[GRE Magoosh 1000] Common

disinterested

adjective: unbiased; neutral The potential juror knew the defendant, and therefore could not serve on the jury, which must consist only of disinterested members.

volubility

noun: the quality of talking or writing easily and continuously Synonyms : articulateness , fluency The professor's volubility knows no bounds; he could talk through a hurricane and elaborate a point from one St. Patrick's Day to the next.

sanction

verb: give authority or permission to Synonyms :approve , o.k. , okay The authorities have sanctioned the use of the wilderness reserve for public use; many expect to see hikers an campers enjoying the park in the coming months. noun: a legal penalty for a forbidden action International sanctions have been placed on certain shipping lanes that were thought to be involved in human trafficking.

underscore

verb: give extra weight to (a communication) Synonyms : emphasise , emphasize , underline While the hiking instructor agreed that carrying a first aid kit could be a good idea under certain circumstances, he underscored the importance of carrying enough water.

burgeon

verb: grow and flourish China's housing market is burgeoning, but some predict that the growth is merely a bubble and will burst much like the U.S. real estate bubble of 2008.

frustrate

verb: hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of Synonyms : baffle , bilk , cross , foil , queer , scotch , spoil , thwart, I thought I would finish writing the paper by lunchtime, but a number of urgent interruptions served to frustrate my plan. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

forment

verb: instigate or stir up synonyms: incite, agitate, cultivate, fan the flames, stir up Upset with the british, the patriots formented the arrival of American freedom from british reign.

misconstrue

verb: interpret in the wrong way Synonyms : be amiss , misapprehend , misconceive , misinterpret , misunderstand The politician never trusted journalists because he though that they misconstrue his words and misrepresent his positions.

construe

verb: interpreted in a particular way Synonyms : interpret , see The author's inability to take a side on the issue was construed by both his opponents and supporters as a sign of weakness.

reconcile

verb: make (one thing) compatible with (another) Synonyms : accommodate , conciliate Peggy was unable to reconcile her kind friend Jane with the cruel and merciless character Jane played on television.

elucidate

verb: make clearer and easier to understand Synonyms : clear , clear up , crystalise , crystalize , crystallise , crystallize , enlighten , illuminate , shed light on , sort out , straighten out Youtube is great place to learn just about anything-an expert elucidates finer points so that even a complete novice can learn.

mitigate

verb: make less severe or harsh Synonyms : extenuate , palliate I can only spend so much time mitigating your disagreements with your wife, and at certain point, you need to do it on your own. verb: lessen the severity of an offense If it weren't for the mitigating circumstances, he would have certainly lost his job.

ameliorate

verb: make something bad better Synonyms : amend , better , improve , meliorate "Three Cups of Tea" tells the story of western man who hopes to ameliorate poverty and the lack of education in Afghanistan.

obscure

verb: make unclear Synonyms : becloud , befog , cloud , fog , haze over , mist , obnubilate On the Smith's drive through the Grand Canyon, Mr. Smith's big head obscured much of Mrs. Robinson's view, so that she only saw momentary patches of red rock. adjective: known by only a few Synonyms : unknown , unsung Many of the biggest movie stars were once obscure actors who got only bit roles in long forgotten films. This word has other definitions but these are the most important ones to study

conflate

verb: mix together different elements or concepts Synonyms : blend , coalesce , combine , commingle , flux , fuse , immix , meld , merge , mix In her recent book, the author conflates several genres--the detective story, the teen thriller, and the vampire romance--to create a memorable read.

appease

verb: pacify by acceding to the demands of Synonyms : assuage , conciliate , gentle , gruntle , lenify , mollify , pacify , placate Neville Chamberlain, the British prime minister during WWII, tried to appease Hitler and in doing so sent a clear message: you can walk all over us.

juxtapose

verb: place side by side The appeal of her paintings comes from a classical style which is juxtaposed with modern themes.

exalt

verb: praise or glorify Synonyms : extol , glorify , laud , proclaim The teenagers exalted the rock star, covering their bedrooms with posters of him.

antedate

verb: predate; to exist or happen before something else synonym: antecede, precede

exonerate

verb: pronounce not guilty of criminal charges Synonyms : acquit , assoil , clear , discharge , exculpate The document clearly indicated that Nick was out of the state at the time of the crime, and so served to exonerate him of any charges.

refute

verb: prove to be false or incorrect Synonyms : controvert , rebut No one could refute his theories or propositions, and that is why he was esteemed by all his colleagues in the philosophy department. Dont confuse this with rebuke- which means to express disapproval, criticize angrile rebut- to make a counterargument against something (only when the rebut is successful is it considered a refute ) repudiate- to reject something as true

truncate

verb: reduce the length of something Synonym: abridge The soccer game was truncated when the monsoon rain began to fall.

repudiate

verb: reject as true or reasonable Many in the public believed the rumors of a UFO crash outside town, so the chief of police did everything he could to repudiate the rumors.

vilify

verb: spread negative information about Synonyms : rail , revile , vituperate Todd was noble after the divorce, choosing to say only complimentary things about Barbara, but Barbara did not hesitate to vilify Todd. **think (vil)lify--> villain--> negative--> spread information in a neagtive way**

bolster

verb: support and strengthen The case for the suspect's innocence was bolstered considerably by the fact that neither fingerprints nor DNA were found at the scene. Synonyms : bolster up This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

supplant

verb: take the place or move into the position of Synonyms : replace , supercede , supersede , supervene upon For many, a cell phone has supplanted a traditional phone; in fact, most 20-somethings don't even have a traditional phone anymore.

adjudicate

verb: to act as judge, to make a formal decision about something It is often when money is involved that judges must intervene an adjudicate a decision.

mimicry

verb: to act like someone, especially in order to mock them

transmute

verb: to alter form, into something better Alchemist thought they could transmute lead into gold

perceive

verb: to be aware of, to sense or feel Synonyms : comprehend If hunters are skilled, the animals will not perceive their presence.

prepossess

verb: to be preoccupied verb: to influence someone's opinion, gain positive impression antonym: unprepossess- to gain a negative/neutral impression

trounce

verb: to beat severely, punish synonym: beat, whip, crush, bash, wallop The boy made a mistake to wear such a flashy outfit in the slums of NYC as he was trounced on by a passerby, leaving him with nothing but a sock. **think trounce rhymes with pounce something that happens when you are jumped**

impugn

verb: to cause people to cause people to doubt someone's character, qualities or reputation by criticizing them

chortle

verb: to chuckle, laugh merrily Synonyms : chuckle , laugh softly Walking past the bar, I could hear happy, chortling people and the blast of horns from a jazz band.

eradicate

verb: to completely destroy Synonyms : exterminate , extirpate , root out , uproot, annihilate , carry off , decimate , eliminate , extinguish , wipe out I tried eradicating the mosquitos in my apartment with a rolled up newspaper, but there were too many of them.

redress

verb: to correct, make amends for synonym: compensate, correct noun: pay for loss or injury synonyms: amends, indemnification, restitution

disparage

verb: to criticize someone or something in a way that shows a lack of respect synonym: belittle, bad mouth, talk trash, anathematize Highly dogmatic in her thinking, she was quick to disparage thoughts different than her own.

languish

verb: to exist in an unpleasant or unwanted situation often for a long time; to be weak and fail to improve synonym: suffer After languishing in obscurity for many years, her early novels have recently been rediscovered

pander

verb: to exploit the weaknesses of others for profit A pimp is a panderer who exploit prostitutes for money.

reproach

verb: to express criticism towards Synonyms : upbraid At first, Sarah was going to yell at the boy, but she didn't want to reproach him for telling the truth about the situation.

cavil

verb: to find fault with, make petty complaints, stupid complaints synonym: carp, complain, protest, clamorous, nark He was known to cavil with anyone as he held dogmatic opinions that could not be changed for any reason.

bandy

verb: to give and take quickly in conversation; to toss back and forth; exchange blows

dissemble

verb: to hide your real intentions and feelings,with the intent to decieve Synonym: phoney, fraud, falsifiable, fake, pretender He accuses the government of dissembling **dissemble--> opposite of resemble--> a diguise, sham**

enjoining

verb: to legally forbid or stop something by order of a court verb: to tell someone to do something/ behave in a particular way

circumscribe

verb: to limit something, restrict or confine Synonyms : confine , limit Their tour of South America was circumscribed so that they saw only popular destinations and avoided the dangerous parts of cities. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

wane

verb: to lose, strength, power, to decrease

ingratiate

verb: to make oneself agreeable and thus gain favor or acceptance by others (sometimes used in a critical or derogatory sense) synonym: flatter, seek favor Katy from Mean Girls tried to ingratiate herself into Regina George's circle.

mollify

verb: to make someone angry less angry; placate Synonyms : season , temper In the morning, Harriat was unable to mollify Harry, if he happened to become angry, unless he had his cup of coffee.

edify (this is different from edifying which means to enlighten)

verb: to make understand Chemistry is generally known as a weed out course I am afraid of, but my teachers aims to edify my impression of the course. **think you edit something to improve it, to understand it better**

delineate

verb: to outline verb: to describe something in detail The professor never failed to delineate the complex physiology of respiratory vs metabolic acidosis and alkalosis.

laudable

verb: to praise

stultify

verb: to prevent something from developing or to prevent someone from developing new ideas synonym: uncongenial, ,obstruction, uncongenial, uncooperative She stultified any feeling she had for her co-worker as to avoid complication of a work place romance.

subdue

verb: to prevent something from existing or developing synonym: impede hinder, derail, avert, scuttle I subdues the fire before it was uncontrollable.

enjoin

verb: to prohibit synonym: forbid, interdict, nix, veto verb: to give tell/force someone to do something by legal authority

contrive

verb: to pull off a plan or scheme, usually through skill or trickery Synonyms : devise , excogitate , forge , formulate , invent Despite a low GPA, he contrived to get into college, going so far as to write his own glowing letters of recommendation. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

relegate

verb: to put something or someone into a lower or less important rank or position

register

verb: to put your name or other information in a list for something verb: to identify and show on a tool for measuring Synonyms : read , record , show If you'd like to buy a meal plan, you can register at the student affairs office. The bomb was so strong that far away weather balloons registered the heat.

disenfranchise

verb: to rob of power and opportunity I US american history black, women and other minorities have been disenfranchised for hundreds of years by white males.

disavow

verb: to say that you know nothing about or have no responsibility for something synonyms: refuse, reject He disavowed his earlier confession to the police.

dispatch

verb: to send someone especially for goods or messages; quickness, speediness

pillory

verb: to severely criticize someone in a public/violent/harsh way. synonym: anathematize, disparage, talk trash The election for president always consists of episodes of nominees pillorying other candidates. **think pillaging this occurs to the public knowledge and is violent and emotional**

bridle

verb: to show annoyance or anger

boast

verb: to speak too proudly or show too much satisfaction about something of someone connected with you noun: something you are proud about and like to tell others. They are always boasting about their smart children.

exhorting

verb: to strongly encourage or persuade someone to do something synonym: lobby, urge, enjoining I exhort you to stop buying plastic water bottle, as an individual this creates a global toll on earth.

recapitulate

verb: to summarize; to repeat briefly The beginning of a research essay always recapitulates the entire article in a paragraph.

buttress

verb: to support

espouse

verb: to support an activity or opinion Synonyms : adopt , embrace , sweep up, support As a college student, Charlie espoused Marxism, growing his beard out and railing against the evils of the free-market.

undergird

verb: to support something by forming a strong base for it The subject of physiology and anatomy undergird the tenets of medicine.

marginalize

verb: to treat someone or something as if they are not important synonym: alienate, ostracize, sideline, disenfranchise, discriminate against, trivialize The Native American people have been historically marginalized as a part of American history and government.

admonish

verb: to warn strongly, even to the point of reprimanding Synonyms : caution , monish Before the concert began, security personel admonished the crowd not to come up on stage during the performance.

foment

verb: try to stir up public opinion Synonyms : agitate , stir up After having his pay cut, Phil spread vicious rumors about his boss, hoping to foment a general feeling of discontent. **think: foam starts to form one you (stir up) the concotion**

nonplussed

verb: unsure how to act or respond Shirley was totally nonplussed when the angry motorist cut her off and then stuck his finger out the window.

deluge

a flood; an overwhelming rush

boon

a timely benefit; a blessing

bereft

adjecitve: deprived of, unhappy through loss synonym: bereave, mourn

unbidden

adjective : not ordered or commanded; spontaneous

protean

adjective : taking on many forms, easily changing, highly adaptable synonym: volatile, capricious, fluid Only those who are protean are still able to remain prominent celebrities for more than just a year.

derivative

adjective: (or a creative product, e.g. music, writing, etc.) not original but drawing on the work of another person Because the movies were utterly derivative of other popular movies, they did well at the box office. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

ignominious

adjective: (used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame Synonyms : black , disgraceful , inglorious , opprobrious , shameful Since the politician preached ethics and morality, his texting of revealing photographs was ignominious, bringing shame on both himself and his party.

urbanity/urbane (different from urban withou "e")

adjective: Refined or elegant courtesy. Hollywood starlet's define urbanity of society.

irascible

adjective: a person who is easily angry

unequivocal

adjective: admitting of no doubt or misunderstanding; having only one meaning or interpretation and leading to only one conclusion; clear Synonyms : unambiguous , univocal The President's first statement on the subject was vague and open to competing interpretations, so when he spoke to Congress about the same subject later, he was cafeful to make his position completely unequivocal.

