Word List 15 Flashcards
expiate
to extinguish the guild incurred by
to make amends for
e.g. Yom Kippur is the holy day on which Jews are expected to expiate sins committed during the past year.
explicate
to give a detailed explanation of
to develop the implications of; analyze logically
e.g. The physicist did his best to explicate the wave theory of light for the audience of laymen.
inchoate
being only partly in existence or operation; incipient; especially, imperfectly formed or formulated; formless, incoherent
e.g. inchoate feelings of affection for a man whom she had, up till now, thought of as only a friend
tacit
expressed or carried on without words or speech
implied or indicated (as by an act or by silence) but not actually expressed
e.g. tacit consent
tacit admission of guilt
immanent
indwelling, inherent
being within the limits of possible experience or knowledge
e.g. Beauty is not something imposed but something immanent.
a question as to whether altruism is immanent in all individuals or is instead acquired from without
exponent
one that expounds or interprets
one that champions, practices, or exemplifies
e.g. She has become one of America’s foremost exponents of the romantic style in interior design.
exposition
a setting forth of the meaning or purpose (as of a writing)
discourse or an example of it designed to convey information or explain what is difficult to understand
a public exhibition or show
e.g. a clear exposition of his ideas
the great Paris Exposition of 1899
repose
to lay at rest; to lie dead; to take a rest
to rest for support; lie
also
e.g. Typically the wealthy socialite spends most of the morning in repose, is served lunch, and then embarks on an exhaustive afternoon of shopping.
Her face in repose is grave and thoughtful.
expository
- exposition
e. g. an expository piece on the workings of the internal-combustion engine
expostulate
express strong disapproval or disagreement
e.g. Jim expostulated with the teacher’s opinion to no avail.
I expostulated with him in vain.
expound
to set forth; state
to defend with argument
to explain by setting forth in careful and often elaborate detail
e.g. The article expounds the virtues of a healthy diet.
expressly
in an express manner; explicitly
for the express purpose; particularly, specifically
e.g. expressly rejected the proposal
a shirt made expressly for me
expunge
to strike out, obliterate, or mark for deletion to efface completely; destroy to eliminate (as a memory) from one's consciousness
e.g. Time and the weather have expunged any evidence that a thriving community once existed here.
expurgate
to cleanse of something morally harmful, offensive, or erroneous; especially, to expunge objectionable parts from before publication or presentation
e.g. The newspaper had expurgate the expletive-laden speech that the criminal made upon being sentenced to life imprisonment.
extant
currently or actually existing
still existing; not destroyed or lost
e.g. the most charming writer extant
There are few extant records from that period.
extemporaneous
composed, performed, or uttered on the spur of the moment; impromptu
skilled at or given to extemporaneous utterance
happening suddenly and without clearly known causes or relationships
provided, made, or put to use as an expedient; makeshift
e.g. Caught by surprise, I had to make an extemporaneous speech at the awards banquet.
an extemporaneous shelter
extemporize
to do something extemporaneously; improvise; especially to speak extemporaneously
to get along in a makeshift manner
e.g. A good talk show host has to be able to extemporize the interviews when things don’t go as planned.
temporal
of or relating to time as opposed to eternity
of or relating to earthly life
of or relating to time (in grammar / as distinct from space)
extenuate
to lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of by making partial excuses; mitigate
to lessen the strength or effect of
e.g. Don't even try to extenuate their vandalism of the cemetery with the old refrain of "Boys will be boys." extenuating circumstances (like ill health, bereavement, etc)
tenuous
not dense; rare
not thick; slender
having little substance or strength; flimsy, weak
shaky
e.g. He has a tenuous grasp on reality.
The local theater has had a tenuous existence in recent years.
a tenuous fluid/rope
externalize
to make external or externally manifest
to attribute to causes outside the self; rationalize
e.g. an actress with an expressive face that wonderfully externalizes a wide range of emotions
externalized his lack of ability to succeed
extirpate
to destroy completely; wipe out
to pull up by the root
to cut out by surgery
e.g. the triumph of modern medicine in extirpating certain diseases
extol
to praise highly; glorify
e.g. campaign literature extolling the candidate’s military record
lambaste
to assault violently; beat, whip
to attack verbally; censure
e.g. They wrote several letters lambasting the new law.
malign
to utter injuriously misleading or false reports about; speak evil of
e.g. a candidate who believes that it is possible to win an election without maligning anyone
extort
to obtain from a person by force, intimidation, or undue or illegal power; wring
to gain especially by ingenuity or compelling argument
e.g. The criminals extorted large sums of money from their victims.
extract
to obtain by much effort from someone unwilling
e.g. extracted a confession
extraneous
existing on or coming form the outside
not forming an essential or vital part
having no relevance
e.g. She sped up the process by eliminating all extraneous steps.
