Barron's Word List 20

Front 1

flippant

Back 1

lacking proper seriousness, DISRESPECTFUL

this is a NEGATIVE word

Front 2

flit (v)

Back 2

fly, dart lightly, pass swiftly by

Front 3

floe (n)

Back 3

mass of floating ice

Front 4

flotsam (n)

Back 4

drifting wreckage

Front 5

fluke (n)

Back 5

unlikely occurrence

Front 6

fluster (v)

Back 6

confuse

Front 7

fluted (adj)

Back 7

having vertical parallel grooves (as in a pillar)

Front 8

flux (n)

Back 8

flowing; series of changes

Front 9

fodder (n)

Back 9

coarse food for cattle, horses, etc.

Front 10

foil (n)

Back 10

contrast

Front 11

foil (v)

Back 11

defeat, frustrate

Front 12

foist (v)

Back 12

insert improperly, palm off

"I will not permit you to foist such ridiculous ideas upon the membership of this group"

Front 13

foolhardy

Back 13

rash, disregarding danger/consequences

"he's foolhardy enough to try to seize that gun from the hijacker"

Front 14

fop (n)

Back 14

dandy; man excessively preoccupied with his clothes

Front 15

foray (n) (2)

Back 15

(1) raid/short attack

"The company staged a midnight foray against the enemy outpost"

(2) an initial attempt (esp. outside your usual areas of competence"

"scientists' forays into politics"

Front 16

forbearance (n)

Back 16

patience

Front 17

ford (n)

Back 17

place where a river can be crossed on foot

Front 18

forebears (n)

Back 18

ancestors

Front 19

forensic

Back 19

suitable to debate or courts of law

"In her best forensic manner, the lawyer addressed the jury"

Front 20

foresight (n)

Back 20

ability to foresee future happenings; prudence

Front 21

forestall (v)

Back 21

prevent by taking action in advance

"vitamins can forestall many diseases"

Front 22

forgo (v)

Back 22

give up; do without

Front 23

forlorn (adj)

Back 23

sad and lonely; wretched

Front 24

formality (n)

Back 24

ceremonious quality; something done just for form's sake

Front 25

forsake (v)

Back 25

desert, abandon, renounce

Front 26

forte (n)

Back 26

strong point or special talent

Front 27

forthright (adj)

Back 27

straightforward; direct; frank

Front 28

fortitude

Back 28

braver, courage

Front 29

founder (v)

Back 29

to sink, fail completely

Front 30

fractious

Back 30

unruly, disobedient, irritable

Front 31

fraught

Back 31

filled or charged with, causing emotinoal distress

"fraught with anxiety, ..."

Front 32

fray (n)

Back 32

brawl

Front 33

frenetic (adj)

Back 33

frenzied, frantic

Front 34

fret (v)

Back 34

to be annoyed/vexed/stressed/anxious

Front 35

friction (n)

Back 35

clash in opinon

rubbing against

Front 36

fritter (v)

Back 36

waste

Front 37

frivolous

Back 37

lacking in seriousness; self-indulgently carefree; relatively unimportant

(1) not having any purpose/value ("frivolous lawsuits")
(2) of a person: carefree, not serious

Front 38

frolicsome

Back 38

prankish, having fun

Front 39

frond (n)

Back 39

fern leaf; palm or banana leaf

Front 40

froward (adj)

Back 40

stubbornly contrary; obstinately disobedient

Front 41

fructify

Back 41

bear fruit

Front 42

fruition (n)

Back 42

bearing of fruit, fulfillment, realization

Front 43

fugitive (adj)

Back 43

fleeting or transitory, roving

Front 44

fulcrum (2)

Back 44

(1) the point on which a lever rests

(2) the thing that plays a central role in an activity/event/situation

Front 45

fulminate (v)

Back 45

denounce thunderously, explode

Front 46

fulsome (adj) (2)

Back 46

disgustingly excessive

secondary: abundant, plentiful ("a fulsome harvest")

Front 47

functionary (n)

Back 47

official

Front 48

funereal

Back 48

sad, solemn

Front 49

furor

Back 49

frenzy, great excitement

Front 50

fusillade

Back 50

simultaneous firing or outburst (of missiles, questions, etc.)

Front 51

gadfly (2)

Back 51

animal-biting fly; an irritating person

Front 52

gaffe (n)

Back 52

social blunder

Front 53

franchise (n) (3)

Back 53

right granted by authority

right to vote

license to sell a product in a particular territory