Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Words 101 > Set 2 > Flashcards

Set 2 Flashcards

1
Q

odium

A
  • repugnance, hatred, strong dislike
  • detestation, abomination, abhorrence

The popular odium of attorneys is often unmerited.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
1
Q

officious

A
  • prone to giving unwanted advice
  • meddlesome, intrusive, impertinent

I make a habit of giving honest opinions, but I try to avoid being officious with my friends.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

opportune

A
  • happening under fitting circumstances or at an appropriate or favorable time
  • suitable, timely, convenient

The students waited for an opportune moment to surprise their teacher with the bouquet of flowers they had prepared.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

opaque

A
  • not able to see through, not transparent
  • obscure, unintelligible, blur

The windows became so dirty they were almost opaque.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

superfluous

A
  • more than necessary; unnecessary
  • exuberant, redundant, unnecessary, excess

The student’s essay was full of superfluous phrases that needed to be deleted.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

exuberant

A
  • full of unrestrained enthusiasm or joy, lavish
  • plenteous, rich, overflowing, abundant

His exuberant personality makes him fun to be around.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

supersede

A
  • to take the place or position of; to take precedence over
  • supplant, replace, substitute, displace

It has been my understanding that the new tax code supersedes the old one, but actually both are in vigor simultaneously.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

supplant

A
  • supersede and replace
  • supersede, displace, replace, substitute

The higher-ups tried to supplant rebellious teachers with conformists.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

supplicate

A
  • to humbly ask
  • implore, beseech, beg

The churchgoers then bowed their heads and supplicated God to answer their prayers.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

importune

A
  • ask someone pressingly and persistently for or to do something
  • pester, bother

He stood on the street corner, importuning passersby for help

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

surmount

A
  • to overcome, rise above
  • surpass, overcome, vanquish, conquer

Through sheer determination, he was able to surmount his disadvantages and win the contest outright.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

surreptitious

A
  • Kept secret, esp. because it would not be approved of
  • secret, furtive, clandestine, covert

Since they were not allowed to speak, the couple exchanged surreptitious glances from across the room.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

symbiotic

A
  • related to a relationship that is beneficial for all involved

The whale and the small fish that cling to its body have a symbiotic relationship.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

synapse

A
  • the small gap between the cells of nerves

Neurotransmitters travel across the synapse between brain cells.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

tacit

A
  • understood or implied without being stated
  • implicit, implied

There was a tacit agreement between the two companies that neither would expand into the other’s city.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

exacerbate

A
  • make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse
  • aggravate, exasperate, worsen

The children’s screaming exacerbated their father’s headache.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

exasperate

A
  • to make very angry or impatient; annoy greatly
  • irritate, aggravate, provoke, enrage

We were exasperated by the delays.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

exact

A
  • to forcibly obtain

The detectives finally exacted the truth from the witnesses.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

exacting

A
  • making severe demands or requirements
  • exigent, demanding, severe

The exacting professor wanted a 15 page paper due the next day in class.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

exculpate

A
  • show or declare that (someone) is not guilty of wrongdoing.
  • exonerate, acquit, vindicate

The court exculpated him after a thorough investigation.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

inculpate

A
  • accuse or blame
  • incriminate, accuse, impeach, arraign

Evidence tending to inculpate the defendant always carries with it some prejudice.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

exhort

A
  • strongly encourage or urge (someone) to do something
  • urge,

Taking the loudspeaker in her hand, the policewoman exhorted the kidnapper to release his hostage.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

exigent

A
  • requiring immediate attention
  • pressing, demanding, urgent

The show’s run was cut short by an exigent lack of funds.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

exonerate

A
  • to clear of blame or guilt
  • exculpate, acquit

The results of the DNA fingerprinting finally exonerated the man, but only after he had wasted 10 years of his life in prison.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

expedient

A
  • convenient and practical, although possibly improper or immoral.
  • convenient

