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58 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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extenuating |
partially excusing or justifying (adj.) |
You'll be furious that your friend didn't bake the cupcakes she promised for your bake sale — until you learn the extenuatingcircumstances: her dog climbed onto her kitchen counter and ate all the cupcake batter. Extenuating means "making forgivable." |
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florid |
elaborately or excessively ornamented (adj.) inclined to a healthy reddish color often associated with outdoor life (adj.) |
When people are red-cheeked with good health they are florid. Spending most of the year in the college library can give you a colorless, weary face, but after a mountain vacation, you'll be florid with the reddish color that comes from exercise and living well. |
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forbearance |
a delay in enforcing rights or claims or privileges; refraining from acting (n.) good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence (n.) |
When a teacher says, "Bear with me for a moment," while he writes on the board, he is asking for the class's forbearance. He wants them to wait patiently during the delay. |
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fortitude |
strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity with courage (n.) |
Fortitude refers to strength in the face of adversity or difficulty. Eating fried worms might require a lot of intestinal fortitude. |
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fortuitous |
occurring by happy chance (adj.) having no cause or apparent cause (adj.) |
Fortuitous means by chance, like a lucky accident. If you and your best friend's families happen to go on vacation to the same place at the same time, that’s afortuitous coincidence! |
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foster |
providing or receiving nurture or parental care though not related by blood or legal ties (adj.) help develop, help grow (v.) |
To foster is to nurture something for a little while. She fosters creativity by providing crayons to every student. You can alsofoster a child, which means she lives in your home for a time. |
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fraught |
filled with or attended with (adj.) marked by distress (adj.) |
Fraught means filled with something — often something bad. Your Thanksgiving wasfraught with awkward moments when your family saw your blue hair, and it only got worse when you told them you'd quit law school to join the circus. |
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frugal |
avoiding waste (adj.) |
A person who lives simply and economically can be called frugal. Buying clothes at a consignment shop would be consideredfrugal. Not getting your mom a gift for her birthday — that's just cheap. |
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hackneyed |
repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse (adj.) |
Hackneyed is a word for language that doesn't pack a punch since it's overused and trite. "Roses are red, violets are..." — enough already?! That's hackneyed stuff. |
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haughty |
having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy (adj.) |
Someone who is haughty is arrogant and full of pride. When you're haughty, you have a big attitude and act like you're better than other people. |
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hedonist |
a tentative insight into the natural world
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impetuous
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characterized by undue haste and lack of thought
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impute
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attribute or credit to
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inconsequential
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lacking worth or importance
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inevitable
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incapable of being avoided or prevented
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intrepid
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invulnerable to fear or intimidation
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intuitive
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spontaneously derived from or prompted by a natural tendency
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jubilation
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a feeling of extreme joy
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lobbyist
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someone who is employed to persuade how legislators vote
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longevity
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the property of being long-lived
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mundane
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found in the ordinary course of events
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nonchalant |
marked by blithe unconcern
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opulent |
rich and superior in quality
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orator |
a person who delivers a speech
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ostentatious |
intended to attract notice and impress others
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parched |
dried out by heat or excessive exposure to sunlight
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perfidious
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tending to betray
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pragmatic |
concerned with practical matters
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precocious |
characterized by exceptionally early development
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pretentious |
creating an appearance of importance or distinction
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procrastinate |
postpone doing what one should be doing
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prosaic |
lacking wit or imagination
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prosperity |
the condition of having good fortune
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provocative
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serving or tending to excite or stimulate
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prudent |
marked by sound judgment
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querulous |
habitually complaining
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rancorous
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showing deep-seated resentment
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reclusive |
withdrawn from society; seeking solitude
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reconciliation |
the reestablishing of cordial relations
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renovation |
the act of improving by renewing and restoring
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restrained |
under control
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reverence |
a feeling of profound respect for someone or something
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sagacity
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the ability to understand and discriminate between relations
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scrutinize |
examine carefully for accuracy
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spontaneous |
said or done without having been planned in advance
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spurious |
plausible but false
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submissive |
inclined or willing to give in to orders or wishes of others
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substantiate |
establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
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subtle |
difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
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superficial |
of, affecting, or being on or near the surface
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superfluous |
more than is needed, desired, or required
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surreptitious |
marked by quiet and caution and secrecy
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tactful |
having a sense of what is considerate in dealing with others
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tenacious |
stubbornly unyielding
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transient |
lasting a very short time
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venerable |
profoundly honored
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vindicate |
show to be right by providing justification or proof
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wary |
marked by keen caution and watchful prudence
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