Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
178 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
Abandon
|
total lack of inhibition
|
|
|
abate
|
to decrease, to reduce
|
|
|
abet
|
to aid; to act as an accomplice
|
|
|
abjure
|
to renounce under oath; to abandon forever; to abstain from
|
|
|
abnegate
|
to give up; to deny to oneself
|
|
|
abortive
|
ending without results
|
|
|
abrogate
|
to annul; to abolish by authoritative action
|
|
|
abscond
|
to leave quickly in secret
|
|
|
abstemious
|
done sparingly; consuming in moderatoin
|
|
|
accede
|
to express approval, to agree to
|
|
|
acclivity
|
an incline or upward slope, the ascending side of a hill
|
|
|
accretion
|
a growth in size, an increase in amount
|
|
|
acme
|
the highest level or degree attainable
|
|
|
actuate
|
to put into motion, to activate; to motivate or influence to activity
|
|
|
acuity
|
sharp vision or perception characterized by the ability to resolve fine detail
|
|
|
acumen
|
sharpness of insight, mind, and understanding; shrewd judgment
|
|
|
adamant
|
stubbornly unyielding
|
|
|
adept
|
extremely skilled
|
|
|
adjudicate
|
to hear and settle a matter; to act as a judge
|
|
|
adjure
|
to appeal to
|
|
|
admonish
|
to caution or warn gently in order to correct something
|
|
|
adroit
|
skillful; accomplished; highly competent
|
|
|
adulation
|
excessive flattery or admiration
|
|
|
adumbrate
|
to give a hint or indictation of something to come
|
|
|
aerie
|
a nest built in the air; an elevated, often secluded dwelling
|
|
|
affected
|
phony, artificial
|
|
|
aggregate
|
a collective mass, the sum total
|
|
|
algorithm
|
an established procedure for solving a problem or equation
|
|
|
alimentary
|
pertaining to food, nutrition, or digestion
|
|
|
allay
|
to lessen, ease, reduce in intensity
|
|
|
amity
|
friendship; goodwill
|
|
|
amorphous
|
having no definite form
|
|
|
animus
|
a feel of animosity or ill will
|
|
|
anodyne
|
a source of comfort; a medicine that relieves pain
|
|
|
anomaly
|
a deviation from the common rule, something that is difficult to classify
|
|
|
anthropomorphic
|
suggesting human characteristics for animals and inanimate things
|
|
|
antiquated
|
too old to be fashionable or useful
|
|
|
aphorism
|
a short statement of a principle
|
|
|
aplomb
|
self-confident assurance; poise
|
|
|
apostate
|
one who renounces a religious faith
|
|
|
apposite
|
strikingly appropriate or well adapted
|
|
|
apprise
|
to give notice to, inform
|
|
|
arable
|
suitable for cultivation
|
|
|
arcane
|
secret, obscure; known only to a few
|
|
|
archipelago
|
a large group of islands
|
|
|
arrears
|
unpaid, overdue debts or bills; neglected obligations
|
|
|
arrogate
|
to calim without justification; to claim for onself without right
|
|
|
askance
|
with disapproval; with a skeptical sidways glance
|
|
|
assent
|
to agree, as to proposal
|
|
|
atavistic
|
characteristic of a former era; ancient
|
|
|
autocrat
|
a dictator
|
|
|
aver
|
to declare to be true, to affirm
|
|
|
avuncular
|
like an uncle in behavior, especially in kindness and warmth
|
|
|
awry
|
crooked, askew, amiss
|
|
|
balk
|
to stop short and refuse to go in
|
|
|
ballast
|
a structure that helps to stablilize or steady
|
|
|
beatific
|
displaying calmness and joy, relating to a state of celestial happiness
|
|
|
becalm
|
to stop the progress of, to soothe
|
|
|
becloud
|
to make less visible, to obscure, or blur
|
|
|
bedraggle
|
soiled, wet and limp, dilapidated
|
|
|
beget
|
to produce, especially as an effect or outgrowth; to bring about
|
|
|
