Flashcards Vocabulary
florid
The editorial’s florid language distracted from its main point.
overly fancy
(FLOW rid) adj.
The results of the experiment substantiated the scientist’s theoretical claim.
to support w/proof
(sub STAN she ate) v.
substantiate
The questionable tactics of the campaign included surreptitious recording of opponents’ conversations.
done secretively
(sir up TISH us) adj.
surreptitious
surreptitious substantiate
florid
The reporter’s accusations were proved false by evidence that vindicated the administrator.
to free from blame
(VIN dih kate) v.
vindicate
vindicate
(CAT uh list) n.
cause of an event The tragedy served as a catalyst for the prevention of similar such events in the future.
agreement
There was a consensus among students about the need for increased recess time.
consensus
(cun SENSE us) n.
catalyst catalyst
Only the heartiest of vegetation could grow in such an arid environment.
very dry
(AIR rid) adj.
arid
arid
consensus
Dexter’s game-winning homerun earned him great adulation from his teammates.
excessive praise
(add joo LAY shun) n.
adulation
adulation
dubious dubious
(DOO be us) adj.
doubtful Her claims that she had once visited the moon were highly dubious.
epilogue
(EP ill log) n.
story conclusion
After the main action of the play had concluded, an actor delivered a brief epilogue summarizing in verse form the moral of the story.
His speech about teamwork digressed into reminiscences from his youth.
to wander off-topic
(die GRESS) v.
digress
digress
epilogue
What some countries consider appropriate behavior may not be regarded as decorous in others
acceptable, proper
(DECK or us) adj.
decorous
decorous
(KWARE a luss) adj.
complaining No amount of satisfaction could silence his querulous comments.
temporary
The shooting star appeared as a transient flash in the night sky.
transient
(TRAN zee yint) adj.
querulous querulous
Eating and sleeping are key elements of a hedonistic lifestyle
devoted to pleasure
(he done NIS stick) adj.
hedonistic
hedonistic
transient
Tina’s behavior was exemplary in its show of fair treatment of others.
worthy of imitation
(ig ZEMP lur ree) adj.
exemplary
exemplary
(OPP you lents) n.
wealth, abundance Louis XIV’s palace at Versailles was the very definition of opulence.
harsh, sharp
Wilma’s caustic comments caused Fred to reconsider his recent actions.
caustic
(CAUSE stick) adj.
opulence opulence
The revolutionaries stormed the castle and supplanted the tyrant.
to replace
(suh PLANT) v.
supplant
supplant
caustic
The hermit’s reticent behavior distanced her from the friendship of others.
keeping to oneself
(RET is sent) adj.
reticent
reticent
diffident diffident
(DIFF id dent) adj.
hesitant, shy The friendly senior made the diffident freshman feel welcome.
augment
(ogg MENT) v.
to increase
Clarence purchased more hotels to augment his dominance of the Monopoly game.
Florida is an example of a peninsula.
land surrounded by water on three sides
(puh NIN syoo lah) n.
peninsula
peninsula
augment
The favorable public opinion poll buttressed the legislator’s confidence in his stance.
to support
(BUTT tress) v.
buttress
buttress
(us TOOT) adj.
clever Denise was one of the most astute debaters on the team.
dull
Despite a lively opening, the rest of the story was told in a prosaic style that caused readers to lose interest.
prosaic
(pro ZAY ick) adj.
astute astute
As inflation was reduced sharply, the strength of the nation’s currency burgeoned dramatically.
to grow, flourish
(BURR jun) v.
burgeon
burgeon
prosaic
Her shyness was one of the insular traits she had inherited from her father.
isolated
(IN sya lure) adj.
insular
insular
(bee RATE) v.
to scold The boss berated Hector for his failure to obey company policy.
recklessly bold
The daredevil skier’s audacious aerial maneuver stunned the crowd.
audacious
(aw DAY shus) adj.
berate berate
The student’s assiduous preparation for the exam paid off.
persistent, diligent
(us SID you iss) adj.
assiduous
assiduous
audacious
Franklin didn’t like the look of the ominous thunderclouds.
threatening
(OM in us) adj.
ominous
ominous
(TRIV ee yul) adj.
insignificant Temperature increases that may appear trivial could indicate momentous trends in global warming.
friendly
Stanley could always be counted on for a warm hug and an amicable smile.
amicable
(AM ick a bull) adj.
trivial trivial
Melanie’s random decision not to show up was consistent with her capricious disregard for the feelings of others.
