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🔥Gcse studies🔥 > english- vocab > Flashcards

english- vocab Flashcards

1
Q

soporific

A

a medicine or other substance that makes you sleep of calm

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2
Q

the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens

A

the clouds were low in the sky and felt oppressive

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3
Q

pervade

A

take over, permeate

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3
Q

look upon ….. before you

A

look at something in front of you

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4
Q

the insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit

A

the gloom took over me

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5
Q

unnerve

A

demoralise, discourage

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6
Q

lustre

A

shine, gloss

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7
Q

sojourn

A

stay/visit (noun)

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8
Q

alleviate

A

ease

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9
Q

aberration

A

a state or condition markedly different from the norm

“they described the outbreak of violence in the area as an aberration”

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10
Q

acquiesce

A

agree or express agreement

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11
Q

alacrity

A

liveliness and eagerness

“she accepted the invitation with alacrity”

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12
Q

amiable

A

diffusing warmth and friendliness

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13
Q

appease

A

try to please

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14
Q

arcane

A

requiring secret or mysterious knowledge

“He was the only person who understood all the arcane details of the agreement.”

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15
Q

avarice

A

insatiable desire for wealth

“he was rich beyond the dreams of avarice”

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16
Q

brazen

A

unrestrained by convention or propriety

“it was a brazen attempt to rig the result”

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17
Q

brusque

A

rudely abrupt or blunt in speech or manner

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18
Q

furtive

A

secret and sly

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19
Q

cajole

A

rudely abrupt or blunt in speech or manner

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20
Q

circumspect (adj)

A

careful to consider potential consequences and avoid risk

“the officials were very circumspect in their statements”

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21
Q

coerce (verb)

A

cause to do through pressure or necessity

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22
Q

confidant (noun)

A

someone to whom private matters are told

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23
Q

connive (verb)

A

form intrigues (for) in an underhand manner

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24
Q

cumulative (adj)

A

increasing, growing

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25
Q

debase (verb)

A

degrade, devalue, demean

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26
Q

demure (adj)

A

modest, meek, reserved

reserved, modest, and shy (typically used of a woman).

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27
Q

deferential

A

showing deference; respectful.

“people were always deferential to him”

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28
Q

callous

A

cold, coldhearted, heartless

“his callous comments about the murder made me shiver”

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29
Q

candid

A

frank, outspoken, open, blunt

“his responses were remarkably candid”

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30
Q

candour

A

frankness, honesty, openness

“a man of refreshing candor”

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31
Q

avarice (noun)

A

“extreme greed for wealth or material gain.”

greed, materialism, acquisitiveness

“he was rich beyond the dreams of avarice”

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32
Q

brusque

A

“abrupt or offhand in speech or manner.”

abrupt, blunt, sharp

“she could be brusque and impatient”

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33
Q

alacrity

A

“she accepted the invitation with alacrity”

brisk and cheerful readiness.

eagerness, willingness, enthusiasm

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34
Q

despot (noun)

A

tyrant, dictator, totalitarian

“a ruler or other person who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises it in a cruel or oppressive way.”

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35
Q

complacency

A

a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements.

self satisfaction, self approval, smugness

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36
Q

differential

A

“the differential achievements of boys and girls”

distinctive, different

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37
Q

eloquent

A

“an eloquent speech”

persuasive, expressive, articulate

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38
Q

enmity

A

“decades of enmity between the two countries”

hostility, animosity, antagonism

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39
Q

erudite (errordite)

A

“Ken could turn any conversation into an erudite discussion”

scholarly, well educated

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40
Q

extol

A

praise enthusiastically.

“he extolled the virtues of the Russian peoples”

praise enthusiastically, go into raptures

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41
Q

fabricate

A

invent or concoct (something), typically with deceitful intent.

forge, falsify, fake

“officers fabricated evidence”

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42
Q

fractious

A

(typically of children) irritable and quarrelsome.

grumpy, grouchy

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43
Q

furtive

A

attempting to avoid notice or attention

secretive, surreptitious

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44
Q

futile

A

incapable of producing any useful result; pointless.

pointless, useless

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45
Q

gratuitous

A

uncalled for; lacking good reason

unjustified, without good reason uncalled for

“gratuitous violence”

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46
Q

haughty

A

arrogantly superior and disdainful.

conceited, proud, vain

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47
Q

hypocrisy

A

the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one’s own behavior does not conform; pretense.

