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53 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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accolade
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noun: an award or praise granted as a special honor
Jean Paul-Sartre was not a fan of accolades, and as such, he refused to accept the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964. syn: extol, exalt |
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gauche
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adjective: lacking social polish
Sylvester says the most gauche things, such as telling a girl he liked that she was much prettier when she wore makeup. syn: churlish ant: dexter |
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inscrutable
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adjective: not easily understood; unfathomable
His speech was so dense and confusing that many in syn: recondite, esoteric, obscure, abstruse, erudite |
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prolific
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adjective: intellectually productive
Schubert was the most prolific composer, producing hundreds of hours of music before he died at the age of 31 |
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poignant
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adjective: emotionally touching
After the Montagues and Capulets discover the dead bodies of Romeo and Juliet, in the play's most a poignant moment, the two griefstricken familes agree to end their feud once and for all. |
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admonish
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verb: to warn strongly, even to the point of reprimanding
Before the concert began, security personnel admonished the crowd not to come up on stage during the performance. |
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haphazard
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adjective: marked by great carelessness; dependent upon or characterized by chance
Many golf courses are designed with great care, but the greens on the county golf course seem entirely haphazard. syn: haste, hodgepodge ant: scintillation |
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garrulous
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adjective: full of trivial conversation
Lynne was garrulous: once, she had a fifteen minute conversation with a stranger before she realized the woman didn't speak English. syn: chitchat |
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winsome
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adjective: charming in a childlike or naive way
She was winsome by nature, and many people were drawn to this free and playful spirit. |
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ostracize
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verb: exclude from a community or group
syn: banish, outcast,, pariah, beggar, exile, vagrant, vagabond, expatriate, expat, relinquish, abandon, forlorn, exile Later in his life, Leo Tolstoy was ostracized from the Russian Orthodox Church for his writings that contradicted church doctrine. |
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constituent
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noun: a citizen who is represented in a government by officials for whom he or she votes
The mayor's constituents are no longer happy with her performance and plan to vote for another candidate in the upcoming election. noun: an abstract part of something The constituents of the metal alloy are nickel, copper, and tin. |
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inveterate
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adjective: habitual
He is an inveterate smoker and has told his family and friends that there is no way he will ever quit. |
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sporadic
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adjective: recurring in scattered and irregular or unpredictable instances
The signals were at first sporadic, but now we detect a clear, consistent pattern of electromagnetic radiation emanating from deep space. |
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resurgent
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adjective: rising again as to new life and vigor
The team sank to fourth place in June, but is now resurgent and about to win the division. |
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dilettante
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noun: an amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions and who pretends to have knowledge
Fred has no formal medical training; while he likes to claim authority on medical issues, he is little more than a dilettante. syn: fledging, tyro, naive, novice, noviciate, neophyte, puerile, protégé, ingénue |
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posit
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verb: assume as fact
Initially, Einstein posited a repulsive force to balance Gravity, but then rejected that idea as a blunder. |
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propitious
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adjective: presenting favorable circumstances; likely to result in or show signs of success
The child's heartbeat is still weak, but I am seeing many propitious signs and I think that she may be healing. syn: favorable, auspicious, serendipity, fortunate, adventitious, amulet |
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portentuos
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adjective
Of momentous or ominous significance. Ominously prophetic.Puffed up with vanity. syn: ominous |
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pedestrian
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adjective: lacking imagination
While Nan was always engaged in philosophical speculation, her brother was occupied with far more pedestrian concerns: how to earn a salary and run a household. syn: unexceptional |
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Providential
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adjective: presenting favorable circumstances; likely to result in or show signs of success
The child's heartbeat is still weak, but I am seeing many propitious signs and I think that she may be healing. syn: portentous, talisman |
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rescind
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verb: cancel officially
The man's driver's license was rescinded after his tenth car accident, which meant he would never be allowed to legally drive again. |
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insolent
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adjective: rude and arrogant
Lilian could not help herself from being insolent, commenting that the Queen's shoes were showing too much toe. |
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prodigious
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adjective: so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe
After the relatively small homerun totals in the "dead ball" era, Babe Ruth's homerun totals were truly prodigious: every year, he set a new all-time record. syn: gigantic, colossal, huge, giant |
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vacillate
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verb: be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
Some students vacillate between schools when deciding which to attend, while others focus only on one school. syn: waver, teeter, dither, oscillate, mercurial |
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myriad
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noun: a large indefinite number
There are a myriad of internet sites hawking pills that claim to boost energy for hours on end. |
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taciturn
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adjective: habitually reserved and uncommunicative
While the CEO enthusiastically shares his plans and agenda with all who will listen, the CFO is far more taciturn, rarely revealing his perspective. |
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tractable
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adjective: readily reacting to suggestions and influences; easily managed (controlled or taught or molded)
Compared to middle school students, who have an untamed wildness about them, high school students are somewhat more tractable. syn: docile, amenable, malleable |
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tempered
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adjective: moderated in effect
The wide-eyed optimism of her youth was now tempered after she had worked many years in the criminal justice system. |
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audacious