Equivocal

adjective: allow for different meanings, double interpretation, are deliberately ambiguous synonym: indefinite, unclear, ambiguous The study unclear methods sections, led to other having equivocal interpretations of the results.

chauvinist

adjective: an elitist, shows prejudice to the group he or she favors and is in

nettlesome

adjective: annoying and causing problems or difficulties synonym: vexatious, exasperate, The weekly homework were just nettlesome tasks that had no relevance to build up my knowledge.

facile

adjective: appearing neat and comprehensive by only ignoring the true complexities of an issue; effortlessly achieved synonyms: easy as pie, superficial, shallow, simple The facile answers of an extremely complex topic questioned the students thought that the professor understood his material. **think something understood at face value is simple and lacks depth--> oversimplified**

obsequious

adjective: attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery Synonyms : bootlicking , fawning , sycophantic , toadyish, ingratiate The obsequious waiter did not give the couple a moment's peace all through the meal, constantly returning to their table to refill their water glasses and to tell them what a handsome pair they made.

temerity

adjective: audacity, excessive confidence

forthcoming

adjective: available when required or as promised; happening soon Synonyms : approaching , coming , upcoming The President announced that the senators were about to reach a compromise, and that he was eager to read the forthcoming details of the bill. adjective: at ease in talking to others Synonyms : extroverted , outgoing As a husband, Larry was not forthcoming: if Jill didn't demand to know details, Larry would never share them with her.

economical

adjective: avoiding waste, efficient Synonyms : frugal , scotch , sparing , stinting Journalists favor an economical style of writing, in which no unnecessary words are used and every sentence is as short as possible.

arbitrary

adjective: based on a random, groundless decision One of the arbitrary decrees in place during the emperor's rule is that all citizens pay him weekly homage at his palace. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

specious

adjective: based on pretense; deceptively pleasing; SEEMS true but is not Synonyms : gilded , meretricious Almost every image on TV is specious and not to be trusted. adjective: plausible but false Synonyms : spurious He made a career out of specious arguments and fictional lab results, but lost his job and reputation when his lies were exposed by an article in The New York Times.

sclerotic

adjective: becoming rigid and unresponsive; losing the ability to adapt synonym: ossified People when young are malleable to new ideas, but with time age makes them sclerotic to ideas other than there own.

unscrupulous

adjective: behaving in dishonest, unfair way to get what you want, willing to lie or cheat to succeed antonym: scrupulous- attention to details,, honest, following morals In the courtroom, the lawyer was unscrupulous, using every manner of deceit and manipulation to secure a victory for himself.

tantamount

adjective: being essentially equal to something Synonyms : equivalent In many situations, remaining silent is tantamount to admitting guilt, so speak to prove your innocence.

rudimentary

adjective: being in the earliest stages of development; being or involving basic facts or principles Synonyms : fundamental , underlying I would love to be able to present a fully polished proposal to the board, but right now, our plans for the product are still in the most rudimentary stages.

apocryphal

adjective: being of questionable authenticity, though some people believe it The web is notorious for sandwiching apocryphal stories between actual news.

moribund

adjective: being on the point of death; declining rapidly losing all momentum in progress Synonyms : stagnant Whether you like it or not, jazz as a genre is moribund at best, possibly already dead.

tenable

adjective: capable of being explained; based on sound reason and logic

pedantic

adjective: caring too much about unimportant rules or small details and not enough about understanding or appreciating a subject. Synonyms : academic , donnish Professor Thompson was regarded as an expert in his field, but his lectures were utterly pedantic, focused on rigorous details of the most trivial conventions in the field.

macabre

adjective: causing shock and fear because connected with death, especially strange or cruel death synonyms: ghastly, grim, ghoulish, grisly Even the police were horrified at the macabre nature of the killings.

ineffable

adjective: causing so much emotion, especially pleasure, that it cannot be described

belligerent

adjective: characteristic of one eager to fight Synonyms : aggressive Tom said that he was arguing the matter purely for philosophical reasons, but his belligerent tone indicated an underlying anger about the issue.

provincial

adjective: characteristic of the a limited perspective; not fashionable or sophisticated, rural areas Maggie's enthusiasm about her high school teams seemed provincial to her college classmates, all of whom were following a nationally ranked college team. **think provincial --> province--> a country hill billy--> has a limited perspective**

scrupulous

adjective: characterized by extreme care and great effort; you want to do what is right or moral Synonyms : conscientious , painstaking Because of his scrupulous nature, Mary put him in charge of numbering and cataloging the entire collection of rare stamps. adjective: having a sense of right and wrong; principled Everyone trusted what he said and followed his example because he was scrupulous and honest.

precocious

adjective: characterized by or characteristic of exceptionally early development or maturity (especially in mental aptitude) Though only seven years old, she was a precocious chess prodigy, able to beat players twice her age.

winsome

adjective: charming in a childlike or naive way She was winsome by nature, and many people were drawn to this free and playful spirit.

tawdry

adjective: cheap, shoddy, tasteless synonym: flashy, cheap, gaudy, gimcrack, meretricious, tacky, trashy

sanguine

adjective: cheerful; optimistic

ostensible

adjective: claiming one thing when it really something else synonym: seemingly After Bruce ostensible retirement, he had published 60 scientific papers. **people appear tense when they are pretending one way when there not**

cogent

adjective: clear, logical and convincing synonym: persuasive, well expressed, lucid, explicit

maladroit

adjective: clumsy Syn: bumbling, gauche, unskillful As a child she was quite maladroit, but as an adult, she has become an adept dancer. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

eclectic

adjective: comprised of a variety of style, methods or types Joey was known for his eclectic tastes in music, one moment dancing to disco the next "air conducting" along to Beethoven's 9th symphony.

aesthetic

adjective: concerned with the appreciation of beauty Synonyms : aesthetical , esthetic , esthetical The director, not known for his aesthetic sensibilities, decided not to use costumes at all, and put on the play in everyday clothing. noun: a set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist or artistic movement. The artist operated according to a peculiar aesthetic, not considering any photograph to be worth publishing unless it contained a marine mammal.

pithy

adjective: concise but meaningful in expression Synonyms: short and sweet, crisp The pithy story was a mere page, but was a story I would never forget, significant to that period of my life.

esoteric

adjective: confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle Map collecting is an esoteric hobby to most, but to geography geeks it is a highly enjoyable pasttime.

discrete

adjective: constituting a separate entity or part Synonyms : distinct What was once known as Czechoslovakia has since split into two discrete, independent nations.

iconoclastic

adjective: defying tradition or convention Jackson Pollack was an iconoclastic artist, totally breaking with tradition by splashing paint on a blank canvas.

arduous

adjective: demanding considerable mental effort and skill; testing powers of endurance Synonyms : straining , strenuous In order to deal with the arduous cross-country journey, truck drivers often survive on a string of caffeinated drinks, staying awake for up to 30 hours at a time.

stringent

adjective: demanding strict attention to rules and procedures Synonyms : rigorous , tight Most of the students disliked the teacher because of his stringent homework policy, but many students would later thank him for demanding so much from them.

implausible

adjective: describing a statement that is not believable Synonyms : farfetched The teacher found it implausible that the student was late to school because he had been kidnapped by outlaws on horseback.

capricious

adjective: determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason Synonyms : impulsive , whimsical Nearly every month our capricious CEO had a new plan to turn the company around, and none of them worked because we never gave them the time they needed to succeed.

abstruse

adjective: difficult to understand; incomprehensible Synonyms : deep , recondite Physics textbooks can seem so abstruse to the uninitiated that readers feel as though they are looking at hieroglyphics.

disaffected

adjective: discontented as toward authority Synonyms : ill-affected , malcontent , rebellious After watching his superior take rations from the soliders, he quickly became disaffected and rebeled.

ignoble

adjective: dishonorable Synonyms : ungentle , untitled In the 1920s, the World Series was rigged--an ignoble act which baseball took decades to recover from.

misanthropic

adjective: disliking humankind and avoiding human society

hegemony

adjective: dominance over a certain area Until the Spanish Armada was defeated in 1587, Spain had hegemony over the seas, controlling waters stretching as far as the Americas. **think if you have money then you have dominance in that area**

perfunctory (andrew's LOR)

adjective: done quickly, without taking care or interest synonyms: absent minder, laxly, unwary, unmindful After asking for a good LOR, when I had reads the LOR I felt as if it was perfunctory and had been written at work. **something done perfunctory is not perfect--> made in haste**

surreptitious

adjective: done secretly, without anyone knowing synonym: hush hush, cloak and dagger, undercover, clandestine (planned or done in secret) **sounds similar to suspicious--> secret**

precipitous

adjective: done with very great haste and without due deliberation Synonyms : hasty , overhasty , precipitant , precipitate He was expecting a precipitous rise in the value of a "hot" tech stock, so he was disappointed when it only inched up a dollar or two each day.

