Studied by 11 people
Abundant
Present in large quantities
Ex. Living next to a lake means we have an abundant supply of water.
Accurate
Correct; free from errors
Ex. Make sure your address is accurate before submitting your online order.
Acquire
To come into possession of
Ex. When my grandfather died, I acquired his baseball card collection.
Adamant
Refusing to change an opinion
Ex. The defendant was adamant that he was innocent
Adequate
Enough to meet a specific task or purpose
Ex. Though his resume was adequate, the company doubted whether he’d be a good fit.
Adequate
Enough to suit your needs
Ex. Our house isn’t big, but it’s adequate for the two of us.
Adjacent
Close to or next to
Ex. The park is adjacent to the school
Adverse
Unfavorable; against one's desires
Ex. I had an adverse reaction to my medication and had to stop taking it.
Affable
Friendly, easy to talk to
Ex. As the most affable of the teachers, Mr. De Soto was the math teacher all the students wanted.
Ambiguous
Having several potential meanings; unclear and difficult to understand
Ex. When I asked HR what my chances were of getting the job, they gave me a very ambiguous reply.
Ambitious
Having a powerful desire for success or achievement
Ex. Kelsey is so ambitious she's settling for nothing less than the presidency.
Annihilate
To destroy or kill
Ex. The dictator sent orders to annihilate the group of rebels.
Antipathy
A strong feeling of dislike
Ex. Her antipathy toward the professor was obvious: she rolled her eyes whenever he entered the classroom.
Apparent
Readily seen or understood
Ex. Alexis said she was fine, but the tears in her eyes made it apparent she was lying.
Ascent
Upward movement; advancement
Ex. Ruthless and cunning, Mable refused to let anyone come in the way of her ascent to the country's highest political office.
Attribute
To give credit
Ex. Be sure to attribute credit to your sources when writing a research paper.
Arbitrary
Based on a whim or random decision
Ex. Flipping a coin is an arbitrary way to make a decision.
Arduous
Requiring a lot of effort
Ex. After you cross the bridge, there’s an arduous walk up the hill.
Benevolent
Kind, generous
Ex. Many cultures believe in benevolent spirits
Bias
A preconception that prevents objectivity
Ex. It’s important to avoid bias when investigating a crime.
Bolster
To support, strengthen, or fortify
Ex. If we work together, we should be able to lift and then bolster the couch.
Burgeoning
Growing quickly; flourishing
Ex. It didn't take long for my burgeoning cake business to have more customers than I could handle.
Bypass
To avoid
Ex. The longtime cab driver knew the exact backstreet to take in order to bypass the traffic pileup.
Candid
Direct, blunt
Ex. Josh is candid about his desire to become an actor.
Candor
The trait of being honest and frank
Ex. I admire her candor, especially when nobody else bothers to speak up.
Capitalize
To use to your advantage
Ex. I’d like to capitalize on your math skills by having you work the cash register.
Catalyst
Something that causes a change or new event
Ex. Everett's unfair conviction was the catalyst for his lifelong interest in justice and criminal reform.
Ceaseless
Unending, without pause
Ex. No matter where you were on the island, it was possible to hear the ceaseless sound of the sea.
Censure
To express strong disapproval
Ex. Every parent in our district censured the education cuts.
Clarify
To make clear or intelligible
Ex. Whenever I'm feeling overwhelmed, I try to take a walk to try to clarify my thoughts and decide what to do next.
Coincide
To happen at the same time
Ex. It wasn’t until after I booked my ticket that I realized the concert coincided with my finals.
Competent
Sufficiently qualified
Ex. We need to hire a competent web developer to create a good website for our company.
Complacent
Satisfied, with no desire to change or improve
Ex. Though he had never won any awards or even been published, he was complacent with his life as a poet.
Complement
To make perfect or complete
Ex. This wine perfectly complements this platter of gourmet cheese.
Conceal
To hide
Ex. Bram wore his hat low to conceal the scar on his face
Concur
To agree
Ex. Brian believes women should be paid as much as men, and I concur.
Condense
To reduce to a shorter form; to make more compact
Ex. Rhiannon's boss asked her to condense the 15-page report into a one-page memo.
Confine
To limit or restrict; to enclose within bounds
Ex. After breaking curfew for the third time, Tony's parents confined him to the house for a month.
Confluence
A coming together of people or things; a joining
Ex. The confluence of hot and cold air created a powerful thunderstorm.
Consecutively
One after another in uninterrupted succession
Ex. The robber was ordered to serve his two sentences consecutively, with the shorter sentence being served first.
Console
To give comfort; to lessen grief
Ex. Maggie always remembered that Sebastian was the first to console her after her dog died.
Contention
A dispute; opposition; rivalry
Ex. As they'd been enemies since childhood, Meena expected bitter contention from Jane when she voiced her opinion
Contours
Line or edge that defines the bounds of an object
Ex. The winding road followed the contours of the Vosges Mountains.
Contradict
To be in contrast with
Ex. The camera footage contradicts his alibi.
Controversial
Highly debatable and causing contention
Ex. Millions of viewers watched the controversial debate take place.
Conventional
Abiding by accepted standards
Ex. Ebba lives a conventional life in the suburbs.
Convey
To pass on or transfer (information)
Ex. I have trouble conveying my thoughts in French.
Copious
Abundant
Ex. Jiro always takes copious notes during history class.
Cordial
Friendly; courteous
Ex. Because she was the one to break their engagement, Anya was nervous about seeing Eric again, but he was nothing but cordial.
Crucial
Critical; extremely important
Ex. Once General Grant received crucial information about the position of enemy troops, he was able to plan his strategy.
