Magoosh
qualify
(adj) to be legally competent or capable; (noun) to make less severe; to limit (a statement)
iconoclast
Attacker of cherished beliefs or institutions
trenchant
adjective: characterized by or full of force and vigor; having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought, expression, or intellect Jill presented a rather superficial treatment of sales in Asia, but her trenchant analysis of sales in Europe inspired a number of insights into how to proceed in that market.
demonstrative
adjective: given to or marked by the open expression of emotion When Sally told James that she wanted to break up with him, she expected he would react demonstratively, but he quietly nodded his head and left without saying a word.
exorbitant
adjective: greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation Shelley made one exorbitant purchase after another, buying new clothes and taking vacations even though she earned a limited salary.
halcyon
adjective: idyllically calm and peaceful; suggesting happy tranquillity; marked by peace and prosperity The first decade after WWI was a halcyon period in America with new-found wealth and rapidly improving technology.
ineluctable
adjective: impossible to avoid or evade: For those who smoke cigarettes for years, a major health crisis brought on by smoking is ineluctable.
infelicitous
adjective: inappropriate During the executive meeting, the marketing director continued to make infelicitous comments about the CEO's gambling habit.
officious
adjective: intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner The professor had trouble concentrating on her new theorem, because her officious secretary would barge in frequently reminding her of some trivial detail involving departmental paperwork.
ebullient
adjective: joyously unrestrained Can you blame him for his ebullient mood? He just graduated from medical school.
impertinent
being disrespectful; improperly forward or bold
acrimony
bitterness and ill will
simulacrum
noun: a representation of a person (especially in the form of sculpture) The Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center showcases a simulacrum of all the present and approved buildings in the city of Shanghai. noun: a bad imitation The early days of computer graphics made real people into a simalacrum that now seems comical.
modicum
noun: a small or moderate or token amount If my sister had even a modicum of sense, she wouldn't be engaged to that barbarian.
evanescent
adjective: tending to vanish like vapor The storm flashed into existence above us and lasted only a short time—an evanescent turbulence of wind and cloud.
bastardization
noun: an act that debases or corrupts The movie World War Z is a complete bastardization of the book with little more in common than zombies and a title.
row
noun: an angry dispute The Prime Minister looked very foolish after his row with the foreign dignitary was caught on video and posted on youtube.
cataclysm
noun: an event resulting in great loss and misfortune The introduction of smallpox was a cataclysm for Native Americans, killing off more than half of their population.
surfeit
noun: an excessive amount of something There was no such thing as a surfeit of shopping for Nancy--she could stay at the outlet stores from opening to closing time.
oblique
adjective: not straightforward; indirect Herbert never explicitly revealed anything negative about Tom's past, but at times he would obliquely suggest that Tom was not as innocent as he seemed.
lachrymose
adjective: showing sorrow Lachrymose and depressed, Alexei Alexandrovich walked two miles home in the rain after learning that his wife was having an affair.
abrogate
verb: revoke formally As part of the agreement between the labor union and the company, the workers abrogated their right to strike for four years in exchange for better health insurance.
pillory
verb: ridicule or expose to public scorn After the candidate confessed, the press of the opposing party took the opportunity to pillory him, printing editorials with the most blatantly exaggerated accusations.
palaver
verb: speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly During the rain delay, many who had come to see the game palavered, probably hoping that idle chatter would make the time go by faster.
dissipate
verb: squander or spend money frivolously The recent graduates dissipated their earnings on trips to Las Vegas and cruises in Mexico. verb: to disperse or scatter Kathleen's perfume was overwhelming in the cramped apartment, but once we stepped outside the smell dissipated and we could breathe once again.
promulgate
verb: state or announce The President wanted to promulgate the success of the treaty negotiations, but he had to wait until Congress formally approved the agreement.
hoodwink
verb: to deceive or trick someone Someone tried to hoodwink Marty with an email telling him that his uncle had just passed away, and to collect the inheritance he should send his credit card information.
adjudicate
verb: to serve as a judge in a competition; to arrive at a judgment or conclusion Only those with the most refined palates were able to adjudicate during the barbeque competition.
graft
noun: corruption, usually through bribery In countries with rampant graft, getting a driver's license can require no more than paying an official.
chauvinism
noun: fanatical patriotism; belief that one's group/cause is superior to all other groups/causes Vegetarians argue that man is chauvinistic in his belief that animals do not consciously feel the pain we humans do.
panacea
noun: hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases; a universal solution While the company credit card has made most large purchases easier, it is no panacea: some smaller basic transactions still must be conducted in cash.
raillery
noun: light teasing The new recruit was not bothered by the raillery, finding most of it light-hearted and good-natured.
verisimilitude
noun: the appearance of truth All bad novels are bad for numerous reasons; all good novels are good for their verisimilitude of reality, placing the readers in a world that resembles the one they know.
eponym
noun: the name derived from a person (real or imaginary); the person for whom something is named Alexandria, Egypt is an eponym because it is named after Alexander the Great.
exiguity
noun: the quality of being meager After two months at sea, the exiguity of the ship's supplies forced them to search for fresh water and food.
