Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

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


See full index

Word Smart > Word Smart (1-20) > Flashcards

Word Smart (1-20) Flashcards

1
Q

abash

A

To make ashamed; to embarrass

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

abate

A

To subside; to reduce

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

abdicate

A

To step down from a position of power or responsibility

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

aberration

A

Something not typical; a deviation from the standard

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

abhor

A

To hate very very much; to detest

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

abject

A

Hopeless; extremely sad and servile; defeated; utterly bummed out

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

abnegate

A

To deny oneself things; to reject; to renounce

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

abortive

A

Unsuccessful

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

abridge

A

To shorten; to condense

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

absolute

A

Total; unlimited; perfect

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

absolve

A

To forgive or free from blame; to free from sin; to free from an obligation

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

abstinent

A

Abstaining; voluntarily not doing something especially something pleasant that is bad for you or has a bad reputation

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

abstract

A

Theoretical; impersonal

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

abstruse

A

Hard to understand

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

abysmal

A

Extremely hopeless or wretched; bottomless

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

accolade

A

An award; an honor

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

accost

A

To approach and speak to someone

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

acerbic

A

Bitter; sour; severe

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

acquiesce

A

To comply passively; to accept; to assent; to agree

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

acrid

A

Harsh; like acid

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

acrimonious

A

Full of spite; bitter; nasty

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

acumen

A

Keenness of judgment; mental sharpness

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

acute

A

Sharp; shrewd

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

adamant

A

Stubborn; unyielding; completely inflexible

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

address

A

To speak to; to direct ones attention to

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

adherent

A

Follower; supporter; believer

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

admonish

A

To scold gently; to warn

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

adroit

A

Skillful; dexterous; clever; shrewd; socially at ease

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

adulation

A

Wild or excessive admiration; flattery

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

adulterate

A

To contaminate; to make impure

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

adverse

A

Unfavorable; antagonistic

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

aesthetic

A

Having to do with artistic beauty; artistic

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

affable

A

Easy to talk to; friendly

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

affectation

A

Unnatural or artificial behavior usually intended to impress

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

affinity

A

Sympathy; attraction; kinship; similarity

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

affluent

A

Rich; prosperous

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

agenda

A

Program; the things to be done

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

agrarian

A

Relating to land; relating to the management or farming of land

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

aggregate

A

Sum total; a collection of separate things mixed together

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

agnostic

A

One who believes that the existence of a god can be neither proven nor disproven

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

alacrity

A

Cheerful eagerness or readiness to respond

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

allege

A

To assert without proof

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
43
Q

alleviate

A

To relieve usually temporarily or incompletely; to make bearable; to lessen

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
44
Q

allocate

A

To distribute; to assign; to allot

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
45
Q

alloy

A

A combination of two or more things usually metals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
46
Q

allusion

A

An indirect reference often to a literary work; a hint hint

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
47
Q

aloof

A

Uninvolved; standing off; keeping ones distance

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
48
Q

altruism

A

Selflessness; generosity; devotion to the interests of others

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
49
Q

ambiance

A

Atmosphere; mood; feeling mood

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
50
Q

ambiguous

A

Unclear in meaning; confusing; capable of being interpreted in different ways

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
51
Q

ambivalent

A

Undecided; neutral; wishy-washy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
52
Q

ameliorate

A

To make better or more tolerable ;

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
53
Q

amenable

A

Obedient; willing to give in to the wishes of another; agreeable

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
54
Q

amenity

A

Pleasantness; attractive or comfortable feature

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
55
Q

amiable

A

Friendly; agreeable

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
56
Q

amnesty

A

An official pardon for a group of people who have violated a law or policy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
57
Q

amoral

A

Lacking a sense of right and wrong; neither good nor bad neither moral nor immoral; without moral feelings

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
58
Q

amorous

A

Feeling loving especially in a sexual sense; in love relating to love

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
59
Q

amorphous

A

Shapeless; without a regular or stable shape

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
60
Q

anachronism

A

Something out of place in time or history; an incongruity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
61
Q

analogy

A

A comparison of one thing to another; similarity similarity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
62
Q

anarchy

A

Absence of government or control; lawlessness; disorder

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
63
Q

anecdote

A

A short account of a humorous or revealing incident

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
64
Q

anguish

A

Agonizing physical or mental pain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
65
Q

animosity

A

Resentment; hostility; ill will

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
66
Q

anomaly

A

An aberration; an irregularity; a deviation ;

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
67
Q

antecedent

A

Someone or something that went before; something that provides a model for something that came after it

68
Q

antipathy

A

Firm dislike; a dislike _sympathy ;

69
Q

antithesis

A

The direct opposite

70
Q

apartheid

A

The abhorrent policy of racial segregation and oppression in the Repubic of South Africa

71
Q

apathy

A

Lack of interest; lack of feeling

72
Q

aphorism

A

A brief often witty saying; a proverb

73
Q

apocalypse

A

A prophetic revelation especially one concerning the end of the world

74
Q

apocryphal

A

Of dubious authenticity; fictitious; spurious

75
Q

apotheosis

A

Elevation to divine status; the perfect example of something

76
Q

appease

A

To soothe; to pacify by giving in to

77
Q

appreciate

A

To increase in value

78
Q

apprehensive

A

adj. Anxious or fearful about the future; uneasy.

“Margaret tells me that she was apprehensive from the start of the voyage – and even before.”

