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word2 Flashcards

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1
Q

peripatetic

A

: (adj) traveling about
Perry had a peripatetic nature, so after high school, he spent several years traveling Europe before attending college.
Word Forms: peripatetic (n), peripatetically, peripateticism

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2
Q

pernicious

A

: (adj) exceedingly harmful
The pernicious rumor could ruin several lives if permitted to spread.
Word Forms: perniciously, perniciousness

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3
Q

perspicacity

A

: (n) intelligence manifested by being astute
My accountant’s perspicacity saved me thousands of dollars on my tax returns because he found hidden rebates.
Word Forms: perspicacious, perspicaciously, perspicaciousness Related Words: perspicuity, perspicuous

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4
Q

peruse

A

: (vb) to read
After the lawyer perused the motion to suppress evidence, she declared it was a flimsy attempt that no judge would
grant.
Word Forms: perusable, peruser, preperuse, reperuse

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5
Q

pervasive

A

: (adj) spreading or spread throughout
The pervasive odor of garlic quickly spread throughout the entire house.
Word Forms: pervasively, pervasiveness, pervade, pervadingly, pervadingness, pervasion, pervader
Related Words: invade, invasive

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6
Q

petulant

A

: (adj) easily irritated over small issues
The petulant actress stormed off the set when she discovered that her dressing room did not have bottled water.
Word Forms: petulantly, petulance, petulancy Related Word: petty

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7
Q

phalanx

A

: (n) a closely massed group

The soldiers formed a phalanx to protect the building from the protestors.

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8
Q

philistine

A

: (n) a person who resists culture, the arts, or intellectual pursuits
Phil is such a philistine; he’d rather sit at home and watch reality shows than go see a play or visit a museum.
Word Forms: philistine (adj), philistinism

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9
Q

phlegmatic

A

: (adj) unemotional; calm
I thought the kids would be excited about our trip to the amusement park, but their reaction was much more
phlegmatic.
Word Forms: phlegmatical, phlegmatically, phlegmaticalness Antonym Forms: unphlegmatic, unphlegmatical

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10
Q

picayune

A

: (adj) small and of little importance
The man is a fool to let a picayune argument destroy his friendship with his neighbor.
Word Forms: picayunish, picayunishly, picayunishness

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11
Q

pious

A

: (adj) religiously devoted
The pious woman attended a church service seven days a week.
Word Forms: piously, piousness Antonym Form: impious

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12
Q

pith

A

: (n) the essential part
The pith of the argument was that Ren wanted Grayden’s toy.
Related Word: pithy

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13
Q

placid

A

: (adj) calm
When the wind died down, the lake became placid, with hardly a ripple disturbing the surface.
Word Forms: placidly, placidness, placidity

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14
Q

quiescent

A

: (adj) being quiet or still or inactive
When the mine closed, the once-bustling town became quiescent and forlorn.
Word Forms: quiescently, quiescence, quiescency Related Word: quiet

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15
Q

quixotic

A

: (adj) not sensible about practical matters; idealistic and unrealistic
I let Quincy make his quixotic plans for our summer vacation; he would soon realize that his itinerary was too
expensive and unrealistic.
Word Forms: quixotical, quixotically, quixotism, quixote Related Name: Don Quixote

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16
Q

quotidian

A

: (adj) daily or commonplace
The teacher completed a quotidian report that tracked her student’s absences.
Word Forms: quotidianly, quotidianness

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17
Q

raconteur

A

: (n) a skilled storyteller
Raquel was a true raconteur; by the time she finished telling the story about her vacation, everyone in the room was
intently listening.
Word Form: raconteuse Related Word: recount

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18
Q

raiment

A

: (n) clothes
Raymond brought a change of raiment with him so that he could shower and dress after basketball practice.
Related Word: array

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19
Q

rancorous

A

: (adj) showing deep-seated resentment
In the fairy tale, the rancorous stepmother is jealous of the young maiden’s beauty, youth, and innocence.
Word Forms: rancor, rancorously, rancorousness Related Word: rancid

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20
Q

raucous

A

: (adj) unpleasantly loud and harsh
Rachel’s raucous laughter often drove people away.
Word Forms: raucously, raucousness, raucity

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21
Q

rebuke

A

: (vb) to sharply criticize or reprimand
The principal rebuked the three students who wandered away from their chaperone on the field trip.
Word Forms: rebuke (n.), rebukingly, rebukable, rebuker

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22
Q

rebut

A

: (vb) to prove false using evidence
The lawyer rebutted the witness’s testimony by providing contrary evidence.
Word Forms: rebuttable, rebuttal, rebutter Related Word: but (conj.)

