Magoosh Common Words List 3/6

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

unequivocal

adjective: admitting of no doubt or misunderstanding; having only one meaning or interpretation and leading to only one conclusion 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.

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.

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.

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.

eclectic

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

incongruous

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

ephemeral

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

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.

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.

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.

immutable

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.

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.

fallacious

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

spurious

adjective: plausible but false Synonyms : specious When listening to a politician speak, it is hard to distinguish the spurious claims from the authentic ones.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

itinerant

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

juxtapose

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

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.

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.

perceive

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

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.

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

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.