Volcabulary 147-220 Flashcards
Enigma(n)
A puzzle; a mystery
-speaking in riddles and dressed in old robes, the artist was something of an enigma
Engender(v)
To produce, cause, or bring about
- his fear and hatred of clowns was engendered when he witness a clown fight someone
Enumerate(v)
To count, list, or itemize
-be deciding, Jacob asked the waiter to enumerate the different varieties
Ephemeral(adj)
Lasting a short time
-the lives if mayflies seem ephemeral to us, since it’s average lifetime is an hour
Epicure(n)
A person with refined taste in food and wine
-Nurem is an epicure who always throws splendid dinners
Equivocate(v)
To use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
-faced with criticism, the politician equivocated and left them all thinking he sided with them
Erratic(adj)
Wandering and unpredictable
-it took and erratic turn that surprised everyone
Ersatz(adj)
Fake
-her bag was really an ersatz version purchased on the street
Erudite(adj)
Learned; scholarly; bookish
-the annual meeting of philosophy professors was a gathering of the most erudite, well-published individuals in the field
Eschew(v)
To shun; to avoid ( as something wrong or distasteful)
-the filmmaker eschewed artificial light for her actors
Esoteric(adj)
Known or understood only by a few
- only a handful of experts are knowledgeable about the esoteric world of physics
Estimable(adj)
Admirable
-people consider it estimable that mother Teresa spent her life helping the poor of India
Ethos(n)
The beliefs or character of a group
- it is the Boy Scouts ethos that one should always be prepared
Eulogy(n)
A speech in praise of someone
- his best friend have the eulogy, outlining his achievements
Euphemism(n)
Use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one
-the funeral director preferred to use the euphemism “sleeping” instead of dead
Euphony(n)
Pleasant, harmonious sound
-to her, he children’s song sounded like euphony, although someone cringed at the cacophony
Exacerbate(v)
To make worse
- sleeping will only exacerbate the problem
Exculpate(v)
To clear from blame; to prove innocent
- law is intended to convict this who are guilty and exculpate the innocent
Exigent(adj)
Urgent; requiring immediate attention
-he was loosing blood so rapidly tha got was exigent to stop the bleeding
Exonerate(v)
To clear blame
-the fugitive was exonerated when another guy pleaded guilty
Explicit(adj)
Clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression
-the journalist wrote an explicit description of the gruesome murder
Exponent(n)
One who champions or advocates
- the Vice President was an enthusiastic exponent of computer technology
Expurgate(v)
To censor
- government propagandists expurgated all negative references to the dictator from the film
Fallow(n)
dormant; unused
-the field should lie fallow for a year so the soil does not become completely depleted
Fanatical(adj)
Acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion
-the guys were fanatical in their devotion to boxing
Fatuous(adj)
Stupid; foolishly self-satisfied
-ted’s fatuous comments always embarrassed his wife at parties
Fawn(v)
To grovel
-the understudy fawned over the director in hopes of being cast in the part on a permanent basis
Fecund(adj)
Fertile; fruitful; productive
-the fecund couple yielded a total of 20 children.