The politician tended to bring up his humble origins when it was politically expedient.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

expedite

A
  • to speed up
  • accelerate, hasten, quicken

For an extra fee, the post office can expedite your package’s delivery.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

expiate

A
  • to atone for (guilt or sin)
  • atone, purge, redeem

After destroying his friend’s car, Jim hoped the fruit basket he sent would expiate his guilt.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

extemporaneous

A
  • spoken or done without any preparation
  • impromptu, suddenly

To be a news anchor, she would have to improve her extemporaneous speaking skills.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

extol

A
  • praise enthusiastically
  • extoll, exalt, praise, eulogize, laud

Melinda was often heard extolling her daughter’s many talents.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

extrapolate

A
  • to make a guess based on facts

Pete figured it was possible to extrapolate her personality from her Facebook profile.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

extricate

A
  • free (someone or something) from a constraint or difficulty
  • liberate, free, disengage

It was heartbreaking to watch the butterfly struggle in vain to extricate itself from the spider web.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

churl

A
  • a rude, cheap person
  • boor, yokel, peasant, miser

I had been waiting in line for hours when some churl tried to cut in front of me.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

circuitous

A
  • (of a route or journey) longer than the most direct way
  • roundabout, devious, indirect

Because of the traffic accident, we had to take a circuitous route to the bank.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

circumscribe

A
  • to draw or contain in a circle; to limit or restrain
  • restrict, limit, bound

I believe our government’s actions are circumscribed by financial interests as well as moral imperatives.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

circumspect

A
  • wary and unwilling to take risks
  • prudent, cautious, careful, discreet

She has reputation for being quiet and circumspect in investigating charges of child abuse.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

circumvent

A
  • to get around an obstacle; overcome a difficulty in a clever and surrepetitious way
  • deceive

She managed to circumvent security and approached favorite actor backstage.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
36
Q

cleave

A
  • to cut off with force; to be loyal to; to develop and emotional bind with
  • split, crack

She vowed that even when tempted she would cleave to her principles.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
37
Q

cloister

A
  • (v) to isolate; (n) a place for religious isolation
  • monastery, abbey

The boy’s parents tended to cloister him from the harsher realities of the world.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
38
Q

coagulate

A
  • to clot or solidify
  • curdle, congeal

The poorly made syrup began to coagulate on the pancakes after a few minutes.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
39
Q

congeal

A
  • to solidify or coagulate
  • freeze, coagulate

The blood has congealed into blobs.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
40
Q

coalesce

A
  • to come together to form a single unit
  • merge, join, fuse, amalgamate, combine

Our country’s many poverty initiatives are too different to coalesce into an effective whole.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
41
Q

cogent

A
  • (of an argument or case) clear, logical, and convincing
  • convincing, persuasive

We won the debate because the other team was unable to mount cogent counter argument.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
42
Q

cohere

A
  • to be logically connected to; to stick to each other
  • adhere, agree, be consistent

The account in his journal coheres with the official report of the battle.

43
Q

intransigent

A
  • unwilling or refusing to change one’s views or to agree about something
  • uncompromising, unyielding, irreconcilable

The government remained intransigent despite the people’s protests.

44
Q

taciturn

A
  • (of a person) reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little
  • aloof, silent, mum

A taciturn man, he almost never starts a conversation.

45
Q

intrepid

A
  • fearless, courageous, brave, undaunted, daring

The intrepid naturalist routinely braved the storms and mudslides to document new species.

46
Q

intrinsic

A
  • related to an object’s essence
  • internal, inner

Unfortunately, some degree of inefficiency is intrinsic to all democracies.

47
Q

inure

A
  • to become accustomed to something negative or unpleasant
  • accustom, habituate, enure, desensitize

Nearby residents soon became inured to the noise from the construction project.

48
Q

invective

A
  • (n)insulting, abusive, or highly critical language, (adj) verbally abusive
  • abuse, vituperation, insult

What this debate needs is a little less invective and a little more substance.

49
Q

irrevocable

A
  • not able to be changed, reversed, or recovered; final
  • irreversible, unchangeable

The laws the king decreed were irrevocable even after he left the throne.

50
Q

jocular

A
  • fond of or characterized by joking; humorous or playful
  • jocose, humorous, facetious

The boy was popular with his classmates due to his cheerful, jocular nature.

51
Q

kernel

A
  • the central part of a situation or seed
  • core, nucleus

The kernel of your argument seems to be the inevitability of the division of that nation along ethnic lines.