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23
Q

recalcitrant

A

: (adj) stubbornly resistant to authority or control
The recalcitrant protesters were not fazed by the presence of the campus security officer, and only a handful of them
disbanded when the police arrived.
Word Forms: recalcitrant (n.), recalcitrance, recalcitrancy, recalcitrate, recalcitration

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24
Q

recondite

A

: (adj) difficult to understand without special knowledge
The recondite blueprints were meant to be understood by architects, not by the layperson.
Word Forms: reconditely, reconditeness

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25
Q

redoubtable

A

: (adj) worthy of fear and respect
Forrest is a redoubtable opponent on the tennis court; he has not lost a set in his last twenty games.
Word Forms: redoubtableness, redoubtably, redoubted

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26
Q

refulgent

A

: (adj) radiant; shining
The movie star’s refulgent dress sparkled in the lights on the red carpet.
Word Forms: refulgence, refulgency, refulgentness, refulgently Antonym Forms: unrefulgent, unrefulgently

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27
Q

rejoinder

A

: (n) a response
Reggie’s rejoinder did not sufficiently answer the question.
Antonym Form: nonrejoinder

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28
Q

relegate

A

: (vb) to assign to a less important position; to demote
Rae Ann was relegated to dishwashing when she was caught being rude to the restaurant customers she was serving.
Word Forms: relegable, relegation Antonym Forms: unrelagable, unrelegated

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29
Q

remiss

A

: (adj) careless and neglectful
Rebekkah was criticized for being remiss in her work; she had made many careless mistakes this week.
Word Forms: remissly, remissness

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30
Q

repast

A

: (n) a meal
We sat down to a repast of fried chicken, corn on the cob, and coleslaw.
Word Form: repast (vb)

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31
Q

replete

A

: (adj) filled; complete
My professor returned my essay replete with comments, suggestions, and criticisms.
Word Forms: repletely, repleteness, repletive, repletively Antonym Form: unreplete

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32
Q

repose

A

: (n) state of calmness; peace
The artist likes to paint his subjects in repose as they lounge on the couch.
Word Forms: repose (vb), reposedly, reposedness, reposer

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33
Q

reprehensible

A

: (adj) deserving of punishment
It’s a harsh punishment, but I do not feel sorry for you; stealing from a charity is a reprehensible crime.
Word Forms: reprehensibly, reprehensibility, reprehensibleness, reprehension Related Word: reprehend

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34
Q

reproach

A

: (vb) to blame; to express criticism towards
The board of directors reproached the company president for falling profits and decreased revenue.
Word Forms: reproach (n.), reproachingly, reproachable, reproachableness, reproachably
Antonym Forms: irreproachable,unreproachable, reproachless Related Word: reproachful

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35
Q

repudiate

A

: (vb) to reject
The celebrity repudiated claims that she had undergone plastic surgery.
Word Forms: repudiable, repudiative, repudiation, repudiatory, repudiator

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36
Q

repugnant

A

: (adj) offensive
The spoiled eggs that had sat in the hot car for several weeks offered the most repugnant smell I had ever
experienced.
Word Forms: repugnantly, repugnance, repugnancy

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37
Q

requite

A

: (vb) to repay or retaliate
I made a casserole for Rebecca last week and she requited the favor by returning my casserole dish filled with
cookies.
Word Forms: requitable, requitement, requiter Antonym Forms: unrequitable, unrequited, unrequiting

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38
Q

rescind

A

: (vb) to revoke or repeal
The prospective buyers rescinded their offer on the house when they learned it had a termite infestation.
Word Forms: rescindable, rescinder, rescindment Antonym Form: unrescinded

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39
Q

restive

A

: (adj) nervous; restless; impatient with authority
The restive suspect was frustrated with the booking process; he was anxious to call his lawyer and post bond.
Word Forms: restively, restiveness

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40
Q

reticent

A

: (adj) inclined to keep quiet and private
Ironically, the actor once known for his outspoken behavior became reticent in later years, refusing to grant
interviews.
Word Forms: reticently, reticence, reticency

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41
Q

reviler

A

: (n) a person who uses abusive language
Reva’s husband was a reviler who constantly criticized her appearance and behavior.
Word Forms: revile, revilement, revilingly Related Word: vile

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42
Q

rhapsodize

A

: (vb) to talk with great enthusiasm
The saleswoman rhapsodized about the benefits of her company’s product.
Word Forms: rhapsody, rhapsodic, rhapsodical, rhapsodically, rhapsodist

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43
Q

rhetoric

A

: (n) skill in using language to persuade; empty talk
The real estate agent was well-versed in the rhetoric needed to sell the broken-down house.
Word Forms: rhetorical, rhetorically, rhetoricalness Antonym Forms: nonrhetorical, unrhetorical

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44
Q

ribald

A

: (adj) vulgar
The comedian’s ribald humor was offensive to many of the audience members who walked out of the club.
Word Form: ribaldly

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45
Q

rococo

A

: (adj) ornate style in language, music, etc.

Her first novel was too rococo for the editor, who recommended that she delete some of the flowery language.

