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111 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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aria
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A solo vocal piece with instrumental accompaniment, as in an opera.
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credence
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# Acceptance as true or valid; belief. # Claim to acceptance; trustworthiness. # Recommendation; credentials: a letter of credence.
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winnow
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Literally, to separate grain from the chaff : # To examine closely in order to separate the good from the bad; sift.# 1. To separate or get rid of (an undesirable part); eliminate: winnowing out the errors in logic
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arcane
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known or understood by very few; mysterious; secret; obscure; esoteric: She knew a lot about Sanskrit grammar and other arcane matters.
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dregs
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1. dregs, the sediment of liquids; lees; grounds. 2. Usually, dregs. the least valuable part of anything: the dregs of society.
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modish
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–adjective in the current fashion; stylish.
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cord
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specific amount of wood (like a "ream" of paper")
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urbanity
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smooth, polished character
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decry
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1. to speak disparagingly of; denounce as faulty or worthless; express censure of: She decried the lack of support for the arts in this country.
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exhume
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dig up a dead body
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nettlesome
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Causing irritation, vexation, or distress.
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enormity
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1. outrageous or heinous character; atrociousness: the enormity of war crimes.
2. something outrageous or heinous, as an offense: The bombing of the defenseless population was an enormity beyond belief. 3. greatness of size, scope, extent, or influence; immensity: The enormity of such an act of generosity is staggering. |
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imbue
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1. To inspire or influence thoroughly; pervade: work imbued with the revolutionary spirit. See Synonyms at charge. 2. To permeate or saturate. 3. To stain or dye deeply.
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diaspora
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the scattering of the Jews to countries outside of Palestine after the Babylonian captivity. 1. A dispersion of a people from their original homeland.
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steel
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2. To make hard, strong, or obdurate; strengthen: He steeled himself for disappointment.
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meritorious
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–adjective deserving praise, reward, esteem, etc.; praiseworthy: to receive a gift for meritorious service.
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recreant
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cowardly; unfaithful
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commodious
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Comfortably or conveniently spacious; roomy; as, a commodious house.
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tonic
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medicine that revitalizes and strengthens
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rectory
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the residence of a cleric
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manse
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big fancy house
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mollify
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to allay or calm
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refectory
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dining hall
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votary
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1. A person bound by vows to live a life of religious worship or service. 2. A devout adherent of a cult or religion; a committed worshiper: the votaries of Aphrodite.
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vicar
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# 1. The priest of a parish in the Church of England who receives a stipend or salary but does not receive the tithes of a parish. 2. A cleric in charge of a chapel in the Episcopal Church of the United States. 3. A cleric acting in the place of a rector or bishop in the Anglican Communion generally.
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intrigue (v.)
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to plot craftily or underhandedly.
8. to carry on a secret or illicit love affair. |
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somber
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gloomy
dark depressing serious |
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incipient
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abash
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disconcerted or embarassed (e.g. after realizing that you were talking smack about someone when they were standing right behind you)
UNABASHED=not the least bit embarassed or ashamed of what one is doing |
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execrate
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. to detest utterly; abhor; abominate.
2. to curse; imprecate evil upon; damn; denounce: He execrated all who opposed him. |
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consecrate
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1. to make or declare sacred; set apart or dedicate to the service of a deity: to consecrate a new church building.
2. to make (something) an object of honor or veneration; hallow: a custom consecrated by time. |
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renegade
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–noun
1. a person who deserts a party or cause for another. 2. an apostate from a religious faith. |
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miser
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characterized by avarice or greed
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avarice
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imitable
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something that can be imitated
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subsume
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curmudgeon
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grumpy person
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sheer
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transparent (e.g. stockings) OR very steep (cliff)
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middling
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Average; without exceptional quality; fair. 'His performance was middling; those who had practice outperformed him very easily'.
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denigrate
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To defame; to provide a negative opinion of.Example sentence: 'In an attempt to denigrate his opponent, he distributed copies of the court paper implicating his opponent in the crimes'.
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frivolous
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Not serious; flippant; carefree.
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anneal
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Example sentence: To increase the integrity of; to make more hard by repeated heating and cooling. 'He would anneal the thin pieces of metal so that they would be more pliable and yet refrain from breaking'.
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cantata
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A story that is set to music and which is sung by a chorus.
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sobriquet
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Nickname; a fancy or familiar name for a person.
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lope
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To run or gallop slowly with long strides and an easy gait.
