English Vocab 1-5 (Units)

abridge

v. to shorten the number of words; to condense

emendation

n. a correction; a change in a written text

finality

n. the quality of condition of being complete or settled; conclusiveness

garrulous

adj. talking too much, especially about unimportant things; syn. conversational

ant. reticent

impromptu

adj. without previous thought or preparation; spontaneous

invoke

v. to call upon a higher power for assistance; to ask or appeal for, to call forth

lucrative

adj. profitable; producing money or wealth

shrew

n. a mouse-like animal that eats insects; a bad-tempered, nagging woman

syn. demanding; taxing

supercilious

adj. showing scorn of haughtiness; disdainful; aloof or conceited

syn. condescending; cynical; comtemptuous

verbose

adj. wordy, using or containing more words than necessary

bolster

n. a long, narrow pillow; anything used as a support; v. to prop up, support or reinforce

syn. encouraging

expletive

n. an oath or exclamation, usually profane; a word with no meaning of its own, used to complete the pattern of a phrase or sentence

furor

n. frenzied anger; rage; a public uproar or outburst of indignation; great enthusiasm for

syn. indignant; ardent, ebullient, passionate

idiomatic

adj. characteristic of a particular language

syn. colloquial, conversationaly

intangible

adj. not capable of being touched; not material; vague or not easily defined

laconic

adj. using few words; brief in speech or expression

syn. terse, brusque, reticent

reciprocate

v. to give, do, or take in return; to move with a backward-forward motion

subterfuge

n. a trick excuse, or deception used to escape something unpleasant

syn. candid; frank

tawdry

adj. gaudy; showy and cheap

wistful

adj. full of longing; yearning; wishful

syn. elegiac, pensive

accentuate

to emphasize; to heighten the effect of; to pronounce or mark with an accent; to highlight

ambiguous

having more than one possible meaning; uncertain; vague or unclear

comprehensive

of wide scope; inclusive; thorough

felicitous

well chosen for the occasion; appropriate; apt; having an agreeable or delightful manner of writing or speaking

impregnable

not capable of being conquered, overcome, or captured; unshakable (as in a belief)

inception

a beginning; a start of something

intricacy

condition or state of being complex, involved, or detailed; elaborateness

introspective

given to examination of one's own thoughts and feelings; contemplative

provocative

stimulating; pushing or tending toward action, thought, or strong feelings

vernacular

the native language or dialect of a country or region; everyday or informal language; adj. using everyday langauge

allegory

a symbolic story in which people, settings, or actions represent ideals or moral qualities

conjecture

an opinion without proof; guesswork; v. to speculate; to guess

despicable

contemptible; deserving of scorn; vile

dissolute

lacking moral restraint; very wicked; immoral; undisciplined

ferocity

the quality or state of being fierce, savage, or relentless

incongruous

not suitable or appropriate; not consistent; not conforming to a pattern

misanthrope

an individual who dislikes or distrusts other human beings

prologue

introductory lines of a play; the preface to a literary work; an introductory or preceding event

protagonist

the main character in a story or play; a person who plays a leading or active part in something

terse

brief and to the point (in writing or speaking); concise

epithet

(n.) a word or phrase that describes or characterizes a person or thing; a descriptive name

evasive

(adj.) avoiding by cleverness; not straightforward; misleading

exacting

(adj.) hard to please; requiring hard work and close attention; demanding

foreshadow

(v.) to indicate or suggest beforehand; to give a warning of tone words

infer

(v.) to conclude on the basis of reasoning or observation

laudable

(adj.) praiseworthy; commendable

lucid

(adj.) easily understood; clear; rational and sane

scrutinize

(v) to examine closely or critically

symposium

(n.) a meeting for discussing a particular subject; a collection of writings on a subject

affluent

(adj.) wealthy; abundant; plentiful

brevity

(n.) briefness of duration; shortness; the quality of being concise or to the point

connotation

(n.) the suggested, or implied, meaning of a word, not its strict literal meaning; an idea or feeling associated with a word

(related terminology: denotation)

embellish

(v.) to decorate or adorn; to improve a story by adding details, even false ones

imbibe

(v.) to drink; to drink in or absorb; to take in with the mind and keep (as in ideas or principles)

nostalgic

(adj.) having a longing for things past

novice

(n.) an inexperienced person; a beginner

reiterate

v. to restate; to repeat

an effect of a rhetorical technique: to reiterate

philistine

(n.) a person who is insensitive or indifferent to the arts or to ideas; (adj.) lacking in culture; boorish

stipend

(n.) fixed or regular pay; a salary or allowance

evoke

(v.) to call forth; to bring out; to elicit; to produce (a reaction)an effect of a rhetorical technique: to evoke

Epithet synonym

Antonomasia (a shorthand substitution of a descriptive word or phrase for a proper name)

Evasive synonym

indirect, understated, allusive

Evasive antonym

direct, forthright

Exacting synonym

restrained, stern, stubborn, demanding, pedantic, stolid, not easily stirred or moved mentally; unemotional; impassive

infer antonym

reticent, subdue, restrain, low-key

(reticent: disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved; restrained)

Laudable synonym

complimentary, proud, effusive, elated, eulogistic, laudatory

(effusive: unduly demonstrative; lacking reserve)

Lucid antonym

abstruse, bemused, capricious, nonplussed

(nonplussed: totally puzzled, perplexed, or confused)

scrutinize synonym

satirical, critical

(satiric: exposing human folly to ridicule)

Affluent tones

condescending, dogmatic, erudite, holier-than-thou

(erudite: characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly)

Brevity synonym

succinct, pithy, incisive

Embellish synonym

exuberant, effusive

(exuberant: effusively and almost uninhibitedly enthusiastic; lavishly abundant)

Nostalgic synonym

wistful, sentimental, tender, reminiscent, elegiac, maudlin

(reminiscent: awakening memories of something familiar; suggestive)

philistine antonym

erudite, formal

philistine synonym

irreverent, facetious, frivolous

(irreverent: showing lack of due respect or veneration

facetious: not meant to be taken seriously or literally/amusing; humorous)

anagram

n. a word or phrase formed from another word or phrase by changing the order of the letters

assertion

n. the act of declaring something; a claim or declaration stated positively

syn. insistent, urgent, pressing

coherent

adj. logically connected; consistent; clearly expressed

syn. lucid, informative, didactic, direct, eloquent

ant. ambiguous, indirect, understated, evasive, allusive