behemoth
|
something of monstrous size or power; huge creature
|
|
|
benficent
|
pertaining to an act of kindness
|
|
|
berate
|
to scold harshly
|
|
|
bilious
|
ill-tempered, sickly, ailing
|
|
|
blasphemous
|
cursing, profane; extremely irreverent
|
|
|
blatant
|
completely obvious and conspicuous, especially in an offense, crass manner
|
|
|
blithely
|
merrily, lightheartedly cheerful; without appropriate thought
|
|
|
bombastic
|
high-sounding but meaningless; ostentatiously lofty in style
|
|
|
bovine
|
relating to cows; having qualities characteristic of a cow, such as sluggishness or dullness
|
|
|
braggart
|
a person who brags or boasts in a loud and empty manner
|
|
|
broach
|
to mention or sugguest for the first time
|
|
|
bucolic
|
pastoral, rural
|
|
|
burnish
|
to polish; to make smooth and bright
|
|
|
bursar
|
a treasurer or keeper of funds
|
|
|
cache
|
a hiding place; stockpile
|
|
|
cacophony
|
a jarring, unpleasant noise
|
|
|
calumny
|
a false and malicious accusatoin; misrepresentation
|
|
|
cantankerous
|
having a difficult, uncooperative, or stubborn disposition
|
|
|
captious
|
marked by the tendency to point out trivial faults; intended to confuse in an argument
|
|
|
cataclysmic
|
severly destructive
|
|
|
catalyst
|
something that provokes or speeds up significant change, especially without being affected by the consequences
|
|
|
caucus
|
a closed committee within a political party; a private committee meeting
|
|
|
caustic
|
biting, sarcastic
|
|
|
cede
|
to surrender possession of something
|
|
|
celerity
|
speed, haste
|
|
|
censorious
|
critical; tending to blame and condemn
|
|
|
certitude
|
assurance, freedom from doubt
|
|
|
cessation
|
a temporary or complete halt
|
|
|
chary
|
watchful, cautious; extremely shy
|
|
|
chimerical
|
fanciful; imaginary, impossible
|
|
|
circuitous
|
indirect, roundabout
|
|
|
circumvent
|
to go around; avoid
|
|
|
cloying
|
sickly sweet; excessive
|
|
|
coagulate
|
to clot; to cause to thicken
|
|
|
cogent
|
logically forceful; compelling, convincing
|
|
|
collogquial
|
characteristic of informal speech
|
|
|
commute
|
to change a penaly to a less severe one
|
|
|
complacent
|
self-satisfied, smug
|
|
|
compliant
|
submissive, yielding
|
|
|
concomitant
|
existing concurrently
|
|
|
concord
|
agreement
|
|
|
condole
|
to grieve; to express sympathy
|
|
|
conflagration
|
big, destructive fire
|
|
|
confluence
|
the act of two things flowing together; the junction or metting place where two things meet
|
|
|
consanguineous
|
having hte same lineage or ancesty; related by blood
|
|
|
consternation
|
an intense state of fear or dismay
|
|
|
constituent
|
component, part; citizen, voter
|
|
|
constraint
|
something that restricts or confines within prescribed bounds
|
|
|
contempuous
|
scornful; expressing contempt
|
|
|
contentious
|
quarrelsome, disagreeable, belligerent
|
|
|
contiguous
|
sharing a boundary; neighboring
|
|
|
continence
|
self-control, self-restraint
|
|
|
convalesce
|
to recover gradually from an illness
|
|
|
convergence
|
the state of separate elements joining or coming together
|
|
|
coquette
|
a flirtatious woman
|
|
|
coterie
|
an intimate group of persons with a similar purpose
|
|
|
countervail
|
to act or react with equal force
|
|
|
covert
|
secretive, not openly shown
|
|
|
cull
|
to select, weed out
|
|
|
cumulative
|
increasing, collective
|
|
|
curt
|
abrupt, short with words
|
|
|
dearth
|
a lack, scarcity, insufficiency
|
|
|
debacle
|
a suddent disastrous collapse or defeat; a total, ridiculous failure
|
|
|
declaim
|
