Vocabulary: Group 4 Flashcards by Naomi Bynum Gilchrist

Aggrandize

(Verb) to increase in intensity, power, influence, or prestige

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Acerbic

(Adj.) having a sour or bitter taste or character; sharp; biting

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Alchemy

(Noun) a medieval science aimed at the transmutation of metals, especially base metals into gold

*an alchemist is one who practices alchemy

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Amenable

(Adj.) agreeable; responsive to suggestion

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Anachronism

(Noun) something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context

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Astringent

(Adj.) having a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh; severe; something with a tightening effect on tissue

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Contiguous

(Adj.) sharing a border; touching; adjacent

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Convention

(Adj.) a generally agreed-upon practice or attitude

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Credulous

(Adj.) tending to believe too readily; gullible

[noun form: credulity]

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Cynicism

(Noun) an attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness

[adj. form: cynical]

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Decorum

(Noun) polite or appropriate conduct or behavior

[adj. form: decorous]

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Derision

(Noun) scorn, ridicule, contemptuous treatment

[adj. form: derisive, verb form: deride]

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Desiccate

(Verb) to dry out or dehydrate; to make dry or dull

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Dilettante

(Noun) one with an amateurish or superficial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge

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Disparage

(Verb) to slight or belittle

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Divulge

(Verb) to disclose something secret

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Fawn

(Verb) to flatter or praise excessively

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Flout

(Verb) to show contempt for, as in a rule or convention

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Garrulous

(Adj.) pointlessly talkative; talking too much

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Glib

(Adj.) marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in depth; superficial

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Hubris

(Noun) overbearing presumption or pride; arrogance

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Imminent

(Adj.) about to happen; impending

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Impetuous

(Adj.) hastily or rashly energetic; impulsive and vehement

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Indifferent

(Adj.) having no interest or concern; showing no bias or prejudice

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Inimical

(Adj.) damaging; harmful; injurious

Intractable

(Adj.) not easily managed or directed; stubborn; obstinate

Intrepid

(Adj.) steadfast and courageous

Laconic

(Adj.) using row words; terse

Maverick

(Noun) an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party

Mercurial

(Adj.) characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood

Mollify

(Verb) to calm or soothe; to reduce in emotional intensity

Neophyte

(Noun) a recent convert; a beginner, novice

Obfuscate

(Verb) to deliberately obscure; to make confusing

Obstinate

(Adj.) stubborn; hard-headed; uncompromising

Ostentatious

(Adj.) characterized by or given to pretentious display; showy

Pervade

(Verb) to permeate throughout [adj. form: pervasive]

Phlegmatic

(Adj.) calm; sluggish; unemotional

Plethora

(Noun) an overabundance; a surplus

Pragmatic

(Adj.) practical rather than idealistic

Presumptuous

(Adj.) overstepping due bounds (as of propriety or courtesy); taking liberties

Pristine

(Adj.) pure; uncorrupted; clean

Probity

(Noun) adherence to highest principles; complete and confirmed integrity; uprightness

Proclivity

(Noun) a natural predisposition or inclination

Profligate

(Adj.) excessively wasteful; recklessly extravagant [noun form: profligacy]

Propensity

(Noun) a natural inclination or tendency; penchant

Prosaic

(Adj.) dull; lacking in spirit or imagination

Pungent

(Adj.) characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste

Quixotic

(Adj.) foolishly impractical; marked by lofty romantic ideals

Quotidian

(Adj.) occurring or recurring daily; commonplace

Rarefy

(Verb) to make or become thin, less dense; to refine

Recondite

(Adj.) hidden; concealed; difficult to understand; obscure

Refulgent

(Adj.) radiant; shiny; brilliant

Renege

(Verb) to fail to honor a commitment; to go back on a promise

Sedulous

(Adj.) diligent; persistent; hard-working

Shard

(Noun) a piece of broken pottery or glass

Soporific

(Adj.) causing drowsiness; tending to induce sleep

Sparse

(Adj.) thin; not dense; arranged at widely spaced intervals

Spendthrift

(Noun) one who spends money wastefully

Subtle

(Adj.) not obvious; elusive; difficult to discern

Tacit

(Adj.) implied; not explicitly stated

Terse

(Adj.) brief and concise in wording

Tout

(Verb) to publicly praise or promote

Trenchant

(Adj.) sharply perceptive; keen; penetrating

Unfeigned

(Adj.) genuine; not false or hypocritical

Untenable

(Adj.) indefensible; not viable; uninhabitable

Vacillate

(Verb) to waver indecisively between one course of action or opinion and another

Variegated

(Adj.) multicolored; characterized by a variety of patches of different color

Vexation

(Noun) annoyance; irritation [verb form: vex]

Vigilant

(Adj.) alertly watchful [noun form: vigilance]

Vituperate

(Verb) to use harsh condemnatory language; to abuse or censure severely or abusively; to berate

Volatile

(Adj.) readily changing to a vapor; changeable; fickle; explosive [noun form: volatility]