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301 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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jejune
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barren; flat; dull
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libidinous
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characterized by lust; lewd
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licentious
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morally unrestrained; lascivious
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mercurial
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changeable; volatile
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meretricious
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flashy; tawdry; falsely alluring
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minatory
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menacing; threatening
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mutable
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inconstant; fickle
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niggardly
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stingy; miserly
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nonchalant
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cool; indifferent; without warmth or animation
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noxious
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unwholesome; harmful to health
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obdurate
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hardhearted; inflexible
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obtuse
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slow to understand; dull
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officious
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meddlesome; offering unnecessary and unwanted advise
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omniscient
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having infinite knowledge; knowing all things
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pusillanimous
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cowardly; fainthearted
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amicus curiae
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a friend in court; a lawyer or layman who advises the court on a legal matter
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arson
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the crime of setting fire to property in order to collect insurance
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barrister
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lawyer in England
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embezzle
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to steal money that was entrusted in your care
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extradition
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turning over a fugitive from one jurisdiction to another
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habeas corpus
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a court order requiring that a prisoner be produced to determine the legality of imprisonment; a procedure that lawyers use to get clients out of legal detention
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immaterial
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without substance; unimportant
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incarcerate
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to jail; confine
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indeterminate
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having inexact limits; indefinite
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larceny
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theft
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litigious
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quarrelsome; given to carrying out lawsuits
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miscreant
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villain; criminal; evil person
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perpetrator
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a person who commits an offense
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plagiarism
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passing off someone else's writings or ideas as your own
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probation
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a period of testing or trial
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avant garde
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the leaders of a movement; vanguard
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bete noire
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someone or something that is feared or disliked
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bon mot
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a bright saying; witticism
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coupe de grace
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the shot or blow that brings death; the finishing stroke
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cul de sac
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the passage or street with only one outlet; a situation with no escape
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dues ex machina
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someone who intervenes unexpectedly to solve a dilemma
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fait accompli
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something that is already done so there is no use in debating
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fin de siecle
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referring to the last years of the nineteenth century; decadent
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gauche
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awkward; lacking grace; without tact
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junta
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a political group that seeks to control a government; a faction or a cabal
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laissez faire
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hands off policy; letting business operate without government interference
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mot juste
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the right word; exact phrase
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non compos mentis
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in capable of handling one's own affairs; insane
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non sequitur
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in logic this is a conclusion that does not follow from evidence; a remark that seems out of place
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sine qua non
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an essential condition; that which is indespensable
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coiffure
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a style of hair arrangement
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demarche
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a line of action; change of policy
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denouement
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the final outcome of the intricacies of a plot
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ecalt
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acclaim; brilliant success
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elan
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enthusiasm; ardor; vigor
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entrepreneur
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one who organizes and manges a business undertaking
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impasse
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difficulty without a solution; stalemate; blind alley
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ingenue
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actress playing an innocent; inexperienced young woman
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malaise
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a feeling of unease or discomfort
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melange
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mixture; hodgepodge
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repartee
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quick; witty reply; wit
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sangfroid
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composure; equanimity
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tete-a-tete
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intimate conversation between two people
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tour de force
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a feat of strength or skill
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vignette
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an anecdote; a brief literary composition
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acrid
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bitter; sharp; irritating to taste or smell
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addle
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to muddle; confuse
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ado
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fuss; trouble; bother
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alms
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money, food, or clothing given to poor people
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amulet
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something worn around the neck as a protection against bad luck; a charm
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aperture
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opening; hole; gap
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askew
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to one side; crooked
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bauble
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trinket; toy; showy but worthless thing
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bevy
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group or clock
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bilk
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deceive; swindle; cheat
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blithe
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light hearted; joyful; cheerful
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careen
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to cause to lean sideways; to lurch or toss from side to side
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chary
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careful; cautious; shy
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nabob
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a very rich or influential man
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onus
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task; burden; responsibility
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antaen
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possessed of superhuman strength with suggestions of earthiness
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argonaut
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adventurer, one who sailed with Jason on the Argo in search of the Golden Fleece
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calliope
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musical instrument fitted with steam whistles, played from a keyboard, usually heard at carnivals and circuses
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cyclopean
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vast, massive, rough; suggestive of the Cyclops
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gorgon
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a repulsively ugly or terrifying woman
