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180 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
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ABATE
to reduce in amount, degree, or severity
After a day of destructive force, the hurricane winds finally abated.
ABSCOND
to leave secretly
Jim and Pam absconded in the night to discuss their feelings for each other.
ABSTAIN
to choose not to do something
The first step to overcoming addiction is to abstain from consuming the addictive substance.
ABYSS
an extremely deep hole
I often feel like I am experiencing the world from inside of an abyss, separate from everyone else and far away
ADULTERATE
to make impure
Even though most people think of dirt as something that is impure, there is actually such a thing as unadulterated dirt.
ADVOCATE
to speak in favor of
Certain pro-life extremists advocate banning birth control.
AESTHETIC
concerning the appreciation of beauty
My course in the philosophy of aesthetics addressed various definitions of "beautiful"
AGGRANDIZE
to increase in power, influence, and reputation
The supervisor sought to aggrandize himself by attributing sheer luck to his own cunning and abilities.
ALLEVIATE
to make more bearable
Tylenol sometimes alleviates the pain in my tooth.
AMALGAMATE
to combine; to mix together
Giant Industries amalgamated with Mega Products to form GIant-Mega Products Incorporated
AMBIGUOUS
doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted several ways
The directions she gave were so ambiguous that we disagreed on which way to turn.
ameliorate
to make better; to improve
Josh and his colleagues in anesthesia work hard to ameliorate the nauseating effects of common anesthetics.
anachronism
something out of place in time
The aged hippie used anachronistic phrases like "groovy" and "far out" that had not been popular in years.
analogous
similar or alike in some way; equivalent to
In medieval manners plays, the characters are all analogous to different vices and virtues.
anomaly
deviation from what is normal
Albino animals may display too great an anomaly in their coloring to attract normally colored mates.
antagonize
to annoy or provoke to anger
Jim and Pam use pranks to antagonize Dwight in the Office.
antipathy
extreme dislike
The antipathy between Boots and Grover resulted in their having to be relegated to different parts of the house.
apathy
lack of interest or emotion
The apathy among my employees sometimes causes them to leave jobs half finished or show up to work late.
arbitrate
to judge a dispute between two opposing parties
Since the couple could not come to an agreement, a judge was forced to arbitrate their divorce proceedings.
archaic
ancient, old-fashioned
Our archaic registers have difficulty performing even daily functions and often freeze up.
ardor
intense and passionate feeling
Dr. Essick's ardor for Where the Wild Things are even led him to dress up in costume as the main character in the story, and to deliver long asides in class about the many wonders of the book.
articulate
able to speak clearly and expressively
Dr. Childers and Dr. Cullenberg were so articulate on the subject of Marxism that they were asked to deliver the introductory address at the annual conference.
assuage
to make something unpleasant less severe
When I came home from California I was prescribed xanax to assuage the symptoms of my anxiety.
attenuate
to reduce in force or degree; to weaken
audacious
fearless and daring
I want to get back in touch with my audacious nature and live life with an open mind and a corageous attitude.
austere
severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
The woman's high, sharp features and the way she looked down her nose made her appear austere at first glance.
banal
predictable, cliched, boring
At work I have lots of banal conversations about things like the weather or the color blue.
bolster
to support; to prop up
bombastic
pompous in speech and manner
Chris N's presentations in seminar were usually bombastic, based more in self-promotion than in close and accurate readings of the text.
cacophony
harsh, jarring noise
When Kitsune and Socrates bark at the doorbell, it creates a cacophony, causing me to cover my ears.
candid
impartial and honest in speech
I admire Sarah for her candid way of speaking with her friends, always telling us the truth when she is asked for advice.
capricious
changing one's mind quickly and often
Henry VIII was capricious in his affections; as soon as he married one woman, he was on the lookout for another.
castigate
to punish or criticize harshly
We were castigated for the sin of leaving a face-out single-layered.
catalyst
something that brings about a change in something else
The things I'm learning about myself at my new job are serving as a catalyst for the changes in my outlook about the future.
