Words Flashcards
Laborious
adj. taking a lot of time and effort
“He’s emaciated, I don’t think he can handle laborious jobs.” Said the lazy man.
Catalyst
n. a person or thing that causes a change
His existence is seen as a catalyst for unity.
Indoctrinate
v. to force somebody to accept a belief and not others
I’ll never indoctrinate anyone, I just want them to respect my belief.
Quip
n. a quick and clever remark
• The reporter was amazed by his quip.
• The quips that culminated in a brawl.
• A CEO that revels in posting hilarious quips online.
Vignette
(vin-‘yet)
n. a short writing or acting that shows what a particular person, situation, etc. is like; description
The vignette of the prisoner’s life in the most dangerous prison in the world.
Realia
(rei-a:lia)
n. real life objects used for teaching purposes
The children feel so excited when the teacher brings his realia.
Prescience
(presh-ee-unss)
n. the ability to see or anticipate what will or might happen in the future.
John doesn’t believe to the people with prescience, so when something happens that matches their prediction, it’s just a matter of coincidence.
Strew
v. to cover a surface with things
The road is strewn with crabs.
Dispel
v. to make something go away or disappear
• I can’t dispel my fear of talking to strangers.
• The police struggles to dispel the belligerent protesters.
• The kid tries to dispel the ants with his water gun.
Prevalent
adj. exists or very common in a particular place or time; widespread, common
This kind of behaviour is prevalent in my town.
Utter
adj. used to emphasize how complete something is
Whoever is reading this, you are utterly beautiful person.
Obscure
adj. not well known; difficult to understand
An obscure article.
Cackle
v. to laugh in a loud, unpleasant way/
(of a chicken) to make a loud, unpleasant noise
He cackled after reading the meme.
Apropos
prep. with regard to (something)
• They’re talking about science and, apropos of that subject, it always amazes them how everything has a science behind them.
• Again, apropos of what we’ve discussed, everything is a lie.
• Apropos of nothing, the interviewee delves into a subject very far from the question.
Emulate
n. to try to do something what someone else do because you admire them
He’s starting to emulate how confident people act.
Manifest
v. - to show something clearly
- to appear or become noticeable
•His true feelings started to manifest in their conversation.
•The effects of climate change will manifest themselves more severely.
Drawback
n. a disadvantage or problem something has that makes it a less attractive idea
• The only drawback of this warship is it doesn’t have strong air-defense.
• Reading a book that is not your native language but translated is kinda a drawback because you will never know what the original looks like.
• There’s no drawback with it; you’ll still get the idea behind it.
Brouhaha
n. state of commotion; uproar
This new law could cause a brouhaha.
Doable
adj. able to be done
I don’t think this is doable for just 10 minutes.
Requite
v. to give something such as love, kindness, favor, etc. in return for what someone has given to you
So I requited the man some tips for helping me.
Wack
adj. very bad; not of good quality
I wasted my money with this game. This game is aboslutely wack.
Vie
(vai)
v. to compete strongly with someone in order to obtain or achieve something.
They vie with each other for a reward.
Crass
adj. very stupid and showing no sympathy or understanding
He punched the man for giving him crass response.
Swoon
v. to feel very excited, emotional, etc. about someone you think is sexually attractive
I hadn’t had women swooning over me.
Facade
n. an act of displaying emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive
• They may seem all very happy but it’s just a facade.
• Now he’s gonna put up a facade that appears as a savior of the people.
• I distrust all politicians who pronounce that they will resolve poverty and corruption; I merely see it as a facade and use it to gain multitudinous voters.
Acclimate
v. to get used to a new place, situation, or climate
I will acclimate myself to live in the city.
Conducive
adj. tending to promote or assist; helpful, useful
Daily nature walk is conducive to our mental health.
Quagmire
n. a difficult or dangerous situation
Expect that there will be a quagmire to your life.
Hobnob
v. to spend a lot of time with someone who’s famous or rich
He loves hobnobbing with popular kids.