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codicil
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An amendment to a will; a later addition to a will that adds or otherwise clarifies earlier provisions. Hint: The word codicil is derived from the Latin word codicillus, which means a short writing.
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martinet
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Somebody who is overly strict; a ruthless ruler; a dictator; an ultimate autocrat who demands that rules be followed exactly.
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access
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A sudden outburst, often emotional in nature. 'The access was unexpected; she ran her hands through her hair, she screamed at the top of her lungs, and she began to cry uncontrollably -- all because she had lost h
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malapropism
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An inappropriate use of a word; misuse.
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rhapsody
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An excessively enthusiastic expression of emotion or feeling; an instrumental composition that is irregular.
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uxorious
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Excessively or foolishly devoted to one's wife.
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vertiginous
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Causing dizziness or confusion. The root word of vertiginous is vertigo, which is derived from the Latin word which means dizzy.
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hummock
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A knoll; a small piece of land elevated above the surrounding terrain; a ridge.
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escutcheon
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A ceremonial shield; a coat of arms; a protective, ornate plate. 'The church walls were adorned by beautiful escutcheons which belonged to those knights which had made an attempt to breech the castle walls'
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pharisee
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A self-righteous person; somebody who is of a sect of the Jewish religion that rigidly adheres to the Laws of Moses.Hint: The word 'pharisee' is derived from the Hebrew word 'perushim', which means 'to separate', and refers to a group of people in history who built the foundation of modern Judaism.
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shunt
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To move; to shove; to get rid of or to send away; to change the course of.
Example sentence: 'The police officer was called to the scene so that he could shunt the busy highway traffic around the accident'. |
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mulct
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To defraud; to blackmail; to confiscate; to deplete. Example sentence: 'In an attempt to mulct the football start of his reputation and self-esteem, the opposing team spread vicious false rumors'.
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pretension
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a claim to importance or dignity.
A claim or a title to an object; Example sentence 'His pretension was the cause of us laughing at him; he pronounced that he was entitled to the throne of England'. |
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callous
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1. Having calluses; toughened: callous skin on the elbow. 2. Emotionally hardened; unfeeling: a callous indifference to the suffering of others.
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inamorata/inamorato
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a woman/man who is loved or loves
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prognathous
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Having a jaw that sticks out; having protrusive teeth.
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parley
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A conference; a discussion; a meeting where two opposing sides discuss and/or argue.
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dipsomania
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An uncontrollable craving for an alcoholic drink. 'He experienced a bout of dipsomania, and he rushed to the local tavern so that he could get drunk right away'.
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hap
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Chance; luck; fate; an accident. Synonyms for hap include kismet, coincidence, and fluke.
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aureole
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A halo; a bright circle of light; a radiance surrounding an object or a whole figure to represent sacredness. 'In studying baroque art, we concluded that all depictions of any God-like figure included an aureole, most often in the form of a slightly radiating outline'.'In studying baroque art, we concluded that all depictions of any God-like figure included an aureole, most often in the form of a slightly radiating outline'.
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opalescent
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Like an opal; having a lustrous finish; characterized by having a slight touch of a white pigment.
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iridescent,
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Producing a display of lustrous, rainbowlike colors: an iridescent oil slick; iridescent plumage.
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nacreous,
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: having a pearly appearance <nacreous bacterial colonies> (white, but a little bit rainbow-like)
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opaline
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A gemstone made of this mineral, noted for its rich iridescence. (white, but a little bit rainbow-like)
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prepossessing
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Attractive; something that is engaging.
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picaresque
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Related to daring, enchanting, and marvelous tales of adventure; involving often humorous mishaps and observations of an otherwise common individual. 'Thinking that he could save the world, the picaresque goat keeper put on his cape and came running to the rescue'.
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sibylline
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Prophetic; oracular.
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mordant
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Biting; sarcastic; hateful; stinging; cutting. 'He was more than just a scrooge; he was also mordant, because he also wanted to inflict pain and suffering'.
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integument
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1. a natural covering, as a skin, shell, or rind. 2. any covering, coating, enclosure, etc. SYNONYMS for integument include trunk, scabbard, casket, caisson, and bag.
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recrudescence
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A reappearance; a revival, marked with vigor and new activity. 'The cancer's recrudescence saddened the patient; he had hoped for a full recovery, but now it looked as if he would once again have to undergo chemotherapy'.
