Word List 49 Flashcards
Valedictory (adj)
pertaining to farewell
I found the valedictory too long; leave-taking should be brief
Vapid (adj)
dull and unimaginative; insipid and flavourless
She suffered yet another vapid lecture on history of the poets
Veer (v)
change in direction
Venal (adj)
capable of being bribed
Veneer (n)
thin layer; cover
Casual acquaintances were deceived by his veneer sophistication and failed to recognise his fundamental shallowness
Venial (adj)
forgivable; trivial
When Jean Valjean stole a loot to feed his starving sister, he committed a venial offence
Venturesome (adj)
bold
A group of venturesome women pooled their resources to push a bill to empower women in congress
Veracious (adj)
truthful
Verbatim (adv)
word for word
He repeated the message verbatim
Verbiage (n)
pompous array of words
After we had waded through all the verbiage, we discovered that the writer had said very little
Verbose (adj)
wordy
We had to make some major cuts in Senator Foghorn’s speech because it was far too verbose
Verisimilar (adj)
probable or likely; having the appearance of truth
Something verisimilar is very similar to the truth or at least seems to be
Verisimilitude (n)
appearance of truth; likelihood
Critics praised for the verisimilitude of her performance as Lady Macbeth. She was completely believable
Verity (n)
quality of being true; lasting truth or principle
Vernacular (n)
living language; natural style
Verve (n)
enthusiasm; liveliness
Shakespeare and Aristophanes characters share a fundamental resemblance, for they possess “the same tremendous energy and verve and vitality”; the same swinging, swashbuckling spirit
Vestige (n)
trace; remains
We discovered vestiges of early Indian life in the cave
Vicarious (adj)
acting as a substitute; done by a deputy; indirectly; surrogate
Drug dealers live vicariously through me
Vicissitude (n)
change of fortune
Humbled by life’s vicissitudes, the last emperor of China worked as a lowly gardener in the palace over which he had once ruled
Vie (v)
contend; compete
Politicians vie with one another, competing for donations and votes
Vignette (n)
picture; short literary sketch
The new Yorker published her latest vignette
Visceral (adj)
felt in one’s inner organs
She disliked the visceral sensations she had whenever she rode the roller coaster
Vitiate (v)
spoil the effect of; make inoperative
The state’s interests in effective crime fighting should never vitiate the citizen’s Bill of Rights
Vitriolic (adj)
corrosive; sarcastic
Such vitriolic criticism is uncalled for
Vituperative (adj)
abusive; scolding
He became more vituperative as he realised that we were not going to grant him his wish
