Word Knowledge Flashcards
Abase
To lower in rank, prestige, or esteem
Abstruse
Difficult to understand
Abundant
Marked by great plenty (as of resources)
Acumen
Quickness, accuracy, and keenness of judgment of insight
Adroit
Dexterous; deft
Affable
Easygoing; friendly
Alacrity
Cheerful willingness; eagerness
Alleviate
To ease a pain or a burden
Altruism
Unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness
Amalgam
A combination of diverse elements; a mixture
Ambiguous
Open to more than one interpretation
Ambivalent
Simultaneously feeling opposing feelings; uncertain
Amiable
Friendly and agreeable in disposition; good-natured and likable
Apparel
Clothing; something that covers or adorns
Arboreal
Relating to or resembling a tree
Arcane
Known or understood by only a few
Archaic
Characteristic of an earlier period; old-fashioned
Ascertain
To discover with certainty, as through examination or experimentation
Astute
Shrewd; clever
Augment
To make (something already developed or well under way) greater, as in size
Aural
Of, relating to, or perceived by the ear
Austere
Without decoration; strict
Autonomy
Independence; self-determination; self-government or the right of
Averse
Strongly disinclined; reluctant
Banal
Drearily commonplace and often predictable; trite
Belie
To picture falsely; misrepresent
Belligerent
Inclined or eager to fight; hostile or aggressive
Benefactor
Someone who takes care of or gives money to another person
Benign
Kind and gentle
Bolster
To buoy up or hearten; to support or prop up
Bombastic
Given to pompous speech or writing
Brevity
The quality or state of being brief in duration
Burgeon
To grow and flourish; to put forth new buds, leaves, or greenery; to sprout
Cacophony
Jarring, discordant sound; dissonance
Cajole
To urge with gentle and repeated appeals, teasing, or flattery
Callous
Emotionally hardened; unfeeling
Candid
Characterized by openness and sincerity of expression; unreservedly straightforward
Capricious
Impulsive and unpredictable
Castigate
To inflict severe punishment on
Cathartic
Causing relaxation after an emotional outburst
Censure
To criticize severely; to blame
Chicanery
A trick; deception by trickery
Circumscribe
To draw a circle around; to restrict
Circumspect
Heedful of circumstances and potential consequences; prudent
Clandestine
Done secretively, especially to deceive; surreptitious
Commodity
Something brought or sold
Conciliatory
Appeasing; soothing; pleasant
Conform
To act in accordance with prevailing standards or customs
Conjecture
Inference or judgment based on inconclusive or incomplete evidence
Contentious
Quarrelsome
Contradiction
A situation in which two things do not make sense together
Contrary
Opposite; disagreeing
Convoluted
Intricate; complex
Copious
Plentiful; having a large quantity
Cordial
Hearty; sincere; warm; affectionate
Cosmopolitan
So sophisticated as to be at home in all parts of the world of conversant with
Credible
Capable of being believed; plausible
Cultivate
To help something grow
Curative
Something that cures; a remedy
Cynical
Distrustful of people’s motives
Dearth
A scarce supply; a lack
Debacle
A sudden, disastrous collapse, downfall, or defeat; a rout
Debilitate
To sap the strength or energy of; to enervate
Debunk
To expose or ridicule falseness, shams, or exaggerated claims
Defunct
Having ceased to exist or live
Deleterious
Having a harmful effect
Deliberate
To think deeply about
Demure
Modest and reserved in manner or behavior
Denounce
To condemn openly as being evil or reprehensible
Depict
To represent by, or as if by, a picture; to describe
Deride
To speak of or treat with contemptuous mirth (amusement, expressed in laughter)
Derivative
A by-product
Derogatory
Tending or intending to belittle (make someone seem unimportant)
Devise
To imagine or create
Didactic
Intended to instruct
Diffidence
Timidity or shyness
Dilatory
Habitually late
Diligent
Careful and steady in application to one’s work or duties
Diminish
To decrease in size, extent, or range; to lessen the authority, dignity, or reputation of
Dirge
A funeral hymn or lament
Disparage
To speak of in a slighting way or negatively; to belittle
Disseminate
To scatter widely, as in sowing seed
Distend
To swell out or expand from or as if from internal pressure
Distinguish
To perceive a difference in
Docile
Ready and willing to be taught; teachable
Dogmatic
Stubbornly adhering to insufficiently proved beliefs
Dubious
Doubtful; of unlikely authenticity
Duplicitous
Given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech