Magoosh Common Words IV

aberrant

adj: markedly different from an accepted norm

abstruse

adj: difficult to understand; incomprehensible

acerbic

adj: harsh in tone

adamant

adj: refusing to change one’s mind

admonitory

adj: serving to warn; expressing reproof or reproach especially as a corrective

apocryphal

adj: being of questionable authenticity

blatant

adj: without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious

bumbling

adj: lacking physical movement skills, especially with the hands

burgeon

verb: grow and flourish

confound

verb: to cause confusion

verb: mistake one thing for another

construe

verb: interpreted in a particular way

contingent

noun: a gathering of persons representative of some larger group

adj: dependent on (usually use with upon)

copious

adj: in abundant supply

decorum

noun: propriety in manners and conduct

denigrate

verb: charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone

discrete

adj: constituting a separate entity or part

eradicate

verb: to completely destroy

espouse

verb: to adopt or support an idea or cause

exacting

adj: requiring and demanding accuracy

exalt

verb: praise or glorify

exonerate

verb: pronounce not guilty of criminal charges

expound

verb: add details or explanation; clarify the meaning; state in depth

forthcoming

adj: available when required or as promised

adj: at ease in talking to others

hackneyed

adj: lacking significance through having been overused

iconoclastic

adj: defying tradition or convention

idiosyncrasy

noun: a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual

ignoble

adj: dishonorable

implacable

adj: incapable of making less angry or hostile

implausible

adj: describing a statement that is not believable

incorrigible

adj: impervious to correction by punishment

indifference

noun: the trait of seeming not to care

ingratiate

verb: gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts

intransigent

adj: unwilling to change one’s beliefs or course of action

largess

noun: extreme generosity and giving

laudable

adj: worthy of high praise

myopic

adj: lacking foresight or imagination

opaque

adj: not clearly understood or expressed

ostentatious

adj: intended to attract notice and impress others; tawdry or vulgar

pedantic

adj: marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects

petulant

adj: easily irritated or annoyed

pragmatic

adj: guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory

provincial

adj: characteristic of a limited perspective; not fashionable or sophisticated

pundit

noun: someone who has been admitted to membership in a scholarly field

reconcile

verb: make (one thing) compatible with (another)

refute

verb: prove to be false or incorrect

soporific

adj: inducing mental lethargy; sleep inducing

temperance

noun: the trait of avoiding excesses

tortuous

adj: marked by repeated turns and bends; not straightforward

underscore

verb: give extra weight to (a communication)

unscrupulous

adj: without scruples or principles