Vocabulary Flashcards
Abate
v. to lessen in intensity or degree
Abstract
adj. existing purely in the mind; not representing actual reality
Abysmal
adj. very bad
Acquisition
n. the act of gaining a skill or possession of something
Adept
adj. having knowledge or skill (usually in a particular area)
Adequate
adj. enough; sufficient
Adversarial
adj. relating to hostile opposition
Advocate
n. someone who promotes or defends something
Allude
v. to make a secretive mention of something
Ambiguous
adj. unclear or vague in meaning
Ambivalence
n. the state of being uncertain or stuck between two or more options
Anomaly
n. something different from the norm
Apex
n. the highest point of something
Articulate
v. to clearly express in words
Assertion
n. a strong declaration
Authenticity
n. the quality of being real and true instead of fake and contrived
Avid
adj. actively interested in or enthusiastic about something
Benevolent
adj. kind, generous
Bias
n. a preconception that prevents objectivity
Bolster
v. to support, strengthen, or fortify
Brevity
n. the quality of being brief or terse
Candid
adj. direct, blunt
Capitalize
v. to use to your advantage
Civic
adj. relating to the city or citizens
Coarse
adj. rough; unrefined or unsophisticated
Coincide
v. to happen at the same time
Commission
n. the use of payment to request something (e.g., a service or product)
Comparable
adj. able to be compared
Competent
adj. sufficiently qualified
Complacent
adj. satisfied, with no desire to change or improve
Complement
v. to make perfect or complete
Concede
v. to be forced to agree or surrender; to admit something
Conceive
v. to imagine or come up with
Condone
v. to overlook, approve, or allow
Conducive
adj. able to bring about or be suitable for
Consensus
n. overall agreement
Constitute
v. to form or compose (part of) something
Contemplate
v. to think deeply about
Contend
v. to maintain or assert (an opinion)
Conventional
adj. abiding by accepted standards
Convey
v. to pass on or transfer (information)
Conviction
n. a firm belief in something
Corroborate
v. to provide evidence for; to back up (a claim)
Counterargument
n. an argument used to criticize or dismantle another argument
Culmination
n. the final act or climax
Cultivate
v. to foster the growth of
Decree
v. to declare formally and with authority
Deference
n. respect; regard
Deficient
adj. not enough in degree or amount
Deplete
v. to (over)use over time (usu. resources)
Desolate
adj. bare, barren, empty
Devise
v. to come up with (a plan)
Diligence
n. conscientiousness; the quality of being committed to a task
Diminish
v. to become smaller in scope or degree
Dire
adj. hopeless and dangerous or fearful
Discord
n. disagreement
Disdain
n. a lack of respect and strong dislike (toward something or someone)
Dismay
n. hopelessness, stress, or consternation
Disparage
v. to belittle or speak down to
Dispatch
v. to send off a message or messenger
Doctrine
n. a principle, theory, or position, usu. advocated by a religion or gov’t
Dominion
n. power and authority (usu. over a territory)
Dubious
adj. doubtful, questionable
Eccentric
adj. peculiar or odd; deviating from the norm
Egregious
adj. extremely bad
Eloquent
adj. having refined or expressive communication skills (in speaking or writing)
Eminent
adj. superior or distinguished; high in position or status
Emit
v. to discharge, give forth, or release
Emphatic
adj. very expressive; using emphasis
Empirical
adj. derived from experience, observation, or an experiment
Endure
v. to withstand, sustain, or hold out against
Entail
v. to involve or include
Entrenched
adj. firmly established
Enumerate
v. to specify or count
Envy
n. excessive jealousy; v. to admire and be jealous of
Erratic
adj. having no fixed course; deviating from the norm
Establish
v. to enact; to found (a business, group, school, etc.)
