Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
30 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
assuage
|
to ease, relieve, or lessen
Studying these cards will assuage your nervousness about the SAT. Synonym: mitigate |
|
|
munificent
|
very generous
Munificent Mona donated much money to the needy. Antonyms: miserly, parsimonious |
|
|
enhance
|
to improve
Learning the local customs can greatly enhance the pleasure of traveling in a foreign land. Antonym: diminish |
|
|
capricious
|
tending to change one's mind suddenly
The capricious cat suddenly decided to take a cat-nap. Synonym: mercurial |
|
|
obscure
|
difficult to understand; difficult to see
Nostradamus made dozens of obscure prophecies concerning the end of the world. Synonyms: esoteric, enigmatic, cryptic, inscrutable, abstruse Antonym: comprehensible |
|
|
corrupt
|
to change from good to bad; morally bad
Rock and roll corrupts the soul; corrupt politician Synonyms: depraved, nefarious Antonym: virtuous |
|
|
ascend
|
to move upwards
If you ascend a cliff carelessly, you may send yourself to your death. *Ascend is the opposite of descend. |
|
|
extricate
|
to free from difficulty
With a good lawyer, you can extricate yourself from many legal difficulties. *Extricate sounds like extract. |
|
|
quiescence
|
inactivity
After the frantic rush of Christmas gift-buying, the shopping mall fell into a period of quiescence. Synonym: dormant *Think of quietness; different meaning but related. |
|
|
disperse
|
to spread widely
The police used clubs and tear gas to disperse the protesters. Synonyms: disseminate, dissipate Antonyms: coalesce, amass, aggregate |
|
|
succinct
|
brief
This sentence is succinct. Synonym: terse Antonym: verbose |
|
|
taciturn
|
quiet, untalkative
The man was so taciturn that his friends called him Silent Sammy. Synonym: reticent Antonyms: voluble, garrulous |
|
|
meager
|
lacking in quantity or quality
The prisoner's meals had been so meager that he was eager to head home and eat meat. |
|
|
esoteric
|
understood only by a few
Einstein's esoteric equations are understood only by especially educated physics experimenters. Synonyms: obscure, abstract, enigmatic, cryptic, inscrutable, abstruse Antonym: comprehensible |
|
|
guile
|
trickiness; deceptiveness
Do not trust a smile from a guy with guile. |
|
|
ephemeral
|
short-lived
The popularity of Vanilla Ice was relatively ephemeral. Synonym: evanescent |
|
|
novel
|
new or different
Owning a home computer was a novel idea just a few years ago. Synonym: innovative Antonym: archaic *This form of word has nothing to do with books. |
|
|
commend
|
to praise
I will commend the mend for mending their mean manners. Synonym: extol Antonyms: vilify, disparage, defame, deprecate *Sounds like recommend. |
|
|
apathy
|
lack of emotion or concern
Frank's apathy toward crippled children is unbelievable. Synonym: indifference Antonym: fervor |
|
|
innocuous
|
harmless
Although one cigarette is innocuous, an addiction can be fatal. *Innocuous comes from the same root as innocent. |
|
|
superficial
|
shallow; on the surface
A super facial only takes care of the superficial, not what's inside. |
|
|
debilitate
|
to weaken
The ability of the builder to build buildings was debilitated by his disability. Synonym: enervate *It's like de+ability |
|
|
endorse
|
to support
The republicans usually endorse the death penalty, tax cuts, and military spending. Synonym: advocate |
|
|
inclination
|
tendency; preference
Joe has an inclination towards choosing easy answer choices on difficult questions. Synonym: proclivity, predilection, penchant Antonym: aversion |
|
|
innovative
|
original, new
Thomas Edison was one of America's most innovative inventors. Synonym: novel Antonyms: hackneyed, banal *Innovative can describe either a new thing or its creator. |
|
|
monotony
|
a dull sameness
The monotony of the lecture soon put Egbert to sleep. |
|
|
denounce
|
to criticize publicly
In China, it's dangerous to denounce the government. Synonym: censure, castigate, decry Antonym: commend, extol |
|
|
atrophy
|
to waste away
If your leg muscles atrophy, you will find it difficult to win a marathon trophy. Synonym: wither Antonym: burgeon, flourish |
|
|
coalesce
|
to unite, come together
As we looked on in horror, the evil koalas coalesced to form one enormous koala of death. Synonyms: amass, aggregate Antonyms: disperse, dissipate |
|
|
voluble
|
talkative
The voluble teacher never stopped talking - even after the students had left the room. Synonym: garrulous Antonym: taciturn, reticent |
