Verbal Flashcards

abate

become less in amount or intensity

abscond

run away, often taking something or somebody along"

abstain

refrain from doing, consuming, or partaking in something"

abyss

a bottomless gulf or pit

adulterate

make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance

advocate

a person who pleads for a person, cause, or idea"

aesthetic

characterized by an appreciation of beauty or good taste

aggrandize

embellish; increase the scope, power, or importance of"

alleviate

provide physical relief, as from pain"

amalgamate

bring or combine together or with something else

ambiguous

having more than one possible meaning

ameliorate

make better

anachronism

locating something at a time when it couldn't have existed

analogous

similar or equivalent in some respects

anomaly

deviation from the normal or common order, form, or rule"

antagonize

provoke the hostility of

antipathy

a feeling of intense dislike

apathy

an absence of emotion or enthusiasm

arbitrate

act between parties with a view to reconciling differences

archaic

so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period

ardor

feelings of great warmth and intensity

articulate

express or state clearly

assuage

provide physical relief, as from pain"

attenuate

become weaker, in strength, value, or magnitude"

audacious

disposed to venture or take risks

austere

of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor

banal

repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

bolster

support and strengthen

bombastic

ostentatiously lofty in style

cacophony

loud confusing disagreeable sounds

candid

openly straightforward and direct without secretiveness

capricious

determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity

castigate

inflict severe punishment on

catalyst

substance that initiates or accelerates a chemical reaction

caustic

capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action

chaos

formless state of matter before the creation of the cosmos

chauvinist

a person with a prejudiced belief in his own superiority

chicanery

the use of tricks to deceive someone

cogent

powerfully persuasive

condone

excuse, overlook, or make allowances for"

convoluted

highly complex or intricate

corroborate

give evidence for

credulous

showing a lack of judgment or experience

crescendo

a gradual increase in loudness

decorum

propriety in manners and conduct

deference

courteous regard for people's feelings

deride

treat or speak of with contempt

desiccate

lacking vitality or spirit; lifeless

desultory

marked by lack of definite plan, purpose, or enthusiasm"

diatribe

thunderous verbal attack

diffident

showing modest reserve

dilate

become wider

dilatory

wasting time

dilettante

an amateur engaging in an activity without serious intention

dirge

a song or hymn of mourning as a memorial to a dead person

disabuse

free somebody from an erroneous belief

discern

perceive, recognize, or detect"

disparate

fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind

dissemble

behave unnaturally or affectedly

dissonance

disagreeable sounds

dogma

a doctrine or code of beliefs accepted as authoritative

dogmatic

pertaining to a code of beliefs accepted as authoritative

dupe

fool or hoax

eclectic

selecting what seems best of various styles or ideas

efficacy

capacity or power to produce a desired result

elegy

a mournful poem; a lament for the dead

eloquent

expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively"

emulate

strive to equal or match, especially by imitating"

enervate

weaken physically, mentally, or morally"

engender

call forth

enigma

something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained

enumerate

specify individually

ephemeral

anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day"

equivocate

be deliberately ambiguous or unclear

erratic

liable to sudden unpredictable change

erudite

having or showing profound knowledge

esoteric

understandable only by an enlightened inner circle

estimable

deserving of respect or high regard

euphemism

an inoffensive expression substituted for an offensive one

eulogy

a formal expression of praise for someone who has died

exacerbate

make worse

exculpate

pronounce not guilty of criminal charges

exigent

demanding immediate attention

exonerate

pronounce not guilty of criminal charges

explicit

precisely and clearly expressed or readily observable

fanatical

marked by excessive enthusiasm for a cause or idea

fawn

a young deer

fervid

characterized by intense emotion

florid

elaborately or excessively ornamented

foment

try to stir up

frugality

prudence in avoiding waste

garrulous

full of trivial conversation

gregarious

temperamentally seeking and enjoying the company of others

guile

shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception

gullible

naive and easily deceived or tricked

homogeneous

all of the same or similar kind or nature

iconoclast

someone who attacks cherished ideas or institutions

imperturbable

marked by extreme calm and composure

impervious

not admitting of passage or capable of being affected

impetuous

characterized by undue haste and lack of thought

implacable

incapable of being appeased or pacified

inchoate

only partly in existence; imperfectly formed

ingenuous

lacking in sophistication or worldliness

inimical

tending to obstruct or cause harm

innocuous

not injurious to physical or mental health

insipid

lacking interest or significance or impact

intransigent

impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests,"

inundate

fill or cover completely, usually with water"

irascible

quickly aroused to anger

laconic

brief and to the point

lament

a cry of sorrow and grief

laud

praise, glorify, or honor"

lavish

very generous

lethargic

deficient in alertness or activity

loquacious

full of trivial conversation

lucid

transparently clear; easily understandable

luminous

softly bright or radiant

malinger

avoid responsibilities and duties, often by faking illness"

malleable

capable of being shaped or bent

metaphor

a figure of speech that suggests a non-literal similarity

meticulous

marked by precise accordance with details

misanthrope

someone who dislikes people in general

mitigate

lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of

mollify

cause to be more favorably inclined

monotony

the quality of wearisome constancy and lack of variety

naive

marked by or showing unaffected simplicity

obdurate

stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing

obsequious

attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery

obstinate

marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield

obviate

do away with

occlude

block passage through

onerous

burdensome or difficult to endure

opaque

not transmitting or reflecting light or radiant energy

opprobrium

a state of extreme dishonor

ostentation

pretentious or showy or vulgar display

paradox

a statement that contradicts itself

paragon

a perfect embodiment of a concept

pedant

a person who pays too much attention to formal rules

perfidious

tending to betray

perfunctory

hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough

permeate

spread or diffuse through

philanthropy

the act of donating money or time to promote human welfare

placate

cause to be more favorably inclined

plastic

synthetic material that can be molded into objects

plethora

extreme excess

pragmatic

concerned with practical matters

precipitate

bring about abruptly

prevaricate

be deliberately ambiguous or unclear

pristine

immaculately clean and unused

prodigal

recklessly wasteful

proliferate

grow rapidly

propitiate

make peace with

propriety

correct behavior

prudence

discretion in practical affairs

pungent

strong and sharp to the sense of taste or smell

quiescent

being quiet or still or inactive

rarefy

lessen the density or solidity of

repudiate

refuse to acknowledge, ratify, or recognize as valid"

reticent

reluctant to draw attention to yourself

rhetoric

study of the technique for using language effectively

satiate

fill to satisfaction

soporific

inducing sleep

specious

plausible but false

stigma

a symbol of disgrace or infamy

stolid

having or revealing little emotion or sensibility

sublime

of high moral or intellectual value

tacit

implied by or inferred from actions or statements

taciturn

habitually reserved and uncommunicative

tirade

a speech of violent denunciation

torpor

a state of motor and mental inactivity

transitory

lasting a very short time

vacillate

be undecided about something

venerate

regard with feelings of respect and reverence

veracity

unwillingness to tell lies

verbose

using or containing too many words

vex

disturb, especially by minor irritations"

volatile

liable to lead to sudden change or violence

waver

pause or hold back in uncertainty or unwillingness

whimsical

determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity

zeal

a feeling of strong eagerness