Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
253 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
Calamity
|
Noun meaning disaster or tragedy.
|
|
|
Abscond
|
to depart secretly
|
|
|
adversity
|
hardship, difficulty, calamity
|
|
|
calamity
|
adversity, affliction
|
|
|
aggravate
|
to worsen, intensify
|
|
|
arduous
|
strenuous, onerous, convoluted
|
|
|
belie
|
give false impression, contradict, negate, deceive
|
|
|
banal
|
common, vapid, trite
|
|
|
bombast
|
pompous
|
|
|
cacophony
|
loud, jarring noise, discord
|
|
|
castigation, to castigate
|
severe criticism, retribution, punishment
|
|
|
censure
|
criticize severely, admonish, castigate
|
|
|
chicanery
|
fraud, trickery
|
|
|
coercive, to coerce
|
compel by force, dominate
|
|
|
condemn
|
blame, denounce, find guilty
|
|
|
conspire, conspirator
|
to plot, scheme, secretly work together
second meaning: to agree, work together |
|
|
covert
|
hidden, furtive
|
|
|
cower
|
shrink in fear
|
|
|
craven
|
lacking courage, timid, fearful
|
|
|
denigrate
|
to belittle, vilify, criticize
|
|
|
denounce
|
condemn, castigate, vilify
|
|
|
derision
|
scorn, ridicule, insult
|
|
|
diatribe
|
criticism, harangue
|
|
|
discomfit
|
defeat, put down, abash, abase
discomfit:extol |
|
|
disingenuous
|
insincere, crafty, not straight forward
|
|
|
dissemble
|
disguise, conceal
|
|
|
exacerbate
|
make worse
|
|
|
fraud
|
deliberate deceit, trickery
|
|
|
furtive
|
secretive, hidden
|
|
|
garrulous
|
talking too much, glib, loquacrous, verbose
|
|
|
harrangue
|
pompous speech
|
|
|
impudent
|
bold, disrespectful, audacious, rude
|
|
|
irascible
|
easily angered
|
|
|
malevolent, malicious
|
having or showing hatred, vindictive
|
|
|
martial
|
associated with war, bellicose, combative
|
|
|
misanthrope
|
dislikes other humans, loner, recluse
|
|
|
morose
|
sad, depressed
|
|
|
obdurate
|
stubborn, unyielding, obstinate
|
|
|
obsequious
|
kiss ass
|
|
|
obstinate
|
stubborn, obdurate
|
|
|
onerous
|
troubling, arduous, burdensome
|
|
|
opprobrium
|
disgrace, contempt, dishonor
|
|
|
pedantic
|
excessive attention to detail
|
|
|
perjury
|
lying
|
|
|
recalcitrant
|
stubborn, defiant
|
|
|
secrete
|
1.conceal, stow, hide
2. give off, emit |
|
|
specious
|
misleading, deceptive
|
|
|
spurious
|
lacking authenticity, fake
|
|
|
squander
|
to waste, to be prodigal with
|
|
|
tirade
|
long and critical speech, censure, diatribe
|
|
|
vexation
|
annoyance
|
|
|
amalgamate
|
combine elements into a whole, integrate
|
|
|
assuage
|
to ease, lessen, mollify, placate
|
|
|
bolster
|
provide support, reinforcement, buttress
|
|
|
burgeon
|
grow rapidly, flourish
|
|
|
buttress
|
to support, prop, bolster
|
|
|
capricious
|
inclined to change one's mind impulsively, erratic, fickle
|
|
|
caustic
|
1st meaning: burning or stinging
2nd: severely critical |
|
|
centrifuge or centrifugal
|
spins very swiftly about a central axis, so it pulls away or pushes, deviating, divergent
|
|
|
converge
|
tend toward the same spot, gather, assemble
|
|
|
conversion
|
transformation, change
|
|
|
desiccate
|
dry out, dehydrate, drain
