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310 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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PRECOCIOUS
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Showing advanced development, intelligent
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TEDIUM
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Boredom
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DEARTH
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A scarcity or lack of something
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PARSIMONIOUS
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Very frugal
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TIMOROUS
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Showing fear or hesitancy
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REND
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To tear something apart violently
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SWILL
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To drink large amounts of something
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PRATTLE
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To talk in a silly, childish way
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BOLSTER
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To strengthen or support
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DENOUNCEMENT
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To publicly accuse
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COHORT
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A united group of people with common interests
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EXTRINSIC
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Outside of
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SPURIOUS
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Being different from what it claims to be, a fake
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ANOMALOUS
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Deviating from the norm
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INGENIOUS
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Clever
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INSIPID
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Without flavor
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ERSATZ
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An inferior imitation
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FACILE
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Easily done
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CAUSTIC
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Corrosive
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ASTUTE
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Insightful
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NASCENT
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Starting to develop
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INCIPIENT
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Beginning to appear or develop
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RIBALD
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Humorous but rude and vulgar
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CLAQUE
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A group of people hired to applaud or praise someone
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HAGIOGRAPHY
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A biography of a saint
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VENERATE
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To respect someone or honor someone as sacred
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POLEMIC
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A strongly worded argument against someone or something
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DIATRIBE
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An attack on someone or something
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REMONSTRATION
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The act of pleading in protest
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ENCOMIUM
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An expression of high praise
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VERITY
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Something that is true and is accepted as fact
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AXIOMATIC
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Universally accepted as being true
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CONFLAGRATION
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A large fire that causes a great deal of damage
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TRUISM
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An obvious truth
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FLAIL
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To thrash or swing around
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DEBAUCH
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To persuade someone to behave in an immoral way: seduce
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DEBASE
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To reduce something’s value (or someone’s status)
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EMPHATIC
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Expressed or done with emphasis
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CONTENTIOUS
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Frequently causing fights
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RAUCOUS
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Loud and unpleasant
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INOCULATE
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To introduce a serum to create immunity
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DEFAME
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To attack someone’s character by making slanderous comments
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HALCYON
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Calm and peaceful
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TECTONIC
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Relating to Earth’s movement
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TEMPESTUOUS
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Frequently turbulent and giving rise to many emotions
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SURREPTITOUS
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Sneaky
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CLANDESTINE
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Sneaky
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VERDANT
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Green with vegetation
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Lacking in experience
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ROCOCO
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Ornate
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ASTRINGENT
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Rigidly severe
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OPULENT
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Wealthy
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OBTUSE
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Slow to understand or perceive something
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FRENETIC
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Characterized by confusion and hurry
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BENIGN
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Having a kind disposition and appearance, not harmful
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FORTUITOUS
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Happening by chance
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LACONIC
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Using very few words
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ARBITRARY
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Based on personal wishes rather than facts
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Chosen at random
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FLAUNTING
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To display ostentatiously
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FLOUTING
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To scorn
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INCISIVE
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Quick to understand and act
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ZEALOUS
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Unreservedly enthusiastic
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PIOUS
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Holy, sacred, religious
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STEADFAST
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Firm and unwavering
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APOTHEOSIS
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Elevation to divine being
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DISSIMULATION
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The act of putting on a false appearance
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DISSENSION
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Disagreement that leads to open conflict
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NEGATION
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Something that is the opposite of something positive
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CONCATENATION
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The state of being linked together
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CONVOCATION
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A large formal assembly
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CONCORDANCE
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Similarity or agreement between two or more things
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CONSUMMATION
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The final completion of something
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MAGNANIMOUS
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Overly generous
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FESTER
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To decay or rot, produce pus
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FASTIDIOUS
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Overly tidy
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DEMUR
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To delay doing something b/c of personal objections
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To object mildly to doing something
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SUCCINCT
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Clear and to the point
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EXACERBATE
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To make matters worse
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INDIGENCE
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Extreme poverty
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BLITHE
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Cheerful
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PROSCRIBE
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To prohibit, to condemn something
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PALL
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To be or become uninteresting or insipid (dull)
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JINGOISM
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Zealous patriotism (with hostility towards other countries)
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DISSIPATE
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To cause something to disappear
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To spend or use something wastefully
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RUE