Apocryphal

adjective: doubtful, false in authenticity Synonyms: False, inaccurate, dubious, wrong, false The line is apocryphal, as it was source was revealed to be inaccurate. **think Apo(cryp)hal-->crypt-->secret--> doubt the authenticity**

truculent "truck fight"

adjective: eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant ; behaving in a threatening manner synonym: petulance, pugnacity, bad tempered, The truculent teenager was quick tempered perhaps due to the raging hormones ad awkwardness of adolescence.

tractable

adjective: easily dealt with, controlled, or persuaded Although seemingly naive, due to her appearance, she was not as tractable to manipulation as others had assumed.

petulant

adjective: easily irritated or annoyed Synonyms : cranky , fractious , irritable , nettlesome , peckish , peevish , pettish , scratchy , techy , testy , tetchy When Ed first met Ruth, he didn't realize she was so petulant, but now that they are three months into their relationship, Ed feels a day doesn't go by in which she isn't whining about some minor issue. **petulant--> pissed off**

poignant

adjective: emotionally touching (in a sad way). Synonyms : affecting , touching, shocking, upsetting After the Montagues and Capulets discover the dead bodies of Romeo and Juliet, in the play's most poignant moment, the two griefstricken familes agree to end their feud once and for all. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

edifying

adjective: enlightening or uplifting so as to encourage intellectual or moral improvement Synonyms : enlightening I recently read an article in the Times about whether good literature is edifying or not; specifically, does reading more make a person more moral.

pernicious

adjective: exceedingly harmful; working or spreading in a hidden and injurious way Synonyms : baneful , deadly , pestilent,insidious , subtle The most successful viruses are pernicious: an infected person may feel perfectly healthy for several months while incubating and spreading the virus.

fulsome

adjective: excessive an ingratiating praise synonym: oily, oleaginous, smarmy, unctuous **think you can fool some into thinking you are sincere**

hagiographic

adjective: excessively flattering toward someone's life or work Most accounts of Tiger Woods life were hagiographic, until, that is, his affairs made headlines.

avaricious

adjective: excessively greedy Synonyms : covetous , grabby , grasping , greedy , prehensile Since avaricious desire is similar to gluttony or lust--sins of excess-it was listed as one of the seven deadly sins by the Catholic church.

agog

adjective: excite and eager to see more synonym: enthusiastic, interested The announcement of the construction of the largest outdoor adventure center made the citizens of Townsville agog.

ebullient

adjective: excited and enthusiastic synonym: exuberant, high spirited Children are often ebullient to anything new.

pejorative

adjective: expressing disapproval (usu. refers to a term) Synonyms : dislogistic , dyslogistic Most psychologists object to the pejorative term "shrink", believing that they expand the human mind, not limit it. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

ravenous

adjective: extremely hungry; devouring or craving food in great quantities Synonyms : esurient , famished , sharp-set , starved,edacious , esurient , rapacious , ravening , voracious , wolfish John didn't eat much at all during the week he had the flu, so now that he is regaining his health, it's not surprising that he has a ravenous appetite.

spurious

adjective: false, not what it appears to be, plausible Synonyms : specious, scam When listening to a politician speak, it is hard to distinguish the spurious claims from the authentic ones.

intrepid

adjective: fearless Synonyms : audacious , brave , dauntless , fearless , hardy , unfearing Captain Ahab was an intrepid captain whose reckless and fearless style ultimate leads to his downfall.

reverent

adjective: feeling or showing profound respect or veneration Synonyms : godly , worshipful The professor could speak objectively about the other composers, but he always lectured about Brahms with a particularly reverent air, unable to offer a single criticism of his compositions.

staunch

adjective: firm and dependable especially in loyalty Synonyms : steadfast , unswerving No longer a staunch supporter of the movement, Todd now will openly question whether its goals are worthwhile.

glib

adjective: fluent in an insincere manner; without care/thought/ honesty

quotidian

adjective: found in the ordinary course of events Synonyms : everyday , mundane , routine , unremarkable , workaday Phil gets so involved thinking about Aristotle's arguments that he totally forgets quotidian concerns, such as exercising and eating regularly.

impartial

adjective: free from undue bias or preconceived opinions Synonyms : unprejudiced The judge was not impartial since he had been bribed by the witness's family.

guileless

adjective: free of deceit Synonyms : transparent At first I thought my niece was guileless, but I then found myself buying her ice cream every time we passed a shop.

jubilant

adjective: full of high-spirited delight because of triumph or success Synonyms : exultant , exulting , prideful , rejoicing , triumphal , triumphant,elated , gleeful , joyful My hardwork paid off, and I was jubilant to receive a perfect score on the GRE.

jovial

adjective: full of or showing high-spirited merriment, i.e. happiness Synonyms : gay , jocund , jolly , merry , mirthful The political candidate and his supporters were jovial once it was clear that she had won.

synoptic

adjective: general summary or synopsis synonym: compact, comprehensive, short and sweet, summary, laconic Students thrive for the synoptic essays written in terminology that they are able to understand.

pat

adjective: glib, superficial

pragmatic

adjective: guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory Synonyms : hard-nosed , hardheaded , practical Rather than make a philosophical appeal to the Congressmen, the Speaker decided to take a far more pragmatic approach, making small side-deals that would add votes to his bill. People often say I am pragmatic about my approach to life, often buying only the necessary.

inveterate

adjective: habitual Synonyms : chronic He is an inveterate smoker and has told his family and friends that there is no way he will ever quit.

taciturn

adjective: habitually reserved and uncommunicative; speak very little synonym: reticent, laconic While the CEO enthusiastically shares his plans and agenda with all who will listen, the CFO is far more taciturn, rarely revealing his perspective.

industrious

adjective: hardworking synonym: sedulous

deleterious

adjective: harmful to living things Synonyms : hurtful , injurious The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was deleterious to the fishing industry in the southern states.

acerbic

adjective: harsh in tone; sharply critical or extremely sarcastic Synonyms : acerb , acid , acrid , bitter , blistering , caustic , sulfurous , sulphurous , virulent , vitriolic My mother acerbic tone indicated her great disproval for my desire to change my career path.

Supercilliously

adjective: haughty, arrogrant He spoke in a haughty, supercillious voice. **think supercilious--> superiority--> they feel they are above you so they act haughty and cold**

morose

adjective: having a gloomy or sullen manner; not friendly or sociable opposite of affable, or friendly

fastidious

adjective: having high standards and giving a lot of attention to details; giving to much attention to details He is very fastidious about how a suitcase should be packed

quixiotic

adjective: having intentions or ideas that are admirable but not practical

moot

adjective: having no practical use or meaning adjective: a matter still being considered that has not been decided and is therefore still discussed Whether or not to make the school coeducational is still a moot point, and we'll be discussing it over the next few months. adjective: often discussed or argued about but having no definite answer It is a moot point whether building more roads reduced traffic congestion

haughty

adjective: having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy Synonyms : disdainful , imperious , lordly , overbearing , prideful , sniffy , supercilious , swaggering The haughty manager didn't believe that any of his subordinates could ever have an insight as brilliant his own.

erudite

adjective: having or showing profound knowledge Synonyms : learned Before the Internet, the library was typically were you would find erudite readers.

garrulous

adjective: having the habit of talking a lot especially about trivial conversation Synonyms : chatty , gabby , loquacious , talkative , talky Lynne was garrulous: once, she had a fifteen minute conversation with a stranger before she realized the woman didn't speak English.

inimical

adjective: hostile , harmful, limiting(usually describes conditions or environments) Synonyms : unfriendly Venus, with a surface temperature that would turn rubber to liquid, is inimical to any form of life.

incorrigible

adjective: impervious to correction by punishment; people who are impossible to correct synonym: implacable, dogmatic Tom Sawyer seems like an incorrigible youth until Huck Finn enters the novel; even Sawyer can't match his fierce individual spirit.

ineluctable

adjective: impossible to avoid or evade synonym: inescapable, unavoidable, inexorable

copious

adjective: in abundant supply Synonyms : ample , plenteous , plentiful , rich, voluminous In midsummer, there are copious popiscle stands at the beach; in the winter, there are none.

subversive

adjective: in opposition to a civil authority or government Synonyms : insurgent , seditious The ruling political party has begun a campaign to shut down subversive websites that it deems as a threat to "national safety."

irrevocable

adjective: incapable of being retracted or revoked Synonyms : irrevokable Once you enter your plea to the court, it is irrevocable so think carefully about what you will say.

implacable

adjective: incapable of making less angry or hostile Win or lose, the coach was always implacable, never giving the athletes an easy practice or a break.

soporific

adjective: inducing mental lethargy; sleep inducing Synonyms : hypnagogic , hypnogogic , somniferous , somnific , soporiferous,narcotic Although the professor is brilliant, his bland monotone gives his lectures a soporific effect.

colloquial

adjective: informal and conversational, and more suitable for use in speech than in writing. Slang is colloquial and should not be used in university level writing.

redoubtable

adjective: inspiring fear or awe; worthy of respect/honor Synonyms : formidable , unnerving On television basketball players don't look that tall, but when you stand in front of a seven-foot tall NBA player, he is truly redoubtable.

perjorative

adjective: insulting, disapproving, or suggesting that something is not good or of no importance synonym: to throw shade, snideness, vitriolic

prolific

adjective: intellectually productive; overly abundant in Synonyms : fecund , fertile Schubert was the most prolific composer, producing hundreds of hours of music before he died at the age of 31.

conciliatory

adjective: intended or likely to placate or pacify synonyms: appease, Knowing that I would be mad, her boyfriend bought a conciliatory gift to soothe her anger.

myopic

adjective: lacking foresight or imagination Synonyms : short , shortsighted , unforesightful The company ultimately went out of business because the myopic managers couldn't predict the changes in their industry. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

pedestrian

adjective: lacking imagination; not interesting Synonyms : earthbound , prosaic , prosy While Nan was always engaged in philosophical speculation, her brother was occupied with far more pedestrian concerns: how to earn a salary and run a household. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

incongruous

adjective: lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness The vast economic inequality of modern society is incongruous with America's ideals.

bumbling

adjective: lacking physical movement skills, especially with the hands, someone with "butterfingers" Synonyms : bungling , butterfingered , ham-fisted , ham-handed , handless , heavy-handed , left-handed, blundering, clumsy Within a week of starting, the bumbling new waiter was unceremoniously fired.

hackneyed

adjective: lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal Synonyms : banal , commonplace , old-hat , shopworn , stock , threadbare , timeworn , tired , trite , well-worn, overdone, overworked, platitude Cheryl rolled her eyes when she heard the lecturer's hackneyed advice to "be true to yourself."

gauche

adjective: lacking social polish Synonyms : graceless , unpolished Sylvester says the most gauche things, such as telling a girl he liked that she was much prettier when she wore makeup.

monolithic

adjective: large, united and difficult to change People think of the media as this great monolithic thing out there **monolith= one stone--> something that is united and is as hard a a stone is difficult to change**

perennial

adjective: lasting a long time, or happening repeatedly or all the time synonyms: recurrent, repeated, incessant, round-the-clock, perpetuity The movie "Home Alone" is considered a perennial classic that is known to all generation from boomers to millennials..

transient

adjective: lasting a very short time Synonyms : ephemeral , fugacious , passing , short-lived , transitory The unpredictable and transient nature of deja vu makes it a very difficult phenomenon to study properly.

ephemeral

adjective: lasting a very short time Synonyms : fugacious , passing , short-lived , transient , transcience, transitory The lifespan of a mayfly is ephemeral, lasting from a few hours to a couple of days.

machinate

adjective: make secret plan to obtain goal synonym: scheme, conspire, chicanery, hatch

provident

adjective: making arrangements for future needs, especially by saving money

meticulous

adjective: marked by extreme care in treatment of details The Japanese noodle maker was meticulous in making his noodles and would never let another person take over the task.

vehement

adjective: marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions Synonyms : fierce , tearing , trigger-happy , violent While the other employees responded to the bad news in a measured way, Andrew responded in a vehement manner, tipping over his desk and shouting at the top of his lungs.

haphazard

adjective: marked by great carelessness; dependent upon or characterized by chance Synonyms : slapdash , slipshod , sloppy, hit-or-miss Many golf courses are designed with great care, but the greens on the county golf course seem entirely haphazard.

forlorn

adjective: marked by or showing hopelessness After her third pet dog died, Marcia was simply forlorn: this time even the possibility of buying a new dog no longer held any joy.

furtive

adjective: marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed Synonyms : sneak , sneaky , stealthy , surreptitious While at work, George and his boss Regina felt the need to be as furtive as possible about their romantic relationship. **think a fugitive, someone always on the run must be furtive**

tortuous

adjective: marked by repeated turns and bends; not straightforward Synonyms : twisting , twisty , voluminous , winding Because the logic behind McMahon's side of the debate was so tortuous, his audience came out either completely confused or, worse, feeling they'd been tricked. **think tortuous--> torque--> full os twists and bends**

aberrant

adjective: markedly different from an accepted norm Synonyms : deviant , deviate When the financial director started screaming and throwing food at his co-workers, the police had to come in to deal with his aberrant behavior.

sardonic

adjective: mocking, taunting manner to show disrespect

tempered

adjective: moderated in effect Synonyms : hardened , toughened , treated The wide-eyed optimism of her youth was now tempered after she had worked many years in the criminal justice system.

arcane

adjective: mysterious and only known by a few people Most college fraternities are known for arcane rituals that those hoping to the join the fraterntiy must learn.

