Word List 2 Flashcards
affected
not natural or genuine; assumed
e.g. He accused the literary establishment of eschewing good clean writing and advancing affected, artsy prose instead.
affidavit
a written statement made under oath
perfidy
the quality or state of being faithless or disloyal; treachery
an act or an instance of disloyalty
e.g. He decided to forgive his wife’s perfidy, choosing to ascribe it to a moment of uncharacteristic weakness.
affix
to attach; to add something in writing
impress (imprint)
prefix or suffix
e.g. affix a stamp to a letter
affix a signature to a document
affix a seal
afflict
to cause pain or suffering to
e.g. The disease afflicts an estimated two million people every year.
affluent
having a generously sufficient and typically increasing supply of material possessions; rich
e.g. affluent clientele
affront
to insult especially to the face by behavior or language; offend
to face in defiance; confront
e.g. I didn’t mean to affront you when I told you I didn’t need your help.
effrontery
(oft. pl.) shameless boldness
e. g. He had the effrontery to deny eating any cookies, even with the crumbs still on his lips.
agglomerate
to gather into a cluster, mass, or ball
e.g. Breakfast cereal consisting of agglomerated clusters of wheat, rice, and nuts stays crunch in milk.
aggrandize
to make great or greater
to praise highly
e.g. This grant enables the library to significantly aggrandize its collection of books.
The movie aggrandizes the bad guys and makes the cops look like dopes.
grandeur
the quality or state of being grand; magnificence
an instance or example of grandeur
e.g. His paintings capture the beauty and grandeur of the landscape
grandiloquence
a lofty, extravagantly colorful, pompous, or bombastic style, manner, or quality especially in language
e.g. the predictably wearisome grandiloquence of the speeches at a political convention
disparage
to depreciate by indirect means; speak slightingly about
e.g. The article disparaged polo as a game for the wealthy.
aggravate
to make worse; intensify
e.g. They’re afraid that we might have aggravated an already bad situation.
aggravating
arousing displeasure, impatience, or anger
e.g. There’s nothing more aggravating as a blaring car alarm.
succor
to go to the aid of; relieve
relief; aid; help
e.g. We see it as our duty to give succor to those in need.
gregarious
enjoying the company of other people; social
marked by or indicating a liking for companionship; sociable
egregious
conspicuous, especially conspicuously bad; flagrant
e.g. an egregious example of political bias
aggrieve
to give pain or trouble to; distress
e.g. a person aggrieved by an unlawful search and seizure
agnostic
a person who holds the view that any ultimate reality (as God) is unknown and probably unknowable
a person who is unwilling to commit to an opinion about something
involving or characterized by agnosticism
noncommittal; undogmatic
e.g. politic agnostics
agog
full of intense interest or excitement; eager
e.g. Kids are agog over new toys.
demagogue
a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power
e.g. That politician is just a demagogue who preys upon people’s fears and prejudices.
agrarian
of, or related to, land
agronomy
science of controlling the soil to produce crops
alabaster
a white stone
translucent, smooth, and white
alacrity
promptness in response; cheerful readiness
e.g. Having just acquired his driver’s license, the teen agreed with alacrity to drive his cousin to the airport.
recalcitrant
obstinately defiant of authority or restraint
difficult to manage or operate; resistant
e.g. The manager worried that the recalcitrant employee would try to undermine his authority.
dilatory
tending or intended to cause delay
characterized by procrastination; tardy
e.g. dilatory tactics
The homeowner is claiming that local firefighters were dilatory in responding to the call.
alcove
a small recessed section of a room; nook
alibi
formal statement that a person was in another place at the time of a crime
an excuse usually intended to avert blame or punishment (as for failure or negligence)
e.g. She made up an alibi for why she missed the meeting.
alimentary
of or relating to nourishment or nutrition
allay
to subdue or reduce in intensity or severity; alleviate
e.g. The new advertising campaign is an attempt to allay the public’s concerns about the safety of the company’s products.
allege
to assert without proof or before proving
e.g. He alleged that mayor has accepted bribes.
The mayor is alleged to have accepted bribes.
allegiance
loyalty to a person, country, group, etc.
e.g. He owes allegiance to them for all the help they have given him.
allegory
a story in which the characters and events are symbols that stand for ideas about human life or for a political or historical situation
e.g. The long poem is an allegory of love and jealousy.
allocate
to apportion for specific purpose or to particular persons or things; distribute
to set apart or earmark; designate
e.g. allocate resources
allocate a section of the building for special research purposes
allude
to make indirect reference
e.g. comments alluding to an earlier discussion
alluring
attractive; charming
aloft
at or to a great height
in the air, especially in flight (as in an airplane)
e.g. The ease with which he can hold a ballerina aloft with one hand is awesome.
meals served aloft
measuring the winds aloft
aloof
removed or distant either physically or emotionally
at a distance
e.g. He stood aloof from worldly success.
altruism
unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others; selflessness
amalgam
a mixture of different elements
e.g. a church that is an amalgam of traditional and modern architectural styles
amalgamate
to unite in or as if in an amalgam, especially to merge into a single body
e.g. amalgamating different styles of music
ambidextrous
using both hands with equal ease
unusually skillfull
dexterous
mentally adroit and skillful; clever
skillful and competent
watershed
a region of area bounded peripherally by a divide and draining ultimately to a particular watercourse or body of water
a crucial dividing point, line, or factor
ambivalent
having simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings toward an object, person, or action
valiant
possessing or acting with bravery or boldness; courageous
marked by, exhibiting, or carried out with courage or determination; heroic
e.g. She died last year after a valiant battle with cancer.