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46
Q

sacrosanct

A

: (adj) sacred; not to be criticized or violated
Mr. Sackett considered his baseball cards sacrosanct; they were displayed proudly in his office behind thick
plexiglass so no one would disturb them.
Word Forms: sacrosanctity, sacrosanctness

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47
Q

sagacious

A

: (adj) acutely insightful and wise
The sagacious teacher was quickly able to pinpoint Sarah’s learning disability, and thus tailor lessons to better help
the child comprehend the material.
Word Forms: sagaciously, sagaciousness, sagacity Related Word: sage

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48
Q

salubrious

A

: (adh) healthy; wholesome
This salubrious tea is said to help cure many ailments.
Word Forms: salubriously, salubriousness, salubrity Antonym Forms: nonsalubrious, nonsalubriously,

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49
Q

sanctimonious

A

: (adj) being hypocritically religious or righteous
The principal gave me a sanctimonious lecture about my tardiness, even though he was late to our last two meetings.
Word Forms: sanctimoniously, sanctimoniousness, sanctimony, sanctimonial Related Words: sanctity, sanctify

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50
Q

sanguine

A

: (adj) confidently optimistic and cheerful
Dr. Sanchez enjoyed working with Sandy, his most sanguine patient; she was always confident that her test results
would be good, and if they weren’t, she was optimistic about her treatment.
Word Forms: sanguinely, sanguineness, sanguinity

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51
Q

belabor

A

: to explain or insist on excessively

her habit of belaboring the obvious

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52
Q

lairy

A

cunning or conceited.

“you think you know the lot—everything about you is lairy”

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53
Q

sardonic

A

: (adj) characterized by bitter mocking
Sara’s sardonic reply was meant to ridicule the boy.
Word Forms: sardonically, sardonicism Antonym Forms: unsardonic, unsardonically

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54
Q

satiate

A

: (vb) to fill to satisfaction
After a day without anything to eat, the huge spaghetti dinner satiated my appetite.
Word Forms: satiated, satiation Antonym Forms: nonsatiation, unsatiated, unsatiating Related Word: sate

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55
Q

schism

A

: (n) division of a group into opposing factions
The disagreement in the teacher’s lounge created two schisms in the school: teachers who approved of the rule
change, and those who opposed it.
Word Forms: schismatic, schismatically, schismaticalness, schismatize, schismatist Antonym Form: schismless

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56
Q

scintillating

A

: (adj) brilliantly clever or flashy and exciting
The animated movie has been praised for its scintillating dialogue, which is intended more for adults than children.
Word Forms: scintillatingly, scintillate, scintillant, scintillantly, scintillation

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57
Q

scrupulous

A

: (adj) abiding by morals or strict rules
The scrupulous executive would not let the advertisement run with the misleading information printed in it.
Word Forms: scrupulously, scrupulousness, scrupulosity
Antonym Forms: unscrupulous, unscrupulously, unscrupulousness, unscrupulosity Related Word: scruples

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58
Q

sedition

A

: (n) instigation of rebellion
If the founding fathers had been caught, they would have faced charges of sedition for starting the American
Revolution.
Word Forms: seditionary, seditionist, seditious, seditiously, seditiousness Antonym Forms: antisedition,
nonseditious

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59
Q

sedulous

A

: (adj) marked by care and persistent effort
Siera was impressed by Wayne’s sedulous pursuit of a date; every day for the last three weeks, he had sent her a
flower.
Word Forms: sedulously, sedulousness, sedulity

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60
Q

sentient

A

: (adj) experiencing sense perception and consciousness
In the film, the robot becomes sentient, experiencing human emotions and senses.
Word Forms: sentiently, sentience, sentiency Antonym Forms: insentient, insentience, insentiency

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61
Q

seraphic

A

: (adj) of an angel or celestial being
The toddler looks so seraphic when he sleeps at night that it’s easy to forget what a devil he is by day.
Word Forms: seraph, seraphim, seraphical, seraphically, seraphicalness Antonym Form: nonseraphic

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62
Q

sibilant

A

: (adj) having a hissing sound
The patient’s respiration was weak and sibilant, the result of smoking for so many years.
Word Forms: sibilantly, sibilance, sibilancy

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63
Q

sinecure

A

: (n) a paid job with little work
Cindy was fortunate to find a sinecure; she simply had to show up three days a week to collect a paycheck.
Word Forms: sinecureship, sinecurism, sinecurist

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64
Q

slake

A

: (vb) to relieve thirst, hunger, desire, etc.; to make less intense
The ice cold soda slaked my thirst.
Word Forms: slakable, slakeless Antonym Forms: unslakable, unslaked

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65
Q

sobriquet

A

: (n) a nickname
The baby’s full name was long and burdensome, so his parents used the sobriquet “Peanut.”
Word Form: sobriquetical

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66
Q

solecism

A

: (n) an error, especially in grammar
The contraction “ain’t” is a solecism that should be removed from your vocabulary.
Word Forms: solecist, solecistic, solecistical, solecistically

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67
Q

solicitous

A

: (adj) anxious, eager, or worried
The solicitous applicant was forced to wait three months before he received a response from the college.
Word Forms: solicitously, solicitousness

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68
Q

solvent

A

: (adj) able to meet financial obligations
Sully worked three jobs in order to remain solvent.
Word Forms: solventless, solvently

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69
Q

somnolent

A

: (adj) sleepy or drowsy
The somnolent truck driver had been awake all night and was anxious to find a rest area so she could sleep.
Word Forms: somnolently, somnolence, somnolency, somnolescent
Antonym Forms: insomnolent, insomnolently, insomnolence, insomnolency Related Word: insomnia

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70
Q

sonorous

A

: (adj) full and loud and deep, as a sound
The sound from the sonorous bell echoed throughout the cathedral.
Word Forms: sonorously, sonorousness, sonority Antonym Form: insonorous

