662 Flashcards
(170 cards)
1
Q
exonerate
A
Clear from blame or accusation; free from a responsibility
2
Q
expedient
A
Suitable, proper; effective, often at the expense of ethics or other considerations
3
Q
explicit
A
Direct, clear, fully revealed; clearly depicting sex or nudity
4
Q
exponent
A
Person who expounds or explains; champion, advocate, or representative
5
Q
expurgate
A
Censor; remove objectionable or offensive parts
6
Q
extemporaneous
A
Done without preparation (esp. of a speech), or with some preparation but no notes; improvised, done on the spur of the moment
7
Q
extraneous
A
Irrelevant; foreign, coming from without, not belonging
8
Q
extrapolate
A
Conjecture about an unknown by projecting information about something known; predict by projecting past experience
9
Q
facetious
A
Joking, humorous, esp. inappropriately; not serious, concerned with frivolous things
10
Q
facilitate
A
Make easier, help the progress of
11
Q
faction
A
Group or clique within a larger
organization; party strife and dissension
12
Q
fallacious
A
Containing a fallacy, or mistake in logic; logically unsound; deceptive
13
Q
fallow
A
Left unplanted (of land); not in use
14
Q
fanatical
A
Excessively devoted, enthusiastic, or zealous in an uncritical way
15
Q
fanciful
A
Whimsical, capricious; imaginary; freely imaginative rather than based on reason or reality
15
Q
fathom
A
Measure the depth of (usually of water) as with a sounding line; penetrate and discover the meaning of, understand
16
Q
fastidious
A
Excessively particular, difficult to please; painstaking, meticulous, requiring excessive attention to detail
17
Q
fawn
A
Show affection or try to please in the manner of a dog; try to win favor through flattery and submissive behavior
17
Q
feasible
A
Possible; logical or likely; suitable
17
Q
fatuous
A
Foolish, silly, esp. in a smug or
complacent manner
18
Q
fecund
A
Fruitful, fertile; capable of abundantly producing offspring, vegetation, or creative or intellectual work
19
Q
felicitous
A
Admirably appropriate, very well-suited for the occasion; pleasant, fortunate, marked by happiness
20
Q
fervid
A
Very hot; heated in passion or
enthusiasm
21
Q
figurative
A
Metaphorical, based on figures of speech; containing many figures of speech (as fancy sounding writing); related to portraying human or animal figures
22
fidelity
Faithfulness, loyalty; strict observance of duty; accuracy in reproducing a sound or image
23
fetid
Stinking; having an offensive smell
24
finesse
Extreme delicacy, subtlety, or diplomacy in handling a sensitive situation or in a performance or skill (noun); use tact or diplomacy; employ a deceptive strategy (verb)
25
flag
Get tired, lose enthusiasm; hang limply or droop
26
fledgling
A young bird that has just recently gotten its feathers, an inexperienced person (noun); new or inexperienced (adj)
26
fleeting
Passing quickly, transitory
27
florid
Reddish or rosy; flowery, showy, or excessively fancy
27
flout
Treat with disdain, contempt, or scorn (usually of rules)
28
forage
Wander in search of; rummage, hunt, make a raid
28
fluke
Stroke of luck, something accidentally successful
29
foment
Incite, instigate, stir up, promote the growth of; apply medicated liquid to a body part
30
forestall
Delay, hinder, prevent by taking action beforehand
31
forfeit
Surrender or lose as a result of an error, crime, or failure to fulfill an obligation
31
foreshadow
Indicate or suggest beforehand, presage
31
ford
Place where a river or similar body of water is shallow enough to walk or ride a vehicle across (noun); to cross at such a place (verb)
32
fortify
Strengthen, invigorate, encourage
33
fortuitous
Happening by chance; lucky
34
fracas
Noisy disturbance or fight; brawl
35
fractious
Unruly, troublemaking; irritable
36
frenetic
Wildly excited, frantic, distracted
37
fringe
On the margin, periphery (adj); the people in a group who hold the most extreme views (noun)
38
frugal
Economical, thrifty, not wasteful with money; inexpensive
39
fulminate
Explode, detonate; attack verbally in a vehement, thunderous way
40
furtive
Done secretly; stealthy, sly, shifty
41
futile
Producing no useful result, ineffective; trivial or unimportant
42
gainsay
Declare false, deny; oppose
43
gambol
Frolic; skip or leap playfully
44
garner
Gather and store; amass, collect
45
garrulous
Talkative, wordy, rambling
46
gauche
Tactless, lacking social grace, awkward, crude
47
gawky
Physically awkward (esp. of a tall, skinny person, often used to describe teenagers)
48
germane
Relevant and appropriate, on-topic
49
gestation
Pregnancy; the period from conception until birth of an animal or (metaphorically) of an idea or plan
49
gist
Main idea, essence
50
glacial
Pertaining to glaciers; cold, icy, slow, unsympathetic
51
goad
Urge on (as cattle) with a pointed or electrically charged stick; spur on,
stimulate, encourage
52
glib
Fluent and easy in a way that suggests superficiality or insincerity
52
glower
Stare in an angry, sullen way
53
goosebumps
The "bumps" created by hairs standing up on the skin in response to cold, fear, etc.
