List 30
Aberrant (uh-BER-unt)
Meaning: Deviating from what is normal or expected.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a zebra painting its stripes into polka dots saying, “I’m going aberrant today!”
Sentence: His aberrant behavior raised concerns among his peers.
Abide (uh-BIDE)
Meaning: Tolerate, follow, or accept.
Funny Mnemonic: Picture a grumpy cat glaring at loud music, muttering, “I’ll have to abide this nonsense!”
Sentence: We must abide by the rules of the competition.
Bravado (bruh-VAH-doh)
Meaning: A display of boldness or confidence, often feigned.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a rooster puffing out its chest in front of a lion, shouting, “Look at my bravado!”
Sentence: His bravado masked his nervousness before the performance.
Callow (KAL-oh)
Meaning: Young and inexperienced; immature.
Funny Mnemonic: Think of a callow bird chick trying to fly, shouting, “I’ll figure it out eventually!”
Sentence: The callow intern made several mistakes on his first day.
Capitulate (kuh-PIT-chuh-late)
Meaning: Surrender or give up resistance.
Funny Mnemonic: Picture a castle raising a flag saying, “Fine, we capitulate—come in!”
Sentence: They finally capitulated to the enemy’s demands.
Cogitate (KAWJ-uh-tate)
Meaning: Think deeply; ponder or reflect.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a statue of a thinker saying, “I need to cogitate on my next move.”
Sentence: She sat by the fire to cogitate on the meaning of life.
Deportment (dih-PORT-ment)
Meaning: Behavior or manners.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a queen at tea, saying, “Your deportment is as clumsy as your pouring!”
Sentence: His polite deportment impressed the guests.
Extemporize (ek-STEM-puh-rise)
Meaning: Improvise, especially in speech or performance.
Funny Mnemonic: Picture a comedian on stage yelling, “Forgot my lines? Time to extemporize!”
Sentence: The speaker had to extemporize when the projector failed.
Factious (FAK-shuhs)
Meaning: Causing division or disagreement.
Funny Mnemonic: Think of a family feud over pizza toppings that’s so factious it divides the table!
Sentence: His factious comments led to a heated debate.
Fallow (FAL-oh)
Meaning:
- (of farmland) Not cultivated; barren.
- (of a period of time) Inactive.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a farmer looking at his empty field saying, “This land’s having a fallow break.”
Sentence: The artist took a fallow period to recharge her creativity.
Feint (FAYNT)
Meaning: A deceptive movement or action.
Funny Mnemonic: Picture a boxer pretending to throw a punch and yelling, “Feint success!”
Sentence: The soldier’s feint distracted the enemy from the real attack.
Flagrant (FLAY-gruhnt)
Meaning: Noticeably offensive; blatant.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a robber walking out of a bank with bags of cash, whistling flagrantly.
Sentence: His flagrant disregard for the rules shocked everyone.
Gratuitous (gruh-TOO-uh-tus)
Meaning: Unwarranted; without justification.
Funny Mnemonic: Think of adding sprinkles to soup, and someone yelling, “That’s so gratuitous!”
Sentence: The movie had too many gratuitous violent scenes.
Grovel (GRAH-vul)
Meaning: Show submission or fear; beg for favor.
Funny Mnemonic: Picture a dog groveling at its owner’s feet, holding a “Please forgive me” sign.
Sentence: He had to grovel to get his job back after the mistake.
Indecorous (in-DECK-uh-rus)
Meaning: Not in good taste; inappropriate or unseemly.
Funny Mnemonic: Think of someone wearing flip-flops to a wedding and guests whispering, “How indecorous!”
Sentence: His indecorous behavior at the formal dinner shocked everyone.
Intrigue (IN-treeg)
Meaning:
- A secret scheme or plot.
- Provoke interest in.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a spy whispering, “My life is full of intrigue and gadgets!”
Sentence: The novel was full of political intrigue.
Nominal (NOM-uh-nul)
Meaning:
- In name only.
- Insubstantial; insignificant.
Funny Mnemonic: Think of a president with no power labeled as a “nominal leader.”
Sentence: They charge a nominal fee for entry.
Obdurate (OB-dyuh-rit)
Meaning: Stubborn; unyielding.
Funny Mnemonic: Picture a donkey refusing to move, shouting, “I’m obdurate!”
Sentence: She remained obdurate despite the compelling arguments.
Obstreperous (ob-STREP-er-us)
Meaning: Noisy, unruly, or hard to control.
Funny Mnemonic: Think of a toddler at a candy store screaming obstreperously for chocolate.
Sentence: The obstreperous protesters made it difficult for the event to continue.
Odious (OH-dee-us)
Meaning: Highly offensive; repugnant.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a skunk spraying someone, who yells, “That’s so odious!”
Sentence: His odious comments alienated everyone at the party.
Plucky (PLUH-kee)
Meaning: Showing courage or determination.
Funny Mnemonic: Picture a tiny chicken facing a fox, shouting, “I’m plucky and I’ll fight!”
Sentence: The plucky child climbed the tree to rescue the kitten.
Precocious (prih-KOH-shus)
Meaning: Showing advanced skills or development earlier than usual.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a baby solving algebra problems while drinking milk—precocious genius!
Sentence: Her precocious talent for painting amazed her teachers.
Remuneration (rih-myoo-nuh-RAY-shun)
Meaning: Payment or compensation for services or work.
Funny Mnemonic: Think of a robot saying, “Work completed, please insert remuneration.”
Sentence: They offered generous remuneration for the difficult task.
Slovenly (SLUH-vuhn-lee)
Meaning:
- Untidy, especially in personal appearance.
- Without care; neglectful.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a person in pajamas at a wedding eating pizza—slovenly style!
Sentence: His slovenly desk made it hard to find anything.
Soliloquy (suh-LIL-uh-kwee)
Meaning: A speech in a drama where a character talks to themselves, expressing inner thoughts.
Funny Mnemonic: Picture Hamlet staring into space and dramatically saying, “To be or not to be” in a soliloquy.
Sentence: The actor’s soliloquy captivated the audience.
Spurn (SPURN)
Meaning: Reject or refuse disdainfully.
Funny Mnemonic: Think of a cat spurning its food by knocking it off the table with a paw.
Sentence: She spurned his offer to help with a scornful look.
Stolid (STAH-lid)
Meaning: Not easily moved or emotional.
Funny Mnemonic: Picture a stoic statue in the middle of chaos, labeled “Stolid Steve.”
Sentence: He remained **stolid
** even in the face of bad news.
Temerity (tuh-MER-uh-tee)
Meaning: Reckless boldness or audacity.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine someone jumping over a fence into a lion’s cage, shouting, “Temerity rules!”
Sentence: His temerity in challenging the boss surprised everyone.
Tenuous (TEN-yoo-us)
Meaning: Thin or weak.
Funny Mnemonic: Think of a spider thread holding a piano, someone saying, “That’s tenuous!”
Sentence: The connection between the events was tenuous at best.
Verve (VURV)
Meaning: Energy, enthusiasm, or vigor.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a performer dancing with so much verve the audience can’t sit still!
Sentence: She performed with remarkable verve and passion.