HESI Vocab (Blue & Purple Stack)

Abrasive

adjective: irritating; rude/ unfriendly

example: Jim has an abrasive tone, but he's quite friendly once you get to know him.

Abstain

verb: to voluntarily refrain from something

example: The dentist told me to abstain from solid food after having my tooth pulled.

Accountable

adjective: answerable; responsible for one's actions

example: If you throw a party at my house you will be accountable for any damages to the property.

Acute

adjective: severe/intense; sharp

example: After surviving the car crash the driver was in acute need of medical attention.

Adhere

verb: to hold fast/ stick together

example: If you want to play the game, you have to adhere to the rules.

Adjacent

adjective: close to; nearby

example: The uncontrollable blaze posed a danger to the adjacent buildings.

Adverse

adjective: undesired, possibly harmful

example: The event was canceled due to adverse weather conditions.

Alleviate

verb: to make less severe; to relieve

example: Alex ate an apple to alleviaate his hunger.

Ambiguous

adjective: of uncertain meaning; having more than one possible interpretation

example: The novels ending was left ambiguous, allowing readers to decide what happened.

Ambulate

verb: to walk

example: Fred was able to ambulate fairly well, but he had trouble going up and down the stairs.

Analogous

adjective: comparable; similar (think like an analogy)

example: The abacus is an ancient counting device that's analogus to our modern day calculator.

Anemic

adjective: weak; lifeless

example: The comedian was discouraged by the anemic response to his jokes.

Anomaly

noun: something abnormal/unusual

example: Beverly's failing grade was an anomaly; she's always been an excellent student.

Apathy

noun: lack of concern/ interest

example: Ever since Tim lost his job, his apathy toward finding a new one has increased

Articulate

verb: to speak clearly; to put into words

example: Rob was too angry to articulate his thoughts without shouting.

Assert

verb: to state something strongly

example: You shouldn't assert an opinion without backing it up with facts.

Atrophy

verb: to gradually weaken due to lack of use or neglect

example: The longer they were apart, the more their feelings for each other began to atrophy.

Audible

adjective: able to be heard

example: I could see her lips move but her voice wasn't audible.

Benevolent

adjective: kind hearted; generous

example: The benevolent king was slow to anger and quick to forgive.

Benign

adjective: harmless; gentle

example: The wise old philosopher had a kind face and a benign smile.

Bilateral

adjective: present on two sides

example: the bilateral peace treaty states both countries must withdraw their troops from the region.

Bore

verb: to make a hole by drilling or digging

(think burr holes when they drill in the brain)

example: The miners spent several weeks trying to bore through the mountain.

Cavity

noun: an opening or an empty area

example: The bluebird nested in a small cavity in the old willow tree.

Cerebral

adjective: intelligent; relating to the brain or mind

example: Instead of playing sports Deborah enjoyed more cerebral games like chess.

Chronic

adjective: lasting/ recurring over a long period of time

example: Fred covers his desk with sticky notes to remedy his chronic forgetfulness

Coherent

adjective: easy to understand; reasonable

example: The author's coherent writing style made the complicated subjects easy to understand.

Compensate

verb: to make up for a fault or deficiency; to pay for something

example: James work ethic and positive attitude helped compensate for his lack of experience.

Comprehend

verb: to understand

example: I can't comprehend how you're always late for class when you only live two blocks away

Concave

adjective: rounded inward

example: The concave roof was designed to collect rainwater for thirsty crops.

Concise

adjective: Brief/ to the point

example: We didn't understand why Sam wanted to quit the team, so he gave us a clear and concise explanation.

Congenital

adjective: making up an essential part of a person's character/ natural

example: Emily was very generous and well known for her congenital kindness.

Conspicuous

adjective: obvious/ very noticeable

example: Henry looked very conspicuous when he arrived at the picnic wearing a tuxedo

Constricted

adjective: limited/ reduced

example: Dawn moved away from home cause she felt constricted by her parents rules.

Contingent

adjective: dependent

example: Marias willingness to sell me her car was contingent on my ability to pay for it.

Copious

adjective: in great amount or number; Heavy

example: The tropical storm produced copious amounts of rain.

Cursory

adjective: quick, perfunctory, not thorough

example: Lisa gave the menu a cusory glance before ordering her usual breakfast.

Debacle

noun: total failure; disaster

example: The concert turned into a debacle when the singer forgot the words to his songs.

Deficit

noun: a deficiency or lack of something

example: The new uniforms cost more than expected, so the team had a funsraiser to cover the deficit.

Depleted

adjective: reduced/ weakened/ worn out

example: German fighting forces were depleted after their defeat at Stalingrad.

Deteriorate

verb: to decline or worsen

example: What started out as a friendly debate would soon deteriorate into an angry shouting match.

Diffuse

adjective: spread over a large area; generalized

example: The setting sun produced a diffuse red glow along the horizon.

Dilute

verb: to weaken or lessen

example: Printing too much money will dilute the value of our currency.

Discrete

adjective: distinct, seperate

example: Jack and Kevin are identical twins, but they have discrete personalities.

Distend

verb: to enlarge or expand (think of a distended stomach)

example: The new spending bill will only distend the city's already bloated budget.

Docile

adjective: easily controlled; agreeable

example: Some students objected to the new dress code, but most were docile and quick to comply.

Dormant

adjective: inactive; sleeping

example: People who live near the dormant volcano are afraid it might become active again.

Elicit

verb: to cause a reaction; to draw out a response or emotion from someone

example: The photographer made funny faces to elicit a smile from the grumpy child

Emit

verb: to make a sound; to release something in the air

example: My dog began to emit whining noises as the storm grew louder.

Enhance

verb: to increase or improve

example: Randall reads a lot of books to enhance his knowledge of history.

Equilibrium

noun: a state of balance

example: To have a successful career, one must find a happy equilibrium between work and family life.

Evasive

adjective: seeking to avoid or escape a situation

example: Marilyn was evasive about why she was late for work.

Evolve

verb: to develop gradually

example: New communication technology has caused businesses to evolve over the past several years.