Verbal Advantage Level 2 Flashcards

Learn 50 words

1
Q

Define:

Advocate (AD-vuh-kayt)

A

To support, plead for, be in favor of, defend by argument; especially, to speak or write in favor or in defense of a person or cause.

Synonyms: champion, endorse, espouse.

Corresponding noun: advocate, a supporter or defender of a cause, a champion, or a
person who speaks for another.

Related words (from the Latin vocare, to call, summon): vocation; avocation;
vocational; vocal; convoke, to call together; convocation, the act of calling together, or a
group that has been summoned; evoke, to call out, call forth; and evocative, calling forth a
response, especially an emotional one.

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2
Q

Define:

Delegate (DEL-uh-gayt)

A

To entrust with authority or power, deliver to another’s care or management, hand over to an agent or representative.

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3
Q

Define:

Unprecedented (uhn-PRES-uh-den-tid)

A

Unheard-of, novel, new, having no precedent or parallel, having no prior example or justification.

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4
Q

Define:

Poignant (POYN-yint)

A

Piercing, sharp, penetrating; specifically, piercing or penetrating to the senses, to the emotions, or to the intellect.

Synonyms: biting, cutting, keen, acute.

Related words (from the Latin pungere, to pierce or prick): puncture; pungent, piercing
to the smell or taste; expunge, to punch out, erase, delete.

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5
Q

Define:

Nebulous (NEB-yuu-lus)

A

Unclear, vague, obscure, hazy, indefinite, indistinct.

Related word: nebula, a cloudy mass of dust or gas visible between stars in space
(plural, nebulae).

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6
Q

Define:

Clandestine (klan-DES-tin)

A

Kept secret, done in secrecy, especially for an evil, immoral, or illegal purpose.

Synonyms: private, concealed, covert, underhand, sly, stealthy, furtive, surreptitious.

Pronunciation tip: Avoid the recent variants klanDES-tyn, klan-DES-teen, KLAN-destyn,
and KLAN-des-teen. The traditional and preferred pronunciation is klan-DES-tin.

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7
Q

Define:

Tirade (TY-rayd or ty-RAYD)

A

A long-drawn-out speech, especially a vehement and abusive one.

Additional useful words: protracted, drawn out to great length (see Level 3, Word 25);
vituperative, full of harsh, abusive language; censorious, tending to censor, to blame or
condemn.

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8
Q

Define:

Recur (ri-KUR or nee-KUR)

A

To happen again, occur again, especially at intervals or after some lapse of time.

N.B. This discussion explains the distinction between the verbs recur and reoccur.

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9
Q

Define:

Tacit (TAS-it)

A

Unspoken, silent, implied or understood without words, done or made in silence, not expressed or declared openly.

Related word: taciturn (Level 3, Word 2).

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10
Q

Define:

Allegation (AL-uh-GAY-shin)

A

An assertion or declaration, especially one made without proof. In law, an allegation is an assertion of what one intends to prove.

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11
Q

Define:

Gullible (GUHL-uh-buul)

A

Easily deceived, fooled, or cheated.

Synonym: credulous.

Related words: gull and dupe, which both mean to fool, cheat, deceive, take advantage
of.

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12
Q

Define:

Benign (buh-NYN, rhymes with a sign)

A

(1) Kindly, good-natured, gracious, mild, having or showing a gentle disposition.
(2) Favorable, positive, propitious.
(3) Of the weather or climate, healthful, beneficial, wholesome, salubrious.
(4) In medicine: mild, not deadly, or severe.

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13
Q

Define:

Peripheral (puh-RIF-uh-rul)

A

External, outer, lying at or forming the outside or boundary of something; hence, not essential, irrelevant.

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14
Q

Define:

Rebuff (ri-BUF or ree-BUF)

A

To refuse bluntly, reject sharply, turn down abruptly, snub, spurn.

Corresponding noun: rebuff, an abrupt refusal or rejection.

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15
Q

Define:

Animosity (AN-i-MAH-si-tee)

A

Ill will, hostility, antagonism, strong dislike or hatred.

Synonyms: malice, aversion, malevolence, antipathy, rancor, enmity.

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16
Q

Define:

Tenuous (TEN-yoo-us)

A

Thin, slender, slight, flimsy, weak, not dense or substantial, lacking a strong basis, having little substance or strength.

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17
Q

Define:

Complacent (kum-PLAY-sint)

A

Self-satisfied, smug, overly pleased with oneself.