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To feel bad about, regret
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ARCANE
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Hidden, difficult to understand
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ATROPHY
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To waste away
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LANGUOR
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A feeling of weakness, having no energy
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CLAMOR
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Noise
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To demand noisily
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MALADROIT
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Clumsy or insensitive in speech or behavior
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MAGNANIMOUS
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Very generous
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BURGEON
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To flourish rapidly
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ROUT
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A noisy and disorganized group of people
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GUFFAW
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A loud, deep laugh
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RAUCOUS
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Loud and unpleasant sounding
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TOME
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A large, heavy book
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LECHER
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A man who behaves lustfully in a way that is distasteful
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MISSIVE
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A letter or written communication
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FORTHRIGHT
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Plain, simple, and honest in speech
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INDOLENCE
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Lazy light a sloth
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FLOUT
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To show contempt for laws by openly breaking it
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TRITE
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Overused and lacking in originality
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LAMPOON
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To make someone look foolish (in writing)
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LOQUACIOUS
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Tending to talk a great deal
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RETICENT
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Not talkative, unwilling to reveal al the facts
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TACITURN
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Uncommunicative, reserved in speech and manner
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ERUDITE
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Having or showing great book smarts
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CHARLATAN
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Someone who falsely claims a special skill
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PHILISTINE
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Ignorant and uncultured
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ENERVATE
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To weaken someone’s vitality
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DISSEMBLE
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To play a part to fool someone
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MENDACIOUS
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Dishonest, lying at any time
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EMBITTER
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To make someone feel bitter or wronged
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ROGUE
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Someone who is dishonest but likable
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EQUANIMITY
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Evenness of temper even under stress
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NONPLUSSED
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Perplexed
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FLUMMOXED
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Confused
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ZENITH
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High point or climax
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CODA
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The final section of a piece of music or writing
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CRAVEN
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Cowardly
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SCYTHE
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Instrument of death
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PROTEAN
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Continually changing, versatile
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BUREAUCRAT
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An official who applies rule rigidly
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MISO-
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Hater of
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INNATE
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Inborn
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BANAL
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Boringly ordinary, commonplace
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ABRIDGE
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To shorten
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UNGAINLY
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Clumsy, awkward
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MANIFEST
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Clear to see or understand
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To make something clear by demonstrating
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DULCET
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Pleasant to hear, soothing
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BURLY
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Heavily built
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PLETHORA
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An excessive amount of something
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SAGACIOUS
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Keen, having good judgment, clever
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DESULTORY
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Happening in a random, disorganized way
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GRAVE
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Serious, solemn
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PROWESS
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Exceptional ability or skill
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EPHEMERAL
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Lasting for only a short period of time
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PENCHANT
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A strong liking for
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SURFEIT
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Excess (to the point of getting sick of something)
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ACUMEN
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Sharp, insightful
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ASCETIC
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Someone who chooses a life of self-denial
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EVANESCENT
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Quickly disappearing
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SOMNOLENT
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Feeling sleepy, making someone feel sleepy
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REVELRY
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Lively celebration
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INCREDULITY
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A state or feeling of disbelief
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INSOLVENT
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Broke, bankrupt
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LUCID
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Clear and easily understood
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AGGRANDIZE
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To increase the size of something
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CORPULENT
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Obese
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AUSTERE
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Plain and simple, without indulgence
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EXTRANEOUS
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Coming from outside, irrelevant
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PRUDENT
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Careful, practical
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PRODIGAL
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Wasteful
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FERAL
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Wild, untamed
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ALACRITY
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Eager and speedy readiness
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DOWDY
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Drab and plain in style
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PROGNOSTICATE
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To predict the future
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EQIVOCATE
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Say one thing and mean another, lie
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ESPOUSED
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To take up a cause
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PINIONED
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To restrain by binding the arms, shackle
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CONCILIATORY
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Done to restore trust or goodwill
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RANCOR
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Resentment
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PERSONA
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A character
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AGGREGATION
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A group composed of many parts or persons
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CHIMERA
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Fantasy, made up
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MORIBUND
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Declining, nearly dead
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DULCET
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Pleasant to hear, calming
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TRENCHANT
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Penetrating, clear-cut, deliberately hurtful
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SOBRIQUET
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A nickname given to you by someone
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IMBIBE
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To drink
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SHYSTER
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An unprincipled professional
