Word List 50 Flashcards
Vivacious (adj)
lively or animated; sprightly
A very bubbly and vivacious woman, with a radiant smile, Julie never had any difficulty making new friends
Vociferous (adj)
clamorous; noisy
The crowd grew vociferous in its anger and threatened to take the law into its own hands
Voracious (adj)
ravenous
Vouchsafe (v)
grant condescendingly; guarantee
Maintaining that power was only vouchsafed to the man who dared to stoop and pick it up
Waffle (v)
speak equivocally about an issue
Wanderlust (n)
strong longing to travel
Don’t set your heart on a traveling man. He’s got too much wanderlust to settle down.
Wangle (v)
wiggle out; fake
She tried to wangle an invitation to the party
Wanton (adj)
unrestrained; wilfully malicious; unchaste
Pointing to the stack of bills, Sheldon criticised Sarah for her wanton expenditures
Waylay (v)
ambush; lie in wait
They agreed to waylay their victim as he passed through the dark alley going home
Welter (v)
wallow
At the height of the battle, the casualties were so numerous that the victims weltered in their blood while waiting for medical attention
Wheedle (v)
cajole; coax; deceive by flattery
She knows she can wheedle almost anything she wants from the father
Whet (v)
sharpen; stimulate
The doors from the kitchen are whetting my appetite
Whiff (n)
puff or gust (of air,scent etc); hint
The slightest whiff of Old Spice cologne brought memories of George to her mind
Wily (adj)
cunning; artful
She is as willy as a fox in avoiding trouble
Witticism (n)
witty saying; wisecrack
Writhe (v)
twist in coils; contort in pain
In Dances with Snakes, the snake dancer wriggled sinuously as her boa constrictor writhed around her torso
Xenophobia (n)
fear or hatred of foreigners
When the refugees arrived in America, he was unprepared for the xenophobia he found there
Yen (n)
longing; urge
She had a yen to get away and live on her own for a while
Yoke (v)
join together, unite
I don’t wish to be yoked to him in a marriage, as if we were cattle pulling a plow
Zany (adj)
crazy; comic
I can watch the Marx brothers’ zany antics for hours
Zealot (n)
fanatic; person who shows excessive zeal
Zenith (n)
point directly overhead in the sky; summit
When the sun was at its zenith, the glare was not as strong as the sunrise and sunset
