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95 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Caustic
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a. Able to dissolve or eat away by chemical action.
b. Sharp and biting S: corrosive, keen, cutting, stinging, tart, pungent, trenchant, mordant, astringent, acidulous, sarcastic, sardonic, acrimonious, venomous, asperity, acrimony, mordancy, acerbity, sarcasm A: mild, bland, amiable, good-natured, charitable, sweet, sugary, honeyed, saccharine |
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Censor
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a. An official who examines works of literature, films, and the like for things considered to be immoral, offensive, or dangerous, and who is empowered to prohibit or remove this material.
b. To examine for and remove objectionable material. S: expurgator, bowdlerizer, comstockery, Grundyism, excise, delete, expunge |
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Censure
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a. Open and strong criticism or disapproval.
b. To criticize severely; to disapprove strongly. S:rebuke, reprimand, reproof, reprehend, condemn, upbraid, chastise A: praise, commendation, approval, approbation, laud, extol, applaud, meritorious |
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Chagrin
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a. Irritation, embarrassment, or humiliation caused by disappointment of frustration.
b. To cause such a feeling S: vexation, annoyance, mortification, vex, annoy mortify, abash A: jubilation, exultation, delight, exhilaration, elation, elate |
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Charlatan
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Anyone who claims to have skills or knowledge that he or she doesn't possess.
S: impostor, quack, mountebank, humbug, fraud, faker |
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Chronic
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Continuing over a long period of time or recurring often
S: long-lasting, prolonged, continual, constant, habitual, inveterate, confirmed, deep-rooted, ingrained, perennial, recurrent. A: transitory, transient, evanescent, ephemeral, sporadic, occasional |
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Circuitous
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Indirect or roundabout; long-winded.
S: winding, meandering, rambling, sinuous, devious, oblique, circumlocutory, periphrastic, digressive. A: direct, undeviating, unswerving, straightforward, unveering |
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Circumspect
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Cautious or prudent, especially in regard to the consequences of actions or statements; tactful.
S: careful, watchful, vigilant, guarded, wary, chary, leery, discreet, politic, diplomatic, judicious A: careless, imprudent, incautious, heedless, rash, reckless, foolhardy, brash, precipitate, indiscreet, tactless |
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Circumvent
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To get around or avoid, especially by trickery or deception.
S: by-pass, skirt, evade, sidestep, dodge, duck A: obey, observe, comply with, respect, abide by |
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Clandestine
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Concealed from view so as to hide one's purpose.
S: surreptitious, covert, furtive, stealthy, underhanded A: open, undisguised, overt, manifest, obvious, avowed |
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Coerce
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To force someone to do something against his or her will by using undue pressure, threats, intimidation, or physical violence.
S: constrain, compel, pressure, bulldoze, dragoon, hector, browbeat, cow |
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Cogent
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Forceful and convincing: to the point.
S: powerful, potent, effective, telling, persuasive, compelling, valid, sound, relevant, pertinent, apposite, germane, apropos A: weak, ineffective, unconvincing, frivolous, inane, invalid, untenable, irrelevant |
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Cohere
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To hold or stick together; to fit together into an orderly, logical, and unified whole.
S: coalesce, combine, gel A: separate, fall apart, come apart, come asunder, diverge, disperse, dissipate, diffuse, scatter, disjoint |
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Collaborate
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a. To work together on some kind of joint project.
b. To cooperate with the enemy in some kind of treasonable activity. S: cooperate, team up, join forces, pool one's efforts, intrigue, collude, conspire, partner, colleague, quisling A: work by oneself, dissociate oneself from, part company with, take leave of |
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Compatible
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a. Capable of use with some other brand or model.
b. Capable of living or getting along together. S: harmonious, agreeable, like-minded, consistent, congruous, parallel A: incompatible, antagonistic, inconsistent, incongruous |
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Complacent
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Overly self-satisfied; smug.
S: content, self-content, pleased with oneself A: dissatisfied, discontent, malcontent |
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Concise
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Saying a lot in a few words.
