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72 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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dissolute
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loose, debauched, lax, unrestrained
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The dissolute and immoral life led by Nero and his courtiers contributed to the decline of Rome.
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eclectic
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composed of material from different sources, diverse
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The scholar's eclectic approach in his material reflected the many philosophies he had studied and admired.
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emolument
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wages, salary, fees
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Because of the rise in the cost of living, the employer increased his workers' yearly emolument by five per cent.
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epicurean
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possessing a discriminating taste for food and drink, devoted to luxuries and sensuous pleasures
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He took an epicurean delight in having his wife prepare unusual dishes.
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eulogy
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a speech or writing in praise of a person or event, a formal speech in praise of the dead
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The eulogy at the funeral service was delivered by a life-long friend of the dead woman.
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exotic
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literally, from the outside, foreign, hence having the glamorous appeal of the unfamiliar
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The famous French painter, Gauguin, was fascinated by the exotic beauty of the people of Tahiti
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facade
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the face or front of a building, the front part of anything, often used to imply an imposing front, concealing something different or inferior
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His jaunty manner was only a facade; underneath he was anxious and uneasy.
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fetid
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malodorous, evil-smelling
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feta cheese
The fetid odor of the garbage assailed our nostrils. |
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flotsam
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the wreckage of a ship or cargo found floating at sea
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The rescue ship found no survivors, only flotsam to mark the spot where the ship had gone down.
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frugal
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saving, not wasteful, economical
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She managed to live on a small income because she was frugal in her ways.
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glib
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speaking or spoken in a smooth, easy manner, often insincerely
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I could not quite accept his explanation of how he happened to be there; it was too glib.
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halcyon
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tranquil, happy, unruffled (literally, pertaining to the kingfisher, a bird said to nest on calm waters)
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All living things seem to flourish in the peaceful, halcyon days of summer.
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holocaust
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destruction by fire, a burnt offering, widespread destruction
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Of all man-made disasters, none is more terrible or devastating than the holocaust of war.
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ignominy
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dishonor, shame, loss of reputation
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Some French women who collaborated with the Nazis during WWII, afterward suffered the ignominy of having their heads shaved as punishment for disloyalty.
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imprecation
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a curse, an oath
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In folklore, witches utter imprecations against those to whom they wish evil.
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incipient
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in the first stage of existence, just coming into being
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Sore throat and fever characterize the incipient stages of many diseases, making diagnosis difficult until more specific symptoms appear.
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indolent
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disliking or avoiding work, lazy, idle
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His indolent ways did not endear him to his hard-working father.
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iniquity
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a wicked, unjust act; a sin
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The full measure of their wickedness became clear to me when I heard about their latest iniquity.
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intractable
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hard to manage or treat, stubborn, unruly
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He was an intractable patient and refused to follow the doctor's instructions.
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invidious
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arousing ill will, unjust, giving offense
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Don believed that it was unfair to make invidious distinctions between native-born and naturalized citizens.
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justify
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to defend, support, acquit, to free from blame, absolve
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Mahatma Gandhi believed that no reasons were sufficient to justify the use of violence.
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levity
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lightness or gaiety of speech or manner, especially unbecoming lightness or frivolity
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Mr. Brady took the board meetings seriously and would not permit any levity on those occasions.
(like Ben Levy) |
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lucid
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bright, clear, readily understood
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A lucid, readily comprehensible style is essential to sustain the reader's interest in a literary work.
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malevolent
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malicious, wishing evil or harm to others
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People who harbor deep feelings of rejection and persecution often are intentionally spiteful and malevolent toward others.
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mirage
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an optical illusion, something unreal and unattainable
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The weary driver thought he saw something blocking the road, but there was nothing there; it was only a mirage.
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mundane
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of the world, earthly, ordinary
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He liked to go to the theater or parties on weekends as a change from his mundane daily routine.
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nutriment
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nourishment, food
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The nutriment claimed for many packaged cereals has been found to be far less than advertised.
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opprobrious
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disgraceful, infamous, causing reproach
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The city official was dismissed for his opprobrious action in taking a bribe.
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paraphrase
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to restate someone else's writing in one's one words
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A good way of studying is to paraphrase textbook material; putting the information into your own words and writing it down helps you remember it.
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perfunctory
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done without care or interest, or merely as a form or routine
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The inspector made only a perfunctory check of the building since it has been thoroughly examined only a short time before.
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perverse
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deviating from what is considered right or acceptable
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At about age 2 or 3, children often become very obstinate and perverse, stubbornly refusing to do whatever is asked of them.
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porcine
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pertaining to pigs or hogs
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The cartoonist drew a character with porcine feature - fat cheeks, a turned-up nose and small eyes - and appropriately called him "Porky."
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procrastinate
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to defer, to postpone action
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The tendency to procrastinate is a common one; it's only natural to put off doing a tedious or difficult job.
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prosaic
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commonplace, dull, matter-of-fact; literally, like prose as opposed to poetry
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His unrelievedly prosaic style of writing would have benefited from the addition of a few lively images.
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quiescent
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motionless, at rest
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There was a quiescent air about the deserted streets and darkened houses of the little village.
