wordsmart Flashcards
1
Q
abate
A
adj. lessen
2
Q
acumen
A
n. smartness
3
Q
adherent
A
n. follower
4
Q
adulation
A
n. wild praise
5
Q
affectation
A
n. unnatural behavior
6
Q
aggregate
A
n. a total sum v. to put together adj. describes something put together
7
Q
alacrity
A
n. eagerness
8
Q
ameliorate
A
v. to make better
9
Q
amenity
A
n. pleasantness (ex the hotel’s amenities)
10
Q
amnesty
A
n. official pardon
11
Q
aphorism
A
n. stupid saying
12
Q
apotheosis
A
n. perfect example
13
Q
approbation
A
n. approval
14
Q
arcane
A
adj. mysterious
15
Q
archetype
A
n. prototype; first of its kind
16
Q
artifice
A
n. trickery
17
Q
assiduous
A
adj. hardworking
18
Q
assuage
A
v. to soothe
19
Q
attrition
A
n. the natural wearing away of
20
Q
auspicious
A
adj. favorable
21
Q
avuncular
A
adj. acting like an uncle
22
Q
bereaved
A
adj. deprived or left desolate
23
Q
bucolic
A
adj. charmingly rural; rustic
24
Q
brevity
A
n. briefness
25
burlesque
n. parody; caricature
26
caustic
adj. acidic; corrosive
27
castigate
v. to criticize severely
28
clemency
n. mercy; forgiveness
29
cogent
adj. powerfully convincing
30
cognizant
adj. aware; conscious
31
colloquial
adj. conversational; informal in language
32
complicity
n. participating in wrongdoing
33
conjecture
v. to guess n. a guess
34
confluence
n. a flowing together
35
contrite
adj. admitting guilt
36
corollary
n. natural consequence; something that follows
37
countenance
n. face; facial expression
38
corroborate
v. to confirm
39
deleterious
adj. harmful
40
depravity
n. extreme wickedness or corruption
41
deride
v. to ridicule
42
despot
n. an autocrat
43
desultory
adj. without a plan
44
diffident
adj. timid
45
disseminate
v. to scatter; to make widely known
46
distend
v. to swell
47
doctrinaire
adj. dogmatic
48
duplicity
n. being two faced; deception
49
efface
v. to erase
50
effusion
n. a pouring forth
51
endemic
adj. native
52
engender
v. to create; to cause
53
enormity
n. extreme evil; a hideous offense
54
epigram
n. a brief; witty/satirical saying
55
epigraph
n. a quotation at beginning of book/essay
56
epitaph
n. a commemorative inscription on a grave
57
epithet
n. a term used to characterize the nature of something
58
espouse
v. to support
59
exalt
v. to raise high; to glorify
60
exemplify
v. to illustrate by example
61
exhort
v. to urge strongly
62
exigency
n. an emergency
63
expatriate
v. to emigrate; to move out of one’s native land
64
exult
v. to rejoice
65
facetious
adj. humorous; not serious
66
farcical
adj. absurd; ludicrous
67
fastidious
adj. meticulous
68
fecund
adj. fertile; productive
69
felicity
n. happiness; skillfulness
70
flagrant
adj. glaringly bad
71
flout
v. to disregard something out of disrespect
72
foment
v. to stir up; to instigate
73
forbear/forgo/forsake
v. to abstain
74
founder
v. to fail; to collapse
75
furtive
adj. secretive
76
genteel
adj. refined; polite
77
hedonism
n. the pursuit of pleasure as a way of life
78
hegemony
n. leadership
79
hermetic
adj. impervious to external influence
80
homily
n. a sermon
81
husbandry
n. thrifty management of resources
82
idealogue
n. someone who is doctrinaire
83
idiosyncrasy
n. an eccentricity
84
ignominy
n. deep disgrace
85
immutable
adj. unchangeable
86
impetuous
adj. impulsive
87
impotent
adj. powerless
88
impugn
v. to attack the truth or integrity of something
89
inaugurate
v. to begin officially
90
incipient
adj. beginning; emerging
91
indigent
adj. poor
92
inexorable
adj. relentless; inevitable
93
ingenuous
adj. frank; without deception; charmingly naive
94
injunction
n. a command or order
95
insidious
adj. treacherous; sneaky
96
insular
adj. like an island; isolated
97
intractable
adj. uncontrollable
98
intransigent
adj. uncompromising; stubborn
99
irascible
adj. easily angered
100
itinerant
adj. moving from place to place
101
libel
n. written slander
102
lugubrious
adj. exaggeratedly mournful
103
malfeasance
n. an illegal act
104
malinger
v. to pretend to be sick to avoid doing work
105
matriculate
v. to enroll
106
maverick
n. a nonconformist; a rebel
107
mendacious
adj. lying
108
mercurial
adj. emotionally unpredictable
109
munificent
adj. very generous
110
nebulous
adj. hazy; vague
111
neologism
n. new word; new usage of a word
