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168 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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apogee
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the point in an orbit from distant from the center;
the highest point |
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apposite
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strikingly appropriate and relevant
The writer found the perfectly apposite word he was looking for. |
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arabesque
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highly ornate
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atavism
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return of a trait after a period of absence
Scientists discovered the whale had an atavism: it had two legs. |
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avocation
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secondary occupation
He was an analyst during the day and at night, his avocation was being a waiter. |
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avuncular
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like an uncle; benevolent and tolerant
Uncle Ben is avuncular. |
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banter
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playful conversation
The world leaders enjoyed some friendly conversation before getting down to the serious business of the organizations |
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beneficent
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kindly; doing good
Conan O'Brien was beneficent when he agreed to pay his worker's salary. |
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bovine
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cowlike
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chasten
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to inflict suffering upon for purposes of moral improvement; chastise.
to restrain; subdue Age has chastened his violent temper. |
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conscript
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person compulsorily enrolled for military service
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continence
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self-control; abstinence from sexual activity
The monk pledged himself to a life of continence. |
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credo
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statement of belief or principle
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credence
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acceptance of something as true
I will not give credence to anymore of your statements because I don't trust you. |
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demotic
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pertaining to people
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denigrate
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to slur someone's reputation
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denizen
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an inhabitant; a regular visitor
the denizens of the United States |
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denouement
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outcome; unraveling of the plot of a play or work of literature
The denouement of the Harry Potter books was a happy one. |
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desuetude
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state of disuse
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deride
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to mock
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diffuse
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to spread out
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disjointed
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lacking order or coherence; dislocated
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dissolution
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disintegration;
debauchery |
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doggerel
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poor verse
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effete
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marked by excessive self-indulgence and moral decay; "a decadent life of excessive money and no sense of responsibility";
exhausted of vigor or energy |
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decadent
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marked by excessive self-indulgence and moral decay;
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emaciated
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thin and wasted
The prisoner was emaciated after being fed only bread and water for three months. |
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elysian
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blissful; delightful
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emollient
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soothing; mollifying
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encomium
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formal expression of praise
The speechwriter composed an encomium for the retiring general. |
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entomology
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scientific study of insects
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essay
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to make an attempt; subject to a test
The infant essayed walking up the stairs for the first time in her life. |
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equanimity
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calmness; composure
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epistemology
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branch of philosophy that examines the nature of knowledge
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euthanasia
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mercy killing
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etiology
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cause or origins
The etiology of this disease is unknown at this time. |
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etymology
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origin and history of a word
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eugenics
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study of factors that influence the hereditary qualities of the human race and ways to improve those qualities
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evocative
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tending to produce a reaction or call to mind
These superhero movies are often evocative of the comics we collected as kids. |
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exact
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to force the payment of; demand and obtain by authority
The rulers exacted a tax of 50% on the peasats. |
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existential
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having to do with existence; base on experience
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expatiate
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to speak or write at length
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expatriate
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to send into exile
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expiate
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to atone for
expiate for your sins |
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expository
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explanatory
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facetious
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humorous
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factotum
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handyman
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fauna
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animals of a period or region
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fetid
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having a bad smell
fetid smell of rotten cheese |
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fetter
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to bind; confine
We fettered the criminal to the pole so he wouldn't escape. |
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fiat
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arbitrary order; authorization
The dictator rules almost entirely by fiat. |
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florid
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flowery; ruddy; reddish
A florid style is generally best avoided when one is writing a business letter. |
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flourish
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an embellishment or ornamentation
The politician gave a speech full of rhetorical flourishes. |
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founder
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to sink; fail; collapse
The new system foundered because it wasn't designed properly. |
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forswear
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to repudiate; renounce
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fresco
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painting done on plaster
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frieze
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ornamental band on a wall