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48
Q

impertinent

A

lack of respect; rudeness.

insolence, rudeness, bad manners

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49
Q

impeccable

A

“a man of impeccable character”

flawless, faultless, spotless

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50
Q

implicit

A

implied though not plainly expressed.

“comments seen as implicit criticism of the policies”

indirect, inferred

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51
Q

incredulous

A

“an incredulous gasp”

disbelieving, doubtful, unconvinced

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52
Q

incisive

A

“she was an incisive critic”

sharp-witted, razor-sharp, penetrating

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53
Q

indolent

A

wanting to avoid activity or exertion; lazy.

“they were indolent and addicted to a life of pleasure”

lazy, idle, slothful

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54
Q

dubious

A

“Alex looked dubious, but complied”

doubtful, uncertain unsure

“extremely dubious assumptions”

suspicious, untrustworthy

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55
Q

inept

A

having or showing no skill; clumsy.

“the inept handling of the threat”

incompetent, unskillful, inexpert

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56
Q

infamy

A

the state of being well known for some bad quality or deed.

notoriety, disrepute, ill fame

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57
Q

inhibit

A

hinder, restrain, or prevent (an action or process).

“cold inhibits plant growth”

impede, hinder

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58
Q

innate

A

“her innate capacity for organisation”

inherent, natural, intrinsic,

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59
Q

insular

A

ignorant of or uninterested in cultures, ideas, or peoples outside one’s own experience.

narrow minded, limited

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60
Q

insatiable

A

(of an appetite or desire) impossible to satisfy.

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61
Q

intrepid

A

fearless; adventurous

“Luckily, we have some brave and intrepid reviewers who are willing to take a stand.”

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62
Q

indoctrinate

A

teach (a person or group) to accept a set of beliefs uncritically.

brainwash, propagandize

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63
Q

inveterate (adj)

A

having a particular habit, activity, or interest that is long-established and unlikely to change.

“he was an inveterate gambler”

ingrained, deep seated

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64
Q

jubilant

A

feeling or expressing great happiness and triumph.

exultant, joyful, overjoyed

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65
Q

lithe

A

(especially of a person’s body) thin, supple, and graceful.

agile, graceful, supple

“she lay gazing up at his tall, lithe figure”

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66
Q

lurid

A

very vivid in color, especially so as to create an unpleasantly harsh or unnatural effect.

garish

“lurid food colourings”

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67
Q

maverick

A

an unorthodox or independent-minded person.

individualist, nonconformist

“he’s the maverick of the fashion scene”

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68
Q

maxim

A

a short, pithy statement expressing a general truth or rule of conduct.

saying, proverb

“the maxim that actions speak louder than words”

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69
Q

meticulous

A

careful, diligent, scrupulous

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70
Q

odious

A

extremely unpleasant; repulsive.

“a pretty odious character”

“he’s one of the most odious people you could ever meet”

revolting, repulsive, disgusting

71
Q

insipid

A

tasteless, flavourless

“mugs of insipid coffee”

lacking vigor or interest.

“many artists continued to churn out insipid, shallow works”

72
Q

morose

A

sullen and ill-tempered.

“she was morose and silent when she got home”

sulky, bad tempered

73
Q

modicum

A

a small quantity of a particular thing, especially something considered desirable or valuable.

little bit, small amount, particle

74
Q

myriad

A

a countless or extremely great number.

75
Q

macabre

A

“a macabre series of murders”

gruesome, grim, gory

edgar alan poe

76
Q

nadir (nay-deer)

A

the lowest point in the fortunes of a person or organization.

“they had reached the nadir of their sufferings”

77
Q

nominal

A

(of a role or status) existing in name only.

“Thailand retained nominal independence under Japanese military occupation”

78
Q

novice

A

“he was a complete novice in foreign affairs”

beginner, learner

79
Q

nuance

A

a subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound.

“Well, I don’t think the objection captures the nuance of the Catholic position.”

80
Q

oblivious

A

not aware of or not concerned about what is happening around one.

81
Q

obsequious

A

obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree.

“they were served by obsequious waiters”

82
Q

obtuse

A

stupid, dull

“he wondered if the doctor was being deliberately obtuse”

83
Q

panacea

A

“the panacea for all corporate ills”

“getting rid of fossil fuels is not the panacea for global warming”

universal cure, cure-all

a solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases.