Evoke
v. to draw forth or call up
Exacerbate
v. to make worse or increase the severity of
Excel
v. to do something extremely well or to be superior in
Exert
v. to put into use (usu. as effort)
Exhilarating
adj. invigorating, stimulating, or exciting
Expend
v. to use up (as in energy or money)
Exploit
v. to use selfishly or for profit
Facilitate
v. to aid the progress of
Feasibility
n. the practicality or possibility of something
Ferocity
n. viciousness, violence
Fiscal
adj. related to (government) money
Flourish
v. to prosper, grow, or make fast progress
Fluctuate
v. to be unstable; to rise and fall
Frankly
adv. directly, clearly
Fundamental
adj. the most essential or most basic part
Galvanizing
adj. thrilling, exciting, stimulating
Hostile
adj. harmful, dangerous
Hypothetical
adj. supposed; related to a hypothesis
Impart
v. to transmit, bestow, or disclose
Impartiality
n. the equal and objective treatment of opposing views
Imposing
adj. impressive (esp. in size or appearance)
Incite
v. to encourage or stir up
Indifference
n. apathy, emotional detachment
Indiscriminately
adv. randomly; with little or no distinction
Indulge
v. to give into; to satisfy or gratify
Infer
v. to guess, conclude, or derive by reasoning
Innovative
adj. novel or new (esp. as an idea or invention)
Inversion
n. a reversal
Irreconcilable
adj. incapable of being in harmony or agreed upon
Lucrative
adj. capable of making a lot of money; profitable
Malicious
adj. harmful, spiteful
Materialistic
adj. superficial; focus on material possessions
Melodramatic
adj. extravagant or exaggerated (as of a melodrama)
Modest
adj. simple and humble; small in amount
Momentous
adj. historically significant
Novel
adj. new, innovative
Nuance
n. a subtle difference in meaning
Null
adj. legally void and ineffective
Objectivity
n. judgment based on observations instead of emotions or opinions
Obsolete
adj. no longer used; rare or uncommon
Omnipotent
adj. almighty and all powerful
Opine
v. to openly express an opinion
Oust
v. to remove or force out of (usu. a position or office)
Paramount
adj. predominant, superior, most important
Perish
v. to die; to pass away
Persecute
v. to cause suffering to
Pinnacle
n. highest level or degree
Pitiable
adj. deserving pity
Plausible
adj. reasonable and possibly true
Postulate
v. to assert
Pragmatic
adj. practical, useful
Precedent
n. an example or subject from earlier in time
Predecessor
n. someone who comes before you (usu. in position or office)
Prescribe
v. to issue authorization for medications; to give orders
Principle
n. basic truth, assumption, or rule
Prohibit
v. to command against, to outlaw
Prompt
adj. punctual, on time; n. a cue to begin something; instructions
Prosecute
v. to bring criminal action against someone (in a trial)
Provocative
adj. intending to provoke, inspire, or arouse
Qualitative
adj. involving qualities of something (features and content)
Quantitative
adj. involving quantities (numbers and amounts)
Quirk
n. a strange habit
Rash
adj. without attention to danger or risk
Reform
v. to improve via change
Refute
v. to prove to be untrue, unfounded, or incorrect
Renounce
v. to give up; to cast off
Reproach
v. to criticize
Retention
n. the act of keeping something
Satiated
adj. satisfied (usu. in hunger)
Savvy
adj. having practical intelligence or knowledge
Scorn
v. to look down on with disdain
Scrutinize
v. to examine carefully and critically
Sentiment
n. opinion; a tender or moving gesture
Sinister
adj. ominous, evil
Solidarity
n. the joining of commonalities or common purposes among a group
Sparingly
adv. insufficiently, meagerly, or in a restricted manner
Static
adj. motionless; changeless
Subordinate
adj. lower in rank
Subsequently
adv. happening later or after something
Substantial
adj. very large in amount or degree
Substantiate
v. to strengthen with new evidence or facts
Subtle
adj. hard to detect or analyze
Sufficient
adj. enough; just meeting a requirement
Susceptible
adj. to be vulnerable (to something)
Tactful
adj. skilled at dealing with people
Temperament
n. usual mood or feelings
Tentative
adj. not yet finalized
Ubiquitous
adj. being everywhere at once
Unadorned
adj. undecorated, plain
Undermine
v. to weaken or subvert (usu. gradually or secretly)
Underscore
v. to emphasize or give additional weight to
Unilateral
adj. one-sided
Unjust
adj. unfair; not justified
Unmitigated
adj. downright, utter, total
Unprecedented
adj. completely new and never having happened before; historic
Unveil
v. to make visible; to reveal
Validate
v. to prove or declare valid
Viability
n. ability to be done in a practical or useful way
Warrant
v. to prove to be reasonable
Yield
v. to give way to or surrender to; to produce or supply