S: brief, compact, succinct, terse, laconic, summary, pithy A: wordy, prolix, verbose, garrulous, loquacious, long-winded |
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Condone
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To overlook or disregard an offense, thereby implying forgiveness, acceptance, or possibly approval of it.
S: ignore, close one's eyes to, turn a blind eye to, accept, countenance, stomach, tolerate A: condemn, denounce, disapprove, deprecate, castigate, decry, revile |
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Conjecture
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a. A conclusion based on inadequate evidence; a guess.
b. To conclude from inadequate evidence; to guess. S: surmise, supposition, presumption, suspicion, inference, speculation, theory A: fact, certainty, demonstrate, substantiate |
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Confrontation
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A face-to-face encounter, usually suggesting a hostile or defiant attitude.
S: showdown, face-off, shoot-out |
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Connoisseur
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Someone with informed and discriminating judgment, especially in matters of art, literature, or taste.
S: expert, authority, specialist, pundit, savant, maven, devotee, judge, critic, arbiter, cognoscenti A: beginner, novice, neophyte, greenhorn, tenderfoot, tyro, amateur, dilettante |
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Consensus
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Collective uniformity of opinion, general agreement of feeling or belief.
S: unanimity, like-mindedness, concord, harmony, accord, unity, concurrence A: discord, disagreement, disunity, disharmony, dissent, conflict, diversity, dissidence |
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Construe
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To analyze, explain, interpret, or understand.
S: deduce, infer, translate, gather, take to mean A: misinterpret, misunderstand |
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Consummate
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a. Complete or perfect in the highest degree.
b. To bring to completion or perfection. S: superlative, supreme, transcendent, surpassing, matchless, finished, total, masterful, virtuoso, clinch, conclude A: mediocre, indifferent, run-of-the-mill, ordinary, inept, incompetent, inadequate, begin, start, initiate, launch |
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Copious
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Large in number or quantity; full.
S: abundant, plentiful, ample, bountiful, bounteous, profuse, lavish, numberous, extensive, comprehensive. A: meager, scanty, scarce, sparse, inadequate, insufficient, empty, vacant, vacuous, barren |
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Corpulent
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Fat and bulky
S: chubby, plump, husky, burly, portly, stout, rotund, obese. A: lean, lanky, thin, wiry, scrawny, gaunt |
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Corroborate
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To confirm the truth or accuracy of.
S: verify, substantiate, support, back up, bear out A: contradict, refute, rebut, confute, discredit, impugn |
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Counsel
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a. Advice secured through consultation
b. An adviser, especially a legal advisor. c. To advise or recommend as a course of action. S: guidance, direction ,recommendation, attorney, lawyer, urge, exhort, admonish, caution |
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Credibility
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The ability to inspire belief or trust.
S: reliability, believability, plausibility, trustworthiness, dependability. A: unreliability, undependability |
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Criterion
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A standard or principle on which to base a judgment or decision.
S: yardstick, touchstone, guideline, gauge, canon, rule |
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Crucial
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At a point that will determine the final outcome; of supreme importance.
S: critical, decisive, momentous, pivotal, vital A: insignificant, unimportant, inconsequential |
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Culpable
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At fault; blameworthy.
S: guilty, delinquent, peccant, wanting, blamable, censurable, reprehensible A: innocent, blameless, laudable, commendable, meritorious, praiseworthy |
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Cursory
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Hasty and superficial
S: hurried, perfunctory, quick, summary, careless, unmethodical, casual, slapdash A: thorough, exhaustive, comprehensive, in-depth, systematic, painstaking, careful, meticulous |
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Curtail
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To shorten or reduce.
S: abridge, abbreviate, truncate, lessen, diminish, cut short, cut back, dock, pare down, trim A: increase, enlarge, augment, amplify, expand, extend |
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Cynical
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Inclined to doubt or deny the virtuousness or honesty of human motives; sneeringly bitter or negative.