Incontrovertible

adjective: no open for question of dispute synonym: unquestionable, indisputable, irrefutable, established Physicians vaccinations an incontrovertible tool in preventing disease and find it hard to believe there are still anti vaxxers out there. **Controvert is to proven to be incorrect or wrong this word is the opposite**

magnanimous

adjective: noble and generous in spirit, especially towards a rival or someone less powerful Synonyms : greathearted He was a great sportsman: in defeat he was complementary and in victory he was magnanimous.

obstreperous

adjective: noisy, difficult to deal with synonym: pugnacious, petulant, testy, quarrelsome My cousin's kids are obstreperous.

marginalia

adjective: non-essential or unnecessary

indefensible

adjective: not be able to be protected from attack, not able to explain, not able to be defended or justified synonym: vulnerable, unjustifiable, unwarrantable, inexcusable, untenable

tentative

adjective: not certain or confident

opaque

adjective: not clearly understood or expressed Synonyms : unintelligible The meaning of the professor's new research was opaque to most people, so no one asked any questions. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

phlegmatic

adjective: not easily excited, or emotional; calm I find retired surgeons are solid, phlegmatic characters in all scenarios.

inscrutable

adjective: not easily understood; unfathomable (hard to understand or get to know). Synonyms : cryptic , cryptical , deep , mysterious , mystifying, abstruse, recondite His speech was so dense and confusing that many in the audience found it inscrutable.

anodyne

adjective: not expression strong feeling or opinions as to avoid causing offence or disagreement She is anodyne on controversial topics as she does not desire to argue with anyone. **think fear to annoy in case of death, aka disagreements**

untoward

adjective: not favorable, troublesome, unruly; unpredictable The untoward weather led many to be stranded at Chicago O'Hare over night.

indecorous

adjective: not in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in polite society Synonyms : indecent , unbecoming , uncomely , unseemly , untoward Eating with elbows on the table is considered indecorous in refined circles.

languid

adjective: not inclined towards physical exertion or effort; slow and relaxed Synonyms : dreamy , lackadaisical , languorous As the sun beat down and the temperature climbed higher, we spent a languid week lying around the house.

unflappable

adjective: not likely to get worried, nervous, or angry even in difficult situations Surgeons are unflappable, often going into high pressure surgeries, requiring skill and precision.

gratuitous

adjective: not necessary, lacking reasonable cause, uncalled for adjective: doing free of charge synonym: pleonastic

cavalier

adjective: not serious or caring enough about matters that other people are serious about synonyms: disregard, blase, irresponsible Ironic how the the fashion mogul stated she was eco friendly but had made cavalier attempts to hide a real mink fur coat she posted on Instagram. **think cavalier are those on horse back who are llikely to disregard those on foot**

frugal

adjective: not spending much money (but spending wisely) Synonyms : economical , scotch , sparing , stinting Monte was no miser, but was simply frugal, wisely spending the little that he earned.

imprudent ( not the the same as impudent: meaning to be disrespectful)

adjective: not wise synonynm: injudicious (showing bad judgement), vacuous Hitler, like Napoleon, made the imprudent move of invading Russia in winter, suffering even more casualties than Napoleon had. **prudent; wise, showing sound judgement so they are carful this word is oppoiste**

conspicous

adjective: noticeable, attracting attention synonym: pronounced In China, her blonde hair was conspicous.

fallacious

adjective: of a belief that is based on faulty reasoning; erroneous Synonyms : unsound,Synonyms, deceitful , fraudulent The widespread belief that Eskimos have forty different words for snow is fallacious, based on one false report.

meddlesome

adjective: often getting involves in situations where you are not wanted,

peripheral

adjective: on the edge, not important NOT MAINLY important

inchoate

adjective: only recently or party formed, or not completely developed or clear

esoteric

adjective: only understandable to an enlightened inner circle synonym: abstruse, deep, recondite

prosaic

adjective: ordinary and not especially interesting or unusual synonym: not innovative, unoriginal, pedestrian There are many mangas that are a prosaic form of popular originals.

fastidious

adjective: overly concerned with details; fussy Synonyms : exacting Whitney is fastidious about her shoes, arranging them on a shelf in a specific order, each pair evenly spaced.

Pedantic

adjective: overly concerned with minute details, or formalisms, especially in teaching; unimaginative, dull Synonyms: erudite, academic, punctilious I am studying the GRE in a pedantic way not letting go of the most minute details.

histrionic

adjective: overly theatrical or melodramatic in character or style synonyms: dramatics, theatrical, affected noun: exaggerated dramatic behavior designed to attract attention The histrionic personalities of youtube personel are so outlandish that they seem unreal.

craven

adjective: pathetically cowardly Synonyms : recreant Though the man could have at least alerted the police, he crouched cravenly in the corner as the old woman was mugged.

torrid

adjective: performing or doing something extremely well adjective: extremely hot (weather)

puckish

adjective: playful, especially in a mischievous way

grandiloquent

adjective: pompous, extravagant manner of language intended to impress someone synonym: ostentatious, pretentious, bombastic, magniloquent

puissant

adjective: powerful, effective The president has the most puissant authority in the USA. **think pussy is powerful lol **

austere

adjective: practicing self-denial Synonyms : ascetic , ascetical , spartan His lifestyle of revelry and luxurious excess could hardly be called austere. adjective: plain and simple Late Soviet architecture, although remaining largely austere, moved into experimental territory that employed previously unused shapes and structures. adjective: harsh in manner of temperament The principal of my elementary school was a cold, austere woman; I could never understand why she chose to work with children.

ascetic

adjective: practicing self-denial Synonyms : ascetical , austere , spartan His ascetic life is the main reason he inspired so many followers, especially since he gave up wealth and power to live in poverty. noun: one who practices great self-denial Synonyms : abstainer Historically, ascetics like Ghandi are often considered wise men partially because of their restraint.

panegyric

adjective: praise

propitious

adjective: presenting favorable circumstances; likely to result in or show signs of success synonym; auspicious The child's heartbeat is still weak, but I am seeing many propitious signs and I think that she may be healing.

efficacious

adjective: producing the intended result Synonyms : effective , effectual Since Maggie's cough syrup, which had expired five years back, was no longer efficacious, she coughed through the night.

ancilliary

adjective: providing support or help Campaign managers play an ancillary role to the candidate.

numinous

adjective: quality of deep spirituality or religiousness synonym: sacrosant, sacred

tractable

adjective: readily reacting to suggestions and influences; easily managed (controlled or taught or molded) Synonyms : amenable,manipulable Compared to middle school students, who have an untamed wildness about them, high school students are somewhat more tractable.

pugnacious

adjective: ready to fight, or argue very forcefully My mother and I are highly opinionated individuals often leading to pugnacious arguments over the littlest of things. **think nasty pug fight**

sporadic

adjective: recurring in scattered and irregular or unpredictable instances The signals were at first sporadic, but now we detect a clear, consistent pattern of electromagnetic radiation eminating from deep space.

intransigent

adjective: refusing to change an opinion Synonyms : adamant , adamantine , inexorable Despite many calls for mercy, the judge remained intransigent, citing strict legal precedence.

adamant

adjective: refusing to change one's mind Synonyms : adamantine , inexorable , intransigent Civil rights icon Rosa Parks will forever be remembered for adamantly refusing to give up her seat on a public bus--even after the bus driver insisted, she remained rooted in place.

topical

adjective: relating to matters of importance at the present time

sacerdotal

adjective: relating to priestly, and priesthood synonym: priestly, clerical, apostolic, sacred The decorations, ornate with intricate gold and red lining, reminded me of the sacerdotal attire ministers wear.

sartorial

adjective: relating to the making of clothe's or dressing

reticent

adjective: reluctant to draw attention to yourself; temperamentally disinclined to talk Synonyms : untalkative, retiring , self-effacing When asked about her father, Helen lost her outward enthusiasm and became rather reticent.

trite

adjective: repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse Synonyms : banal , commonplace , hackneyed , old-hat , shopworn , stock , threadbare , timeworn , tired , well-worn Many style guides recommend not using idioms in writing because these trite expressions are uninteresting and show a lack of imagination on the part of the writer.

mundane

adjective: repetitive and boring; not spiritual Nancy found doing dishes a thorougly mundane task, although Peter found a kind of Zen pleasure in the chore. adjective: relating to the ordinary world Synonyms : terrene Though we think of the pope as someone always dealing in holy matters, he is also concerned with mundane events, such as deciding when to set his alarm each morning.

exacting

adjective: requiring and demanding accuracy Synonyms : exigent,stern , strict Though his childhood piano teacher was so exacting, Max is thankful now, as a professional pianist.

denouement

adjective: resolution of a story

resurgent

adjective: rising again as to new life and vigor Synonyms : renascent The team sank to fourth place in June, but is now resurgent and about to win the division.

insolent

adjective: rude and arrogant Lilian could not help herself from being insolent, commenting that the Queen's shoes were showing too much toe.

boorish

adjective: rude and not considering other people's feelings I found him rather boorish and aggressive.

churlish

adjective: rude, unfriendly, unpleasant synonym: temerity, uncouth They invited me to dinner and I thought it would be churlish to refuse.

dolorous

adjective: sad or causing emotional suffering

lachrymose

adjective: sad or likely to cry often and easily **think Lac cry most**-->crying a lot **

disembodied

adjective: seeming not to have a body or not to be connected to a body People with depersonalisation disorder often have a disembodied experience.

repose

adjective: sense of calm

admonitory

adjective: serving to warn; expressing reproof or reproach especially as a corrective Synonyms : cautionary , exemplary , monitory , warning At the assembly, the high school vice-principal gave the students an admonitory speech, warning them of the many risks and dangers of prom night.

antithetical

adjective: sharply contrasted in character or purpose Synonyms : antithetic His deep emotional involvement with these ideas is, in fact, antithetical to the disattachment Buddhism preaches.

flagrant

adjective: shocking because of being so bad and so obvious

sullen

adjective: showing a brooding ill humor Synonyms : dark , dour , glowering , glum , moody , morose , saturnine , sour Herbert took board games too seriously, often appearing sullen after losing.

prudent

adjective: showing good judgement in avoiding risks and uncertainties; careful synonym: wise, careful, politic (wise practical not the same meaning as political), cautious, diligent, assiduous, sedulous Med students do not "wing" exams, rather they are prudent in preparation for their studies.

assiduous

adjective: showing hard work, care, and attention to detail synonym: sedulous Med students are assiduous in their attention to their studies.

stolid

adjective: showing little or no emotion or imagination synonym: impassive It is once you break through there stolid demeanor you will get to know a person for who they truly are.

ostentatious

adjective: showing obviously possession in flamboyant way to get others to notice Synonyms : pretentious Matt wanted to buy stone lions for front of the house, but Cynthia convinced him that such a display would be too ostentatious for a modest house in an unassuming neighborhood.

deferential

adjective: showing respect Synonyms : deferent , regardful If you ever have the chance to meet the president, stand up straight and be deferential.

self-effacing

adjective: shy, extremely humble and modest; making oneself seem unnoticeable **think someone who is self facing likes attention, someone who is (e)facing wants to face away from it because they are shy or modest**

straitened

adjective: situation in which there is less money available to you than in the past Many family found themselves in straitened circumstances due to the current recession.

