Vocabulary Quiz: Advanced English Words

Study Notes

Vocabulary

Abstemious: sparing in eating and drinking
Soporific: sleep-causing; marked by sleepiness
Torpor: lethargy; sluggishness; dormancy
Beguile: charm; mislead or delude
Furtive: stealthy; sneaky
Abstruse: difficult to understand
Belie: contradict; give a false impression
Censure: blames; criticize
Depravity: extreme corruption; wickedness
Enmity: ill will; hatred
Altruistic: unselfishly generous; concerned for others
Bombastic: pompous; using inflated language
Conciliatory: reconciling; soothing
Deride: ridicule; make fun of
Erroneous: mistaken; wrong
Antediluvian: antiquated; extremely old
Cursory: casual; hastily done
Disputatious: argumentative; fond of arguing
Flagrant: conspicuously wicked; blatant; outrageous
Guile: deceit; duplicity; wiliness; cunning
Ascetic: practicing self-denial; austere
Heresy: opinion contrary to popular belief
Iconoclastic: attacking or ignoring cherished beliefs and long-held traditions
Morose: ill-humored; sullen
Opulence: extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance
Assiduous: diligent
Ignominy: deep disgrace; shame or dishonor
Munificent: very generous
Penury: severe poverty; stinginess
Quiescence: state of being at rest; dormancy; temporary inactivity
Assuage: ease or lessen; satisfy; soothe
Incorrigible: not correctable
Polemical: aggressive in verbal attack; disputatious
Scrupulous: conscientious; extremely thorough
Avarice: greediness for wealth
Repudiate: disown; disavow
Servile: slavish; cringing
Surfeit: satiate; stuff; indulge to excess in anything
Truncate: shorten; cut the top off
Prodigal: wasteful; reckless with money
Reticence: uncommunicativeness; reserve; inclination to silence
Stolid: dull; impassive
Superfluous: unnecessary; excessive; overabundant
Sycophant: servile flatterer; bootlicker; yes man
Inherent: firmly established by nature or habit
Listless: lacking in spirit or energy
Lofty: very high ideals
Scanty: meager; insufficient
Seclusion: isolation; solitude
Ardent: intense; passionate; zealous
Audacious: daring; bold
Capricious: unpredictable; fickle
Composure: mental calmness
Concede: admit; yield
Abstract: not concrete
Accolade: award of merit
Acknowledge: recognize; admit
Adversary: opponent
Advocate: urge; plead for
Affirmation: assertion; confirmation
Aggregate: total
Cryptic: mysterious; hidden; secret
Insularity: narrow-mindedness; isolation
Jocular: said or done in jest
Alleviate: relieve
Aloof: apart; reserved
Zealot: fanatic; passionate person
Depravity: extreme corruption; wickedness
Incongruous: not fitting; absurd
Virulent: extremely poisonous; hostile; bitter
Illusory: deceptive; not real
Exuberance: joyful enthusiasm; overflowing abundance
Confound: confuse; puzzle
Contentious: quarrelsome; causing quarrels
Sanction: approve; ratify
Tantamount: equivalent in effect or value
Ambivalence: the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes
Authoritarian: completely dominating another’s will
Cajole: coax; persuade
Complacency: self-satisfaction; smugness
Disinclination: a lack of inclination; reluctance
Eclectic: composed of elements drawn from diverse sources
Fanaticism: extreme devotion to a belief or cause
Hedonist: one who believes that pleasure is the sole aim in life
Clamorous: noisy; loud
Indolent: lazy; unwilling to work
Cohort: colleague; partner; chum
Benevolent: kind-hearted
Rife: alive; thriving; teeming with life
Exalt: to honor; to praise
Pompous: conceited; self-important
Quaff: to drink quickly
Indignant: livid; angry
Sinewy: muscular; lean; and strong