S: skeptical, suspicious, doubtful, pessimistic, misanthropic, derisive, scornful, caustic, sardonic, acerbic A: optimistic, sanguine, positive, naive, starry-eyed, romantic, idealistic |
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Defect
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a. A flaw or shortcoming
b. To desert one country, cause or the like for another S: blemish, fault, imperfection, weakness, failing, bug, kink, abandon, forsake, bolt, repudiate, disown, abjure |
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Defer
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a. To put off or postpone
b. To yield courteously to the wishes or judgments of someone else. S: delay, table shelve, hold off on, put on ice, put on a back burner, bow to, give way to, accede to A: expedite, facilitate, hasten, spurn, disdain, reject |
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Dejected
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In very low spirits
S: sad, blue, depressed, gloomy, despondent, melancholy, morose, downcast, dispirited, disheartened A: happy, merry, elated, exultant, jubilant |
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Delete
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To strike out or remove
S: cancel, expunge, omit, efface, excise A: retain, include, add, insert |
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Delineate
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To make an accurate line drawing or diagram of; to portray or describe in detail.
S: picture, depict, set forth, sketch, etch |
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Delinquent
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a. Neglectful of a duty or obligation; seriously overdue
b. A person who fails to perform a duty; an offender S: remiss, derelict, negligent, owing, outstanding, unsettled, scofflaw, malefactor, wrongdoer A: punctilious, scrupulous, dutiful, conscientious, meticulous, paid up |
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Delude
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To mislead or deceive
S: dupe, gull, cozen, hoodwink, trick, beguile |
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Demure
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Modest and reserved in dress, manner, or behavior
S: sedate, prim, decorous, seemly, staid, diffident, shy, self-effacing, coy A: bold, forward, immodest, assertive, aggressive, jaunty, bumptious |
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Denouement
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The point at which the plot a novel or drama is finally resolved; the outcome or solution of a complex sequence of events.
S: unraveling of a plot, disentanglement, climax, final solution, final issue |
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Desultory
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Shifting from one thing to another without reason or purpose; haphazard or random.
S: fitful, erratic, spasmodic, intermittent, aimless, rambling, disconnected, unmethodical A: constant, concentrated, steadfast, methodical, systematic, painstaking |
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Deviate
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a. To move away from, especially what is considered normal, right, or acceptable
b. A person who differs markedly in behavior, belief, or attitude from what is accepted as normal or proper. S: diverge, veer, swerve, stray, wander, ramble ,digress, nonconformist, maverick, oddball, heretic A: conform to, stick to, abide by, adhere to, conformist, traditionalist |
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Devoid
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Empty; lacking in.
S: destitute, bereft, wanting, deficient, barren A: replete, fraught, saturated, full, teeming, bursting, stuffed |
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Devout
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Deeply religious, earnest, or sincere
S: pious, faithful, reverent, ardent, zealous A: irreligious, unreligious, unfaithful, irreverent, lukewarm, tepid |
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Dexterous
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Skillful in using one's hands or mind; clever.
S: handy, adroit, deft, adept, proficient A: awkward, clumsy, gauche, inept, maladroit |
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Dapper
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Neatly and stylishly dressed.
S: natty, smart, spruce, stylish, chic A: unkempt, sloppy, slovenly, shabby, seedy, dowdy, blousy, frowsy, frumpy |
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Dilapidated
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Fallen into disrepair or partial ruin, usually through neglect.
S: deteriorated, run-down, decaying, decrepit, rickety, ramshackle, dingy, seedy, sleazy A: well kept up, well maintained, shipshape, unspoiled, undamaged |
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Dilatory
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Inclined to put things off; intended to postpone something.
S: late, tardy, slow, behindhand, laggard, dawdling, procrastinating, sluggish, lackadaisical, lethargic, dilly-dallying, shilly, shallying, temporizing |
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Diligent
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Hardworking; thorough and persistent.