caustic
biting in wit
Dorothy Parker gained her reputation for caustic wit from her cutting, clever insults.
chaos
great disorder or confusion
In most religious traditions, God created an ordered universe from chaos.
chauvinist
someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs
The belief that african-americans are inherently less intelligent and therefore must perform only menial tasks is still surprisingly common among white chauvinists.
chicanery
deception by means of craft or guile
Often when I sell a credit card to a customer I feel that my techniques amount to chicanery.
cogent
convincing and well reasoned
In order to convince my parents that I really do need to return to school, I must be sure that my arguments are cogent, logical, rather than random and reactionary.
condone
to overlook, pardon, or disregard
Failure to communicate a problem to an employee is essentially the same thing as condoning incorrect action.
convoluted
intricate and complicated
He often implies that my arguments are convoluted and difficult to follow rather than simple and cogent.
corroborate
to provide supporting evidence
Blood test results corroborated O'Kelly's belief that Det. Rob Ryan was really Adam Ryan, the boy whose friends disappeared in the woods years before.
credulous
too trusting; gullible
A teacher must be careful not to be credulous when students offer flimsy excuses for turning in assignments late.
crescendo
steadily increasing volume or force
Regis Philbin uses long pauses to cause a crescendo of tension before telling the Millionaire contestant whether he has answered correctly.
decorum
appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety
Michael Scott is not fired from Dunder-Mifflin, even though he lacks the decorum appropriate for an upper-level manager.
deference
respect, courtesy
The respectful young law clerk treated the Supreme Court justice with the utmost deference.
deride
to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock
I hate to see children derided for having wild imaginations, as though having an imagination were a sign of strangeness or disfunction.
desiccate
to dry out thoroughly
Raisins are just desiccated grapes.
desultory
jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
I have a rather desultory job record, having jumped from one position to another every six months or so.
diatribe
an abusive, condemnatory speech
Ryan bellowed a diatribe at the driver who had cut him off, ending with the statement "I will cut you!".
diffident
lacking self-confidence
Diffident Pam fears trying for her dreams, and therefore passes up a chance to go to art school.
dilate
to make larger; to expand
It was always funny to watch the patients' eyes dilate to let in more light.
dilatory
intended to delay
The administrator's dilatory actions and attempts to put off further discussion only angered the teachers further.
dilettante
someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
I felt that Janalyn was merely a dilettante and accused her of merely dabbling in a topic for which I had intense dedication.
dirge
a funeral hymn or mournful speech
Some of the most beautiful poems are dirges, proving that sometimes greatness can come from sadness.
disabuse
to set right; to free from error
Once Jan realized that Michael thought she wanted a relationship, she set out to disabuse him of that notion post-haste.
discern
to perceive; to recognize
My dad and I have always claimed we can discern the difference between skim and 2% milk.
disparate
fundamentally different; entirely unlike
Our views on the film were disparate; he found it hilarious, while I thought it was offensive.
dissemble
to present a false appearance; to disguise one's real intentions or character
After hearing the beating of the tell-tale heart, the murderer could dissemble no longer. He tore up the floorboards to reveal the old man's body and confessed to his crime.
dissonance
a harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds
Cognitive dissonance is the inner conflict produced when long-standing beliefs are contradicted by new evidence.
dogma
a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief
Linus's central dogma was that children who believed in the Great Pumpkin would be rewarded.
dogmatic
dictatorial in one's opinions
The dictator was dogmatic - he, and only he, was right.
dupe
to deceive; a person who is easily deceived
Bugs Bunny was able to dupe elmer fudd by dressing up as a lady rabbit.
eclectic
selecting from or made up from a variety of sources
David Foster Wallace's eclectic writing is a mix of literary and pop cultural references.