84
Q

parody

A

an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect.

85
Q

penchant

A

a strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to do something.

“he has a penchant for adopting stray dogs”

86
Q

perusal

A

the action of reading or examining something.

“I continued my perusal of the instructions”

87
Q

plethora

A

an abundance, excess

“Travellers can choose from a plethora of different lodging options on a mountain vacation.”

88
Q

predilection

A

a preference or special liking for something; a bias in favor of something.

“my predilection for Asian food”

89
Q

quaint

A

attractively unusual or old-fashioned.

“quaint country cottages”

90
Q

rash

A

reckless, impetuous

91
Q

refurbish

A

renovate and redecorate

renovate, recondition

“the premises have been completely refurbished in our corporate style”

92
Q

repudiate

A

refuse to accept or be associated with.

“she has repudiated policies associated with previous party leaders”

reject, renounce

93
Q

rife

A

widespread, general, common

“male chauvinism was rife in medicine in those days”

94
Q

salient

A

most noticeable or important.

important, main, principal

95
Q

serendipity

A

good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries

96
Q

superfluous

A

unnecessary, especially through being more than enough.

97
Q

staid

A

serious, respectable, and unadventurous

“staid old man”

98
Q

sycophant

A

a person who uses flattery to win favour from individuals wielding influence

99
Q

taciturn

A

(of a person) reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little.

untalkative, reticent

100
Q

truculent

A

eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant.

defiant, aggressive

101
Q

umbrage

A

take umbrage at something

take offence, be offended

102
Q

blasphemy

A

profane talk, profanity

blasphemous (adj)

103
Q

venerable

A

accorded a great deal of respect, especially because of age, wisdom, or character.

respected, honourable

104
Q

vociferous

A

vehement (vee-uh-muhnt), outspoken

“he was a vociferous opponent of the takeover”

105
Q

zenith

A

highest point

“reached its zenith of societal disharmony and discord”

106
Q

Ambiguous

A

open to more than one interpretation; having a double meaning.

107
Q

Comprehensive

A

complete; including all or nearly all elements or aspects of something.

108
Q

Impregnable

A

unable to be captured or broken into.

impenetrable

109
Q

Inception

A

the establishment or starting point of an institution or activity.

“since its inception tesla has revolutionised the electric car industry”

110
Q

Intricacy

A

details, especially of an involved or perplexing subject.

111
Q

Introspective

A

characterized by or given to introspection.

inward looking, self analysing

112
Q

Brevity

A

the act of being brief, conciseness

“The need for brevity made Lincoln pack a great deal into few words.”

113
Q

Connotation

A

“the word “discipline” has unhappy connotations of punishment and repression”

114
Q

Imbibe

A

drink (alcohol).
She imbibed vast quantities of coffee.
or absorb, assimilate

115
Q

imbue

A

permeate, inspire, pervade

It imbued me with a sense of national pride.

116
Q

Stipend

A

a fixed regular sum paid as a salary or allowance.

117
Q

Affluence

A

“a sign of our growing affluence”

wealth, prosperity, opulence

118
Q

Philistine

A

“I am a complete philistine when it comes to paintings”

ignoramus, anti intellectual

119
Q

Embellishment

A

a decorative detail or feature added to something to make it more attractive.

120
Q

voracious

A

wanting or devouring great quantities of something

“he had a voracious appetite”

insatiable, unquenchable

121
Q

copious

A

abundant in supply or quantity.

“there was a copious amount of work to get through”

122
Q

Misanthrope

A

a person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society.

cynic, skeptic, hater of mankind

123
Q

Ferocity

A

savagery, brutality the act of being ferocious

124
Q

verbatim

A

in exactly the same words as were used originally.

“subjects were instructed to recall the passage verbatim”

125
Q

Incongruous

A

not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings or other aspects of something.

out of place, out of keeping

126
Q

Conjecture (noun or verb)

A

“conjectures about the newcomer were many and varied”
guess, speculation, surmise

127
Q

Dissolute

A

dissipated,

“a dissolute, drunken, disreputable rogue”

128
Q

Lucid

A

expressed clearly; easy to understand.

intelligible, comprehensible

129
Q

Evasive

A

“she was evasive about her phone number”

vague, ambiguous, indefinite

130
Q

elusive

A

evasive, difficult to find, catch, or achieve

131
Q

elucidate

A

make something clear; explain

132
Q

Goad

A

“he goaded her on to more daring revelations”

provoke, spur

provoke or annoy (someone) so as to stimulate some action or reaction.

133
Q

Quixotic

A

idealistic, unrealistic

exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical.

134
Q

Assertion

A

a confident and forceful statement of fact or belief.

declaration, contention, statement

“his assertion that his father had deserted the family had shocked everyone”

135
Q

Surmise

A

suppose that something is true without having evidence to confirm it.

deduce, guess

“he surmised that something must be wrong”

136
Q

Coherence

A

the quality of being logical and consistent.

consistency, togetherness

“this raises further questions on the coherence of state policy”

137
Q

Climactic

A

“the film’s climactic scenes”

final, culminating, ending

138
Q

Hypochondriac

A

a person who is abnormally anxious about their health.

neurotic

139
Q

Extemporaneous

A

spoken or done without preparation.

140
Q

Fidelity

A

loyalty, allegiance, faithfulness to a person, cause or belief

“he sought only the strictest fidelity to justice”

141
Q

benign

A

innocent, kindly, warmhearted, good natured

142
Q

subservient

A

prepared to obey others unquestioningly.

submissive, acquiescent

143
Q

rudiments

A

basics, fudamentals

144
Q

vivacious

A

bright, lively, animated

145
Q

eminent

A

renowned, distinguished, esteemed

“one of the world’s most eminent statisticians”

146
Q

drudgery

A

hard work, toil, labour

147
Q

indiscriminate

A

“the indiscriminate killing of civilians”

unselective, uncritical, aimless

148
Q

interminable

A

“we got bogged down in interminable discussions”

endless, never ending

149
Q

ergo

A

“she was the sole beneficiary of the will, ergo the prime suspect”

therefore, thus, consequential

150
Q

ad hominem

A

“look at him, resorting to futile ad hominem attacks”

151
Q

status quo

A

existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious, scientific or military issues.

152
Q

ennui

A

a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement.

boredom, tedium

153
Q

carpe diem

A

used to urge someone to make the most of the present time and give little thought to the future.

154
Q

in proviso

A

on the condition of, providing that.. a condition attached to an agreement.

“he left his unborn grandchild a trust fund with the proviso that he be named after the old man”

155
Q

the devil is in the details

A

means that small or seemingly insignificant aspects of a situation or task can cause significant problems if they are overlooked or not properly addressed.

156
Q

gravitas

A

solemnity, seriousness, gravity

157
Q

A red herring

A

something that distracts attention from the real issue or leads someone off track.

158
Q

A Pandora’s box

A
159
Q

to languish in obscurity

A

means to remain unnoticed, unrecognized, or unappreciated

160
Q

delusions of grandeur

A

refers to a false belief or perception of one’s own importance, power, or greatness that is not supported by reality.

“The actor’s delusions of grandeur led him to believe he was destined for Hollywood stardom after landing a minor role in a local theater production.”

161
Q

Cognitive dissonance

A

The mental discomfort experienced by a person who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values.

162
Q

Echo chamber

A

An environment where a person encounters only one type of belief or opinions usually theirs

163
Q

False dichotomy

A

Presenting two opposing options as the only possibilities, when in fact more possibilities exist.

164
Q

Moral compass

A

A person’s ability to judge what is right and wrong and act accordingly.

165
Q

Paradigm shift

A

A fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions.

166
Q

paradigm

A

a typical example or pattern of something; a model.

example, standard, archetype

“the war was a paradigm of the destructive side of human nature”

167
Q

make of that what you will

A

the interpretation or understanding of something is left up to the individual.

168
Q

hinderance

A

the state of being interfered with, held back, or slowed down
“the locked gate was a hindrance to the walkers”

169
Q

silver lining

A

something good that can be found in a bad situation.

The injury had a silver lining: it enabled Blake to spend his father’s last weeks with him.

170
Q

rustic

A

made in a plain and simple fashion.

171
Q

robust

A

strong and healthy; vigorous.

strong, sturdy

or strong, flavourful

“he took quite a robust view of my case”

172
Q

flagrant

A

blatant, obvious, evident

173
Q

akin

A

like, similar to

“something akin to gratitude overwhelmed her”

174
Q

disreputable

A

not considered to be respectable in character or appearance.

scandalous, infamous

175
Q

protrude

A

stick out, jut

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