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78 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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amenities
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convenient features; courtesies.
In addition to the customary amenities for the business traveler -fax machines, modems, a health club- the hotel offers the services of a butler versed in the social amenities. |
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amicable
adj |
agreeable; lovable; warmly friendly.
In Little Women, Beth is the amiable daughter whose loving disposition endears her to all who know her. |
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amiss
adj |
wrong; faulty
Seeing her frown, he wondered if anything were amiss. |
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amity
n |
friendship
Student exchange programs such as the Experiment in International Living were established to promote international amity. |
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amnesia
n |
loss of memory
Because she was suffering from amnesia, the police could not get the young girl to identify herself. |
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amnesty
n |
pardon
When his first child was born, the king granted amnesty to all in prison. |
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amoral
adj |
nonmoral
The amoral individual lacks a code of ethics; he cannot tell right from wrong. The immoral person can tell right from wrong; he chooses to do something he knows is wrong. |
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amorous
adj |
moved by sexual love; loving
"Love them and leave them," was the motto of the amorous Don Juan. |
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amorphous
adj |
formless; lacking in shape or definition
As soon as we have decided on our itinerary, we shall send you a copy; right now our plans are still amorphous. |
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amphibian
adj |
able to live on both land and in water
Frogs are classified as amphibian. |
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ample
adj |
abundant
Bond had an ample opportunity to escape. Why then did he let us capture him? |
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amplify
v |
broaden or clarify by expanding; intensify; make stronger
Charlie Brown tried to amplify he remarks, be he was drowned out by the jeers from the audience. Lucy was smarter; she used a loud speaker to amplify her voice. |
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amputate
v |
cut off part of body; prune
When the doctor had to amputate Ted Kennedy's leg to prevent the spread of cancer, he did not let the loss of his leg keep him from participating in sports |
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amok
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in a state of rage
The police had to be called in to restrain him after he ran amok in the department store. |
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amulet
n |
charm; talisman
Around her neck she wore the amulet that the witch doctor had given her. |
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anachronism
n |
something or someone misplaced in time
Shakespeare's reference to clocks in Julius Caesar in an anachronism; no clocks existed in Caesar's time. |
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analgesic
adj |
causing insensitivity to pain.
The analgesic qualities of this lotion will provide temporary relief. |
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analogous
adj |
comparable
She called our attention to the things that had been done in an analogous situation and recommended that we do the same. |
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analogy
n |
similarity; parallelism
A well-known analogy compares teh body's immune system with an army whose defending troops are the lymphocytes or white blood cells. |
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anarchist
n |
person who seeks to overturn the established governent; advocate of abolishing authority.
Denying she was an anarchist, Katya maintained she wished only to make changes in our governement, not to destroy it entirely. |
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anarchy
n |
absence of governing body; state of disorder.
The assassination of the leaders led to a period of anarchy. |
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anathema
n |
solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse.
The Ayatolla Khomeini heaped anathema upon the "Great Satan," that is, the United States. To the Ayatolla, America and the West were anathema; he loathed the democratic nations, cursing them in his dying words. |
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ancestry
n |
family descent.
David can trace his ancestry as far back as teh seventeenth century, when one of his ancestors was a court trumpeter somewhere in Germany. |
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anchor
n |
secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place.
We set the post in concrete to anchor it in place. |
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ancillary
adj |
serving as an aid or accessory; auxillary
In an ancillary capacity Doctor Watson was helpful; however, Holmes could not trust the good doctor to solvce a perplexing case on his own. |
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anecdote
n |
short account of an amusing or interesting event.
Rather than make concrete proposals for welfare reform, President Reagan told anecdotes about poor people who became wealthy despite their impverished backgrounds. |
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anemia
n |
condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles
The doctor ascribes her tiredness to anemia. |
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anestheitc
n |
substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness.
His monotonous voice acted like an anesthetic; his audience was soon asleep. |
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anguish
n |
acute pain, extreme suffering
Visiting the site of the explosion the president wept to see the anguish of the victims and their families. |
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angular
adj |
sharp cornered
Mr Spock's features, though angular, were curiously attractive in a Vulcan wat |
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animadversion
n |
critical remark
He resented the animadversions of his critics, particularly because he realized they were true. |
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animated
adj |
lively; spirited
Jim Carrey's facial expressions are highly animated when he played Ace Ventura he was particularly animated. |
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animosity
n |
active, enmity
He incurred the animosity of the ruling class because he advocated limitations of hte power. |
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animus
n |
hostile feeling or intent
The animus of the speaker became obvious to all when he began to indulge in sarcastic and insulting remarks. |
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annals
n |
records; history
In the annals of this period we find nomention of democratic movements. |
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anneal
c |
reduce bitterness and improve toughness to heating and cooling
After the glass is annealed, it will be less subject to chipping and cracking. |
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annex
v |
attach; take possession of
Mexico objected to the US attempts to annex the territory that later became the state of Texas. |
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annihilate
v |
destroy
The enemy in its revenge tried to annihilate the entire population. |
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annotate
v |
comment; make explanatory notes
In the appendix to the novel, the critic sought to annotate many of the more esoteric references. |
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annuity
n |
yearly allowance
The annuity she set up with the insurance company supplements her social security benefits so that she can live very comfortably without working. |
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annul
v |
make void
The parents of the eloped couple tried to annul the marriage. |
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anodyne
n |
drug that relieves pain; opiate
His pain was so great that no anodyne could relieve it. |
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anoint
c |
consercrate
The prophet Samuel anointed David with oil, crowning him the kind of Israel |
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anomalous
adj |
abnormal; irregular
She was placed in the anomalous position of seeming to approve procedures that she despised. |
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anomaly
n |
irregularity
A bird that cannot fly is an anomaly. |
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anonmity
n |
state of being nameless; anonymousness
The donor of the gift asked the college not to mention her by name; the dean readily agreed to respect her anonymity |
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antagonism
n |
hostility active resistance
Barry showed his antagonism toward his new stepmother by ingnoring her whenever she tried talking to him. |
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antecede
v |
precede
The invention of the radiotelegraph anteceded the development of the television by a quarter of a century. |
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antecedents
n n |
preceding events or circumstances that influence what comes later; ancestors or early background.
