JAMB English Vocabulary & Lexis Review

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering advanced vocabulary, synonyms, antonyms, and language registers from the JAMB English examination past questions and answers review.

Penury

A state of extreme poverty or destitution.

Prodigal

Spending money or resources freely, wastefully, and recklessly; extravagant.

Innocuous

Not harmful or offensive; safe and producing no ill effects.

Jaundiced

Affected by bitterness, resentment, or prejudice; biased or cynical.

Officious

Asserting authority or offering unsolicited advice in an overbearing, intrusive, and annoying manner.

Altruism

Disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being or happiness of others.

Taciturn

Habitually silent, reserved, or disinclined to talk.

Indomitable

Impossible to subdue, defeat, or conquer.

Adroit

Clever, skillful, or adept in physical movement or in handling difficult situations.

Gullible

Easily persuaded to believe something; naive or credulous.

Subpoena

A formal legal writ ordering an individual to appear before a court to testify as a witness.

Libel

A published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation; written defamation.

Slander

The action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation.

Battery

The unlawful, intentional physical beating, touching, or striking of another person without consent.

Injunction

A judicial order issued by a court requiring a person or entity to perform or cease a specified action.

Plaintiff

A person who brings a lawsuit or case against another in a court of law; the complainant.

Defendant

An individual, company, or institution sued or accused in a court of law.

Perjurer

A person who deliberately gives false testimony while under an official legal oath.

Manuscript

An author's text that has not yet been published, historically written by hand or typed.

Sericulture

The commercial production of raw silk through the rearing and breeding of silkworms.

Moribund

At the point of death, terminal decline, or in a stagnant, crumbling state.

Sycophant

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

Euthanasia

The painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease; mercy killing.

Infallible

Incapable of making mistakes or being wrong; absolutely trustworthy or unerring.

Extempore

Spoken or performed without preparation or thought; impromptu.

Abstruse

Difficult to understand, obscure, or esoteric.

Belligerent

Hostile, aggressive, and eager to fight.

Chagrin

A feeling of distress, annoyance, or humiliation caused by failure, disappointment, or embarrassment.

Mundane

Lacking interest or excitement; dull, ordinary, or relating to earthly rather than spiritual affairs.

Inordinate

Unusually or disproportionately large; excessive and exceeding reasonable limits.

Recalcitrant

Having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline; stubbornly defiant.

Puerile

Childishly silly, trivial, or immature.

Fastidious

Very attentive to accuracy, meticulous detail, and cleanliness; excessively particular and hard to please.

Insolvent

Unable to pay debts owed; bankrupt.

Aversion

A strong dislike, disinclination, or repugnance toward someone or something.

Colossal

Extremely large, gigantic, or immense in scale or degree.

Ingenuous

Innocent, unsuspecting, candid, and lacking worldly sophistication or deceit.

Aggravate

To make a problem, injury, or offense worse, more serious, or more severe; to exacerbate.

Evasive

Tending to avoid commitment, disclosure, or self-revelation, especially by equivocation or ambiguity.

Eclectic

Deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad, diverse, and varied range of sources.

Gait

A person's or animal's manner or style of walking, stepping, or moving.

Repudiate

To refuse to accept, disown, or deny the validity, authority, or truth of something.

Dexterity

Skill, readiness, and grace in physical activity, particularly fine manual movements; adroitness.

Circumvent

To find a way around an obstacle, regulation, or difficulty in a clever or strategic manner.

Browbeat

To intimidate or bully someone into doing something using harsh words or a threatening manner.

Coalescence

The process of coming together, merging, or fusing separate elements or groups into a single whole.

Gamely

In a brave, spirited, and resolute manner despite difficulties or unfavorable odds.

Sumptuous

Splendid, lavish, and expensive-looking; luxurious.

Facetious

Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate, flippant, or lighthearted humor.

Tardy

Delaying or delayed beyond the expected or proper time; slow or late in action.

Timorous

Showing or suffering from nervousness, fear, or a lack of confidence.

Adamant

Refusing to be persuaded or to change one's mind; unyielding and resolute.