The architect’s streamlined modern style shuns any sort of extraneous ornamentation.
interpolate
to alter or corrupt (as a text) by inserting new or foreign matter to insert (words) into a text or into a conversation to insert between other things or parts; intercalate
e.g. He smoothly interpolates fragments from other songs into his own.
He interpolated a very critical comment in the discussion.
extrapolate
to project, extend, or expand into an area not known or experienced so as to arrive at a usually conjectural knowledge of the unknown area
to predict by projecting past experience or known data
e.g. extrapolates present trends to construct an image of the future
extrapolate public sentiment on one issue from known public reaction to others
vagrant
one who has no established residence and wanders idly from place to place without lawful or visible means or support
wanderer, rover
wandering about from place to place
having a fleeting, wayward, or inconstant quality
having no fixed course; random
e.g. a vagrant impulse
a vagrant breeze
divagate
to wander or stray from a course or subject; diverge, digress
extricate
to distinguish from a related thing
to free or remove from an entanglement or difficulty
e.g. She hasn’t been able extricate herself from her legal problems.
extricable
- extricate
exuberant
extreme or excessive in degree, size, or extent
joyously unrestrained and enthusiastic
unrestrained or elaborate especially in style; flamboyant
produced in extreme abundance; plentiful
e.g. His exuberant personality makes him fun to be around.
exuberant architecture
exuberant foliage and vegetation
exude
to ooze out
to display conspicuously or abundantly
e.g. Pine trees exude a sticky substance.
exudes charm
sudorific
causing or inducing sweat; diaphoretic
e.g. sudorific herbs
exult
to be extremely joyful; rejoice
e.g. The winners of the Super Bowl spent the next week exulting in their victory.
sultry
very hot and humid; sweltering
hot with passion or anger
exciting or capable of exciting strong sexual desire
e.g. a sultry day/sun
an actress with a sultry voice
facade
the front of a building; also, any face of a building given special architectural treatment
a false, superficial, or artificial appearance or effect
e.g. the windowless facade of the skyscraper
They were trying to preserve the facade of a happy marriage.
facet
a small plane surface
any of the definable aspects that make a subject (as of contemplation) or an object (as of consideration)
e.g. Each facet of the problem requires careful attention.
the different facets of our culture
facetious
joking or jesting often inappropriately; waggish
meant to be humorous or funny; not serious
e.g. a facetious and tasteless remark
facile
easily accomplished or attained
shallow, simplistic
readily manifested and often lacking sincerity or depth
ready, fluent; poised, assured
e.g. This problem needs more than a just a facile solution.
facile tears
a facile prose/writer
factotum
a person having many diverse activities or responsibilities
a general servant
e.g. the office factotum
fictitious
of, relating to, or characteristic of faction; imaginary
conventionally or hypothetically assumed or accepted
(of a name) false, assumed
e.g. fictitious characters
a fictitious concept
a fictitious name
fad
a practice or interest followed for a time with exaggerated zeal; craze
e.g. Once the fad for that kind of music had passed, nobody would have been caught dead listening to it.
faddish
- fad
fallacious
embodying a fallacy
tending to deceive or mislead; delusive
e.g. consumers who harbor the fallacious belief that credit-card spending will never catch up with them
fallacy
deceptive appearance; deception
a false or mistaken idea
an often plausible argument using false or invalid inference
e.g. The fallacy of their ideas about medicine soon became apparent.
fallible
liable to be erroneous
capable of making a mistake
e.g. a fallible generation
fallow
of a light yellowish-brown color usually cultivated land that is allowed to lie idle during the growing season the state or period of being fallow left untilled or unsown after plowing dormant, inactive (esp. in "lie fallow")
e.g. At this very moment there are probably important inventions lying fallow.
falter
to walk unsteadily; stumble
to speak brokenly or weakly; stammer
to hesitate in purpose or action; waver
to lose drive or effectiveness
e.g. Her voice faltered.