She made a valiant attempt to fix the problem.
valor
courage; bravery
e.g. The absence of indecision even in the face of death is the true mark of valor.
amble
to walk slowly in a free and relaxed way; saunter
an easy gait
a leisurely walk
e.g. We ambled along as we talked.
We had a lovely amble about the quaint village before continuing our drive.
amenable
capable of submission (as to judgment or test); suited
readily brought to yield, submit, or cooperate;willing
e.g. The data is amenable to analysis.
a government not amenable to change
I was more amenable to spending more time at home.
inimical
being adverse often by reason of hostility or malevolence; hostile; unfriendly
e.g. He received an inimical response rather than the anticipated support.
laws designed to enhance national security that some regard as inimical to cherished freedoms
obdurate
stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
resistant to persuasion or softening influences
e.g. He is known for his obdurate determination.
the obdurate refusal of the crotchety old man to let the neighborhood kids retrieve their stray ball from his backyard
ossify
to change into bone
to become or to make hardened or conventional and opposed to change
amenity
the quality of being pleasant or agreeable
(oft. pl.) something (as a conventional social gesture) that conduces to smoothness or pleasantness of social relationships
something that conduces to comfort, convenience, or enjoyment
e.g. hotels with modern amenities
an unhappy, bickering couple who, at least in public, observe all the amenities of polite behavior
amiable
good-natured; affable; genial
amicable
friendly; showing good will
amity
friendship, especially friendly relations between nations
e.g. a youth club fostering amity among the city’s many and diverse ethnic groups
amnesia
loss of memory due usually to brain injury, illness, etc.
amnesty
the act of an authority (as a government) by which pardon is granted to a large group of individuals
amorphous
having no definite form; shapeless
being without definite character or nature; lacking organization or unity
e.g. an amorphous cloud mass
an amorphous segment of society
amortize
to pay off (as a mortgage) gradually usually by periodic payments or principal and interest
to gradually reduce or write off the cost or value of (as an asset)
e.g. amortize the machinery over five years
metamorphose
to change into different physical form especially by supernatural means
to change strikingly the appearance or character of; transform
to undergo metamorphosis
e.g. a science fiction story in which radiation metamorphoses people into giant bugs
amphibian
an amphibious organism
an amphibious vehicle, especially an airplane designed to take off from and land on either land or water
ample
generous or more than adequate in size, scope, or capacity
generously sufficient to satisfy a requirement or need
e.g. There was room for an ample garden.
The police found ample evidence of wrongdoing.
anachronism
an error in chronology, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other
e.g. He is an old-fashioned politician who is seen by many of his colleagues as an anachronism.
anagram
word made by rearranging the letters of another word
analgesia
insensibility to pain without loss of consciousness
analgesic
a drug that relieves pain
pain-relieving
analogy
resemblance in some particulars between things otherwise unlike; similarity
anathema
someone or something intensely disliked or loathed
a ban or curse solemnly pronounced by ecclesiastical authority; a vigorous denunciation
e.g. a politician who is anathema to conservatives
panegyric
a eulogistic oration or writing
formal or elaborate praise
e.g. He wrote a panegyric on the centennial of the Nobel laureate’s birth.
ancestry
line of descent; lineage, especially honorable, noble, or aristocratic descent
persons initiating or comprising a line of descent; ancestors
e.g. be of noble ancestry
ancillary
subordinate, subsidiary
auxiliary, supplementary
e.g. use of a drug as ancillary to surgical treatment
anemia
a lack of red blood cells
anemic
- anemia
anguish
extreme pain, distress, or anxiety
e.g. He experienced the anguish of divorce after 10 years of marriage.
angular
stiff in character or manner; lacking smoothness or grace
lean and having prominent bone structure
e.g. The sniping hasn’t been limited to his aggressive, angular fashion sense.
an angular face
magnanimous
showing or suggesting a lofty and courageous spirit
showing or suggesting nobility of feeling and generosity of mind
e.g. a magnanimous donation to the town’s animal shelter
She was too magnanimous to resent all the things others had said to her.
animosity
ill will or resentment tending toward active hostility
e.g. We put aside our personal animosities so that we could work together.
animus
a strong feeling of dislike or hatred
e.g. feeling no animus toward those who had wronged her
annals
a record of events arranged in yearly sequence
annex
to attach as a quality, consequence, or condition to incorporate (a country or other territory) within the domain of a state
e.g. The government planned to annex the islands.
annul
to reduce to nothing; obliterate
to make ineffective or inoperative; neutralize
to declare or make legally invalid or void
e.g. Unfortunately, his arrogant attitude annuls the many generous favors he does for people.
He plans to annul their short-lived, ill-advised marriage.
anonymity
- anonymous
anorexia
a serious physical and emotional illness in which an abnormal fear of being fat leads to very poor eating habits and dangerous weight loss
antagonize
to act in opposition to; counteract
to incur or provoke the hostility of
e.g. He didn’t mean to antagonize you.
His criticism antagonized his friends.
Antarctic
of the regions around the South Pole
antecedent
a preceding event, condition, or cause
predecessor, especially a model or stimulus for later developments
prior
e.g. Even online chat rooms have an antecedent in the exchanges of nineteenth-century American telegraph operators.
I’d like to follow up on an antecedent question from another reporter.
antediluvian
of or relating to the period before the flood described in the Bible
made, evolved, or developed a long time ago; extremely primitive or outmoded
e.g. He has antediluvian notions about the role of women in the workplace.
anterior
situated before or toward the front (or head)
coming before in time or development; earlier, previous