S: assiduous, sedulous, indefatigable A: lazy, slothful, indolent, perfunctory, cursory |
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Dire
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a. Dreadful or disastrous, bleak or cheerless.
b. Urgent S: calamitous, fatal, woeful, grievous, horrendous, dismal, somber, gloomy, pressing, desperate, extreme A: salutary, beneficial, salubrious, mild, gentle, inconsequential, insignificant |
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Discomfit
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a. To defeat or frustrate completely
b. To perplex, confuse, or embarrass completely. S: rout, trounce, drub, thwart, foil, baffle, nonplus, abash, disconcert, fluster A: lose to, reassure |
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Discourse
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a. An oral exchange of ideas or conversation; a lengthy discussion, either written or spoken.
b. To talk about or discuss at length. S: treatise, dissertation, sermon, lecture, talk, colloquy, enlarge, expand, expatiate, descant A: summary, abstract, precis, synopsis, summarize, synopsize, outline, sketch |
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Discriminate
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a. To distinguish between two or more things, often by perceiving minute differences.
b. To behave unfairly toward a person or group because of prejudice. S: differentiate, discern, perspicacity, acumen, perceptiveness, discernment, favoritism, bias, prejudice, bigotry |
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Disparage
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To speak slightingly of or undervalue.
S: belittle, depreciate, derogate, decry, underrate, run down, minimize A: exaggerate, magnify, increase, enhance, extol, laud, eulogize |
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Disparity
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Difference or inequality, as of age, character, or quality.
S: disproportion, dissimilarity, inconsistency A: parity, likeness, similarity, equality |
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Distraught
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Deeply distressed or agitated.
S: frantic, anguished, overwrought, hysterical, distracted, perturbed, upset A: calm, collected, composed, impassive |
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Divulge
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To make known; to make public.
S: reveal, disclose, impart A: conceal, hide |
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Docile
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Easy to manage, teach, train, or discipline.
S: submissive, tractable, obedient, amenable, compliant A: headstrong, willful, perverse, intractable, unmanageable, obdurate |
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Dormant
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Inactive, as if in sleep; suspended in use, growth, or development.
S: latent, passive, inert, quiescent, torpid A: active, vigorous, vibrant, volatile, explosive, thriving, flourishing |
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Drastic
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Violently forceful and swift; extreme.
S: powerful, strong, rigorous, potent, thorough, going, severe, stern, draconian A: weak, feeble, ineffectual, halfhearted, gentle, restrained |
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Duplicity
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Deliberate deception in speech or conduct.
S: guile, deceit, trickery, dissimulation, chicanery, imposture, sharp practice, double-dealing A: honesty, integrity, uprightness, probity, plain dealing |
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Eclectic
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a. Choosing what seems best from various sources.
b. One whose opinions and beliefs are drawn from various sources. S: selective, synthesized A: uniform, monolithic |
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Effete
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Worn out or exhausted; marked by weakness, self-indulgence or decadence.
S: spent, burned-out, decadent, barren, sterile A: vigorous, energetic, dynamic, productive, fertile, flourishing, prolific |
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Efficacious
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Capable of producing the desired effect.
S: effective, effectual, efficient, powerful, potent A: ineffective, ineffectual, in efficient, unserviceable, useless, inadequate |
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Effrontery
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Shameless boldness.
S: audacity, impertinence, temerity, gall, nerve, cheek, chutzpah, presumption A: timidity, shyness, meekness, modesty, diffidence |
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Elicit
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To draw out or call forth.
S: evoke, prompt, extract, educe, produce |
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Elite
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a. A highly select group of superior individuals.
b. Select; superior S: privileged class, privileged few, aristocracy, nobility, upper crust, cream of the crop, creme de la creme, choice, exclusive, first class, topnotch, top-drawer, A-one A: masses, common herd, proletariat, hoi polloi, rank and file, rabble riffraff, dregs of society |
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Emaciated
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Wasted or reduced by starvation, disease, or the like.
