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vocabulary
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Abate | to become less intense or less in amount |
Abysmal | extremely bad |
Acquisition | the act of gaining a skill or possession of something |
Adept | having knowledge or skill in something |
Agitate | to promote something |
Ambiguous | unclear or vague in meaning |
Ambivalence | the state of being uncertain or stuck between two or more options |
Analogous | adj. similar but not identical |
Annihilate | v. to destroy or cause devastating destruction |
Anomaly | n. something different from the norm |
Antipathy | n. a strong feeling of dislike |
Apex | n. the highest point of something |
Apprehension | n. fearful expectation of something |
Austere | adj. extremely plain adj. stern and forbidding adj. relating to self-denial |
Avenue | n. an intangible path or approach to something |
Avid | adj. actively interested in or enthusiastic about something |
Benevolent | adj. kind, generous |
Bittersweet | adj. tinged with a feeling of sadness |
Bolster | v. to support, strengthen, or fortify |
Brevity | n. the quality of being brief or terse |
Candid | adj. direct, blunt |
Candor | n. the trait of being honest and frank |
Capitalize | v. to use to your advantage |
Civic | adj. relating to the city or citizens |
Clinical | adj. emotionally unattached |
Coarse | adj. lacking refinement or sophistication |
Coincide | v. to happen at the same time |
Competent | adj. sufficiently qualified |
Complacent | adj. satisfied, with no desire to change or improve |
Complement | v. to make perfect or complete |
Contend | v. to maintain or assert (an opinion) |
Conventional | adj. abiding by accepted standards |
Conviction | n. a firm belief in something |
Culmination | n. the final act or climax |
Cultivate | v. to foster the growth of |
Decree | v. to declare formally and with authority |
Deference | n. respect; regard |
Demur | v. to object to |
Deplete | v. to (over)use over time (usu. resources) |
Devise | v. to come up with (a plan) |
Diligence | n. conscientiousness; the quality of being committed to a task |
Dire | adj. hopeless and dangerous or fearful |
Discord | n. disagreement |
Disdain | n. a lack of respect and strong dislike (toward something or someone) |
Dismay | n. hopelessness, stress, or consternation |
Disparage | v. to belittle or speak down to |
Dispatch | v. to send off a message or messenger |
Dreary | adj. sad, gloomy, dull |
Dubious | adj. doubtful, questionable |
Eccentric | adj. peculiar or odd; deviating from the norm |
Egregious | adj. extremely bad |
Eloquent | adj. having refined or expressive communication skills (in speaking or writing) |
Eminent | adj. superior or distinguished; high in position or status |
Emphatic | adj. very expressive; using emphasis |
Empirical | adj. derived from experience, observation, or an experiment |
Endow | v. to equip or bestow (usu. a quality or ability) |
Endure | v. to withstand, sustain, or hold out against |
Entail | v. to involve or include |
Entrenched | adj. firmly established |
Enumerate | v. to specify or count |
Erratic | adj. having no fixed course; deviating from the norm |
Exert | v. to put into use (usu. as effort) |
Exhilarating | adj. invigorating, stimulating, or exciting |
Exploit | v. to use selfishly or for profit |
Ferocity | n. viciousness, violence |
Fiscal | adj. related to (government) money |
Flourish | v. to prosper, grow, or make fast progress |
Fluctuate | v. to be unstable; to rise and fall |
Foment | v. to stir up |
Freewheeling | adj. carefree |
Galvanizing | adj. thrilling, exciting, stimulating |
Geriatric | adj. relating to old age |
Hostile | adj. harmful, dangerous |
Ignominious | adj. publicly shameful or humiliating |
Impart | v. to transmit, bestow, or disclose |
Imposition | n. an unnecessary burden |
Incite | v. to encourage or stir up |
Indifference | n. apathy, emotional detachment |
Indiscriminately | adv. randomly; with little or no distinction |
Insatiable | adj. can’t be satisfied |
Inversion | n. a reversal |
Irreconcilable | adj. incapable of being in harmony or agreed upon |
Lament | v. to feel sorrow for; to mourn |
Lucrative | adj. capable of making a lot of money; profitable |
Malicious | adj. harmful, spiteful |
Obsolete | adj. no longer used; rare or uncommon |
Omnipotent | adj. almighty and all powerful |
Onset | n. the beginning or early stages |
Opine | v. to openly express an opinion |
Ornate | adj. highly detailed and decorated |
Oust | v. to remove or force out of (usu. a position or office) |
Paramount | adj. predominant, superior, most important |
Peculiar | adj. strange, bizarre |
Persecute | v. to cause suffering to |
Petulant | adj. cranky, pouty, irritable |
Pitiable | adj. deserving pity |
Plausible | adj. reasonable and possibly true |
Postulate | v. to assert |
Potent | adj. having great influence adj. having a strong, chemical effect |
Pragmatic | adj. practical, useful |
Precedent | n. an example or subject from earlier in time |
Promulgate | v. to put into law or formally declare |
Prosecute | v. to bring criminal action against someone (in a trial) |
Ramify | v. to split into two or more branches |
Rash | adj. without attention to danger or risk |
Refute | v. to prove to be untrue, unfounded, or incorrect |
Reluctantly | adv. somewhat unwillingly |
Reproach | v. to criticize |
Repudiate | v. to refuse to recognize as true |
Retention | n. the act of keeping something |
Satiated | adj. satisfied (usu. in hunger) |
Savvy | adj. having practical intelligence or knowledge |
Scandalous | adj. morally offensive, often causing damage to one’s reputation |
Scrupulous | adj. paying great attention to detail |
Scrutinize | v. to examine carefully and critically |
Sentiment | n. opinion n. a tender or moving gesture |
Sheer | adj. so thin that light can shine through |
Stark | adj. very plain; devoid of any details or features |
Surly | adj. unfriendly; inclined to anger |
Surmount | v. to get on top of or overcome |
Susceptible | adj. to be vulnerable (to something) |
Tactful | adj. skilled at dealing with people |
Taut | adj. pulled tight |
Teeming | adj. abundantly filled (usu. with living organisms) |
Tentative | adj. not yet finalized |
Treacherous | adj. dangerous and unstable |
Ubiquitous | adj. being everywhere at once |
Unadorned | adj. undecorated, plain |
Undermine | v. to weaken or subvert (usu. gradually or secretly) |
Underscore | v. to emphasize or give additional weight to |
Undulate | v. to move as ripples or in a wavy pattern |
Unilateral | adj. one-sided |
Unmitigated | adj. downright, utter, total |
Warrant | v. to prove to be reasonable |