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WordSmart1 Flashcards

1
Q

Aggregate

“The specimen is an aggregate of rock and mineral fragments.”

A

A sum, a total, a combination, a collection; Entire, whole

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2
Q

Attrition

“Voluntary employee attrition examples include employees leaving to pursue other job opportunities or retiring.”

A

A gradual loss, natural or accepted decrease in number and size

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3
Q

Munificent

A

Generous, lavish

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4
Q

Nominal

A

Insignificant or small, in name only

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5
Q

Parsimonious

“He had a reputation for being parsimonious in his lifetime but left several charitable bequests in his will.”

A

Stingy, miserly

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6
Q

Paucity, dearth

“A paucity of information.”

A

Scarcity, insufficiency

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7
Q

Penury

“He died in a state of penury.”

A

Poverty

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8
Q

Plethora

“A plethora of committees and subcommittees.”

A

A wide variety, an excess

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9
Q

Prodigious
“To fill the Grand Canyon with ping-pong balls would be a prodigious undertaking.”

A

Enormous, extraordinary

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10
Q

Prolific

“A prolific writer writes a lot of books.”

A

Very productive, fruitful, fertile

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11
Q

Acrid

“Acrid fumes were cast over the city”

A

Having an irritatingly strong and unpleasant taste or smell

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12
Q

Acrimonious, acerbic, caustic, vitriolic

“An acrimonious dispute about wages.”

A

Bitter, hurtful and nasty

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13
Q

Adulation
“He found it difficult to cope with the adulation of the fans.”

A

Wild or excessive admiration

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14
Q

Alacrity

A

Cheerful eagerness, briskness, readiness to respond

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15
Q

Confluence

A

A flowing together, a convergence

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16
Q

Deride

A

To ridicule or laugh at contemptuously

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17
Q

Rancor
“The open rancor in political discussion prevents cooperation between political parties.”

A

Bitterness or resentfulness, especially when long-standing

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18
Q

Vilify

A

To say vile things about

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19
Q

Affable/Amiable/Genial

A

Showing warmth and friendliness, pleasant, genuinely likeable

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20
Q

Avuncular

A

Kindly, like an understanding uncle

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21
Q

Chicanery

A

Deceitful, underhanded behavior (especially legal or political)

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22
Q

Congenital

A

Hereditary, inborn, natural

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23
Q

Contentious

“A contentious issue”

A

Causing or likely to cause an argument

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24
Q

Gregarious

A

Sociable, outgoing, someone fond of company; used to describe animals that live in groups

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25
Q

Insidious

A

Treacherous and sneaky

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26
Q

Pejorative

A

Negative and disparaging

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27
Q

Vitriol

A

Sulfuric ACID, something caustic or severe in effect

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28
Q

Circuitous

A

Roundabout, rambling

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29
Q

Anfractuous

“The line of gold extends and become anfractuous.”

A

Sinuous or circuitous

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30
Q

Immolate
“Chinese kings would immolate vast numbers of animals.”

A

Kill or offer as a sacrifice, especially by burning

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31
Q

Dogsbody (British slang)

“I got myself a job as typist and general dogsbody on a small magazine.”

A

A person who is given boring, menial tasks to do

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32
Q

Circumlocutory

A

Indirect, wordy, vague

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33
Q

Laconic

A

Using few words (almost to the point of rudeness)

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34
Q

Perfunctory

A

Careless and without enthusiasm

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35
Q

Ponderous

A

So massive as to be clumsy or heavy; so long as to be dull (speeches, ideas)

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36
Q

Profuse/Copious

“I offered my profuse apologies.”

A

Exuberantly plentiful, abundant

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37
Q

Protract

A

To prolong, to lengthen

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38
Q

Provisional

A

Conditional, temporary, tentative

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39
Q

Acquiesce

A

To comply passively; to assent quietly

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40
Q

Apprehension

A

A sense of fear or hesitation

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41
Q

Ascendant
“Ascendant moderate factions in the party made the decision.”

A

Rising in power or influence

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42
Q

Autocracy

A

A system run by a person with absolute authority

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43
Q

Capitulate

“The patriots had to capitulate to the enemy forces.”

