Comprehensive Vocabulary: Chapters 1–14

199 vocabulary flashcards covering every key term from Chapters 1–14.

Engender

To cause or give rise to a feeling, situation, or condition.

Precipitate

To suddenly and unexpectedly cause something to happen.

Mitigate

To make less severe, serious, or painful; relieve.

Accentuate

To focus attention by making something more noticeable.

Pervasive

Prevalent and widespread; frequently occurring.

Palpable

A visible object or style that can be seen and is easily recognized.

Imposing

Very impressive in size and appearance; massive.

Nebulous

Vague; not clearly or sharply defined.

Paucity

Shortage; scarcity; dearth.

Extrapolate

To predict future outcomes by extending known facts.

Adept

Very skilled and proficient at something.

Conjecture

A hypothesis formed from incomplete evidence; speculation.

Interdependent

Mutual dependence of two or more people or natural forces on each other.

Superfluous

More than enough; unnecessary.

Permeate

To be pressed or spread throughout something.

Buttress

To provide support; bolster.

Discerning

Having the ability to recognize, perceive, and understand things, people, or situations.

Conventional

Normal and ordinary; following accepted standards and lacking novelty.

Rectify

To correct an error; make things right.

Prevail

To gain an advantage and become successful.

Unequivocal

Leaving no doubt; certain.

Equivocal

Using noncommittal language to avoid taking a position.

Spurious

Fake or false; fraudulent.

Tenuous

Weak and uncertain; impermanent.

Oddity

An unusual natural phenomenon or personality trait.

Ambiguous

Unclear and confusing.

Confounded

Totally confused; puzzled.

Misconstrue

To interpret wrongly; misunderstand.

Repudiate

To reject; disown; recant.

Meticulous

Extremely precise and careful; exacting.

Extraneous

Irrelevant.

Contentious

Argumentative; controversial.

Sanguine

Confidently optimistic and cheerful.

Preclude

To prevent from happening; make impossible.

Corroborate

To confirm by giving support to a hypothesis, claim, or statement; validate.

Assuage

To soothe, calm, and make less painful.

Solidify

To make solid and enduring.

Notional

Existing only in theory or as a suggestion.

Stymie

To prevent or block.

Eclipse

To overshadow.

Satiated

Fully satisfied.

Outmoded

Old-fashioned; out of date.

Acclaim

To applaud with enthusiastic approval; commend.

Divergent

Tending to be different; moving along different paths.

Collaborate

To work together on a project.

Vindicate

To be shown or proven to be right.

Induce

To persuade or influence someone to do something.

Register

To reflect, express, or display shifts in cultural norms and values.

Evince

To reveal or show one’s feelings.

Augment

To increase; make something greater.

Eccentric

A person characterized by unusual behavior.

Exorbitant

Excessively expensive.

Recalcitrant

Stubborn and uncooperative.

Resilient

Able to bounce back from adversity.

Resurgent

Surging back to prominence; rising again.

Magnitude

The great size or extent of something.

Magnanimous

Characterized by great generosity and a spirit of forgiveness.

Subvert

To destroy or damage something, especially an established political system.

Subordinant

Lower in rank or position.

Despondent

Feeling deep sadness, discouragement, and depression.

Detractor

Someone who criticizes a person, idea, or practice.

Defunct

No longer existing or functioning.

Denounce

To publicly condemn a person or practice.

Ambivalent

Having simultaneous conflicting feelings or ideas.

Counterintuitive

Contrary to intuition or common sense.

Atypical

Not typical and therefore unusual.

Amorphous

Lacking shape and form.

Inextricable

Impossible to disentangle, separate, or escape from.

Invaluable

Extremely useful; of great worth.

Indomitable

Impossible to defeat; unconquerable.

Incongruous

Incompatible; out of place and therefore doesn’t fit.

Inconsequential

Insignificant; unimportant; trivial.

Insurmountable

An obstacle or problem too great to overcome.

Intangible

Unable to be touched or grasped.

Unconventional

Deviating from normal standards of behavior.

Unpretentious

Modest, shy, and reserved; unassuming.

Unattainable

That which cannot be reached or achieved.

Unclassifiable

Not able to be assigned to a particular class or category.

Irrefutable

Impossible to deny or disprove; indisputable.

Irresolvable

Impossible to answer or settle.

Demarcate

To set apart by drawing distinctive boundaries.

Orthodox

Approved beliefs that are rigorously accepted and enforced.

Sway

To persuade or influence someone to follow a course of action.

Universal

Present or occurring everywhere.

Pragmatic

Practical, realistic, and sensible.

Chaotic

Characterized by great confusion and disorder.

Ameliorate

To make better; reform.

Vehement

Passionate; very intense.

Forestall

To prevent an anticipated event from occurring.

Affecting

Touching the emotions; moving.

Circumvent

To cleverly go around or bypass a rule; evade.

Unscrupulous

Corrupt, immoral, and dishonest.

Precursor

A person, idea, or business that precedes; a forerunner.

Disparity

A difference in level or treatment.

Prolific

Productive; plentiful; abundant; copious.

Unyielding

Unbending and inflexible.

Ubiquitous

Present everywhere; pervasive.

Outpouring

A sudden and rapid flourishing of something.

Provocative

Causing a strong reaction, often annoyance or anger.

Abrupt

Sudden and unexpected.