Attuned
adj. familiar with someone or something so that you understand or recognize then or it, and act in an appropriate way
I’m still not attuned to the dance steps.
Scowl
v. to look in an angry or annoyed way
The man scowled at him for asking too many questions repetitively.
Jaw
v. to talk a lot for a long time
His mother jaws with her friend in the mall.
Commiserate
commiserate (with somebody) (on/about/for/over something)
v. to sympathize with someone when they lose or upset or disappointed
• People will never commiserate with them for the atrocity they committed during the war.
• Instead of commiserating with the boy over his torment, the girls laughed at him and made fun of his desolate life.
• I will never commiserate with a bum.
Bemoan
v. to complain about something that makes you unhappy or unfair
• The students bemoaned the late announcement of class suspension.
• Although the government has done everything they possibly could, the residents of the afflicted area still bemoan the meager supplies they have donated.
• A lot of the users have bemoaned the poor performance of the app, however the developers seem to brush the complaint off, and, thus, the user amount of the app declines.
Desultory
adj. going from one thing to another without any plan or enthusiasm
His desultory manner of going to different topics and making vitriol.
Mealymounted
adj. not willing or honest enough to speak what you really think
Mealymouthed politicians are very common that having a genuine one is a miracle.
Dabble
v. to take part in sport, activity, etc., but not seriously
• He dabbles in the game just to kill time.
• No, I just dabble in the clan and I don’t join in tournaments.
• I’m content to just dabble with the discussion my friends are talking about.
Knotty
adj. complicated and difficult to solve
• In quagmire you will face some knotty challenges- but I believe in you.
• Don’t worry, the test is easy and the questions aren’t knotty.
• Traffic congestion has become a knotty predicament of our country since I was born.
Deuce
n. used in questions that show you’re annoyed
How the deuce did he not see that?
Querulous
adj. complaining; showing that you’re annoyed
He busts open the door with a querulous expression upon his face.
Invariable
adj. always the same; not changing
Her invariable attitude towards her job.
Defile
v. to ruin or make something dirty, especially something important or holy
The uncaring and rude tourists defiled the national museum.
Petulant
adj. bad-tempered or unreasonable, because you cannot do or have what you want
I felt petulant because I couldn’t play.
Brusque
adj. using few words and sounding rude
• He answered her in a brusque response.
• Answering in a brusque manner is the first sign she is sullen.
• Many people find it inappropriate when a person brusquely converses with them.
Lackluster
adj. not interesting or exciting; dull
It was a lackluster day I had yesterday.
Incredulous
adj. not willing or able to believe something
• Despite the facts being shown to them, they still appear incredulous.
• Oh, so now you are taken aback by what happened beforehand. Well, I’ve been telling you that it could go wrong but you have been so incredulous.
• The woman remains incredulous but we see through her eyes that she’ll relent eventually.
Portend
v. to be a sign or warning that something bad is going to happen in the future
This war they started portends a vulnerable future of the country.
Rectify
v. to correct something that is wrong
They put a lot of effort to rectify the shortcomings on their project.
Underpin
v. to support or form the basis of an argument, a claim, etc.
He made a speech that can somehow underpin his actions.
Paroxysm
n. sudden strong feeling or emotion that cannot be controlled
Their inadequate aid has raised paroxysm of hate and repulsion to the mayor.
Dumbfounded
adj. unable to speak because of surprise
• She was dumbfounded by the way her friend answered her because it’s out of her character.
• I was completely dumbfounded that I still managed to win that fight despite being outnumbered.
• The audience is dumbfounded by the performance of the group.
Mutter
v. to say something in a quiet voice when annoyed
• The employee muttered something offensive to his boss.
• The teacher heard her students muttering about her ways of teaching.
• After the failed performance, she muttered to the judges about their biasness.
Pinion
v. to hold or tie someone so that they cannot move
He is pinioned by the railings.
Diffident
adj. not having confidence in yourself; shy
His diffident behavior swells as he loses friends.
Toil
v. to work very hard for a long time usually physically/ to move slowly with difficulty
• The scientists toiled for years to develop a cure.