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immolate
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To kill as a sacrifice, most often by fire. 'There are various historical records indicating that several civilizations immolated their prisoners; they would throw the bound victims into large fire pits'.
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thespian
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Synonyms for thespian include theatrical, meoldramatic and effective.
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spangle
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A small shiny piece that is placed onto a garment for decoration; and ornament.
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benison
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A blessing; benediction; a prayer.
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tumid
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bombastic
(lit. swollen) |
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stertorous
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Characterized by a loud and heavy sound made while snoring. 'He was so stertorous that he woke up the neighbors; none of us could ever get and sleep'.
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demagogue
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a person, esp. an orator or political leader, who gains power and popularity by arousing the emotions, passions, and prejudices of the people. 3. to treat or manipulate (a political issue) in the manner of a demagogue; obscure or distort with emotionalism, prejudice, etc.
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yeoman
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A man owning a small piece of land; middle-class farmer.
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stipple
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.to paint, engrave, or draw by means of dots or small touches.
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contumacious
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Insubordinate; rebellious; obstinate
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canvass
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To scrutinize; to examine with great care. 'Your evidence has been canvassed by several of your acquaintances, but unfortunately they've all concluded that your alibi is insufficient and lacking'.
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advert
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To remark; to turn the attention to. 'So that we would get some much-needed publicity, my brother the congressman adverted the news station to our new delicatessen'.
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vainglorious
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Boastful; conceited; an overwhelming feeling of self-importance. 'He is so vainglorious that he actually requested that everybody bow in his presence and call him sir.'
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suppurate
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To form or give out; to deteriorate; to break. Hint: Example sentence: Because he did not water the plants and because he did not given them fertilizer, they began to suppurate .
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rasher
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A portion of bacon or ham, usually used for frying.
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coruscate
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To sparkle; flash; to reflect brightly.
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incubus
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Burden; very worriying problem; a concern; a nightmare. Hint: Antonyms for incubus include neglect and negligence
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correlate (V.)
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To define a relation; to find a similarity or other attribute which makes one object similar to another. 'In an effort to correlate the two variables, he investigated how one influenced the other'.
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laity
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Laypersons; a group of religious worshipers, excluding the clergy. Example sentence: 'The meeting was attended by the entire laity of the church; all of the members wanted to hear more about the new rules'.
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millinery
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A shop or store that sells hats for women.
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maculated
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Spotted; stained.
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bedraggled
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1. 1. Wet; limp. 2. Soiled by or as if by having been dragged through mud. 2. Being in a condition of deterioration; dilapidated: a street of bedraggled tenements.
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shyster
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An unethical lawyer; and unscrupulous person
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virago
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A loud and domineering woman; a large or strong woman. 'The virago overpowered us and amazed as with her strength, without which we would not have been able to make the dangerous journey'.
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truncheon
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A nightstick carried by police; a cudgel; a baton.
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nubile
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Developed; suitable and physically mature for marriage or for reproduction. 'The zoo was astir with excitement as soon as it was discovered that the nubile panda bears had mated, and that in fact a baby had been conceived'.
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bluster
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To bully; to threaten; to domineer. 'The roudy student blustered everybody on the playground, and he was able to threaten anybody to giving him their cookies and milk'.
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solecism
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A nonstandard or outdated grammatical construction. 'He spoke often in solecisms; nobody knew what he was trying to say'.
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fastidious
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Fussy; overly picky and particular; difficult to please.
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hauteur
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Arrogant manner or spirit; arrogance.
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acolyte
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An attendant who helps a priest to perform religious ceremonies; an ardent follower. 'The acolyte followed the bishop and made sure that each of his wishes were attended to'.
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expostulate
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To argue earnestly; to reason; to discuss with an intent to direct towards the correct answer. 'My PhD advisor is famous for expostulating; he is known to argue, he does so for the purpose of my own good and so that I can learn to discern between right and wrong
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minaret
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A tall, thin tower on a mosque or building. Example sentence, As we toured Istanbul, we marveled at the many minarets of the many mosques and official buildings .
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effulgent
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Brilliant; sparkling; shining brightly 'The supervisor of the effulgent lighthouse was heralded as a hero because he chose to weather the storm and keep the beacon active'.
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frieze
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An ornamental carving on a wall, often depicting humans, animals, gods, and their interaction; the front facade of a classical building.
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pontifical
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1) Relating to a bishop or pope;
2) pompous; pretentious. |
