wordsmart exam prep I

Wordsmart I-M

Iconoclast (eye KAHN uh klast) n one who attacks popular beliefs or

institutions

Einstein was a scientific iconoclast whose ideas disproved the

established theories of many eminent physicists and changed the course

of science.

Ideology n a system of social or political ideas

The Korean War was the result of two conflicting ideologies that

divided the nation.

Idiosyncrasy: n. a peculiarity; an eccentricity

One of Mr. Tame’s idiosyncrasies is his fascination of zombies.

Idyllic: adj. charming in a rustic way; naturally peaceful

My parents’ goal was idyllic; they wanted to live in the countryside

after their retirement.

Ignominy: (IG nuh min ee): n deep disgrace →disgrace: shame

John looked to the floor in ignominy after being confronted about his

cheating on the exam.

Illicit: (I LIS it) adj. illegal; not permitted

The mafia engages in numerous illicit businesses under the police’s radar.

Immigrate: v to move permanently to a new country

She immigrated to the UK after marrying an Englishman.

Imminent: adj just about to happen

I had a strange feeling that something terrible was imminent; then,

the storm hit.

Immutable: adj. unchangeable

The school policies were immutable; the administration did not value

the opinions of their students.

Impartial: adj. fair, not favoring one side or the other; unbiased

Zombies are impartial; they do not discriminate between the rich and

the poor when eating people.

Impeccable: adj. flawless; entirely without sin

His speech was impeccable; he was able to make an immediate connection

with his audience.

Imperial: adj. like an emperor or an empire

He was the rightful heir of the imperial line, but he had to live in hiding.

Impervious: adj. not allowing anything to pass through; impenetrable

John built an impervious fortress that no zombie could break through.

Impetuous: adj. impulsive; extremely impatient

John is extremely impetuous when it comes to eating; he finishes

before his mom can lift her spoon.

Implement: v. to carry out

John had a handful of plans made, but rather than implementing them,

he slept all weekend long.

Impotent: adj. powerless; helpless; unable to perform

The remaining survivors felt completely impotent against the

blood-thirsty zombies behind the door.

Impugn: v. to attack, especially to attack the truth or integrity of something

I impugned his claims by providing evidence that he had lied about his

whereabouts.

Inane: adj. silly; senseless

The idea of befriending a blood-thirsty zombie is inane.

Inaugurate: v. to begin officially; to induct formally into office

The new president’s inauguration was held yesterday in Washington D.C.

Incandescent (in kun DES unt): adj. brilliant; giving off heat or light

One incandescent idea can result in a dramatic advance for the company.

Incantation: n. a chant; the repetition of statements or phrases in a

way reminiscent of a chant

The mysterious man mumbled some incantation and disappeared in front

of our eyes.

Incense: v. to make very angry

The student’s rebellious attitude incensed the teacher, so he kicked

him out of his class.

Incessant: adj. unceasing (continuing or following without interruption)

The incessant waves of zombies discouraged the army.

Indifferent: adj. not caring one way or the other; apathetic; mediocre

John was indifferent to the worries of his parents and went on the

trip with a broken leg.

Indigenous adj. native; originating in that area (indigenous to “region”)

The indigenous people were treated brutally by the Western invaders.

Indigent (IN di junt) adj. poor

The indigent people in the city suffered greatly after the storm.

Indignant: adj. angry, especially as a result of something unjust or

unworthy; insulted

I was indignant when my boss forced me to do mindless work.

Indolent: adj. lazy

Her indolent son woke up at noon and went to bed again after eating lunch.

Indulgent: adj. lenient; yielding to desire

The indulgent parents hardly punished their kids even when their

pranks had hurt another student.

Ineffable: adj. incapable of being expressed or described

Her beauty was ineffable; she captured all the eyes in the room.

Inept: adj. clumsy, gauche, incompetent

She was absolutely inept at singing; her voice was intolerable to hear.

Inert: adj. inactive; sluggish; not reacting chemically

Inert gases never participate in chemical reactions.