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noun: aggressive boldness in social situations
She surprised her colleagues by having the audacity to publically criticize the findings of an distinguished scientist. syn: dauntless, courageous, hardy, valorous |
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inimical
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adjective: hostile (usually describes conditions or environments)
Venus, with a surface temperature that would turn rubber to liquid, is inimical to any form of life. syn: deleterious, pernicious |
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sanction
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verb: give authority or permission to
The authorities have sanctioned the use of the wilderness reserve for public use; many expect to see hikers and campers enjoying the park in the coming months. noun: a legal penalty for a forbidden action International sanctions have been placed on certain shipping lanes that were thought to be involved in human trafficking. antonym: rescind |
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hegemony
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noun: dominance over a certain area
Until the Spanish Armada was defeated in 1587, Spain had hegemony over the seas, controlling waters stretching as far as the Americas. |
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repudiate
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verb: reject as untrue or unfounded
Many in the public believed the rumors of a UFO crash outside town, so the chief of police did everything he could to repudiate the rumors. syn: Spurn,Abjure, Abnegation, refute, renunciation |
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arbitrary
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adjective: based on a random, groundless decision
One of the arbitrary decrees in place during the emperor's rule is that all citizens pay him weekly homage at his palace. |
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intrepid
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adjective: fearless
Captain Ahab was an intrepid captain whose reckless and fearless style ultimately lead to his downfall. syn: dauntless, audacious, courageous |
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austere
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adjective: practicing self-denial
His lifestyle of revelry and luxurious excess could hardly be called austere. adjective: unadorned in style or appearance Late Soviet architecture, although remaining largely austere, moved into experimental territory that employed previously unused shapes and structures. adjective: harsh in manner of temperament The principal of my elementary school was a cold, austere woman; I could never understand why she chose to work with children. syn: ascetic, self- abnegation, self - denial |
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lionize
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verb: assign great social importance to
Students in the U.S. learn to lionizeJefferson, Franklin, and Washington because they are the founding fathers of the nation. |
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circumscribe
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verb: restrict or confine
Their tour of South America wascircumscribed so that they saw only popular destinations and avoided the dangerous parts of cities syn: qualify |
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scrupulous
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adjective: characterized by extreme care and great effort
Because of his scrupulous nature, Mary put him in charge of numbering and cataloging the entire collection of rare stamps. adjective: having a sense of right and wrong; principled Everyone trusted what he said and followed his example because he was scrupulous and honest. ant: unconscionable, base, unscrupulous |
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reverent
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adjective: feeling or showing profound respect or veneration
The professor could speak objectively about the other composers, but he always lectured about Brahms with a particularly reverent air, unable to offer a single criticism of his compositions. syn: deference |
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sycophant
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noun: a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage
The CEO was unaware of the damaging consequences of his choices, largely because he surrounded himself with sycophants who would never dare criticize him. syn: ingratiate, toady, obsequious, fawn, adulate |
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brazen
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adjective: unrestrained by convention or propriety
Their large "donations" to the local police department gave the drug cartel the brazen confidence to do their business out in the open. |
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pernicious
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adjective: exceedingly harmful; working or spreading in a hidden and injurious way
The most successful viruses arepernicious: an infected person may feel perfectly healthy for several months while incubating and spreading the virus. syn: inimical, deleterious confusing words: precocious, penurious, impecunious |
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antithetical
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adjective: sharply contrasted in character or purpose
His deep emotional involvement with these ideas is, in fact, antithetical to the disattachment Buddhism preaches. |
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subversive
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adjective: in opposition to an established system or institution.
The ruling political party has begun a campaign to shut down subversive websites that it deems as a threat to "national safety." syn: refractory, seditious, insurgent, insurrection, contumacious |
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munificent
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adjective: very generous
Uncle Charley was known for his munificence, giving all seven of his nephews lavish Christmas presents each year. syn: magnanimous |
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arcane
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adjective: requiring secret or mysterious knowledge
Most college fraternities are known for arcane rituals that those hoping to the join the fraternity must learn. syn: cryptic, esoteric, recondite, abstruse, obscure, inscrutable, clandestine |
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precipitous
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adjective: done with very great haste and without due deliberation
Instead of calling his financial advisor, Harold acted precipitously, buying 4,000 shares of the latest "hot" stock, only to find out that the company had a history of inflating its year end numbers. syn: abruptly, apace, headlong, haphazard, impetuous confusing word: impetus: increase force |
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foment
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verb: try to stir up public opinion
After having his pay cut, Phil spread vicious rumors about his boss, hoping to foment a general feeling of discontent. syn: instigate, spur, impel, goad, incite |
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ravenous
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adjective: extremely hungry; devouring or craving food in great quantities
John didn't eat much at all during the week he had the flu, so now that he is regaining his health, it's not surprising that he has a ravenous appetite. syn: voracious, fret, devour |
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irrevocable
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adjective: incapable of being retracted or revoked
Once you enter your plea to the court, it is irrevocable so think carefully about what you will say. |
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trite
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adjective: repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
Many style guides recommend not using idioms in writing because these trite expressions are uninteresting and show a lack of imagination on the part of the writer. |
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obsequious
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adjective: attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
The obsequious waiter did not give the couple a moment's peace all through the meal, constantly returning to their table to refill their water glasses and to tell them what a handsome pair they made. syn: ingratiate, sycophant, fawn, toady, adulate |
