Literature, Music, Art
Interactive flashcards for learning vocabulary
Flashcards: 1355 / 5
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semicolon
I have a big test tomorrow; I can’t go out tonight.
full stop
The cat is sleeping.
parenthesis
The dog (which is very friendly) loves to play in the park.
curly bracket
In programming, you might write: if (x > 10) { doSomething(); }
square brackets
The teacher said, "We will meet at 3 PM [on Tuesday].
overpass
The overpass helped reduce traffic jams in the city.
underpass
The children walked safely through the underpass to get to the park.
cakewalk
Winning the game was a cakewalk for the experienced players.
my treat
After the game, I said, "Let's go for ice cream, my treat!
sly
The sly fox managed to escape from the trap.
insightful
The teacher gave an insightful explanation of the story's themes.
observant
She is very observant and always notices when someone is feeling sad.
pretentious
His pretentious behavior made everyone uncomfortable.
critical
It is critical to finish your homework before the deadline.
debacle
Meaning: a sudden and complete failure or disaster.
Ex: After the team's poor performance in the championship, the coach called it a complete debacle.
state of the art
The new hospital has state of the art equipment for surgeries.
around the clock
The hospital provides care around the clock for its patients.
prompt
His question served as a prompt for a deeper discussion.
still less
He can hardly run a mile, still less complete a marathon.
flood back
When I saw the old photo, memories of my childhood flooded back.
gerund
Reading helps improve your vocabulary.Reading is a gerund
albeit
/ɔːlˈbiːɪt/
She accepted the job offer, albeit with some reservations.
hallmark
[distinctive feature, characteristic, or quality]
The artist's unique style is a hallmark of her work.
Honesty is a hallmark of a good leader.
The hallmark of this jewelry is its purity and craftsmanship.
self reinforcing
Empowering students with greater autonomy in their learning can establish a self-reinforcing situation; their increased motivation leads to better academic results, which in turn boosts their confidence and engagement".
clamor
Meaning: loud and confused noise, often made by a group of people.
Ex: The clamor of the crowd grew louder as the concert began.
leitmotif
The composer used a haunting melody as a leitmotif for the main character's struggles.
dexterous
The dexterous pianist played the complex piece flawlessly.
matrimony
/ˈmæ.trɪˌmoʊ.ni/
They celebrated their matrimony with a beautiful ceremony in the park.
caveat
/ˈkæviət/
The contract included a caveat that the project could be delayed due to unforeseen circumstances.
jargon
The doctor used medical jargon that I didn’t understand.
bloodhound
The detective was like a bloodhound, sniffing out clues that others missed.
pick up line
“Do you have a map? I keep getting lost in your eyes.”
Treatise
The scholar wrote a comprehensive treatise on the effects of climate change.
Discourse
The professor led a discourse on the importance of environmental conservation.
equivalent
"Dodgy" is an equivalent to "sketchy"
it hit me
I was wondering why the ball is flying towards me...
And then it hit me
dropout
Many people believe that being a dropout limits your career options.
glow up
After high school, she had a major glow up and became the most popular girl in town.
clique
The popular kids at school formed a clique that rarely included anyone else.
you look beat
After the long hike, I turned to my friend and said, "You look beat!
hatchet job
The article was a real hatchet job, tearing apart the author's credibility without any solid evidence.
universal
The concept of love is universal.
Universal laws of physics apply everywhere in the universe.
Education is a universal right for all children.
parsimonious
My parsimonious uncle never buys anything unless it's on sale.
well established
She has a well established reputation as a talented artist.
There are well established rules for playing this game.
sprout up
The flowers began to sprout up in the garden after the rain.
New businesses tend to sprout up in the city every year.
Ideas for the project started to sprout up during our brainstorming session.
gratuitous
She made a gratuitous comment that offended many people.
blot out
The thick clouds blotted out the sun, making the day feel dark.
She tried to blot out the painful memories of her past.
The artist used dark paint to blot out the mistakes on the canvas.
penniless
The charity helps penniless families find food and shelter.
ostensible
The ostensible reason for the meeting was to discuss the new project, but it turned out to be about budget cuts.
grit
It takes grit to overcome obstacles and clean all these grits
trenchant
The critic's trenchant review highlighted the flaws in the movie that many viewers missed.
antithesis
He is the exact antithesis of what I find attractive in men
skyrocket
The price of gas has skyrocketed in the last month.
ensnare
The hunter ensnared the rabbit in next to no time
subhuman
The treatment of the prisoners was so harsh that it felt subhuman.
elusive
Finding the right words to express my feelings has always been elusive.
shrinking violet
Even though she is a talented artist, she is a bit of a shrinking violet when it comes to showing her work.
remiss
The teacher was remiss in grading the assignments on time.
He felt remiss for not calling his friend on their birthday
It would be remiss of me to ignore the safety rules at work.
obscene
The movie was criticized for its obscene content and was not suitable for children.
obstreperous
The obstreperous puppy would not stop barking and jumping around the house.
inflection
The verb "walk" can change to "walked" to show past tense.
The noun "cat" can change to "cats" to show more than one.
The adjective "big" can change to "bigger" to show comparison.
frenemy
In school, I have a frenemy who pretends to be my friend but tries to outdo me in everything.
lucid
The explanation of the lucid tough old bird was so lucid that everyone understood the concept immediately.
magnitude
The magnitude of the earthquake was measured at 7.0 on the Richter scale so its magnitude is insane
positively
He will positively finish his homework before dinner.
indentation
When writing an essay, remember to use indentation for each new paragraph.
