Advanced Vocab Words - Set 6 Flashcards
Learn to understand and effectively use 100 advanced vocabulary words. Improve your test scores, or simply be more articulate in your daily life. Each word is used in context in a sample sentence and includes synonyms and a pronunciation guide.
Define
pedant
(ped-ant)
n. someone who shows off knowledge
n. someone who pays undue attention to rules
Dominic is a pedant who annoys everyone in the class with his long-winded questions and unnecessary quotes from the textbook.
Define
penchant
(pen-chunt)
n. a strong preference for something
Kate had a penchant for interior decorating, so she took over the role of set designer for the play.
Define
penury
(pen-yuh-ree)
n. extreme poverty or destitution
Having lived in penury their whole lives, the townspeople were very grateful for the donations sent by the charitable organization.
Define
tangent
(tan-djunt)
n. a different topic
adj. touching
Halfway into her speech on global warming, she went on a tangent about materialism in modern society.
Define
technocracy
(teck-knock-ruh-see)
n. rule by scientists
In the movie, the future is a technocracy where programmers rule the entire world.
Define
tedium
(tee-dee-um)
n. dullness
n. the feeling of being bored
The tedium of a fixed routine made John reconsider his plans to become a teacher.
Define
tenacious
(tuh-nay-shuss)
adj. sticking strongly to something
adj. having greater than average longevity
adj. stubborn
Despite the sudden thunderstorm, the tenacious runners continued to move towards the finish line.
Define
timorous
(tim-er-us)
adj. easy to frighten
The timorous young man jumped at even the slightest sound.
Define
tirade
(tahy-raid)
n. a long, angry rant
One student asked a simple question about the death penalty, causing the teacher to launch into a tirade about the topic.
Define
torpid
(tore-pid)
adj. lacking physical or mental energy
The student was torpid and generally uninvolved in discussions, so the teacher had to speak with him about his participation.
Define
torpor
(tore-per)
n. a state of low physical or mental energy
The doctors discovered that her torpor was a symptom of a severe illness.
Define
torrid
(tore-id)
adj. extremely hot
adj. having intense emotion or passion
The president was accused of carrying on a secret and torrid love affair with his aide.
Define
totalitarianism
(toe-tal-ih-tare-ee-un-izm)
n. absolute, dictatorial control by the government
After years of civil war, one party emerged triumphant and dominated the country in a return to totalitarianism.
Define
tractable
(track-tuh-bul)
adj. easy to handle or control
adj. easily shaped
After some training, the dog became tractable enough to be sold as a pet.
Define
anomalous
(uh-nom-ih-luss)
adj. different from the norm; aberrant
The new shampoo was a success, although there were a few anomalous cases in which it actually damaged consumers’ hair.
Define
antipathy
(an-tip-uh-thee)
n. aversion; loathing
The couple tried to hide their antipathy toward the new neighbors so as not to seem unwelcoming.
Define
approbate
(ap-ruh-behyt)
v. to approve
The judge _approbate_d her right to keep the house.
Define
appropriate
(uh-pro-pree-ehyt)
v. to take by force
v. to assign for a certain purpose
During the chaos following the president’s death, his wife _appropriate_d the role of head of the organization.
Define
arbiter
(are-bih-ter)
n. a person chosen to solve a dispute
One of her duties as babysitter was to act as arbiter when the children got into arguments.
Define
archetype
(are-kih-tahyp)
n. a typical example of something
n. the original on which something else is modeled
Dante’s Divine Comedy was the archetype upon which many derivative works were based.
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. someone who shows off knowledge
n. someone who pays undue attention to rules
pedant
(ped-ant)
synonyms: sophist, doctrinaire, know-it-all
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. a strong preference for something
penchant
(pen-chunt)
synonyms: fondness, inclination
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. extreme poverty or destitution
penury
(pen-yuh-ree)
synonyms: squalor, deprivation
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. a different topic
tangent
(tan-djunt)
synonyms: digression, departure
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. rule by scientists
technocracy
(teck-knock-ruh-see)
synonyms: scientific rule
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. dullness
n. the feeling of being bored
tedium
(tee-dee-um)
synonyms: monotony, boredom, routine
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. sticking strongly to something
adj. having greater than average longevity
adj. stubborn
tenacious
(tuh-nay-shuss)
synonyms: adamant, persistent
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. easy to frighten
timorous
(tim-er-us)
synonyms: fearful, nervous, rattled
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. a long, angry rant
tirade
(tahy-raid)
synonyms: abuse, outburst, berating
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. lacking physical or mental energy
torpid
(tore-pid)
synonyms: dormant, drained, motionless
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. a state of low physical or mental energy
torpor
(tore-per)
synonyms: dormancy, apathy
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. extremely hot
adj. having intense emotion or passion
torrid
(tore-id)
synonyms: arid, blazing, impassioned
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. absolute, dictatorial control by the government
totalitarianism
(toe-tal-ih-tare-ee-un-izm)
synonyms: dictatorship, tyranny, authoritarianism
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. easy to handle or control
adj. easily shaped
tractable
(track-tuh-bul)
synonyms: manageable, compliant, adjustable
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. different from the norm; aberrant
anomalous
(uh-nom-ih-luss)
synonyms: unusual, abnormal, strange
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. aversion; loathing
antipathy
(an-tip-uh-thee)
synonyms: disgust, abhorrence
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to approve
approbate
(ap-ruh-behyt)
synonyms: affirm, accept
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to take by force
v. to assign for a certain purpose
appropriate
(uh-pro-pree-ehyt)
synonyms: steal, embezzle; allocate, assign
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. a person chosen to solve a dispute
arbiter
(are-bih-ter)
synonyms: mediator, negotiator, referee
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. a typical example of something
n. the original on which something else is modeled
archetype
(are-kih-tahyp)
synonyms: prototype, paradigm
Define
ardor
(are-der)
n. feeling of great warmth or intensity
His sense of justice manifests itself in the ardor with which he throws himself into his legal work.
