Magoosh Advanced I

apostate

noun: a person who has abandoned a religious faith or cause

alacrity

noun: an eager willingness to do something

anathema

noun: a detested person; the source of somebody’s hate

apogee

noun: the highest point

arrant

adj: complete and wholly (usually modifying a noun with negative connotation)

artless

adj: without cunning or deceit

attenuate

verb: to weaken (in terms of intensity); to taper off/thinner

base

adj: the lowest, without any moral principles

beg

verb: assume something is true (usually followed by “the question”, meaning that you ask a question in which you assume something that hasn’t been proven true

byzantine

adj: intricate and complex

catholic

adj: of broad scope; universal

chary

adj: cautious, suspiciously reluctant to do something

choleric

adj: prone to outbursts of temper; easily angered

churlish

adj: lacking manners or refinement

conciliate

verb: to make peace with

contentious

adj: likely to argue

cow

verb: to intimidate

defray

verb: to help pay the cost of, either in part of full

diatribe

noun: a strong verbal attack against a person or institution

equivocate

verb: to speak vaguely, usually with the intention to mislead or deceive

exegesis

noun: critical explanation or analysis, especially of a text

expansive

adj: communicative, and prone to talking in a sociable manner

expunge

verb: to eliminate completely

factious

adj: produced by, or characterized by internal dissension

feckless

adj: lazy and irresponsible

fractious

adj: irritable and is likely to cause disruption

hector

verb: to bully or intimidate

imbibe

verb: to drink or absorb as if drinking

indigent

adj: poor; having very little

noun: a poor or needy person

insufferable

adj: intolerable, difficult to endure

jingoist

noun: a person who thinks their country is always right and who is in favor of aggressive acts against other countries

kowtow

verb: to bow or act in a subservient manner

lascivious

adj: lecherous; sexually perverted

malfeasance

noun: misconduct or wrongdoing (especially by a public official)

nadir

noun: the lowest point

overweening

adj: arrogant; presumptuous

pariah

noun: an outcast

penurious

adj: lacking money; poor

adj: miserly

perfunctory

adj: done routinely and with little interest or care

ponderous

adj: weighed-down; moving slowly

precipitate

adj: hasty or rash

verb: to cause to happen

prosaic

adj: dull and lacking imagination

saturnine

adj: morose or gloomy

sedulous

adj: done diligently and carefully

supercilious

adj: haughty and disdainful; looking down on others

truculent

adj: having a fierce, savage nature

turpitude

noun: depravity; a depraved act

untoward

adj: unfavorable; inconvenient

vicissitude

noun: change in one’s circumstances, usually for the worse

zeitgeist

noun: spirit of the times