Crude
Basic; unrefined
Ex. My own painting appeared crude and childlike compared to the prize winner's masterpiece.
Cumbersome
Unwieldy; burdensome
Ex. The bag of overstuffed pillows was light, but its cumbersome shape made it difficult to carry.
Deceive
To trick or deceive
Ex. My ex-boyfriend deceived me by pretending to be a millionaire.
Deference
Respect; regard
Ex. Her deference to the elderly makes her the perfect candidate for an internship at the retirement center.
Deficiency
A lack
Ex. Many sailors were stricken by scurvy until it was learned the disease was caused by a Vitamin C deficiency.
Depict
To represent
Ex. Mama was furious after the caricaturist depicted her with a unibrow and buck teeth.
Deplete
To overuse over time so that resources become scarce.
Ex. The lost campers quickly depleted their supply of food.
Desolate
Bare, empty
Ex. The moon is one giant, desolate landscape.
Derive
To deduce; to obtain from a source or origin
Ex. Many English words are derived from German
Devoid
Lacking
Ex. As he charged, the knight's face was devoid of any fear.
Dexterity
Skill in moving the hands or body; cleverness
Ex. The brain surgeon used great dexterity as she made the tiny incision.
Digress
To stray from the main topic
Ex. I don't mean to digress from your story, but have you seen this new YouTube video?
Diminish
To shrink or reduce
Ex. Sprinkle baking soda on the carpet to diminish red wine stains.
Discrepancy
An inconsistency or difference
Ex. A discrepancy in her tax returns caused Geraldine to receive half the refund she was owed
Dismantle
To take apart
Ex. To stem rampant corruption, the new CEO dismantled the entire C-suite and hired new managers.
Distinctive
Distinguishing
Ex. Aunt Lola's distinctive turquoise hair always makes her easy to find in a crowd.
Dominant
Ruling, controlling; being in a position of authority
Ex. The dominant male gorilla is the only one permitted to produce offspring.
Efficient
Maximizing productivity
Ex. Now that I’m following a schedule at work, I’m much more efficient.
Eliminate
To remove
Ex. Our team lost the match and was eliminated from the competition.
Eminent
Superior or distinguished; high in position or status
Ex. Our town made news when the eminent magician came to perform at our local theater.
Engrossed
To fully occupy the mind or attention
Ex. Lydia was so engrossed in her magazine that she missed her train stop.
Erode
To wear away (figuratively or literally)
Ex. The constant lies eroded my trust in James.
Estimate
An approximate value
Ex. Try to get an estimate of the number of people attending the concert.
Eternal
Without beginning or end
Ex. Many people who are afraid of dying have searched for the secret to eternal life.
Exemplify
To serve as a superior example of a thing
Ex. Mark Twain's writings exemplified the humorist style.
Expend
To use up (as in energy or money)
Ex. Be careful not to expend all your energy in the first half of a marathon.
Expedite
To speed the process
Ex. You'll need to expedite the shipping if you want the gift to arrive in time for your brother's birthday.
Expertise
Expert knowledge or skill in a particular skill
Ex. The doctor's expertise is in knee surgeries
Expose
To reveal or unmask
Ex. The emails sent to the journalist exposed the company's corruption
Extensive
Covering a large area; great in number
Ex. Ash bought the car for a great price, but its issues were extensive.
Fastidious
Hard to please; taking excessive care
Ex. Mrs. Pelton was fastidious and never had so much as a speck of dirt on her clothes
Flaw
An imperfection or defect
Ex. Alexei was devastated when she discovered an unsightly flaw in the diamond her fiance had given her.
Fluctuate
To be unstable; to rise and fall
Ex. Stocks can fluctuate on a daily basis, making it difficult to determine when to buy or sell one.
Frenetic
Frantic, frenzied
Ex. After three cups of coffee, Wally ran through the house, filled with frenetic energy.
Functional
Capable of working or operating
Ex. The television looked impressive, but it wouldn't be functional until Dad fixed the wiring problem
Grandeur
Being awesome or impressive
Ex. The Palace of Versailles was designed to show the grandeur of the French court.
Historic
Important in history
Ex. July 20, 1969, is a historic day: it's the first day men walked on the moon
Hitherto
Up until now
Ex. All attempts to lead into gold have hitherto been unsuccessful
Hostile
Harmful, dangerous
Ex. The voices around the corner sounded angry, hostile even.
Hypothetical
Supposed; related to a hypothesis
Ex. For my physics homework, I must come up with a hypothetical situation.
Indifferent
Apathetic, not caring
Ex. Anjuli's father was indifferent to her Tik Tok fame
Immense
Huge, vast
Ex. Alone in the immense forest, the hiker could see nothing but trees.
Imminent
About to happen
Ex. As the black clouds towered in the sky, Madeleine knew the storm was imminent.
Inconceivable
Unimaginable
Ex. Manuel found it inconceivable that Alfred Hitchcock never won a Best Director Oscar.
Informal
Casual, without ceremony
Ex. I wasn't expecting the party to be so informal and wished I'd worn sandals instead of heels.
Inhibit
To hinder or prohibit
Ex. Keeping the wound clean and covering it with a bandage will inhibit infection.
Innovative
New or different
Ex. The inventor's innovative designs for flying machines stunned his audience.
Intricate
Complex; having many interrelated parts
Ex. It takes Alma at least a week to complete each intricate weaving.
Jumbled
An unorganized mess; confused or muddled
Ex. The young boy searched for his homework among the jumbled clutter on his bedroom floor.
Languid
Slow; lacking energy
Ex. During the languid days of summer, there's nothing I like more than sitting on the porch with a glass of lemonade.
Note
Flashcard