Susi Bechhofer's ignorance of her Jewish background had its antecedents in the chaos of World War II |
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antediluvian
adj |
antiquated; extremely ancient
Looking at his great aunt's antique furniture, which must have been cluttering up her attics since before Noahs flood, the young heir exclaimed, Heavens How positively antediluvian! |
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anthem
n |
song of praise or patriotism.
Let us now all join in singing the national anthem. |
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anthology
n |
book of literary selections by various authors.
This anthology of science fiction was compiled by the late Isaac Asimov. |
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anthropoid
adj |
manlike
The gorilla is the strongest of the anthropoid animals. |
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anthropologist
n |
student of the history and science of humankind
Anthropologists have discovered several relics of prehistoric humans inthis area. |
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anthropomorphic
adj |
having human form or characteristics.
Primitive religions often have deities with anthropomorphic characteristics. |
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antic
adj |
extravagantly odd.
Putting on an antic disposition, Hamlet acts so odd that the Danish court thinks him mad. |
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anticlimax
n |
letdown in thought or emotion.
After the fine performance in the first act, the rest of the play was an anticlimax. |
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antidote
n |
remedy to counteract a poison or disease
When Marge's child accidentally swallowed some cleaning fluid, the local poison control hotline instructed Marge to administer the antidote. |
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antipathy
n |
aversion; dislike
Tom's extreme antipathy for disputes kiips him from getting into arguments with his temperamental wife. |
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antiquated
adj |
obsoloete; outdated
Accustomed to editing his papers on word processors, Phillip thought typewriters were too antiquated for him to use. |
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antiseptic
n |
substance that prevents infection
It is advisable to apply an antiseptic to any wound, no matter how slight or insignificant. |
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antithesis
n |
contrast; direct opposite of or to.
This tyranny was the antithesis of all that he had hoped for, and he fought it with all his strength. |
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apathy
n |
lack in caring; indifference
A firm believer in democratic government, she could no understand the apathy of people who never bothered to vote. |
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anvil
n |
iron block used in hammering out metals
After heating the iron horseshoe in the forge, the blacksmith picked it up with his tongs and set it on the anvil. |
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ape
v |
iitate or mimic
In the comedy Young Frankenstien, when servant Igor limps off, saying, Walk this way, the hero apes him, hobbling after Igor in an imitation of his walk. |
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aperture
n |
opening; hole
She discovered a small aperture in the wall, through which the insects had entered the room. |
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apex
n |
tip, summit, climax
At the apex of his career, the star recieved offeres of leading roles daily; two years later, he was reduced to taking bit parts in B movies. |
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aphasia
n |
loss of speech due to injury or illnesss
After the automobile accident, the victim had periods of aphasia when he could not speak at all or could only mumble incoherently. |
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aphorism
n |
pithy maxim or saying
An aphorism is usually philosophic or scientific, as compared to an adage, which is usually more homely and concrete. |
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apiary
n |
a place where bees are kept.
Although he spent many hours daily in the apiary, he was very seldom stung by a bee. |
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aplomb
n |
poise; assurance
Gwen's aplomb in handling potentially embarassing moments was legendary around the office; when one of her clients broke a piece of her best crystal, she cooly picked up her own goblet and hurled it into the fireplace. |
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apocalyptic
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prophetic; pertaining to revelations.
The crowd jeered at the street preachers apocalyptic predictions of doom. |
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apocryphal
adj |
spurious; not authentic; invented rather than true
Although many versoins exist of teh famous story of Emerson's visit to thoreau in jail, in his writings Thoreau never mentions any such visit by Emerson, and so the talke is likely apocryphal. |
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apogee
n |
highest point
When the moon in its orbit is furthest away from the earth, it is at its apogee. |
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apolitical
ajh |
having an aversion or lack of concern for political affairs
It was hard to remain apolitical during the Vietnam War; even people who generally ignored public issues felt they had to take political stands. |
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apologist
adj |
one who writes in defense of a cause or institution.
Rather than act as an apologist for the current regime in Beijing and defend its brutal actions, the young dipl;omat decided to defect to the West. |
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apostate
n |
one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs
Because he switched from one party to another, his former friends shunned him as an apostate. |
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apothecary
n |
druggist
In Holland, apothecaries still sell spices as well as ointments and pills. |
