Flocabulary Midterm study guide Units 1-7 with sentences

Our enthusiasm for the club began to __________ as we listened to the long list of rules and policies. (to lessen, to reduce in severity.)

abate

The United States of America can be ______________ as USA. (to shorten, reduce.)

abbreviated

The man really did ___________ coffee; he couldn't even stand the smell of it. (to hate; to loathe.)

abhor

The general's army would ______ the hardships of battle. (to put up with; to tolerate.)

abide

I don't think make-up should be used to hide anything; it should only _____________________ one's beauty! (to emphasize, highlight.)

accentuate

It is not surprising that Cynthia's company has been so successful. She has always had great financial ________. (keen insight.)

acumen

Surprisingly, the _________ little girl grew to be uptight and unfriendly. (friendly, amiable.)

affable

Jeremiah has ___________________, so you won't see him in public very often! (an irrational fear of open or public spaces.)

agoraphobia

He snowboarded down the slope with such _____________that it seemed to take only a second. (speed and readiness.)

alacrity

I was nervous about starting a new school, but knowing that my best friend would also be there helped ________ my fears. (to soothe, assuage.)

allay

Lotion helps _____________itchy, dry skin. (to relieve.)

alleviate

An __________________________ of FBI and local police forces helped catch the criminal. Neither agency could have done it alone. (a union, combination or merger.)

amalgamation

She loved to take relaxing walks on the beach and would often _________ along the shoreline. (to stroll or walk.)

amble

A hot bowl of soup can help _______________ the symptoms of a cold. (to improve; to make better.)

ameliorate

"The early bird catches the worm" is a popular ____________. (a short saying.)

aphorism

When we developed the photograph, we saw a spooky ________________ of a man who had not actually been there with us. (a ghost or an image of a ghost.)

apparition

Markus will _________ for his mistake by cooking everyone breakfast and writing them cards to say he is sorry. (to apologize, make amends.)

atone

Devon is very____________. He always gives to charity. (kind, good, giving.)

benevolent

The shared ________ of the rowers ensured that the boat moved swiftly. (rhythm.)

cadence

There is such strong __________________ between the two girls. They are great friends who care for each other! (cheerful unity among a group.)

camaraderie

Sometimes used-car salesmen have a way of speaking in ________; I wish they'd just tell it like it is! (indirect language.)

circumlocutions

I suffer from___________________, so being trapped in a box or cupboard is my worst nightmare. (an irrational fear of closed or crowded spaces.)

claustrophobia

The coach gave Maya a high five for her ____________ work in the soccer game. (worthy of praise.)

commendable

The ________________ bedroom can fit all of our furniture with lots of space left over. (spacious, roomy.)

commodious

While it was obvious he had lost the race, the politician refused to _____________ the results of the election. (to give in; to accept.)

concede

Dalton tried to ___________ a good reason to not go to the party, but he couldn't come up with anything. (to make up or invent.)

concoct

We will meet you at the _______________ of the two paths. (a convergence; a coming together.)

confluence

The mess in the office continues to ___________ me. It is hopeless to try to keep it clean. (to frustrate.)

confound

The grocery store around the corner has _____________ and varied snacks you can choose from. (abundant, plentiful.)

copious

The amount of homework our teacher assigned today was _________. How would we ever get it done by Friday? (intimidating.)

daunting

The _______clown did a flip without dropping any of the balls he was juggling. (skilled, adept.)

deft

Some people predict that the spread of cellphones will make landline telephones become __________. (no longer used or existing.)

defunct

After he was forced to sell his boat, Sid was _________________ for weeks. (discouraged, hopeless.)

despondent

The dress featured a collar of _____________ ruffles, which added a delicate charm. (transparent, see-through.)

diaphanous

The colored lids help ___________________ which bins are for paper recycling, plastic recycling and trash. (to distinguish, to make different.)

differentiate

The_________________ tea kettle is about as big as my thumb nail. (miniature; small.)

diminutive

Critics did not like the author's work. They continued to ____________ his melodramatic plots and fluffy prose. (to criticize, degrade, belittle.)

disparage

Despite their mother's hope that they'd get along, the __________________ among the brothers led to another loud argument. (lack of harmony or agreement.)

dissonance

There is often a ___________ spirit between opposing political parties. (causing conflict and opposition.)

divisive

The King's Speech is a film about King George VI overcoming a stutter and mastering _______________. (the art of public speaking.)

elocution

Cynthia was always ___________ of her friend Abigail. She wished she had Abigail's natural beauty and charm. (jealous)

envious

The heavy rain will ____________ the flood problem. (to make more violent or intense)

exacerbate

My boss left me a voicemail at midnight. She asked me to respond promptly as the matter was _______________. (critical, urgent.)

exigent

The ______________ skier ignored the storm warnings and continued down the mountain. (silly, foolish.)

fatuous

It might have been a hyena or a dog. Either way, we knew it was a wild animal. (savage, wild.)

feral

Tina wrote a surprise ending to her story, hoping to ___________________listeners. (to astound or stupefy.)

flabbergast

I'd _____________ through the laundromat if I thought there were any chance I could find my lucky socks! (to rummage for something; to scavenge for food)

forage

Even though Jorge is less than five feet tall, he is a _____________ opponent, and I am afraid to compete against him! (arousing fear or alarm.)

formidable

Tony decided to _________ his sagging roof by adding two pillars. ( to strengthen.)

fortify

The ________________ boy left the buffet bare. (insatiable in appetite.)