impulsive
(cuh PRISH us) adj.
capricious
capricious
amicable
Todd’s facts were correct, but the way he combined them demonstrated specious reasoning.
false
(SPEE shus) adj.
specious
specious
(em BELL lish) v.
to decorate The exterior of the house was embellished with holiday festooning.
differing
The two educators expressed divergent views on how best to improve the school.
divergent
(die VERGE ent) adj.
embellish embellish
Disaster relief funding mitigated the town’s losses from the hurricane.
to moderate
(MIT a gate) v.
mitigate
mitigate
divergent
Shirley was ambivalent about whether to get vanilla or chocolate ice cream.
unable to decide
(am BIV a lent) adj.
ambivalent
ambivalent
(de TRACT) v.
to take away Kenneth’s sorrow at losing detracted from Shelly’s joy at winning.
to praise
The food critic extolled the chef’s dessert-making abilities
extol
(ex TOLL) v.
detract detract
The book report was a superficial work that did not delve into the novel’s deeper themes.
on the surface
(sue per FISH ul) adj.
superficial
superficial
extol
The need to come to a decision forced an end to the two parties’ dilatory squabbling.
intended to delay
(DILL a tore ee) adj.
dilatory
dilatory
(ton NAY shus) adj.
holding firmly Her tenacious intellect served her well in grasping the truth.
convincing
The horrors of war present a cogent argument for the need to maintain peace.
cogent
(CO gent) adj.
tenacious tenacious
The explorer was greeted by a cordial reception upon his long-awaited return.
warm, sincere
(CORE jull) adj.
cordial
cordial
cogent
Her impetuous nature made her an ideal team captain.
passionate
(im PET you us) adj.
impetuous
impetuous
(a DEPT) adj.
very skilled Valerie was the most adept helicopter pilot the world had ever known.
a crafty scheme
Burglary and wiretapping were just a few of the machinations involved in the Watergate Scandal.
machination
(mack a NAY shun) n.
adept adept
The circuitous route into town took longer but was more scenic.
roundabout
(sir CUE it us) adj.
circuitous
circuitous
machination
By the end of the movie, the audience was tired of the child’s cloying antics.
overly sweet
(CLOY ying) adj.
cloying
cloying
The editorial’s florid language distracted from its main point.
overly fancy
(FLOW rid) adj.
The results of the experiment substantiated the scientist’s theoretical claim.
to support w/proof
(sub STAN she ate) v.
substantiate
The questionable tactics of the campaign included surreptitious recording of opponents’ conversations.
done secretively
(sir up TISH us) adj.
surreptitious
surreptitious substantiate
florid
The reporter’s accusations were proved false by evidence that vindicated the administrator.
to free from blame
(VIN dih kate) v.
vindicate
vindicate
(CAT uh list) n.
cause of an event The tragedy served as a catalyst for the prevention of similar such events in the future.
agreement
There was a consensus among students about the need for increased recess time.
consensus
(cun SENSE us) n.
catalyst catalyst
Only the heartiest of vegetation could grow in such an arid environment.
very dry
(AIR rid) adj.
arid
arid
consensus
Dexter’s game-winning homerun earned him great adulation from his teammates.
excessive praise
(add joo LAY shun) n.
adulation
adulation
dubious dubious
(DOO be us) adj.
doubtful Her claims that she had once visited the moon were highly dubious.
epilogue
(EP ill log) n.
story conclusion
After the main action of the play had concluded, an actor delivered a brief epilogue summarizing in verse form the moral of the story.
His speech about teamwork digressed into reminiscences from his youth.
to wander off-topic
(die GRESS) v.
digress
digress
epilogue
What some countries consider appropriate behavior may not be regarded as decorous in others
acceptable, proper
(DECK or us) adj.
decorous
decorous
(KWARE a luss) adj.
complaining No amount of satisfaction could silence his querulous comments.
temporary
The shooting star appeared as a transient flash in the night sky.
transient
(TRAN zee yint) adj.
querulous querulous
Eating and sleeping are key elements of a hedonistic lifestyle
devoted to pleasure
(he done NIS stick) adj.
hedonistic
hedonistic
transient
Tina’s behavior was exemplary in its show of fair treatment of others.
worthy of imitation
(ig ZEMP lur ree) adj.
exemplary
exemplary
(OPP you lents) n.
wealth, abundance Louis XIV’s palace at Versailles was the very definition of opulence.
harsh, sharp
Wilma’s caustic comments caused Fred to reconsider his recent actions.
caustic
(CAUSE stick) adj.
opulence opulence
The revolutionaries stormed the castle and supplanted the tyrant.
to replace
(suh PLANT) v.
supplant
supplant
caustic
The hermit’s reticent behavior distanced her from the friendship of others.
keeping to oneself
(RET is sent) adj.
reticent
reticent
diffident diffident
(DIFF id dent) adj.
hesitant, shy The friendly senior made the diffident freshman feel welcome.
augment
(ogg MENT) v.
to increase
Clarence purchased more hotels to augment his dominance of the Monopoly game.
