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187 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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attenuate
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to reduce in force or degree; weaken
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exigent
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urgent; requiring immediate action
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garrulous
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tending to talk a lot
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sycophant
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a self-serving flatterer; yes-man
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deleterious
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subtly or unexpectedly harmful
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unconscionable
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unscrupulous; shockingly unfair or unjust
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precipitate
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to throw violently or bring about abruptly; lacking deliberation
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inchoate
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not fully formed; disorganized
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mercurial
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quick, shrewd, and unpredictable
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investiture
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ceremony conferring authority
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inure
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to harden; accustom; become used to
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demur
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to express doubts or objections
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itinerant
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wandering from place to place; unsettled
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malinger
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to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
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gregarious
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outgoing; sociable
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amalgamate
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to combine; to mix together
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ameliorate
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to make better; to improve
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laconic
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using few words
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officious
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too helpful; meddlesome
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obsequious
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overly submissive and eager to please
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opprobrium
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public disgrace
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expurgate
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to censor
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obviate
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to prevent; to make unnecessary
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circumspect
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cautious; aware of potential circumstances
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catholic
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universal; broad and comprehensive
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capricious
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changing one's mind quickly and often
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assuage
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to make something unpleasant less severe
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condone
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to overlook. pardon, or disregard
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sacrosanct
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extremely sacred; beyond criticism
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wanton
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undisciplined; unrestrained; reckless
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eschew
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to shun; to avoid (as something wrong or distasteful)
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toady
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one who flatters in the hope of gaining favors
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calumny
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a false and malicious accusation; misrepresentation
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opine
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to express an opinion
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apostate
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one who renounces a religious faith
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insipid
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lacking interest or flavor
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soporific
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causing sleep or lethargy
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polemic
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controversy; argument; verbal attack
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licentious
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immoral; unrestrained by society
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sportive
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frolicsome; playful
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arbitrate
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to judge a dispute between too opposing parties
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august
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dignified; grandiose
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plucky
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courageous; spunky
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pastiche
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piece of literature or music imitating other works
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pedant
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someone who shows off learning
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politic
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shrewd and practical in managing or dealing with things; diplomatic
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decorous
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proper; tasteful; socially correct
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cupidity
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greed; strong desire
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coterie
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an intimate group of persons with a similar purpose
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desultory
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jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
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diaphonous
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allowing light to show through; delicate
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diffident
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lacking self-confidence
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ingenuous
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showing innocence or childlike simplicity
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dilatory
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intended to delay
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vernal
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related to spring; fresh
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vicissitude
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a change or variation; ups and downs
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quiescent
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motionless
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tome
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book, usually large and academic
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torpor
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extreme mental and physical sluggishness
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trenchant
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acute, sharp, or incisive; forceful; effective
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umbrage
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offense; resentment
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upbraid
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to scold sharply
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usury
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the practice of lending money at exorbitant rates
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desiccate
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to dry out thoroughly
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deride
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to speak or or treat with contempt; to mock
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dictum
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authoritative statement
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burnish
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to polish
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contrite
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deeply sorrowful and repentant for a wrong
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canard
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a lie
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restive
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impatient, uneasy, or restless
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ribald
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humorous in a vulgar way
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sanguine
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ruddy; cheerfully optimistic
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scintilla
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trace amount
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sedition
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behavior that promotes rebellion or civil disorder against the state
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sentient
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aware; cautious; able to perceive
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sinecure
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a well-paying job or office that requires little or no work
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oblique
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indirect or evasive; misleading or devious
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slake
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to calm down or moderate
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caustic
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biting in wit
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sobriquet
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nickname
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solecism
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grammatical mistake; blunder in speech
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specious
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deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious
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vituperate
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to abuse verbally; berate
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voluble
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talkative; speaking easily; glib
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wraith
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a ghost or specter; a ghost of a living person seen just before his or her death
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yoke
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to join together
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zephyr
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a gentle breeze; something airy or unsubstantial
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missive
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a written note or letter
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mitigate
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to soften; to lessen
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mores
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fixed customs or manners; moral attitudes
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nascent
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starting to develop; coming into existence
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querulous
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inclined to complain; irritable
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rarefy
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to make thinner or sparser
