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47 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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detraction
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n. slandering; aspersion
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He is offended by your frequent detractions slanderings aspersions of his ability as a leader
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disenfranchise
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v. deprive of a civil right
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The imposition of the poll tax effectively disenfranchised poor Southern blacks, who lost their right to vote
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dregs
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n. sediment; worthless residue
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David poured the wine carefully to avoid stirring up the dregs
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emendation
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n. correction of errors; improvement
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Please initial all the emendations you have made in this contract
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extenuate
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v. weaken; mitigate
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It is easier for us to extenuate our own shortcomings that tbose of others
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fitful
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adj. spasmodic; intermittent
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After several fitful attempts, he decided to postpone the start of the project until he felt more energetic
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frugality
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n. thrift; economy
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In economically hard times, anyone who doesn't learn to practice frugality risks bankrupcy
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glut
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v. overstock; fill to excess
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The many manufacturers glutted the market and could not find purchasers for the excess articles they had produced
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incriminate
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v. accuse
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The evidence gathered against the racketeers incriminates some high public officials as well
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magnanimous
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adj. generous; great-hearted
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Philanthropists by definiton are magnanimous; misers, by definition, are not. Cordelia was too magnanimous to resent her father's unkindness to her; instead, she generously forgave him
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criterion
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n. standard used in judging
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What criterion did you use when you selected this essay as the prizewinner?
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defoliate
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v. destroy leaves
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In Vietnam the army made extensive use of chemical agents to defoliate the woodlands
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drivel
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n. nonsense foolishness
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why do I have to spend my days listening to such idiotic drivel? Drivel is related to dribble; think of dribbling, driveling idiot
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escapade
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n. prank; flighty conduct
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The headmaster could not regard this latest escapade as a boyish joke and expelled the young man
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extol
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v. praise; glorify
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The president extolled the astronauts, calling them the pioneers of the Space Age
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fruition
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n. bearing of fruit; fulfillment; realization, attainment of anything desired
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After yearss of saving and scrimping, her dream of owning her own home finally came to fruition.
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heyday
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n. time of greatest success; prime
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In their heyday, San Francisco Forty-Niners won the Super Bowl two years running
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impermeable
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adj. impervious; not permitting passage through its substance
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Sue chose a raincoate made of GoreTex because the material is impermeable to liquids.
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incrustation
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n. hard coating or crust
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In dry dock, we scraped off the incrustation of dirt and barnacles that covered the hull of the ship
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innocuous
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adj. harmless
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An occasional glass of wine with dinner is relatively innocuous and should have no ill effect on you
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inveterate
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adj. deep-rooted; habitual
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An inveterate smoker, Bob cannot seem to break the habit, no matterhow hard he tries
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laggard
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adj. slow; sluggish
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The sailor had been taught not to be laggard in carrying out orders
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magnate
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n. person of prominence or influence
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Growning up in Pittsburg, Annie Dillard was surrounded by the mansions of the great stell and coal magnates who set their mark on that city
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outstrip
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v. surpass; outdo
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Jesse Owens easily outstripped his white competitors to win the gold medal at the Olympic Games
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cupidity
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n. greed
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The defeated people could not satisfy the cupidity of the conquerors, who demanded excessive tribute
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delineate
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v. portray; depict; sketch
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Using only a few descriptive phrases, Austen delineates the character of Mr. Collins so well that we can predict his every move
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diatribe
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n. bitter scolding; invective
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During the lengthy diatribe delivered by his opponent he remained calm and self-controlled
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Dichotomy
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n. split; branching into two parts (especially contradictory ones).
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Willie didn't know how to resolve the dichotomy between his ambition to go to college and his childhood longing to run away and join the circus
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dutiful
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adj. respectful; obedient
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When Mother told Billy to kiss Great-Aunt Hattie, the boy obediently gave the old woman a dutiful peck on her cheek.
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endorse
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v. approve; support
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Everyone waited to see which one of the rival candidates for the city council the mayor would endorse.
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endemic
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adj. prevailing among a specific group of people or in a specific area or country
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This disease is endemic in this part of the world; more than 80 percent of the population are at one time or another affected by it
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euphonious
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adj. pleasing in sound
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Euphonious even when spoken, the Italian language is particularly pleasing to the ear when sung
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euphoria
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n. feeling of great happiness and well-being (sometimes exaggerated)
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Delighted with her SAT scores, sure that the university would accept her, Allison was filled with euphoria
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facetious
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adj. joking (often inappropriately); humorous
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I'm serious about this project; I don't need any facetious, smart-alecky cracks about do-gooder little rich girls
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facile
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adj. easily accomplished; ready or fluent; superficial
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Words came easily to Jonathan; he was a facile
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floe
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n. mass of floating ice
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The ship made slow progress as it battered its way through the ice floes
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flora
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n. plants of a region or era
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Because she was a botanist, she spent most of her time studying the flora of the desert
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gale
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n. windstorm; gust of wind; emotional outburst (laughter, tears).
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The Weather Channel warned viewers about a rising gale, with winds of up to sixty miles per hour
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gratis
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adj. free
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The company offered to give one package gratis to every purchaser of one of thier products
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gratuitous
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adj. given freely; unwarranted; uncalled for
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Quit making gratuitous commments about my driving; no one asked you for your opinion
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implicit
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understood but not stated
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Jack never told Jill he adored her; he believed his love was implicit in his actions
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indices
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n. signs; indications
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Many college admissions officers believe that SAT scores and high school grades are the best indices of a student's potential to succeed in college
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indict
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v. charge
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The district attorney didn't want to indict the suspect until she was sure she had a strong enough case to convince a jury
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insinuate
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v. hint; imply; creep in
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When you said I looked robust, did you mean to insinuate that I'm getting fat?
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irreproachable
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adj. blameless; impeccable
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Homer's conduct at the office party was irreproachable; even Marge didn't have anything to say about how he behaved
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irresolute
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adj. uncertain how to act; weak
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Once you have made your decision, don't waver; a leader should never appear irresolute
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malign
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v. speak evil of; bad-mouth; defame
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Putting her hands over her ears, Rose refused to listen to Betty malign her friend Susan
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