vocab lesson 1 Flashcards
Adroit
adj - skilful, clever
Everyone knew that he was adroit with figures, but he lacked the facility for public speaking
Syn: Dexterous, apt
Ant: clumsy, awkward
Adulterate
verb - to make impure, to contaminate
adj - impure
The fumes from the automobiles adulterate the air.
The police were concerned about all the adulterated drugs on the street.
ant: refine, refined
Adventitious
adj - accidental; nonessential
the scientists announced the breakthrough at a press conference and admitted that it had been an adventitious outcome.
syn: incidental
Aegis
adj - a shield; protection; sponsorship
The candidate felt hr had a chance in the election because of the aegis of a former officeholder.
syn: backing
Aesthetic
adj- pertaining to beauty
The house was a bargain financially, but it lacked any aesthetic quality.
Syn: artistic
Affectation
Noun - a phony attitude; pose
John felt that the outspoken Ruth was the only girl there who did not have any affectations.
Syn: insincerity; sham
Ant: aversion
Affinity
Noun-an attraction to
The young man had an affinity for fast cars and easy money.
Syn: partiality, fondness
Ant: aversion
Affluence
Noun-wealth; richness
Although Paul’s family had much affluence, he was content to make do without their help.
Syn: abundance
Ant: impoverished, destitute
Agape
Adj- open-mouthed; surprised; agog
Even the judge was agape when the witness told the ridiculous story in court.
Syn: awe-stricken
aggrandise
Verb- to enlarge; to expand
Much of what they did not to aid their country but to aggrandise their own positions.
Syn: increase, augment, enrich
Ant: decrease, diminish
altruism
Noun- a concern for others; generosity
Ben’s altruism was apparent as he stopped at the scene of the accident to offer his assistance.
Syn: unselfishness, magnanimity
Ant: selfishness, egoism
Ambiguous
adj - open to more than one interpretation
the candidate’s ambiguous comments tended to confuse the issue even more.
Syn: unclear, uncertain, vague
Ant: explicit, definite
Amoral
adj - lacking a sense of right and wrong
Although a greedy man, he was not amoral; there were some things he would not do for money.
Amorphous
adj - shapeless, formless, vague
Although the essay was due in two days, John couldn’t get a handle on the topic, which remained amorphous in his mind.
Animosity
noun - hatred
There was a general feeling of animosity toward the judge for giving the boys such a harsh sentence.
syn: ill-will, hostility
ant: friendliness, congeniality