Vilify

To speak or write about someone in an abusively disparaging, defamatory, or condemnatory manner.

Glut

An excessively abundant supply of something in the market; a surfeit or plethora.

Imminent

About to happen or likely to occur very soon; impending.

Levity

The treatment of a serious matter with humor, flippancy, or a lack of proper respect.

Inscrutable

Impossible to understand, decipher, or interpret; completely mysterious.

Specious

Superficially plausible or attractive, but actually deceptive, wrong, or false.

Livery

A special uniform or distinctive insignia worn by a servant, official, or professional group.

Sinister

Giving the impression that something harmful, evil, or ominous is happening or will happen.

Impasse

A situation in which no progress is possible, especially because of disagreement; a deadlock or gridlock.

Panacea

A solution or remedy for all difficulties, problems, or diseases; a universal cure.

Apposite

Apt in the circumstances; highly appropriate, suitable, and relevant to the issue at hand.

Inception

The starting point, commencement, or establishment of an institution, activity, or project.

Ignominious

Deserving or causing public disgrace, shame, humiliation, or dishonor.

Deleterious

Causing harm, damage, or injury to health or development.

Derogatory

Showing a critical, disrespectful, or belittling attitude; insulting and pejorative.

Sovereignty

Supreme power, complete autonomy, or the independent authority of a state to govern itself.

Vulnerable

Susceptible to physical or emotional attack, injury, disease, or damage; liable and prone.

Furtive

Attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt or fear of discovery; secretive or sly.

Aghast

Filled with horror, dismay, or overwhelming shock.

Jaunty

Having or expressing a buoyant, lively, cheerful, and self-confident air.

Doddle

An endeavor, task, or activity that is very easy and simple to accomplish.

Foment

To instigate, incite, or stir up trouble, rebellion, discord, or violent unrest.

Garner

To gather, acquire, collect, or store up something valuable through sustained effort.

Sever

To divide, cut off, or break apart suddenly, completely, or forcibly.

Gruff

Abrupt, rough, and blunt in manner, or having a low, harsh, throaty voice.

Scowl

An angry, bad-tempered, or grimacing facial expression; a threatening look.

Obviate

To remove, eliminate, or anticipate and prevent a difficulty, need, or problem.

Hoodwink

To deceive, trick, dupe, or lure someone into an error or false belief.

Gaiety

The state or condition of being lighthearted, joyful, cheerful, or festive.

Pungent

Having a sharply strong, biting, or acrid taste or smell.

Languid

Displaying or having a disinclination for physical exertion or effort; slow, relaxed, and sluggish.

Heckle

To interrupt a public speaker or performer with aggressive, derisive comments or taunts.

Austere

Severe, strict, unadorned, or marked by harsh economic self-restraint and simplicity.

Convalesce

To recover health and physical strength gradually after an illness, operation, or injury; recuperate.

Decry

To publicly denounce, disparage, or express strong disapproval of something.

Intransigent

Unwilling or refusing to change one's views, compromise, or reach an agreement; obstinate.

Esoteric

Intended for or likely to be understood by only an enlightened inner circle with specialized knowledge.

Mutate

To undergo or cause to undergo alteration, transmutation, or structural change into a new form.

Allegiance

Loyalty, commitment, or devotion to a sovereign, state, leader, or cause; fidelity.

Equanimity

Mental calmness, composure, and coolness of temper, especially in a stressful or difficult situation.

Pragmatic

Dealing with problems sensibly, practically, and realistically rather than by theoretical considerations.

Lethal

Sufficient to cause death; deadly or fatal.

Pacify

To quell the anger, agitation, or excitement of; to soothe, placate, or appease.

Assiduous

Showing great care, persistent effort, and perseverance; diligent and hardworking.

Diurnal

Occurring or active during the day rather than at night; daily.

Debilitating

Causing an impairment of strength or vitality; severely weakening or enervating.

Rescind

To revoke, cancel, or repeal a law, decree, agreement, or decision.

Covert

Not openly displayed, revealed, or acknowledged; hidden, secret, or cryptic.