efficacy
effectiveness
elegy
a sorrowful poem or speech
eloquent
persuasive and moving, especially in speech
emulate
to copy; to try to equal or excel
enervate
to reduce in strength
engender
to produce, cause, or bring about
enigma
a puzzle; a mystery
enumerate
to count, list, or itemize
ephemeral
lasting a short time
equivocate
to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
erratic
wandering and unpredictable
erudite
learned, scholarly, bookish
esoteric
known or understood by only a few
estimable
admirable
eulogy
speech in praise of someone
euphemism
use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one
exacerbate
to make worse
exculpate
to clear from blame; prove innocent
exigent
urgent; requiring immediate action
exonerate
to clear of blame
explicit
clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression
fanatical
acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion
fawn
to grovel
fervid
intensely emotional; feverish
florid
excessively decorated or embellished
foment
to arouse or incite
frugality
a tendency to be thrifty or cheap
garrulous
tending to talk a lot
gergarious
outgoing, sociable
guile
deceit or trickery
gullible
easily deceived
homogenous
of a similar kind
iconoclast
one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
imperturbable
not capable of being disturbed
impervious
impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected
impetuous
quick to act without thinking
implacable
unable to be calmed down or made peaceful
inchoate
not fully formed; disorganized
ingenuous
showing innocence or childlike simplicity
inimical
hostile, unfriendly
innocuous
harmless
insipid
lacking interest or flavor
intransigent
uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled
inundate
to overwhelm; to cover with water
irascible
easily made angry
laconic
using few words
lament
to express sorrow; to grieve
laud
to give praise; to glorify
lavish
to give unsparingly (v.); extremely generous or extravagant (adj.)
lethargic
acting in an indifferent or slow, sluggish manner
loquacious
talkative
lucid
clear and easily understood
luminous
bright, brilliant, glowing
malinger
to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
malleable
capable of being shaped
metaphor
a figure of speech comparing two different things; a symbol
meticulous
extremely careful about details
misanthrope
a person who dislikes others
mitigate
to soften; to lessen
mollify
to calm or make less severe
monotony
lack of variation
naive
lacking sophistication or experience
obdurate
hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion
obsequious
overly submissive and eager to please
obstinate
stubborn, unyielding
obviate
to prevent; to make unnecessary
occlude
to stop up; to prevent the passage of
onerous
troublesome and oppressive; burdensome
opaque
impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light
opprobrium
public disgrace
ostentation
excessive showiness
paradox
a contradiction or dilemma
paragon
model of excellence or perfection
pedant
someone who shows off learning
perfidious
willing to betray one's trust
perfunctory
done in a routine way; indifferent
permeate
to penetrate
philanthropy
charity; a desire or effort to promote goodness
placate
to soothe or pacify
plastic
able to be molded, altered, or bent
plethora
excess
pragmatic
practical as opposed to idealistic
precipitate
to throw violently or bring about abruptly; lacking deliberation
prevaricate
to lie or deviate from the truth
pristine
fresh and clean; uncorrupted
prodigal
lavish, wasteful
proliferate
to increase in number quickly
propitiate
to conciliate; to appease
propriety
correct behavior; obedience to rules and customs
prudence
wisdom, caution, or restraint
pungent
sharp and irritating to the senses
quiescent
motionless
rarefy
to make thinner or sparser
repudiate
to reject the validity of
reticent
silent, reserved
rhetoric
effective writing or speaking
satiate
to satisfy fully or overindulge
soporific
causing sleep or lethargy
specious
deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious
tigma
a mark of shame or discredit
stolid
unemotional; lacking sensitivity
sublime
lofty or grand
tacit
done without using words
taciturn
silent, not talkative
tirade
long, harsh speech or verbal attack
torpor
extreme mental and physical sluggishness
transitory
temporary, lasting a brief time
vacillate
to sway physically; to be indecisive
venerate
to respect deeply
veracity
filled with truth and accuracy
verbose
wordy
vex
to annoy
volatile
easily aroused or changeable; lively or explosive
waver
to fluctuate between choices
whimsical
acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredictable
zeal
passion, excitement