Magoosh Basic Word List 1/7

candid

adjective: a straightforward and honest look at something Synonyms : blunt , forthright , frank , free-spoken , outspoken , plainspoken , point-blank , straight-from-the-shoulder Even with a perfect stranger, Charles was always candid and would rarely hold anything back.

slapdash

adjective: carelessly and hastily put together Synonyms : haphazard , slipshod , sloppy The office building had been constructed in a slapdash manner, so it did not surprise officials when, during a small earthquake, a large crack emerged on the façade of the building.

inflammable

adjective: extremely controversial, incendiary It only takes one person to leave an inflammable comment on an Internet thread for that thread to blow up into pages upon pages of reader indignation.

indignant

adjective: feeling anger over a perceived injustice Synonyms : incensed , outraged , umbrageous When the cyclist swerved into traffic, it forced the driver to brake and elicited an indignant shout of "Hey, punk, watch where you're going!"

amiable

adjective: friendly Synonyms : affable , cordial , genial Amy's name was very apt: she was so amiable that she was twice voted class president.

bleak

adjective: having a depressing or gloomy outlook Synonyms : bare , barren , desolate , stark Unremitting overcast skies tend to lead people to create bleak literature and lugubrious music - compare England's band Radiohead to any band from Southern California.

embroiled

adjective: involved in argument or contention Synonyms : entangled These days we are never short of a D.C. politician embroiled in scandal—a welcome phenomenon for those who, having barely finished feasting on the sordid details of one imbroglio, can sink their teeth into a fresh one.

affable

adjective: likeable; easy to talk to Synonyms : amiable , cordial , genial For all his surface affability, Marco was remarkably glum when he wasn't around other people.

indigenous

adjective: originating in a certain area Synonyms : autochthonal , autochthonic , autochthonous , endemic The plants and animals indigenous to Australia are notably different from those indigenous to the U.S - one look at a duckbill platypus and you know you're not dealing with an opossum.

profuse

adjective: plentiful; pouring out in abundance Synonyms : exuberant , lush , luxuriant , riotous During mile 20 of the Hawaii Marathon, Dwayne was sweating so profusely that he stopped to take off his shirt, and ran the remaining six miles wearing nothing more than skimpy shorts.

telltale

adjective: revealing The many telltale signs of chronic smoking include yellow teeth, and a persistent, hacking cough.

telling

adjective: significant and revealing of another factor Her unbecoming dress was very telling when it came to her sense of fashion. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

thrifty

adjective: spending money wisely Synonyms : careful He was economical, spending his money thriftily and on items considered essential.

macabre

adjective: suggesting the horror of death and decay; gruesome Synonyms : ghastly , grim , grisly ,sick Edgar Allen Poe was considered the master of the macabre; his stories vividly describe the moment leading up to - and often those moments after - a grisly death.

diabolical

adjective: to be extremely wicked like the devil Synonyms : demonic , diabolic , fiendish , hellish , infernal , satanic , unholy,devilish , diabolic , mephistophelean , mephistophelian The conspirators, willing to dispatch anyone who stood in their way, hatched a diabolical plan to take over the city.

demure

adjective: to be modest and shy Synonyms : coy , overmodest The portrait of her in a simple white blouse was sweet and demure.

remiss

adjective: to be negligent in one's duty Synonyms : delinquent , derelict , neglectful Remiss in his duty to keep the school functioning efficiently, the principal was relieved of his position after only three months.

retiring

adjective: to be shy, and to be inclined to retract from company Synonyms : reticent , self-effacing Nelson was always the first to leave soirees - rather than mill about with "fashionable" folk, he was retiring, and preferred the solitude of his garret. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

vindictive

adjective: to have a very strong desire for revenge Though the other girl had only lightly poked fun of Vanessa's choice in attire, Vanessa was so vindictive that she waited for an entire semester to get the perfect revenge.

insolvent

adjective: unable to pay one's bills; bankrupt With credit card bills skyrocketing, a shockingly large number of Americans are truly insolvent.

erratic

adjective: unpredictable; strange and unconventional Synonyms : fickle , mercurial , quicksilver It came as no surprise to pundits that the President's attempt at re-election floundered; even during his term, support for his policies was erratic, with an approval rating jumping anywhere from 30 to 60 percent.

voracious

adjective: very hungry; approaching an activity with gusto Synonyms : edacious , esurient , rapacious , ravening , ravenous , wolfish Steven was a voracious reader, sometimes finishing two novels in the same day.

thoroughgoing

adjective: very thorough; complete Synonyms : exhaustive , thorough As a thoroughgoing bibliophile, one who had turned his house into a veritable library, he shocked his friends when he bought a Kindle.

affluent

adjective: wealthy The center of the city had sadly become a pit of penury, while, only five miles away, multi-million dollar homes spoke of affluence.