S: gaunt, haggard, shriveled, withered, skeletal, undernourished A: fat, chubby, plump, corpulent, obese |
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Emanate
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a. To flow out of
b. To send forth. S: flow from, proceed from, spring, originate, emerge, emit, project, give off, issue A: soak up, absorb, draw in, attract |
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Embellish
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To decorate or enhance.
S: adorn, dress up, spruce up, gussy up, garnish A: mar, deface, disfigure |
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Eminent
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a. High in rank, distinguished
b. Outstanding; conspicuous. S: prominent, renowned, illustrious, notable, great, noteworthy, remarkable, marked A: obscure, lowly, undistinguished, unremarkable |
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Empathy
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A sympathetic understanding of, or identification with, the feelings, thoughts, and attitudes of someone or something else.
S: sympathy, compassion A: insensitivity, callousness, lack of understanding or appreciation |
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Emulate
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To try to equal or excel the excellence of.
S: imitate, match, rival, follow, mirror, take after |
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Enclave
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a. A country or area lying wholly within the boundaries of another country or area.
b. A separate group or community within a larger group or community. S: enclosure, precinct |
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Endemic
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Peculiar to a particular locality or group of people.
S: indigenous, native A: alien, extraneous, foreign |
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Enigma
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a. An intentionally obscure statement; a riddle.
b. Someone or something that is puzzling or mysterious. S: mystery, puzzle, conundrum dilemma, brainteaser, mind-boggler |
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Entice
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To lead on by arousing hope or desire.
S: tempt, lure, allure, coax, inveigle, beguile, seduce A: repel, repulse, scar off, frighten away |
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Entreat
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To ask or petition earnestly.
S: implore, beg, beseech, plead for, urge, importune, press for |
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Envisage
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To have a mental image of something, especially when the thing does not yet exist; to conceive of.
S: envision, visualize, picture, imagine |
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Epithet
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a. A word of phrase used to describe or characterize someone or something.
b. A term of abuse or contempt. S: characterization, designation, appellation, label, nickname, moniker, handle, curse, oath, obscenity |
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Equanimity
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Calmness or evenness of temper.
S: composure, self-composure, placidity, tranquility, serenity, sangfroid, unexcitability, imperturbability, unflappability, self-possession, nonchalance A: excitability, fretfulness, agitation, distress, hysteria |
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Equitable
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Fair or just.
S: impartial, unbaised, evenhanded A: unfair, unjust, biased, partial, unreasonable, lopsided, one-sided, uneven |
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Erudite
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Deeply learned, especially in a specialized area.
S: scholarly, profound, knowledgeable, informed A: ignorant, uninformed |
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Esoteric
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a. Understood by or intended for only a select few.
b. Difficult to understand S: occult, secret, confidential, private, mysterious, abstruse, recondite, arcane, incomprehensible, unfathomable, cryptic, inscrutable, impenetrable A: popular, exoteric, intelligible, accessible, crystal-clear, comprehensible |
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Ethical
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In accordance with accepted principles of right and wrong.
S: moral, virtuous, honorable, decent, upright, honest, rightout, principled, correct, proper A: unfair, unjust, immoral, unscrupulous, dishonorable,discreditable, unsportsmanlike, unprofessional |
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Ethnic
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Relating to a small but distinct social group within the population.
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Euphemism
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The substitution of a relatively inoffensive term for one that is considered too harsh, unpleasant, or blunt.
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Exacerbate
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To increase the bitterness or severity of; to irritate.
S: aggravate, worsen, intensify A: lessen, moderate, temper, mitigate, mollify, allay, assuage, soothe, alleviate, palliate |
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Exalt
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To elevate in power, position, character, or the like.
S: ennoble, uplift, upgrade A: debase, degrade, demote, humble, abase |
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Exemplary
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a. Worthy of imitation.
b. Serving as a model, illustration, or warning. S: model sterling, commendable, meritorious, laudable, paragon, epitome, archetype, prototype |
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Exigency
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A state of urgency or a situation demanding immediate attention; the pressing needs caused by such a crisis.
S: emergency, crisis, needs, demands, requirements |
