Vocabulary Flashcards
(27 cards)
Endemic [en·dem·ic] adj.
Native to a specific region or environment and not occurring naturally anywhere else.
“Malaria is endemic in tropical climates.” (n.) An endemic plant or animal.
Atrocious [a·tro·cious] adj.
Horrifyingly wicked: “Atrocious cruelties.” Of a very poor quality; extremely bad or unpleasant: “Atrocious weather.”
Abysmal [a·bys·mal] adj.
Extremely bad; appalling.
“The results were pretty abysmal;” “Abysmal failure.”
Fractious [frac·tious] adj.
(1) Easily irritated; bad-tempered:
“they fight and squabble like fractious kids.”
(2) (of an organization) Difficult to control; unruly.
Austerity [aus·ter·i·ty] n.
(1) Sternness or severity of manner or attitude.
(2) Extreme plainness and simplicity of style or appearance.
Luminous [lu·mi·nous] adj.
Bright or shining, esp. in the dark. Glowing with health, vigor, or a particular emotion:
“Her eyes were luminous with joy.”
Mitigate [mit·i·gate] v.
(1) Make less severe, serious, or painful:
“He wanted to mitigate the damages in court.”
(2) Lessen the gravity of (an offense or mistake).
Determinate [de·ter·mi·nate] adj.
Having exact and discernible limits or form.
Divergence [di·ver·gence] n.
(1) A difference or conflict in opinions, interests, wishes, etc.
(2) The process or state of diverging.
Propitious [pro·pi·tious] adj.
(1) Indicating a good chance of success; favorable.
“It was a propitious time to leave the party without offending the host.”
(2) Favorably disposed toward someone.
Tactile [tac·tile] adj.
(1) Of or connected with the sense of touch.
(2) Perceptible by touch or apparently so; tangible: “A tactile keyboard.”
Facetious [fa·ce·tious] adj.
Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant.
Existential [ex·is·ten·tial] adj.
(1) Of or relating to existence.
(2) Concerned with existence, esp. human existence as viewed in the theories of existentialism.
“An existential threat.”
Caprice [ca·price] n.
A sudden and unaccountable change of mood or behavior.
“With the caprice of a despotic king, he alternated between kindnessand cruelty.”
Indolent; Indolence [in·do·lent] n.
Having or showing a disposition to avoid exertion; slothful, lazy:
“an indolent person.”
Salacious [sa·la·cious] adj.
Treating sexual matters in an indecent way. Lustful; lecherous:
“A salacious grin.”
Vacuous [vac·u·ous] adj.
Having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence; mindless: “a vacuous expression.”
Vitriol; Vitriolic [vit·ri·ol] n.
Cruel, bitter, scathing criticism; Abusive feeling or expression.
“A vitriolic tone of voice.”
Capacious [ca·pa·cious] adj.
Having a lot of space inside; roomy.
“A capacious closet.”
Predacious [pre·da·cious] adj.
Predatory; Given to victimizing, plundering, or destroying for one’s own gain.
“A victim of predacious behavior.”
Vitiate [vi·ti·ate] v.
Spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of.
“The government programs were vitiated by excessive red tape.”
Destroy or impair the legal validity of.
Spurious [spu·ri·ous] adj.
Not genuine, authentic, or true; not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source; counterfeit. Not being what it purports to be; false or fake.
“Spurious claims.”
Pejorative [pe·jo·ra·tive] adj.
Expressing contempt or disapproval. Disparaging; belittling.
“He used pejorative overtones in his speech.”
Sardonic [sar·don·ic] adj.
Grimly mocking or cynical.
“He had a sardonic expression after hearing the bad joke.”