miser

noun: a person who doesn't like to spend money (because they are greedy) Monte was no miser, but was simply frugal, wisely spending the little that he earned.

reprobate

noun: a person who is disapproved of Synonyms : miscreant Those old reprobates drinking all day down by the river-they are not going to amount to much.

stipend

noun: a regular allowance (of money) He was hoping for a monthly allowance loan from the government, but after no such stipend was forthcoming he realized he would have to seek other means of paying for his college tuition.

screed

noun: an abusive rant (often tedious) Joey had difficulty hanging out with his former best friend Perry, who, during his entire cup of coffee, enumerated all of the government's deficiencies--only to break ranks and launch into some screed against big business.

tirade

noun: an angry speech Synonyms : broadside , philippic In terms of political change, a tirade oftentimes does little more than make the person speaking red in the face.

spendthrift

noun: one who spends money extravagantly Synonyms : scattergood , spend-all , spender Taking weekly trips to Vegas, Megan was a spendthrift whose excesses eventually caught up to her.

pinnacle

noun: the highest point Synonyms : acme , elevation , height , meridian , peak , summit , superlative , tiptop , top At its pinnacle, the Roman Empire extended across most of the landmass of Eurasia, a feat not paralleled to the rise of the British Empire in the 18th and 19th century.

acme

noun: the highest point of achievement Synonyms : elevation , height , meridian , peak , pinnacle , summit , superlative , tiptop , top The new Cessna airplanes will be the acme of comfort, offering reclining seats and ample legroom.

zenith

noun: the highest point; culmination At the zenith of his artistic career, Elvis was outselling any other artist on the charts.

serendipity

noun: the instance in which an accidental, fortunate discovery is made By pure serendipity, Sarah discovered, at a flea market in Peoria, a matching earring to replace the one that fell down the storm drain back home.

summit

noun: the peak or highest point Synonyms : acme , elevation , height , meridian , peak , pinnacle , superlative , tiptop , top, crest , crown After hiking for two days, the climbers finally reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. noun: a meeting of high-level leaders Since climate change policy has been mired in congressional fighting, this summit should help set the goals for president's next term.

variance

noun: the quality of being different The cynic quipped, "There is not much variance in politicians; they all seem to lie".

tender

verb: offer up something formally Synonyms : bid The government was loath to tender more money in the fear that it might set off inflation. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

censor

verb: to examine and remove objectionable material Synonyms : ban Every fall, high school English teachers are inundated by requests to censor their curriculum by removing The Catcher in the Rye and Scarlet Letter from their reading lists. noun: an official who censors material The censor insisted that every reference to drugs should be removed from the manuscript.

inundate

verb: to flood or overwhelm Synonyms : deluge , submerge, flood , swamp The newsroom was inundated with false reports that only made it more difficult for the newscasters to provide an objective account of the bank robbery.

indict

verb: to formally charge or accuse of wrong-doing The bankrobber was indicted on several major charges, including possession of a firearm.

demean

verb: to insult; to cause someone to lose dignity or respect Synonyms : degrade , disgrace , put down , take down At first the soccer players bantered back and forth, but as soon as one of the players became demeaning, calling the other's mother a water buffalo, the ref whipped out a red card.

err

verb: to make an error Synonyms : mistake , slip He erred in thinking that "indigent" and "indignant" were synonyms.

unnerve

verb: to make nervous or upset Synonyms : enervate , faze , unsettle At one time unnerved by math problems, she began avidly "Magoosh-ing", and soon became adept at even combinations and permutations questions.

hound

verb: to pursue relentlessly Synonyms : hunt , trace An implacable foe of corruption, Eliot Ness hounded out graft in all forms - he even helped nab Al Capone. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

dog

verb: to pursue relentlessly; to hound Synonyms : chase , chase after , give chase , go after , tag , tail , track , trail Throughout his life, he was dogged by insecurities that inhibited personal growth. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

peruse

verb: to read very carefully Instead of perusing important documents, people all too often rush to the bottom of the page and plaster their signatures at the bottom.

mesmerize

verb: to spellbind or enthrall Synonyms : bewitch , magnetise , magnetize , mesmerise The plot and the characters were so well developed that many viewers were mesmerized, unable to move their eyes from the screen for even a single second.

underwrite

verb: to support financially Synonyms : subvent , subvention The latest symphony broadcast was made possible with underwriting from the Carnegie Endowment.

dupe

verb: to trick or swindle Synonyms : befool , cod , fool , gull , put on , put one across , put one over , slang , take in Once again a get-rich-fast Internet scheme had duped Harold into submitting a $5,000 check to a sham operation. noun: a person who is easily tricked or swindled Synonyms : victim The charlatan mistook the crowd for a bunch of dupes, but the crowd was quickly on to him and decried his bald-faced attempt to bilk them.

pine

verb: to yearn for Synonyms : ache , languish , yearn , yen Standing forlornly by the window, she pined for her lost love. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study