|
|
|
distill
|
purify, draw out something
|
|
|
divest
|
remove, strip
|
|
|
enervate
|
to weaken mentally or morally
|
|
|
ephemeral
|
brief, fleeting, momentary
|
|
|
eradicate
|
to remove completely, abate
|
|
|
inchoate
|
initial stage, not fully formed, immature
|
|
|
intransigent, intransigence
|
refusing to compromise, obstinate, stubborn
|
|
|
inundate
|
to flood, overwhelm
|
|
|
invigoration, invigorating
|
being energized, encourgment, incentive
|
|
|
obviate
|
anticipate and make unnecessary, anticipate, avert
|
|
|
pervasive, to pervade
|
to spread, common, prevalent
|
|
|
placate
|
to appease, soothe, mollify, assuage
|
|
|
precipitate
|
hasty, sudden, impulsive
|
|
|
proliferate, proliferous
|
grow, increase swiftly, burgeon, propagate
|
|
|
propagate
|
to multiply, spread, proliferate
|
|
|
rarefy
|
to make thinner, refined, less dense, weaken
|
|
|
synthesis
|
combining of parts to make a whole, amalgamation
|
|
|
viscous
|
thick
|
|
|
volatile
|
readily changing, fickle, capricious
"volatile economy" |
|
|
aberrant
|
deviating from the norm, anomaly, not normal
|
|
|
abhorrent
|
extreme aversion to, revolting, disgusting
|
|
|
anachronistic, anachronism
|
no longer in use, ancient, out of date
|
|
|
anomalous
|
abnormal, anomaly
|
|
|
anomaly
|
abnormal, deviation from the norm
|
|
|
ascetic
|
one who practices a simple life, austere, self denying, "monk"
|
|
|
commensurate, commensuration
|
matching, comparable
|
|
|
conspicuous
|
obvious, apparent
|
|
|
derivative
|
unoriginal, secondary, copied
|
|
|
discrete
|
distinct, individual
|
|
|
digress
|
to stray from point, aberration, depart
|
|
|
discordant
|
conflicting, not agreeing, cacophonous, incongruous
|
|
|
distention
|
bloating, inflation
|
|
|
eclectic
|
many sources, universal, general
|
|
|
enigmatic, enigma
|
mysterious, occult
|
|
|
esoteric
|
understood only by a few, enigmatic, abstruse
|
|
|
florid
|
flowery, elaborate, not simple, busy
|
|
|
heretical
|
unorthodox, anomaly, aberrant, iconoclastic
|
|
|
iconoclastic
|
breaks the mold, anomaly, attacks cherished beliefs, rebel, non-conforming, heretical
|
|
|
imperturbable
|
extreme calm, steadiness, impassive
|
|
|
innocuous
|
harmless, causing no damage, insignificant, banal
|
|
|
marginal
|
insignificant, minimal
|
|
|
maverick
|
goes against the norm, iconoclastic person, radical, rebel
|
|
|
ostracism, ostracize
|
exclusion by general consent, casting out from society, isolation
|
|
|
perennial
|
lasts forever, recurrent through the years
|
|
|
recluse
|
loner, one who avoids social contact
|
|
|
superfluous
|
unnecessary, exceeding what is sufficient, exorbitant
|
|
|
tangential
|
only touching briefly on topic, digress, going off on a tangent
|
|
|
temper
|
1st meaning: angry, emotion
2nd: to moderate or smooth, abate, assuage, mollify |
|
|
admonish
|
to express warning, censure, caution against
|
|
|
anthology
|
collection of literary works, compilation of things
|
|
|
apprise
|
to inform, give notice, advise, enlighten
|
|
|
approbation
|
expression of approval, official sanction, laud
|
|
|
aver
|
