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70 Cards in this Set
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- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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abjure
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(v) to reject, renounce
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To prove his honesty, the president abjured the civil policies of his wicked predecssor.
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abrogate
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(v) to abolish, usually by authority
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The Bill of Rights assures that the government cannot abrogate our right to a gree press.
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acerbic
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(adj) biting, bitter in tone or taste
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Jill became extrememly acerbic and began to cruelly make fun of all her friends.
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acrimony
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(n) bitterness, discord
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Though they vowed that no girl would ever come between them, Biff and Trevor could not keep acrimony from overwhelming their friendship after they both fell in love with the lovely Teresa.
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acumen
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(n) keen insight
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Because of his mathematical acumen, Larry was able to figure out in minutes the problems that took other students hours.
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adumbrate
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(v) to sketch out in a vague way
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To coach adumbrated a game plan, but none of the players knew precisely what to do.
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anathema
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(n) a cursed, detested person
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I never want to see that murderer; he is an anathema to me.
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alacrity
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(n) eagerness speed
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For some reason, Chuck loved to help his mother whenever he could; so when his mother asked him to set the table, he did so with alacrity.
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antipathy
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(n) a strong dislike, repungnance
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I know you love me, but because you are a liar and a thief, I feel nothing but antipathy for you.
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approbation
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(n) praise
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The crould welcomed the heros with approbation.
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arrogate
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(v) to take without justification
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The king arrogated the right to order executions to himself exclusively.
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ascetic
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(adj) practicing restraing as a means of self-discipline, usually religious
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The piest lives an ascetic life devoid of television, savory goods, and other pleasures.
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aspersion
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(n) a curse, expression of ill-will
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The rival politicians repeatedly cast aspersions on each others' integrity.
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assiduous
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(adj) hard-working, diligent
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The construction workders erected the skyscraper during two years of assiduous labor.
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blandish
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(v) to coax by using flattery
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Rachel's assistant tried to blandish her into accepting the deal.
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boon
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(n) a gift or blessing
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The good wather has been a boon for many businesses located near the beach.
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brusque
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(adj) short, abrupt, dismissive
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The captain's brusque manner offended the passengers.
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buffet
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(v) to strike with force, (n) an arrangment of food set out on a table
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(v) The strong winds buffeted the ships, threatening to capsize them, (n) Rather than sitting around a table, the guests took food fro mour buffet and ate standing up.
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burnish
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(v) to polish, shine
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His mother asked him to burnish the silverware before setting the table.
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buttress
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(v) to support, hold up, (n) something that offers support
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(v) The column butresses the roof above the statue, (n) The buttress supports the roof above the statues.
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cacophony
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(n) tremendous noise, disharmonious sound
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The elementary school orchestra created a cacophony at the recital.
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cajole
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(v) to urge, coax
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Fred's buddies cajoled him into attending the bachelor party.
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capricious
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(adj) subject to whim, fickle
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The young girl's captricious tendencies made it difficult for her to focus on achieving her goals.
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clemency
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(n) mercy
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After he forgot their anniversary, Martin could only beg Maria for clemency.
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cogent
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(adj) intellectualy convincing
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Irene's argument in favor of abstinence were so cogent that i could not resist them.
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concomitant
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(adj) accompanying in a subordinate fasion
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His dislike of hard work carried with it a concomitant lack of funds.
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conflagration
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(n) great fire
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The conflagrationi consumed the entire building.
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contrite
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(adj) penitent, eager to be forgiven
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Blake's contrite behavior made it impossible to stay angry at him.
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conundrum
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(n) puzzle, problem
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Interpreting Jane's behavior was a constant conundrum.
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credulity
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(n) readiness to believe
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His credulity made him an easy target for con men.
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calumny
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(n) an attempt to spoil someone else's reputation by spreading lies
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The local officials calumny ended up ruining his opponent's prospect of winning the election.
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cupidity
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(n) greed, strong desire
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His cupidity made him enter the abandoned gold mine despite the obvious dangers.
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cursory
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(adj) brief to the point of being superficial
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Late for the meeting, she cast a cursory glance at the agenda.
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decry
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(v) to criticize openly
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The kind video rental clerk decried the policiy of charging customers late fees.
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defile
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(v) to make unclean, impure
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She defiled the calm of the religious building by playing her banjo.
