Magoosh Basic Word List 3/7

stolid

adjective: having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited Synonyms : impassive Elephants may appear stolid to casual observers, but they actually have passionate emotional lives.

degrade

verb: reduce in worth or character, usually verbally Synonyms : demean , disgrace , put down , take down Jesse had mockingly pointed out all of Nancy's faults in front of their friends, publicly degrading the poor girl.

plodding

adjective: (of movement) slow and laborious Synonyms : leaden Charlie may seem to run at a plodding pace, but he is an ultramarathoner, meaning he runs distances of up to 100 miles, and can run for ten hours at a stretch.

inclement

adjective: (of weather) unpleasant, stormy After a week of inclement weather, we finally are able to go outside and enjoy the sun. adjective: used of persons or behavior; showing no mercy Marcus Aurelius, though a fair man, was inclement to Christians during his reign, persecuting them violently.

malleable

adjective: capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out Synonyms : ductile , pliable , pliant , tensile , tractile The clay became malleable and easy to work with after a little water was added. adjective: easily influenced Synonyms : ductile My little brother is so malleable that I can convince him to sneak cookies from the cupboard for me.

jocular

adjective: characterized by jokes and good humor Synonyms : jesting , jocose , joking My uncle was always in a jocular mood at family gatherings, messing up people's hair and telling knock-knock jokes to anyone who would listen.

pithy

adjective: concise and full of meaning Synonyms : sententious I enjoy reading the Daodejing for its pithy and insightful prose; it always gives me something to think about.

elusive

adjective: difficult to capture or difficult to remember Synonyms : baffling , knotty , problematic , problematical , tough Many first time skydivers say that describing the act of falling from the sky is elusive.

impermeable

adjective: does not allow fluids to pass through The sand bags placed on the river formed an impermeable barrier, protecting the town from flooding.

snide

adjective: expressive of contempt; derogatory or mocking in an indirect way Synonyms : sneering , supercilious The chairman interpreted Taylor's question about promotions as a snide remark, but in all innocence Taylor was trying to figure out the company's process.

consummate

adjective: having or revealing supreme mastery or skill Synonyms : masterful , masterly , virtuoso Tyler was the consummate musician: he was able to play the guitar, harmonica, and the drum at the same time. verb: to make perfect and complete in every respect The restoration of the ancient church was only consummated after a twenty years of labor. This word has other definitions but these are the most important ones to study

morose

adjective: ill-tempered and not inclined to talk; gloomy Synonyms : dark , dour , glowering , glum , moody , saturnine , sour , sullen After Stanley found out he was no longer able to go on vacation with his friends, he sat in his room morosely.

appreciable

adjective: large enough to be noticed (usu. refers to an amount) There is an appreciable difference between those who say they can get the job done and those who actually get the job done.

transitory

adjective: lasting a very short time Synonyms : ephemeral , fugacious , passing , short-lived , transient If we lived forever and life was not transitory, do you think we would appreciate life less or more?

disheartened

adjective: made less hopeful or enthusiastic Synonyms : demoralised , demoralized , discouraged After the visiting team scored nine times, the home team's fans were disheartened, some leaving the game early.

raffish

adjective: marked by a carefree unconventionality or disreputableness Synonyms : devil-may-care , rakish The men found him raffish, but the women adored his smart clothes and casual attitude.

avid

adjective: marked by active interest and enthusiasm Synonyms : zealous Martin is an avid birdwatcher, often taking long hikes into remote mountains to see some rare eagle.

ornate

adjective: marked by elaborate rhetoric and elaborated with decorative details Synonyms : flowery The ornate Victorian and Edwardian homes spread throughout San Francisco are my favorite part of the city.

endemic

adjective: native; originating where it is found Synonyms : autochthonal , autochthonic , autochthonous , indigenous Irish cuisine makes great use of potatoes, but ironically, the potato is not endemic to Ireland.

moot

adjective: open to argument or debate; undecidable in a meaningless or irrelevant way Synonyms : arguable , debatable , disputable Since the Board just terminated Steve as the CEO, what the finance committe might have thought of his proposed marketing plan for next year is now a moot point. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

archaic

adjective: so old as to appear to belong to a different period Synonyms : antediluvian , antiquated Hoping to sound intelligent, Mary spoke in archaic English that was right out of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice--needless to say, she didn't have many friends.

muted

adjective: softened, subdued Synonyms : hushed , quiet , subdued Helen preferred muted earth colors, such as green and brown, to the bright pinks and red her sister liked. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

obdurate

adjective: stubbornly persistent in changing an opinion or action Synonyms : cussed , obstinate , unrepentant No number of pleas and bribes would get him to change his obdurate attitude.

robust

adjective: sturdy and strong in form, constitution, or construction Chris preferred bland and mild beers, but Bhavin preferred a beer with more robust flavor.