52
Q

lackluster

A
  • not lively, not bright
  • dull, mediocre, bore

Tired from a long day, Susan gave a very lackluster performance during the dress rehearsal.

53
Q

refractory

A
  • stubborn; difficult to handle
  • obstinate, stubborn, pertinacious

The doctors did not know how to deal with such a refractory infection.

54
Q

regiment

A
  • a military of troops

Four army regiments occupied the city last week.

55
Q

remonstrate

A
  • make a forcefully reproachful protest
  • protest, object, expostulate

Many special interest groups remonstrated against the new legislation.

56
Q

remunerate

A
  • to compensate monetarily for trouble or work done
  • compensate, pay, requite

He promptly remunerated the repair company for fixing the dryer.

57
Q

repose

A
  • peacefulness, rest; to be lying or stationary

In the summer, she would often lie under the willow trees in complete repose.

58
Q

repudiate

A
  • to renounce ownership or disown; to refuse to recognize, to reject as true
  • refuse, renounce, disclaim

The scientists who discovered the fossil were shocked when it was repudiated as a fake.

59
Q

reticent

A
  • not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings readily
  • reluctant, reserved, taciturn

When asked about the stolen vase, the maid was reticent even though she had seen the thief take it.

60
Q

retiring

A
  • shy and reclusive
  • modest, shy, coy

During high school, Mary became so retiring that people sometimes didn’t notice when they shared a class with her.

61
Q

revere

A
  • feel deep respect or admiration for (something or someone)
  • venerate, respect, honour

The mayor was so revered by the village that every single man, woman and child attended his funeral.

62
Q

platitude

A
  • a cliche, dull or unenlightening saying
  • banality, cliche

My father’s favorite platitude was, “Winner’s never quit, quitters never win”.

63
Q

pliant

A
  • easy to convince, change or bend
  • flexible, pliable, supple

The professor needed a particularly pliant mind for his brainwashing experiments.

64
Q

poignant

A
  • so emotionally intense as to be painful
  • keen, sharp

Watching her daughter wake up was particularly poignant for her mother who had worried by her bedside the whole night.

65
Q

polar

A
  • related to opposite extremes or sides

The two were so different their personalities could be considered polar opposites.

66
Q

polemic

A
  • (adj) controversial, (n) a controversial argument
  • controversy, dispute, argument

As soon as the graduate student obtained her doctorate, she published a polemic refutation of her mentor’s work.

67
Q

ponderous

A
  • difficult to handle due to heaviness, requiring a lot of work
  • heavy, weighty, massive

The ponderous task was completed in no time, thanks to large number of volunteers we had.

68
Q

portend

A
  • be a sign or warning or signal that something is likely to happen

  • bode, presage, forebode, prognosticate
69
Q

posit

A
  • to assume as a fact
  • postulate

Some physicists posit that the universe will expand forever.

70
Q

postulate

A
  • to assume a basic truth
  • posit

Economic theory postulates limits on essential resources as the basis of human behaviour.

71
Q

bolster

A
  • to support or strengthen
  • support, uphold, back

The candidate’s campaign was bolstered by endorsements by several former military leaders.

72
Q

bombastic

A
  • inflated, arrogant

The bombastic way in which the author described his novel repulsed me.

73
Q

repulse

A
  • drive back by force
  • repel, reject, repudiate

The troops repulsed the attack.

74
Q

brood

A
  • (n) a group of offspring, (v) to worry over
  • ponder

He brooded over his mistake.

75
Q

burgeon

A
  • begin to grow or increase rapidly
  • bud, sprout, germinate

The burgeoning mass of bees was heading straight for the picnic.

76
Q

rebuke

A
  • express sharp disapproval or criticism of (someone) because of their behavior or actions
  • reprove, reprimand, reprehend

The child was rebuked for stealing candy.

77
Q

dulcet

A
  • pleasant sounding or looking
  • sweet, melodious, mellifluous

The dulcet tone of the musical parody contrasted sharply with its offensive lyrics.

78
Q

obsequiously

A
  • full of or exhibiting servile compliance
  • compliantly, fawningly, subserviently

She’s constantly followed by obsequiously assistants who will do anything she tells them.

