Quick Quizzes 51 - 59 Flashcards
(105 cards)
infer
infer (in FUR) v to conclude; to deduce
She hadn’t heard the score, but the silence in the locker room led her to infer that we had lost.
Infer is often confused with imply. To imply something is to hint at it, suggest it, or state it indirectly. To infer something is to figure out what it is without being told directly.
imply
imply (im PLY) v To imply something is to hint at it, suggest it, or state it indirectly.
infinitesimal
infinitesimal (in fin uh TES uh mul) adj very, very, very small; infinitely small
An infinitesimal bug of some kind crawled into Heather’s ear and bit her in a place she couldn’t scratch.
ingenuous
ingenuous (in JEN yoo us) adj frank; without deception; simple; artless; charmingly naive
A young child is ingenuous. He doesn’t know much about the ways of the world, and certainly not enough to deceive anyone.
Disingenuous means crafty or artful.
inherent
inherent (in HAIR unt) adj part of the essential nature of something; intrinsic
Wetness is an inherent quality of water. (You could also say that wetness is inherent in water).
There is an inherent strength in steel that cardboard lacks.
injunction
injunction (in JUNGK shun) n a command or order, especially a court order
Wendy’s neighbors got a court injunction prohibiting her from playing her radio.
innate
innate (i NAYT) adj existing since birth; inborn; inherent
Joseph’s kindness was innate; it was part of his natural character.
innocuous
innocuous (i NAHK yoo us) adj harmless; banal
Innocuous is closely related, in both origin and meaning, to innocent.
Meredith took offense at Bruce’s innocuous comment about the saltiness of her soup.
inordinate
inordinate (in OR duh nit) adj excessive; unreasonable
The math teacher paid an inordinate amount of attention to the grammar rather than algebra.
insatiable
insatiable (in SAY shuh bul) adj hard or impossible to satisfy; greedy; avaricious
Peter had an insatiable appetite for chocolate macadamia ice cream; he could never get enough. Not even a gallon of chocolate macadamia was enough to sate (sayt) or satiate (SAY shee ayt) his craving.
Peter’s addiction never reached satiety (suh TYE uh tee [or] SAY she uh tee)
insidious
insidious (in SID ee us) adj treacherous; sneaky
Winter was insidious; it crept in under the doors and through cracks in the windows.
insinuate
insinuate (in SIN yoo ayt) v to hint; to creep in
When I told her that I hadn’t done any laundry in a month, Valerie insinuated that I was a slob.
Jessica insinuated her way into the conversation by moving her chair closer and closer to where we were sitting.
insipid
insipid (in SIP id) adj dull; bland; banal
Barney’s jokes were so insipid that no one in the room managed to force out so much as a chuckle.
insolent
insolent (UN suh lunt) adj arrogant; insulting
The insolent sales clerk said she was sorry but the store did not accept cash.
instigate
instigate (IN stuh gayt) v to provoke; to stir up
The CIA tried unsuccessfully to instigate rebellion in the tiny country by distributing pamphlets that, as it turned out, were printed in the wrong language.
insular
insular (IN suh lur) adj like an island; isolated
The Latin word for island is insula. From it we get the words peninsula (“almost an island”), insulate (insulation makes a house an island of heat), and insular, among others.
Lying flat on his back in bed for twenty-seven years, the 1,200-pound man led an insular existence.
insurgent
insurgent (in SUR junt) n a rebel; someone who revolts against a government
The heavily armed insurgents rushed into the presidential palace, but they paused to taste the fresh blueberry pie on the dinner table and were captured by the president’s bodyguards.
This word can also be an adjective. A rebellion is an insurgent activity.
integral
integral (IN tuh grul) adj essential
A solid offense was an integral part of our football team; so was a strong defense.
integrate
integrate (IN tuh grayt) v to combine two or more things into a whole
This word is related to segregate, aggregate, and congregate, all of which describe joining or separating. It has the same root as integer, which means a whole number.
Marisol’s school offered an integrated history and language curriculum so that students learned Roman history and Latin in the same classroom.
intractable
intractable (in TRAK tuh bul) adj uncontrollable; stubborn; disobedient
The intractable child was a torment to his nursery school teacher.
intransigent
intransigent (in TRAN suh junt) adj uncompromising; stubborn
The jury was unanimous except for one intransigent member, who did’t believe that anyone should ever be forced to go to jail.
intrinsic
intrinsic (in TRIN sik) adj part of the essential nature of something; inherent
Larry’s intrinsic boldness was always getting him into trouble.
The opposite of intrinsic is extrinsic.
introspective
introspective (in truh SPEC tiv) adj tending to think about oneself; examining one’s feelings
The introspective six-year-old never had much to say to other people but always seemed to be turning something over in her mind.
inundate
inundate (IN un dayt) v to flood; to cover completely with water; to overwhelm
The tiny island kingdom was inundated by the tidal wave. Fortunately, no one died from the deluge.