Usage tip: Take care to distinguish between complacent and complaisant, which is
pronounced kum-PLAY-zint and means inclined to please, gracious, obliging, courteous,
affable, and urbane (Level l, Word 45).

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18
Q

Define:

Acme (AK-mee)

A

The peak, highest point, especially the point of culmination, the highest possible point in the development or progress of something.

Synonyms: summit, zenith.
Corresponding adjective: acmatic.

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19
Q

Define:

Defunct (di-FUNGKT or dee-FUNGKT)

A

Dead, extinct, obsolete; no longer in existence, effect, operation, or use.

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20
Q

Define:

Abet (uh-BET)

A

To encourage, support, help, aid, promote, assist in achieving a purpose (either good or evil).

Usage tip: Abet is often used to mean assist in wrongdoing, as in the legal cliché “to aid
and abet,” but abet may also be used favorably to mean assist in achieving a good
purpose.

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21
Q

Define:

Haggard (HAG-urd)

A

Worn out, tired, drawn; wild-eyed and wasted, as from exhaustion, illness, or grief.

Synonyms: gaunt, emaciated.

22
Q

Define:

Waive (like wave)

A

To relinquish voluntarily, give up, forgo; also, to postpone, defer, or dispense with.

23
Q

Define:

Carnal (KAHR-nul)

A

Bodily, pertaining to the flesh as opposed to the spirit.

Synonyms: sensual, corporeal.

Usage tip: Carnal is used of basic physical appetities.

24
Q

Define:

Sanction (SANGK-shin, be sure to pronounce the C)

A

To approve, allow, permit, authorize, certify, ratify.

25
Q

Define:

Ambiguous (am-BIG-yoo-us)

A

Uncertain, unclear, doubtful, dubious, questionable, puzzling, having an obscure or indefinite meaning.

Synonyms: enigmatic, cryptic, equivocal.

Antonyms: distinct, apparent, evident, conspicuous, manifest.

26
Q

Define:

Spendthrift (pronounced as spelled, stress on spend)

A

Wasteful, spending extravagantly or foolishly, squandering one’s resources.

Synonyms: improvident, prodigal, profligate

27
Q

Define:

Mollify (MAH-li-fy)

A

To calm, soothe, soften in feeling or tone, make less harsh or severe.

Synonyms: pacify, appease, assuage (Level 2, Word 37).

Related word: emollient (adjective), softening, soothing, mollifying; (noun) a softening
or soothing agent.

28
Q

Define:

Unequivocal (UHN-i-KWIV-uh-kul)

A

Clear and direct, definite, straightforward, certain; having a single, obvious meaning; capable of being interpreted in only one way.

Antonyms: equivocal, ambiguous (Level 2, Word 25).

Pronunciation tip: Many people mispronounce (and misspell) unequivocal as
unequivocable. Unequivocal ends with -vocal, not -vocable. Take care to pronounce the
word in five syllables: un-e-qui-vo-cal.

29
Q

Define:

Malleable (MAL-ee-uh-buul or MAL-yuhbuul)

A

Capable of being shaped, able to be molded or manipulated.

Synonyms: adaptable, impressionable, tractable.

Antonyms: inflexible, unyielding, stubborn, adamant, obstinate, intransigent.

30
Q

Define:

Verbose (vur-BOHS)

A

Wordy, having too many words, long-winded, full of verbiage.

Synonyms: garrulous (Level 4, Word 8), loquacious, voluble (Level 5, Word 1), prolix
(Level 9, Word 1).

Corresponding noun: verbosity.

Related words (from the Latin verbum, word): verbal; verbatim, expressed in precisely
the same words; verbiage, an excess or overabundance of words.

Additional useful word: proffer, to put forward for acceptance, present as a gift.

Pronunciation tip: Carriage and marriage have two syllables, but verbiage and foliage
have three. Don’t say VUR-bij and FOH-lij (or FOY-lij). Take care to pronounce these
words in three syllables: VUR-bee-ij and FOH-lee-ij.

31
Q

Define:

Transient (TRAN-shint)

A

Temporary, passing away with time, lasting or staying only a short while, momentary, fleeting, short-lived.

Synonyms: transitory, evanescent, ephemeral (Level 4, Word 12), fugitive, fugacious.

Antonyms: permanent, timeless, eternal, everlasting.

Pronunciation tip: Pronounce transient in two syllables, with the same sh sound as in
ancient. Also, in the words short-lived and long-lived, the second half, -lived, does not
come from the verb to live but from the noun life plus the suffix -ed. Therefore the
preferred pronunciation for the I is long, as in the adjective alive.

