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Expand Your Vocabulary > Vocabulary 8 > Flashcards

Vocabulary 8 Flashcards

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1
Q

caveat
(noun)

A

a warning or proviso of specific stipulations, conditions, or limitations.
“there are a number of caveats which concern the validity of the assessment results”

a notice, especially in a probate, that certain actions may not be taken without informing the person who gave the notice.

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2
Q

corrode
(verb)

A

destroy or damage (metal, stone, or other materials) slowly by chemical action.
“acid rain poisons fish and corrodes buildings”

(of metal or other materials) be destroyed or damaged slowly by chemical action.
“over the years copper pipework corrodes”

destroy or weaken (something) gradually.
“the self-centred climate corrodes ideals and concerns about social justice”

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3
Q

clobber
(verb)

A

hit (someone) hard.
“if he does that I’ll clobber him!”

treat or deal with harshly.
“the recession clobbered other parts of the business”

defeat heavily.
“the Braves clobbered the Cubs 23–10”

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4
Q

malady
(noun)

A

a disease or ailment.
“an incurable malady”

a serious problem.
“the nation’s maladies”

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5
Q

legion
(noun)

A

a division of 3,000–6,000 men, including a complement of cavalry, in the ancient Roman army.

a vast number of people or things.
“legions of photographers and TV cameras”

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6
Q

dismal
(adjective)

A

causing a mood of gloom or depression.
“the dismal weather made the late afternoon seem like evening”

(of a person or their mood) gloomy.
“his dismal mood was not dispelled by finding the house empty”

pitifully or disgracefully bad.
“he shuddered as he watched his team’s dismal performance”

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7
Q

goad
(verb, noun)

A

provoke or annoy (someone) so as to stimulate an action or reaction.
“he was trying to goad her into a fight”

drive (an animal) with a spiked stick.
“the cowboys goaded their cattle across the meadows”

a spiked stick used for driving cattle.

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8
Q

nomenclature
(noun)

A

the devising or choosing of names for things, especially in a science or other discipline.
“the Linnean system of zoological nomenclature”

the body or system of names used in a particular specialist field.
“the students found it hard to decipher the nomenclature of chemical compounds”

the term or terms applied to someone or something.
“‘customers’ was preferred to the original nomenclature ‘passengers’”

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9
Q

premises
(noun)

A

a house or building, together with its land and outbuildings, occupied by a business or considered in an official context.
“the company has moved to new premises”

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10
Q

inchoate
(adjective)

A

just begun and so not fully formed or developed; rudimentary.
“a still inchoate democracy”

(of an offence, such as incitement or conspiracy) anticipating or preparatory to a further criminal act.

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11
Q

nuance
(noun, verb)

A

a subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound.
“he was familiar with the nuances of the local dialect”

give nuances to.
“the effect of the music is nuanced by the social situation of listeners”

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12
Q

proclivity
(noun)

A

a tendency to choose or do something regularly; an inclination or predisposition towards a particular thing.
“a proclivity for hard work”

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13
Q

haul
(verb, noun)

A

(of a person) pull or drag with effort or force.
“he hauled his bike out of the shed”

(of a vehicle) pull (an attached trailer or carriage) behind it.
“the engine hauls the overnight sleeper from London Euston”

a quantity of something that has been stolen or is possessed illegally.
“they escaped with a haul of antiques”

a distance to be covered in a journey.
“the thirty-mile haul to Boston”

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14
Q

disdain
(noun, verb)

A

the feeling that someone or something is unworthy of one’s consideration or respect.
“her upper lip curled in disdain”

consider to be unworthy of one’s consideration.
“he disdained his patients as an inferior rabble”

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15
Q

enumerate
(verb)

A

mention (a number of things) one by one.
“there is not space to enumerate all his works”

establish the number of.
“6,079 residents were enumerated in 241 establishments”

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16
Q

pawn
(noun)

A

a chess piece of the smallest size and value, that moves one square forwards along its file if unobstructed (or two on the first move), or one square diagonally forwards when making a capture.

a person used by others for their own purposes.
“he was a pawn in the game of power politics”

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17
Q

loony
(noun, adjective)

A

a mad or silly person.
“she was working with a bunch of loonies”

mad or silly.
“loony drivers”

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18
Q

stagnate
(verb)

A

(of water or air) cease to flow or move; become stagnant.

cease developing; become inactive or dull.
“teaching can easily stagnate into a set of routines”

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19
Q

illicit
(adjective)

A

forbidden by law, rules, or custom.
“illicit drugs”

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20
Q

sanction
(verb)

A

give official permission or approval for (an action).
“the scheme was sanctioned by the court”

impose a sanction or penalty on.
“foreigners in France illegally should be sent home, their employers sanctioned and border controls tightened up”

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21
Q

maw
(noun)

A

the jaws or throat of a voracious animal.
“a gigantic wolfhound with a fearful, gaping maw”

the mouth or gullet of a greedy person.
“I was cramming large pieces of toast and cheese down my maw”

22
Q

sovereignty
(noun)

A

supreme power or authority.
“the sovereignty of Parliament”

the authority of a state to govern itself or another state.
“national sovereignty”

a self-governing state.