soporific

adjective: sleep inducing; causing or making person want to sleep People often say caffeine is a stimulant but I find if I drink to much, it has a soporific effect.

disingenuous

adjective: slightly dishonest, not a complete truth, someone not genuine not sincere

indisposed

adjective: slightly ill adjective: to strongly oppose

unimpeachable

adjective: so good and moral they cannot be doubted or criticized synonym: blameless, irreproachable, unexceptionable The church is seen as an unimpeachable power that still exist in present times.

prodigious

adjective: so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe Synonyms : colossal , stupendous After the relatively small homerun totals in the "dead ball" era, Babe Ruth's homerun totals were truly prodigious: every year, he set a new all-time record.

negligible

adjective: so small as to be meaningless; insignificant Synonyms : paltry , trifling The GRE tests cumulative knowledge, so if you cram the night before it is, at best, likely to only have a negligible impact on your score.

flaccid

adjective: soft, weak, not firm, not effective synonym: limp The penis is usually in a flaccid state.

secularist

adjective: someone who is not focused on the affairs of the spiritual/religious world --> religion is separate aspect of life

profligate

adjective: spending resources recklessly or wastefully Synonyms : extravagant , prodigal , spendthrift The composer Wagner, while living on a limited salary, was so profligate as to line all the walls of his apartment with pure silk. noun: someone who spends resources recklessly or wastefully Most lottery winners go from being conservative, frugal types to outright profligates who blow millions on fast cars, lavish homes, and giant yachts.

eminent

adjective: standing above others in quality or position Synonyms : lofty , soaring , towering Shakespeare is an eminent author in the English language, but I find his writing uninteresting and melodramatic.

extant

adjective: still in existence (usually refers to documents). Despite many bookstores closing, experts predict that some form of book dealing will still be extant generations from now.

penurious

adjective: stingy, relating to great poverty synonyms: cheap, penny less ness Growing up in a bad side of town, he became a penurious fellow, counting every cent including the coffee he bought.

inclement

adjective: stormy, harsh; severe in attitude or action

obdurate

adjective: stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or course of action synonym: fixed, inexorable, obstinate, mulish My sister and I are obdurate in nature with an difference in view leading to hours of debate. **think ob(dur)ate--> durability--> resistant to change**

refractory

adjective: stubbornly resistant to authority or control Synonyms : fractious , recalcitrant Used to studious high school students, Martha was unprepared for the refractory Kindgergarteners who neither sat still nor listened to a single word she said. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study **think one who does not refract--> one who does not bend to law--> resists law

tenacious

adjective: stubbornly unyielding Synonyms : dogged , dour , persistent , pertinacious , unyielding Even the most tenacious advocates for gun ownership must admit some of the dangers that firearms present.

retroactive

adjective: taking effect from a date in the past

treacherous

adjective: tending to betray Synonyms : perfidious , punic Even though Jesse James was an outlaw, his killer, Robert Ford, is remembered more for his treacherous actions than for eliminating a criminal and murder. adjective: dangerously unstable and unpredictable Synonyms : unreliable The bridge built from twine and vine is treacherous to walk across, and so I think I will stay put right here.

egotist

adjective: thinking of oneself as superior

timorous

adjective: timid by nature or revealing fear and nervousness Synonyms : fearful , trepid Since this was her first time debating on stage and before an audience, Di's voice was timorous and quiet for the first 10 minutes.

superannuated

adjective: to old to be useful; old; obsolete synonym: outdates, overaged, not the current trend, unpopular

itinerant

adjective: traveling from place to place to work Synonyms : gipsy , gypsy Doctors used to be itinerant, traveling between patients' homes.

equitable

adjective: treating everyone fairly, the same synonym: even handed, fair, just My parent state they would treat my 3 siblings and I equitably, but I find this so untrue.

harried

adjective: troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances Synonyms : annoyed , harassed , pestered , vexed With a team of new hires to train, Martha was constantly harried with little questions and could not focus on her projects.

insolvent

adjective: unable to pay what you owe because you do not have enough money The owners of Victoria Secret once a popular lingerie store, are now worried they may become insolvent, as they are unable to change their branding image.

dispassionate

adjective: unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice Synonyms : cold-eyed A good scientist should be dispassionate, focusing purely on what the evidence says, without personal attachment.

truculent

adjective: unpleasant, likely to argue

brazen

adjective: unrestrained; shameless and bold in nature Synonyms : audacious , bald-faced , barefaced , bodacious , brassy , brazen-faced , insolent Their large "donations" to the local police department gave the drug cartel the brazen confidence to do their business out in the open.

loath (this different from the word loath"e")

adjective: unwilling, reluctant She was loath to the idea of parashooting 16000 ft up in the air. **think lack of oath--> if you are unwilling to follow an oath--> lack of oath**

begrudge

adjective: unwilling, reluctant about spending money/ doing an activity synonym: disinclined, indisposition, reluctance He begrudgingly washed the dishes after his mom threatened to take away his computer.

magniloquent

adjective: using high sounding language that has no meaning synonuym: grandiose, high sounding

bombastic

adjective: using long difficult words to make people think you know more than you do synonym:pompous

pleonastic

adjective: using more words that are needed to express a meaning, either unintentionally of for emphasis noun: pleonasm I find old english filled with pleonastic phrases that could be cut out.

nebulous

adjective: vague; unclear and lacking form synonym: tentative synonym: To many STEM students, literature seems nebulous as it lacks the definite answers math and science provide. **nebula the milky way is cloudy and unclear**

punctilious--> " punctual"

adjective: very careful to behave correctly to give attention to details synonym: meticulous, anal, particular, pedantic, purist The surgeon was punctilious not only inside the OR but in general too. **think someone who is always punctual, behaves in a certain way, they are into the details of things **

unstinting

adjective: very generous Synonyms : lavish , munificent , overgenerous , too-generous , unsparing , unstinted Helen is unstinting with her time, often spending hours at the house of a sick friend.

munificent

adjective: very generous Synonyms : lavish , overgenerous , too-generous , unsparing , unstinted , unstinting Uncle Charley was known for his munificence, giving all seven of his nephews lavish Christmas presents each year.

tempestuous

adjective: violently emotional Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber finally stopped seeing each other, ending their tempestuous relationship.

dilatory

adjective: wasting time Synonyms : laggard , pokey , poky Lawyers use dilatory tactics so that it takes years before the case is actually decided.

audacious

adjective: willing to be bold in social situations or to take risks Synonyms : brave , dauntless , fearless , hardy , intrepid , unfearing As all of the other campers cowered in their tents, Bill, armed only with a flashlight, audaciously tracked down the bear that had raided their food.

sagacious

adjective: wise, making good judgements synonym: sensible The advice she gave was often sagacious and philosophical in nature. **sagacious--> sage--> wise and learned**

blatant

adjective: without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious Synonyms : blazing , conspicuous Allen was often punished in school for blatantly disrespecting teachers.

benighted

adjective: without knowledge or moral synonym: illiterate, unenlightened, ignorant , clueless, uninformed It baffles the medical community that people can be are benighted of basic medical knowledge.

insidious

adjective: working in a subtle but destructive way Synonyms : pernicious , subtle Plaque is insidious: we cannot see it, but each day it eats away at our enamel, causing cavities and other dental problems.

laudable

adjective: worthy of high praise Synonyms : applaudable , commendable , praiseworthy To say that Gandhi's actions were laudable is the greatest understatement; he overthrew an empire without violence.

indelible

adjective:impossible to remove by washing or any other ways The blood had left an indelible mark on her shirt.

capricious, aka caprice

adjectives: a sudden, and silly change of mind or behavior synonym: impulse, whim The 300$ million palace was built to satisfy the caprice of one man.

categorically

adverb: no doubt or possibility of being unchanged Top executives categorically denied that the bank was in trouble

askance

adverb: with a look of suspicion or disapproval The old couple looked askance on the teenagers seated next to them, whispering to each other, "They've got rings through their noses and purple hair!" **think if you glance at someone this implies you are suspicious or dissaproving**

expound

verb: add details or explanation; clarify the meaning; state in depth Synonyms : dilate , elaborate , enlarge , expand , expatiate , exposit , flesh out , lucubrate The CEO refused to expound on the decision to merge our department with another one, and so I quit.

lionize

verb: assign great social importance to Synonyms : celebrate , lionise Students in the U.S. learn to lionize Jefferson, Franklin, and Washington because they are the founding fathers of the nation.

posit

verb: assume as fact Synonyms : postulate Initially, Einstein posited a repulsive force to balance Gravity, but then rejected that idea as a blunder.

candor

noun the quality of being open and honest in expression; frankness. synonym: truthful, honest, fair, sincere, frankness I look for friends with candor, as their is no lies in our relationship, but one full of trust.

capacity

noun noun: the amount or volume something can hold ability (especially mental) The hotel is full to maximum capacity; there are no empty rooms. Few birds have the capacity to recognize themselves when looking in a mirror; most act as though there is a second bird behind the glass.

affectation

noun. a phony attitude; pose (fake behavior); insincere synonym: glib, glibness His manners reek of affectations. **think affection is true and sincere while affectation is insincere and fake**

derelict

noun/adjective: person banned by society; personal abandonment of property, neglect of one's duties synonym: negligent, careless, abandoned, vagrant, slum, hobo, bum Who knew the derelict boy would have a rags to riches story, rising from the slums of NYC to become the mega pop star he is today.

philistine

noun/adjective: persons who lacks or is indifferent to cultural values, beauty in arts

craveness

noun/verb: cowardliness; to make a coward synonym: spineless The pick pocketer's cravenness is revealed through his eye the moment he is caught in the act.

Dither/dithering

noun/verb: indecisive, to be indecisive, vacillate synonym: hesitate, waver, falter My sister tends to dither her decisions to the last minute.

syncophantic

noun: "suck up" flatter others

idiosyncrasy

noun: a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual Synonyms : foible , mannerism Peggy's numerous idiosyncrasies include wearing mismatched shoes, laughing loudly to herself, and owning a pet aardvark. **idiot's in sync with crazy people are odd and eccentric**

Slopsism

noun: a belief that only own your experience and exist can be known

diatribe

noun: a bitter verbal attack synonym: berate, malediction, rant He launched into a long diatribe against the wrongdoings of the government.

tribulation

noun: a cause of great suffering, trouble synonym: Lack of money is a great tribulation that causes family strain.

constituent

noun: a citizen who is represented in a government by officials for whom he or she votes The mayor's constituents are no longer happy with her performance and plan to vote for another candidate in the upcoming election. noun: an abstract part of something Synonyms : component , element , factor , ingredient The constituents of the metal alloy are nickel, copper, and tin.

melancholy

noun: a feeling of thoughtful sadness synonym: somber, depression, uncheerful

presentiment

noun: a feeling that something especially something unpleasant is going to happen synonym: premonition, foreboding, suspicion, inkling, foreshadowing

contingent

noun: a gathering of persons representative of some larger group A small contingent of those loyal to the king have gathered around the castle to defend it. adjective: possible but not certain to occur **think contingent upon/ dependant upon** **think contingent--> continent--> represents a larger entitiy** Whether the former world champions can win again this year is contingent upon none of its star players getting injured.

vanguard

noun: a group of people who lead the development of new idea, or a leading position in the development of something Apple was at the vanguard of innovation for electronic devices.

chimera

noun: a hope/dream that will never come true synonym, a illusion, mirage **a camera takes pictures of what exist while a chimera is an illusion not true**

dearth

noun: a lack, scarcity synonym: deficient, insufficient

conflagration

noun: a large fire

myriad

noun: a large indefinite number Synonyms : countless , infinite , innumerable , innumerous , multitudinous , numberless , uncounted , unnumberable , unnumbered , unnumerable There are a myriad of internet sites hawking pills that claim to boost energy for hours on end.