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71
Q

sophistry

A

: (n) a false argument meant to trick someone
The mayor used sophistry to trick most of the town residents into believing that the property tax increase was
necessary.
Word Forms: sophism, sophist, sophister

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72
Q

soporific

A

: (adj) tending to make sleepy or drowsy
Sophie sang the soporific lullaby to help her young daughter fall asleep.
Word Forms: soporifically, soporiferous, soporiferously, soporiferousness Related Words: soporose, soporous

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73
Q

Spartan

A

: (adj) strict; simple; serious
Spencer’s Spartan apartment at Michigan State University was clean and neat, free of clutter or any luxuries.
Word Forms: Spartanism, Spartanly, Spartanically Antonym Form: non-Spartan

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74
Q

specious

A

: (adj) 1. plausible but false 2. deceptively pleasing
The merits of the diet are specious; while we want to believe we can eat unlimited protein, there are many health
risks associated with the high-cholesterol plan.
Word Forms: speciously, speciousness, speciosity

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75
Q

sportive

A

: (adj) playful
The sportive kitten chased the ball of yarn.
Word Forms: sportively, sportiveness, sportability Antonym Forms: unsportive, unsportively, unsportiveness
Related Word: sport

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76
Q

spurious

A

: (adj) false; not legitimate
The applicant made spurious claims about attending a prestigious private school, but when the college learned the
truth, they denied his application.
Word Forms: spuriously, spuriousness

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77
Q

squalid

A

: (adj) filthy and repulsive
The abandoned home was squalid; it was infested with rats and filled with trash.
Word Forms: squalidly, squalidness, squalidity

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78
Q

stasis

A

: (n) state of inaction or lack of progress
The company fluctuated between periods of growth and periods of stasis.
Word Form: stases Related Word: static

79
Q

stentorian

A

: (adj) very loud
The best cheerleaders have stentorian voices.
Word Form: stentorianly Antonym Form: unstentorian

80
Q

stevedore

A

: (n) a laborer who loads and unloads vessels in a port
Before the ship left port, the stevedores loaded it with nearly four tons of food and supplies for the long voyage.
Word Form: stevedore (vb.)

81
Q

stifle

A

: (vb) to stop or hold back
I stifled a yawn so Grandpa wouldn’t know that I was bored by his story.
Word Forms: stiflingly, stifler

82
Q

stigma

A

: (n) a mark of disgrace

Steve was able to find a job despite the stigma of having served time in prison.

83
Q

stoic

A

: (adj) free from emotion; unmoved
Mr. Stone’s face remained stoic despite the pain and anger he was experiencing.
Word Forms: stoic (n), stoical, stoically, stoicalness Antonym Form: unstoic

84
Q

stolid

A

: (adj) unemotional; unmoved
Mr. Stone’s face remained stolid despite the pain and anger he was experiencing.
Word Form: stolidity, stolidness, stolidly

85
Q

stricture

A

: (n) a criticism
The film critic made several strictures about the movie’s poor dialogue.
Word Form: strictured

86
Q

stultify

A

: (vb) to make one appear foolish, stupid, or useless
The high school student stultified herself by insisting that Pittsburgh was in Tennessee.
Word Forms: stultifyingly, stultification, stultifier

87
Q

stymie

A

: (vb) to stump or hinder
The warden was stymied by the escape; the prisoners’ cell doors were still locked, and there were no holes in the
walls.
Word Form: stymie (n.)

88
Q

subterfuge

A

: (n) something intended to deceive
Susan used the subterfuge of homework to avoid going to her grandmother’s house with the rest of her family.
Related Word: fugitive

89
Q

subversive

A

: (adj) supporting the overthrowing of a government
The subversive group was arrested when one of the members told of the group’s plot to overthrow the king.
Word Forms: subversive (n.), subversively, subversiveness, subversivism, subvert, subversion

90
Q

succinct

A

: (adj) expressed in few words; concise
Your summary must be succinct, highlighting the main ideas but omitting the bulk of the text.
Word Forms: succinctly, succinctness Antonym Forms: unsuccinct, unsuccinctly

91
Q

sully

A

: (vb) to make dirty or unpure
Mrs. Sullivan’s reputation was sullied by accusations that she was embezzling money from the PTA.
Word Form: sulliable Antonym Form: unsullied

92
Q

supercilious

A

: (adj) arrogantly disdainful
Sue, who always wore designer clothes, glanced at my generic shoes with a supercilious sneer.
Word Forms: superciliously, superciliousness

93
Q

superfluous

A

: (adj) having more than needed or wanted; excessive
The lawyer’s continuing arguments were superfluous, as the jury had already reached a verdict.
Word Forms: superfluously, superfluousness, superfluity

94
Q

supplant

A

: (vb) to replace or take the place of
In the early 1990s, compact discs supplanted long-playing records.
Word Forms: supplantation, supplanter

95
Q

surfeit

A

: (n) surplus; extra
There is a surfeit of gasoline this month so the price will be lowered significantly.
Word Form: surfeiter Antonym Forms: unsurfeited, unsurfeiting

