Vocabulary and Word Distinctions Lecture

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering common word confusions, synonyms, and definitions from the provided lecture notes.

Venial

forgivable

assiduous

hardworking

fervour

enthusiastic abt smth

Venal

corrupt

Vernal

related to spring

Torturous

something that causes severe agony or pain; something very excruciating to sit through

Tortuous

a road with many bends

Feign

to pretend

Corroborate

to support something

Ostentatious

elaborate

Flout

to ignore rules; refusing to comply

Loath

hesitate

Loathe

hate/detest someone

Uninterested

when you have no interest in what is happening

Disinterested

that there is no personal interest or bias in what is happening

Affect

the influence

Effect

changing the course of something

Sympathy

feeling pity or bad for someone

Empathy

feeling their pain by putting ourselves in their shoes

Bohemian

unconventional

Bourgeois

working middle class

Caustic

burning/harmful

Causal

causes an effect

Extenuate

to lessen/reduce something

Exacerbate

to make something worse

Complimentary

praising, something free

Complementary

two things that complement each other

Aggrandize

to make something grand

Aggravate

to basically make someone angry

Livid

very angry

Specious

something which is superficial and does not have a strong foundation

Zenith

peak point

Nadir

lowest point

Ingenious

clever

Ingenuous

naïve/candid

Prostrate

bow

Proscribe

to forbid/ban something

Elude

to escape

Allude

to refer to

Dyspepsia

indigestion

Adroit

skillful

Inept

without any skill

Avocation

profession

Vocation

hobby

Conceded

to give up

Acceded

agree to a request; to achieve a high position (become a king/queen)

Erotica

a section of literature of sexual nature

Rhetoric

has not any specific purpose besides to make a statement

Circuitous

long and not direct (for a route/journey)

Circumspect

to think carefully before doing something

Circumstantial

something that is just due to circumstances and doesn't prove anything

Substantial

strong

Flare

bright flame

Effluent

liquid waste

Affluent

rich

Preemptive

taking action before someone can act

Peremptory

expecting to be obeyed

Equestrian

connected with horse riding

Interminable

something that lasts for a long time and is therefore annoying

Martial

connected with war

Marital

connected with marriage

Censer

a vessel that contains incense stick and is used in religious ceremonies

Veracious

truthful

Voracious

eating/wanting a large amount of food

Precipitated

to cause something to happen unexpectedly

Enigmatic

baffling/confusing

Abrogate

to cancel/abolish a law or smth

Arrogate

to take smth without having the right to do so

Archaic

something very old and not used anymore

Obsolete

no longer useful

Abstruse

difficult to understand

Obtuse

slow to or not wanting to understand

Ascetic

not allowing yourself physical pleasures

Totalitarianism

dictatorship kind of government (controls public and private life)

Utilitarian

do actions that provide the maximum happiness

Connoisseur

a person who knows a lot about food, music etc

Vigorous

strong, robust

Rigorous

done with great attention to detail

Recantation

public denial of a previously published belief

Congregation

crowd/people who attend church

Impotent

helpless

Impetuous

rash or impulsive decision

Capricious

unpredictable or impulsive

Capacious

roomy

Converse

opposite ideas

Convergent

coming close together, will meet at a point

Conciliatory

willingness to reconcile

Prognosis

prediction of a situation (especially a medical one)

Diagnosis

examining and identifying a disease

Immured

to be essentially trapped/isolated in a place

Inured

to get accustomed to smth painful

Invidious

discriminating

Insidious

gradually harmful

Divvy

divide or share

Divine

discover by intuition

Esoteric

understood by few

Exoteric

suited for general public

Cavalier

lack of proper concern

Congruent

in agreement

Cogent

clear and convincing