He never faltered in his determination.
The business was faltering due to poor management.
famish
to cause to suffer severely from hunger
to suffer for lack of something important
e.g. a moment when French poetry in particular was famishing for such invention
surfeit
an overabundant supply; excess
an intemperate or immoderate indulgence in something (as food or drink)
disgust caused by excess
to feed, supply, or give to surfeit
e.g. ended up with a surfeit of volunteers who simply got in each other’s way
have surfeited ourselves on oysters
farce
a light dramatic composition marked by broadly satirical comedy and improbable plot
an empty or patently ridiculous act, proceeding, or situation
e.g. The recall of a duly elected official for a frivolous reason is not democracy in action but a farce.
fastidious
having high and often capricious standards; difficult to please
showing or demanding excessive delicacy or care
reflecting a meticulous, sensitive, or demanding attitude
e.g. critics so fastidious that they can talk only to a small circle of initiates
She was too fastidious to do anything that might get her dirty.
fastidious workmanship
fastness
a fortified or secure place
a remote and secluded place
e.g. The guerillas retreated to their network of hidden fastnesses deep within the mountains.
vacationed in their mountain fastness
fathom
a unit of length equal to six feet used especially for measuring the depth of water
probe; to measure by a sounding line
to penetrate and come to understand
e.g. couldn’t fathom the problem
fatuity
something foolish or stupid
stupidity, foolishness
e.g. the fatuity of these politicians
fatuous
complacently or inanely foolish; silly
e.g. Ignoring the avalanche warnings, the fatuous skiers continued on their course.
fault
a fracture in the crust of a planet (as the earth) or moon accompanied by a displacement of one side of the fracture with respect to the other usually in a direction parallel to the fracture
untoward
difficult to guide, manage, or work with; unruly, intractable
marked by trouble or unhappiness; unlucky
not favorable; adverse, unpropitious
improper, indecorous
e.g. There was nothing untoward about his appearance.
tried to reason with the untoward child
fawn
to show affection (used esp. of a dog)
to court favor by a cringing or flattering manner
a young deer; also, a kid
e.g. a sports star surrounded by fawning fans
a student who could not wait to fawn over the new teacher
faze
to disturb the composure of; disconcert, daunt
e.g. The collapse of part of the scenery didn’t faze the actors one bit, and they just carried on.
feat
act, deed
a deed notable especially for courage
an act or product of skill, endurance, or ingenuity
e.g. a performer known for her astonishing acrobatic feats
an exceptional feat of the human intellect
feckless
weak, ineffective
worthless, irresponsible
e..g a well-intentioned but feckless response to the rise in school violence
fecund
fruitful in offspring or vegetation; prolific
intellectually productive or inventive to a marked degree
e.g. The Franklin stove, bifocals, and the lightning rod are just a few of the inventions that we owe to the fecund creativity of Benjamin Franklin.
feign
pretend, dissemble
e.g. feign illness
feigned
fictitious
not genuine or real
e.g. the feigned applause that polite people give after a bad concert
the feigned looks of innocence I got when I asked who had broken the lamp
feint
something feigned; specifically, a mock blow or attack on or toward one part in order to distract attention from the point one really intends to attack
also
e.g. The boxer made a feint with his right, then followed with a left hook.
felicitous
very well suited or expressed; apt
pleasant, delightful
e.g. a felicitous remark
A felicitous accompaniment to dinner is provided by a harpist on weekends at the restaurant.
fell
skin, hide, pelt
to cut, knock, or bring down; also, to kill
fierce, cruel, terrible; sinister, malevolent; very destructive
e.g. He’s strong enough to fell an ox.
The enemy resorted to biological warfare and released some fell virus on the civilian population.
fender
a protecting device, as: cushion; railing
e.g. Not wanting our brand-new cabin cruiser to get scratched, we put thick rubber fenders between it and the dock.
feral
of, relating to, or suggestive of a wild beast
not domesticated or cultivated; wild
having escaped from domestication and become wild
e.g. Animal experts discourage homeowners from trying to adopt feral animals as pets.
ferment
to be in a state of agitation or intense activity
to work up (as into a state of agitation); foment
also
e.g. The city was in ferment as its residents nervously awaited the airborne invasion that was sure to come.
