly to the main points”
(of an artist or a work of art) recall (an earlier work or style) in such a way as to suggest a relationship with it.
“the photographs allude to Italian Baroque painting”

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9
Q

attest

A

1)
provide or serve as clear evidence of.
“his status is attested by his becoming an alderman”
witness or certify formally.
“the witnesses must attest and sign the will in the testator’s presence”

2.
historical
enrol as ready for military service.
“unfortunately for him, he attested”

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10
Q

pretentious

A

attempting to impress by affecting greater importance or merit than is actually possessed.

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11
Q

whimsical

A

playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in an appealing and amusing way (unusual but in a good way)
“a whimsical sense of humour”

2.
acting or behaving in a capricious (unpredictable) manner.
“the whimsical arbitrariness of autocracy”

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12
Q

impressionable

A

easily influenced.

“a girl of eighteen is highly impressionable”

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13
Q

charismatic

A

adjective
1.
exercising a compelling charm which inspires devotion in others.
“he was a charismatic figure with great appeal to the public”

2.
relating to the charismatic movement in the Christian Church.

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14
Q

predicament

A

a difficult, unpleasant, or embarrassing situation.

“the club’s financial predicament”

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15
Q

surly

A

adj; bad-tempered and unfriendly.

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16
Q

impetuous

A

1) acting or done quickly and without thought or care.
“she might live to rue this impetuous decision”

2) moving forcefully or rapidly.
“an impetuous but controlled flow of water”

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17
Q

pertinacious

A

adjective
holding firmly to an opinion or a course of action.
“he worked with a pertinacious resistance to interruptions”

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18
Q

dejected

A

sad and depressed; dispirited.

“he stood in the street looking dejected”

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19
Q

perturbed

A

anxious or unsettled; upset.

“she didn’t seem perturbed about the noises around her”

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20
Q

trepidation

A

a feeling of fear or anxiety about something that may happen.
“the men set off in fear and trepidation”

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21
Q

apprehensive

A

anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen.
“he felt apprehensive about going home”

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22
Q

wistful

A

having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing.

“a wistful smile”

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23
Q

aflutter

A

in a state of tremulous excitement.

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24
Q

disgruntled

A

angry or dissatisfied.

“judges receive letters from disgruntled members of the public”

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25
Q

vexed

A

1) (of a problem or issue) difficult and much debated; problematic.
“the vexed question of how much money the government is going to spend”

2.
annoyed, frustrated, or worried.
“I’m very vexed with you!”

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26
Q

chagrined

A

noun
1.
annoyance or distress at having failed or been humiliated.
“to my chagrin, he was nowhere to be seen”

  1. verb
    feel distressed or humiliated.
    “he was chagrined when his friend poured scorn on him”
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27
Q

consternation

A

a feeling of anxiety or dismay, typically at something unexpected.
“to her consternation her car wouldn’t start”

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28
Q

chipper

A

cheerful and lively (informal adjective)

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29
Q

perplexed

A

adjective

completely baffled; very puzzled.

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30
Q

badger

A

verb; repeatedly and annoyingly ask (someone) to do something.

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31
Q

beleaguered

A

1) lay siege to.
“he led a relief force to the aid of the beleaguered city”
synonyms: besieged, under siege, blockaded, surrounded, encircled, hemmed in, under attack
“English forces came to relieve the beleaguered garrison”
2) put in a very difficult situation.
“the board is supporting the beleaguered director”
synonyms: hard-pressed, troubled, in difficulties, under pressure, under stress, with one’s back to the wall, in a tight corner, in a tight spot

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32
Q

harried

A

adjective
feeling strained as a result of having demands persistently made on one; harassed.
“harried reporters are frequently forced to invent what they cannot find out”

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33
Q

coerce

A

verb
1) persuade (an unwilling person) to do something by using force or threats. (pressurize, opposite to persuading )
“he was coerced into giving evidence”

2) obtain (something) from someone by using force or threats.
“their confessions were allegedly coerced by torture”