• The engineers toiled for many years to develop technology that they believe to be the solution for the problem.
• Even though there are numerous people who admire their work, nothing could make up for their years of toiling.
Multitudinous
adj. extremely large in number
They were dumbfounded when they found a multitudinous gold bars in the forgotten cave.
Germane
adj. connected with something - ideas, remarks, etc.
Questions that are rather germane to different topics.
Pernicious
adj. having a very harmful effect and that is gradual and not easy to notice
A pernicious document that aimed to manipulate young minds.
Dogmatic
adj. being certain of your belief is right that others should accept
Her dogmatic supporters have defiled her reputation to many citizens.
Fain
adv. willingly or with pleasure
• He would fain follow his desire to avenge his friends.
• Oh, you want to declare a war? Sure, we’d fain grant your wish.
• I wouldn’t fain follow their rules slavishly.
Inexorable
adj. (of a process) that cannot be stopped or changed
An inexorable downfall of their company.
Typify
v. to be a typical example of something
An act that typifies kindness.
Didactic
adj. designed to teach people something
A didactic painting was shown to the students.
Veracity
n. the quality of being true; truthfulness
They questioned the veracity of the accurate amount of the latest survey.
Engross
v. to give all your time and attention to something very interesting
• He is engrossed in learning new vocabulary words.
• I think I successfully rekindle my interest in reading once again, and I totally engross reading classic literature.
• How am I going to engross them to my hobbies?
Consort
n. the husband or wife of a ruler
He is so amazed by how gorgeous his consort is.
En masse
adv. all together; usually in large numbers
The soldiers were pulled back en masse to their country.
Bereft
adj. having lost something or someone
• We requested for help because we’re already bereft of ideas.
• These children are bereft of guidance from their parents. We get to teach them a moral lesson ourselves.
• He felt despair for his bereft of will.
Erstwhile
adj. former; a type of person or thing that was before but not anymore
An erstwhile coworker sued their company.
Onslaught
n. a strong or violent attack
He woke up with plenty of onslaughts being sent in his mail.
Thwart
v. to prevent somebody from doing what they wanted to do
My procrastination thwarts me to do my assignments.
Sparing
adj. careful; moderate
• You need sparing use of social media.
• Use your items sparingly.
• I didn’t know I had to use this sparingly to last longer in the battle.
Rekindle
v. to make a feeling or relationship become active again
• Seeing character models on video games rekindles my interest in making 3D-models.
• With his friends’ ardent passion for arts, it somewhat rekindles his hobby of drawing and painting.
• She is trying to find a way to rekindle his interest in socializing with people.
Afflict
v. to affect somebody/something in an unpleasant or harmful way
• A super typhoon that afflicted the entire country.
• Yharman is afflicted with an unknown illness that causes folks to be extremely aggressive.
Inflict
v. to make somebody/something suffer something unpleasant
• It will inflict much damage on the enemies.
• Its saliva can inflict poisonous effects.
Accentuate
v. to make something noticeable
- He likes wearing tank tops to accentuate his muscular build.
- The man in an all-white dress accentuates in a throng.
- He acts pretty suspicious to accentuate that he’s the impostor.
Sway
v. to persuade something to believe something or do something
• He made a video that could easily sway millions of his followers to his belief.
• You can sway anyone with your excellence in negotiating.
• He isn’t easily swayed.
Stalwart
n. (stalwart of something) a loyal supporter of an organization who is able to do anything for them.
• He has been a stalwart of their political party for a decade.
• They are the prominent stalwart of the climate environmentalist movements.
• The stalwart spreads his belief through vlogging.
Refine
v. to improve something by making small changes to it.
• Everyday he does something to refine his skill.
• You still need to refine your plays to reach that level.
• After writing your first draft, make a second one and refine it.
Compel
v. to force someone to do something; to make something necessary.
• Watching his videos has compelled me to subscribe to his channel because his contents are just fascinating.
• I feel compelled to send him a nice comment because he makes incredible topics.