A

To give up or give in, to surrender; implies a certain degree of defeat

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44
Q

Chagrin

A

Humiliation, embarrassed disappointment

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45
Q

Chastise/Castigate

“He chastised his colleagues for their laziness.”

A

To verbally punish, to discipline with harsh words

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46
Q

Undaunted, dauntless

A

Fearless in the face of obstacles

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47
Q

Demagogue

A

A manipulative leader, a rabble-rouser

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48
Q

Diffident

A

Timid, lacking self-confidence, shy, unassuming

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49
Q

Imperial

A

Regal, stately (like an emperor or empire)

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50
Q

Imperious

A

Bossy, arrogant, overbearing

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51
Q

Servile

A

Submissive, like a servant, slavish

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52
Q

Supercilious

A

Behaving or looking as if one thinks he or she is better than others

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53
Q

Sycophant

A

A self-serving flatterer, one who is servile to people with power

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54
Q

Admonish

“She admonished him for appearing at breakfast unshaven.”

A

To warn, to express disapproval

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55
Q

Ameliorate

“The reform did much to ameliorate living standards.”

A

To make something bad or unsatisfactory better

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56
Q

Appease
“Amendments have been added to appease local pressure groups.”

A

Pacify or placate someone by giving them what they want

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57
Q

Approbation

“The opera met with high approbation.”

A

Approval, praise

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58
Q

Disapprobation
“She braved her mother’s disapprobation and slipped out to enjoy herself.”

A

Disapproval, objection

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59
Q

Contrite/Penitent

“She seemed genuinely contrite when she apologized.”

A

Admitting guilt, remorseful

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60
Q

Reprisal
“Three youths died in the reprisals that followed.”

A

Military action taken in revenge for another, the act of taking “an eye for an eye.”

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61
Q

Reproach

“Critics reproached him for his failure to tackle the deficiency.”

A

To scold (usually from disappointment)

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62
Q

Respite
“The refugee encampments will provide some respite from the suffering.”

A

A period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant.

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63
Q

Salutary

“The accident should be a salutary lesson to be more careful.”

“The low interest rates should have a salutary effect on business.”

A

Describes something CORRECTIVE or beneficially effective, even though it may in itself be unpleasant

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64
Q

Sanguine

“He is sanguine about prospects for the global economy.”

A

Optimistic, hopeful that things will work out as you want them to

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65
Q

Sanguinary

“They lost heavily in the sanguinary campaigns that followed.”

A

Bloodthirsty, bloody

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66
Q

Subjugate
“The invaders had soon subjugated most of the native population.”

A

To subdue, to dominate, to enslave

67
Q

Venerate

“Mother Theresa is venerated as a saint.”

A

To revere, to treat as holy (especially because of great age)

68
Q

Vex

“The memory of the conversation still vexed him.”

A

To annoy, to pester, to confuse

69
Q

Apocryphal
“There is an apocryphal story about a disgraced rock star who need up in bankruptcy court.”

A

Of doubtful authenticity, fictitious, mythical

70
Q

Artifice

“The style is not free from the artifices of the period.”

A

Clever or cunning devices or expedients, especially as used to trick or deceive others; a clever trick, cunning guile.

71
Q

Axiom
“The results supported the axiom that supply equals demand.”

A

A self-evident saying that requires no proof

72
Q

Belie
“His lively, alert manner belied his years.”

A

To contradict, to give a false impression of

73
Q

Contrived

“The ending of the novel is too pat and contrived.”

A

Artificial, labored, forced

74
Q

Duplicity
“He was accused of duplicity and branded a traitor.”

A

The act of being two-faced or double-dealing, a deception

75
Q

Mendacious

“That channel spews mendacious propaganda.”

A

Lying, dishonest

76
Q

Postulate

“His theory postulated a rotator movement for hurricanes.”

A

Something accepted as true without proof, to present an idea as truth

77
Q

Precept
“He spoke about the legal precept of being innocent until proven guilty.”