34
Q

discordant

A

adjective
1.
disagreeing or incongruous. (contradictory; opposing)
“the operative principle of democracy is a balance of discordant qualities”
“a study of children in discordant homes”
2.
(of sounds) harsh and jarring because of a lack of harmony.
“the singers continued their discordant chanting”

35
Q

discomfit

A

verb
make (someone) feel uneasy or embarrassed.
“he was not noticeably discomfited by her tone”

36
Q

heckle

A

verb
1.
interrupt (a public speaker) with derisive or aggressive comments or abuse. (boo; hiss)
“he was booed and heckled when he tried to address the demonstrators”

2.
dress (flax or hemp) to split and straighten the fibres for spinning.
“hemp was heckled and spun into rope yarn”

37
Q

affront

A

verb
offend the modesty or values of. (ruffle someone’s feathers)
“she was affronted by his familiarity”

38
Q

paternalism

A

A policy or practice of treating or governing people in a fatherly manner, especially by providing for their needs without giving them rights or responsibilities.

39
Q

disdainful

A

adjective
showing contempt or lack of respect.
“with a last disdainful look, she turned towards the door”

40
Q

patronise

A

verb
1.
treat with an apparent kindness which betrays a feeling of superiority. (treat as an inferior)
“‘She’s a good-hearted girl,’ he said in a patronizing voice”
2.
frequent (a shop, restaurant, or other establishment) as a customer. (be a customer of) “he’s a denizen of flashy pubs patronized by the underworld”

41
Q

disillusioned

A

adjective
disappointed in someone or something that one discovers to be less good than one had believed. (disappointed in something as it had not met expectations)
“the minority groups were completely disillusioned with the party”

42
Q

ambivalence

A

noun

the state of having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.

43
Q

indecision

A

noun

the inability to make a decision quickly. (hesitation)

44
Q

masochistic

A

A willingness or tendency to subject oneself to unpleasant or trying experiences.

45
Q

conjecture

A

noun
1.
an opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information. (assumption)
an unproven mathematical or scientific theorem.
(in textual criticism) the suggestion of a reading of a text not present in the original source.
verb
1.
form an opinion or supposition about (something) on the basis of incomplete information.
“many conjectured that she had a second husband in mind”

46
Q

burgeon

A

verb
begin to grow or increase rapidly; flourish.
“manufacturers are keen to cash in on the burgeoning demand”

47
Q

blight

A
infect (plants) with blight. (destroy) 
"a peach tree blighted by leaf curl"
2.
spoil, harm, or destroy.
"the scandal blighted the careers of several leading politicians"
48
Q

lackadaisical

A

adjective (unenthusiastic, careless)
lacking enthusiasm and determination; carelessly lazy.
“a lackadaisical defence left Spurs adrift in the second half”

49
Q

placate

A

verb
make (someone) less angry or hostile.
“they attempted to placate the students with promises”

50
Q

disconcerted

A

disturb the composure of; unsettle.

“the abrupt change of subject disconcerted her”

51
Q

apathetic

A

adjective
showing or feeling no interest, enthusiasm, or concern.
“an apathetic electorate”

52
Q

deprecate

A

express disapproval of.

“what I deprecate is persistent indulgence”

53
Q

folly

A

noun
1.
lack of good sense (understanding); foolishness.
“an act of sheer folly”
2.
a costly ornamental building with no practical purpose, especially a tower or mock-Gothic ruin built in a large garden or park.

54
Q

choleric

A

adjective
bad-tempered or irritable.
“he was a choleric, self-important little man”
synonyms: bad-tempered, irascible, irritable, grumpy, grouchy, crotchety, tetchy, testy, crusty, cantankerous, curmudgeonly, ill-tempered, ill-natured,

55
Q

commiserative

A

to feel or express sorrow or sympathy for; empathize with; pity. verb (used without object), commiserated, commiserating.
2. to sympathize (usually followed by with): “They commiserated with him over the loss of his job.”