incessant

adjective: uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing Synonyms : ceaseless , constant , never-ending , perpetual , unceasing , unremitting I don't mind small children in brief doses, but I think the incessant exposure that their parents have to them would quickly wear me down.

fledgling

adjective: young and inexperienced; describing any new participant in some activity Synonyms : callow , unfledged,entrant , fledgeling , freshman , neophyte , newbie , newcomer , starter, Murray has years of experience in family practice, but he is just a fledgling in surgery.

autonomously

adverb: In an autonomous or self-governing manner. Many of the factory workers are worried about being replaced by machines and computers that will work completely autonomously.

boon

noun: a desirable state Synonyms : blessing Modern technology has been a boon to the travel industry. adjective: very close and convivial He was a boon companion to many, and will be sadly missed.

malady

noun: a disease or sickness Synonyms : illness , sickness , unwellness The town was struck by a malady throughout the winter that left most people sick in bed for two weeks.

dearth

noun: a lack or shortage Synonyms : famine , shortage,paucity I am surprised by the dearth of fast food chains; this is America and I assumed they were on every street.

respite

noun: a pause from doing something (as work) Synonyms : break , recess , time out, relief , rest , rest period Every afternoon, the small company has a respite in which workers play foosball or board games.

proponent

noun: a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea Synonyms : advocate , advocator , exponent Ironically, the leading proponent of Flat-Earth Theory flies all over the world in an effort to win more adherents.

apprehension

noun: fearful expectation Synonyms : apprehensiveness , dread,misgiving Test day can be one of pure apprehension, as many students worry about their test scores.

quandary

noun: state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options Synonyms : dilemma Steve certainly is in a quandary: if he doesn't call Elaine, she will blame him for everything, but if he does call her, the evidence of where he currently is could cost him his job.

ingenuity

noun: the power of creative imagination Synonyms : cleverness , ingeniousness , inventiveness Daedalus was famous for his ingenuity; he was able to fashion his son Icarus with a pair of wings, using wax to hold them together.

ascendancy

noun: the state that exists when one person or group has power over another Synonyms : ascendance , ascendence , ascendency , control , dominance The ascendancy of the Carlsbad water polo team is clear—they have a decade of championships behind them.

impede

verb: be a hindrance or obstacle to Synonyms : hinder,block , close up , jam , obstruct , obturate , occlude Since the police sergeant had to train the pair of new hires, progress in his own case was impeded.

flounder

verb: behave awkwardly; have difficulties Synonyms : stagger Sylvia has excelled at advanced calculus, but ironically, when she has deal with taxes, she flounders.

disenfranchise

verb: deprive of voting rights Synonyms : disfranchise The U.S. Constitution disenfranchised women until 1920 when they were given the right to vote.

renege

verb: fail to fulfill a promise or obligation Synonyms : go back on , renege on , renegue on We will no longer work with that vendor since it has reneged on nearly every agreement.

entice

verb: get someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises Synonyms : lure , tempt Harold enticed his wife, Maude, to go on a vacation to Hawaii, with promises of luaus on the beach and all-you-can-eat seafood buffets.

thwart

verb: hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of Synonyms : baffle , bilk , cross , foil , frustrate , queer , scotch , spoil I wanted to spend a week in New York this autumn, but the high costs of travel and lodging thwarted my plans.

guffaw

verb: laugh boisterously Synonyms : laugh loudly Whenever the jester fell to the ground in mock pain, the king guffawed, exposing his yellow, fang-like teeth.

resolve

verb: reach a conclusion after a discussion or deliberation Synonyms : conclude After much thought, Ted resolved not to travel abroad this summer because he didn't have much money in his bank account. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

discriminate

verb: recognize or perceive the difference Synonyms : know apart,separate Sarah couldn't discriminate between a good wine and a bad wine, so she avoided wine tastings. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

advocate

verb: speak, plead, or argue in favor of Synonyms : preach While the senator privately approved of gay marriage, he was unwilling to advocate for the cause in a public venue. noun: a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea Synonyms : advocator , exponent , proponent Martin Luther King Jr. was a tireless advocate for the rights of African-Americans in the United States. This word has other definitions but these are the most important ones to study

fete

verb: to celebrate a person Synonyms : celebrate After World War II, war heroes were feted at first but quickly forgotten.

meander

verb: to wander aimlessly Synonyms : thread , wander , weave , wind A casual observer might have thought that Peter was meandering through the city, but that day he was actually seeking out those places where he and his long lost love had once visited.

patronize

verb: treat condescendingly Synonyms : condescend , patronise She says she genuinely wanted to help me, but instead she patronized me, constantly pointing out how I was inferior to her. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

deter

verb: turn away from by persuasion Synonyms : dissuade His mother tried to deter him from joining the army, but he was too intoxicated with the idea of war to listen. verb: try to prevent; show opposition to Synonyms : discourage The government's primary job should involve deterring paths to war, not finding ways to start them.