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deleterious
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(adj) harmful
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She experienced the deleterious effects of running a marathon without streatching her muscles enough beforehand.
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demure
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)edj) quiet, modest, reserved
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Though everyone else at the party was dancing and going crazy, she remained demure.
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deprecate
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(v) to belittle, depreciate
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Always over-modes, he deprecated his contribution to the local charity.
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deride
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)v_ to laugh at mockingly, scorn
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The bullies derided the foreign student's accent.
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desecrate
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(v) to violate the sacredness of a thing or place
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They feared the the consturction of a golf course would desecrate the preserved wilderness.
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desiccated
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(adj) dried up, dehydrated
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The skin of the desiccated mummy looked like old paper.
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diaphanous
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(adj) light, airy, transparant
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Sunlight poured in through the diaphanous curtains, brightening the room.
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diffident
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(adj) shy, quiet, modest
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While eatcing dinner with the adults, the diffident youth did not speak for fear of seeming presumptuous.
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discursive
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(adj) rambling, lacking order
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The prefessor's discursive lectures seemed to be about every subject except the one initially described.
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dissemble
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(v) to conceal, fake
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Not wanting to appear heartlessly greedy, she dissembled and hid her intention to sell her ailing father's stamp collection.
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dither
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(v) to be indecisive
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Not wanting to offend either friend, he dithered about which of the two birthday parties he should attend.
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ebullient
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(adj) extremely lively, enthusiastic
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She became ebullient upon receiving and accpetance letter from her first-choice college.
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effrontery
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(n) impudence, nerve, insolence
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When i told my aunt that she was boring, my mother scolded me for my effrontery.
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effulgent
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(adj) radiant, splendorous
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The golden palace was effulgent.
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enervate
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(v) to weaken exhaust
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Writing these sentences ennervates me so much that I will have to take a nap after I finish.
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ephemeral
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(adj) short-lived, fleeting
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She promised she'd love me forever, but her "forever" was only ephemeral: she left me after one week.
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eschew
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(v) to shun , avoid
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George hates the color green so much that he eschews all green food.
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evanescent
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(adj) fleeting, momentary
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My joy at getting promoted was evanescent because I discovered that I would have to work much longer hours in a less friendly office.
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evince
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(v) to show, reveal
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Christopher's hand-wringing and nail-biting evince how nervous he is about the upcoming English test.
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exculpate
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(v) to free from guilt or blame, exonerate
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My discovery of the ring behind the dresser exculpated me from the charge of having stolen it.
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execrable
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(adj) loathsome, detestable
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Her pudding is so execrable that it makes me sick.
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exigent
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(adj) urgent, critical
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The patient has an exigent need for medication, or else he will lose his sight.
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expiate
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(v) to make amends for, atone
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To expiate my selfishness, I gave all my profits to charity.
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expunge
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(v) to obliterate, eradicate
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Fearful of an IRS investigation, Paul tried to expunge all incriminating evidence from his tax files.
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extant
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(adj) existing, not destroyed or lost
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My mother's extant love letters to my father are in the attic trunk.
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extol
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to praise, revere
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Violet extolled the virtues of a vegetarian diet to her meat-loving brother.
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fallacious
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(adj) incorrect, misleading
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Emily offered me cigarettes on the fallacious assumption that I smoked.
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fastidious
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(adj) meticulous, demanding, having high and often unattainable standards
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Mark is so fastidious that he is never able to finish a project because it always seems imperfect to him.
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fatuous
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(adj) silly, foolish
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He considers himself a serious poet, but in truth , he only writes fatuous limericks.
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fecund
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(adj) fruitful, fertile
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The fecund tree bore enough apples to last us through the entire season.
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feral
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(adj) wild, savage
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That beast looks so feral that I would fear being alone with it.
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fetid
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(adj) having a foul odor
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I can tell from the fetid smell in your refrigerator that your milk as spoiled.
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florid
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(adj) flowery, ornate
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The writer's florid prose belongs on a sentimental Hallmark card.
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fractious
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(adj) troublesome or irritable
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Although the child insisted he wasn't tired, his fractious behavior--especially his decision to crush his heese and crackers all over the floor--convinced everyone present that it was time to put him to bed.
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garrulous
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(adj) talkative, wordy
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Some talk0show hosts are so garrulous that their guests can't get a word in edgewise.
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