• It turns out there was nothing that compelled him to commit the crime but his resentment of the victim.
Colloquy
n. a conversation
• A colloquy between the two organizations.
• The protestors demand to have a colloquy with the president.
• He secretly recorded his colloquy with the authority.
Ambivalent
adj. having or showing both good and bad feelings about someone or something
• I’m having an ambivalent feeling about my job.
• He seems to have no ambivalent relationship toward his friends.
• “It’s an act of faith to declare the world is good because the evidence of it is ambivalent.”
Flunk
v. (flunk something) to fail an exam, a test, or a course
(flunk somebody) to fail someone by giving them low grades
• I’m an expert in flunking subjects.
• The girls cried when they flunked the exam.
• The professor flunks the obnoxious student at whim.
Lowbrow
adj. not highly intellectual or cultured; simplistic, unsophisticated
• After reading his novel, I realized how lowbrow the other books I’ve read.
• I notice that most of them have lowbrow tastes in films.
• We have a lot of lowbrow movies.
Transcend
v. to go beyond the limit of something
• I don’t yearn to transcend him, but I just want to get closer to his level of communicating.
• I doubt I will ever transcend my compulsion.
• I will transcend fear! Woohoo!
Proclivity
n. (proclivity for/for doing something) a natural tendency to do something or feel something, often something bad
• He’s got a proclivity for violating the law.
• She has a proclivity for extravagant spending.
• The activists’ proclivity for violence.
Meticulous
adj. paying careful attention to every detail
• He looks at her in a meticulous manner.
• They tend to be meticulous about their appearance.
• He’s always meticulous in checking things before he leave so as to ensure he doesn’t forget anything.
Blasé
adj. blasé (about something)
not impressed, excited, or worried about something because you’ve seen or experienced it before
• I played too many FromSoft games that I’ve become blasé about other games that have simplistic gameplay.
• He seems blasé about this issue so we excluded him from the group.
• There are so many mass shootings in school that have occurred for many years until now that some people have become blasé about this horrible crime.
Convoluted
adj. extremely complicated and difficult to follow
• A convoluted argument.
• A convoluted explanation.
• This is a convoluted approach to a problem.
Mar
v. to damage or spoil something good
• He’s doing well until he mars his own reputation.
• The once beautiful river has been marred by garbage.
• This land was serene and clean before the informal settlers have marred the area.
Slant
v. to present or view (information) in a particular way of thinking in a biased and unfair way
• Every news outlet seems to be slanted in favor of the leftists.
• They slanted the report.
• All the articles I’ve read have been slanted to please the liberals.
Elucidate
v. elucidate (something)
to explain something clearer and more fully
• I will elucidate the possible solution tomorrow.
• The story in this book is difficult to elucidate.
• He elucidates how he got here.
Wuss
n. a person who is not brave or strong
• Don’t be such a wuss!
• It’s definitely painful to be called a wuss.
• He went from being a wuss to a courageous person.
Foible
n. minor flaws or shortcomings in character or behavior
• He is amused daily by the foibles of his eccentric neighbor.
• He has found his foibles as beneficial to his career.
• They doubt his foible would inflict damage on their reputation.
Solemn
adj. not happy or smiling; serious, sincere
• He tried to make his wife laugh but she still looks solemn.
• The students have a solemn expression when they’re given loads of homework.
• He looks solemn to his promises so they trusted him.
Preface
v. preface something (by/with something) (by doing something)
to say something before you start making a speech, answering a question, etc
• First of all, I will preface my speech with a personal story.
• I usually preface my comment by thanking a person for his response.
• You must preface your video by greeting the viewers.
Lackadaisical
adj. lacking life, care, or enthusiasm
• He does his homework in a lackadaisical way.
• Finding a job in a lackadaisical approach might not yield good results for him.
• All workers here seem to be lackadaisical.
Facile
adj. produced without effort or careful thought; simplistic, cheap
• You can’t give a facile solution to a complex problem.
• A facile victory.