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harpy
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a shrewish woman; a predatory person
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Homeric
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suggestive of Homer or his poetry; of heroic dimensions; grand; imposing
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myrmidon
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a faithful follower who carries out orders without Question; they followed Achilles on the expedition against Troy
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oracular
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uttered or delivered as if divinely inspired or infallible; ambiguous of obscure; portentous; ominous
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paean
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any song of praise, joy or triumph
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plutonian
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pertaining to the planet Pluto or the underworld; grim and gloomy; harsh and unpleasing
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Promethean
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creative and boldly original
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Stygian
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gloomy and dark; hellish; infernal; inviolable; the river Styx
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terpsichorean
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pertaining to dancing
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thespian
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dramatic; an actor or actress
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pedantic
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stressing trivial points of learning; lacking a sense of proportion in scholarship
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pertinacious
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stubborn; unyielding; holding firmly to some belief
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pontifical
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ornate; stiff; having the pomp and dignity of a high priest or Pope
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pretentious
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making claims to some distinctions; showy
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prolix
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wordy; long-winded
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puerile
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childish; silly; young
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quiescent
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inactive; in repose latent
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recalcitrant
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unruly; refusing to obey authority
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restive
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hard to control; restless; contrary
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ribald
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coarse; vulgar in language; irreverent
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sardonic
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sarcastic; bitterly sneering
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sedulous
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busy; working hard; diligent
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sleazy
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flimsy or thin in texture or substance; of poor quality
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supercilious
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naughty; arrogant; contemptuous
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voluptuous
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sensuous; full of sensual delights and pleasures
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acapella
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without instrumental accompaniment
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ad hoc
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for this case only; temporary
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bon vivant
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one who enjoys good food and other pleasures
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de facto
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in fact; actual
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gemutlich
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agreeable; cheerful
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leitmotif
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a short musical phrase that recurs and is associated with a given character, situation or emotion in an opera
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nolo contendere
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a defendant's plea declaring that he will not make a defense but not admitting his guilt
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par excellence
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in the greatest degree of excellence
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parvenu
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one who has suddenly acquired wealth or power; does not conform to the standards of the class into which he has risen
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piece de resistance
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the principal dish of a meal; the main item or event in a series
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postprandial
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after dinner
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quid pro quo
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one thing in return for another
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qui vive
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to be on the lookout or on the alert is to be on the qui vive
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savoir faire
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a ready knowledge of what to do or say; tact
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sub rosa
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secretly; confidentially
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vis-a-vis
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a person or thing that is face to face with another opposite; in reference to; opposed to
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ambivalent
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having conflicted feelings toward a person or thing
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bucolic
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rural; rustic; pastoral
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crotchety
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full of peculiar whims; ill tempered; eccentric
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dilatory
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slow; late in doing things; inclined to delay
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disconsolate
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sad; dejected; cheerless
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dudgeon
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resentment; an angry or offended feeling
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froward
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contrary; not easily controlled; stubbornly willful
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genteel
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well bred; refined; excessively polite
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jocund
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pleasant; agreeable; genial
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loquacious
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talkative
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splenetic
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irritable; bad tempered; spiteful
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tendentious
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opinionated; advancing a definite point of view or doctrine
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truculent
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fierce; cruel; savage
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vacuous
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empty; purposeless; stupid; senseless
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venal
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really bribed or corrupted
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amorphous
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without definite form; shapeless
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gargantuan
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huge; gigantic; prodigious
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iota
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very small quantity; a jot
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lissome
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supple; limber; flexible
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macrocosm
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the great world; the universe
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magnitude
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greatness of size or extent; importance of influence
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magnum opus
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a great work, especially of art or literature
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microcosm
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a little world; miniature universe
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micrometer
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an instrument for measuring very small distance, angles, diameters
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scabrous
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rough with small points or knobs; bumpy; scaly
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scintilla
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the least trace; a particle
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serpentine
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evilly cunning or subtle; treacherous; coiled; twisting
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sinuous
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bending; wavy
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smidgen
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a small amount; a bit
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tenuous
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unsubstantial; flimsy; physically thin
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bathos
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anticlimax; triteness or triviality in style; sentimentality
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malapropism
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ridiculous misuse of words; especially by confusion of words that are similar in sound
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metaphor
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the application of a word or phrase to an object or concept that it does not literally mean
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metonymy
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the use of the name of one object or concept for that of another to which it is related
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onomatopoeia
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formation of words in imitation of natural sounds; the use of words those sound suggests the sense
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oxymoron
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figure of speech; contradictions
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panegyric
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an oration, discourse, or writing in praise of a person or thing; eulogy
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paradigm
