Zing Words 1 Flashcards
dither
To be indecisive
“He was dithering about the election date”
whimsical
Playfully quaint or fanciful, esp. in an appealing and amusing way.
“a whimsical sense of humor”
palatable
pleasant to taste.
“a very palatable local red wine”
improvident
not having or showing foresight; spendthrift or thoughtless.
“improvident and undisciplined behavior”
ingratiate
to ring oneself into favor with someone by flattering or trying to please them.
“a social climber who had tried to ingratiate herself with the city gentry”
inimitable
so good or unusual as to be impossible to copy; unique.
“the inimitable ambience of Hawaii”
innocuous
not harmful or offensive.
“it was an innocuous question”
itinerant
traveling from place to place.
“itinerant traders”
peripatetic
traveling from place to place, esp.
working or based in various places for relatively short periods.
“the peripatetic nature of military life”
lackadaisical
lacking enthusiasm and determination; carelessly lazy.
“a lackadaisical defense left the Spurs adrift in the second half”
magnanimity
the fact or condition of being magnanimous; generosity.
“both sides will have to show magnanimity”
munificent
(of a gift or sum of money) larger or more generous than is usual or necessary.
“a munificent gesture”
pariah
one that is despised or rejected.
“He’s a talented player but his angry outbursts have made him a pariah in the sport of baseball.”
Puffery
exaggerated commendation especially for promotional purposes.
“the newspaper’s local stories are often thinly disguised puffery for area businesses”
Pundit
a learned man.
“a moral question that has puzzled
the pundits throughout the ages”
Pittance
Very small or inadequate amount of money paid to someone as an allowance or wage.
“The slave was very happy with his pittance.”
Virulent
(of a disease or poison) extremely severe or harmful in its effects.
“The poison’s virulent effects killed the target in an instant.”
Vex
make (someone) feel annoyed, frustrated, or worried, esp. with trivial matters.
“the memory of the conversation still vexed him”
vapid
offering nothing that is stimulating or challenging.
“tuneful but vapid musical comedies”
slipshod
(typically of a person or method of work) characterized by a lack of care, thought, or organization
“he caused many problems with his slipshod management”
Catawampus
Askew, at an angle
“The old shed has its beams all lying catawampus”
Bravura
Musical passage requiring exceptional agility and technical skill in execution
“That girl’s excellent playing of the bravura deserved a standing ovation.”
Zaftig
(Of a woman) Curvy, slightly plumpish.
“The modern image of an ideal woman is slowly drifting away from the zaftig image to a more lithe population filled with thigh gaps and other dangerous habits”
earmark
a mark of identification on the ear of an animal. “The earmark given to the blind sheep was different from the rest of the herds’.
Verve
special ability or talent.
“She played the bravura with skill and verve.”
Sartorial
of or relating to a tailor or tailored clothes
“The wedding party arrived in sartorial splendor.”
Goad
something that pains as if by pricking
“The threat of cancer should be sufficient goad for using sunscreen”
Irascible
marked by hot temper and easily provoked anger.
“Our math teacher last year was irascible; none of her students could bear her.”
Aberrant
different from the usual or natural type.
“Her style of painting was aberrant, but not necessarily bad.”
Academia.
The life, community, or world of teachers, schools, and education.
“She found the business world very different from academia.”
Protracted
to prolong in time or space.
“The highway project was protracted because of a cut in funding.”
Supercilious
Haugthy.
“Her supercilious nature made her believe that everything that disagreed with her views were wrong.”
Contrive
to form or think of (a plan, method, etc.)
“The prisoners contrived a way to escape.”
Stentorian
Very loud. “The explosion was stenotorian.”
Amorphous
Lacking organization or unity “an amorphous style of writing”
Disingenuous
lacking in sincerity
“Her recent expressions of concern are self-serving and disingenuous.”
Colloquial
Common speech.
“Generally, you do not use SAT words in colloqial conversations.”
Arcane
secret or mysterious.
“The cult practiced arcane rituals in ominous, foggy weather.”
beleaguer
To cause constant or repeated trouble for.
“a lack of funds beleaguers school’s music program”
profusion
Great quantity: lavish display or supply
“snow falling in profusion”
bastion
a projecting part of a fortification.
“The bastion of the castle still stands today, and has succeeded in protecting it since the Dark Ages.”
Consternation
Amazement or dismay that throws others into confusion.
“The candidate caused consternation among his supporters by changing positions on a key issue”
Voluble
talking a lot in an energetic and rapid way.
“Her voluble personality annoyed the tired teacher.”
Expatriate
to withdraw (oneself) from residence in or allegiance to one's native country. "Members of the deposed dictator's once-feared political party were expatriated as well."
Feral
Wild.
“The feral animal attacked the young child.”
Bombastic
Pompous.
“A bombastic speech intended to impress the voters in her congressional district”
Cantankerous
Difficult or irritating to deal with. “The cantankerous mule refused to move.”
Chagrin
Disquietude or distress of mind caused by humiliation, disappointment, or failure.
“She had gained five pounds over the winter, much to her chagrin.”
Combative
marked by eagerness to fight or contend.
“When the police tried to arrest him, he became combative.”
Corpulent
having a large bulky body
“A corpulent dancer may be a rare sight, but there are many corpulent sumo wrestlers.”
Cupidity
inordinate desire for wealth.
“The evidence revealed the cupidity of the company’s directors.”
Predilection
an established preference for something.
“a young lad with a predilection for telling tall tales”
Recalibrate
calibrate (something) again or differently.
“the sensors had to be recalibrated”
disgruntled
angry or dissatisfied.
“judges receive letters from disgruntled members of the public”
dote
be extremely and uncritically fond of.
“she doted on her two young children”
elucidate
make (something) clear; explain.
“further scientific will help to elucidate these findings”
ameliorate
To make better.
“the reform did much to ameliorate living standards”
temerity
excessive confidence or boldness; audacity.
“no one had the temerity to question his conclusions”
ephemeral
lasting for a very short time.
“fashions are ephemeral”
exactitude
The quality or an instance of being exact.
“after its opening weekend, a movie’s final box office gross can be estimated with considerable exactitude”
extrapolate
To infer (values of a variable in an unobserved interval) from values within an already observed interval. "We use models in math class to extrapolate future data values."
Querulous
habitually complaining.
“car trips that were spoiled by a couple of querulous kids in the back”
Privation
The act or instance of depriving.
“the constant privation of sleep was starting to affect my work”
Feign
To pretend.
“He feigned deafness to get out of the war”
Thwart
to run counter to so as to effectively oppose or baffle.
“She did all she could to thwart his plans.”
Flabbergasted
to overwhelm with shock.
“She was flabbergasted by the amount of love her friends put into her surprise birthday party”
Bamboozle
to deceive by underhanded methods.
“bamboozled by con men into buying worthless land in the desert”
Beguile
charm or enchant (someone), sometimes in a deceptive way.
“every prominent American artist has been beguiled by Maine”
Impervious
not allowing entrance or passage.
“An impervious wall protected the city”