• The story in this book is facile but I’m going to finish it nonetheless.
Zest
zest (for something)
n. enjoyment and enthusiasm
• I wish I had a zest for life.
• This game has a terrible storyline but the combat system and the graphics added zest to the game.
• He has a zest for complimenting people.
Poise
n. a calm and confident manner with control in your feelings or behavior
• The audience, especially his parents, laud his poise while performing at the stage.
• Remain poise under the storm.
• You’ll feel very nervous for a moment when you begin to sing, but eventually you’ll recover your poise.
Reverie
n. a state of thinking about pleasant things; daydreaming
• He’s always in reverie.
• They think he’s sleeping but he’s actually in reverie.
• I got interrupted in my reverie when a kid asked for help.
Vapid
adj. lacking interest or intelligence
• The vapid storyline was the reason the game has so many negative reviews.
• The dialogues in this game are absolutely vapid.
• He keeps making vapid content no wonder he has no subscribers.
Contrive
v. to manage to do something despite difficulties
contrive (to do something)
contrive (something)
• He contrives to look good around his crush.
• To my surprise, they contrive to survive in the harshest environment a man could only imagine.
• I’m contriving to pass my exam.
Retort
v. to reply quickly to a comment, in an angry, offended, or humorous way
retort that…
• She retorted that women can do what men can do.
• “You’re a freaking dork!” They retorted angirly.
• He retorted that it’s my fault as much as his.
Thrust
thrust (something/somebody/yourself +adv./prep.)
v. to push or move something quickly with a lot of force
• He thrusts his bag to the chair.
• She thrust the groceries into him and ran off.
• The man thrust the baseball bat into the table in anger.
Mangle
v. to crush or twist something so that it is badly damaged
to spoil something such as a poem or a piece of music
mangle (something)
• Her right arm is badly mangled.
• Anyone who defies the rule is going to be mangled with the machine.
• The wack singer mangled the song.
Topple
v. topple (adv/prep) to become unsteady and fall down
topple (somebody) to make someone lose their position of power or authority
• The truck made a hard turn toppling over the bulldozer.
• He moved so much that he toppled from his stool.
• Multitudinous of people has gathered to topple the prime minister.
Rebut
v. to claim or prove that the accusation or evidence is false
rebut (something)
• The man strongly rebuts the rumors of him stealing from his neighbors.
• He failed to rebut the statements.
• The suspect continues to rebut despite the irrefutable evidence.
Affront
n. affront (to somebody/something) a remark or an action that insults or offends someone or something
v. affront (somebody/something) to insult or offend someone
n.
• His comment is an affront to our country.
• Not protecting the fishermen from foreign vessels is an affront to their safety.
• They’ve mistaken his remark as an affront to the community.
v.
• I hope you’re not affronted by my comment.
• His voice tone affronted her.
• The child’s misbehavior really affronted the passengers.
Clamor
v. to demand something loudly
clamor (for something)
clamor (to do something)
• Children clamor for chocolates.
• The reporters are clamoring for an answer from the mayor.
• Teenagers are clamoring to get what they want.
v. (of many people) to shout loudly
• The protesters are clamoring around the streets.
• A throng of paparazzis clamored around his car.
• The children clamor at the helicopter flying by.
n. loud noise made by a lot of people or animals
n. clamor (for something) a demand for something made by a lot of people
• A clamor of birds wakes him up.
• A deafening clamor of activists.
• A clamor for abolishing abortion.
Uber
combining form. (in nouns and adjs.) of the greatest or best kind; to a very large degree
• His friend is the uber person he’s ever had.
• The teachers revere the uberstudent for answering almost every test perfectly.
• The family owns an uber-beautiful dog breed.
Revere
revere somebody (as something)
v. to feel great respect or admiration for someone or something
• He is revered as the father of young men for giving wonderful advice and encouragement.
• The king is revered in another kingdom but his.
• They revere the brave knight as the saviour of the castle.
Balk
balk (at something)
v. to be unwilling to do something or become involved in something because it is difficult, dangerous, etc.
