Magoosh Advanced Word List 5/7

hoary

adjective: ancient Synonyms : rusty Most workout gurus are young, fit people, whereas most yoga gurus are hoary men with long white beards.

nettlesome

adjective: causing irritation or annoyance Synonyms : annoying , bothersome , galling , irritating , pesky , pestering , pestiferous , plaguey , plaguy , teasing , vexatious , vexing Maria found her coworker's cell phone nettlesome, because every few minutes it would buzz to life with another text message.

unprepossessing

adjective: creating an unfavorable or neutral first impression Synonyms : unpresentable World leaders coming to meet Gandhi would expect a towering sage, and often would be surprised by the unprepossessing little man dressed only in a loincloth and shawl.

doleful

adjective: filled with or evoking sadness Synonyms : mournful No event is more doleful than the passing of my mother; she was a shining star in my life, and it brings me great sadness to think that she is now gone.

debonair

adjective: having a sophisticated charm Synonyms : debonaire , debonnaire , suave James Bond is known for his good looks, high tech gadgets, and debonair manner.

percipient

adjective: highly perceptive Synonyms : clear Even the most percipient editor will make an occasional error when proofreading.

embryonic

adjective: in an early stage of development Synonyms : embryotic, embryologic , embryonal The Board of Directors is hoping to launch a new product soon, but planning for the Z7 is in an embryonic stages. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

meteoric

adjective: like a meteor in speed or brilliance or transience The early spectacular successes propelled the pitcher to meteoric stardom, but a terribly injury tragically cut short his career.

antic

adjective: ludicrously odd Synonyms : fantastic , fantastical , grotesque The clown's antic act was too extreme for the youngest children, who left the room in tears. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

effervescent

adjective: marked by high spirits or excitement Synonyms : bubbling , frothy , scintillating , sparkly After the sales result, the manager was in an effervescent mood, letting several employees leave work early that day. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

untrammeled

adjective: not confined or limited Synonyms : untrammelled The whole notion of living untrammeled inspired the American Revolution and was enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

ersatz

adjective: not real or genuine; phony Synonyms : substitute The car dealer's ersatz laughter was immediately followed by a price quote, one that Shelley found highly inflated.

disingenuous

adjective: not straightforward; giving a false appearance of frankness Synonyms : artful Many adults think that they can lie to children, but kids are smart and know when people are disingenuous.

inchoate

adjective: only partly in existence; imperfectly formed Synonyms : incipient Inchoate ideas about the relation of humans to other animals had been discussed since the Middle Ages but the modern theory really began with Darwin.

phlegmatic

adjective: showing little emotion Synonyms : phlegmatical Arnold is truly noble, remaining reserved until an issue of significance arises, but Walter is simply phlegmatic: he doesn't have the energy or inclination to care about anything.

philistine

adjective: smug and ignorant towards artistic and cultural values Synonyms : anti-intellectual Jane considered Al completely philistine, because he talked almost exclusive about video games; she was entirely unaware of how well read he really was. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

besotted

adjective: strongly affectionate towards Even though her father did not approve, Juliet became besotted with the young Romeo. adjective: very drunk Synonyms : blind drunk , blotto , cockeyed , crocked , fuddled , loaded , pie-eyed , pissed , pixilated , plastered , slopped , sloshed , smashed , soaked , soused , sozzled , squiffy , stiff , tight , wet Never before have I seen my mom so besotted, and honestly, I hope it's the last time she drinks so much.

appurtenant

adjective: supply added support Synonyms : accessory , adjunct , adjuvant , ancillary , auxiliary In hiking Mt. Everest, sherpas are appurtenant, helping climbers both carry gear and navigate treacherous paths.

baleful

adjective: threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments Synonyms : forbidding , menacing , minacious , minatory , ominous , sinister , threatening Movies often use storms or rain clouds as a baleful omen of evil events that will soon befall the main character.

ineffable

adjective: too sacred to be uttered; defying expression or description Synonyms : unnameable , unspeakable , unutterable,indefinable , indescribable , unspeakable , untellable While art critics can occasionally pinpoint a work's greatness, much of why a piece captures our imaginations is completely ineffable.

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.

solicitude

noun: a feeling of excessive concern Synonyms : solicitousness I walked to his house in the rain to make sure he had enough to eat while he was sick, but he seemed not to appreciate my solicitude.

gambit

noun: a maneuver or risk in a game or conversation, designed to secure an advantage Synonyms : ploy , stratagem Randy played a gambit, telling his boss that he would leave at the end of the week if he didn't get a raise.

atavism

noun: a reappearance of an earlier characteristic; throwback Synonyms : reversion , throwback Much of the modern art movement was an atavism to a style of art found only in small villages through Africa and South America.

reprisal

noun: a retaliatory action against an enemy in wartime The Old Testament doctrine of an eye for an eye is not the kind of retaliation practiced in war; rather, an arm, a leg, and both ears are the reprisal for the smallest scratch.

apothegm

noun: a short, pithy instructive saying Synonyms : aphorism , apophthegm Winston Churchill is famous for many apothegms, but this might be his most famous: "It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried."