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froward
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obstinately disobedient
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fulminate
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denounce; attack loudly
The politician fulminated against a lax immigration policy. |
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fulsome
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so excessive as to be disgusting
He was embarrassed by the fulsome praise he was receiving for the award. |
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gauche
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coarse and uncouth; clumsy
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glib
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fluent in an insincere way; offhand
agile Antonym: awkward |
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gossamer
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sheer; light and delicate
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grouse
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to complain
Instead of grousing about the policy, do something about it: write to your congressional representative |
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hallowed
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holy; sacred
The cemetary is a hallowed place. |
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harangue
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long, pompous speech; tirade
The team listened to the coach's harangue about poor execution and missed opportunities. |
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harrowing
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extremely distressing; terrifying
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histrionic
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relating to exaggerated emotional behavior calculated for effect
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homily
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sermon; tedious moralizing lecture; platitude
The pastor's homilies have been published in an anthology. |
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impair
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damage; injure
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impinge
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to strike; encroach
The light that is impinged on your retina forms an image of a star. |
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implacable
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inflexible; incapable of being pleased
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impute
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attribute the fault to; assign as a characteristic
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insouciant
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indifferent; lacking concern or care
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interdict
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to forbid; to prohibit
Interdicted goods can be seized by Customs. the role of the FBI in interdicting spies attempting to pass US secrets to the Soviet Union |
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internecine
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deadly to both sides
THe Vietnam War was an internecine conflict, with both sides suffering numerous casualties. |
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jaundiced
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having a yellowed discoloration of the skin; affected by resentment or hostility.
He has a jaundiced view of human nature. |
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jibe
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to be in agreement
The auditor checked the books to make sure they jibed with the tax return that was filed. |
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junta
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group of people united in political intrigue.
The country's ruling junta consists of a general, an admiral, and the mayor of the capital city. |
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labile
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likely to change
He is very unstable and he's considered emotionally labile. |
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libido
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sexual desire
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litany
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lenghty recitation
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literati
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scholary or learned persons
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lucre
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money or profits;
The lure of lucre draws many people to speculate in the stock market. |
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Machiavellian
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crafty; double-dealing
There was a lot of Machiavellian tactics used on the Apprentice in order to win. |
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maverick
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dissenter
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megalomania
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delusions of power or importance
Running for president because of feelings of megalomania |
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menagerie
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variety of animals kept together
menagerie of dogs and cats |
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meretricious
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gaudy;
plausible but false; specious |
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minutia
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petty details
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miscellany
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mixture of writings on various subjects
The book is a fascinating miscellany collected from the writer's life book. |
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miscreant
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villain; criminal
The public executions of criminals was common in Great Britain in the 18th century. |
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modicum
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limited quantity
All you need is a modicum of knowledge to mark curves. |
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monolithic
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solid and uniform; constituting a single, unified whole
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motley
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many colored; many up of many parts
The new political party is made up of a motley group of people who are unhappy with the existing parties. |
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necromancy
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black magic
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nexus
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connected group or series; a center
Wall Street is the nexus of America's financial system |
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nonplussed
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bewildered; baffled
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nostrum
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supposed cure; medicine or remdedy of doubtful effectiveness
Chinese herb scams are nostrums. |
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nugatory
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trifling; invalid
His point appears to be nugatory but it's actually very essential. |
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obsequy
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funeral ceremonies
obsequies |
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ornithologist
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scientist who studies birds
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overweening
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presumptuous; arrogant; overbearing
That know-it-all has such overweening pride. |
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pathological
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departing from normal condition;
relating to disease |
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peremptory
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imperative; leaving no choice
The general's words were spoken in a peremptory tone. |
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petulant
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rude; peevish
petulant brat |
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physiognomy
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facial features
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piety
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devoutness
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piquant
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pleasantly pungent; attractive
piquant barbeque sauce |
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pique
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fleeting feeling of hurt pride
She left the restaurant in a fit of pique when her date called to say he couldn't make it. to provoke or arouse pique your interest |
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plaintive
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mournful; melancholy
After the battle all that could be heard was the plaintive cries of women who had lost their husbands. |
