Week 1 Flashcards
candid
completely honest, straightforward
Candace’s candidness overwhelmed her business colleagues, who were not used to such honesty.
conjecture
inference; guesswork
At this point, Kimaya’s hypothesis about single-cell biorhythms is still conjecture: she doesn’t have conclusive evidence.
didactic
instuctive;
The tapes were enteraining and diactic; they both amused and instructed children.
effusive
showing excessive emotion; overflowing
Accepting his Oscar for Best Supporting Sound Editor, Ben delivered the most effusive speech in Academy Awards history: he cried, he hugged people, he blew kisses to the audience, and then he cried some more.
euphemism
a mild, indirect, or vague term substituting for a harsh, blunt, or offensive term
“To pass away” is a common euphemism for dying
extrapolate
to infer or estimate by extending or projecting know information
Seeing the wrecked bike and his daughter’s skinned knees, Heath extrapolated that she had had a biking accident
incoherent
lacking cohesion or connection
Maury’s sentences were so incoherent that nobody understood a word
insinuate
to introduce or communicate stealthily
Sean insinuated that Grace stole the iPhone, but he never came out and said it.
loquacious
very talkative
I’m not eloquent, so I’ll just come out and say it: Bobby is loquacious and will talk, talk, and talk
lucid
easily understood; clear
Our teacher provides lucid explanations for even the most difficult concepts so that we can all understand them
rhetoric
the art of using laguage effectively and persuasively
Since they are expected to make speeches, most politicians and lawyes are were-versed in the art of rhetoric
acumen
quickness, accuracy, and keenness of judgement or insight
Judge Acerman’s legal acumen was so well regarded that he was nicknamed the “Solomon (as in King Solomon) of the South”
adroit
dexterous; deft; skilled (think Android, android phones are smartphones, so this word means skilled)
An adroit balloon-animal artist, Adrianna became popular at children’s parties.
ascertain
to find out, as throught investigation or experimentation
The private investigator had long suspected my dog; before long, he ascertained that Toto was indeed the murderer
astute
shrewd; clever
Stewart is financially astute; he invests wisely and never falls for scams.
circumspect
careful; prudent; discreet
Ned’s circumspect manner makes him a wise appointment to the diplomatic corps.
disseminate
to scatter widely, as in sowing seed
The news about Dave’s embarrassing moment at the party disseminated quickly through the school; by the end of the day, everyone knew what had happened.
erudition
deep, extensive learning
Professor Rudy’s erudition was such that she could answer any question her students put to her
pedantic
excessively concerned with book learning and formal rules
Pedro’s pedantic tendencies prompted him to remind us constantly of all the grammatical rules we were breaking.
perspicacious
shrewd; clearl-sighted
Persephone’s perspicacious mind had solved so many cases that the popular private investigator was able to retire.
pragmatic
practical
Never one for wild and unrealistic schemes, Matt took a pragmatic approach to research.
precocious
exhibiting unusually early intellectual aptitude or maturity
Mozart’s precocious intellect made him one of the world’s best composer before he was even 10.
prolific
very productive; producing great quantities
Charlie was the world’s most prolific author; it is estimated he wrote the equivalent of 1,000 novels.
prospectus
formal proposal
Before writing my thesis, I had to submit a detailed prospectus to the department for approval.
rudimentary
basic; elementary; in the earliest stages of development
Josh’s rudimentary golf skills were easily overpowered by Tiger Woods’ amazing performance on the green.
abstruse
difficult to understand
Abby found her professor’s lecture on non-Eulidean geometry abstruse; she doubted anyone else in class understood it either.
callous
emotionally hardened; unfeeling
Callie’s callous remark about her friend’s cluttered room really hurt his feelings.
convoluted
intricate; complex
The directions were so convoluted that we became hopelessly lost
disaffected
having lost faith or loyalty; discontent
The disaffected cat trainer finally quit his job when he realized you just can’t train cats, no matter how much you yell at them.
enigma
a puzzle, mystery, or riddle
The emu was an enigma; you could never tell what it was thinking
inscrutable
difficult to fathom or understand; impenetrable
The ancient poet’s handwriting was so inscrutable that even the most prominent Latin scholars could not read the manuscript.
reticent
inclined to keep silent; reserved
Rosanna’s reticent behavior caused the interviewer to think her incapable of conversing with other students.
staid
unemotional; serious
Mr. Estado was well known for his staid demeanor, he STAYED calm even when everyone else celebrated the team’s amazing victory.
arcane
known or understood by only a few
The dusty archive includes an arcane treasure trove of nautical charts from the Age of Discovery
assimilate
to absorb or become absorbed; to make or become similar
Keisha assimilated so quickly to her new school that she was named head of the social committe a month after enrolling
autonomy
independence; self-determination
Candice gained autonomy upon moving out of her parents’ house and into her own apartment.
cosmopolitan
worldy; widely sophisticated
Jenny was surprisingly cosmopolitan considering that she had never left her tiny hometown in Norway
derivative
something that comes from another source
Special Victims Unit and Criminal Intent are derivatives of the original Law and Order drama series.
esoteric
intended for or understood by only a small group
Esme’s play is extremely esoteric; someone not raised in Estonia would find it difficult to follow.
gaffe
a clumsy social error; a faux pas
Geoff committed the gaffe of telling his date that he’d gone out with her sister the night before
idiosyncrasy
chracteristic peculiar to an individual or group
She had many idosyncrasies, one of which was washing her socks in the dishwasher
insular
isolated; narrow or provincial
The family was so insular that no one else could get near them.
orthodox
adhering to the traditional and established, especially in religion
My father held an orthodox view of baseball; he believed that the field should be outside and made of real grass
potentate
one who has thepower and position to rule over others; monarch
An omnipotent potentate is a person to be reckoned with; greate power in the hands of a great leader is a powerful combination
castigate
to scold, rebuke, or harshly criticize
Mr. Castile preferred not to castigate student misbehavior publicly; instead, he would quietly send the troublemaker to the principal’s office.
censure
to issue offical blame
In recent years the FCC has censured networks for the provocative antics of Super Bowl halftime acts; what goes on during the game, however, usually escapes the organization’s notice.
denounce
to condemn openly
In many powerful speeches throughout his lifetime, Martin Luther King Jr denounced racism as immoral
reclusive
seeking or preferring seclusion or isolation
Our neighbors were quite reclusive, hardly ever emerging from behind the closed doors of their home
relinquish
to retire from; give up or abandon
Ricky relinquished his career in order to search for the source of the world’s best relish
renounce
to give up ( a title, for example), especially by formal announcement
Nancy renounced her given name and began selling records under the moniker “Boedicia”
vituperative
marked by harshly abusive condemnation
The vituperative speech was so cruel that the members left feeling completely abused.