Florida is an example of a peninsula.
land surrounded by water on three sides
(puh NIN syoo lah) n.
peninsula
peninsula
augment
The favorable public opinion poll buttressed the legislator’s confidence in his stance.
to support
(BUTT tress) v.
buttress
buttress
(us TOOT) adj.
clever Denise was one of the most astute debaters on the team.
dull
Despite a lively opening, the rest of the story was told in a prosaic style that caused readers to lose interest.
prosaic
(pro ZAY ick) adj.
astute astute
As inflation was reduced sharply, the strength of the nation’s currency burgeoned dramatically.
to grow, flourish
(BURR jun) v.
burgeon
burgeon
prosaic
Her shyness was one of the insular traits she had inherited from her father.
isolated
(IN sya lure) adj.
insular
insular
(bee RATE) v.
to scold The boss berated Hector for his failure to obey company policy.
recklessly bold
The daredevil skier’s audacious aerial maneuver stunned the crowd.
audacious
(aw DAY shus) adj.
berate berate
The student’s assiduous preparation for the exam paid off.
persistent, diligent
(us SID you iss) adj.
assiduous
assiduous
audacious
Franklin didn’t like the look of the ominous thunderclouds.
threatening
(OM in us) adj.
ominous
ominous
(TRIV ee yul) adj.
insignificant Temperature increases that may appear trivial could indicate momentous trends in global warming.
friendly
Stanley could always be counted on for a warm hug and an amicable smile.
amicable
(AM ick a bull) adj.
trivial trivial
Melanie’s random decision not to show up was consistent with her capricious disregard for the feelings of others.
impulsive
(cuh PRISH us) adj.
capricious
capricious
amicable
Todd’s facts were correct, but the way he combined them demonstrated specious reasoning.
false
(SPEE shus) adj.
specious
specious
(em BELL lish) v.
to decorate The exterior of the house was embellished with holiday festooning.
differing
The two educators expressed divergent views on how best to improve the school.
divergent
(die VERGE ent) adj.
embellish embellish
Disaster relief funding mitigated the town’s losses from the hurricane.
to moderate
(MIT a gate) v.
mitigate
mitigate
divergent
Shirley was ambivalent about whether to get vanilla or chocolate ice cream.
unable to decide
(am BIV a lent) adj.
ambivalent
ambivalent
(de TRACT) v.
to take away Kenneth’s sorrow at losing detracted from Shelly’s joy at winning.
to praise
The food critic extolled the chef’s dessert-making abilities
extol
(ex TOLL) v.
detract detract
The book report was a superficial work that did not delve into the novel’s deeper themes.
on the surface
(sue per FISH ul) adj.
superficial
superficial
extol
The need to come to a decision forced an end to the two parties’ dilatory squabbling.
intended to delay
(DILL a tore ee) adj.
dilatory
dilatory
(ton NAY shus) adj.
holding firmly Her tenacious intellect served her well in grasping the truth.
convincing
The horrors of war present a cogent argument for the need to maintain peace.
cogent
(CO gent) adj.
tenacious tenacious
The explorer was greeted by a cordial reception upon his long-awaited return.
warm, sincere
(CORE jull) adj.
cordial
cordial
cogent
Her impetuous nature made her an ideal team captain.
passionate
(im PET you us) adj.
impetuous
impetuous
(a DEPT) adj.
very skilled Valerie was the most adept helicopter pilot the world had ever known.
a crafty scheme
Burglary and wiretapping were just a few of the machinations involved in the Watergate Scandal.
machination
(mack a NAY shun) n.
adept adept
The circuitous route into town took longer but was more scenic.
roundabout
(sir CUE it us) adj.
circuitous
circuitous
machination
By the end of the movie, the audience was tired of the child’s cloying antics.
overly sweet
(CLOY ying) adj.
cloying
cloying