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example or patter; a set of forms in grammar all of which contain a particular element
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paralipsis
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the suggestion, by deliberately concise treatment of a topic; that much significant material is being omitted; as in the use of the phrase "not to mention other faults"
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pleonasm
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the use of more words than necessary to express an idea; redundancy
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polyglot
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knowing many or several languages
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semantics
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the study of meaning; the study of linguistic development by classifying and examining changes in meaning and form
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simile
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a figure of speech with a comparison using the words 'like' or 'as'
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synedoche
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a figure of speech in which a part is used for a while or the whole for a part
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threnody
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a poem, speech, or song of lamentation, especially of the dead; dirge; funeral song
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argot
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the specialized vocabulary and idioms of those in the same work or way of life
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aspersion
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act of defaming; a damaging or disparaging remark; a sprinkling of water, as in baptizing
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badinage
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playful, teasing talk, banter
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bombast
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pompous language; make talk or writings seem more grand or important
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braggadocio
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a braggart; pretentiousness; vain; noisy or swaggering manner
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censure
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strong disapproval; a judgement or resolution condemning a person for misconduct
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countermand
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to cancel or revoke a command; to call back by a contrary order
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gainsay
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to deny; to speak or act against contradiction; denial
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gobbledegook
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wordy and generally unintelligible jargon; specialized language of a group of people that is generally wordy and complicated and often incomprehensible
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guttural
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of the throat, a harsh, gasping sound
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harangue
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a long, blustering, noisy, or scolding speech; tirade
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jargon
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a language or dialect unknown to one so that it seems incomprehensible; a mixed or hybrid language or dialect
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mellifluous
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sounding sweet and smooth; honeyed
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resonant
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echoing, reinforced and prolonged by reflection or by sympathetic vibration of other bodies
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sententious
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abounding in pithy aphorisms or maxims; terse; self-righteous
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canon
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an ecclesiastical or secular law or codes of laws; a basis for judgement
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hegemony
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leadership; preponderant influence or authority
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oligarchy
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form of government in which the ruling power lies in the hands of a select few
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peonage
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a system by which debtors are bound in servitude to their creditors until debts are paid; the condition of being an unskilled day laborer
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Pharisaical
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making an outward show of piety but lacking the inward spirit; hypocritical
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plebiscite
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a direct vote of the qualified electors of a state in regard to some important public question
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plenipotentiary
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invested with or conferring full power, a diplomatic agent fully authorized to represent his government
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proxy
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an agent or substitute
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recession
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the act of withdrawing or going back; a moderate or temporary decline in economic activity
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regicide
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the killing of a king; one who kills or helps kill a king
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renascent
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coming into being again; showing renewed growth or vigor
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reprisal
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the practice of using political or military force without actually resorting to war
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subversion
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ruination or complete destruction; corruption; complete overthrow
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surrogate
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a substitute; in some states, a judge having jurisdiction over the probate of wills and the settlement of estates
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votary
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a person bound by bows to live a life of religious worship and service; a monk or nun
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antipodal
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on the opposite side of the globe; diametrically opposite
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cartography
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art or business of drawing or making charts or mats
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concierge
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doorkeeper; caretaker; custodian; janitor
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hegira
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any flight or journey to a more desirable or congenial place
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hustings
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the route followed by a campaigner for political office; an election platform; the proceedings at an election
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landmark
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any fixed object used to mark the boundary of a piece of land; any prominent feature of the landscape
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peripatetic
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moving from place to place; itinerant
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portmanteau
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suitcase
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safari
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a journey or hunting expedition, especially in East Africa
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tandem
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two-wheel carriage; two person bike
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transmigrate
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to move from one habitation or country to another; in religion, to pass into some other body at death
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traverse
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to pass, move, or extend over or across; oppose; to survey or inspect carefully; to swivel or pivot
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trek
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to travel by ox wagon; to travel slowly or laboriously
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wanderlust
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an impulse, longing or urge to have or wander
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wayfarer
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a person who travels, especially from place to place on foot
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a la carte
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by the card or by the bill of fare
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assuage
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to satisfy and slake; to lessen; relieve
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comestible
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suitable to be eaten
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condiment
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seasoning or relish for food
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cuisine
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style of cooking or preparing food
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culinary
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of the kitchen or cooking; suitable for use in cooking
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gastronomic
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pertaining to the art and science of good eating; epicurean
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gourmand
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a glutton
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manna
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food miraculously provided for the Israelites in the wilderness
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palatable
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pleasing or acceptable to the taste; acceptable to the mind
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piquant
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agreeably pungent or stimulating to the taste, pleasantly sharp or bitter; stimulating
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refection
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refreshment
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repast
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a meal; mealtime
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subsistence
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existence; means of support or livelihood
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viands
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foods of various kinds
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antic
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odd and funny; ludicrous
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beguile
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to charm; to divert attention in some pleasant way
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bonhomie
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frank and simple kindheartedness; a good natured manner
