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65 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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AMELIORATE
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TO MAKE BETTER; TO IMPROVE
The doctor was able to AMELIORATE the patient's suffering using painkillers. |
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ARDOR
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INTENSE AND PASSIONATE FEELING
Bishop's ARDOR for landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of the scenic Hudson Valley. |
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ASSUAGE
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TO MAKE SOMETHING UNPLEASANT LESS SEVERE
Serena used aspirin to ASSUAGE her pounding headache. |
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ATTENUATE
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TO REDUCE IN FORCE OR DEGREE; TO WEAKEN
The Bill of Rights ATTENUATED the traditional power of government to change laws at will. |
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BOMBASTIC
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POMPOUS IN SPEECH AND MANNER
The dictator's speeches were mostly BOMBASTIC; his boasting and outrageous claims had no basis in fact. |
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CAPRICIOUS
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CHANGING ONE'S MIND QUICKLY AND OFTEN
Queen Elizabeth I was quite CAPRICIOUS; her courtiers could never be sure which of their number would catch her fancy. |
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CAUSTIC
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BITING IN WIT
Dorothy Parker gained her reputation for CAUSTIC wit from her cutting, yet clever, insults. |
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CREDULOUS
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TOO TRUSTING; GULLIBLE
Although some four-year-olds believe in the Easter Bunny, only the most CREDULOUS nine-year-olds also believe in him. |
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DESICCATE
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TO DRY OUT THOROUGHLY
After a few weeks of lying on the desert's baking sands, the cow's carcass became completely DESICCATED. |
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DESULTORY
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JUMPING FROM ONE THING TO ANOTHER; DISCONNECTED
Diane had a DESULTORY academic record; she had changed majors 12 times in three years. |
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DIFFIDENT
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LACKING SELF-CONFIDENCE
Steve's DIFFIDENT manner during the job interview stemmed from his nervous nature and lack of experience in the field. |
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DILATORY
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INTENDED TO DELAY
The congressman used DILATORY measures to delay the passage of the bill. |
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DILETTANTE
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SOMEONE WITH AN AMATEURISH AND SUPERFICIAL INTEREST IN A TOPIC
Jerry's friends were such DILETTANTES that they seemed to have new jobs and hobbies every week. |
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DISABUSE
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TO SET RIGHT; TO FREE FROM ERROR
Galileo's observations DISABUSED scholars of the notion that the Sun revolved around the Earth. |
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DISSONANCE
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A HARSH AND DISAGREEABLE COMBINATION, OFTEN OF SOUNDS
Cognitive DISSONANCE is the inner conflict produced when long-standing beliefs are contradicted by new evidence. |
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DOGMATIC
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DICTATORIAL IN ONE'S OPINIONS
The dictator was DOGMATIC- he, and only he, was right. |
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ECLECTIC
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SELECTING FROM OR MADE UP FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES
Budapest's architecture is an ECLECTIC mix of eastern and western styles. |
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EFFICACY
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EFFECTIVENESS
The EFFICACY of penicillin was unsurpassed when it was first introduced; the drug completely eliminated almost all bacterial infections for which it was administered. |
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ELEGY
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A SORROWFUL POEM OR SPEECH
Although Thomas Gray's "ELEGY Written in a Country Churchyard" is about death and loss, it urges its readers to endure this life, and to trust in spirituality. |
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ENERVATE
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TO REDUCE IN STRENGTH
The guerrillas hoped that a series of surprise attacks would ENERVATE the regular army. |
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ENGENDER
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TO PRODUCE, CAUSE, OR BRING ABOUT
His fear and hatred of clowns was ENGENDERED when he witnessed the death of his father at the hands of a clown. |
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EPHEMERAL
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LASTING A SHORT TIME
The lives of mayflies seem EPHEMERAL to us, since the flies' average life span is a matter of hours. |
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EQUIVOCATE
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TO USE EXPRESSIONS OR DOUBLE MEANING IN ORDER TO MISLEAD
When faced with criticism of his policies, the politician EQUIVOCATED and left all parties thinking he agreed with them. |
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ERUDITE
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LEARNED, SCHOLARLY, BOOKISH
The annual meeting of philosophy professors was a gathering of the most ERUDITE, well-published individuals in the field. |
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ESOTERIC
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KNOWN OR UNDERSTOOD BY ONLY A FEW
Only a handful of experts were knowledgeable about the ESOTERIC world of particle physics. |
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ESTIMABLE
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ADMIRABLE
Most people consider it ESTIMABLE that Mother Teresa spent her life helping the poor of India. |
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EXCULPATE
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TO CLEAR FROM BLAME; PROVE INNOCENT
The adversarial legal system is intended to convict those who are guilty and to EXCULPATE those who are innocent. |
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EXIGENT
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URGENT; REQUIRING IMMEDIATE ACTION
The patient was losing blood so rapidly that it was EXIGENT to stop the source of the bleeding. |
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FOMENT
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TO AROUSE OR INCITE
The protesters tried to FOMENT feeling against the war through their speeches and demonstrations. |
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GARRULOUS
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TENDING TO TALK A LOT
The GARRULOUS parakeet distracted its owner with its continuous talking. |
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GREGARIOUS
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OUTGOING, SOCIABLE
She was so GREGARIOUS that when she found herself alone she felt quite sad. |
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ICONOCLAST
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ONE WHO OPPOSES ESTABLISHED BELIEFS, CUSTOMS, AND INSTITUTIONS
His lack of regard for traditional beliefs soon established him as an ICONOCLAST. |
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IMPERTURBABLE
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NOT CAPABLE OF BEING DISTURBED
