Words

Pronunciation

 (part of speech)

Word Charge

Word Group

Fabricated

f\ab rih KAY tid\ (adj.)

– charge FALSE

constructed, invented; faked, falsified

The reporter was disgraced when it was uncovered that the stories he’d published were largely fabricated.

Façade

\fuh SOD\ (n.)

= charge FALSE

face, front; mask, superficial appearance

The criminals conducted business from a small factory in order to maintain the façade of respectability.

Facile

\FAS ul\ (adj.)

= charge EXPERIENCED

skilled, adept; requiring skill

She was alarmingly facile when it came to telling lies; they seemed to roll off her tongue.

Factual

\FAK choo ul\ (adj.)

= charge TRUE

real

“I have factual evidence that this man committed the crime!” declared the prosecuting attorney.

Fallacious

\fu LAY shuss\ (adj.)

– charge FALSE

wrong, unsound, illogical

We now know that the statement “the Earth is flat” is fallacious.

Falsify

\FAL sih fiy\ (v.)

– charge FALSE

misrepresent, state untruthfully

The prominent doctor was shamed and ostracized when his colleagues discovered that he falsified the results of his experiments.

Fanfare

\FAN fayr\ (n.)

+ charge ORNATE

a showy public display

The actor enjoyed the fanfare he received at every premiere in a new city.

Fathom

\FAH thom\ (v.)

= charge INTELLIGENT

comprehend, penetrate the meaning of

Andrea couldn’t fathom how a person could cheat on a test; every instinct told her it was wrong.

Favoritism

\FAV uh rih tizm\ (n.)

– charge INAPPROPRIATE

one-sidedness, partiality to one side

After the judge’s display of favoritism for the defendant, the plaintiff submitted a motion for a new trial.

Feign

\FAYN\ (v.)

– charge FALSE

to pretend, give a false impression; to invent falsely

Although Sean feigned indifference, he was very much interested in the contents of the envelope.

Felicitous

\feh LIH sih tus\ (adj.)

+ charge APPROPRIATE

suitable, appropriate; well-spoken

The father of the bride made a felicitous speech at the wedding, contributing to the success of the evening.

Feral

\FER ul\ (adj.)

– charge BOLD

wild, brutish

After living with gorillas for several years, Diane Fossey seemed feral to her more civilized contemporaries.

Fertile

\FIR tul\ (adj.)

+ charge PRODUCTIVE

highly productive, prolific

Lucille had a fertile imagination and always conjured the most fanciful tales for her siblings.

Fickle

\FIK ul\ (adj.)

– charge CHANGING

erratically unstable about affections

Jim was very fickle when it came to ordering lunch, changing his “favorite” restaurant on an almost daily basis.

Fidelity

\fih DEL ih tee\ (n.)

+ charge TRUE

loyalty, faithfulness

A traitor, by definition, lacks fidelity.

Figurative

\FIG yur uh tiv\ (adj.)

= charge SIMPLE

metaphorical, symbolic

The author’s skillful use of figurative language distracted many critics from the serious deficiencies in character development.

Finite

\FTY niyt\ (adj.)

= charge RIGID

having bounds, limited

Because there are only a finite number of hiding places in the small warehouse, the police were sure they would find the crook eventually.

Firebrand

\FTYR brand\ (n.)

– charge BOLD

one who stirs up trouble

Mr. Phelps was nervous about having Regine in his class; she was a known firebrand, and he didn’t want her to start any trouble.

Fission

\FISH in\ (n.)

= charge ALONE

process of splitting into two parts

The discovery of the process of nuclear fission enabled scientists to construct the atom bomb.

Flabbergasted

\FLAB ur gas tid\ (v.)

= charge SURPRISED

astounded, surprise

The sight under her pillow flabbergasted the young girl; where she had left a tooth, she now found a dollar instead.

Flagrant

\FLAY grent\ (adj.)

– charge BOSSY

outrageous, shameless

His flagrant disregard for company policy resulted in his dismissal from the job.

Flank

\FLANK\ (v.)

= charge DIRECT

to put on the sides of

The gardener had planted shrubs that flanked the steps and walkway.