Inexorable: adj. relentless; inevitable; unavoidable

The incoming asteroid was inexorable; the end of human civilization

was imminent.

Infamous: adj. shamefully wicked; having an extremely bad reputation;

disgraceful

The brutal acts of the military will forever remain infamous.

Infatuated: adj. foolish; foolishly passionate or attracted; made

foolish; foolish in love

The man was infatuated with Iron Man that he wore a self-made metal

suit to work.

Infer: v. to conclude; to deduce

I inferred from the heaps of garbage that there had been a crazy party

last night.

Infinitesimal: adj. very, very, very small; infinitely small

The zombie virus was infinitesimal that scientists failed to predict

its deadliness.

Ingenuous: adj. frank; without deception; simple; artless; charmingly naïve

Young children are ingenuous in that they just express whatever they

feel in a straightforward way.

Inherent: adj. part of the essential nature of something; intrinsic

The hardness of diamond is inherent in its chemical makeup.

Injunction: n. a command or order, especially a court order

John didn’t follow the injunction of the doctor to stop playing sports.

Innate: adj. existing since birth; inborn; inherent

The mark in my neck is innate; I had it since birth.

Innocuous: adj. harmless; banal

Even thought your intent was innocuous, people were still angry about

the way you handled the situation.

Inordinate: adj. excessive; unreasonable

The bathroom was inordinately big in comparison to the overall size of

the small apartment.

Insatiable: adj. hard or impossible to satisfy; greedy; avaricious

Her high standards were insatiable; it was impossible to be good

enough in her eyes.

Insidious: (in SID ee us) adj. treacherous; sneaky

Smoking is insidious; it not only harms your own lungs, but others

around you due to second hand smoke.

Insinuate: v. to hint; to creep in

His calm voice insinuated that he had the situation under control.

Insipid: adj. dull; bland; banal

The principal’s remarks were insipid that almost everyone including

teachers were dozing off.

Insolent: adj. arrogant; insulting

His insolent attitude exasperated me and made me punch him in the face.

Instigate: v. to provoke; to stir up

The unsolvable equation instigated many mathematicians to work on it

for several decades.

Insular: adj. like an island; isolated

KMLA is insular in the mountains away from any major city.

Insurgent: n. a rebel; someone who revolts against a government

The insurgents finally defeated the dictator’s army and freed the country.

Integral: adj. essential

Bass plays an integral role in any band.

Integrate: v. to combine two or more things into a whole

Biophysics is an area of study where the theories of biology and

physics are being integrated.

Intractable: adj. uncontrollable; stubborn; disobedient

The intractable dog tried to bite his owner.

Intransigent (in TRAN suh junt): adj. uncompromising; stubborn

My dad was intransigent in his opposition, so I gave up getting a motorcycle.

Intrinsic: adj. part of the essential nature of something; inherent

My acne is so stubborn that it repels every possible remedy; it now

feels like an intrinsic part of my face.

Introspective: adj. tending to think about oneself; examining one’s feelings

After moving away from home, I had the opportunity for introspective reflection and realized how much I had relied on my parents.

Inundate (IN un dayt): v. to flood; to cover completely with water; to overwhelm

After leaving the faucet turned on for a week, the house was completely inundated with water that I could almost swim in my house.

Invective: n. insulting or abusive speech

His invectives often irritated people and left him with few friends.

Inveterate (in VET ur it): adj. habitual; firm in habit; deeply rooted

My roommate made many inveterate noises that annoyed me whenever I sat next to him.

Irascible: adj. easily angered or provoked; irritable

John became irascible after his surgery and often yelled at his mother over small things.

Ironic: adj. meaning the opposite of what you seem to say; using words to mean something other than what they seem to mean

When the judge said Jane looked very pretty without makeup, he was being ironic.

Irrevocable: adj. irreversible

Once you are affected by the zombie virus, the transformation is irrevocable until an antidote is discovered.

Itinerant: adj. moving from place to place

My uncle's job required him to be itinerant in that he went abroad to contract businesses deals every week.