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dalliance
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a trifling away of time; flirtation
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divertissement
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a diversion or amusement; a short entertainment performed between acts of plays
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euphoria
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a feeling of well being or high spirits; especially inappropriate
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guffaw
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a loud, coarse burst of laughter
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insouciance
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calmness; freedom from anxiety, indifference
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japery
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jesting talk; mockery; a trick or practical joke
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regale
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to entertain by providing a splendid feast
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risible
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able or inclined to laugh; funny
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roguish
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dishonest; unprincipled; pleasantly mischievous
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roister
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to boos or swagger; to have a noisy, disorderly good time
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squib
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a firecracker that burns with a hissing, spurting noise before exploding; a short humorous satiric writing or speech
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waggish
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roguishly merry, playful
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anarchy
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the complete absence of government; political disorder and violence
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bourgeois
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typical of the social middle class; selfish concern for material comfort
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bureaucracy
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a system that rigidly adheres to the rules, forms, and routine
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demagogue
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a leader who obtains power by means of impassioned appeals to the emotions of the populace
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ethos
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the disposition, character, or attitude that distinguishes a particular group, epoch, or region
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gerrymander
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to divide an area into voting districts to give unfair advantage to one part in an election
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imperialism
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euro
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Machiavellian
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euro
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martial
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inclined or disposed to war; warlike; brave
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muckraker
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on who searches for and exposes real or alleged corruption and scandal
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partisan
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an adherent or supporter of a person, party or cause
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reactionary
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a person who favors political conservatism or extreme rightism
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schism
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a separation or division into factors
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suffrage
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the right to vote; a vote given in favor of a proposed measure or candidate
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totalitarian
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of or pertaining to a centralized government in which those in control grant neither recognition nor toleration to parties of different opinions
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abnegation
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giving up of rights; self denial
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abscond
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to run away and hide in order to escape the law
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affidavit
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a written statement made on oath, usually before a notary public
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altercation
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a quarrel
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battery
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pounding; illegal beating
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bequest
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something given by inheritance
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cause celebre
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a celebrated law case, trial or controversy
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caveat emptor
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buy at your own risk
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codicil
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an addition to a will; an appendix or supplement
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contiguous
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adjacent; touching
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contraband
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goods forbidden by law to be exported
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contumacious
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insubordinate; disobedient
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disenfranchise
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to deprive of the rights of citizenship; to deprive of a privilege
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injunction
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a command or order; a court order stopping a person or group from carrying out a given action
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jurisprudence
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the science or philosophy of law; a system of laws
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aphorism
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a brief statement of principle; a tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion
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dogma
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a system of principles or tenets as of a church; an established opinion or belief
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empirical
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guided by a practical experience and not theoretical
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epistemology
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the division of philosophy that investigates the nature, origin, methods, and limits of human knowledge
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epsitemology
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the division of theology that is concerned with the ultimate or last things
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fallacy
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an idea or opinion founded on mistake logic or perception
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hedonism
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pursuit of or devotion to pleasure
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pragmatism
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a method or tendency in the conduct of political affairs characterized by the rejection of theory and precedent and by the use of practical means and expedients
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predestination
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God has decided who is saved and who is damned
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ratiocination
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the act of reasoning methodically or logically
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syllogism
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in logic; a form of deductive reasoning consisting of a premise, minor premise, and conclusion
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teleology
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the doctrine that final causes exists; design, purpose or utility as an explanation of any natural phenomenon
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tenet
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an opinion or doctrine held to be true
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theosophy
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a system of philosophy or religion that proposes to establish direct, mystical contact with divine principles through contemplation or revelation
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utilitarian
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stressing the value of practical over aesthetic values
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agnostic
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a thinker who disclaims any knowledge of God
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apocalyptic
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pertaining to a revelation; foretelling imminent disaster and total destruction.
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apocryphal
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questionable authority and authenticity; false or counterfeit
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apostate
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one who forsakes his faith or principles
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apotheosis
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deification; an exalted or glorified ideal
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benediction
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a blessing
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blasphemy
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any irreverent or impious act or utterance
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deist
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God has a hands off approach to the world
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infidel
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a person who does not believe in any religion
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mantra
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mystical formula of invocation or incantation in Hinduism and Buddhism
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ontology
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the branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of being
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pantheism
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the doctrine that the universe, conceived of as a whole, is God
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sacrilegious
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disrespectful or irreverent toward anything regarded as sacred
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syncretism
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the attempt or tendency to combine or reconcile differing beliefs, as in philosophy or religion
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theodicy
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a vindication of divine justice in the face of the existence of evil
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