Flaunt

\FLAWNT\ (v.)

– charge PRETENTIOUS

to show off

Rhonda flaunted her engagement ring all over the office.

Flaw

\FLAW\ (n.)

– charge UNHEALTHY

imperfection, defect

Because there was a flaw in the system, programmers had to rewrite the entire application.

Flee

\FLEE\ (v.)

= charge MOVING

run away from, escape

Many of the first immigrants to North America were fleeing religious persecution in their home countries.

Flippancy

\FLIP an see\ (adj.)

– charge INAPPROPRIATE

casualness, inappropriate pertness

The principal, tired of the flippancy of the students in his school, decided to strictly enforce the dress code and attendance rules.

Florid

\FLAW rid\ (adj.)

– charge ORNATE

ruddy, flushed; gaudy, extremely ornate

The palace had been decorated in an excessively florid style; every surface had been carved and gilded.

Flourish

\FLUR ish\ (v.)

+ charge PRODUCTIVE

prosper, thrive

While one immigrant family had a hard time and was unable to survive in their new country, the second family flourished in their new home.

Foil

\FOYL\ (n.)

= charge ALONE

something used to contrast against something else

Evan was the perfect foil for evaluating Jeremy as a worker; while Jeremy was hard working and diligent, Evan was lazy and negligent.

Foolhardy

\FOOL hard ee\ (adj.)

– charge RECKLESS

reckless, rash

Lisa tried in vain to dissuade Bart from jumping over the Springfield Ravine with a skateboard; only Homer was able to talk his son out of the foolhardy act.

Foreshadow

\FOR shah dow\ (v.)

= charge CLEAR

to indicate beforehand

The character’s visit to an asylum foreshadowed his future descent into madness.

Forge

\FORN\ (v.)

+ charge MOVING

to advance gradually but steadily

Despite her intense workload, Sharon forged ahead and graduated at the top of her class.

Forgery

\FORJ uh ree\ (n.)

– charge FALSE

something counterfeit or fraudulent

The forgery of the famous painting was close enough to the original to fool most of the experts who examined it.

Forlorn

\for LORN\ (adj.)

– charge SAD

dreary, deserted; unhappy; hopeless, depressing

Ying felt forlorn at the prospect of moving out of the house in which she had been born.

Formidable

\FOR mid uh bul\ (adj.)

= charge BOLD

arousing fear or dread; inspiring awe or wonder; difficult to undertake

Realizing that she faced a formidable task, Barbara took a deep breath and began to clean her room.

Fortitude

\FOR ti tood\ (n.)

+ charge STRONG

strength of mind

Although Michelle had the fortitude to endure a six-hour meeting, she nonetheless agreed to break it into two three-hour sessions.

Forum

\FOR um\ (n.)

= charge COMMUNICATION

public place for discussion; a public discussion

In line with its goal of finding a solution to the foreign policy issue, the university held an open forum to discuss suggestions by students and professors.

Fragile

\FRAJ il\ (adj.)

– charge WEAK

delicate, frail

Mr. Thompson didn’t trust his servants with the fragile vase and insisted on cleaning it himself.

Fraud

\FROD\ (n.)

– charge FALSE

deception, hoax

The salesman was arrested for fraud after selling 500 acres of mosquito-infested swamp, which he claimed was choice beachside property, to the senior citizens.

Frivolous

\FRIV uh luss\ (adj.)

– charge UNIMPORTANT

petty, trivial; flippant, silly

The biggest problem in the world for the frivolous debutante was that her ribbon was the wrong color.

Frolicsome

\FROL ik sum\ (adj.)

+ charge HAPPY

frisky, playful

Jessy was in a frolicsome mood so she skipped down the street back to her apartment.

Fundamental

\fun da MEN tul\ (adj.)

= charge TYPICAL

basic, essential

One of the fundamental tenets of the Declaration of Independence is that all men are created equal.

Futile

\FYOO til\ (adj.)

– charge UNHELPFUL

useless; hopeless

“It is futile to resist,” claimed the invading general, “our armies outnumber yours five to one.”