Stretch vocabulary flashcards

Print A4 at actual size. Cut along each card's outer border. Fold along the dotted middle line, with the words facing out. The prompt is on one side and the answer is on the other.

The full deck is below, with the same answers as the practice and PDF. Choose a word or fact to read its explanation.

1. anguish

   Terrible suffering of the mind or body.

   noun. Similar meanings: agony, torment, distress. Opposite meanings: comfort, bliss.

   Example: Her face twisted in anguish as she realised the letter from Grandpa had blown into the canal.

2. despondent

   Very unhappy and without much hope that things will improve.

   adjective. Similar meanings: hopeless, gloomy, defeated. Opposite meanings: hopeful, optimistic.

   Example: Weeks of rain had ruined the strawberries, and the growers were despondent about the summer.

3. forlorn

   Sad and lonely, as if nobody cares or nothing can help.

   adjective. Similar meanings: lonely, miserable, abandoned. Opposite meanings: hopeful, comforted.

   Example: A single forlorn puppy sat shivering by the gate, watching every car that passed without stopping.

4. seethe

   To feel very angry.

   verb. Similar meanings: fume, simmer, smoulder. Opposite meanings: calm down, forgive.

   Example: Hannah smiled politely at the referee, but underneath she was seething at the unfair decision.

5. conscientious

   Careful to do your work properly and to do what is right.

   adjective. Similar meanings: diligent, dutiful, thorough. Opposite meanings: careless, negligent.

   Example: A conscientious monitor, Ravi checked every window was shut before leaving the classroom.

6. earnest

   Very serious and sincere, meaning every word you say.

   adjective. Similar meanings: serious, heartfelt, wholehearted. Opposite meanings: flippant, half-hearted.

   Example: In an earnest voice, Maya promised she would feed the guinea pigs every single morning.

7. fickle

   Changing your mind or your likes very often and without good reason.

   adjective. Similar meanings: changeable, unpredictable, flighty. Opposite meanings: loyal, constant.

   Example: Our fickle cat adores the salmon flavour one day and turns her nose up at it the next.

8. haughty

   Proud and looking down on other people as if they are beneath you.

   adjective. Similar meanings: snobbish, disdainful, superior. Opposite meanings: humble, modest.

   Example: With a haughty sniff, the duchess in the play refused to sit on the wooden bench.

9. bolster

   To support or strengthen something so it does not fail.

   verb. Similar meanings: support, boost, strengthen. Opposite meanings: undermine, weaken.

   Example: A cheer from the crowd helped bolster the tired runners as they climbed the final hill.

10. magnanimous

    Kind and forgiving towards others, especially those you have beaten.

    adjective. Similar meanings: generous, forgiving, big-hearted. Opposite meanings: petty, spiteful.

    Example: The winning captain was magnanimous, praising the other team's goalkeeper in front of everyone.

11. assert

    To state something firmly and confidently as a fact.

    verb. Similar meanings: declare, claim, insist. Opposite meanings: deny, retract.

    Example: Maya asserted that the footprints in the mud belonged to a badger, not a fox.

12. interrogate

    To ask someone many questions, often in a stern or forceful way.

    verb. Similar meanings: question, quiz, cross-examine. Opposite meanings: answer, reply.

    Example: When the biscuit tin turned up empty, Gran interrogated each of us in turn.

13. rebuke

    To tell someone sharply that they have done something wrong.

    verb. Similar meanings: scold, tell off, reprimand. Opposite meanings: praise, compliment.

    Example: The librarian rebuked the boys for sliding down the banister, though her eyes were twinkling.

14. lurch

    To move suddenly and unsteadily, as if about to fall.

    verb. Similar meanings: sway, pitch, reel. Opposite meanings: glide, steady.

    Example: The ferry lurched sideways as a big wave hit it, and everyone grabbed the rails.

15. manoeuvre

    A careful or skilful movement, especially one that is tricky to do.

    noun. Similar meanings: move, operation, tactic.