broadside

noun: a strong verbal attack Synonyms : bill , broadsheet , circular , flier , flyer , handbill , throwaway Political broadsides are usually strongest in the weeks leading up to a national election.

epigram

noun: a witty saying Synonyms : quip My favorite epigram from Mark Twain is "A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn no other way."

vitriol

noun: abusive or venomous language used to express blame or bitter deep-seated ill will Synonyms : invective , vituperation His vitriol spewed forth from a deep-seated racism that consumed his whole life.

empiricism

noun: any method that derives knowledge from experience, used in experimental science as a way to gain insight and knowledge Synonyms : empiricist philosophy , sensationalism Empiricism does not always lead to knowledge; an experience or experiment may raise more questions than it answers.

artifice

noun: cunning tricks used to deceive others Synonyms : ruse The mayoral candidates both spent much of the campaign accusing each other of artifices designed to mislead the voting public.

truculence

noun: defiant aggressiveness Synonyms : truculency When the boss confronted Aaron about his earlier remarks, Aaron responded with utter truculence, simply throwing a glass of water in the boss' face and walking away.

paragon

noun: model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal Synonyms : apotheosis , ideal , nonesuch , nonpareil , nonsuch , saint Even with the rise of Kobe Bryant, many still believe that Michael Jordon is the paragon for basketball players. noun: an ideal instance; a perfect embodiment of a concept Synonyms : beau ideal , idol , perfection Some say that Athens was the paragon of democracy, but these people often forget that slaves and women were still not allowed to vote.

chimera

noun: something desired or wished for but is only an illusion and impossible to achieve Many believe that a world free of war is a chimera—a dream that ignores humanity's violent tendencies.

anachronism

noun: something that is inappropriate for the given time period (usually something old). Synonyms : misdating , mistiming Dressed in 15th century clothing each day, Edward was a walking anachronism.

exemplar

noun: something to be imitated Synonyms : example , good example , model Lena's homework is on the wall because it is an exemplar of clean, neat, and thoughtful work.

chagrin

noun: strong feelings of embarrassment Synonyms : humiliation , mortification Much to the timid writer's chagrin, the audience chanted his name until he came back on the stage. verb: cause to feel shame; hurt the pride o Synonyms : abase , humble , humiliate , mortifyf She never cared what others said about her appearance but was chagrined by the smallest comment from her mother.

pith

noun: the most essential part of something Synonyms : center , centre , core , essence , gist , heart , heart and soul , inwardness , kernel , marrow , meat , nitty-gritty , nub , substance , sum When Cynthia hears a speaker presenting a complex argument, she is always able to discard the irrelevant details and extract the pith of what the speaker is trying to convey. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

rapprochement

noun: the reestablishing of cordial relations Synonyms : reconciliation Although Ann hoped that her mother and her aunt would have a rapprochement, each one's bitter accusations against the other made any reconciliation unlikely.

inanity

noun: total lack of meaning or ideas Synonyms : mindlessness , pointlessness , senselessness , vacuity Bill's poem was nothing more than a list of impressive sounding words, so there was no point in trying to take meaning from the inanity.

browbeat

verb: be bossy towards; discourage or frighten with threats or a domineering manner Synonyms : ballyrag , boss around , bully , bullyrag , hector , push around , strong-arm During the interrogation, the suspect was browbeaten into signing a false confession.

languish

verb: become feeble Synonyms : fade Stranded in the wilderness for four days, the hiker languished, eating protein bars and nuts.

deign

verb: do something that one considers to be below one's dignity Synonyms : condescend , descend The master of the house never deigned to answer questions from the servants.

bemoan

verb: express discontent or a strong regret Synonyms : bewail , deplore , lament While the CFO carefully explained all the reasons for the cuts in benefits, after the meeting employees bemoaned the cuts as further evidence that management was against them.

objurgate

verb: express strong disapproval of Synonyms : condemn , decry , excoriate , reprobate The manager spent an hour objurgating the employee in the hopes that he would not make these mistakes again.

brook

verb: put up with something or somebody unpleasant Synonyms : abide , bear , digest , endure , put up , stand , stick out , stomach , suffer , support , tolerate While she was at the chalkboard, the teacher did not brook any form of talking--even a tiny peep resulted in afternoon detention. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

bristle

verb: react in an offended or angry manner Synonyms : abound , burst As we discussed the painting, I noticed the artist's wife bristling at our criticisms, ready to defend her husband's work.

arrogate

verb: seize and control without authority Synonyms : assume , seize , take over , usurp Arriving at the small town, the outlaw arrogated the privileges of a lord, asking the frightened citizens to provide food, drink, and entertainment.

squelch

verb: suppress or crush completely Synonyms : quell , quench After the dictator consolidated his power, he took steps to squelch all criticism, often arresting any journalist who said anything that could be interpreted as negative about his regime.

recrudesce

verb: to break out or happen again Synonyms : break , develop, erupt After years of gamblers anonymous, Tony thought he'd broken his compulsive slot machine playing, but it took only one trip to the Atlantic City for a full recrudescence--he lost $5k on the one armed bandit.

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.