56
Q

diffident

A

adjective
modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence.
“a diffident youth”
synonyms: shy, bashful, modest, self-effacing, unassuming, unpresuming, humble, meek, unconfident, unassertive, timid, timorous, shrinking, reserved, withdrawn, introverted, inhibited;

57
Q

resolute

A

adjective
admirably purposeful, determined, and unwavering.
“he was resolute in his fight to uphold liberal values”
synonyms: determined, purposeful, purposive, resolved, decided, adamant, single-minded, firm, unswerving, unwavering, undaunted, fixed, set, intent, insistent;

58
Q

jubilant

A

adjective
feeling or expressing great happiness and triumph.
“a large number of jubilant fans ran on to the pitch”

59
Q

crestfallen

A

adjective
sad and disappointed.
“he came back empty-handed and crestfallen”
synonyms: downhearted, downcast, despondent, disappointed, disconsolate, disheartened, discouraged, dispirited, dejected, depressed, desolate, heartbroken, broken-hearted, heavy-hearted, low-spirited, in the doldrums, sad, glum, gloomy, dismal, doleful, miserable, unhappy, woebegone, forlorn, long-faced, fed up;

60
Q

lewd

A

adjective
crude and offensive in a sexual way.
“she began to gyrate to the music and sing a lewd song”
synonyms: vulgar, crude, smutty, dirty, filthy, obscene, pornographic, coarse, tasteless, indecorous, indelicate, off colour, unseemly, indecent, salacious, gross, disgusting, sordid, low, foul, vile;

61
Q

facetious

A

treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humour; flippant.
“a facetious remark”
synonyms: flippant, flip, glib, frivolous, tongue-in-cheek, waggish, whimsical, joking, jokey, jesting, jocular, playful, roguish, impish, teasing, arch, mischievous, puckish;

62
Q

churlish

A

adjective
rude in a mean-spirited and surly way.
“it seems churlish to complain”
synonyms: rude, ill-mannered, discourteous, impolite, ungracious, unmannerly, uncivil, ungentlemanly, ungallant, unchivalrous;

63
Q

confound

A

verb
1.
cause surprise or confusion in (someone), especially by not according with their expectations.
“the inflation figure confounded economic analysts”
synonyms: amaze, astonish, dumbfound, stagger, surprise, startle, stun, stupefy, daze, nonplus;

prove (a theory or expectation) wrong.
“the rise in prices confounded expectations”
synonyms: invalidate, negate, contradict, counter, go against, discredit, give the lie to, drive a coach and horses through;

defeat (a plan, aim, or hope).
"we will confound these tactics by the pressure groups"
archaic
overthrow (an enemy).
"God chose to use natural disorders to confound Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt"
2.
mix up (something) with something else.
"he was forever confounding managerialism with idealism"
exclamationdated
exclamation: confound
1.
used to express anger or annoyance.
"oh confound it, where is the thing?"
64
Q

impudent

A

adjective
not showing due respect for another person; impertinent.
“he could have strangled this impudent upstart”

65
Q

indelible

A

not able to be forgotten.

“the story made an indelible impression on me”

66
Q

straightlaced

A

having or showing very strict moral attitudes.

“his strait-laced parents were horrified”

67
Q

camaraderie

A

mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together.
“the enforced camaraderie of office life”

68
Q

unwavering

A

not wavering; steady or resolute.

“she fixed him with an unwavering stare”

69
Q

evasive

A

1) tending to avoid commitment or self-revelation, especially by responding only indirectly.
“she was evasive about her phone number”
2) directed towards avoidance or escape.
“they decided to take evasive action”

70
Q

esteem

A

noun
1.
respect and admiration. (recognition)
“he was held in high esteem by colleagues”

verb
verb: esteem
1.
respect and admire.
“many of these qualities are esteemed by managers”
2.
formal
consider; deem.
“I should esteem it a favour if you could speak to them”
synonyms: consider, regard as, deem, hold to be, think, think of as, reckon, count, account, believe, judge, adjudge, rate, class as, gauge, look on as, view as, see as, interpret as
“I would esteem it a favour if you could speak to him”