79
Q

toady

A
  • a person who behaves obsequiously to someone important
  • sycophant, bootlicker, groveller

The president was surrounded by toadies rather than people with honest criticism

80
Q

gall

A
  • bold, impudent behaviour
  • impudence, bile

He had the gall to request a raise after it was discovered that he was calling in sick in order to play golf.

81
Q

cloying

A
  • unpleasant due to excess; sickeningly sweet or sentimental

Unfortunately, cloying romantic comedies are sure box-office hits, and so Bollywood continues to churn them out.

82
Q

sully

A
  • the stain or tarnish the purity of
  • soil, stain, smear, smirch, defile

Joe’s reputation as an ethical CEO was sullied by his selfish actions during his company’s merger.

83
Q

defile

A
  • to dirty, spoil or dishonor; violate the chastity of
  • soil, contaminate, stain

The holy site was unwittingly defiled when the invaders, for whom it held no special meaning, used it as a stable.

84
Q

pithy

A
  • concise and relevant
  • concise, succinct, terse, cogent, laconic

Satya’s pithy keynote speech was more enlightening than the endless lectures that had preceded it.

85
Q

slovenly

A
  • unclean in appearance or habits
  • untidy, sloppy, disheveled

The other dinner guests held the slovenly drunkard in contempt.

86
Q

onerous

A
  • involving a burdensome amount of effort and difficulty
  • burdensome, laborious

The student’s relished making the teacher’s job as onerous as possible.

87
Q

scourge

A
  • a plague or cause of affliction
  • lash, whip, punishment, calamity

The scourge of drugs in American society will be its downfall.

88
Q

candor

A
  • the quality of being frank, sincere, or impartial in expression
  • candour, candidness, frankness, sincerity

The candor with which he acknowledged a weakness in his own case.

89
Q

boor

A
  • a crude, unmannered or rude person
  • churl, lout

The boor upset everyone at the fancy restaurant.

90
Q

moribund

A
  • dying, decaying, on the brink of extinction
  • dying

The moribund customs of the indigenous culture are only practiced in a few outlying areas.

91
Q

pine

A
  • to suffer from extreme desire or painful longing
  • languish, yearn, long

The sailor’s wife pined for him all through the long, harsh winter.

92
Q

siren

A
  • a beautiful, seductive, charming woman
  • mermaid

The young men of the neighborhood are smitten with the siren who moved in last week.

93
Q

cache

A
  • (n)a hidden place; a secret storage; (v) to store away in hiding.

-

The bomb shelter had a cache of resources capable of supporting the family

94
Q

lionize

A
  • to treat a person as a celebrity

When the musical sensation returned to her hometown, she was lionized by everyone she knew.

95
Q

skulk

A
  • to lie in wait; to hide with evil intent
  • lurk, hide

The fugitive was spotted skulking about the docks just past midnight.

96
Q

emendation

A
  • a correction or revision in a text
  • correction, improvement

Once the emendations have been made, the pamphlet can be sent to the printer.

97
Q

euphony

A
  • the quality of being pleasing to the ear, esp. through a harmonious combination of words

The euphony of the Italian language is unparalleled.

98
Q

terse

A
  • using few words
  • succinct, curt, laconic, concise, brusque

Your terse apology does not even begin to give an adequate explanation for your behaviour.

99
Q

trite

A
  • uninteresting due to overuse
  • hackneyed, banal, commonplace

Though some may find Valentine’s Day chocolates trite, I look forward to every box I get.

100
Q

malefactor

A
  • a violator of the law
  • criminal, felon, evildoer

The Nuremberg trials brought the Nazi malefactors to justice.

101
Q

obtuse

A
  • slow to perceive, feel or respond
  • dull, blunt, slow-witted

The obtuse response lacked a great deal of sophistication.

102
Q

ingratiate

A
  • to work oneself into the favor of someone

-

The intern ingratiated himself to his superiors starting on the first day.

103
Q

travesty

A
  • a false, absurd or distorted representation of something
  • parody, mockery, burlesque

Thom’s checkered tux was a travesty of good taste.

104
Q

philology

A
  • the study of linguistics and literature

The students of philology were hunched over their Spanish literature texts.

Words 101 (6 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions