Vocabulary Flashcards: Key Words and Definitions for Advanced English Learners

Expound

To explain something in detail.

Eschew

To deliberately avoid or stay away from something.

Repudiate

To reject or refuse to accept something.

Contentious

Causing or likely to cause arguments.

Malign

To speak badly about someone; harmful.

Engender

To cause or give rise to something.

Preempt

To act before someone else does; to prevent.

Thwart

To stop or prevent something from happening.

Abysmal

Extremely bad or terrible.

Coalesce

To come together or unite.

Sinuosity

Having many curves or turns.

Frugal

Careful with money; not wasteful.

Ephemeral

Lasting for a very short time.

Capacious

Very spacious; able to hold a lot.

Ameliorate

To make something better or improve it.

Eudaemonia (or Eudaimonia)

A Greek word meaning human flourishing or happiness through virtue.

Extol (not "extrolly")

To praise highly.

Benevolent

Kind, generous, and well-meaning.

Cursory

Quick and not detailed.

Unambiguous

Clear; not open to more than one interpretation.

Belie

to give a false impression of; to contradict

Engender

To cause or bring about.

Subsumes

To include or absorb something into a larger group or category.

Attenuates

reduce the force, effect, or value of.

Preempts

To act first to prevent something; to take action before someone else.

evince

To show clearly; to display evidence of

malign

To speak badly about someone; harmful or evil in nature.

paucity

A small or insufficient amount; scarcity.

Inertia

Lack of movement or energy; resistance to change.