Word List 38 Flashcards
unwitting
not knowing; unaware
not intended; inadvertent
e.g. kept truth from his unwitting friends
an unwitting mistake
unwonted
being out of the ordinary; rare, unusual
not accustomed by experienced
e.g. surprised by her unwonted cheerfulness
honored for the unwonted courage
upbraid
to criticize severely; find fault with
to reproach severely; scold vehemontly
e.g. His wife upbraided him for his irresponsible handling of the family finances.
upheaval
extreme agitation or disorder; radical change
e.g. The civil rights movement marked a period of social upheaval in the U.S.
the emotional upheaval of divorce
uproarious
very noisy or high-spirited
extremely funny
e.g. The movie follows the comic duo through a series of outrageous and uproarious escapades.
a chaotic, uproarious set
upstage
to draw attention away from
haughty
e.g. My apple pie upstaged her chocolate cake.
upswing
an upward swing
a marked increase or improvement
e.g. a dramatic upswing of profits
on the upswing
usurp
to seize and hold in possession by force or without right
to take or make use of without right
supplant
e.g. usurp a throne
usurped the rights to her life story
must not left stock responses based on inherited prejudice usurp careful judgment
usury
the practice of lending money and requiring the borrower to pay a high amount of interest
vacillate
to away through lack of equilibrium
fluctuate, oscillate
to waver in mind, will, or feeling; hesitate in choice of opinions or courses
e.g. vacillate on this issue for so long that someone else stepped in and made the decision
vacuous
emptied of or lacking content
marked by lack of ideas or intelligence; stupid, inane
devoid of serious occupation; idle
e.g. a dull and vacuous movie
a vacuous expression on his face
vagary
an unexpected and inexplicable change in a situation or in someone’s behavior
e.g. the vagaries of a rather eccentric elderly lady
the vagaries of the weather
vagrant
wanderer, rover
wandering about from place to place
having a fleeting, wayward, or inconstant quality
e.g. a vagrant breeze
a vagrant impulse
valediction
an act of bidding farewell
valiant
possessing or acting with bravery or boldness; courageous
marked by, exhibiting, or carried out with courage or determination; heroic
valor
strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness; personal bravery
vanquish
to overcome in battle; subdue completely
to gain mastery over (an emotion, passion, or temptation)
e.g. vanquished nation after nation in his relentless conquest of Europe
vanquish your fear
vantage
superiority in a contest
a position giving a strategic advantage, commanding perspective, or comprehensive view
e.g. The vantage had all been ours for the first half of the contest.
vapid
lacking liveliness, tang, briskness, or force; flat, dull
e.g. a song with vapid lyrics
variegate
to diversify in external appearance especially with different colors; dapple
to enliven or give interest to by means of variety
e.g. Their clothes they variegate by steeping them in dyes, which produce a color not easily effaced.
varnish
a liquid preparation that when applied to a surface dries to form a hard lustrous typically transparent coating
to apply varnish to
to cover or conceal (as something unpleasant) with something that gives an attractive appearance; gloss
e.g. The play has a varnish of witty dialogue.
He hoped by cunning to varnish over his want of faith and of ability.
veer
to change direction or course
e.g. The economy veered sharply downward.
venal
capable of being bought or obtained for money or other valuable consideration; purchasable; especially, open to corrupt influence and especially bribery; mercenary
e.g. a venal and easily bought judge
a venal arrangement with a police
vendetta
blood feud
an often prolonged series of retaliatory, vengeful, or hostile acts or exchange of such acts
e.g. waged a vendetta against against those who opposed his nomination
veneer
a thin sheet of covering material
a superficial or deceptively attractive appearance, display or effect; facade, gloss
also
e.g. a cruel person with a veneer of kindness
venial
of a kind that can be remitted; forgivable, pardonable; also, meriting no particular censure or notice; excusable
e.g. Taking the restaurant’s menu as a souvenir seems like a venial offense.
veracious
truthful, honest
marked by truth; accurate
verbiage
a profusion of words usually of little or obscure content
manner of expressing oneself in words; diction
e.g. such a tangled maze of evasive verbiage as a typical party platform
removed some of the excess verbiage from the article
verbose
containing more words than necessary; wordy
given to wordiness
e.g. a verbose reply / a verbose style
verdant
green in tint or color
unripe in experience or judgment; green
e.g. a verdant oasis/lawn
verdant college freshman
verdict
the decision made by a jury in a trial
opinion, judgment
e.g. The jury reached a guilty verdict.