respite

noun: a pause or rest from work

heretic

noun: a person who holds unorthodox opinions in any field (not merely religion) Synonyms : misbeliever , religious outcast Though everybody at the gym told Mikey to do cardio before weights, Mikey was a heretic and always did the reverse.

lickspittle

noun: a person who praises and tries to lease people in authority usually in order to get some advantage from them **think licks ass--> kiss ass**

charlatan

noun: a person who pretends to have skills or knowledge that the person does not actually have

sycophant

noun: a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage Synonyms : ass-kisser , crawler , lackey , toady, ingratiate The CEO was unaware of the damaging consequences of his choices, largely because he surrounded himself with sycophants who would never dare criticize him.

epigram

noun: a short witty saying telegram= short note epigram= witty note

flux

noun: a state of uncertainty about what should be done (usually following some important event) Ever since Elvira resigned as the head of marketing, everything about our sales strategy has been in a state of flux. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

cupidity

noun: a strong feeling of wanting to have something, especially money or possession synonym: carnality, drive, thirst, wish ex: I've learned from my experience that New Yorker's have the cupidity greater than the people of any other city.

polemic

noun: a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something. The professor launched into a polemic, claiming that Freudian theory was a pack of lies that absolutely destroyed European literary theory. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

nuance

noun: a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude Synonyms : nicety , refinement , shade , subtlety Because of the nuances involved in this case, I hired an outside consultant to advice us and help.

banality

noun: a trite or obvious remark Synonyms : bromide , cliche , commonplace , platitude Herbert regarded the minister's remark as a mere banality until Sharon pointed out profound implications to the seemingly obvious words.

foible

noun: a weak point /eccentricity in someone's character

credence

noun: acceptance, belief that something is true synonyms: belief, faith Firm catholicist's never fail in their credence to God despite the growing skepticism due to science.

audacity

noun: aggressive boldness in social situations Synonyms : audaciousness , temerity She surprised her colleagues by having the audacity to publically criticize the findings of an distinguished scientist.

apathy

noun: an absence of emotion or enthusiasm Synonyms : indifference , numbness , spiritlessness Widespread apathy among voters led to a very small turnout on election day.

travesty

noun: an absurd presentation of something; a mockery Synonyms : farce , farce comedy,burlesque , charade , lampoon , mockery , parody , pasquinade , put-on , sendup , spoof , takeoff What I expected to be an intelligent, nuanced historical documentary turned out to be a poorly-produced travesty of the form.

dilettante

noun: an amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions and who pretends to have knowledge Synonyms : dabbler , sciolist,dilettanteish , dilettantish , sciolistic Fred has no formal medical training; while he likes to claim authority on medical issues, he is little more than a dilettante

accolade

noun: an award or praise granted as a special honor Synonyms : award , honor , honour , laurels Jean Paul-Sartre was not a fan of accolades, and as such, he refused to accept the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964.

antipathy

noun: an intense feeling of dislike or aversion Synonyms : aversion , distaste Maria had an antipathy for tour groups, often bolting to the other side of the museum as soon as she saw a chaperone leading a group of wide-eyed tourists.

auguries

noun: an omen, sign of knowing what might happen in the future synonym: clairvoyance, omen, prophetically, psychic In ancient times, priests and priestesses had auguries on the future of the empire.

misnomer

noun: an unsuitable or misleading name synonyms: mismatch, ex: Dry cleaning is a misnomer as it is cleaned with liquids.

apprehension

noun: anxiety or fear noun: catching a crimininal--> to apprehend noun: to understand or grasp something

approbation

noun: approval or agreement. synonym: The council has finally indicated its approbation of the plans

pastiche

noun: art, music, literature that intentionally copies the style of someone else's work. synonym: derivative, copy, unoriginal Urban outfitters clothing is a pastiche of designs from past O'coutoure designs. **think unroriginal aka copy + paste**

deliberation

noun: careful thought, discussing something

vicissitudes

noun: changes in life, that often results in worse condition Losing your job is just one of the vicissitudes of life.

veracity

noun: characteristics of being truthful or honest

duress

noun: compulsory force or threat The witness said he signed the contract under duress and argued that the court should cancel the agreement.

aplomb

noun: confidence and style

graft

noun: corruption through bribery

exegesis

noun: critical interpretation, an explanation of the text There have been many exegesis of the Bible, causing schisms and new religions to develop.

insularity

noun: cut off from other in terms of isolation Or narrowly restricted in scope or outlook synonym: parochial **think insular and insulate which mean to isolate** **think insular insiders our narrowminded**

subterfuge

noun: deceit use in order to achieve one's goals synonym: blackmail It was clear subterfuge when my roommate lied to me about what time our exam was.

panache

noun: distinctive and stylish elegance Synonyms : dash , elan , flair , style Jim, with his typical panache, came to the wedding reception with a top hat, a cane, and a long cape covered in sequins.

hubris

noun: excessive pride, in the way of talking

largess

noun: extreme generosity and giving Synonyms : largesse , magnanimity , munificence , openhandedness Uncle Frank was known for his largess, so his nephew was sad when he did not receive a present for his birthday.

jingoism

noun: fanatical patriotism Synonyms : chauvinism , superpatriotism , ultranationalism North Korea maintains intense control over its population through a combination of jingoism and cult of personality.

posterity

noun: future generations Parents often try to accumulate a vast amount of wealth to provide for posterity.

braggadocio

noun: great confidence that someone expresses in their own abilities and qualities synonym: confidence, assertive, boasting ex: With all the years of training and hours in residency, the surgeons was braggadocios about his skills to operate a complex conjoined twin surgery. **think bragging because you are super confident in your abilities**

succor

noun: help in times of difficulty synonym: relief, aid, assist

probity

noun: honesty How can you question the probity of Mother Theresa.

vacillation/ vacillate

noun: indecisive, switching between two opinions verb: to be undecisive She tended to vacillate between booking or not booking her ticket due to the current coronavirus outbreak.

insouciance

noun: indifferent, lack of concern synonym: nonchalant unconcerned Type A personalities are definitely not insouciant about school.

prognostication

noun: knowledge of the future from a divine source noun: sign something is about to happen synonym: omen, portent, presage *think prognosis--> to predict**

austerity

noun: living in a strict manner; lacking in worldly pleasures synonym: rigid, solemn, astringent The monks aimed to live an austere path only taking the bare necessities for survival.

paucity

noun: not having enough, limit synonyms: circumscribe, scarce. shortage, inadequate Medical students find that with good study habits, their is no paucity of information they cannot absorb.

travail

noun: painful or laborious effort

pundits

noun: person who makes comments or judgements Synonym: commentor, critic, judge Pundits of " Boyhood" gave rave reviews, eventually garnering the movie an Emmy award.

maverick

noun: person who thinks or acts in an independent way Synonyms : rebel, free spirit, indie, Officer Kelly was a maverick, rarely following police protocols or adopting the conventions for speech common among his fellow officers.

decorum

noun: propriety in manners and conduct Synonyms : decorousness "You will obey the rules of decorum for this courtroom or spend the night in a jail cell," said the judge to the prosecutor.

celerity

noun: quickness, swiftness in movement

repute

noun: reputation verb: to have certain characteristics or reputation

in thrall

noun: slave

anachronism

noun: someone or something placed in the wrong period in history or something that belongs to the past rather than the present synonym: misdate, mistime Notice the most forward thinker had quotes that were anachronistic to their times.

proselytize

verb: attempt to convert a person's idea, religion or belief to another synonym: alter conviction, advocate, change belief The abortion debate is not one where someone can easily proselytize someones beliefs into the other as it deals with complex case of morality and science.

denote

verb: be a sign or indication of; have as a meaning Synonyms : refer Even if the text is not visible, the red octagon denotes "stop" to all motorists in America.

confound

verb: be confusing or perplexing to Synonyms : bedevil , befuddle , confuse , discombobulate , fox , fuddle , throw Though Harry loved numbers, he found calculus confounding. verb: mistake one thing for another Synonyms : confuse Americans often confound sweet potatoes with yams, and refer to both vegetables by the same name.

pundit

noun: someone who has been admitted to membership in a scholarly field Synonyms : initiate , learned person , savant Steven Pinker's credentials are unquestioned as a pundit; he has taught at MIT and Stanford, teaches at Harvard, and has published a number of influential books on cognition, language, and psychology.

raconteur

noun: someone who tells funny or interesting stories synonym: commentator, public speaker, motormouth My mother has always been a brilliant raconteur.

anomaly

noun: something that is not normal, standard, or expected After finding an anomaly in the data, she knew that she would have to conduct her experiment again.

parsimony

noun: stingy, extremely frugal synonyms: selfishness, stingy The husband had a contradictory view of parsimony, often stingy with spending money on his wife, but nothing was too indulgent for himself.

access

noun: the ability to go into (when somebody or something must allow you to enter) Synonyms : accession , admission , admittance , entree verb: to go into something when allowed to enter Only students have access to the university library. There is a large amount of oil under the ice, but we have not be able to access it.

apotheosis

noun: the best or most extreme example of something the act of making someone into a god. God status. The history of royalties all have a common theme of emphasizing the apotheosis of their ruler. **think apo(theo)s--> theology--> to make god status, something that is perfect"

precociousness

noun: the condition of showing mental development of achievement much earlier than usual The moment parent sense any precocious abilities in their child, they use the utmost resources to form a prodigy.

contrition

noun: the feeling of remorse or guilt that comes from doing something bad Synonyms : attrition , contriteness Those who show contrition during their prison terms--especially when under review by a parole board--often get shortened sentences.

nadir

noun: the point at which something is at its lowest value or level The city experienced an economic nadir in 2008.

surliness

noun: the quality of being often in a bad mood, unfriendly, and not polite.

solicitude

noun: the quality of caring about other people's comfort, safety, and how they feel (concerned and anxious)

lucidness

noun: the quality of expressing something clearly

mendacity

noun: the tendency to be untruthful. I can forgive her for her mendacity but only because she is a child and is seeing what she can get away with.

temperance

noun: the trait of avoiding excesses Synonyms : moderation,sobriety Welles wasn't known for his temperance--he usually ate enough for two and drank enough for three.

indifference

noun: the trait of seeming not to care Synonyms : apathy , numbness , spiritlessness, emotionlessness , impassiveness , impassivity , phlegm , stolidity , unemotionality In an effort to fight indifference, the president of the college introduced a new, stricter grading system.

artifice

noun: the use of a clever trick intended to deceive **think artifice--> (artific)ial--> fake--> trick intended to decieve**

disbelief

noun: to doubt the truth of something synonym: Incredulity, doubt,dubious, incertitude

halcyon

noun: very happy or successful period in the past

opulence

noun: wealth as evidenced by sumptuous living Synonyms : luxuriousness , luxury , sumptuousness Russian oligarchs are famous for their opulence, living in fancy homes and dining on expensive cavier.

malediction

noun: words intended to bring ill will or bad luck to someone He whispered maledictions under his breath, hoping ill will would come upon those who wronged him.

despite

preposition: even with (when an event is surprising because of some difficulty) We enjoyed our vacation despite the rain. Synonym: regardless of

querolous

quero--> "quarrel" adjective: often complaining, especially in a weak high voice

derision

ridicule

egomaniac

self-obsessed

reactionary

strongly opposed to change; conservative

supposition

supposition--> suppose noun: expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence synonym: conjecture, guess, hypothesis, speculation, surmise

capitulation

surrender; ending resistance **think (capt)ain its to (lat)e we surrender**

perusal

the action of reading or examining something

exhaustive

thorough, detailed, complete Research papers are often exhaustive going into the minute details to avoid confusion, or possible confounds .