112
obdurate
adj. stubborn and insensitive
113
obsequious
adj. fawning; subservient; sycophantic
114
onerous
adj. burdensome
115
paltry
adj. insignificant
116
panacea
n. something that cures everything
117
paradigm
n. a model or example
118
parochial
adj. narrow or confined in point of view
119
partisan
n. a supporter adj. biased
120
patent
adj. obvious
121
patrician
n./adj. noble; aristocrat(ic)
122
peccadillo
n. a minor offense
123
pedantic
adj. boringly scholarly or academic
124
penitent
adj. sorry; repentant; contrite
125
peremptory
adj. final; dictatorial
126
perfunctory
adj. careless
127
peripatetic
adj. wandering
128
perjury
n. lying under oath
129
perquisite
n. a privilege
130
philistine
n. a smugly ignorant person
131
pious
adj. reverent; hypocritical
132
portent
n. an omen
133
precept
n. a principle; a maxim
134
precipitous
adj. steep
135
preclude
v. to prevent
136
preempt
v. to seize something by prior right
137
prerogative
n. perquisite
138
prodigal
adj. wastefully extravagant
139
profligate
adj. prodigal
140
promulgate
v. to proclaim
141
propensity
n. a predilection
142
propitious
adj. marked by favorable signs or conditions; auspicious
143
proprietary
adj. characteristic of an owner of property
144
propriety
n. properness
145
proscribe
v. to outlaw
146
proselytize
v. to convert
147
provident
adj. preparing for the future
148
provisional
adj. conditional; temporary
149
purported
adj. rumored
150
putative
adj. commonly accepted; supposed
151
quality
v. to modify or restrict
152
querulous
adj. complaining
153
ramification
n. a consequence
154
ramify
v. to branch out
155
rebut
v. to contradict
156
recant
v. to openly confess error
157
recondite
adj. hard as understand
158
redolent
adj. fragrant (OR reminiscent of something)
159
relegate
v. to banish
160
remonstrate
v. to argue against; to protest
161
replete
adj. completely filled
162
reprisal
n. a military action taken in revenge
163
reprove
v. to criticize mildly
164
requisite
adj. required
165
respite
n. a period of rest or relief
166
sacrilege
n. a violation of something sacred; blasphemy
167
sacrosanct
adj. sacred
168
sagacious
adj. discerning; sage; having acumen
169
sanctimonious
adj. pretending to be devout
170
scruple
n. a qualm; a moral doubt
171
secular
adj. having nothing to do with religion
172
sedition
n. treason
173
sensual
adj. devoted to pleasure (of self?)
174
sensuous
adj. delighting the senses (of others?)
175
sequester
v. to set or keep apart
176
serendipity
n. accidental good fortune
177
sobriety
n. seriousness or being sober
178
solicitous
adj. eager and attentive; anxiously caring or attentive
179
solvent
adj. not broke or bankrupt; able to pay one’s bills
180
sordid
adj. vile; filthy
181
spurious
adj. false; fake
182
squalor
n. filth; repulsive living conditions
183
stigma
n. a mark of disgrace
184
stipulate
v. to require something as part of an agreement
185
stratify
v. to make into layers
186
stricture
n. a restriction; negative criticism
187
stymie
v. to thwart; to hinder
188
subliminal
adj. subconscious
189
sublimate
v. to suppress one’s subconscious mind
190
subversive
adj. corrupting; insurgent
191
tautological
adj. redundant; circular
192
temerity
n. boldness; audacity
193
tenable
adj. defensible; valid
194
tenet
n. a shared principle or belief
195
tenuous
adj. flimsy; extremely thin
196
extenuate
v. to lessen the magnitude of something; especially a crime
197
torpor
n. sluggishness; inactiveness
198
touchstone
n. a standard
199
transgress
v. to violate; to sin
200
transient
adj. temporary
201
turpitude
n. shameful wickedness; depravity
202
unctuous
adj. oily
203
unremitting
v. unceasing; unabated
204
utilitarian
adj. stressing usefulness above other qualities; pragmatic
205
venal
adj. capable of being bribed; corrupt
206
venial
adj. trivial; pardonable
207
verisimilitude
n. similarity to reality
208
vex
v. to annoy; pester; or confuse
209
vilify
v. to say vile things about; to defame
210
vindicate
v. to clear from blame; to justify
211
vindictive
adj. seeking revenge
212
virulent
adj. poisonous; malignant; full of hate
213
vitiate
v. to make impure; to pollute
214
vocation
n. an occupation
215
avocation
n. a hobby