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ribald
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coarse, vulgar, often said of humor
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The comdian's ribald, off-color job offended some people in the audience.
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sardonic
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bitter, scornful, sarcastic
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His sardonic smile and sneering remarks made him a most unattractive guest.
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shard
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a fragment or broken piece, especially of pottery
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Some of the pottery shards found at the dig could be pieced together to form bowls and pithchers.
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sinecure
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an office or position that requires little or no work yet offers some compensation
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His job was a sinecure; he was given an important title but had no real work to do.
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suave
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urbane, polished, gracious and sophisticated in manners
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No film star could have been more suave in the way he bent to kiss her hand.
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surreptitiously
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clandestinely, secretly, stealthily
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The youngest surreptitiously helped himself to another cookie while his mother's back was turned.
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termagant
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a boisterous, scolding woman; a shrew
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Her disposition may have been good once but when I knew her she had turned into a quarrelsome termagant.
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travesty
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a farcical imitation, an inferior imitation or likeness
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It was a travesty of justice for the thief to receive only a suspended sentence.
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unanimous
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agreeing completely, united in opinion
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There was not one dissenting vote as the club members made Henry their unanimous choice for president.
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velocity
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swiftness, speed, the rate of speed
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To check the velocity of a bicycle, the cyclist stops pedaling and starts breaking.
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vicissitude
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a change or variation occurring irregularly in the course of something
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Life is full of strange vicissitudes; you may be on top of the heap one minute and at the bottom the next.
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voluptuary
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a person devoted to luxurious living, a sensualist, a sybarite
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The sultan, living in splendor with his harem of beautiful women, is the very symbol of the voluptuary.
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wan
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sickly pale, colorless, pallid
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In his famous poem, Sir John Suckling asks, "Why so pale and wan, fond lover?"
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abjure
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to repudiate or retract solemly, to renounce under oath
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Dual citizenship means that you do not have to abjure allegiance to one country in order to become citizen of another.
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accost
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to approach or speak to first, often with intent to harm ot take advantage of
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The bully accosted the new student in the cafeteria and dared him to fight.
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adroitly
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cleverly, skillfully under difficult conditions
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Although he was competing with a top fencer, he handled his blade so adroitly that he easily won the match.
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agnostic
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one who is not sure whether or not God exists
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Agnostics hold a middle position of doubt between those who believe in the existence of God, and those who do not.
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ambrosial
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pertaining to food of the gods, delicious, fragrant
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The smell of Mother's bread baking in the oven was ambrosial.
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assuage
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to make less severe or burdensome, to satisfy, appease
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The hiker assuaged his thirst at a cool mountain stream.
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bland
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having a moderate, undisturbing quality
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Today's movie heroes usually do not have the bland good looks of leading men of the past.
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charlatan
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a quack, fraud, someone falsely claiming knowledge or skill
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The charlatan deceived many people who were desperately seeking a cure for caner.
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colloquy
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a conference, conversation, especially one that is formal
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A colloquy was held among the great powers to discuss disarmament.
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contiguous
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touching, sharing a boundary or edge
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States contiguous to Lake Erie are all affected by the water pollution problem.
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denouement
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the solution or unraveling of the plot of a play, a final outcome
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As the curtain fell, the loose ends of the plot were pulled together in a surprising denouement.
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dissonant
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discordant, harsh or inharmonious in sound, lacking agreement
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Contemporary musicians frequently use clashing, dissonant chords to express their troubled emotions.
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ecstasy
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rapture, exalted delight, a trance
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To the passionate ski enthusiast, few pleasures match the ecstasy of racing down a snowy mountainside.
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empathy
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putting oneself sympathetically in another's place, deep understanding
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The empathy between two young people who are deeply in love makes it possible for them to communicate without speaking.
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epitaph
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a tombstone inscription, a brief essay praising a dead person
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Many interesting epitaphs are to be found on the gravestones in old churchyards.
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euphonious
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smooth-sounding, pleasant-sounding
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The pure open vowels of Italian give the language an agreeable and euphonious sound.
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expatiate
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to talk or write at length on a subject
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Fishing was his favorite topic of conversation, and he would expatiate endlessly on the joys of the sport.
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facetious
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playfully jocular, humorous, flippant
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The teenager's facetious remark about the course did not amuse his more studious classmates.
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fetish
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a charm, talisman, an object believed to have magical power, an object of unreasonably excessive reverence
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Some children have a fetish about their blankets and will carry them everywhere they go.
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fluctuate
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to vary irregularly, to waver
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The stock market fluctuated wildly at the rumore of a tax cut.
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fulsome
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offensively excessive, insincere
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The master of ceremonies was so fulsome in his praise of the speaker that the audience became annoyed.
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gradient
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the rate of inclining, the angle of sloping
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The moutain climber measured the gradient of the steep hill and found that it sloped more than 60 degrees.
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harangue
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a long, ranting speech; a tirade
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The dictator delivered a long harangue to the people on their obligations to the state.
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homily
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a sermon, especially one intended to uplift a congregation; a moralizing lecture
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In a homily to his congregation, the minister inspired the parishioners to lead more charitable lives.
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