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plutocracy
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society ruled by the wealthy
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prate
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to talk idly; chatter
We prated by the water cooler. |
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precept
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principle; law
Moral precepts vary from society to society but murder is generally banned everywhere. |
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preempt
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to supersede; appropriate for oneself
The movie was preempted for the president's address. |
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presage
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to foretell; indicate in advance
The ships in the harbor presaged a massive attack. |
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preternatural
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supernatural
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primordial
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original; existing from the beginning
primordial forms of life |
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provident
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providing for future needs; frugal
provident ant vs prodigal grasshopper |
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quail
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to cower; to lose heart
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quibble
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to argue over insignifcant and irrelevant details
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rail
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to scold with bitter or abusive language
The coach railed the player for that turnover. |
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raiment
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clothing
She dreamed of being dressed in the golden raiment of a princess. |
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rarefied
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refined
Many scholars flourish in the rarefied intellectual atmosphere of the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton |
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rebus
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puzzle in which pictures or symbols represent words
Egyptian writings uses the principle of the rebus, substituting pictures for words. |
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refractory
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stubborn; unmanageable
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remonstrate
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object or protest
We remonstrated with the council to reduce the sentence. |
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repine
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fret; complain
He kept repining over the small portions. |
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riposte
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a retaliatory action or retort
The commander decided that the enemy attack must be countered with a quick reposte. |
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sanction
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to approve; ratify; permit
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sardonic
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cynical; scornfully mocking
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saturate
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to soak thoroughly; imbue throughout
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satyr
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a lascivious man; lecher
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sensual
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relating to the senses; gratifying the physical senses
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sensuous
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relating to the senses; operating through the senses
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simian
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apelike; relating to apes
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singular
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unique; extraordinary; odd
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somatic
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relating to or affecting the body; corporeal
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squalor
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filthy, wretched condition
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staccato
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marked by abrupt, clear-cut sounds
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stint
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1) to be sparing
The frugal governor stinted on funding for education. 2) period of time spent doing something |
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striated
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marked by thin, narrow grooves or channels
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stricture
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something that restrains; negative criticism
Lawyers are expected to abide by a set of ethical strictures in their practice of the law. |
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stultify
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to impair or reduce to uselessness
to cause to appear foolish "He stultified himself by contradicting himself and being inconsistent |
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stygian
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dark and gloomy; hellish
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subsume
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to include; incorporate
The new theory subsumed the basic ideas of other principles. |
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supine
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lying on the back; marked by lethargy
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suppliant
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beseeching
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supplicant
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one who asks humbly and earnestly
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supposition
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the act of assuming to be true or real
Science proceeds on the supposition that knowledge is possible. |
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tautology
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unnecessary repetition; redundancy
to say that something is 'adequate enough' is a tautology |
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tenet
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belief; doctrine
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timbre
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The combination of qualities of a sound that distinguishes it from other sounds of the same pitch and volume; tone color
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transient
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temporary; short-lived; fleeting
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translucent
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partially transparent
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travail
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work, especially arduous work; tribulation; anguish
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travesty
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parody; exaggerated imitation; caricature
travesty of justice |
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treatise
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article treating a subject systematically and thoroughly
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tryst
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agreement between lovers to meet; rendezvous
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tumid
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swollen; distended
The prose of writers discussing lofty subjects sometimes becomes tumid. |
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uncanny
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mysterious; strange
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undulating
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moving in waves
The undulating terrain of the area has made it difficult for engineers to build roads there. |
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viable
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practicable; capable of developing
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vindictive
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spiteful; vengeful; unforgiving
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visage
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countenance; appearance
The infant studied the mother's visage intently. |
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vivisection
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dissection performed on a living animal for scientific research
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vogue
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prevailing fashion
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vortex
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whirlpool; whirlwind; center of turbulence
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