The teacher asked us to indent our lines to make the work look neat.
improbable
The chances of winning the lottery are highly improbable.
It seems improbable that they will finish the project on time.
His story was so improbable that no one believed him.
Finicky
My cat is very finicky about her food; she only eats the brand she likes.
imbued
Meaning: filled or inspired with a feeling, quality, or idea.
EXES:
Her speech was imbued with passion and determination.
The ancient forest is imbued with mystery and magic.
formidable opponent
The champion boxer faced a formidable opponent in the final match.
Rapacious
The rapacious businessman was always looking for ways to increase his profits, no matter the cost.
Rapt
I'm usually rapt in my thoughts every morning, thinking about my crush
Enrapture
The beautiful music enraptured the audience, leaving them in awe.
beguile
The magician was able to beguile the audience with his amazing tricks.
forbear
She decided to forbear from commenting on the situation to avoid further conflict
Even though he was angry, he chose to forbear and let it go.
They had to forbear the temptation to eat dessert before dinner.
bare essentials
When I went camping, I packed only the bare essentials: a tent, sleeping bag, and food.
myriad
There are a myriad of stars in the sky.
obdurate
Despite the evidence presented, the politician remained obdurate in his beliefs.
inalienable
The right to life is considered an inalienable right that every person possesses.
on cue
The dog barked on cue when the doorbell rang.
consultative
The teacher held a consultative meeting with parents to discuss their children's progress.
lukewarm
The soup was lukewarm, so I decided to heat it up.
She gave a lukewarm response to the invitation, showing she wasn't very excited.
deficit
The company reported a significant deficit in profits last quarter.
sauna
The sauna helps me feel refreshed and rejuvenated.
glisten
The morning dew made the grass glisten in the sunlight.
hedonism
His hedonism often got him into trouble, as he prioritized fun over responsibilities.
subservient
The subservient assistant always followed the manager's orders without asking questions.
high stakes
In the final exam, the students felt the high stakes of their future.
in response to
The teacher gave extra homework in response to the students' questions.
philately
My grandfather has a passion for philately and is really a philatelist
down to earth
She is very down to earth, always willing to help others without expecting anything in return.
travail
The artist's travail was evident in every brushstroke of the painting.
gravely
The doctor spoke gravely about the patient being gravely ill
seclude
The teacher decided to seclude the noisy students during the test.
nitpick
She tends to nitpick every little detail in my homework.
capitulate
After much discussion, the team decided to capitulate to the new rules set by the coach.
epitomize
The athlete epitomizes hard work and dedication.
egregious
His egregious behavior at the party shocked everyone.
macabre
The film had a macabre atmosphere that kept the audience on the edge of their seats.
proof positive
The scientist presented proof positive that the new medicine works effectively.
acerbic
Her acerbic comments during the meeting made everyone feel uncomfortable.
lunge
He took a lunge to avoid the ball that was coming towards him.
bamboozle
She tried to bamboozle her friends into believing she had won the lottery.
alliteration
She sells sea shells by the sea shore.
literary device
In her poem, the author used a metaphor to compare love to a rose, highlighting its beauty and fragility.
folklore
The folklore of the Native Americans includes many fascinating stories about nature and animals.
obsequious
His obsequious behavior made it clear that he was trying to win the favor of the wealthy donor.
in arrears
The tenant is in arrears with the rent and needs to pay immediately.
impend
The dark clouds in the sky seemed to impend a storm.
wily
The wily fox outsmarted the hunters in the forest.
torpid
After a long day at school, I felt torpid and just wanted to relax.
Things were working out.
After a tough start, I was happy to see that things were working out for our team.
get bent out of shape
She really got bent out of shape when she found out her friend forgot her birthday.
notch up
After months of hard work, he finally notched up a promotion at his job.
muddle up
She muddled up the papers on her desk and couldn't find the important document.
impenitent
The impenitent thief continued to steal, showing no signs of remorse, unrepentently pillaged
confer
They decided to confer with the experts before making a final decision.
termite
The house was infested with termites, so we had to call an exterminator.
patio
The patio is a great place to enjoy the sunset.
subversive
Her subversive ideas sparked a debate among the students.
culpable
The jury found the defendant culpable of the crime.
thrills and spills
The roller coaster was full of thrills and spills, making it the best ride in the park!
moiety
In the legal agreement, each party was entitled to a moiety of the profits.
disclosure
She was surprised by the disclosure of her friend's secret.
recede
The floodwaters began to recede after the rain stoppe
The light receded and his fear receded as well
vain
(vanity)
She is so vain that she spends hours looking in the mirror.
hitherto
The research has hitherto shown promising results.
laborious
The laborious task of beating the dust out of the broom took all day.
word perfect
She delivered her speech word perfect, impressing everyone in the audience.
unnerved
She felt unnerved when she heard strange noises in the dark.
superlative
Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world.
spellings
Both words are pronounced the same way in English, despite the different spellings.
in inverted commas
Sick prisoners in the camp were "cared for", in inverted commas, by guards, not nurses.
sense of proportion
In life, having a sense of proportion helps us focus on what truly matters.
preposterous
It’s preposterous to think that we can finish this project in one day.
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