F

facile 1. (adj.)

easy, requiring little effort (This game is so facile that even a four-year- old can master it.) 2. (adj.) superficial, achieved with minimal thought or care, insincere (The business was in such shambles that any solution seemed facile at best; nothing could really helpit in the long-run.)

fallacious (adj.)

incorrect, misleading (Emily offered me cigarettes on the fallacious assumption that I smoked.)

fastidious (adj.)

meticulous, demanding, having high and often unattainable standards (Mark is so fastidious that he is never able to finish a project because it always seems imperfect to him.)

fathom (v.)

to understand, comprehend (I cannot fathom why you like that crabby and mean-spirited neighbor of ours.

fatuous (adj.)

silly, foolish (He considers himself a serious poet, but in truth, he only writes fatuous limericks.)

fecund (adj.)

fruitful, fertile (The fecund tree bore enough apples to last us through the entire season.)

felicitous

1. (adj.) well suited, apt (While his comments were idiotic and rambling, mine were felicitous and helpful.) 2. (adj.) delightful, pleasing (I spent a felicitous afternoon visiting old friends.)

feral (adj.)

wild, savage (That beast looks so feral that I would fear being alone with it.)

fervent (adj.)

ardent, passionate (The fervent protestors chained themselves to the building and shouted all night long.)

fetid (adj.)

having a foul odor (I can tell from the fetid smell in your refrigerator that your milk has spoiled.)

fetter (v.)

to chain, restrain (The dog was fettered to the parking meter.)

fickle (adj.)

shifting in character, inconstant (In Greek dramas, the fickle gods help Achilles one day, and then harm him the next.)

fidelity (n.)

loyalty, devotion (Guard dogs are known for the great fidelity they show toward their masters.)

flabbergasted (adj.)

astounded (Whenever I read an Agatha Christie mystery novel, I am always flabbergasted when I learn the identity of the murderer.)

flaccid (adj.)

limp, not firm or strong (If a plant is not watered enough, its leaves become droopy and flaccid.)

flagrant (adj.)

offensive, egregious (The judge's decision to set the man free simply because that man was his brother was a flagrant abuse of power.)

florid (adj.)

flowery, ornate (The writer's florid prose belongs on a sentimental Hallmark card.)

flout (v.)

to disregard or disobey openly (I flouted the school's dress code by wearing a tie-dyed tank top and a pair of cut-off jeans.)

foil (v.)

to thwart, frustrate, defeat (Inspector Wilkens foiled the thieves by locking them in the bank along with their stolen money.)

forage (v.)

to graze, rummage for food (When we got lost on our hiking trip, we foraged for berries and nuts in order to survive.)

forbearance (n.)

patience, restraint, toleration (The doctor showed great forbearance in calming down the angry patient who shouted insults at him.)

forestall (v.)

to prevent, thwart, delay (I forestalled the cold I was getting by taking plenty of vitamin C pills and wearing a scarf.)

forsake (v.)

to give up, renounce (My New Year's resolution is to forsake smoking and drinking.)

fortitude (n.)

strength, guts (Achilles' fortitude in battle is legendary.)

fortuitous (adj.)

happening by chance, often lucky or fortunate (After looking for Manuel and not finding him at home, Harriet had a fortuitous encounter with him at the post office.)

fractious (adj.)

troublesome or irritable (Although the child insisted he wasn't tired, his fractious behavior—especially his decision to crush his cheese and crackers all over the floor convinced everyone present that it was time to put him to bed.)

frenetic (adj.)

frenzied, hectic, frantic (In the hours between night and morning, the frenetic pace of city life slows to a lull.)

frivolous (adj.)

of little importance, trifling (Someday, all that anxiety about whether your zit will disappear before the prom will seem totally frivolous.)

frugal (adj.)

thrifty, economical (Richard is so frugal that his diet consists almost exclusively of catfish and chicken liver—the two most inexpensive foods in the store.)

furtive (adj.)

secretive, sly (Jane's placement of her drugs in her sock drawer was notas furtive as she thought, as the sock drawer is the first place most parents look.)