79
Q

approbation

A

Approval; praise

80
Q

appropriate

A

To take without permission; to set aside for a particular use

81
Q

aptitude

A

Capacity for learning; natural ability

82
Q

arbiter

A

One who decides; a judge

83
Q

arbitrary

A

Random; capricious random

84
Q

arcane

A

Mysterious; known only to a select few mysterious

85
Q

archaic

A

Extremely old; ancient; outdated

86
Q

archetype

A

An original model or pattern

87
Q

ardent

A

Passionate half-hearted

88
Q

arduous

A

Hard; difficult

89
Q

aristocratic

A

Of noble birth; snobbish

90
Q

artful

A

Wily; sly ; crafty

91
Q

artifice

A

A clever trick; cunning ;

92
Q

ascendancy

A

Supremacy; domination

93
Q

ascetic

A

Hermit like; practicing self-denial

94
Q

assiduous

A

Hardworking; busy; quite diligent

95
Q

assimilate

A

To take in; to absorb; to learn thoroughly

96
Q

assuage

A

To soothe; to pacify; to ease the pain of; to relieve

97
Q

astute

A

Shrewd; keen in judgment ;

98
Q

attrition

A

Gradual wearing away weakening or loss; a natural or expected decrease in numbers of size

99
Q

audacity

A

Boldness; reckless daring; impertinence ;

100
Q

augment

A

To make bigger; to add to; to increase ;

101
Q

auspicious

A

Favorable; promising; pointing to a good result

102
Q

austere

A

Unadorned; stern; forbidding; without excess

103
Q

autocratic

A

Ruling with absolute authority; extremely bossy

104
Q

autonomous

A

Acting independently

105
Q

avarice

A

Greed; excessive love of riches

106
Q

avow

A

To claim; to declare boldly; to admit

107
Q

avuncular

A

Like an uncle especially a nice uncle ;

108
Q

awry

A

Off course; twisted to one side ;

109
Q

axiom

A

Self-evident rule or truth; a widely accepted saying

110
Q

banal

A

Unoriginal; ordinary

111
Q

bane

A

Poison; torment; cause of harm

112
Q

bastion

A

Stronghold; fortress; fortified place

113
Q

beget

A

To give birth to; to create; to lead to; to cause

114
Q

belabor

A

To go over repeatedly or to an absurd extent

115
Q

beleaguer

A

To surround; to besiege; to harass

116
Q

belie

A

To give a false impression of; to contradict

117
Q

belittle

A

To make to seem little; to put someone down

118
Q

belligerent

A

Combative; quarrelsome; waging war

119
Q

bemused

A

Confused; bewildered

120
Q

benefactor

A

One who provides help especially in the form of a gift or donation

121
Q

benevolent

A

Generous; kind; doing good deeds

122
Q

benign

A

Gentle; not harmful; kind; mild

123
Q

bequest

A

Something left to someone in a will

124
Q

bereaved

A

Deprived or left desolate especially through death

125
Q

beset

A

Harass; to surround

126
Q

blasphemy

A

Irreverence; an insult to something held sacred; profanity

127
Q

blatant

A

Unpleasantly or offensively noisy; glaring

128
Q

blight

A

Disease in plants; anything that injures or destroys

129
Q

blithe

A

Carefree; cheerful

130
Q

bourgeois

A

Middle class usually in a pejorative sense; boringly conventional

131
Q

bovine

A

Cow related; cow like cf canine equine feline pis cine porcine ursine

132
Q

brevity

A

Briefness

133
Q

broach

A

To open up a subject for discussion often a delicate subject

134
Q

bucolic

A

Charmingly rural; rustic; country like

135
Q

bureaucracy

A

A system of government administration consisting of numerous bureaus or offices especially one run according to inflexible and inefficient rules; any large administrative system characterized by inefficiency lots of rules and red tape

136
Q

burgeon

A

To expand; to flourish

137
Q

burlesque

A

A ludicrous mocking or exaggerated imitation

138
Q

cacophony

A

Harsh-sounding mixture of words voices or sounds

139
Q

cadence

A

Rhythm the rise and fall of sounds

140
Q

cajole

A

To persuade someone to do something he or she doesn’t want to do

141
Q

callow

A

inexperienced and immature: earnest and callow undergraduates.

142
Q

candor

A

Truthfulness; sincere honesty

143
Q

Capitalism

A

Free enterprise

144
Q

capitulate

A

To surrender; to give up or give in

145
Q

capricious

A

Unpredictable; like to change at any moment

146
Q

caricature

A

A portrait or description that is purposely distorted or exaggerated often to prove some point about its subject

147
Q

castigate

A

To criticize severely; to chastise

148
Q

catalyst

A

In chemistry~; anyone or anything that makes something happen without being directly involved in it

149
Q

categorical

A

Unconditional; absolute

150
Q

catharsis

A

Purification that brings emotional relief or renewal

151
Q

catholic

A

Universal; embracing everything

152
Q

caustic

A

Like acid; corrosive

153
Q

celibacy

A

Abstinence from sex

154
Q

censure

A

To condemn severely for doing something bad

155
Q

cerebral

A

Brainy; intellectually refined

156
Q

chagrin

A

Humiliation; embarrassed disappointment

157
Q

charisma

A

A magical-seeming ability to attract followers or inspire loyalty

158
Q

charlatan

A

Fraud; quack; con man

159
Q

chasm

A

A deep gaping hole; a gorge

160
Q

chastise

A

To inflict punishment on; to discipline

161
Q

chicanery

A

Trickery; deceitfulness; artifice; especially legal or political

162
Q

chimera

A

An illusion; a foolish fancy

163
Q

choleric

A

Hot-tempered; quick to anger

164
Q

chronic

A

Constant; lasting a long time; inveterate

165
Q

chronicle

A

A record of events in order of time; a history

Word Smart (5 decks)

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