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;
178 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
abnegate
|
to deny, renounce
|
|
|
abrogate
|
to abolish or invalidate by authority
|
|
|
abstemious
|
consuming moderately
|
|
|
adumbrate
|
to sketch, outline in a shadowy way
|
|
|
amortize
|
to diminish by installment payments
|
|
|
apostate
|
one who renounces a religious faith
|
|
|
apothegm
|
a short, instructive saying
|
|
|
apotheosis
|
deification; glorified ideal
|
|
|
belie
|
to misrepresent; expose as false
|
|
|
benison
|
blessing
|
|
|
calumny
|
false and malicious accusation, misrepresentation, slander
|
|
|
canard
|
a lie
|
|
|
carom
|
to strike and rebound
|
|
|
choleric
|
easily angered, short-tempered
|
|
|
cognomen
|
family name; any name, especially a nickname
|
|
|
commodious
|
roomy, spacious
|
|
|
compunctious
|
feeling guilty or having misgivings
|
|
|
contumacious
|
rebellious
|
|
|
cosset
|
to pamper, treat with great care
|
|
|
declivity
|
downward slope
|
|
|
demagogue
|
leader or rabble-rouser who usually uses appeals to emotion or prejudice
|
|
|
descry
|
to discover or reveal
|
|
|
dictum
|
authoritative statement; popular saying
|
|
|
discomfit
|
to cause perplexity and embarrassment
|
|
|
distaff
|
the female branch of a family
|
|
|
doughty
|
courageous
|
|
|
effluvia
|
outpouring of gases or vapors
|
|
|
emend
|
to correct a text
|
|
|
encomium
|
warm praise
|
|
|
endemic
|
belonging to a particular area, inherent
|
|
|
epitome
|
representative of an entire group; summary
|
|
|
ersatz
|
fake
|
|
|
evince
|
to show clearly, display, signify
|
|
|
expatiate
|
to wander; to discuss or describe at length
|
|
|
expiate
|
to atone for, make amends for
|
|
|
expurgate
|
to censor
|
|
|
fatuous
|
stupid; smugly foolish; unconsciously foolish
|
|
|
fealty
|
intense loyalty
|
|
|
fey
|
doomed
|
|
|
filial
|
appropriate for a child
|
|
|
forswear
|
to repudiate, denounce, disclaim, reject
|
|
|
fulminate
|
to explode with anger
|
|
|
fulsome
|
excessive, overdone, sickeningly abundant
|
|
|
gainsay
|
to deny
|
|
|
gnostic
|
having to do with knowledge
|
|
|
harangue
|
a pompous speech
|
|
|
hegemony
|
leadership, domination, usually by a country
|
|
|
husband
|
to farm; manage carefully and thriftily
|
|
|
imbue
|
to infuse; dye; wet, moisten
|
|
|
impolitic
|
unwise
|
|
|
impugn
|
to call into question, attack verbally
|
|
|
inculate
|
to teach; impress in the mind
|
|
|
inculpate
|
to blame; charge with a crime
|
|
|
interdict
|
to forbid, prohibit
|
|
|
interlocutor
|
someone taking part in a dialogue
|
|
|
internecine
|
deadly to both sides
|
|
|
intimation
|
clue, suggestion
|
|
|
inure
|
to harden; accustom; become used to
|
|
|
inveterate
|
confirmed, long-standing, deeply rooted
|
|
|
invidious
|
likely to provoke ill will, offensive
|
|
|
jibe
|
to shift suddenly from one side to the other
|
|
|
gibe
|
to make heckling, taunting remarks
|
|
|
jingoism
|
belligerent support of one's country
|
|
|
jocular
|
jovial, playful, humorous
|
|
|
juggernaut
|
huge force destroying everything in its path
|
|
|
jurisprudence
|
philosophy of law
|
|
|
kismet
|
fate
|
|
|
knell
|
sound of a funeral bell; omen of death or failure
|
|
|
lambaste
|
disapprove angrily
|
|
|
lapidary
|
relating to precious stones
|
|
|
largess
|
generosity; gift
|
|
|
lassitude
|
lethargy, sluggishness
|
|
|
legerdemain
|
trickery
|
|
|
licentious
|
immoral; unrestrained by society
|
|
|
lionize
|
to treat as a celebrity
|
|
|
lissome
|
easily flexed, limber, agile
|
|
|
machination
|
plot or scheme
|
|
|
martinet
|
strict disciplinarian; one who rigidly follows rules
|
|
|
maudlin
|
overly sentimental
|
|
|
mawkish
|
sickeningly sentimental
|
|
|
mercurial
|
quick, shrewd, and unpredictable
|
|
|
meritorious
|
deserving reward or praise
|
|
|
minatory
|
menacing, threatening
|
|
|
mordacious
|
caustic, biting
|
|
|
multifarious
|
diverse
|
|
|
munificent
|
generous
|
|
|
nadir
|
lowest point
|
|
|