    Example: Getting the sofa up the narrow staircase took a clever manoeuvre and a lot of shouting.

16. saunter

    To walk in a slow, relaxed way, as if you have all day.

    verb. Similar meanings: stroll, amble, wander. Opposite meanings: hurry, dash.

    Example: Hands in pockets, Ollie sauntered along the promenade, licking an ice cream.

17. toil

    To work very hard for a long time at something tiring.

    verb. Similar meanings: labour, slog, work hard. Opposite meanings: rest, relax.

    Example: All afternoon the volunteers toiled in the community garden behind the flats, digging out weeds in the heat.

18. contemplate

    To think about something deeply and for a long time.

    verb. Similar meanings: reflect on, think over, muse. Opposite meanings: ignore, dismiss.

    Example: Sitting on the harbour wall, Ruby contemplated what to do with the rest of the holidays.

19. conundrum

    A confusing problem or question that is very hard to solve.

    noun. Similar meanings: puzzle, riddle, problem. Opposite meanings: solution, answer.

    Example: How to fit six of us and the dog into Gran's tiny car was a real conundrum.

20. fathom

    To understand something after thinking hard about it.

    verb. Similar meanings: understand, work out, comprehend. Opposite meanings: misunderstand.

    Example: Nobody could fathom why the hens had stopped laying until we spotted the fox's tracks.

21. lucid

    Clear and easy to understand.

    adjective. Similar meanings: clear, plain, coherent. Opposite meanings: confusing, muddled, obscure.

    Example: The guide gave such a lucid explanation of the tides that even my little brother followed it.

22. counterfeit

    Made to look real in order to cheat people.

    adjective. Similar meanings: fake, forged, imitation. Opposite meanings: genuine, authentic.

    Example: The bank clerk held the note up to the light and spotted at once that it was counterfeit.

23. guile

    Sly cleverness used to trick or outwit other people.

    noun. Similar meanings: cunning, craftiness, trickery. Opposite meanings: honesty, innocence.

    Example: With considerable guile, the smallest player drew the defenders left before passing the ball right.

24. ruse

    A clever plan used to fool someone.

    noun. Similar meanings: trick, ploy, dodge.

    Example: Pretending to have lost her scarf was just a ruse to get Mum out of the room.

25. intrepid

    Very brave when facing something difficult or dangerous.

    adjective. Similar meanings: fearless, bold, daring. Opposite meanings: timid, cowardly.

    Example: Our intrepid guide waded straight into the icy stream while the rest of us hung back.

26. jeopardy

    A state of being at risk of harm or loss.

    noun. Similar meanings: danger, peril, risk. Opposite meanings: safety, security.

    Example: One more late library book and Sam's chance of the reading prize would be in jeopardy.

27. skirmish

    A short, small fight between two groups.

    noun. Similar meanings: scuffle, clash, tussle. Opposite meanings: truce, peace.

    Example: What began as a skirmish over the last slice of cake soon had every cousin involved.

28. dearth

    A serious shortage of something that is needed.

    noun. Similar meanings: shortage, lack, scarcity. Opposite meanings: abundance, surplus.

    Example: There was such a dearth of umbrellas at the fete that people sheltered under the cake stall.

29. fluctuate

    To keep changing, rising and falling without a steady pattern.

    verb. Similar meanings: vary, waver, swing. Opposite meanings: stabilise, settle.

    Example: The temperature in the greenhouse fluctuated wildly, roasting the tomatoes by day and chilling them at night.

30. magnitude

    The size or importance of something.

    noun. Similar meanings: size, scale, extent. Opposite meanings: smallness, insignificance.

    Example: Only when they reached the foot of the dam did the children grasp the magnitude of it.

31. paltry

    So small an amount that it is almost worthless.

    adjective. Similar meanings: measly, meagre, trifling. Opposite meanings: generous, substantial.

    Example: Ten pence was a paltry reward for an afternoon spent weeding Mr Okafor's entire allotment.

