Words to Know Flashcards
What does ‘Abate’ mean?
To lessen in intensity or degree.
What does ‘Abject’ mean?
Extremely bad, unpleasant, and degrading.
What does ‘Aberration’ mean?
A departure from what is normal or expected.
What does ‘Abjure’ mean?
To renounce a belief or cause.
What does ‘Abnegation’ mean?
The act of rejecting or renouncing something.
What does ‘Abrogate’ mean?
To repeal or do away with a law or formal agreement.
What does ‘Abstruse’ mean?
Difficult to understand; obscure.
What does ‘Abysmal’ mean?
Extremely bad; appalling.
What does ‘Accede’ mean?
To agree to a demand, request, or treaty.
What does ‘Acumen’ mean?
The ability to make good judgments and quick decisions.
What does ‘Affluent’ mean?
Having a great deal of money; wealthy.
What does ‘Alacrity’ mean?
Brisk and cheerful readiness.
What does ‘Ambivalence’ mean?
The state of having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas.
What does ‘Anomaly’ mean?
Something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.
What does ‘Antipathy’ mean?
A deep-seated feeling of aversion.
What does ‘Antiseptic’ mean?
Relating to or denoting substances that prevent infection.
What does ‘Apt’ mean?
Having a tendency to do something; appropriate or suitable.
What does ‘Assiduous’ mean?
Showing great care and perseverance.
What does ‘Bereft’ mean?
Deprived of or lacking something, especially a non-material asset.
What does ‘Blandishment’ mean?
Flattering speech or actions intended to persuade.
What does ‘Braggart’ mean?
A person who boasts about achievements or possessions.
What does ‘Cajole’ mean?
To persuade someone to do something by flattery or coaxing.
What does ‘Calumny’ mean?
The making of false and defamatory statements about someone.
What does ‘Camaraderie’ mean?
Mutual trust and friendship among people.
What does ‘Candid’ mean?
Truthful and straightforward; frank.
What does ‘Candor’ mean?
The quality of being open and honest.
What does ‘Carouse’ mean?
To drink alcohol and enjoy oneself with others in a noisy, lively way.
What does ‘Carp’ mean?
To complain or find fault continually.
What does ‘Cavort’ mean?
To jump or dance around excitedly.
What does ‘Censorious’ mean?
Expressing disapproval; critical.
What does ‘Circumbabulate’ mean?
To travel all the way around something.
What does ‘Circumlocution’ mean?
The use of many words where fewer would do, especially in a deliberate attempt to be vague.
What does ‘Circumscribe’ mean?
To restrict something within limits.
What does ‘Cognizant’ mean?
Having knowledge or awareness.
What does ‘Commensurate’ mean?
Corresponding in size or degree; in proportion.
What does ‘Comparable’ mean?
Able to be likened to another; similar.
What does ‘Compunction’ mean?
A feeling of guilt or moral scruple that prevents or follows the doing of something bad.
What does ‘Concomitant’ mean?
Naturally accompanying or associated.
What does ‘Conducive’ mean?
Making a certain situation or outcome likely or possible.
What does ‘Connive’ mean?
To secretly allow something considered immoral or illegal to occur.
What does ‘Consign’ mean?
To assign or transfer something to someone.
What does ‘Construe’ mean?
To interpret or explain the meaning of something.
What does ‘Contusion’ mean?
A bruise; an injury that doesn’t break the skin.
What does ‘Contrite’ mean?
Feeling or expressing remorse or penitence.
What does ‘Contravene’ mean?
To violate the prohibition or order of a law.
What does ‘Convivial’ mean?
Friendly, lively, and enjoyable.
What does ‘Corpulent’ mean?
Fat; having a large, bulky body.
What does ‘Cupidity’ mean?
Greed for money or possessions.
What does ‘Dearth’ mean?
A scarcity or lack of something.
What does ‘Debauch’ mean?
To indulge in sensual pleasures.
What does ‘Defunct’ mean?
No longer existing or functioning.
What does ‘Demur’ mean?
To raise doubts or objections.
What does ‘Denigrate’ mean?
To criticize unfairly; disparage.
What does ‘Diaphanous’ mean?
Light, delicate, and translucent.
What does ‘Dirge’ mean?
A mournful song, piece of music, or poem.
What does ‘Discomfit’ mean?
To make someone feel uneasy or embarrassed.
What does ‘Disparate’ mean?
Essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison.
What does ‘Disrepute’ mean?
The state of being held in low esteem by the public.
What does ‘Duplicity’ mean?
Deceitfulness; double-dealing.
What does ‘Duress’ mean?
Threats, violence, or other forms of coercion.
What does ‘Eclectic’ mean?
Deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
What does ‘Ebullient’ mean?
Cheerful and full of energy.
What does ‘Efficacious’ mean?
Effective; producing the desired outcome.
What does ‘Effluvia’ mean?
Unpleasant or harmful odors or fumes.
What does ‘Eloquent’ mean?
Fluent or persuasive in speaking or writing.
What does ‘Elude’ mean?
To escape from or avoid something.
What does ‘Emollient’ mean?
Having the quality of softening or soothing the skin.
What does ‘Empirical’ mean?
Based on observation or experience rather than theory.
What does ‘Enervate’ mean?
To weaken or drain of energy.
What does ‘Engender’ mean?
To cause or give rise to a feeling, situation, or condition.
What does ‘Ephemeral’ mean?
Lasting for a very short time.
What does ‘Equanimity’ mean?
Mental calmness, stability, or composure.
What does ‘Equivocal’ mean?
Open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous.
What does ‘Evanescent’ mean?
Quickly fading or disappearing.
What does ‘Evince’ mean?
To reveal the presence of a quality or feeling.
What does ‘Exhort’ mean?
To strongly encourage or urge someone to do something.
What does ‘Execrable’ mean?
Extremely bad or unpleasant.
What does ‘Exigent’ mean?
Pressing; demanding.
What does ‘Expedient’ mean?
Convenient and practical, although possibly improper or immoral.
What does ‘Expiate’ mean?
To atone for guilt or sin.
What does ‘Fallacious’ mean?
Based on a mistaken belief; misleading.
What does ‘Fatuous’ mean?
Silly and pointless.
What does ‘Flagrant’ mean?
Conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible.
What does ‘Forbearance’ mean?
Patient self-control; restraint and tolerance.
What does ‘Fractious’ mean?
Irritable and quarrelsome.
What does ‘Garrulous’ mean?
Excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters.
What does ‘Grandiloquent’ mean?
Pompous or extravagant in language, style, or manner.
What does ‘Iconoclast’ mean?
A person who attacks or criticizes cherished beliefs or institutions.
What does ‘Impecunious’ mean?
Having little or no money.
What does ‘Impinge’ mean?
To have an effect or impact, especially a negative one.
What does ‘Impute’ mean?
To attribute or ascribe a quality, especially a negative one.
What does ‘Inane’ mean?
Silly; stupid.
What does ‘Inchoate’ mean?
Just begun and not fully formed or developed.
What does ‘Incontrovertible’ mean?
Not able to be denied or disputed.
What does ‘Inexorable’ mean?
Impossible to stop or prevent.
What does ‘Inimical’ mean?
Tending to obstruct or harm.
What does ‘Injunction’ mean?
An authoritative warning or order.
What does ‘Innocuous’ mean?
Not harmful or offensive.
What does ‘Inoculate’ mean?
To introduce a vaccine into the body to produce immunity.
What does ‘Interlocutor’ mean?
A person who takes part in a dialogue or conversation.
What does ‘Inure’ mean?
To accustom someone to something, especially something unpleasant.
What does ‘Intransigent’ mean?
Unwilling or refusing to change one’s views or to agree.
What does ‘Inveterate’ mean?
Having a particular habit, activity, or interest that is long-established and unlikely to change.
What does ‘Largesse’ mean?
Generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others.
What does ‘Licentious’ mean?
Promiscuous and unprincipled in sexual matters.
What does ‘Litigant’ mean?
A person involved in a lawsuit.
What does ‘Maudlin’ mean?
Self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental.
What does ‘Maverick’ mean?
An unorthodox or independent-minded person.
What does ‘Mawkish’ mean?
Sentimental in a feeble or sickly way.
What does ‘Maxim’ mean?
A short, pithy statement expressing a general truth or rule of conduct.
What does ‘Mendacious’ mean?
Not telling the truth; lying.
What does ‘Meretricious’ mean?
Attractive in a cheap or false way.
What does ‘Modicum’ mean?
A small quantity of a particular thing.
What does ‘Momentous’ mean?
Of great importance or significance.
What does ‘Morass’ mean?