A

A rule to live by, a principle establishing behavior

78
Q

Putative

“She is the putative author of the book.” (No element of doubt here- happens to be a registry called “The Putative Father Registry”

Vs. ostensibly where there is SOME doubt
Vs. supposed where there is DEFINITE doubt

A

Commonly accepted or reputed (no element of doubt here)

79
Q

Spurious

“We need to separate authentic and spurious claims.”

A

False beyond a doubt, fake

80
Q

Veracity
“Voters should be concerned about her veracity and character.”

A

Truthfulness

81
Q

Verisimilitude

“Most fiction writers and filmmakers aim at some kind of verisimilitude to give their stories an air of reality.”

A

The appearance of truth, similarity to reality

82
Q

Anomaly
“There are a number of anomalies in the present system.”

A

Irregularity, abnormality, deviation

83
Q

Apotheosis

“His appearance as Hamlet was the apotheosis of his career.”

A

The ideal, the perfect or divine version

84
Q

Banal/Prosaic
“All the songs had banal, repeated words.”
“The characters were stuck in prosaic lives.”

A

So lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring

85
Q

Consummate

“She dressed with consummate elegance.”

A

Perfect, complete, supreme, to finish, to complete; Showing a high degree of skill and flair

86
Q

Empirical

“They provided considerable empirical evidence to support their argument.”

A

Based on experience or observation

87
Q

Exemplify

“They are one of the rock bands that best exemplify the spirit of the age.”

A

To illustrate by example, to serve as a good example

88
Q

Gratuitous

A

Unprovoked, unsolicited, uncalled for and freely given out (in a negative sense)

89
Q

Idiosyncrasy

A

A peculiarity or eccentricity specific to one personal or thing

90
Q

Inane

A

Absurd; Asinine; Daft; Empty

91
Q

Quixotic

A

Romantic or idealistic to a foolish degree

92
Q

Sacrosanct

A

Sacred, untouchable, unassailable

93
Q

Adage

A

A short, memorable saying that expresses a universal truth- like aphorism but usually older and more “well-worn” like a proverb

I.e; early to bed early to rise…

94
Q

Beget

A

To give birth to, create, to lead to, to cause

95
Q

Conventional/Orthodox/Canonical

A

Common, customary, following the accepted way

96
Q

Provident

A

Prepared for and providing for the future

97
Q

Improvident

A

Negligent, wasteful, failing to provided for the future

98
Q

Renaissance

A

A rebirth, a revitalization

99
Q

Rudimentary/Embryonic

A

Basic, crude, unformed or undeveloped

100
Q

Vestige

A

A last remaining trace

101
Q

Vestigial

A

Pertaining to an earlier form or function- organs that have lost all or most of their original function through evolution

102
Q

Visionary

A

A dreamer, a person with impractical goals or ideas about the future, idealistic and usually impractical

103
Q

Ascetic

A

Characterized by or suggesting the practice of severe self discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence

104
Q

Assimilate

A

To take in, to absorb to learn thoroughly

105
Q

Celibate

A

Chaste, abstaining from sex, one who practices self-denial

106
Q

Collusion
“The armed forces were working in collusion with drug traffickers.”

A

Secret or illegal cooperation or consipiracy, especially in order to cheat or deceive others.

107
Q

Polarize

A

To break into opposing factions or groupings

108
Q

Ignominious
(Ignamineus)

“The party risked ignominious defeat.”

A

Deserving or causing public disgrace or shame

109
Q

Etymology
(Edemologee)
“There has been a decline of etymology as a linguistic discipline.”

A

The study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history.

110
Q

Chasm

A

A deep, gaping hole, a gorge

111
Q

Coalesce

A

To come together as one, to fuse, unite

112
Q

Scurrilous
“A scurrilous attack on his integrity”

A

Word describing scandalous claims intended to damage someone’s reputation

113
Q

Complacent

A

Self-satisfied, overly contented with oneself

114
Q

Complicity

A

Participation in wrong-doing, the act of being an accomplice

115
Q

Polarize

“The issue has polarized the nation.”

A

To cause something, especially something that contains different people or opinions, to divide into two completely opposing groups.

