Comprehensive Vocabulary Master List

This set of flashcards covers a rigorous list of vocabulary words ranging from academic adjectives and descriptive nouns to rhetorical devices and types of human character characters, as found in the lecture notes.

Ambivalent

Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.

Anomaly

Something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.

Atypical

Not representative of a type, group, or class.

Sardonic

Grimly mocking or cynical.

Dearth

A scarcity or lack of something.

Paucity

The presence of something only in small or insufficient quantities.

Prattle

To talk at length in a foolish or inconsequential way.

Wry

Using or expressing dry, especially mocking, humor.

Unorthodox

Contrary to what is usual, traditional, or accepted.

Meticulous

Showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise.

Audacious

Showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks.

Apathetic

Showing or feeling no interest, enthusiasm, or concern.

Diffident

Modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence.

Pragmatic

Dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical considerations.

Recalcitrant

Having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline.

Obdurate

Stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or course of action.

Bane

A cause of great distress or annoyance.

Clandestine

Kept secret or done secretively, especially because illicit.

Surreptitious

Kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of.

Gregarious

Fond of company; sociable.

Prodigious

Remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree.

Censure

The expression of formal disapproval.

Mitigate

Make less severe, serious, or painful.

Alleviate

Make (suffering, deficiency, or a problem) less severe.

Antithesis

A person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else.

Hackneyed

Lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal and trite.

Prudent

Acting with or showing care and thought for the future.

Inscrutable

Impossible to understand or interpret.

Acquiesce

Accept something reluctantly but without protest.

Endemic

Regularly found among particular people or in a certain area.

Ubiquitous

Present, appearing, or found everywhere.

Fortitude

Courage in pain or adversity.

Exhort

Strongly encourage or urge someone to do something.

Tenacious

Tending to keep a firm hold of something; clinging or adhering closely.

Ephemeral

Lasting for a very short time.

Capricious

Given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior.

Adroit

Clever or skillful in using the hands or mind.

Incontrovertible

Not able to be denied or disputed.

Voracious

Wanting or devouring great quantities of food or information.

Intrepid

Fearless; adventurous.

Bucolic

Relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life.

Equanimity

Mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.

Feasible

Possible to do easily or conveniently.

Laud

Praise highly, especially in a public context.

Disparity

A great difference.

Innocuous

Not harmful or offensive.

Diatribe

A forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something.

Iconoclast

A person who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions.

Dilettante

A person who cultivates an area of interest, such as the arts, without real commitment or knowledge.

Demagogue

A political leader who seeks support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people rather than by using rational argument.

Neophyte

A person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief.

Misanthrope

A person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society.

Sycophant

A person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage.

Draconian

Excessively harsh and severe.

Laconic

Using very few words.

Quixotic

Exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical.

Bowdlerize

Remove material that is considered improper or offensive from a text or account, especially with the result that it becomes weaker or less effective.

Nadir

The lowest point in the fortunes of a person or organization.

Repudiate

Refuse to accept or be associated with.

Deleterious

Causing harm or damage.

Debunk

Expose the falseness or hollowness of a myth, idea, or belief.

Circumspect

Wary and unwilling to take risks.

Magnanimous

Generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or less powerful person.

Mellifluous

Sweet or musical; pleasant to hear.

Avarice

Extreme greed for wealth or material gain.

Plethora

A large or excessive amount of (something).

Munificent

Larger or more generous than is usual or necessary.

Parsimonious

Unwilling to spend money; stingy or frugal.

Ameliorate

Make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better.

Exculpate

Show or declare that someone is not guilty of wrongdoing.

Malfeasance

Wrongdoing, especially by a public official.

Quiescent

In a state or period of inactivity or dormancy.

Profligate

Recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources.

Epiphany

A moment of sudden and striking realization or revelation.

Harbinger

A person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another.

Portent

A sign or warning that something, especially something momentous or calamitous, is likely to happen.

Obsequious

Obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree.

Idyllic

Like an idyll; extremely happy, peaceful, or picturesque.

Extemporize

Compose, perform, or produce something such as music or a speech without preparation; improvise.

Myriad

A countless or extremely great number.

Inundated

Overwhelmed with things or people to be dealt with.

Effusive

Expressing feelings of gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner.

Obfuscate

Render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible.

Ineffable

Too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words.

Eschew

Deliberately avoid using; abstain from.

Perspicacious

Having a ready insight into and understanding of things.

Esoteric

Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest.

Taciturn

Reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little.

Fecund

Producing or capable of producing an abundance of offspring or new growth; fertile.

Pernicious

Having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.

Garrulous

Excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters.

Loquacious

Tending to talk a great deal; talkative.

Venerate

Regard with great respect; revere.

Disingenuous

Not candid or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one really does.

Compunction

A feeling of guilt or moral scruple that prevents or follows the doing of something bad.