Define
arduous
(ar-djew-us)
adj. requiring mental or physical strain
adj. demanding
The beach was practically empty, as reaching it entailed an arduous journey through a bramble thicket.
Define
aria
(are-ee-uh)
n. a solo vocal piece in an opera
During her aria, the opera singer expressed her character’s sorrow to the audience with great skill.
Define
arid
(air-id)
adj. extremely dry
adj. lacking spirit or vitality
The arid climate of the desert is ideal for plants that do not require much water, such as cacti.
Define
sundry
(suhn-dree)
adj. various, miscellaneous, separate
The sundry items at the garage sale ranged from antique to almost brand new.
Define
reprise
(ruh-preez)
n. a repetition of an action
v. to repeat or resume
The reprise of the song had the audience dancing in the aisles.
Define
harrow
(hair-oh)
v. to distress, torment
Any talk of layoffs would always leave the entire division _harrow_ed and unable to focus on their work.
Define
sardonic
(sahr-don-ik)
adj. cynical, mocking
The class clown’s sardonic remark landed him in detention.
Define
subterfuge
(suhb-ter-fyoodj)
n. a deliberate deception to avoid a consequence
Policemen who stop drunk drivers can see right through the subterfuge of hastily chewing a piece of gum.
Define
axiom
(ack-see-um)
n. a generally accepted truth
In math class, we learned about the different _axiom_s we could use to develop geometric proofs.
Define
controvert
(kon-truh-vurt)
v. to deny the truth of
Recent experiments seem to controvert the predictions of previous theories.
Define
progeny
(prodj-uh-nee)
n. one born or derived from another; an offspring or descendent
n. a product of creative effort
That family claims to be the progeny of the king of France, but they refuse to submit to a DNA test to prove their bloodline.
Define
potentate
(poht-n-teyt)
n. one with absolute power to rule; a monarch
While the potentate sipped wine, the peasants toiled in the field.
Define
cardinal
(kahr-dn-uhl)
adj. of paramount importance
adj. dark red
At the graduation speech, the valedictorian gave them cardinal rules to live by.
Define
hidebound
(hahyd-bound)
adj. rigid, dry, unmoving
The hidebound rules of organized religion have never appealed to me much.
Define
chary
(chair-ee)
adj. very cautious; not giving or spending freely
adj. shy
Joe was chary of his praise for his daughters, but when he did congratulate them, they beamed.
Define
arabesque
(air-uh-besk)
n. a complex, ornate design
The kimono was trimmed with an arabesque of tiny yellow curlicues.
Define
rapturous
(rap-cher-uhs)
adj. expressing great pleasure or enthusiasm
The presidential decree was greeted with rapturous applause.
Define
amalgamate
(uh-mal-guh-meyt)
v. to combine several elements into a whole; to blend
Our county will amalgamate with the neighboring county in order to cut administrative costs.
Define
prattle
(prat-uhl)
v. to babble or speak foolishly
The confused student _prattle_d for a few minutes before sitting back down.
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. feeling of great warmth or intensity
ardor
(are-der)
synonyms: admiration, passion
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. requiring mental or physical strain
adj. demanding
arduous
(ar-djew-us)
synonyms: burdensome, exhausting
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. a solo vocal piece in an opera
aria
(are-ee-uh)
synonyms: descant, hymn, song
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. extremely dry
adj. lacking spirit or vitality
arid
(air-id)
synonyms: dry, barren
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. various, miscellaneous, separate
sundry
(suhn-dree)
synonyms: assorted, different
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. a repetition of an action
n. to repeat or resume
reprise
(ruh-preez)
synonyms: recurrence; repeat
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to distress, torment
harrow
(hair-oh)
synonyms: depredate, harass
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. cynical, mocking
sardonic
(sahr-don-ik)
synonyms: derisive, scornful
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. a deliberate deception to avoid a consequence
subterfuge
(suhb-ter-fyoodj)
synonyms: cheating, dishonesty, dissimulation
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. a generally accepted truth
axiom
(ack-see-um)
synonyms: principle, fundamental
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to deny the truth of
controvert
(kon-truh-vurt)
synonyms: oppose, argue, deny, dispute
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. one born or derived from another; an offspring or descendent
n. a product of creative effort
progeny
(prodj-uh-nee)
synonyms: offspring, children, lineage; result
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. one with absolute power to rule; a monarch
potentate
(poht-n-teyt)
synonyms: autocrat, chief, leader
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. of paramount importance
adj. dark red
cardinal
(kahr-dn-uhl)
synonyms: important, key; burgundy
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. rigid, dry, unmoving
hidebound
(hahyd-bound)
synonyms: fixed, immovable, strict
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. very cautious; not giving or spending freely
adj. shy
chary
(chair-ee)
synonyms: stingy, cautious; abashed, modest
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. a complex, ornate design
arabesque
(air-uh-besk)
synonyms: design, frill, adornment, flourish
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. expressing great pleasure or enthusiasm
rapturous
(rap-cher-uhs)
synonyms: delighted, happy
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to combine several elements into a whole; to blend
amalgamate
(uh-mal-guh-meyt)
synonyms: integrate, combine
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to babble or speak foolishly
prattle
(prat-uhl)
synonyms: chatter, gab, gush