A complicated or confused situation.
What does ‘Munificent’ mean?
More generous than is usual or necessary.
What does ‘Nadir’ mean?
The lowest point in the fortunes of a person or organization.
What does ‘Negligent’ mean?
Failing to take proper care in doing something.
What does ‘Neophyte’ mean?
A person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief.
What does ‘Noisome’ mean?
Having an extremely unpleasant smell.
What does ‘Obdurate’ mean?
Stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action.
What does ‘Obfuscate’ mean?
To deliberately make something difficult to understand.
What does ‘Obstreperous’ mean?
Noisy and difficult to control.
What does ‘Officious’ mean?
Assertive of authority in an annoyingly domineering way.
What does ‘Onerous’ mean?
Involving a great deal of effort, trouble, or difficulty.
What does ‘Ostensible’ mean?
Stated or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so.
What does ‘Palliate’ mean?
To make a disease or its symptoms less severe without removing the cause.
What does ‘Paradigm’ mean?
A typical example or pattern of something; a model.
What does ‘Paucity’ mean?
The presence of something in only small or insufficient quantities.
What does ‘Pejorative’ mean?
Expressing contempt or disapproval.
What does ‘Penurious’ mean?
Extremely poor; poverty-stricken.
What does ‘Pert’ mean?
Attractive because of a lively or cheeky quality.
What does ‘Pernicious’ mean?
Having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.
What does ‘Pertinacious’ mean?
Holding firmly to an opinion or course of action.
What does ‘Phlegmatic’ mean?
Having an unemotional and stolidly calm disposition.
What does ‘Pithy’ mean?
Concise and forcefully expressive.
What does ‘Plaudit’ mean?
Praise; the applause of an audience.
What does ‘Plenitude’ mean?
An abundance; a large quantity.
What does ‘Postulate’ mean?
To suggest or assume the existence, fact, or truth of something as a basis for reasoning.
What does ‘Potentate’ mean?
A monarch or ruler, especially an autocratic one.
What does ‘Pragmatic’ mean?
Dealing with things sensibly and realistically.
What does ‘Preclude’ mean?
To prevent something from happening.
What does ‘Predilection’ mean?
A preference or special liking for something.
What does ‘Probity’ mean?
The quality of having strong moral principles.
What does ‘Profligate’ mean?
Recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources.
What does ‘Promulgate’ mean?
To promote or make widely known (an idea or cause).
What does ‘Proscribe’ mean?
To forbid, especially by law.
What does ‘Protean’ mean?
Able to change frequently or easily; versatile.
What does ‘Prurient’ mean?
Having or encouraging an excessive interest in sexual matters.
What does ‘Puerile’ mean?
Childishly silly and trivial.
What does ‘Pugnacious’ mean?
Eager or quick to argue, quarrel, or fight.
What does ‘Punctilious’ mean?
Showing great attention to detail or correct behavior.
What does ‘Quixotic’ mean?
Exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical.
What does ‘Quandary’ mean?
A state of perplexity or uncertainty over what to do in a difficult situation.
What does ‘Recalcitrant’ mean?
Having an obstinately uncooperative attitude.
What does ‘Remiss’ mean?
Lacking care or attention to duty.
What does ‘Reprobate’ mean?
An unprincipled person; a rogue.
What does ‘Rescind’ mean?
To revoke, cancel, or repeal (a law, order, or agreement).
What does ‘Ribald’ mean?
Referring to sexual matters in an amusingly rude or irreverent way.
What does ‘Sanguine’ mean?
Optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation.
What does ‘Scurrilous’ mean?
Making or spreading scandalous claims about someone with the intention of damaging their reputation.
What does ‘Serendipity’ mean?
The occurrence of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
What does ‘Solicitous’ mean?
Characterized by showing interest or concern.
What does ‘Staid’ mean?
Sedate, respectable, and unadventurous.
What does ‘Stolid’ mean?
Calm, dependable, and showing little emotion or animation.
What does ‘Supercilious’ mean?
Behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others.
What does ‘Supposition’ mean?
An uncertain belief.
What does ‘Surfeit’ mean?
An excessive amount of something.
What does ‘Surmise’ mean?
To suppose that something is true without having evidence to confirm it.
What does ‘Surreptitious’ mean?
Kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of.
What does ‘Tangential’ mean?
Diverging from a previous course or line; erratic.
What does ‘Tenable’ mean?