32
Q

Define:

Nettle (NET’l)

A

To irritate, annoy, vex, harass, pester, provoke.

33
Q

Define:

Repudiate (ri-PYOO-dee-ayt)

A

(1) To reject, cast off, disown, renounce, refuse to accept as one’s own.
(2) To reject as false, deny the authority of, refuse to accept as true.

34
Q

Define:

Impetuous (im-PETCH-oo-us)

A

Hasty, rash, overeager; acting in a sudden, vigorous, emotional way, with little thought.

Synonyms: impulsive.

Antonyms: prudent (Level 1, Word 47), discreet, circumspect (Level 3, Word 21).

35
Q

Define:

Frugal (FROG-gul)

A

Spending carefully and wisely; also, involving little expense, not wasteful or lavish.

Synonyms: thrifty, economical, provident, parsimonious.

36
Q

Define:

Incongruous (in-KAHNG-groo-us)

A

Out of place, inappropriate, inconsistent, unsuitable, lacking harmony of parts or agreement in character.

Related words: congruous and congruent, which both mean coming together
harmoniously, fitting in consistently.

37
Q

Define:

Assuage (uh-SWAYJ)

A

To relieve, ease, make less severe or intense; also, to satisfy, appease, make content.

Synonyms: allay, mollify (Level 2, Word 27), mitigate.

  • *Pronunciation tip:** Don’t pronounce the G in assuage like the G in garage or the Z in
    azure. In assuage, the A is long (as in day) and the G is pronounced like J: uh-SWAYJ.
38
Q

Define:

Corroborate (kuh-RAHB-uh-rayt)

A

To confirm, support, make more certain or believable, strengthen by providing additional evidence or proof.

Synonyms: authenticate, verify, substantiate.

39
Q

Define:

Embelish (em-BEL-ish)

A

To decorate, dress up, adorn, enhance with ornamentation, make more beautiful, elegant, or interesting.

Corresponding noun: embellishment, an ornament, decoration.

40
Q

Define:

Avaricious (AV-uh-RISH-us)

A

Greedy, money-grubbing, miserly, consumed with a selfish desire to accumulate money or property.

Synonyms: covetous, mercenary (Level 3, Word 14).

Corresponding noun: avarice, greed, an inordinate desire for wealth.

41
Q

Define:

Cursory (KUR-suh-ree or KUR-sur-ee)

A

Quick, hasty, not methodical, done rapidly with little attention to detail, passing quickly over or through something that deserves closer examination.

Synonyms: hurried, haphazard, slapdash, superficial.

Antonyms: thorough, careful, scrupulous, exhaustive, prolonged, protracted.

Related words (from the Latin currere, to run): course, curriculum, courier.

42
Q

Define:

Vacillate (VAS-i-layt)

A

To waver, fluctuate, be indecisive, show uncertainty, hesitate in making up one’s mind.

43
Q

Define:

Clement (KLEM-int)

A

(1) Mild, calm, tranquil, moderate, temperate, not severe or extreme.
(2) Merciful, lenient, inclined to pardon or forgive.

Corresponding noun: clemency.

44
Q

Define:

Lucrative (LOO-kruh-tiv)

A

Profitable, producing wealth, money-making, financially productive, remunerative.

Related word: lucre (LOO-kur), money, profit, especially tainted money, ill-gotten gains
(as in the cliché “filthy lucre”).

45
Q

Define:

Allocate (AL-uh-kayt or AL-oh-kayt)

A

To assign, designate, earmark, set aside for a specific purpose.

46
Q

Define:

Reconcile (REK-un-syl or rek-un-SYL)

A

(1) To make friendly again, restore friendly relations between, settle, resolve, bring into harmony or agreement.
(2) To bring into agreement, make consistent.
(3) To resign oneself to accept something undesirable.

47
Q

Define:

Paragon (PAR-uh-gahn)

A

A model of excellence, perfect example.

48
Q

Define:

Analogous (uh-NAL-uh-gus)

A

Similar, alike in certain ways, corresponding partially, sharing some aspects of form, function, or content.

Synonyms: akin, comparable.

Related word: analogy, a partial similarity, likeness, or resemblance that allows for a
comparison between things.

49
Q

Define:

Diurnal (dy-URN-‘l)

A

(1) Daily, recurring each day, performed or happening in the course of a day.
(2) Active during the day, as opposed to nocturnal, active at night.

50
Q

Define:

Pretext (PREE-tekst)

A

An excuse, ostensible reason or motive, professed purpose; specifically, an excuse or false reason given to hide the true reason or purpose.