heretofore

up until now; up to this point

vacillate

verb: be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action Synonyms : hover , oscillate , vibrate,fluctuate , waver Some students vacillate between schools when deciding which to attend, while others focus only on one school. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

elicit

verb: call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses) Synonyms : arouse , enkindle , evoke , fire , kindle , provoke , raise Just smiling-even if you are depressed--can elicit feelings of pleasure and happiness.

rescind

verb: cancel officially Synonyms : annul , countermand , lift , overturn , repeal , reverse , revoke , vacate The man's driver's license was rescinded after his tenth car accident, which meant he would never be allowed to legally drive again.

placate

verb: cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of Synonyms : appease , assuage , conciliate , gentle , gruntle , lenify , mollify , pacify I was able to placate the angry mob of students by promising to bring cookies on Monday.

disseminate

verb: cause to become widely known Synonyms : broadcast , circularise , circularize , circulate , diffuse , disperse , distribute , pass around , propagate , spread Before the effects of anaethesia were disseminated, patients had to experience the full pain of a surgery.

denigrate

verb: charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone Synonyms : asperse , besmirch , calumniate , defame , slander , smear , smirch , sully Count Rumford denigrated the new theory of heat, demonstrating that it was wholly inadequate to explain the observations. **think--> de(nig)rate--> ******--> slander, defame

abstain

verb: choose not to consume or take part in (particularly something enjoyable) Synonyms : desist , refrain Considered a health nut, Jessica abstained from anything containing sugar-even chocolate.

circumvent

verb: cleverly find a way out of one's duties or obligations Synonyms : dodge , duck , elude , evade , fudge , hedge , parry , put off , sidestep , skirt One way of circumventing the GRE is to apply to a grad school that does not require GRE scores.

derive

verb: come from; be connected by a relationship of blood, for example Synonyms : come , descend Many words in the English language are derived from Latin, including the word "derive." verb: reason by deduction; establish by deduction Synonyms : deduce , deduct , infer From the multiple set of footprints in the living room, the investigator derived an important clue: Sheila was not alone in the room at the time of the murder.

subsume

verb: contain or include The rogue wave quickly subsumed the pier and boardwalk, destroying everything in its path. verb: consider (an instance of something) as part of a general rule or principle Synonyms : colligate Don Quixote of La Mancha subsumes all other modern novels, demonstrating modern literary devices and predating even the idea of a postmodern, metanarrative.

reviles

verb: criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner synonym: criticize, yell, boo at them The video of the girl who made mascara with oreos had commentors revile, criticizing her for not telling her younger fans this was not to actually be done.

rebuke

verb: criticize severely or angrily; censure Synonyms : bawl out , berate , call down , call on the carpet , chew out , chew up , chide , dress down , have words , jaw , lambast , lambaste , lecture , rag , remonstrate , reprimand , reproof , scold , take to task , trounce The police chief rebuked the two officers whose irresponsible decisions almost led to the deaths of seven innocent by-standers.

delineate

verb: describe in detail After a brief summary of proper swimming technique, the coach delineated the specifics of each stroke, spending 30 minutes alone on the backstroke.

ostracize

verb: exclude from a community or group Synonyms : ban , banish , blackball , cast out , ostracise , shun Later in his life, Leo Tolstoy was ostracized from the Russian Orthodox Church for his writings that contradicted church doctrine.

ingratiate

verb: gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts Even though Tom didn't like his new boss, he decided to ingratiate himself to her in order to advance his career.

convivial

convivial--> vivacious--> vibrant adjective: pleasant, and friendly making you feel welcomed aka the life of the party

topical

dealing with current subject matter; relevant

evocative

evocative--> evoke adjective: brings to mind synonym: redolent, remindful, resonant, reminiscent

Meander

(v.) to wander about, wind about; (n.) a sharp turn or twist Synonyms: gallivant, peregrinate, traipse. The nomad meandered about in search of a true place to call home.

immutable-

"im=not"; mut="changed" adjective: not able to be changed Synonyms : changeless Taxes are one of the immutable laws of the land, so there is no use arguing about paying them.

tangential

(adj) only slightly relevant, going off topic, digress, unrelated to

brusque

(adj.) abrupt, blunt, with no formalities

redundant

(adj.) extra, excess, more than is needed; wordy, repetitive; profuse, lush

torrid

Adjective: Intensely hot and dry; Burning with passion.

persnickety

fussy about small details

by no means

in no way; not at all

arch

mischevious

eponym, metaphors, trope, derivative, diminuitive

Eponym- word derived from a person's name Metaphor- figurative use of language Trope- an extended literary device, an idea, phrase or image that is used in a particular artist's work, or type of art (ex: Human like robots are a classic trope of science fiction) Derivative- implies based on another source. Diminutive- used to express something is small to suggest they are not important (ex: In the photo, Abraham Lincoln looms over his diminutive rival for the White House, Stephen Douglas, in 1860. )

censure

censure sounds like "censor"--> what gets censored? Something that is strongly disapproved? verb: to express strong disapproval Synonyms : animadversion, dispprobation After being caught in bed with a mistress, the mayor was quickly censured by the city council.

harangue

noun: a long pompous speech; a tirade Synonyms : rant , ranting Dinner at Billy's was more a punishment than a reward, since anyone who sat at the dinner table would have to listen to Billy's father's interminable harangues against the government. verb: to deliver a long pompous speech or tirade Tired of his parents haranguing him about his laziness and lack of initiative, Tyler finally moved out of home at the age of thirty-five.

amalgam

noun: a mixture of multiple things The band's music was an amalgam of hip-hop, flamenco and jazz, blending the three styles with surprising results.

culpability

noun: a state of guilt Synonyms : blameworthiness , culpableness Since John had left his banana peel at the top of the stairwell, he accepted culpability for Martha's broken leg.

platitude

noun: a statement that may be true but is boring and has no meaning because id has been said so many times before Synonyms : banality , bromide , cliche , commonplace The professor argued that many statements regarded as wise in previous times, such as the Golden Rule, are now regarded as mere platitudes.

predilection

noun: a strong liking Synonyms : penchant , preference , taste Monte had a predilection for the fine things in life: Cuban cigars, 200 dollar bottles of wine, and trips to the French Riviera.

perfidy

noun: an act of deliberate betrayal; a breach of a trust Synonyms : betrayal , treachery , treason,perfidiousness The lowest circles in Dante's Inferno were for those who had practiced perfidy, and among these, the very lowest was for those, such as Judas, who had been treacherous to one of their benefactors. ***Thinke per+fid--> without fidelity--> aka partner cheat

glut--> gluttony--> excess

noun: an excessive supply Synonyms : oversupply , surfeit The Internet offers such a glut of news related stories that many find it difficult to know which story to read first. verb: supply with an excess of Synonyms : flood , oversupply In the middle of economic crises, hiring managers find their inboxes glutted with resumes.

acrimony

noun: bitterness and ill will Synonyms : acerbity , bitterness , jaundice , tartness , thorniness The acrimonious dispute between the president and vice-president sent a clear signal to voters: the health of the current administration was imperiled.

torpor

noun: inactivity resulting from lethargy and lack of vigor or energy Synonyms : listlessness , torpidity , torpidness After work, I was expecting my colleagues to be enthusiastic about the outing, but I found them in a state of complete torpor.

calumny

noun: making of a false statement meant to injure a person's reputation Synonyms : calumniation , defamation , hatchet job , obloquy , aspersion , slander , denigration , traducement With the presidential primaries well under way, the air is thick with calumny, and the mud already waist-high.

aesthete

noun: one who professes great sensitivity to the beauty of art and nature Synonyms : esthete A true aesthete, Marty would spend hours at the Guggenheim Museum, staring at the same Picasso.

resource

noun: some saved material that can be used for a purpose (especially money, anything used to make energy such as oil, or information sources such as books) Many of the richest countries have surprisingly few natural resources and must buy oil or gas from other countries. Never forget to make use of the library during your studies; it's full of great resources.

iconoclast

noun: somebody who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions Lady Gaga, in challenging what it means to be clothed, is an iconoclast for wearing a "meat dress" to a prominent awards show.

venality

noun: the condition of being susceptible to bribes or corruption Even some of the most sacred sporting events are not immune to venality, as many of the officials have received substantial bribes to make biased calls.

demur

verb: to object or show reluctance Wallace disliked the cold, so he demurred when his friends suggested they going skiing in the Alps.

vindicate

Vin-di-cate--> Win-this -case--> you become free of guilt verb: to clear of accusation, blame, suspicion, or doubt with supporting arguments or proof Synonyms : justify Even seven Tour de France wins cannot vindicate Lance Armstrong in the eyes of the public--that the athlete used performance enhancing drugs invalidates all those wins.

mercurial

adjective: (of a person) prone to unexpected and unpredictable changes in mood Synonyms : erratic , fickle , quicksilver The fact that Ella's moods were as mercurial as the weather was problematic for her relationships - it didn't help that she lived in Chicago.

impertinent

adjective: being disrespectful; improperly forward or bold Synonyms : fresh , impudent , overbold , sassy , saucy , smart , wise Dexter, distraught over losing his pet dachshund, Madeline, found the police officer's questions impertinent - after all, he thought, did she have to pry into such details as to what Madeline's favorite snack was? (adj) not pertinent to the matter under consideration Synonyms : extraneous , immaterial , orthogonal

rustic

adjective: characteristic of rural life; awkwardly simple and provincial Synonyms : countrified , countryfied,bumpkinly , hick , unsophisticated The vacation cabin had no electricity and no indoor plumbing, but despite these inconveniences, Nigel adored its rustic charm.

decorous

adjective: characterized by good taste in manners and conduct Sally's parties are decorous affairs, and instead of the usual beer and music, there is tea and intellectual conversation.

gossamer

adjective: characterized by unusual lightness and delicacy Synonyms : ethereal The gossamer wings of a butterfly, which allow it to fly, are also a curse, so delicate that they are often damaged.

relevant

adjective: closely connected to the topic and therefore important I think Professor McGarry can give you some relevant books to help you write that essay.

involved

adjective: complicated, and difficult to comprehend Synonyms : byzantine , convoluted , knotty , tangled , tortuous The physics lecture became so involved that the undergraduate's eyes glazed over.

equivocal

adjective: confusing or ambiguous The findings of the study were equivocal - the two researchers had different opinions on what the results signified.

recondite

adjective: difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge Synonyms : abstruse , deep I found Ulysses recondite and never finished the book, waiting instead to read it with someone else so we could penetrate its meaning together.

amenable

adjective: easily persuaded Synonyms : conformable , tractable Even though she did not like the outdoors, Shirley was generally amenable and so her brother was able to persuade her to go camping.

artful

adjective: exhibiting artistic skill Picasso is generally considered the most artful member of the Cubist movement. adjective: clever in a cunning way Bernie Madoff's artful Ponzi scheme stole billions of dollars from investors and is considered the largest financial fraud in U.S. history.

dictatorial

adjective: expecting unquestioning obedience; characteristic of an absolute ruler Synonyms : authoritarian , overbearing,authoritarian , autocratic , despotic , tyrannic , tyrannical The coach was dictatorial in his approach: no players could ever argue or question his approach.

parsimonious

adjective: extremely frugal; miserly Synonyms : penurious Katie is so parsimonious that she only buys a pair of socks if all of her other socks have holes in them.

auspicious

adjective: favorable, the opposite of sinister Despite an auspicious beginning, Mike's road trip became a series of mishaps, and he was soon stranded and penniless, leaning against his wrecked automobile.

entrenched

adjective: fixed firmly or securely By the time we reach 60-years old, most of our habits are so entrenched that it is difficult for us to change.

querulous

adjective: habitually complaining Synonyms : fretful , whiney , whiny The querulous old woman was begining to wear down even the happier members of the staff with her ceaseless complaining. **think-> "quarrel"**

innocuous

adjective: harmless and doesn't produce any ill effects Synonyms : innocent Everyone found Nancy's banter innocuous - except for Mike, who felt like she was intentionally picking on him.

