English Vocabulary Page 5

Front 1

Cynosure

Back 1

a person or thing that is the center of attention or admiration
The Queen was the cynosure of all eyes.

Front 2

Debutante

Back 2

an upper-class young woman making her first appearance in fashionable society
The debutante attended the ball in a beautiful dress aimed to attract suitors.

Front 3

Deprecate

Back 3

to express disapproval of
He sniffed the rotten milk in a deprecating way.

Front 4

Physiognomy

Back 4

a person’s facial features or expression, esp. when regarded as indicative of character or ethnic origin (the supposed art of judging character from facial characteristics; the general form or appearance of something)
The physiognomy of the landscape was breath-taking and undulating.

Front 5

Iconoclastic

Back 5

characterized by attacking cherished beliefs or institutions or destroying of images used in religious worship
He manifested his wrath in iconoclastic manners.

Front 6

Ignominious

Back 6

marked by shame or disgrace
The unprepared army suffered an ignominious defeat.

Front 7

Ichthyology

Back 7

the branch of zoology that studies fishes
While a majority of species has been described in ichthyology, about 250 new species of fish are discovered every year.

Front 8

Cacophony

Back 8

a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds
The elementary school orchestra was a cacophony of shrill, horribly played instruments.

Front 9

Husbandry

Back 9

the care, cultivation, and breeding of crops and animals; management and conservation of resources
When Hector grew up, he wanted to go into crop husbandry and he was determined talking to his plants and animals would make him a more lucrative person overall.

Front 10

Postprandial

Back 10

during or relating to the period after dinner or lunch
We were jolted from our postprandial torpor.

Front 11

Dissonance

Back 11

lack of harmony among musical notes; a tension or clash resulting from the combination of two disharmonious or unsuitable elements
There is dissonance between campaign rhetoric and personal behavior.

Front 12

Idiosyncrasy

Back 12

a mode of behavior or way of thought peculiar to an individual; a distinctive or peculiar feature or characteristic of a place or thing
One of his little idiosyncrasies was always preferring to be in the car first.

Front 13

Ephemeral

Back 13

lasting for a very short time (slight and perishable)
Fashions are ephemeral.

Front 14

Miasma

Back 14

a highly unpleasant or unhealthy smell or vapor; an oppressive or unpleasant atmosphere that surrounds or emanates from something
A miasma of stale alcohol hung around him like marsh gas.

Front 15

Propinquity

Back 15

the state of being close to someone or something; proximity; kinship
He kept his distance lest propinquity leads him into temptation.

Front 16

Effigy

Back 16

a sculpture or model of a person (a roughly made model of a particular person, made in order to be damaged or destroyed as a protest or expression of anger)
There were coins bearing the effigy of Maria Theresa of Austria.

Front 17

Mugwump

Back 17

a person who remains aloof or independent, esp. from party politics
The mugwump often broadcasted their independence in a paradoxical way that made them seem dependent on the approval of others.

Front 18

Promulgate

Back 18

promote or make widely known (an idea or cause); put (a law or decree) into effect by official proclamation
In January 1852, the new constitution was promulgated.

Front 19

Myopic

Back 19

nearsighted; lack of imagination, foresight, or intellectual insight
Historians have been censured for their myopia in treating modern science as a western phenomenon.

Front 20

Prodigal

Back 20

spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant; having or giving something on a lavish scale
The dessert was crunchy with brown sugar and prodigal with whipped cream.

Front 21

Profligate

Back 21

recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources; licentious, dissolute
He succumbed to drink and a profligate lifestyle.

Front 22

Prodigious

Back 22

remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree; archaic unnatural or abnormal
The stove consumed a prodigious amount of fuel.

Front 23

Posthumous

Back 23

occurring, awarded, or appearing after the death of the originator
A posthumous collection of his articles was released.

Front 24

Platitude

Back 24

a remark or statement, esp. one with a moral content, that has been used too often to be interesting or thoughtful; the quality of being dull, ordinary, or trite
She began uttering liberal platitudes.

Front 25

Hibernal

Back 25

(of an animal or plant) spend the winter in a dormant state; figurative (of a person) remain inactive or indoors for an extended period
The pilots who have been hibernating during the winter months get their gliders out again.

Front 26

Dilatory

Back 26

slow to act; intended to cause delay
He had been dilatory in appointing a solicitor.

Front 27

Disingenuous

Back 27

not candid or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one really does.
The disingenuous girl thought it was attractive to act like a "dumb blonde," where her male counterparts were actually repulsed.

Front 28

Dolorous

Back 28

feeling or expressing great sorrow or distress
The dolorous mother cried over her lost son for years.

Front 29

Precarious

Back 29

not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse; dependent on chance; uncertain
She made a precarious living by writing.