to speak loudly and vehemently
|
|
|
defamatory
|
injuroius to the reputation
|
|
|
demagogue
|
a leader, rabble-rouser, usually appealing to emotion or prejudice
|
|
|
denizen
|
an inhabitant, a resident
|
|
|
deride
|
to laugh at contempuously, to make fun of
|
|
|
deffuse
|
to spread out widely, to scatter freely, to disseminate
|
|
|
digress
|
to turn aside, especially from the main point; to stray from the subject
|
|
|
dilapidated
|
in disrepair, run down
|
|
|
diluvial
|
pertaining to a flood
|
|
|
discomfit
|
to disconcert, to make one lose one's composure
|
|
|
discrete
|
individually distinct, separate
|
|
|
disingenuous
|
giving a false appearance of simple frankness; misleading
|
|
|
disinterested
|
fair-minded, unbaised
|
|
|
dispassionate
|
unaffected by bias or strong emotions; not personally or emotionally involved in something
|
|
|
dissident
|
disagreeing with an established religious or political system
|
|
|
doctrinaire
|
rigidly devoted to theories without regard for practicality; dogmatic
|
|
|
dogged
|
stubbornly persevering
|
|
|
doleful
|
sad, mornful
|
|
|
dour
|
sullen and gloomy; stern and severe
|
|
|
effluvia
|
waste; odorous fumes given off by waste
|
|
|
elegy
|
a mournful poem, usually about the dead
|
|
|
elude
|
to avoid cleverly, to escape the perception of
|
|
|
emollient
|
soothing, especially to the skin
|
|
|
emulate
|
to strive to be equal or excel, to imitate
|
|
|
encumber
|
to weigh down, to burden
|
|
|
enjoin
|
to direct or impose with urgent appeal, to order with emphasis; to forbid
|
|
|
epochal
|
momentous, highly significant
|
|
|
eponymous
|
giving one's name to a place, book, or restaurant
|
|
|
equivocate
|
to avoid committing oneself in what one says, to be deliberately unclear
|
|
|
ersatz
|
being an artificial and inferior substitute or imitation
|
|
|
eschew
|
to shun; to avoid (as something wrong or distasteful)
|
|
|
espouse
|
to take up and support as a casue; to marry
|
|
|
espy
|
to catch sight of, glimpse
|
|
|
euphemism
|
an inoffensive and agreeable expressin that is substituted for one that is considered offensive
|
|
|
euthanasia
|
the practice of ending the life of terminally ill individuals; assisted suicide
|
|
|
excoriate
|
to censure scathingly; to express strong disapproval
|
|
|
exponent
|
one who champions nad advocates
|
|
|
expound
|
to explain or describe in detail
|
|
|
expunge
|
to erase, eliminate completely
|
|
|
extirpate
|
to root out, eradicate, literally or figuratively; to destroy wholly
|
|
|
extrapolation
|
using known data and information to determine what will happen in the future, prediction
|
|
|
extrinsic
|
external, unessential; orginiating from the outside
|
|
|
extrude
|
to form or shape something by pushing it out, to force out, especially through a small opening
|
|
|
facetious
|
witty, humorous
|
|
|
facile
|
easily accomplished; seeming to lack sincerity or depth; arrived at without due effort
|
|
|
fallacious
|
tending to deceive or mislead; based on fallacy
|
|
|
febrile
|
feverish, marked by intense emotion or activity
|
|
|
feckless
|
ineffective, worthless
|
|
|
feign
|
to pretend, to give a false appearance of
|
|
|
feral
|
suggestive of a wild beast, not domesticated
|
|
|
fictive
|
fictional, relating to imaginative creation
|
|
|
filibuster
|
to use obstructionist tactics, especially prolonged speech making, in order to delay something
|
|
|
fitful
|
intermittent, lackling steadiness; characterized by irregualr bursts of activity
|
|
|
flippant
|
marked by disrespectful lightheartedness or casualness
|