32. belated

    Coming or happening later than it should have.

    adjective. Similar meanings: late, overdue, delayed. Opposite meanings: punctual, prompt, timely.

    Example: Grandad's belated birthday card arrived in March, three weeks after the last slice of cake had gone.

33. elapse

    To pass or go by, used about time.

    verb. Similar meanings: pass, go by, slip away. Opposite meanings: remain, stand still.

    Example: Three whole weeks elapsed before the seeds Amara had planted finally pushed through the soil.

34. fleeting

    Lasting only a very short time.

    adjective. Similar meanings: brief, momentary, passing. Opposite meanings: lasting, permanent.

    Example: We caught a fleeting glimpse of the kingfisher before it flashed away down the river.

35. precipice

    A very high, steep cliff face or rock edge with a sheer drop.

    noun. Similar meanings: cliff, sheer drop, crag.

    Example: The path ended at a precipice, and the sheep grazed calmly a metre from the drop.

36. secluded

    Hidden away and not easily seen; quiet and private.

    adjective. Similar meanings: hidden, sheltered, private, tucked away. Opposite meanings: exposed, busy.

    Example: Behind the tall hedge lay a secluded garden that few visitors to the park ever found.

37. undulating

    Describing land that rises and falls gently in wave-like slopes.

    adjective. Similar meanings: rolling, wavy, hilly. Opposite meanings: flat, level.

    Example: From the train window we watched undulating fields roll past like a green sea.

38. cacophony

    A harsh, unpleasant mixture of loud sounds all happening at once.

    noun. Similar meanings: din, racket, uproar, clamour. Opposite meanings: harmony, silence.

    Example: The school orchestra's first practice was a cacophony of squeaks, honks and clattering cymbals.

39. dappled

    Describing something marked with patches of light and shade or colour.

    adjective. Similar meanings: speckled, mottled, spotted, flecked. Opposite meanings: plain, uniform.

    Example: The pony stood in dappled shade beneath the apple tree, spots of sunlight moving on its back.

40. pungent

    Strong, sharp and hard to ignore, of a smell or taste.

    adjective. Similar meanings: sharp, strong, acrid, overpowering. Opposite meanings: mild, bland.

    Example: The pungent smell of vinegar from the chip shop reached us before we turned the corner.

41. translucent

    Describing something that lets light through but is not fully see-through.

    adjective. Similar meanings: semi-transparent, frosted, milky. Opposite meanings: opaque.

    Example: The sea glass was translucent, glowing green when Amira held it up to the sun.

42. evoke

    To bring a feeling, memory or picture into someone's mind.

    verb. Similar meanings: summon, conjure up, stir, call to mind. Opposite meanings: dispel, blot out.

    Example: The smell of chlorine can evoke the whole of last summer's swimming holiday in a second.

43. hyperbole

    Deliberate exaggeration used for effect, not meant to be taken literally.

    noun. Similar meanings: exaggeration, overstatement. Opposite meanings: understatement.

    Example: 'I've told you a million times to shut the gate' is hyperbole, not a real count.

44. irony

    Using words that mean the opposite of what you really think, often to be funny.

    noun. Similar meanings: sarcasm, dry humour, wry humour. Opposite meanings: sincerity, earnestness.

    Example: 'Lovely weather for a picnic,' said Mum with irony, as hail bounced off the car roof.

45. invariably

    Always happening in the same way, without a single exception.

    adverb. Similar meanings: always, without fail, unfailingly, consistently. Opposite meanings: occasionally, sometimes.

    Example: The ice-cream van invariably arrives just as we sit down to dinner.

46. notwithstanding

    Used to say that something is true in spite of another thing.

    preposition. Similar meanings: despite, in spite of, regardless of.

    Example: Notwithstanding the wasps, the picnic by the canal was a great success.

47. subsequently

    After that; at a later time.

    adverb. Similar meanings: afterwards, later, next. Opposite meanings: previously, beforehand.

    Example: The library flooded in January and subsequently closed for three months while the carpets dried out.