54
gouge
Scooping or digging tool, like a chisel, or a hole made with such a tool (noun); cut or scoop out; force out a person's eye with one's thumb; swindle, extort money from (verb)
54
gradation
A progression, a process taking place gradually, in stages; one of these stages
54
graft
Insert part of a plant into another plant, where it continues to grow; join living tissue (such as skin) to part of the body where it will continue to live and grow; attach as if by grafting (verb); the part so grafted (as in a graft of skin); the act of acquiring money or other benefits through illegal means, esp. by abusing one's power (noun)
55
grandiloquent
Relating to lofty speech, esp. to the point of being pompous, overblown, bombastic
56
grandstand
Perform showily in an attempt to impress onlookers
57
grating
Irritating; harsh or discordant (of a noise); scraping
58
gregarious
Sociable, pertaining to a flock or crowd
59
grievous
Causing grief or suffering; very serious, grave; flagrant, outrageous
60
grouse
Complain or grumble (verb); a reason for complaint (noun)
61
grovel
Creep or crawl with one's face to the ground, prostrate oneself as a token of subservience, degrade or abase oneself
62
guile
Clever deceit, cunning, craftiness
63
hackneyed
So commonplace as to be stale; not fresh or original
64
halcyon
Calm and peaceful, carefree; prosperous, successful, happy
65
hallmark
A mark indicating quality, purity, genuineness, etc.; any distinguishing
characteristic
66
handwringing
Grasping, squeezing, etc. of the hands as an expression of nervousness, guilt, etc.; extend debate over what to do about an issue
67
hapless
Unlucky, unfortunate
68
harangue
Long, intense verbal attack, esp. when delivered publicly
69
hardy
Bold, brave, capable of withstanding hardship, fatigue, cold, etc.
70
harrow
Farming tool that breaks up soil (noun); painfully disturb or distress (verb)
71
haven
Harbor or port; refuge, safe place
72
hearken
Listen, pay attention to
73
hedge
Avoid commitment by leaving provisions for withdrawal or changing one's mind; protect a bet by also betting on the other side
74
hedonist
Person devoted to pleasure
75
hegemony
Domination, authority; influence by one country over others socially, culturally, economically, etc.