Fervid(adj)
Intensely emotional; feverish
-her fans were particularly fervid, doing anything to catch a glimpse of the singer
Fetid(adj)
Foul-smelling; putrid
-the fetid stench caused her to wrinkle her nose
Flag(v)
To decline in vigor, strength, or interest
-the marathon runner slowed down as his strength flagged
Florid(adj)
Excessively decorated or embellished
-the palace had been decorated in an excessively florid style
Foment(v)
To arouse or incite
-the rebels tried to foment revolution through thee attacks on the government
Ford(v)
To cross a body of water by wading
-because of the recent torrential rains, the cowboys were unable to ford the swollen river
Forestall(v)
To prevent or delay; to anticipate
-the landlord forestalled his attempt to avoid paying the rent by waiting for him outside
Fortuitous(adj)
Happening by chance; fortunate
- it was fortuitous that he won the lotto
Fractious(adj)
Unruly; rebellious
-he had a hard time maintaining discipline among his fractious troops
Frenetic(adj)
Frantic; frenzied
-the employees frenetic schedule left her little time to socialize
Frugality(n)
Tending to be thrifty or cheap
-his frugality was so great that e accumulated enough wealth to fill a storehouse
Furtive(adj)
Secret; stealthy
-he was furtive when he peered out the corner of his eye at the stunningly beautiful model
Gambol(v)
To dance or skip around playfully
-from her office, Amy enviously watched the playful puppies gambol around Central Park
Garner(v)
To gather or store
-the director managed to garner financial backing from several different sources
Garrulous(adj)
Tending to talk a lot
- the garrulous parakeet distracted it’s owner with its continuous talking
Gestation(n)
The growth process from conception to birth
-the longer gestation period of an organism, the more developed the baby is at birth
Glib(adj)
Fluent in an insincere manner; offhand; casual
-the slimy politician managed to continue gaining supporters because he was a glib speaker
Glower(v)
To glare or stare angrily and intensely
-the cranky waiter glowered at the indecisive customer
Gradation(n)
A degree or stage in process; a variation in color
-the paint store offers so many different gradations of red that it’s difficult to choose
Gregarious(adj)
Outgoing; sociable
-she was so gregarious that when she found herself along she felt quite sad
Grievous(adj)
Causing grief or sorrow; serious and distressing
-they sobbed loudly throughout the grievous event
Grovel(v)
To humble oneself Ina demeaning way
-he groveled to his ex, hoping she would take him back
Guile(n)
Deceit; trickery
-since he was not fast enough to catch the roadrunner on foot, the coyote resorted to guile in an effort to trap his enemy
Gullible(adj)
Easily deceived
-the con man pretended to be a bank officer so as to fool gullible customers
Hapless(adj)
Unfortunate; having bad luck
-I wish someone would give that poor, hapless soul some food and shelter
Hegemony(n)
The domination of one state or group over its allies
-when Germany claimed hegemony over Russia, Stalin was Outraged
Hermetic(adj)
Tightly sealed
-the hermetic seal of the jar provoked impossible to break
Heterogeneous(adj)
Composed of unlike parts; different; diverse
-the UN is by nature a heterogenous body
Hoary(adj)
Very old; whitish or gray from age
-the old mans hoary beard contrasted starkly to the new stubble of his teenage grandson
Homogeneous(adj)
Of a similar kind -the class was fairly homogeneous since almost all the students were Jewish
Husband(v)
To manage economically; to use sparingly
-he paced himself at the start of the race, knowing that if he husbanded his resources he’d have the strength to break out of the pack
Hyperbole(n)
Purposeful exaggeration for effect
-he claimed that he was one of the 7 wonders, outsides classified the statement as a hyperbole
Iconoclast(n)
One who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
- his lack if regard for traditional beliefs soon established him as an iconoclast
Idiosyncrasy(n)
Peculiarity of temperament; eccentricity
-his numerous idiosyncrasies included a fondness for wearing socks with green shoes
Ignoble(adj)
Having low moral standards; not noble in character; mean
-he was paid a princely sum for the picture of the self-proclaimed ethicist in the ignoble act of pick-pocketing
Imbue(v)
In infuse,dye,wet, or moisten
-Marcia struggled to imbue her children with decent values, a difficult task in this age
Impasse(n)
A blocked path; a dilemma with no solution
-the rick slide produced an impasse, so no one could proceed
Impecunious(adj)
Poor; having no money
-after the crash, many former millionaires found themselves impecunious
Imperturbable(adj)
Not capable of being disturbed
-she was so capable of dealing with children that she was imperturbable
Impervious(adj)
Impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected
-a good raincoat will be impervious to moisture
Impetuous(adj)
Quick to act without thinking
-it’s not good for an inversion to be impetuous since a lot of thought must be given
Impious(adj)
Not devout in religion
-the nun cut herself off from her impious family after she entered the convent
Implacable(adj)
Unable to be calmed down or made peaceful
-his rage at the betrayal was so great that he remained implacable for weeks
Indolent(adj)
Habitually lazy or idle
-her indolent ways for her fired from many jobs
Inexorable(adj)
Inflexible; unyielding
-the inexorable force of the twister swept away her house
Ingenuous(adj)
Showing innocence or childlike simplicity
-she was so ingenuous that her friends feared that her in iceboxes and triad unless would be exploited
