Pre-Ib 9 Vocab #1

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Abridge

Back 1

–verb (used with object), a·bridged, a·bridg·ing. 1. to shorten by omissions while retaining the basic contents: to abridge a reference book.
2. to reduce or lessen in duration, scope, authority, etc.; diminish; curtail: to abridge a visit; to abridge one's freedom.
3. to deprive; cut off.

Front 2

Advocate

Back 2

–verb (used with object) 1. to speak or write in favor of; support or urge by argument; recommend publicly: He advocated higher salaries for teachers.
–noun 2. a person who speaks or writes in support or defense of a person, cause, etc. (usually fol. by of): an advocate of peace.
3. a person who pleads for or in behalf of another; intercessor.
4. a person who pleads the cause of another in a court of law.

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Apathy

Back 3

–noun, plural -thies. 1. absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement.
2. lack of interest in or concern for things that others find moving or exciting.

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Benevolent

Back 4

–adjective 1. characterized by or expressing goodwill or kindly feelings: a benevolent attitude; her benevolent smile.
2. desiring to help others; charitable: gifts from several benevolent alumni.
3. intended for benefits rather than profit: a benevolent institution.

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Capricious

Back 5

–adjective 1. subject to, led by, or indicative of caprice or whim; erratic: He's such a capricious boss I never know how he'll react.
2. Obsolete. fanciful or witty.

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Choleric

Back 6

–adjective 1. extremely irritable or easily angered; irascible: a choleric disposition.

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Credulity

Back 7

–noun willingness to believe or trust too readily, esp. without proper or adequate evidence; gullibility.

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Deride

Back 8

–verb (used with object), -rid·ed, -rid·ing. to laugh at in scorn or contempt; scoff or jeer at; mock

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Enigma

Back 9

(noun)1. a puzzling or inexplicable occurrence or situation: His disappearance is an enigma that has given rise to much speculation.
2. a person of puzzling or contradictory character: To me he has always been an enigma, one minute completely insensitive, the next moved to tears.
3. a saying, question, picture, etc., containing a hidden meaning; riddle.

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Fallacious

Back 10

–adjective 1. containing a fallacy; logically unsound: fallacious arguments.
2. deceptive; misleading: fallacious testimony.
3. disappointing; delusive: a fallacious peace.

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Impede

Back 11

–verb (used with object), -ped·ed, -ped·ing. to retard in movement or progress by means of obstacles or hindrances; obstruct; hinder.

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Intrepid

Back 12

–adjective resolutely fearless; dauntless: an intrepid explorer.

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Precocious

Back 13

adjective 1. unusually advanced or mature in development, esp. mental development: a precocious child.
2. prematurely developed, as the mind, faculties, etc.
3. of or pertaining to premature development.

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Prudent

Back 14

–adjective 1. wise or judicious in practical affairs; sagacious; discreet or circumspect; sober.
2. careful in providing for the future; provident: a prudent decision.

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Reticence

Back 15

–adjective 1. disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved.
2. reluctant or restrained.

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Sanction

Back 16

–noun 1. authoritative permission or approval, as for an action.
2. something that serves to support an action, condition, etc.
3. something that gives binding force, as to an oath, rule of conduct, etc.

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Superfluous

Back 17

–adjective 1. being more than is sufficient or required; excessive.
2. unnecessary or needless.

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Venerate

Back 18

–verb (used with object), -at·ed, -at·ing. to regard or treat with reverence; revere.

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Zealot

Back 19

–noun 1. a person who shows zeal.
2. an excessively zealous person; fanatic.
3. (initial capital letter) a member of a radical, warlike, ardently patriotic group of Jews in Judea, particularly prominent from a.d. 69 to 81, advocating the violent overthrow of Roman rule and vigorously resisting the efforts of the Romans and their supporters to heathenize the Jews.

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Laud

Back 20

–verb (used with object) 1. to praise; extol.
–noun 2. a song or hymn of praise.

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Gregarious

Back 21

–adjective 1. fond of the company of others; sociable.
2. living in flocks or herds, as animals.
3. Botany. growing in open clusters or colonies; not matted together.
4. pertaining to a flock or crowd.

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Frugal

Back 22

–adjective 1. economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful: a frugal manager.
2. entailing little expense; requiring few resources; meager; scanty: a frugal meal.

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Redundant

Back 23

–adjective 1. characterized by verbosity or unnecessary repetition in expressing ideas; prolix: a redundant style.
2. being in excess; exceeding what is usual or natural: a redundant part.
3. having some unusual or extra part or feature.
4. characterized by superabundance or superfluity: lush, redundant vegetation.

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Usurp

Back 24

–verb (used with object) 1. to seize and hold (a position, office, power, etc.) by force or without legal right: The pretender tried to usurp the throne.
2. to use without authority or right; employ wrongfully: The magazine usurped copyrighted material.
–verb (used without object) 3. to commit forcible or illegal seizure of an office, power, etc.; encroach.

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Succinct

Back 25

–adjective 1. expressed in few words; concise; terse.
2. characterized by conciseness or verbal brevity.
3. compressed into a small area, scope, or compass.

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Prodigal

Back 26

–adjective 1. wastefully or recklessly extravagant: prodigal expenditure.
2. giving or yielding profusely; lavish (usually fol. by of or with): prodigal of smiles; prodigal with money.
3. lavishly abundant; profuse: nature's prodigal resources.
–noun 4. a person who spends, or has spent, his or her money or substance with wasteful extravagance; spendthrift.

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Vilify

Back 27

–verb (used with object), -fied, -fy·ing. 1. to speak ill of; defame; slander.
2. Obsolete. to make vile.

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Volatile

Back 28

–adjective 1. evaporating rapidly; passing off readily in the form of vapor: Acetone is a volatile solvent.
2. tending or threatening to break out into open violence; explosive: a volatile political situation.
3. changeable; mercurial; flighty: a volatile disposition.
4. (of prices, values, etc.) tending to fluctuate sharply and regularly: volatile market conditions.
5. fleeting; transient: volatile beauty.
6. Computers. of or pertaining to storage that does not retain data when electrical power is turned off or fails.
7. able to fly or flying.
–noun 8. a volatile substance, as a gas or solvent.

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Tenacity

Back 29

–noun the quality or property of being tenacious.