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redress
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relief from wrong or injury
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rejoinder
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response
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repast
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meal or mealtime
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reticent
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silent; reserved
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abate
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to reduce in amount, degree, or severity
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abeyance
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temporary suppression or suspension
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accretion
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a growth in size; an increase in amount
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aerie
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a nest built high in the air; an elevated, often secluded, dwelling
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exculpate
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to clear from blame; prove innocent
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fallow
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dormant; unused
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fawn
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to grovel
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dilettante
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someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
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disabuse
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to set right; free from error
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intransigent
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uncompromising; refusing to be rconciled
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inundate
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to overwhelm; to cover with water
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invective
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abusive language
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stolid
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unemotional; lacking sensitivity
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stratagem
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trick designed to deceive an enemy
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surfeit
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excessive amount
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sybarite
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a person devoted to pleasure and luxury
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dissemble
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to present a false appearance; to disguise one's real intentions or character
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distaff
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the female branch of the family
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diurnal
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existing during the day
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doctrinaire
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rigidly devoted to theories without regard for practicality; dogmatic
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edify
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to instruct morally and spiritually
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effrontery
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impudent boldness; audacity
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enconium
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warm praise
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endemic
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belonging to a particular area; inherent
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enervate
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to reduce in strength
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engender
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to produce, cause, or bring about
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militate
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to operate against; work against
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mollify
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to calm or make less severe
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bilk
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to cheat; defraud
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blight
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to afflict; destroy
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arrogate
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to claim without justification; to claim for oneself without right
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cogent
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convincing and well-reasoned
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cosset
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to pamper; treat with great care
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craven
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lacking courage
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cloying
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sickly sweet; excessive
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ostentation
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excessive showiness
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meretricious
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gaudy; falsely attractive
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legerdemain
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trickery
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limpid
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clear; transparent
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lissome
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easily flexed; limber; agile
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orotund
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pompous
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panegyric
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elaborate praise; formal hymn or praise
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coffer
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strongbox; large chest for money
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paragon
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model of excellence or perfection
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parry
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to ward off or deflect, especially by a quick-witted answer
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peccadillo
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minor sin or offense
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peripatetic
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wandering from place to place, especially on foot
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perspicacious
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shrewd, astute, or keen-witted
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phalanx
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a compact or close-knit body of people, animals, or things
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philistine
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a person who is guided by materialism and is disdainful of intellectual or artistic values
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phlegmatic
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calm and unemotional in termperament
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potentate
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a monarch or ruler with great power
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precis
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short summary of facts
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prescient
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having foresight
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prevaricate
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to lie or deviate from the truth
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probity
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complete honesty and integrity
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proclivity
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a natural inclination or predisposition
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prodigal
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lavish; wasteful
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profligate
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corrupt; degenerate
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propitiate
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to conciliate; to appease
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puerile
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childish, immature, or silly
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pugilism
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boxing
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pulchritude
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beauty
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kindle
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to set fire to or ignite; excite or inspire
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furtive
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secret; stealthy
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impugn
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to call into question; to attack verbally
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incarnadine
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blood-red in color
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indolent
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habitually lazy or idle
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inexorable
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inflexible; unyielding
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ingratiate
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to gain favor with another by deliberate effort; to seek to please somebody so as to gain an advantage
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inimical
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hostile; unfriendly
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iniquity
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sin; evil act
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hermetic
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tightly sealed
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husband
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to manage economically; to use sparingly
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iconoclast
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one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
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inquest
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an investigation; an inquiry
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inter
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to bury
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intractable
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not easily managed or manipulated
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lapidary
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relating to precious stones or the art of cutting them
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largess
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generous giving (as of money) to others who may seem inferior
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imprecation
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a curse
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implacable
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unable to be calmed down or made peaceful
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anodyne
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something that clams or soothes pain
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fatuous
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stupid; foolishly self-satisfied
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ardor
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intense and passionate feeling
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augury
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prophecy; prediction of events
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invidious
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envious, obnoxious, or offensive; likely to promote ill-will
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stentorian
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extremely loud
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estimable
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admirable
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mendacious
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dishonest
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