76
hermetic
Airtight, sealed, isolated; reclusive; pertaining to alchemy, occult
77
heterogeneous
Different in type, incongruous; composed of different types of elements
78
hew
Strike, chop, or hack (as with an axe,
sword. etc.); make or shape something
(such as a statue) with a cutting tool
79
hierarchy
A ranked series; a classification of people
according to rank, ability, etc.; a ruling body
80
hoary
Very old, gray or white as from old age
81
hodgepodge
Mixture of different kinds of things, jumble
82
homage
Honor or respect demonstrated publicly
83
homogeneous
Of the same kind; uniform throughout
84
hoodwink
Trick, deceive
85
hotly
In an intense, fiery, or heated way
86
husband
Manage prudently, sparingly, or economically; conserve
86
hyberbole
Deliberate exaggeration for effect
87
iconoclast
Attacker of cherished beliefs or institutions
88
idiosyncrasy
Characteristic or habit peculiar to an individual; peculiar quality, quirk
89
idolatry
Idol worship; excessive or unthinking devotion or adoration
90
idyllic
Presenting a positive, peaceful view of rural life (as poetry or prose); pleasant in a natural, simple way
91
ignoble
Not noble; having mean, base, low motives; low quality
92
illiberality
Narrow-mindedness, bigotry; strictness or lack of generosity
93
imbue
Permeate or saturate, as dye in a fabric; influence throughout
94
imminent
Ready to occur, impending
95
impair
Make worse, weaken
96
immutable
Unchangeable
97
impartial
Unbiased, fair
98
impasse
Position or road from which there is no escape; deadlock
99
impassive
Not having or not showing physical feeling or emotion
100
impede
Hold back, obstruct the progress of
100
impecunious
Poor, without money
101
imperious
Commanding, domineering; acting like a high-ranking person; urgent
101
imperturbable
Calm, not able to be upset or agitated
101
impermeable
Impassable, not allowing passage through (such as by a liquid)
102
impervious
Impenetrable, not able to be harmed or emotionally disturbed
103
impious
Not religious, lacking reverence, ungodly
104
impetuous
Passionately impulsive, marked by sudden, hasty emotion; forceful, violent
105
implacable
Not able to be appeased, calmed, or satisfied
106
implicit
Implied, not stated directly; involved in the very essence of something, unquestionable
106
implication
Act of implying or that which is implied; close connection, esp. in an incriminating way
107
implode
Burst inward
108
imprecation
Curse; prayer for harm to come to someone
108
impugn
Attack the truth or integrity of
109
impute
Credit, attribute; lay blame or
responsibility for (sometimes falsely)
110
inadvertent
Unintentional; characterized by a lack of attention, careless
111
inasmuch
In like manner, considering that
(contraction of "in as much," generally
followed by "as"
112
incarnadine
Blood red or flesh-colored
113
incendiary
Setting on fire, pertaining to arson; arousing strife, rebellion, etc.; "inflaming" the senses
114
incentive
Something that encourages greater action or effort, such as a reward
115
inchoate
Just begun, undeveloped, unorganized
116
incipient
Just beginning; in a very early stage
117
incongruous
Out of place, inappropriate, not harmonious
118
inconsequential
Insignificant, unimportant; illogical
119
inconstancy
Fickleness, unreliability; the state of changing without good reason
120
incorporate
Combine, unite; form a legal corporation; embody, give physical form to
121
inculcate
Teach persistently, implant (an idea) in a person
122
indefatigable
Untiring, not able to become fatigued
123
indigence
Extreme poverty
123
indeterminate
Not fixed or determined, indefinite; vague
123
indifferent
Not caring, having no interest; unbiased, impartial
124
inert
Inactive; having little or no power to move
125
indolent
Lazy, slothful
126
infallible
Incapable of error; certain
127
inexorable
Relentless, unyielding; not moved by pleading
128
inform
Inspire, animate; give substance, essence, or context to; be the characteristic quality of
129
ingenuous
Genuine, sincere, not holding back; naive
130
ingrained
Deep-rooted, forming part of the very
essence; worked into the fiber
131
ingrate
Ungrateful person
132
ingratiate
Make an effort to gain favor with
133
inherent
Existing as a permanent, essential quality; intrinsic
134
inimical
Hostile, adverse, harmful
135
iniquity
Injustice, wickedness, sin
136
innocuous
Harmless, inoffensive
137
inordinate
Excessive, not within proper limits, unrestrained
138
inquest
Legal or judicial inquiry, especially before a jury and especially made by a coroner into the cause of someone's death; the results of such an inquiry
139
insensible
Incapable of feeling; unconscious, unaware
140
insipid
Dull, stale, lacking taste or interest
140
insinuate
Hint, suggest slyly; introduce (an idea) into someone's mind in a subtle, artful way
141
insular
Pertaining to an island; detached, standing alone; narrow-minded, provincial
142
insurrection
Rebellion or revolt against a government or similarly established authority
143
inter
Bury (a dead body) or place in a tomb
144
intelligible
Able to be understood, clear
145
interplay
Interaction, reciprocal relationship or influence
146
interregnum
A time in between two reigns or regimes during which there is no ruler; a period during which government does not function; any period of freedom from authority or break or interruption in a series
147
intractable
Difficult to control, manage, or manipulate; hard to cure; stubborn
148
501
501
149
intransigent
Refusing to compromise, inflexible, having extreme attitudes