Able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection.
What does ‘Terse’ mean?
Brief and to the point; concise.
What does ‘Torpid’ mean?
Mentally or physically inactive; lethargic.
What does ‘Trenchant’ mean?
Incisive or keen, as language or a person; caustic.
What does ‘Trounce’ mean?
To defeat heavily in a contest.
What does ‘Truculent’ mean?
Eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant.
What does ‘Turpitude’ mean?
Depravity; wickedness.
What does ‘Umbrage’ mean?
Offense or annoyance.
What does ‘Undulate’ mean?
To move with a smooth, wavelike motion.
What does ‘Upbraid’ mean?
To find fault with someone; to scold.
What does ‘Upshot’ mean?
The final or eventual outcome or conclusion.
What does ‘Usury’ mean?
The illegal action or practice of lending money at unreasonably high rates of interest.
What does ‘Veracity’ mean?
Conformity to facts; accuracy.
What does ‘Vicissitude’ mean?
A change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant.
What does ‘Vilify’ mean?
To speak or write about in an abusively disparaging manner.
What does ‘Virtuoso’ mean?
A person highly skilled in a particular art, especially music.
What does ‘Vitriolic’ mean?
Filled with bitter criticism or malice.
What does ‘Vituperate’ mean?
To blame or insult someone in strong or violent language.
What does ‘Winsome’ mean?
Attractive or appealing in a fresh, innocent way.
What does ‘Zenith’ mean?
The time at which something is most powerful or successful.
What does ‘Yoke’ mean?
To join together; to couple.
What does ‘Aplomb’ mean?
Self-confidence or assurance, especially when in a demanding situation.
What does ‘Bellicose’ mean?
Demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight.
What does ‘Capricious’ mean?
Given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior.
What does ‘Churlish’ mean?
Rude in a mean-spirited and surly way.
What does ‘Clemency’ mean?
Mercy; lenience.
What does ‘Cogent’ mean?
Clear, logical, and convincing.
What does ‘Dilatory’ mean?
Slow to act; intended to cause delay.
What does ‘Fastidious’ mean?
Very attentive to detail; meticulous.
What does ‘Indefatigable’ mean?
Persisting tirelessly.
What does ‘Insipid’ mean?
Lacking flavor or vigor; dull.
What does ‘Lugubrious’ mean?
Looking or sounding sad and dismal.
What does ‘Perspicacious’ mean?
Having a ready insight into and understanding of things.
What does ‘Reticent’ mean?
Not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings readily.
What does ‘Antediluvian’ mean?
Of or belonging to the period before the biblical flood.
What does ‘Castigate’ mean?
To reprimand someone severely.
What does ‘Contumacious’ mean?
Stubbornly or willfully disobedient to authority.
What does ‘Diffident’ mean?
Modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence.
What does ‘Effulgent’ mean?
Shining brightly; radiant.
What does ‘Furtive’ mean?
Attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt.
What does ‘Lachrymose’ mean?
Tearful or given to weeping.
What does ‘Parsimonious’ mean?
Unwilling to spend money or use resources; stingy or frugal.
What does ‘Salubrious’ mean?
Health-giving; healthy.
What does ‘Anathema’ mean?
Something or someone that one vehemently dislikes.
What does ‘Apotheosis’ mean?
The highest point in the development of something; a culmination or climax.
What does ‘Asperision’ mean?
An attack on the reputation or integrity of someone or something.
What does ‘Brogue’ mean?
A strong dialectal accent, especially a strong Irish accent.
What does ‘Effete’ mean?
Affected, overrefined, and ineffectual.
What does ‘Eleemosynary’ mean?
Relating to charity; charitable.
What does ‘Frisson’ mean?
A sudden strong feeling of excitement or fear; a thrill.
What does ‘Insouciant’ mean?
Showing a casual lack of concern; indifferent.
What does ‘Inveigle’ mean?
To persuade someone to do something by means of deception or flattery.
What does ‘Lachrymal’ mean?
Relating to tears.
What does ‘Obloquy’ mean?
Strong public criticism or verbal abuse.
What does ‘Pusillanimous’ mean?
Showing a lack of courage or determination; timid.
What does ‘Quiescent’ mean?
In a state or period of inactivity or dormancy.
What does ‘Recondite’ mean?
Little known; abstruse.
What does ‘Termagant’ mean?
A harsh or overbearing woman.