96
Q

surly

A

: (adj) bad tempered or rude
The surly customer was unhappy with every aspect of his meal.
Word Forms: surlily, surliness Antonym Forms: unsurlily, unsurliness, unsurly

97
Q

surreptitious

A

: (adj) stealthy and secret
Before the colonists declared independence, they held a series of surreptitious meetings to secretly discuss their plan.
Word Forms: surreptitiously, surreptitiousness

98
Q

sybarite

A

: (n) a person devoted to luxury
Sybil was a difficult dinner guest because she was a sybarite, insisting on the finest china, most luxurious decor, and
the most expensive food.
Word Forms: sybarite (adj), sybaritism

99
Q

symbiosis

A

: (n) a mutually beneficial relationship
Bees and flowers live in symbiosis; the bees pollinate the flowers while the flowers feed the bees.
Word Forms: symbiotic, symbiotical, symbiont

100
Q

sycophant

A

: (n) a person who flatters others in order to gain personal favor; a brown-noser
Sidney is a sycophant who compliments our English teacher in order to get a better grade on his assignments.
Word Forms: sycophantic, sycophantical, sycophantically, sycophantish, sycophantishly, sycophantism

101
Q

syncopated

A

: (adj) to cut short; to accent beats that are not usually accented
Because the readers longed for fluency and completion, the syncopated poem seemed unfinished.
Word Forms: syncopate, syncopation, syncopator Antonym Form: unsyncopated

102
Q

tacit

A

: (adj) unspoken and implied
Although she never commented on our performance, the principal gave her tacit approval of our band by asking us
to play at the next school function.
Word Forms: tacitly, tacitness Related Word: taciturn

103
Q

taciturn

A

: (adj) silent; not willing to talk
The detective asked the lost girl her name, but the child remained taciturn, making it impossible to locate her
parents.
Word Forms: taciturnly, taciturnity Antonym Forms: untaciturn, untaciturnly

104
Q

tawdry

A

: (adj) gaudy and cheap
The pretentious members of the club gawked at the guest’s tawdry jewelry but she was impervious to their rude
stares.
Word Forms: tawdrily, tawdriness Antonym Form: untawdry

105
Q

temerity

A

: (n) fearless daring
Tim jumped from the plane with temerity; he seemed so fearless and relaxed that it was difficult to tell that this was
his first skydiving experience.
Word Forms: temerarious, temerariously, temerariousness

106
Q

temperate

A

: (adj) moderate; not extreme
The plants prefer a temperate climate—not too hot and not too cold.
Word Forms: temperately, temperateness, temperance, temper (vb.)
Antonym Forms: intemperate, intemperately, intemperateness

107
Q

tenacious

A

: (adj) unyielding; stubborn
The tenacious defense refused to let the opponent score.
Word Forms: tenaciously, tenaciousness, tenacity
 toady: (n) a person who flatters others in order to

108
Q

toady

A

: (n) a person who flatters others in order to gain personal favor; a brown-noser
The professional athlete has several toadies who play to his ego in order to enjoy the perks of being in his entourage.
Word Forms: toady (vb.), toadyish, toadyism

109
Q

tome

A

: (n) a long, heavy book

The professor wants a short summary of your biography, not a tome he has to lug home with him.

110
Q

torpid

A

: (adj) sluggish; lacking energy
After the long weekend, Tony was torpid; even with multiple cups of coffee, he was sluggish all morning.
Word Forms: torpidity, torpidness, torpidly

111
Q

transient

A

: (adj) passing quickly or staying briefly
The most transient years of your life are those spent in high school; someday when you realize how quickly your time
there passed, you’ll wish you had spent more time enjoying your youth.
Word Forms: transient (n.), transiently, transientness, transience Antonym Form: intransient Related Word:
transitory

112
Q

treacly

A

: (adj) overly sweet or sentimental
The movie is treacly, with several emotional scenes; it should be viewed with a box of tissues instead of a box of
popcorn.
Word Form: treacle

113
Q

trenchant

A

: (adj) keen, cutting, or energetic
Trent’s trenchant wit was a bit too caustic for some of the audience, while others found him to be an effective
speaker.
Word Forms: trenchancy, trenchantly

114
Q

trite

A

: (adj) repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
Be sure to avoid trite expressions in your essay; instead of writing clichés like “I learned my lesson the hard way,”
choose original sentences such as “It was a difficult lesson to learn.”
Word Forms: tritely, triteness

115
Q

truculence

A

: (n) brutal cruelty and aggressiveness
After the fight in school, Truman was expelled; the school board said that his truculence was a danger to the others.
Word Forms: truculent, truculently, truculency

116
Q

turgid

A

: (adj) pompous or swollen
Turner wrote a turgid speech that was sure to alienate at least half the audience with its pompousness.
Word Forms: turgidity, turgidness, turgidly Antonym Forms: unturgid, unturgidly

117
Q

turpitude

A

: (n) vile, shameful behavior

In the play, the character’s turpitude exceeds the villainous behavior exhibited by typical antagonists.