• The two groups balk at the integration of their forces.
• Some high school students balk at attending college after graduation.
• Many locals balked at the closure of their province.
Fraught
adj. fraught (with something) filled with something unpleasant
• An airport fraught with thieves, fraudsters, long queues, and electric outages.
• No wonder it is known as Asia’s worst airport, it is fraught with problems and unwelcoming experience.
• This place is fraught with crimes.
Gooey
adj. soft and sticky
• Gooey cakes
• He daringly touches that gooey thing.
• Don’t be gooey to your loved one.
Eschew
v. eschew (something) to deliberately avoid or keep away from something
• I’ve eschewed things that stresses me out.
• I will eschew activities that make me unproductive.
• They successfully eschewed a dangerous path.
Adamant
adj. determined not to change your mind or to be persuaded about something
• They are adamant that they are neutral in the conflict.
• He is adamant that nothing bad will happen if he doesn’t attend.
• They seem to be adamant that they are right.
Opulent
adj. extremely rich
• His friends and his parents’ opulent guests have come to his birthday.
• From how it looks, this area is for opulent visitors.
• The place gives a sight of opulent surroundings.
Liaise
v. liaise (with somebody) to work closely with someone and exchange information with them
liaise (between A and B) to act as a link between two or more people or groups
• I have to liaise with my accomplice to effectively pull this off.
• The detective normally has to liaise with a criminal for a report.
• His job was to liaise between them.
Malign
adj. causing harm
• Study found that using too much social media is malign.
• Inactive lifestyle has a malign effect.
• Constant exposure to negative news could have a malign influence in your worldview.
Revile
v. to criticize someone or something
revile somebody (for/for doing something)
- Netizens reviled his comment for supporting such things.
- Many people reviled the president for inaction on the problem.
- He was reviled by the people he had supported.
Strife
n. angry or violent disagreement between two people or groups of people; conflict
• A plan to avoid possible strife.
• The country has been fraught with strife for a long time.
• There is no chance to end this strife.
Meager
adj. small in quantity and poor in quality
• They had to rely on meager provision to survive.
• A country’s meager jobs produce no benefits for the economy.
• They lost the war because of meager equipment and internal conflict in the army.
Advent
advent (of somebody/something)
n. the coming of an important event, person, invention, etc
• The advent of new invention that will change the world.
• They are preparing for the advent of the president.
• People are ambivalent about the advent of the new technology that guarantees to make their lives easier.
Pundit
n. a person who knows a lot about a particular subject and who often talks about it in public
• A political pundit.
• A video game pundit.
• A psychology pundit.
Nix
nix something
v. to prevent something from happening by saying “no” to it
• Many young adults nix having children.
• Some people nixed to work in cities and prefer rural areas.
• They nixed to lift the prohibition against the entrance of the workers.
Pedagogue
n. a teacher; a person who likes to teach people things
• The math pedagogue goes around the town to teach children basic mathematics.
• A passionate pedagogue helps students to become a potential master of the field.
• There are only a few pedagogues in the country, as a result the average level of IQ of the country has shrunk.
Antithesis
n. the opposite of something
• Peace is the antithesis of war.
• It’s a complete antithesis of what I’ve just said.
• The gameplay is the very antithesis of what’s in the game trailer.
Deluge
n. a large number of things that happen or arrive at the same time
• A deluge of problems awaits on the first day of the new year.
• Sitting in the office hearing a deluge of calls which makes me unenergetic and groggy.
• A deluge of notifications received once I turned on wi-fi.
Prestige
n. the respect and admiration that someone or something has because of their social position or what they have done
• He gained prestige when he carried the team to victory.
• You did something good and useful so you should have personal prestige.
• It seems like having prestige makes a person impervious to criticism.
Barrage
barrage (of something)
n. a large number of things (comments or questions) directly to someone quickly, simultaneously, and often aggressively
• I was overwhelmed by the barrage of questions I received.
• The paparrazzis’ barrage of questions over the scandal.
• The hotel has a barrage of negative reviews.