Magoosh Common Words List 4/6

forthcoming

adjective: available when required or as promised 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.

apocryphal

adjective: being of questionable authenticity The web is notorious for sandwiching apocryphal stories between actual news.

provincial

adjective: characteristic of the a limited perspective; not fashionable or sophisticated Maggie's enthusiasm about her high school teams seemed provincial to her college classmates, all of whom were following a nationally ranked college team.

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.

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.

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.

ignoble

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

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.

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.

acerbic

adjective: harsh in tone Synonyms : acerb , acid , acrid , bitter , blistering , caustic , sulfurous , sulphurous , virulent , vitriolic Most movie critics are acerbic towards summer blockbusters, often referring to them as garbage.

incorrigible

adjective: impervious to correction by punishment Tom Sawyer seems like an incorrigible youth until Huck Finn enters the novel; even Sawyer can't match his fierce individual spirit.

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.

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.

ostentatious

adjective: intended to attract notice and impress others; tawdry or vulgar 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.

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

bumbling

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

hackneyed

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

pedantic

adjective: marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

intransigent

adjective: unwilling to change one's beliefs or course of action Synonyms : adamant , adamantine , inexorable Despite many calls for mercy, the judge remained intransigent, citing strict legal precedence.

blatant

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

unscrupulous

adjective: without scruples or principles In the courtroom, the lawyer was unscrupulous, using every manner of deceit and manipulation to secure a victory for himself.

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.

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.

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.

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 Whether the former world champions can win again this year is contingent upon none of its star players getting injured.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

exalt

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

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.

espouse

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

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.