118
Q

tyro

A

: (n) a beginner
As a tyro at snow skiing, Tyrone hired an instructor to give him a lesson before heading up the mountain.
Word Form: tyronic

119
Q

ubiquitous

A

: (adj) existing everywhere at once; omnipresent
The fog was ubiquitous, blanketing the countryside.
Word Forms: ubiquitously, ubiquitousness Antonym Form: nonubiquitary, nonubiquitous, nonubiquitously

120
Q

umbrage

A

: (n) offense; displeasure

The customer took umbrage at the clerk’s rudeness and reported him to the corporate office.

121
Q

unctuous

A

: (adj) unpleasantly and excessively suave
The unctuous salesman winked at the ladies and flashed his college football ring at the men; ironically, his “charm”
chased most customers away.
Word Forms: unctuously, unctuousness, unctuosity

122
Q

untenable

A

: (adj) impossible to defend
Tina made an untenable argument that fell apart on cross examination.
Word Forms: untenably, untenability, untenableness Antonym Form: tenable

123
Q

upbraid

A

: (vb) to criticize severely
The sergeant upbraided the cadet for failing to put his gun together correctly.
Word Form: upbraider Antonym Form: unupbraided

124
Q

usury

A

: (n) the practice of lending money at an extremely high interest rate
If you borrow money from a loan shark instead of from a bank, nothing can protect you from the resulting usury.
Word Form: usurious

125
Q

vacillate

A

: (vb) to waver or move back and forth
Vanessa vacillated between the two universities; one minute she was attending the in-state school, and the next she
was going to the college three states away.
Word Forms: vacillatingly, vacillation, vacillant, vacillator Related Word: oscillate

126
Q

vainglorious

A

: (adj) feeling excessive self-importance or pride for one’s own accomplishments
The vainglorious actor brushed aside the reporter’s question about the charity in order to talk about the Oscar he
won.
Word Forms: vaingloriously, vaingloriousness, vainglory Related Word: vain:

127
Q

venerated

A

: (adj) highly respected
The venerated teacher had earned the respect of his students by helping them meet the high expectations he set for
them.
Word Forms: venerate, venerable, venerably, venerability, veneration, veneratively, venerator

128
Q

veracity

A

: (n) honesty; truthfulness
The mechanic was known for his veracity, so customers trusted his diagnoses of their car problems.
Word Form: veracious Antonym Form: nonveracity Related Words: verify, verisimilitude

129
Q

verbose

A

: (adj) using or containing too many words
At the graduation ceremony, the valedictorian gave a verbose speech that caused many people to fall asleep.
Word Forms: verbosely, verboseness, verbosity Related Word: verbal

130
Q

verdant

A

: (adj) green with color or green with inexperience
The verdant garden was lush with plants.
Word Forms: verdancy, verdantly Antonym Forms: unverdant, unverdantly

131
Q

verisimilitude

A

: (n) the appearance of truth; the quality of seeming to be true
Even though the movie was based on a true story, the film lacked verisimilitude.
Word Forms: verisimilitudinous, verisimilar, verisimilarly Related Words: veracity, similitude

132
Q

vestige

A

: (n) a small trace
The bricks from one corner of the foundation were the last vestiges of the historic hotel.
Word Forms: vestigial, vestigially, vestigium

133
Q

vicissitude

A

: (n) a change or variation
After a period of vicissitude in which Vin experienced much loss, he rebounded and regained control of the company.
Word Forms: vicissitudinous, vicissitudinary

134
Q

vim

A

: (n) energy and enthusiasm; vitality

Surprisingly, Victor attacked the science project with vim; he usually procrastinated and bemoaned such homework

135
Q

virtuoso

A

: (n) a person who has mastered a certain skill or field
Tonight I am attending a free concert in the park that features a young virtuoso on the violin.
Word Forms: virtuoso (adj.), virtuosic, virtuosity Related Words: virtue, virtuous

136
Q

vitiate

A

: (vb) to make imperfect; to corrupt
The king was vitiated by power; soon after his coronation, he began to abuse his subjects and destroy the fair laws.
Word Forms: vitiable, vitiation, vitiator

137
Q

vitriolic

A

: (adj) harsh or corrosive in tone
The orchestra teacher’s vitriolic criticism stung Victoria; she had practiced all week only to be harshly critiqued in
front of the entire class.
Word Forms: vitriolically, vitriol

138
Q

vituperate

A

: (vb) to use abusive language
A children’s welfare agency was contacted when the mother vituperated her son in the doctor’s office.
Word Form: vituperator Antonym Form: unvituperated

139
Q

vociferous

A

: (adj) marked by loud outcry
When the newspaper ran an article on the benefits of a dress code, there were vociferous complaints from the
students.
Word Forms: vociferously, vociferousness, vociferate, vociferation, vociferant, vociferator Related Word: voice

140
Q

voluble

A

: (adj) talkative or fluent with words
The voluble hairdresser talked the entire time he cut my hair.
Word Forms: volubility, volubly Antonym Forms: nonvolubility, nonvoluble, nonvolubleness

141
Q

wane

A

: (vb) to grow smaller
Wayne’s interest in basketball began to wane after he played hockey; he even sold his basketball shoes to buy skates.
Antonym: wax Note: These two words are often used to describe the fullness of the moon.