gluttonous

The carriage drivers _________ the horses forward. (to urge, provoke.)

goad

Lizzie is known to be quite_______________. She's friends with everyone. (sociable, outgoing.)

gregarious

The ______________________ are helping the evil villain commit her infamous crimes. (a trusted follower, a goon.)

henchmen

After a long ________, the band got back together. (an interruption, a break.)

hiatus

The king wanted to be worshipped and wished for nothing more than _____________ subjects. (worshiping excessively an object or person.)

idolatrous

Despite my many attempts to persuade him, my father was ____________________. I could not convince him that I should get a dog. (unable to be penetrated, unaffected.)

impervious

The ticking clock kept me awake all night with its _____________ noise. (without interruption.)

incessant

The new security cameras led to the ____________________ of the thieves. (accusation of wrongdoing.)

indictment

Their disagreement was as____________________ as a tangled rope. They'd never get over their differences. (hopelessly confused or tangled.)

inextricable

The squirrel devised an ______________way to steal seeds from the bird feeder in the yard. (especially clever or brilliant.)

ingenious

How could you be afraid of those adorable and completely ______________ puppies? (harmless.)

innocuous

She decided to _______________ the two cars to decide which one she liked better. (to put next to each other.)

juxtapose

Maria loved being a teacher for those moments when she discovered a ________ talent in one of her most timid students. ( present but hidden.)

latent

He is the _____________ of the whole organization. Without him, we wouldn't know what to do! (something that holds separate things together.)

linchpin

That giant pink egg was a _________________ gift. It was very generous of you to donate it. (generous, noble.)

magnanimous

In literature, snakes can be symbols of evil and are often associated with ____________ characters. (malevolent, harmful.)

malicious

After spending most of his paycheck the day that he got it, Jack was left with a_____________ amount for the rest of the week. (lacking in quality or stature.)

meager

With their friend there to ____________, Shana and Arielle soon stopped fighting. (to intervene in an argument; to sort out.)

mediate

Top Olympic athletes win medals for their ________ performances. (deserving of praise or merit.)

meritorious

Mrs. Carroll was a_________________ donor who always contributed to the local food drive. (generous, benevolent.)

munificent

We forgot to take the trash outside before our trip, so we came home to a _______________ scent in the kitchen. (foul, offensive, particularly to the sense of smell.)

noisome

The petty thief gained _______________ in his later years and is now known for those infamous violent crimes. (infamy; being known in a bad regard.)

notoriety

The waste disposal company closed because it had been accidentally leaking _____________ substances into the water, killing the fish. (harmful, toxic.)

noxious

The _____________ waiter returned to the table every five minutes to make sure everything was OK. (submissive. )

obsequious

The Nuremberg Laws were hateful laws in Nazi Germany. Their purpose was to ________ Jewish people, imposing exclusion on them. (to exclude from a community.)

ostracize

Ana was a_______ among the other girls in school; they ignored her. (an outcast.)

pariah

My lawyer encouraged me to carefully ________ the cell phone contract before signing. (to examine carefully.)

peruse

The____________ stink of the rotten eggs spread throughout the house. (inclined to spread throughout.)

pervasive

Her _____________ was due to the early wake-up call. She's always cranky when she wakes up early. (irritability, impoliteness.)

petulance

Once I get angry, I am not easily ______________. (to soothe, appease.)

placated

The runner lunged at the starting line, ___________ to take off running. (balanced, readied.)

poised

The corner store has a ______________ display of condiments and sauces, so you'll surely find the one you need (abundant; prolific.)

profuse

She conducted herself with ____________ at the meal and was a very polite guest. (a state of decency or being proper.)

propriety

They are planning to_______ our old apartment building. I'll be sad to see it go. (to demolish.)

raze

Omar's teacher ________ his article for the school paper because it contained unnecessary information. (to revise; to edit.)

redacted

Serena Williams proves to be a _______________ opponent in competitive tennis. (commanding respect.)

redoubtable

Volunteers to help clean up the city after the hurricane are in high _____________ right now. (a demand, often by an authority.)

requisition

She has a taste for revenge! If you hurt her, she will ___________. (to get even; to do something to get revenge.)

retaliate

The children were pleased with the _____________ fairy tale, but the adults found it too sweet. (overly sweet)

saccharine

By ______________, Talbia won two quarters in the game just when she needed money for the parking meter. (a lucky chance.)

serendipity

People are spreading terrible ______________ about Maryam. She must be devastated by the lies her classmates are telling. (a false statement to damage the reputation of another.)

slander

She felt _______________ after the all-nighter. (sleepy.)

somnolent

The ______________ used tarot cards to read the future. (a fortune teller.)

soothsayer

Athletes undergo _____________ training to prepare for competition. (requiring tremendous strength or energy.)

strenuous

Jamal read the movie's ___________ to see if the plot sounded interesting before buying a ticket. (a summary.)

synopsis

Sloths are often described as _____________. They move incredibly slowly! (lazy, lethargic.)

torpid

The committee chair is a ________ person, and this adds greatly to the length of meetings. (wordy.)

verbose

The __________ little girl impressed us with her energy and spirit throughout the long, hot day. (lively, spirited, full of life.)

vivacious

The child was bundled up in a ________ coat that made him look comical. (large, ample.)

voluminous

Hip-Hop is full of clever _____________, like when Lil' Wayne says, "I'm a vegetarian/ Man, I only eat beats." (the use of words in a playful or witty way.)

word-play