23
Q

cubicle
(noun)

A

a small partitioned-off area of a room, for example one containing a shower or toilet, or a desk in an office.

“each cubicle is equipped with a PC and printer, and there are two fax machines in the east alcove”

24
Q

paltry
(adjective)

A

(of an amount) very small or meagre.
“she would earn a paltry £33 more a month”

petty; trivial.
“naval glory struck him as paltry”

25
Q

ample
(adjective)

A

enough or more than enough; plentiful.
“there is ample time for discussion”

large and accommodating.
“he leaned back in his ample chair”

tight-fitting
(of a person’s figure) full or broad.
“she stood with her hands on her ample hips”

26
Q

ludicrous
(adjective)

A

so foolish, unreasonable, or out of place as to be amusing.
“it’s ludicrous that I have been fined”

27
Q

undiluted
(adjective)

A

(of a liquid) not diluted.
“drinking undiluted wine was considered barbaric”

not moderated or weakened in any way.
“a sudden surge of pure, undiluted happiness”

28
Q

perspicacity
(noun)

A

the quality of having a ready insight into things; shrewdness.
“the perspicacity of her remarks”

29
Q

conclave
(noun)

A

a private meeting.

30
Q

retrograde
(adjective)

A

directed or moving backwards.
“a retrograde flow”

reverting to an earlier and inferior condition.
“to go back on the progress that has been made would be a retrograde step”

31
Q

probe
(noun, verb)

A

a blunt-ended surgical instrument used for exploring a wound or part of the body.

a thorough investigation into a crime or other matter.
“a probe into city hall corruption”

physically explore or examine (something) with the hands or an instrument.
“hands probed his body from top to bottom”

32
Q

enthral
(verb)

A

capture the fascinated attention of.
“she had been so enthralled by the adventure that she had hardly noticed the cold”

enslave.
“it is as hard and dangerous to inthrall a people that would live free”

33
Q

inadvertently
(adverb)

A

without intention; accidentally.
“his name had been inadvertently omitted from the list”

34
Q

atrocity
(noun)

A

an extremely wicked or cruel act, typically one involving physical violence or injury.
“a textbook which detailed war atrocities”

a highly unpleasant or distasteful object.
“atrocities in cheap red nylon”

35
Q

agitated
(adjective)

A

feeling or appearing troubled or nervous.
“there’s no point getting agitated”

36
Q

dire
(adjective)

A

extremely serious or urgent.
“misuse of drugs can have dire consequences”

of a very poor quality.
“the concert was dire”

37
Q

impetus
(noun)

A

the force or energy with which a body moves.
“hit the booster coil before the flywheel loses all its impetus”

something that makes a process or activity happen or happen more quickly.
“the ending of the Cold War gave new impetus to idealism”

38
Q

vanguard
(noun)

A

a group of people leading the way in new developments or ideas.
“the experimental spirit of the modernist vanguard”

the foremost part of an advancing army or naval force.

39
Q

fervour
(noun)

A

intense and passionate feeling.
“he talked with all the fervour of a new convert”

intense heat.

40
Q

tremor
(noun, verb)

A

an involuntary quivering movement.
“a disorder that causes tremors and muscle rigidity”

3rd person present: tremors
undergo a tremor or tremors.
“a muscle in my jaw tremored uncontrollably”

41
Q

incentive
(noun)

A

a thing that motivates or encourages someone to do something.
“give farmers an incentive to improve their land”

a payment or concession to stimulate greater output or investment.
“tax incentives for investing in depressed areas”

42
Q

sanguine
(adjective)

A

optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation.
“he is sanguine about prospects for the global economy”

blood-red.

43
Q

clamour
(verb)

A

(of a group of people) shout loudly and insistently.
“the surging crowds clamoured for attention”

make a vehement protest or demand.
“scientists are clamouring for a ban on all chlorine substances”

44
Q

awash
(adjective)

A

covered or flooded with water, especially seawater or rain.
“the boat rolled violently, her decks awash”

containing large numbers or amounts of someone or something.
“the city was awash with journalists”

level with the surface of water so that it just washes over.
“a rock awash outside the reef entrance”

45
Q

biannual
(adjective)

A

occurring twice a year.
“the biannual meeting of the planning committee”

46
Q

morass
(noun)

A

an area of muddy or boggy ground.
“in midwinter the track beneath this bridge became a muddy morass”

a complicated or confused situation.
“she would become lost in a morass of lies and explanations”

47
Q

stymie
(verb)

A

prevent or hinder the progress of.
“the changes must not be allowed to stymie new medical treatments”

48
Q

audit
(noun, verb)

A

an official inspection of an organization’s accounts, typically by an independent body.
“audits can’t be expected to detect every fraud”

conduct an official financial inspection of (a company or its accounts).
“unlimited companies must also have their accounts audited”

attend (a class) informally, without working for credit.
“he made use of the knowledge gleaned from economics classes he audited”

49
Q

relinquish
(verb)

A

voluntarily cease to keep or claim; give up.
“he relinquished his managerial role to become chief executive”

50
Q

foist
(verb)

A

impose an unwelcome or unnecessary person or thing on.
“she had no desire to have an elderly relative foisted on her”

Expand Your Vocabulary (12 decks)

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