Do you want my verdict on the meal?
verisimilar
having the appearance of truth; probable
vernacular
of, relating to, or being a language or dialect native a region or country rather than a literary, cultured, or foreign language
of, relating to, or characteristic of a period, place, or group
e.g. the vernacular architecture of the region
write essays in a very easy-to-read, vernacular style
verve
the spirit and enthusiasm animating artistic composition or performance; vivacity
energy, vitality
vestige
a trace, mark, or visible sign left by something vanished or lost
the smallest quantity or trace
e.g. A few strange words carved on a tree were the only vestige of the lost colony Roanoke.
the fossilized vestige of a dinosaur
vestment
an outer garment; especially, a robe of ceremony or office
vex
to bring trouble, distress, or agitation to
puzzle, baffle
e.g. a restaurant vexed by slow service
vexed by headache all morning
a problem to vex the keenest wit
viaduct
a long elevated roadway usually consisting of a series of short spans supported on arches, piers, or columns
vicar
one serving as a substitute or agent; specifically, an administrative deputy
an ecclesiastical agent
e.g. God’s vicar on earth
vicarious
serving instead of someone or something else
substitutionary
e.g. vicarious authority
a vicarious sacrifice / a vicarious thrill
vicissitude
a change or variation occurring in the course of something
(pl.) successive, alternating, or changing phases or conditions; ups and downs
e.g. the vicissitude of seasons and human fortunes
They remained friends through the vicissitudes of 40 years.
vie
to strive for superiority; contend, compete
e.g. vying to win the championship
vied with his colleagues for the coveted promotion
vilify
to lower in estimation or importance
to utter slanderous and abusive statements against; defame
e.g. It remains a moral crime to vilify the good cops who have made the city safe, saving thousands of lives.
vindicate
avenge to free from allegation or blame confirm, substantiate; justify defend to maintain a right to
e.g. These discoveries vindicate their theory.
vindicate someone’s honor
vindictive
disposed to seek revenge; vengeful
intended to cause anguish or hurt; spiteful
e.g. a vindictive person / vindictive rumors
vintner
a wine merchant
a person who makes wine
virtuosity
great technical skill (as in the practice of a fine art)
virtuous
potent, efficacious
morally excellent; righteous
virulent
marked by a rapid, severe, and destructive course
extremely poisonous or venomous
malignant
e.g. a virulent infection / virulent bacteria
virulent racists / virulent criticism
vista
a distant view through or along an avenue or opening; aspect
an extensive mental view (as over a stretch of time or a series of events)
e.g. a gorgeous vista of the mountains from the front window
a vista of the future
vitiate
to make faulty or defective; impair
to debase in moral or aesthetic status
to make ineffective
e.g. The comic impact is vitiated by obvious haste.
a mind vitiated by prejudice
Fraud vitiates a contract.
vitrify
to convert into glass or a glassy substance by heat and fusion
vitriolic
very caustic, scathing
vituperate
to abuse or censure severely or abusively; berate
e.g. Literature and the pulpit were inevitably the interpreters that she employed to vituperate the sins of the people.
vivacious
lively in temper, conduct, or spirit; sprightly
e.g. an outgoing, vivacious girl
a vivacious expression love
vocation
an entry into the priesthood or a religious order
a divine call to the religious life
occupation
e.g. people who follow a religious vocation
He never felt a real sense of vocation.
volition
an act of making a choice or decision; also, a choice or decision made
the power of choosing or determining; will
e.g. She’s here of her own volition.
volley
a burst or emission of many things or a large amount at once
e.g. hit by a volley of bullets
a volley of questions
voluble
easily rolling or turning; rotating
characterized by ready or rapid speech; glib, fluent
voluminous
consisting of many folds, coils, or convolutions; winding
large, full; numerous
writing or speaking much or at great length
e.g. the building’s high ceilings and voluminous spaces
trying to keep track of voluminous slips of paper
a voluminous literature on the subject
a writer of voluminous output
a voluminous correspondent
voluptuous
full of delight or pleasure to senses
suggesting sensual pleasure
e.g. voluptuous ornamentation / a voluptuous wine
a voluptuous dance
the voluptuous richness of the music
voluptuary
a person whose chief interests are luxury and the gratification of sensual appetites
e.g. a fin de siecle novel about dandies and voluptuaries
voracious
having a huge appetite; ravenous
excessively eager; insatiable
e.g. a voracious reader
votary
devotee; a devoted admirer
e.g. a votary of the religious leader
waddle
to move clumsily
e.g A fat goose waddled across the yard.
waffle
equivocate, vacillate
to talk or write foolishly; blather
e.g. She waffled when asked what she thought of her sister’s new boyfriend.
waffle tiresomely off the point
waft
to move or go lightly on or as if on a buoyant medium
e.g. The smell of chicken soup wafted up to my bedroom.
The sound of music wafted softly into the yard from our neighbor’s house.
A breeze wafted the scent of roses toward our table.
wag
to be in motion; stir
to move in chatter or gossip
wit, joker
e.g. a dog wagging its tail
Scandal caused tongues to wag.
waggish
silly and playful
e.g. waggish spoof s of popular songs
wan
suggesting of poor health; sickly, pale
lacking vitality; feeble
dim, faint
languid
e.g. a wan smile/laugh
look a little wan after all that tiring work
wanderlust
strong longing for or impulse toward wandering
a strong desire to travel
e.g. Wanderlust has led him to many different parts of the world.
wane
to decrease in size, extent, or degree; dwindle
to fall gradually from power, prosperity, or influence
e.g. The moon waxes and wanes.
The scandal caused her popularity to wane.
warmonger
one who urged or attempts to stir up war
e.g. Fortunately, the warmongers met with overwhelming opposition.
