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50 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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prurient
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(adj) eliciting or possessing an extraordinary interest in sex
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David's mother was shocked by the prurient reading material hidden beneath her son's mattress.
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puerile
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(adj) juvenile, immature
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The judge demanded order after the lawyer's puerile attempt to object by stomping his feet on the courtroom floor.
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pugnacious
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(adj) quarrelsome, combative
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Aaron's pugnacious nature led him to start several barrom brawls each month.
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pulchritude
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(adj) physical beauty
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Several of Shakespearee's sonnets explore the pulchritude of a lovely young man.
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punctilious
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(adj) eager to follow rules or conventions
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Punctilious bobby, hall monitor extraordinaire, insisted that his peers follow the rules.
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quagmire
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(n) a difficult situation
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We'd all like to avoid the kind of military quagmire characterized by the Vietnam War.
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querulous
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(adj) whiny, complaining
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If deprived of his pacifier, young Brendan becomes querulous.
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quixotic
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(adj) idealistic, impractical
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Edward entertained a quixotic desire o fall in love at first sight in a laundromat.
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rancor
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(n) deep, bitter resentment
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When Eileen challenged me to a fight, I could see the rancor in her eyes.
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rebuke
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(v) to scold, criticize
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When the cops showed up at Sarah's arty, they rebuked her for disturbing the peace.
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recalcitrant
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(adj) defiant, unapologetic
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Even when scolded, the recalcitrant young girl simply stomped her foot and refused to finish her lima beans.
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rectitude
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(n) uprightness, extreme morality
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The priest's rectitude gave him the moral authority to counsel his parishioners.
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replete
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(adj) full, abundant
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The unedited version was replete with naughty words.
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reprobate
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(adj) evil, unprincipled
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The reprobate criminal sat sneering in the cell.
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reprove
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(v) to scold, rebuke
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Lara reproved her son for sticking each and every one of his fingers into the strawberry pie.
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repudiate
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(v) to reject, refuse to accept
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Kwame made a strong case for an extension of his curfew, but his mother repudiated it with a few biting words.
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rescind
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(v) to take back, repeal
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The company rescinded its offer of employment after discovering that Jane's resume was full of lies.
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restive
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(adj) resistant, stubborn, impatient
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The restive audience pelted the band with mud and yelled nasty comments.
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ribald
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(adj) coarsely, crudely humorous
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While some giggled at the ribald jobke involving a parson's daughter, most sighed and rolled their eyes.
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rife
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(adj) abundant
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Surprisingly, the famous novelist's writing was rife with spelling errors.
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ruse
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(n) a trick
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Oliver concocted an elaborate ruse for sneaking out of the house to meet his girlfriend while simultaneously giving his mother the impression that he was asleep in bed.
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sacrosanct
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(adj) holy, something that should not be criticized
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In the Uunited States, the Constitution is often thought of as a sacrosanct document.
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sagacity
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(n) shrewdness, souncess of perspective
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With remarkable sagacity, the wise old man predicted and thwarted his children's plan to ship him off to a nursing home.
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salient
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(adj) significant, conspicuous
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One of the salient differences between Alison and Nancy is that Alison is a foot taller.
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sanctimonious
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(adj) giving a hypocritical appearance of piety
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The sanctimonious Bertrand delivered sterm lectures on the Ten Commandments to anyone who would listen, but thought nothing of stealing cars to make come cash on the side.
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sanguine
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(adj) optimistic, cheery
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Polly reacted to any bad news with a sanguine smile and the chirpy cry, "When life hand you lemons, make lemonade!"
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scurrilous
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(adj) vulgar, coarse
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When Bruno heard the scurrilous accusation being made about him, he could not believe it because he always tried to be nice to everyone.
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serendipity
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(n) luck, finding good things without looking for them
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In an amazing bit of serendipity, penniless Paula found a $20 bill in the subway station.
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servile
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(adj) subservient
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The servile porter crept around the hotel lobby, bowing and quaking before the guests.
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solicitous
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(adj) concerned, attentive
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Jim, laid up in bed with a nasty virus, enjoyed the solicitous attentions of his mother, who bought him soup and extra blankets.
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solipsistic
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(adj) believing that oneself is all that exists
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Colette's solipsistic attitude completely irnored the plight of the homeless people on the street.
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somnolent
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(adj) sleepy, drowsy
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The somnolent student kept falling asleep and waking up with a jerk.
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spurious
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(adj) false but designed to seem plausible
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Using a spurious argument, John convinced the others that he had won the board game on a tecnicality.
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staid
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(adj) sedate, serious, self-restrained
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The said butler never changed his expression no matter what happened.
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stolid
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(adj) expressing little sensibility, unemotional
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Charles's stolid reaction to his wife's funeral differed from the passion he showed at the time of her death.
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stupefy
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(v) to astonish, make insensible
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Veronica's audacity and ungratefulness studpefied her best friend, Heather.
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surfeit
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(n) an overabundant supply or indulgence
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After partaking of the surfeit of tacos and tamales at the All-You-Can-EAt Taco Tamale Lunch Special, Beth felt rather sick.
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surmise
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(v) to infer with little evidence
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After speaking to only one of the students, the teacher was able to surmise what had caused the fight.
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surreptitious
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(adj) stealthy
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The surreptitious CIA agents were able to get in and out of the house without anyone noticing.
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sycophant
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(n) one who flatters for self-gain
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Some see the people in the cabinet as the president's closest advisors, but others see them as sycophants.
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tacit
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(adj) expressed without words
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I interpreted my parents' refusal to talk as a tacit acceptance of my request.
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taciturn
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(adj) not inclined to talk
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Thought Jane never seems to stop talking, her brother is quite taciturn.
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tantamount
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(adj) equivalent in value or significance
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When it comes to sports, fearing your opponent is tantamount to losing.
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temerity
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(n) audacity, recklessness
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Tom and Huck entered the scary cave armed with nothing but their own temerity.
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tenuous
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(adj) having little substance or strength
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Your argument is very tenuous, since it relies so much on speculation and hearsay.
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timorous
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(adj) timid, fearful
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When dealing with the unknown, timorous Tallulah almost always broke into tears.
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torpid
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(adj) lethargic, dormant, lacking motion
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The torpid whale floated, wallowing in the water for hours.
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tractable
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(adj) easily controlled
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The horse was so tractable, Myra didn't even need a bridle.
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transient
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(adj) passing through briefly; passing into and out of existence
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Because virtually everyone in Parlm Beath is a tourist, the population of the town is quite transient.
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transmute
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(v) to change or alter in form
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Ancient alchemists believed that it was possible to transmute lead into gold.
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