diminutive
noun: to indicate smallness He prefers to be called a diminutive of his name: "Bill" instead of "John William." adjective: very small When he put on his father's suit and shoes, his appearance was that of a diminutive youth.
capitulate
noun: to surrender (usually under agreed conditions) Paul, losing 19-0 in a ping-pong match against his nimble friend, basically capitulated when he played the last two points with his eyes closed.
amorphous
shapeless
venality
the condition of being susceptible to bribes or corruption
extant
the opposite of extinct
maintain
to assert
vindicate
to clear of accusation, blame, suspicion, or doubt with supporting arguments or proof
galvanize
to excite or inspire (someone) to action
chastise
to reprimand harshly
betray
to reveal or make known something, usually unintentionally
intimate
to suggest something subtly
veracious
truthful
misattribute
verb: To erroneously attribute; to falsely ascribe; used especially of authorship. I made a mistake; I misattributed "Crime and Punishment" to Leo Tolstoy when it was actually written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
countermand
verb: a contrary command cancelling or reversing a previous command By the time the colonel countermanded his soldiers not to land in enemy territory, a few helicopters had already touched down amid heavy gunfire.
enamor
verb: attraction or feeling of love She is completely enamored with Justin Bieber, and goes to all his concerts on the East coast.
dissemble
verb: conceal one's true motives, usually through deceit To get close to the senator, the assassin dissembled his intentions, convincing many people that he was a reporter for a well-known newspaper.
extrapolate
verb: draw from specific cases for more general cases By extrapolating from the data on the past three months, we can predict a 5% increase in traffic to our website.
flag
verb: droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness; become less intense After the three crushing defeats in the last three games, the team's enthusiasm began to flag.
profligate
Completely and shamelessly immoral, or extremely wasteful
belie
Contradict or misrepresent
castigate
Criticize severely; punish in order to correct
frugal
Economical, thrifty, not wasteful with money; inexpensive
egregious
Extraordinary or conspicuously bad; glaring
upbraid
Find fault with, criticize or scold severely
ingenuous
Genuine, sincere, not holding back; naive
commensurate
The same in size, extent, etc. equivalent; proportional
innocuous
Harmless, inoffensive
restive
Impatient or uneasy under the control of another; resisting being controlled
harangue
Long, intense verbal attack, esp. when delivered publicly
calumny
Malicious lie intended to hurt someone's reputation; the act of telling such lies
ambiguous
Not clear, hard to understand, open to having several meanings or interpretations
mercurial
Quickly and unpredictably changing moods; fickle, flighty
venerate
Revere, regard with deep respect and awe
demur
Show reluctance or object, especially for moral reasons
gregarious
Sociable, pertaining to a flock or crowd
prevaricate
Stray from the truth, mislead, lie
censure
Strong disapproval or official reprimand (noun), to issue such disapproval or reprimand (verb)
disinterested
Unbiased, impartial; not interested
ambivalent
Uncertain; unable to decide, or wanting to do two contradictory things at once
laconic
Using few words, concise
prodigal
Wasteful, extravagant; giving abundantly, lavish
undermine
Weaken, cause to collapse by diffing away at the foundation (of a building or an argument); injure or attack in a secretive or underhanded way
enervate
Weaken, tire
aberration
a deviation from what is normal or expected
amalgam
a mixture of multiple things
obtain
adjective: be valid, applicable, or true The custom of waiting your turn in line does not obtain in some countries, in which many people try to rush to front of the line at the same time.
concomitant
adjective: describing an event or situation that happens at the same time as or in connection with another Concomitant with his desire for nature was a desire for the culture and energy of a big city.
estimable
adjective: deserving of esteem and respect After serving thirty years, in which he selflessly served the community, Judge Harper was one of the more estimable people in town.
sardonic
adjective: disdainfully or ironically humorous; scornful and mocking A stand-up comedian walks a fine line when making jokes about members of the audience; such fun and joking can quickly become sardonic and cutting.
veritable
adjective: truthfully, without a doubt Frank is a veritable life-saver -- last year, on two different occasions, he revived people using CPR.
bereft
adjective: unhappy in love; suffering from unrequited love After 64 years of marriage, William was bereft after the death of his wife. adjective: sorrowful through loss or deprivation "You are not bereft if you haven't played on your Xbox in the past week," his mother said.
loath
adjective: unwillingness to do something contrary to your custom (usually followed by 'to') I was loath to leave the concert before my favorite band finished playing.
splenetic
adjective: very irritable Ever since the car accident, Frank has been unable to walk without a cane, and so he has become splenetic and unpleasant to be around.
involved
complicated, and difficult to comprehend
equivocal
confusing or ambiguous
amenable
easily persuaded
artful
exhibiting artistic skill; clever in a cunning way
parsimonious
extremely frugal; miserly
auspicious
favorable, the opposite of sinister
wanting
lacking
parochial
narrowly restricted in scope or outlook
anomalous
not normal
despot
noun: a cruel and oppressive dictator The Emperor Claudius was regarded as a fair-minded leader; his successor, Nero, was an absolute despot.
canard
noun: a deliberately misleading fabrication The public will always be fooled by the media's canards.
dissolution
noun: a living full of debauchery and indulgence in sensual pleasure Many Roman emporers were known for their dissolution, indulging in unspeakable desires of the flesh.