to state as fact, affirm, claim
|
|
|
brevity
|
1st: shortness or briefness
2nd: expressing much in few words, concise, succinct |
|
|
circumspect
|
discreet, careful, guarded, not bold
|
|
|
cogent
|
convincing, effective, persuasive, "cogent speech"
|
|
|
corroborate
|
to confirm, verify, strengthen (usually legal confirmation)
|
|
|
diffident
|
reserved, shy, dubious, timid
|
|
|
disabuse
|
to set right, correct
|
|
|
discretion
|
cautious
|
|
|
enumerate
|
to number, count
|
|
|
equivocate
|
use ambiguous language to avoid something, beat around the bush, elude
|
|
|
euphemism
|
nice way of saying something, finding a mild replacement for a harsher term
|
|
|
exculpate
|
exonerate, clear of blame, vindicate
|
|
|
extemporaneous
|
improvised, impromptu, spontaneous
|
|
|
glib
|
easy, informal, unconstrained
articulate, smooth talker, slick glib:inarticulate |
|
|
goad
|
1st: to prod or drive forward
2nd: a stick with a pointed end used on cattle 3rd: something that urges forward, stimulus |
|
|
laconic
|
uses few words, straight to the point, brief, succinct, brevity
|
|
|
laud
|
to praise highly
|
|
|
laud
|
praise highly
|
|
|
loquacious
|
extremely talkative
|
|
|
mollify
|
soothe
|
|
|
platitude
|
superficial remark, a dull remark uttered like it is profound, cliche
|
|
|
propitiate
|
to appease
|
|
|
rescind
|
to retract, revoke
|
|
|
sanction
|
authoritative approval
|
|
|
shrill
|
loud and high pitched, cacophony
|
|
|
soliloquy
|
a speech made to oneself
|
|
|
stanza
|
parts of a poem that rhyme
|
|
|
succinct
|
brief
|
|
|
tacit
|
implied but not explicitly said, taken for granted, not said aloud
|
|
|
taciturn
|
not talkative, laconic
|
|
|
veracity
|
truth, honest
|
|
|
vapid
|
flat, dull, boring
|
|
|
wheedle
|
talk into, coax, entice, cajole
|
|
|
adulation
|
overenthusiastic praise, laud, flatter
|
|
|
lull
|
calm, pause, abate, quiescence
|
|
|
audacious
|
bold
|
|
|
authoritarian
|
preference for complete obedience
|
|
|
beneficent
|
charitable
|
|
|
blithe
|
carefree, merry
|
|
|
brittle
|
easily breakable, fragile
|
|
|
burnish
|
polish
|
|
|
calibrate
|
1. to set, align
2. plan something to have a precise use |
|
|
consternation
|
dismay, shocking, startling
|
|
|
convoluted
|
complicated
|
|
|
cultivation
|
1. preparing land to grow crops
2. culture, educate |
|
|
cunning
|
slyness
|
|
|
cynic, cynicism
|
believes all people act out of selfishness
|
|
|
deference
|
courteous yielding
|
|
|
dogmatic
|
strongly opinionated, stubborn
|
|
|
effrontery
|
bold, arrogant
|
|
|
endemic
|
restricted to one area, region
|
|
|
epitome
|
embodiment
|
|
|
erudite
|
scholar
|
|
|
extravagance
|
lavish, unneccessary
|
|
|
facetious
|
Deliberately treating a serious issue with humor. Being playful, humorous
|
|
|
fatuous
|
silly, goofy
|
|
|
fidelity
|
loyalty
|
|
|
implacable
|
unchangeable
|
|
|
ingenuity
|
creative, clever
|
|
|
intemperance
|
alcoholic
|
|
|
intrepid
|
courageous
|
|
|
magnanimity
|
easily forgive, generously noble
|
|
|
membrane
|
covering layer
|
|
|
meticulous
|
extreme attention to detail, pedantic
|
|
|
perfunctory
|
careless
|