116
Q

Sequester

A

To set or keep apart

117
Q

Ambiguous

A

Unclear in meaning, capable of being interpreted in different ways

118
Q

Bemused

A

Confused, bewildered

119
Q

Conjecture

A

To guess based on little evidence, a speculation, a guess, an assumption

120
Q

Cryptic

“He found his boss’s utterances too cryptic.”

A

Having a meaning that is mysterious or obscure due to limited information

121
Q

Dubious

A

Full of doubt, uncertain

122
Q

Flagrant
“A flagrant foul”- Something conspicuously obvious

A

Glaringly bad, notorious, scandalous (refers to what you see and do)

123
Q

Lucid

A

Clear, easy to understand

124
Q

Manifest

A

Visible, evident

125
Q

Ostentatious

A

Excessively conspicuous, showing off

126
Q

Recondite/Abstruse

A

Hard to understand (revers to difficult or scholarly language)

127
Q

Caprice

“The caprices of the electorate never cease to amaze me.”

A

A whim, an impulse

128
Q

Doctrinaire

A

Describes a person who has a tendency to use abstract theories to create laws and policies that affect people. May have fixed principles that they try to force on others

129
Q

Dogmatic

A

Unwilling to accept ideas that go against their established beliefs. Can have a negative connotation, meaning someone who is opinionated and intolerant of other beliefs

130
Q

Dogma

A

A belief, a doctrine

131
Q

Immutable

A

Unchangeable

132
Q

Mercurial

A

Emotionally unpredictable, rapidly changing in mood

133
Q

Metamorphosis

A

A magical change in appearance, a sudden and striking change

134
Q

Proselytize

A

To attempt to convert someone from one religion or belief to another

135
Q

Tenacious

“You’re tenacious and you get to the truth.”

A

Determined in working toward something

136
Q

Torpor

A

Sluggishness, inactivity, sleepiness

137
Q

Vacillate

A

To waver back and forth; to be indecisive

138
Q

Vicissitude

A

A change in fortune, an upheaval

139
Q

Caryatid

A

A supporting column sculpted in the form of a woman

140
Q

Celerity

A

Speed, rapidity

141
Q

Coffle

A

A group of animal or prisoners chained together in a line

142
Q

Diaspora

A

The spreading of a people from one central location to points across the globe

143
Q

Gallivant/Gad
“She quit her job to go gallivanting around the globe.”

A

To go around from one place to another for fun or pleasure

144
Q

Hegira

A

A journey from one place to a better or more desirable place

145
Q

In situ

A

Describing something which is still in its original place or occurs in its original position

146
Q

Inert

A

Unmoving, still; (chemically) having no active compounds

147
Q

Languorous

A

Still or unmoving in a dreamy way; sluggish, listless

148
Q

Peripatetic

A

Walking or traveling about

149
Q

Phlegmatic

A

Not easily excited or caused to move, calm, apathetic

150
Q

Quagmire

A

A bog or area of ground which is wet and body and yields under foot; a difficult and complicated situation

151
Q

Diadem

A

A sparkling crown or tiara

152
Q

Diaphanous

A

Sheer, clear, almost transparent

153
Q

Imprecate

A

To curse

154
Q

Lapidary

A

A diamond cutter; related to diamond cutting

155
Q

Miscreant

A

A troublemaker, an evildoer

156
Q

Nefandous

A

So terrible as to be unspeakable

157
Q

Obfuscate

A

To make unclear

158
Q

Tenebrous

“The tenebrous spiral staircase of the self”

A

Dark, shadowy or obscure

159
Q

Equanimity
“The barking disrupted my equanimity of mind.”

A

Mental calmness, composure, evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation

160
Q

Penultimate

A

Next to the last; second to last

161
Q

Recrimination
“There are no tears, no recriminations”

A

An accusation in response to one from someone else; a retaliatory accusation

162
Q

Derivative
“His painting style is very derivative.”

A

Describes something that is not the result of new ideas, but has been developed from or copies something else

163
Q

Discursive
“He gave a discursive lecture.”

A

Digressing from subject to subject; rambling

Cards (4 decks)

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