The counselor had so much experience dealing with distraught children that she seemed IMPERTURBABLE, even when faced with the wildest traumas. |
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INCHOATE
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NOT FULLY FORMED; DISORGANIZED
The ideas expressed in Nietzsche's mature work also appear in an INCHOATE form in his earliest writing. |
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INGENUOUS
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SHOWING INNOCENCE OR CHILDLIKE SIMPLICITY
She was so INGENUOUS that her friends feared that her innocence and trustfulness would be exploited when she visited the big city. |
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INIMICAL
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HOSTILE, UNFRIENDLY
Even though the children had grown up together they were INIMICAL to each other at school. |
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INNOCUOUS
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HARMLESS
Some snakes are poisonous, but most species are INNOCUOUS and pose no danger to humans. |
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INSIPID
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LACKING INTEREST OR FLAVOR
The critic claimed that the painting was INSIPID, containing no interesting qualities at all. |
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IRASCIBLE
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EASILY MADE ANGRY
Attila the Hun's IRASCIBLE and violent nature made all who dealt with him fear for their lives. |
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LACONIC
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USING FEW WORDS
She was a LACONIC poet who built her reputation on using words as sparingly as possible. |
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LOQUACIOUS
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TALKATIVE
She was naturally LOQUACIOUS, which was a problem in situations in which listening was more important than talking. |
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MALINGER
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TO EVADE RESPONSIBILITY BY PRETENDING TO BE ILL
A common way to avoid the draft was by MALINGERING- pretending to be mentally or physically ill so as to avoid being taken by the Army. |
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MOLLIFY
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TO CALM OR MAKE LESS SEVERE
Their argument was so intense that it was difficult to believe any compromise would MOLLIFY them. |
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OBDURATE
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HARDENED IN FEELING; RESISTANT TO PERSUASION
The President was completely OBDURATE on the issue, and no amount of persuasion could change his mind. |
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OBSEQUIOUS
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OVERLY SUBMISSIVE AND EAGER TO PLEASE
The OBSEQUIOUS new associate made sure to compliment her supervisor's tie and agree with him on every issue. |
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OBVIATE
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TO PREVENT; TO MAKE UNNECESSARY
The river was shallow enough to wade across at many points, which OBVIATED the need for a bridge. |
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OCCLUDE
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TO STOP UP; TO PREVENT THE PASSAGE OF
A shadow is thrown across the Earth's surface during a solar eclipse, when the light from the sun is OCCLUDED by the moon. |
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OPPROBRIUM
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PUBLIC DISGRACE
After the scheme to embezzle the elderly was made public, the treasurer resigned in utter OPPROBRIUM. |
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PEDANT
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SOMEONE WHO SHOWS OFF LEARNING
The graduate instructor's tedious and excessive commentary on the subject soon gained her a reputation as a PEDANT. |
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PERFIDIOUS
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WILLING TO BETRAY ONE'S TRUST
The actress's PERFIDIOUS companion revealed all of her intimate secrets to the gossip columnist. |
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PERFUNCTORY
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DONE IN A ROUTINE WAY; INDIFFERENT
The machinelike bank teller processed the transaction and gave the waiting customer a PERFUNCTORY smile. |
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PRECIPITATE
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TO THROW VIOLENTLY OR BRING ABOUT ABRUPTLY; LACKING DELIBERATION
Upon learning that the couple married after knowing each other only two months, friends and family members expected such a PRECIPITATE marriage to end in divorce. |
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PREVARICATE
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TO LIE OR DEVIATE FROM THE TRUTH
Rather than admit that he had overslept again, the employee PREVARICATED and claimed that heavy traffic had prevented him from arriving at work on time. |
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PROPITIATE
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TO CONCILIATE; TO APPEASE
The management PROPITIATED the irate union by agreeing to raise wages for its members. |
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PROPRIETY
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CORRECT BEHAVIOR; OBEDIENCE TO RULES AND CUSTOMS
The aristocracy maintained a high level of PROPRIETY, adhering to even the most minor social rules. |
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QUIESCENT
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MOTIONLESS
Many animals are QUIESCENT over the winter months, minimizing activity in order to conserve energy. |
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RAREFY
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TO MAKE THINGS THINNER OR SPARSER
Since the atmosphere RAREFIES as altitudes increase, the air at the top of very tall mountains is too thin to breathe. |
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RETICENT
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SILENT, RESERVED
Physically small and RETICENT in her speech, Joan Didion often went unnoticed by those upon whom she was reporting. |
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SOPORIFIC
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CAUSING SLEEP OR LETHARGY
The movie proved to be so SOPORIFIC that soon loud snores were heard throughout the theater. |
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SPECIOUS
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DECEPTIVELY ATTRACTIVE; SEEMINGLY PLAUSIBLE BUT FALLACIOUS
The student's SPECIOUS excuse for being late sounded legitimate, but was proved otherwise when his teacher called his home. |
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STOLID
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UNEMOTIONAL; LACKING SENSITIVITY
The prisoner appeared STOLID and unaffected by the judge's harsh sentence. |
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TACIT
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DONE WITHOUT USING WORDS
Although not a word had been said, everyone in the room knew that a TACIT agreement had been made about which course of action to take. |
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TACITURN
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SILENT, NOT TALKATIVE
The clerk's TACITURN nature earned him the nickname "Silent Bob." |
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TORPOR
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EXTREME MENTAL AND PHYSICAL SLUGGISHNESS
After surgery, the patient experienced TORPOR until the anesthesia wore off. |
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VACILLATE
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TO SWAY PHYSICALLY; TO BE INDECISIVE
The customer held up the line as he VACILLATED between ordering chocolate chips or rocky road ice cream. |