142
Q

wanton

A

: (adj) unrestrained; immoral; unjustified
The pundit released wanton criticism on the book, even though it had been reviewed positively by other critics.
Word Forms: wantonly, wantonness Antonym Form: unwanton

143
Q

whimsical

A

: (adj) characterized by carefree impulses
The babysitter’s whimsical personality meant that the kids were never bored; one minute they were making peanut
butter cookies, and the next they were reenacting a scene from a famous play.
Word Forms: whimsically, whimsicality Related Words: whim, whimsy

144
Q

wily

A

: (adj) sly and cunning
The wily real estate agent tried to get us to buy the house even though it was full of termites.
Word Forms: wile, wilily, wiliness Antonym Form: unwily

145
Q

wistful

A

: (adj) expressing longing or yearning
Willie gave the car one last wistful look before he left the dealership; he wished he had the money to buy it.
Word Forms: wistfully, wistfulness

146
Q

wizened

A

: (adj) shriveled
The old man’s face was wizened with age.
Word Form: wizen

147
Q

wraith

A

: (n) a ghost
Ray was upset after seeing a wraith which he believed forecasted his death.
Word Form: wraithlike

148
Q

zealous

A

zealous: (adj) enthusiastic and devoted
The zealous sports fan had a tattoo of his favorite team’s logo on his ankle.
Word Forms: zealously, zealousness, zealot Related Word: zeal

149
Q

zenith

A

: (n) the highest point
The actress reached the zenith of her career when she won an Oscar for her role in the blockbuster.
Word Form: zenithal

150
Q

zephyr

A

: (n) a soft breeze

The cool zephyr coming off the water was refreshing in the hot sun.

151
Q

platitude

A

: (n) remark repeated too often
“The customer is always right” is just a platitude in which very few service-industry workers believe anymore.
Word Forms: platitudinous, platitudinarian, platitudinize

152
Q

plebeian

A

: (adj) of the common people; lacking sophistication
The queen looked down upon her plebeian subjects who did not know anything about refinement or sophistication.
Word Forms: plebeianism, plebeianly, plebeianness Antonym Form: unplebeian Related Word: plebe

153
Q

pliant

A

: (adj) capable of being bent or capable of being influenced
The pliant plastic can be easily molded into any shape, size, or design.
Word Forms: pliantly, pliantness, pliancy Related Word: pliable

154
Q

plucky

A

: (adj) brave
The plucky little duck jumped right into the water without waiting for its mother to lead the way.
Word Forms: pluckily, pluckiness

155
Q

polemical

A

: (adj) controversial; causing opposition
Polly published a polemical article about vaccinations that caused much debate among her readers.
Word Forms: polemic, polemically, polemicist, polemicize Antonym Forms: nonpolemic, nonpolemical,
nonpolemically

156
Q

politic

A

: (adj) ingenious, wise, or diplomatic
Paul made a politic manager; he kept employees happy and productive using tactful approaches and strategies.
Word Form: politicly Related Word: political

157
Q

populist

A

: (n) a person who supports the rights and powers of the common people
The candidate is a populist who believes in promoting the causes of the working classes.
Word Forms: populist (adj.), populistic, populism

158
Q

polyglot

A

: (adj) able to speak, read, or write in many languages
The polyglot woman was an asset to the company; she could speak with customers in Japan, Germany, Spain, and
Italy.
Word Forms: polyglot (n.), polyglotism Related Word: monoglot

159
Q

posit

A

: (vb) to assume as fact; to put in place
The teacher posited that the children had cheated without hearing their side of the story.
Word Form: posit (n) Related Word: deposit

160
Q

potentate

A

: (n) a powerful ruler
The potentate was born into the power of the monarchy; his family had ruled the country for over six hundred years.
Related Word: potent

161
Q

pragmatic

A

: (adj) practical; guided by practice rather than theory
When her bobby pin broke, Penelope found a pragmatic solution; she used a paper clip to hold back her stray hair.
Word Forms: pragmatical, pragmatically, pragmaticalness, pragmatism, pragmatistic, pragmatist

162
Q

prattle

A

: (vb) to babble
The child prattled on about his love of robots.
Word Forms: prattler, prattingly

163
Q

precipitate

A

: (vb) to bring about abruptly
Prescott’s sudden decision to move to a smaller apartment was precipitated by the loss of his job.
Word Forms: precipitate (adj.), precipitately, precipitateness, precipitative, precipitator Related Word:
precipitous

164
Q

precis

A

: (n) a short summary
Rather than submit the entire manuscript, I sent the publishing company a precis of my novel.
Word Form: precis (vb)

165
Q

precocious

A

: (adj) advanced in development or maturity (especially in mental aptitude)
The precocious little boy was able to solve the algebraic equation without any help from his teacher.
Word Forms: precociously, precociousness, precocity

166
Q

predilection

A

: (n) a preference

Preston has a predilection for cheddar so be sure not to serve mozzarella when he visits.

