arbitrary words

Josh H. (United States of America)
55 words 19 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. nadir
    the lowest point of anything
    The group home was the nadir of my life.
  2. nescience
    state of not knowing; the absence of knowledge
    We can blame his flippancy on his nescience
  3. inane
    devoid of intelligence
    Lisa's comments were the epitome of inane.
  4. unfounded
    without a basis in reason or fact
    Her abomination of clowns is unfounded
  5. deter
    try to prevent; show opposition to
    You would think the consequences would deter him.
  6. oddity
    eccentricity that is not easily explained
    Dustin is emits an array of oddities
  7. pivotal
    being of crucial importance
    The first chapter of the book is pivotal, without at it, the book would be worthless.
  8. galvanize
    stimulate to action
    The racial slur galvanized opposing sides into a enormous war.
  9. explicate
    make plain and comprehensible
    can you explicate this perplexing notion?
  10. ruminate
    reflect deeply on a subject
    I'm inclined at times to ruminate on trifles.
  11. prodigious
    great in size, force, extent, or degree
    The prodigious hegemony of america.
  12. ubiquitous
    being present everywhere at once
    Cell phones have become ubiquitous.
  13. unconscionable
    greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation
    For the dollar wanted, the cars damage is unconscionable.
  14. unctuous
    unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating
    The waitress was unctuous deeming the situation unpleasant.
  15. uniform
    always the same
    His strict uniform job is the apotheosis of monotonous.
  16. unremitting
    uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
    The inclement weather was unremitting, ruining are vacation.
  17. unwitting
    not aware or knowing
    I was unwitting to the specifications of the particular law.
  18. urbane
    showing a high degree of refinement
    The urbane gal intrinsically producing suave, was charming to be around.
  19. usurp
    seize and take control without authority
    Her father was usurped by another woman causing devastating ramifications.
  20. utilitarian
    having a useful function
    The utilitarian tent represented camping to the pin.
  21. utopia
    ideally perfect state
    The cruise ship was utopia.
  22. vacillate
    be undecided about something
    I'm vacillating between English and Neuroscience.
  23. vapid
    lacking significance or liveliness or spirit or zest
    The car ride from Chicago to New York was vapid to say the least.
  24. vehement
    marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions
    When anybody mentioned his daughter he became vehement. His vehement voice shook the house.
  25. venal
    capable of being corrupted
    What should we do about venal cops?
  26. venerate
    regard with feelings of respect and reverence
    Why venerate God when there's no empirical evidence vindicating the veracity of his existence?
  27. veracity
    unwillingness to tell lies
    You must question the veracity of his assertion where its ostensibly unfounded.
  28. verbose
    using or containing too many words
    The verbose letter shut me down after the first paragraph.
  29. verisimilitude
    the appearance of truth; the quality of seeming to be true
    The verisimilitude of the play was truly astonishing.
  30. vernacular
    the everyday speech of the people
    The vernacular of the group was nothing more than drivel.
  31. vestige
    an indication that something has been present
    He lacked the vestige of acknowledgment.
  32. vexing
    extremely annoying or displeasing
    The situation was extremely vexing.
  33. viable
    capable of being done with means at hand
    The plan is viable indeed, but not the most pragmatic approach
  34. quiddity
    the essence that makes something the kind of thing it is
  35. turpitude
    a corrupt or depraved or degenerate act or practice
  36. trepidation
    a feeling of alarm or dread
  37. vicarious
    experienced at secondhand
  38. vicissitude
    a variation in circumstances or fortune
  39. vilify
    spread negative information about
  40. vindicate
    show to be right by providing justification or proof
  41. vindictive
    disposed to seek revenge or intended for revenge
  42. virtuoso
    someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field
  43. virulent
    extremely poisonous or injurious; producing venom
  44. visionary
    not practical or realizable; speculative
  45. vitriolic
    harsh, bitter, or malicious in tone
  46. vocation
    the particular occupation for which you are trained
  47. vociferous
    conspicuously and offensively loud
  48. volatile
    liable to lead to sudden change or violence
  49. volition
    the capability of conscious choice and decision
  50. wanton
    unprovoked or without motive or justification
  51. willful
    done by design
  52. wistful
    showing pensive sadness
  53. zealous
    marked by active interest and enthusiasm
  54. categorical
    not modified or restricted by reservations
  55. unequivocal
    admitting of no doubt or misunderstanding
Created on Sat Jun 09 23:19:35 EDT 2012 (updated Sat Sep 14 02:22:51 EDT 2013)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.