fern
a type of plants that has large delicate leaves and no flowers
ferret
a kind of domesticated animal an active and persistent searcher to hunt with ferrets to force our of hiding; flush to find and bring to light by searching (usually used with out)
e.g. ferret out the answers
ferrous
of, relating to, or containing iron
being or containing divalent iron
fervid
very hot; burning
marked by often extreme fervor
e.g. At the school board meeting the librarian delivered a fervid speech defending the classic novel against would-be censors.
fervor
intensity of feeling or expression
intense heat
e.g. The novel captures the revolutionary fervor of the period.
fester
a suppurating sore; pustule
to generate pus
putrefy, rot
to cause increasing poisoning, irritation, or bitterness; rankle
to undergo or exist in a state of progressive deterioration
e.g. His wounds festered for days before he got medical attention.
His feelings of resentment have festered for years.
fetid
having a heavy offensive smell
e.g. a fetid pool of water
fetter
a chain or shackle for the feet
something that confines; restraint
also
e.g. A time-honored tradition is fine as long as it doesn’t become a fetter that prevents us from trying something new.
He found himself fettered by responsibilities.
fiasco
a complete failure
fiat
a command or act of will that creates something without or as if without further effort
an authoritative determination; dictate
an authoritative or arbitrary order; decree
e.g. He runs the company by fiat.
The school principal issued a fiat that caps were not to be worn inside the school.
fickle
marked by lack of steadfastness, constancy, or stability; given to erratic changeableness
e.g. He blames poor sales on fickle consumers.
a fickle friendship that was on and off over the years
figment
something made up or contrived
e.g. Unable to find any tracks in the snow the next morning, I was forced to conclude that the shadowy figure had been a figment of my imagination.
fidget
(oft. pl.) uneasiness or restlessness as shown by nervous movements
to move or act restlessly or nervously
to cause to move or act nervously
e.g. Small children are likely to fidget in church.
fig
an oblong or pear-shaped syconium fruit of a tree
a worthless trifle; the least bit
dress, array
e.g. doesn’t care a fig
a young woman in dazzling royal full fig
figurative
representing by a figure or resemblance; emblematic
expressing one thing in terms normally denoting another with which it may be regarded as analogous; metaphorical
e.g. the figurative use of “allergy” to mean “a feeling of dislike”
figurehead
a figure on a ship’s bow
a head or chief in name only
e.g. The king is merely a figurehead; the government is really run by elected officials.
file
a tool for forming or smoothing surfaces
a shrewd or crafty person
to rub, smooth, or cut away with or as if with a file
filibuster
to carry out insurrectionist activities in a foreign country
to engage in a filibuster; to obstruct the passage of
also
filigree
ornamental work especially of fine wire of gold, silver, or copper, applied chiefly to gold and silver surfaces
ornamental openwork of delicate or intricate design
a pattern or design resembling such openwork
ornamentation, embellishment
e.g. a surface decorated with filigree and pearls
a filigree of frost
writings heavy with late Victorian filigree
filing
an act of instance of using a file
a fragment rubbed off in filing
e.g. iron filings
filly
a young female horse
a young woman; girl
finesse
refinement or delicacy of workmanship, structure, or texture
skillful handling of a situation; adroit maneuvering
e.g. She handled the interview questions with finesse.
maneuvered his opponent into checkmate with his customary finesse
finicky
extremely or excessively particular, exacting, or meticulous in taste or standards
requiring much care, precision, or attentive effort
e.g. a finicky eater
a complicated and finicky recipe
fissure
a narrow opening or crack of considerable length and depth usually occurring from some breaking or parting
a separation or disagreement in thought or viewpoint; schism
e.g. a deep fissure in the ice
fissures in a political party
flaccid
not firm or stiff; also, lacking normal or youthful firmness
(of plant part) deficient in turgor
lacking vigor or force
e.g. the flaccid stalks of celery
flaccid leadership
flag
to hang loose without stiffness
to become unsteady, feeble, or spiritless
to decline in interest, attraction, or value
e.g. flagging stock prices
flail
a hand threshing implement
to strike with or as if with a flail
to move, swing, or beat as if wielding a flail
to thresh (grain) with a flail
e.g. They were flailing their arms to drive away the insects.
The wounded animal lay on the ground, flailing helplessly.
flak
antiaircraft guns
(also flack) criticism, opposition
e.g. He caught heavy flak for his decision to oppose the new school.