167
Q

prescience

A

: (n) knowledge of events before they happen
Grandma had an eerie prescience about my accident before it happened but I was too foolish to listen to her
warnings.
Word Forms: prescient, presciently

168
Q

prevaricate

A

: (vb) to lie or deceive
Presley prevaricated about her grades, claiming to have a 3.5 GPA even though it was below 2.0.
Word Forms: prevarication, prevaricative, prevaricatory Antonym Form: unprevaricating

169
Q

probity

A

: (n) honesty and integrity

Prudence was often selected as hall monitor because of her probity; the teacher knew he could trust her

170
Q

proclivity

A

: (n) a natural tendency

Prescott had a proclivity to lie, so few people trusted him.

171
Q

prodigal

A

: (adj) recklessly wasteful or lavishly abundant
The prince was criticized when his prodigal spending was documented by the tabloid.
Word Forms: prodigal (n), prodigally

172
Q

profligate

A

: (adj) shamelessly immoral or recklessly wasteful
The profligate prince was criticized when his wasteful spending was documented by the tabloid.
Word Forms: profligate (n), profligately, profligateness

173
Q

progenitor

A

: (n) a direct ancestor or originator
Although dogs now come in all shapes, sizes, and temperaments, the progenitor of their species was the wild wolf.
Word Forms: progenitorial, progenitorship Related Word: genitor

174
Q

proletarian

A

: (adj) of the working class
Education is an important proletarian value; working class parents believe that a college degree will offer their
children many more career choices.
Word Forms: proletarian (n.), proletarianly, proletarianness, proletarianism, proletary, proletariat

175
Q

propensity

A

: (n) a natural tendency

Mrs. Petty loved to talk to friends and neighbors, so it was no surprise that she had a propensity to gossip.

176
Q

propitiate

A

: (vb) to calm or pacify
The king was able to propitiate the mob by agreeing to meet with their leader.
Word Forms: propitiable, propitiatingly, propitiative, propitiator Antonym Form: nonpropitiable

177
Q

propriety

A

: (n) accepted or appropriate standards
When traveling abroad, it is important to observe the proprieties of your host country.
Antonym Form: nonpropriety

178
Q

prosaic

A

: (adj) dull and lacking excitement
Pam claimed the movie was predictable and prosaic, causing her to fall asleep halfway through.
Word Forms: prosaical, prosaically, prosaicness, prosaicism

179
Q

proselytize

A

: (vb) to convert someone to another belief, religion, party, or cause
Prewitt spent the summer proselytizing for the governor’s re-election campaign.

180
Q

provincial

A

: (adj) unsophisticated and limited; associated with the country
The officer judged Prescott by his provincial dress; she assumed he was unsophisticated just because he wore
overalls.
Word Forms: provincially, provincialism, provincialize, provincialist Related Word: province

181
Q

prudent

A

: (adj) careful and sensible
Perry made a prudent decision when he chose not to ride home with his friend who had been drinking.
Word Forms: prudently, prudence, prudency, prudential
Antonym Forms: imprudent, imprudently, imprudence, imprudential Related Word: prude

182
Q

puerile

A

: (adj) childish; immature
Your puerile jokes are suitable for the playground, but they won’t get many laughs in a comedy club.
Word Forms: puerilely, puerilism Antonym Forms: nonpuerile, nonpuerilely

183
Q

pugilist

A

: (n) a person who fights with his fists; a boxer
The two pugilists entered the ring for the first round of the boxing match.
Word Forms: pugilistic, pugilistically, pugilism

184
Q

pugnacious

A

: (adj) tending to quarrel or fight easily
Paul cannot walk his pugnacious dog in the park because she always starts fights with the other dogs.
Word Forms: pugnaciously, pugnaciousness, pugnacity Related Word: pugilistic

185
Q

pulchritude

A

: (n) beauty
The model’s pulchritude earned her the coveted spot on the cover of the magazine.
Word Form: pulchritudinous

186
Q

punctilious

A

: (adj) marked by precise accordance with details
Mr. Putnam is punctilious about punctuation; all of his students must correctly use periods, commas, and
semicolons.
Word Forms: punctiliously, punctiliousness, punctilio Related Word: punctual

187
Q

pundit

A

: (n) a critic or expert
The political pundits are employed by newspapers and television networks to evaluate the actions of the President.
Word Forms: punditic, punditically, punditry, punditocracy

188
Q

pusillanimous

A

: (adj) timid; cowardly
The pusillanimous lion asked the wizard for courage in the old fairy tale.
Word Forms: pusillanimously, pusillanimity

189
Q

pusillanimous

A

: (adj) timid; cowardly
The pusillanimous lion asked the wizard for courage in the old fairy tale.
Word Forms: pusillanimously, pusillanimity

190
Q

putrefy

A

: (vb) to decay
The forgotten vegetables putrefied in the hot sun.
Word Forms: putrefiable, putrefier Antonym Forms: unputrefiable, unputrefied Related Word: putrid

191
Q

quaff

A

: (vb) to drink a beverage
Quinn quaffed three sodas as if she had an unquenchable thirst.
Word Forms: quaffer, quaffable Antonym Form: unquaffed

192
Q

quell

A

: (vb) to put an end to
The coach quelled the rumor that he was taking another job by signing an extension of his current contract.
Word Forms: quellable, queller

193
Q

querulous

A

: (adj) complaining
Quentin’s querulous tone irritated Nina; he always found something about which to complain.
Word Forms: querulously, querulousness

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