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24 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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abet
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to help or incite someone, especially in wrongdoing
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abe lincoln
It is a violation of the law to aid and abet a criminal. |
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abyss
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a bottomless pit, profound depths, a gulf too deep to be measured
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After the death of his best friend, Alfred Lord Tennyson fell into an abyss of dispair.
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adhere
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to stick fast, to cling
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You could tell he had a dog by the animal hairs adhering to his sleeve.
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aggregation
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an accumulation of things into a whole or mass
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congregation
The Washington theatre audience was an aggregation of government people from department secretaries to Cabinet members |
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amalgamate
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to mix, to unite, combine, consolidate
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Many trade unions, originally separate, have amalgamated to form large, industry-wide organizations
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apathetic
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unmoved, indifferent, showing no emotion
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The patient was apathetic about the nurse's efforts to get him interested in his surroundings.
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bas-relief
(pronounced BA) |
sculpture in which the figures project slightly from the background
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Some of the most intricate and beautiful bas-relief in the world is found in the Parthenon in Greece.
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candor
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frankness, impartiality, being open-minded or fair
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candid camera shows your true colors
The candidate's sincerity and candor in answering questions about himself made a very good impression on the reporters. |
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coalesce
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to fuse, blend, grow together
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coalition
Glaze applied to pottery coalesces under great heat to form a permanent bond with the clay. |
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condign
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adequate, deserved, especially regarding punishment
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His not being allowed out of the house for a month is hardly condign punishment for such a small wrongdoing.
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debilitate
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to enfeeble, to weaken
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It is not only the infirmities of age but also poor diet that debilitates old people.
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disseminate
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to scatter seed, to sow, spread widely
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Missionaries have disseminated the principles of Christianity all over the world.
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duress
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coercion, compulsion, imprisonment
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Confessions made under duress have no validity in court.
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emissary
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an agent sent on a mission, especially a secret mission
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emitto; mission
The general sent an emissary to the leader of the enemy troops to arrange a cease-fire. |
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ephemeral
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short-lived, transitory
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The college football player's popularity was ephemeral; only a few months after he graduated no one recognized his name.
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esoteric
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understood by only a few, confidential, private
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The esoteric rites were known only to those who had already joined the secret society.
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exonerate
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to free of guilt, absolve (originally to relieve or unload a burden)
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The judge exonerated the driver of blame for the accident after a witness testified that the child had run in front of the car.
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extrovert
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one more interested in others or outside things than in himself, an outgoing person
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Most people are neither introverts nor extroverts - but a mixture of the shy and outgoing.
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feign
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to make believe, to invent or imagine something (originally to form or shape)
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He wasn't really angry with his girlfriend but he feigned annoyance just to tease her.
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flamboyant
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ornate, showy (originally a kind of architecture with flamelike tracings)
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The gown was too flamboyant to be worn anywhere but on the stage.
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fractious
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unruly, rebellious, irritable
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Young children may become fractious if they don't nap during the day.
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genre
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a type or kind, especially said of art or literature
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One of the earliest forms of the novel as a literary genre is Cervantes' Don Quixote.
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hackneyed
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stale, commonplace, trite
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Good writers avoid hackneyed phrases such as "raven-black hair" or "pearly teeth."
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hierarchy
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a system of grading priests in church government, any group of persons or things arranged in rank according to importance.
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In the American police hierarchy, a captain ranks below an inspector.
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