incisive

adjective: having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions Synonyms : acute , discriminating , keen , knifelike , penetrating , penetrative , piercing , sharp The lawyer had an incisive mind, able in a flash to dissect a hopelessly tangled issue and isolate the essential laws at play.

dogmatic

adjective: highly opinionated, not accepting that your belief may not be correct Bryan is dogmatic in his belief that the earth is flat, claiming that all pictures of a spherical earth are computer generated.

inexorable

adjective: impossible to stop or prevent Synonyms : adamant , adamantine , intransigent The rise of the computer was an inexorable shift in technology and culture.

impudent

adjective: improperly forward or bold Synonyms : arch, audacious, bold, bold-faced, brash, brassbound, brassy, brazen, brazen-faced, cheeky, cocksure, cocky, fresh, impertinent, nervy, insolent, sassy, saucy, wise In an impudent move, the defendant spoke out of order to say terribly insulting things to the judge.

didactic

adjective: instructive (especially excessively) Synonyms : didactical Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Illyich is a didactic novel, instructing the reader on how to live a good life.

wanting

adjective: lacking Synonyms : deficient , lacking She did not think her vocabulary was wanting, yet there were so many words that inevitably she found a few she didn't know.

apathetic

adjective: marked by a lack of interest/ showing little emotion Synonyms : indifferent Mr. Thompson was so talented at teaching math that even normally apathetic students took interest.

ambivalent

adjective: mixed or conflicting emotions about something Sam was ambivalent about studying for the exam because doing so ate up a lot of his time, yet he was able to improve his analytical skills.

cryptic

adjective: mysterious or vague, usually intentionally Synonyms : cabalistic , cryptical , kabbalistic , qabalistic , sibylline Since Sarah did not want her husband to guess the Christmas present she had bought him, she only answered cryptically when he would ask her questions about it.

parochial

adjective: narrowly restricted in scope or outlook Synonyms : insular Jasmine was sad to admit it, but her fledgling relationship with Jacob did not work out because his culinary tastes were simply too parochial; "After all," she quipped on her blog, "he considered Chef Boyardee ethnic food." [記]parish n.

anomalous

adjective: not normal According to those who do not believe in climate change, the extreme weather over the last five years is simply anomalous - daily temperatures should return to their old averages, they believe.

frivolous

adjective: not serious in content or attitude or behavior synonym: superficial, air-headed, idle, trivial, light Compared to Juliet's passionate concern for human rights, Jake's non-stop concern about football seems somewhat frivolous.

fortuitous

adjective: occurring by happy chance; having no cause or apparent cause Synonyms : causeless, uncaused While the real objects are vastly different sizes in space, the sun and the moon seem to have the same fortuitous size in the sky.

laconic

adjective: one who says very few words Synonyms : crisp , curt , terse While Martha always swooned over the hunky, laconic types in romantic comedies, her boyfriends inevitably were very talkative - and not very hunky.

ambiguous

adjective: open to more than one interpretation Synonyms : equivocal The coach told his team, "Move towards that side of the field"; because he did not point, his directions were ambiguous, and the team had no idea to which side he was referring.

vociferous

adjective: outspoken; insistent outcry; crying out noisily Synonyms : blatant , clamant , clamorous , strident In giving Marcia a particular vociferous response, Paul caused people at every other table in the restaurant to turn around an look at them angrily.

mawkish

adjective: overly sentimental to the point that it is disgusting Synonyms : bathetic , drippy , hokey , kitschy , maudlin , mushy , schmaltzy , schmalzy , sentimental , slushy , soppy , soupy The film was incredibly mawkish, introducing highly likeable characters only to have them succumb to a devastating illnesses by the end of the movie.

prodigal

adjective: rashly or wastefully extravagant Synonyms : extravagant , profligate , spendthrift Successful professional athletes who do not fall prey to prodigality seem to be the exception - most live decadent lives.

bucolic

adjective: relating to the pleasant aspects of the country side Synonyms : pastoral, rustic The noble families of England once owned vast expanses of beautiful, bucolic land.

germane

adjective: relevant and appropriate The professor wanted to tell the jury in detail about his new book, but the lawyer said it wasn't germane to the charges in the cases. **think--> mane-->main--> relevant to the main topic**

banal

adjective: repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse Synonyms : commonplace , hackneyed , old-hat , shopworn , stock , threadbare , timeworn , tired , trite , well-worn The professor used such banal expression that many students in the class either fell asleep from bordeom or stayed awake to complete his sentences and humor friends.

restive

adjective: restless Synonyms : edgy , high-strung , highly strung , jittery , jumpy , nervy , overstrung , uptight The crowd grew restive as the comedian's opening jokes fell flat.

superfluous

adjective: serving no useful purpose Synonyms : otiose , pointless , purposeless , senseless , wasted How can we hope to stay open if we don't eliminate all superfluous spending, like catered meetings and free acupucture Tuesday? adjective: more than is needed, desired, or required Synonyms : excess , extra , redundant , spare , supererogatory , supernumerary , surplus The third paragraph in your essay is superfluous and can be deleted.

amorphous

adjective: shapeless Synonyms : formless , shapeless , unstructured His study plan for the GRE was at best amorphous; he would do questions from random pages in any one of seven test prep books.

diffident

adjective: showing modest reserve; lacking self-confidence Synonyms : shy , timid , unsure As a young girl she was diffident and reserved, but now as an adult, she is confident and assertive. **think -> opposite of con'fident'**

egregious

adjective: standing out in negative way; shockingly bad Synonyms : crying , flagrant , glaring , gross , rank The dictator's abuse of human rights was so egregious that many world leaders demanded that he be tried in an international court for genocide.

commensurate

adjective: to be in proportion or corresponding in degree or amount The convicted felon's life sentence was commensurate to the heinousness of his crime.

gregarious

adjective: to be likely to socialize with others synonym: popular, sociable, extrovert Often we think that great leaders are those who are gregarious, always in the middle of a large group of people; yet, as Mahatma Gandhi and many others have shown us, leaders can also be introverted.

ingenuous

adjective: to be naïve and innocent Synonyms : innocent Two-years in Manhattan had changed Jenna from an ingenuous girl from the suburbs to a jaded urbanite, unlikely to fall for any ruse, regardless of how elaborate.

undermine

adjective: to weaken (usually paired with an abstract term) The student undermined the teacher's authority by questioning the teacher's judgment on numerous occasions.

veracious

adjective: truthful Synonyms : right While we elect our leaders in the hope that every word they speak will be veracious, history has shown that such a hope is naive.

conspicuous

adjective: without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious Synonyms : blatant , blazing American basketball players are always conspicuous when they go abroad-not only are they American, but some are over seven feet tall.

aberration

noun: a deviation from what is normal or expected Synonyms : aberrance , aberrancy , deviance Aberrations in climate have become the norm: rarely a week goes by without some meteorological phenomenon making headlines.

prescience

noun: the power to foresee the future Synonyms : prevision Baxter's warnings about investing in technology stocks seemed like an act of prescience after the whole market declined significantly.

gall

noun: the trait of being rude and impertinent Synonyms : cheekiness , crust , freshness , impertinence , impudence , insolence Even though Carly was only recently hired, she had the gall to question her boss's judgment in front of the office. noun: feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will Synonyms : bitterness , rancor , rancour , resentment In an act of gall, Leah sent compromising photos of her ex-boyfriend to all his co-workers and professional contacts.

imperil

transitive verb. to put at risk; endanger; synonyms: endanger, hazard, jeopardize

concede

verb: acknowledge defeat I concede. You win! verb: admit (to a wrongdoing) Synonyms : confess , profess After a long, stern lecture from her father, Olivia conceded to having broken the window. verb: give over; surrender or relinquish to the physical control of another Synonyms : cede , grant , yield The Spanish were forced to concede much of the territory they had previously conquered.

eschew

verb: avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of Synonyms : shun Politicians are the masters of eschewing morals; academics are the masters of eschewing clarity.

lambast

verb: criticize severely or angrily Synonyms : bawl out , berate , call down , call on the carpet , chew out , chew up , chide , dress down , have words , jaw , lambaste , lecture , rag , rebuke , remonstrate , reprimand , reproof , scold , take to task , trounce Showing no patience, the manager utterly lambasted the sales team that lost the big account.

gainsay

verb: deny or contradict; speak against or oppose Synonyms : challenge , dispute I can't gainsay a single piece of evidence James has presented, but I still don't trust his conclusion. **think A(gain)st say**

engender

verb: give rise to Synonyms : beget , bring forth , father , generate , get , mother , sire The restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles were so severe that they engendered deep hatred and resentment in the German people.

preclude

verb: keep from happening or arising; make impossible Synonyms : forbid , foreclose , forestall , prevent The manager specified that all other gates be locked, to preclude the possibility of persons without tickets entering the arena undetected.

exacerbate

verb: make worse Synonyms : aggravate , exasperate , worsen Her sleeplessness exacerbated her cold--when she woke up the next day, her sinuses were completely blocked.

culminate

verb: reach the highest or most decisive point Synonyms : climax Beethoven's musical genius culminated in the 9th Symphony, which many consider his greatest work.

maintain

verb: to assert Synonyms : defend The scientist maintained that the extinction of dinosaurs was most likely brought about by a drastic change in climate. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

qualify

verb: to be eligible for a role, status, or benefit by meeting specific requirements Synonyms : measure up If James had made more than $50,000 last year, then he wouldn't have qualified for the low-income scholarship. verb: to make less severe; to limit (a statement) Synonyms : restrict Chris qualified his love for San Francisco, adding that he didn't like the weather as much as the weather in Los Angeles.

galvanize

verb: to excite or inspire (someone) to action Synonyms : galvanise , startle At mile 23 of his first marathon, Kyle had all but given up, until he noticed his friends and family holding a banner that read, "Go Kyle"; galvanized, he broke into a gallop, finishing the last three miles in less than 20 minutes.

belie

verb: to give a false representation to; misrepresent Synonyms : contradict , negate The smile on her face belies the pain she must feel after the death of her husband.

chastise

verb: to reprimand harshly Synonyms : castigate , chasten , correct , objurgate Though chastised for eating the snacks for the party, Lawrence shrugged off his mother's harsh words, and continued to plow through jars of cookies and boxes of donuts.

castigate

verb: to reprimand harshly Synonyms : chasten , chastise , correct , objurgate Drill sergeants are known to castigate new recruits so mercilessly that the latter often break down during their first week in training.

upbraid

verb: to reproach; to scold Bob took a risk walking into the "Students Barbershop" - in the end he had to upbraid the apparently drunk barber for giving him an uneven bowl cut.

venerate

verb: to respect deeply Synonyms : fear , revere , reverence The professor, despite his sleep-inducing lectures, was venerated amongst his colleagues, publishing more papers yearly than all of his peers combined.

betray

verb: to reveal or make known something, usually unintentionally Synonyms : bewray With the gold medal at stake, the gymnast awaited his turn, his quivering lip betraying his intense emotions.

enervate

verb: to sap energy from Synonyms : faze , unnerve , unsettle John preferred to avoid equatorial countries; the intense sun would always leave him enervated after he'd spent the day sightseeing.

prevaricate

verb: to speak in an evasive way Synonyms : beat around the bush , equivocate , palter , tergiversate The cynic quipped, "There is not much variance in politicians; they all seem to prevaricate".

intimate

verb: to suggest something subtly Synonyms : adumbrate , insinuate At first Manfred's teachers intimated to his parents that he was not suited to skip a grade; when his parents protested, teachers explicitly told them that, notwithstanding the boy's precocity, he was simply too immature to jump to the 6th grade. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study