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30 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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Surreptitious |
Sly; stealthy; done in a quiet or secret way |
The trouble started with surreptitious phone calls to both neighbors that each one surmised came from the other. |
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Susceptible |
Very sensitive; influenced or affected easily or by a specific trait; impressionable |
The absence of natural barriers made the province susceptible to invasion. |
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Sycophant |
One who tries to win favor or advance himself by flattering persons of influence; parasite; minion |
The supercilious tyrant surrounded himself with a band of sycophant. |
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Taciturn |
Laconic; uncommunicative; reticent |
Leonard's stammering, it is superfluous to say, had much to do with his being so taciturn among strangers. |
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Tactless |
Without skill in dealing with people; indiscreet (careless) |
One way to avoid making a tactless remark is to put yourself in the place of the listener. |
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Talon |
The claw of a bird of prey; grasps like a claw; clutch |
The hawk's talons closed on it prey, locking it in a vise-like grip. |
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Tangential |
Incidental; merely touching a subject, not dealing with it at length |
The matter of Eleanor's failure was mentioned at the dinner table only in a tangential way, but it hurt her deeply. |
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Tawdry |
Cheap; shabby; gaudy |
Isabella needed but on glance to rule out the wedding dress as too tawdry for her. |
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Tedious |
Tiresome; boring; long or verbose (wordy) and wearisome |
I prefer the fast-paced games of football and basketball to baseball with its tedious stretches of waiting for something to happen. |
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Temerity |
Reckless boldness; audacity; rashness |
Jack's temerity in constantly correcting his superiors cost him his job. |
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Tenet |
Principle, precept (law, authorization) |
The two theologians differed on whether celibacy was a tenet of the faith or merely a tangential belief. |
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Tentative |
Not definite or final; hesitancy |
The plan to exempt low-income families from taxation met with tentative Congressional approval. |
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Unethical |
Not conforming to approved standards of behavior; not having principles or morals |
It is no longer considered unethical or uncouth for a lawyer to advertise his or her services. |
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Ungainly |
Awkward; clumsy; hard to handle |
Gerald's sensitivity about his threadbare garments made him ungainly. |
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Unimpeachable |
Unquestionable; Beyond doubt or reproach |
Hector has always been known for his impeachable honesty. |
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Unobtrusive |
Not readily noticeable; inconspicuous; humble |
Paul's friends, accustomed to his unobtrusive manner, could not imagine what had brought on his turbulent outbreak. |
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Unscathed |
Undamaged; intact |
Ethan delighted to have gotten through the first two interviews unscathed. |
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Untenable |
Indefensible; undamaged |
The lack of heat and hot water made the apartment untenable. |
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Urbane |
Courteous; polished |
Mr. Darcy's urbane manner immediately attracted Mrs. Bennett's attention. |
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V |
Given to dreams or schemes of perfection; excellent |
The UN has not fulfilled the utopian dreams of it's founders. |
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Vacillate |
Hesitate; to waver; to away unsteadily |
Brian's tendency to vacillate makes him a poor choice for president. |
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Tentative |
The plan to exempt low-income families from taxation met with tentative Congressional approval. |
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Terse |
Concise; polished; using or only a few words but clear and to the point |
The sycophant, usually effusive in his flattery, became strangely terse and ill-humored. |
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Threadbare |
Used so often that it is stale; shabby |
The salesman's repertoire of threadbare jokes left us wishing he were more taciturn. |
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Tirade |
To frustrate; chastisement; to oppose directly |
The tight defense was able to thwart a touchdown in the last thirty seconds of play. |
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Tirade |
A long, angry or scolding speech |
I have yet to hear reason and common sense in a speech that degenerates into a tirade. |
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Trepidation |
A trembling; a state of alarm and dread |
Sheba was filled with trepidation as she waited for her cue to go on stage. |
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Turbulence |
Violent motion; disorder; excitement |
The captain apologized for the discomfort caused by the turbulence in the atmosphere. |
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Utopian |
Given to dreams or schemes of perfection; excellent |
The UN has not fulfilled the utopian dreams of it's founders. |
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Undermine |
To dig or to make a tunnel under; to weaken or injure |
Selling below cost will undermine the competition, but it will also cause you tremendous losses that you may never recoup. |