|
|
plasticity
|
flexible
|
|
|
pragmatic
|
practical, not ideal
The pragmatic man does not give into large, visionary, schematic ideas |
|
|
presumptuous
|
assumed, unauthorized assumption, arrogant
|
|
|
pristine
|
clean
|
|
|
probity
|
adherence to the highest principals
|
|
|
prodigious
|
abundant in size "prodigious talent"
|
|
|
prudent
|
careful, wise
|
|
|
rigidity
|
strict, ex. the law
|
|
|
solicitous
|
caring, attentive
|
|
|
synthetic
|
fake
|
|
|
tortuous
|
winding, twisting, complicated
|
|
|
tractable
|
docile, obedient, compliant
|
|
|
treacherous
|
untrustworthy
|
|
|
unfeigned
|
genuine
|
|
|
unfettered
|
not tied down
|
|
|
warranted
|
justified
|
|
|
supersede
|
to replace
|
|
|
esoterica
|
only understood by a few
|
|
|
finesse
|
elegance, ,delicate
|
|
|
venal
|
corruptable
|
|
|
vanquish
|
to defeat
|
|
|
precarious
|
unstable
|
|
|
lambaste
|
criticize, censure, castigate
|
|
|
extol
|
praise, laud
|
|
|
Philistine
|
one who has no respect for other cultures. Indifferent to cultural value.
|
|
|
Odium
|
Hatred
|
|
|
anesthetic
|
take away pain
|
|
|
antipathy
|
dislike, aversion
|
|
|
arbitrary
|
without reason, unreasonable
|
|
|
aversion
|
strong dislike, feeling from within
|
|
|
bent
|
tendency, determined
|
|
|
convention
|
agreed upon practice
|
|
|
correspond
|
in agreement
|
|
|
defer
|
yield, comply
|
|
|
dogma
|
strong principals
|
|
|
ensure
|
guarantee
|
|
|
equivocal
|
using ambiguous language with intention of deceit, intentionally vague
|
|
|
extraneous
|
irrelevant
|
|
|
fortuitous
|
fortunate, happened by chance
|
|
|
frugality, frugal
|
thrifty
|
|
|
illusory, illusive
|
deceptive, misleading
|
|
|
insipid
|
dull, common, vapid, banal, innocuous
|
|
|
inured
|
becoming used to something bad, accustomed to hardship
|
|
|
miser
|
cheap, stingy person
|
|
|
nonplussed
|
baffled, surprised, perplexed
|
|
|
penchant
|
knack
|
|
|
penury
|
poverty
|
|
|
plethora
|
a lot, large amount
|
|
|
preempt
|
to replace with something of greater value
|
|
|
presumption
|
assumption
|
|
|
prodigal
|
careless, wasteful
extravagent |
|
|
prone
|
natural inclination
|
|
|
propensity
|
tendency
|
|
|
qualms
|
hesitations
|
|
|
quiescence
|
complete calm, motionless
|
|
|
repudiate
|
to disown, refuse
|
|
|
restitution
|
to give back something to the right owner, making amends
|
|
|
solvent
|
something that dissolves another substance
financially stable |
|
|
stint
|
brief amount of time
to restrain, restrict |
|
|
superfluous
|
unnecessary, wasteful
|
|
|
veneration
|
extreme respect, worship
|
|
|
subjective
|
opposite of objective, has bias
|
|
|
culmination
|
highest point or degree
|
|
|
dubious
|
doubtful, diffident
|
|
|
abase
|
degrade, humiliate, discomfit
|
|
|
abet
|
assist in doing something wrong
|
|
|
abstruse
|
difficult to understand
|
|
|
accord
|
agreement
|
|
|
addle
|
make confused, muddle
|
|
|
affable
|
easy to approach
|
|
|
alimentary
|
supplying nourishment
|
|
|
alloy
|
mixture of metals, lowers in value and purity
|
|
|
ambivalence
|
having contradicting emotions
|
|
|
cavalier
|
casual, off-hand remark
|