neologism
|
new word or expression
|
|
|
neophyte
|
novice, beginner
|
|
|
noisome
|
stinking, putrid
|
|
|
numismatics
|
coin collecting
|
|
|
obfuscate
|
to confuse, obscure
|
|
|
obstreperous
|
troublesome, boisterous, unruly
|
|
|
ouster
|
expulsion, ejection
|
|
|
paean
|
a song of praise or thanksgiving
|
|
|
palliate
|
to make less serious, ease
|
|
|
panegyric
|
elaborate praise; formal hymn of praise
|
|
|
panoply
|
impressive array
|
|
|
parley
|
discussion, usually between enemies
|
|
|
parochial
|
of limited scope or outlook, provincial
|
|
|
peccadillo
|
minor sin or offense
|
|
|
peculation
|
theft of money or goods
|
|
|
penumbra
|
partial shadow
|
|
|
periphrastic
|
using circumlocution
|
|
|
perspicacious
|
shrewd, astute, keen-witted
|
|
|
pertinacious
|
persistent, stubborn
|
|
|
phalanx
|
massed group of soldiers, people, or things
|
|
|
plangent
|
resounding; plaintive
|
|
|
plaudit
|
applause
|
|
|
pneumatic
|
relating to air; worked by compressed air
|
|
|
precept
|
principle; law
|
|
|
prescient
|
having foresight
|
|
|
privation
|
lack of usual necessities or comforts
|
|
|
probity
|
honesty, high-mindedness
|
|
|
prolix
|
tedious; wordy
|
|
|
promulgate
|
to make known publicly
|
|
|
proselytize
|
to induce someone to convert to a particular belief or religion
|
|
|
provident
|
prudent, frugal
|
|
|
prurient
|
lustful, exhibiting lewd desires
|
|
|
pulchritude
|
beauty
|
|
|
pundit
|
an authority or critic
|
|
|
pusillanimous
|
cowardly
|
|
|
raillery
|
lighthearted jesting
|
|
|
rancor
|
bitter hatred
|
|
|
rapacious
|
greedy; predatory
|
|
|
rapprochement
|
reestablishing a cordial relationship
|
|
|
recondite
|
relating to obscure learning; known to only a few
|
|
|
recreant
|
disloyal; cowardly
|
|
|
rejoinder
|
response
|
|
|
renitent
|
resisting pressure, obstinate
|
|
|
reprobate
|
morally unprincipled person
|
|
|
restive
|
impatient, uneasy, restless
|
|
|
retinue
|
group of attendants with an important person
|
|
|
ribald
|
humorous in a vulgar way
|
|
|
riposte
|
a retort
|
|
|
sanrosanct
|
extremely sacred; beyond criticism
|
|
|
sagacious
|
shrewd, wise
|
|
|
salacious
|
lustful
|
|
|
salubrious
|
healthful
|
|
|
sanguine
|
ruddy; cheerfully optimistic
|
|
|
scintilla
|
very small amount
|
|
|
scurrilous
|
vulgar, low, indecent
|
|
|
sedition
|
behavior promoting rebellion
|
|
|
seraphic
|
angelic, pure, sublime
|
|
|
simper
|
to smirk, smile foolishly
|
|
|
sinecure
|
well-paying job or office that requires little or no work
|
|
|
sinuous
|
winding; intricate, complex
|
|
|
sojourn
|
visit, stay
|
|
|
solecism
|
grammatical mistake
|
|
|
solipsism
|
belief that the self is the only reality
|
|
|
sophist
|
person good at arguing deviously
|
|
|
staid
|
self-restrained, strait-laced
|
|
|
stentorian
|
extremely loud
|
|
|
stymie
|
to block or thwart
|
|
|
subterfuge
|
trick or tactic used to avoid something
|
|
|
supercilious
|
arrogant, haughty, overbearing, condescending
|
|
|
surreptitious
|
characterized by secrecy
|
|
|
sybarite
|
person devoted to pleasure and luxury
|
|
|
syncopation
|
temporary irregularity in musical rhythm
|
|
|
temerity
|
recklessness
|
|
|
tenable
|
defensible, reasonable
|
|
|
threnody
|
a sad poem or song
|
|
|
trammel
|
to impede or hamper
|
|
|
trenchant
|
acute, sharp, incisive; forceful, effective
|
|
|
truculent
|
savage and cruel; fierce; ready to fight
|
|
|
turpitude
|
inherent vileness, foulness, depravity
|
|
|
tyro
|
beginner, novice
|
|
|
umbrage
|
offense, resentment
|
|
|
unctuous
|
greasy, oily; smug and falsely earnest
|
|
|
untoward
|
not favorable; unruly
|
|
|
urbane
|
courteous, refined, suave
|
|
|
usury
|
lending money at exorbitant rates
|
|
|
vacuous
|
empty, void; lacking intelligence, purposeless
|
|
|
vitiate
|
reduce in value or effectiveness
|
|
|
vitriolic
|
burning, caustic; sharp, bitter
|
|
|
vituperate
|
to abuse verbally
|
|
|
voluble
|
speaking much and easily, talkative; glib
|
|
|
waspish
|
easily irritated
|