71
Q

resignation

A

noun
1.
an act of resigning from a job or office. (departure)
“he announced his resignation”
2. a document conveying someone’s intention of resigning.
“I’ve handed in my resignation”
“she toyed with the idea of handing in her resignation”
CHESS
an act of ending a game by conceding defeat without being checkmated.
2.
the acceptance of something undesirable but inevitable.
“a shrug of resignation”

72
Q

exonerate

A

verb
1.
(of an official body) absolve (someone) from blame for a fault or wrongdoing. (pronounce not guilty)
“an inquiry exonerated those involved”
2.
release someone from (a duty or obligation). (liberate)
“Pope Clement V exonerated the king from his oath to the barons”
synonyms: release, discharge, relieve, free, liberate;

73
Q

deferential

A

adjective
showing deference; respectful. (thoughtful)
“people were always deferential to him”

74
Q

woeful

A

characterized by, expressive of, or causing sorrow or misery.
“her face was woeful”
2.
very bad; deplorable.
“the remark was enough to establish his woeful ignorance about the theatre”

75
Q

ramifications

A

noun
1. a complex or unwelcome consequence of an action or event.
“any change is bound to have legal ramifications”
synonyms: consequence, result, aftermath, outcome, effect, upshot, issue, sequel;
2. a subdivision of a complex structure or process.
“an extended family with its ramifications of neighbouring in-laws”
formal; technical
3. the action of ramifying or the state of being ramified.
“a coronary angiogram showed ramification of the right coronary artery close to the ostium”

76
Q

sacrilegious

A

adjective
involving or committing sacrilege.
“a sacrilegious act”
synonyms: profane, blasphemous, impious, sinful, irreverent, irreligious, godless, ungodly, unholy, disrespectful

77
Q

acquiescently

A

the reluctant acceptance of something without protest.
“in silent acquiescence, she rose to her feet”
synonyms: permit, consent to, agree to, allow, assent to, give one’s consent to, accept, concur with, give one’s assent to, give one’s blessing to, say yes to, give the nod to, give one’s approval to

78
Q

assuaged

A
  1. make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense.
    “the letter assuaged the fears of most members”
    synonyms: relieve, ease, alleviate, soothe, mitigate, dampen, allay, calm, palliate, abate, lull, temper, suppress, smother, stifle, subdue, tranquillize, mollify, moderate, modify, tone down, attenuate, dilute, lessen, diminish, decrease, reduce, lower;
  2. satisfy (an appetite or desire).
    “an opportunity occurred to assuage her desire for knowledge”
    synonyms: satisfy, fulfil, gratify, appease, indulge, relieve, slake, sate, satiate, quench, quell, overcome, check, keep in check, dull, blunt, allay, take the edge off, diminish
    “her physical hunger could be quickly assuaged”
79
Q

curb

A

noun
1.
a check or restraint on something.
“plans to introduce tougher curbs on insider dealing”
synonyms: restraint, restriction, check, brake, rein, control, limitation, limit, constraint, stricture; More
2.
a type of bit with a strap or chain attached which passes under a horse’s lower jaw, used as a check.
3.
NORTH AMERICAN
variant spelling of kerb.
4.
a swelling on the back of a horse’s hock, caused by spraining a ligament.
verb
verb: curb; 3rd person present: curbs; past tense: curbed; past participle: curbed; gerund or present participle: curbing
1.
restrain or keep in check.
“she promised she would curb her temper”
synonyms: restrain, hold back, keep back, hold in, repress, suppress, fight back, bite back, keep in check, check, control, keep under control, rein in, keep a tight rein on, contain, discipline, govern, bridle, tame, subdue, stifle, smother, swallow, choke back, muzzle, silence, muffle, strangle, gag;

80
Q

self righteous

A

adjective
1. having or characterized by a certainty, especially an unfounded one, that one is totally correct or morally superior.
“self-righteous indignation and complacency”

81
Q

precarious

A

adjective
not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse.
“a precarious ladder”
dependent on chance; uncertain.

82
Q

irascible

A

adjective
having or showing a tendency to be easily angered.
“an irascible and difficult man”