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TORPID
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Lazy, no energy
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GELID
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Cold
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DOLEFUL
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Sad
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SANGUINE
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Cheerful, confident
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PEERLESS
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Without equal
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DIDDLE
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To cheat someone
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MOUNTEBANK
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Someone who cheats other people
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BILK
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To cheat someone out of their money
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DEBUNK
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To expose a sham
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QUIBBLES
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To evade the point by talking
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FOMENT
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To cause or stir up trouble
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EXTORT
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To obtain something by using threats
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DISEMBARK
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To get off (a plane, ship, train)
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BANTER
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To exchange lighthearted, teasing remarks
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PERSIFLAGE
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Light or teasing good-hearted talk
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FLUMMOX
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Confuse
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INTREPID
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Fearless and persistent in the pursuit of something
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URBANE
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Suave
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OVERTURE
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The beginning, first step
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IRASCIBLE
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Irritable, easily provoked
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PRAGMATIC
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Practical
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CHAGRINED
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Annoyed
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FORTITUDE
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Strength in a difficult or painful situation
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SCATHING
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Severely critical and scornful
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PROFLIGATE
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Extravagant and wasteful
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PERFUNCTORILY
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Characterized by routine or superficiality, lacking in enthusiasm
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FALLACIOUS
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Untrue
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DEARTH
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Scarcity or lack of something
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AMBULATORY
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Walking or able to walk
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PRECOCIOUS
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Intelligent (at an earlier age than is expected)
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PREAMBLE
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Introduction
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EMENDATE
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To amend, revise, rewrite
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APPELLANT
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The plaintiff
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RODOMONTADE
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Pretentious speech or behavior
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DISDAIN
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Extreme contempt for
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To despise
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INANITY
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Stupidity
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DELETERIOUS
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Harmful
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ARROGATE
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To take or claim something without the right to do so
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FLUENT
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Easy, articulate
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AFFLUENT
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Rich
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RECTITUDE
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Strong moral integrity
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FORBEARANCE
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A refraining from the enforcement of something (as a debt, right, or obligation) that is due
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LIMPID
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Clear and easy to understand
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FEBRILE
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Feverish
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DEPONENT
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Someone who testifies under oath
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QUELL
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To bring something to an end by force, to suppress a feeling
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DESICCANT
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A drying agent
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OFFICIOUS
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Bossy
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INSIDIOUS
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Slowly and subtly harmful
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IMPUTE
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To charge someone with something (usually undesirable)
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PUNCTILIOUS
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Very careful about being socially correct
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NEGATION
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The denial or cancellation of something
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PERSPICACITY
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Acuteness of discernment or perception
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CALCIFY
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To harden
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ABORTIVE
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Unsuccessful, failing to reach completion
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FURTIVE
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Secretive
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FACTICIOUS
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Produced by humans rather than natural forces
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JUDICIOUS
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Showing wisdom, sensible
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VERTIABLE
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Absolute, true
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SUBLIME
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Inspiringly beautiful
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VULPINE
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Relating to a fox
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DILATORY
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Tending to waste time or move slowly
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UNFLAGGING
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Remaining strong and unchanging
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OVERT
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Done openly and without any attempt at concealing
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ANTECEDENT
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Precursor
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ANIMUS
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A feeling of animosity, an attitude that motivates somebody’s actions
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ADJURATION
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A solemn oath
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INTERDICT
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Prohibition
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INTERPOSE
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Interject
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DISDAIN
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Extreme disgust for someone or something
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To regard someone as unworthy of respect
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PRECARIOUS
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Dangerously unstable, risky
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INIMICAL
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Unfavorable, showing hostility
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VAINGLORIOUS
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Conceited
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EMPIRICAL
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Experimental
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PORTENTOUS
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Very serious, pompous, inspiring amazement
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ALLURING
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Appealing
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BELLICOSE
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Inclined to fight
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INNOCUOUS
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Inoffensive
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PERNICIOUS
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Wicked and destructive
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INDECOROUS
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Rude and shocking
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BLOWZY
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Sloppy, unkempt appearance
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TRADUCE
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To say very critical things about someone
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CONTUMACIOUS
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Flagrantly rebellious
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PUISSANT
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Powerful or mighty
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CONSONANT
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In agreement with
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IRASCIBLE
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Easily provoked
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UNSCRUPULOUS
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Dishonest
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MALINGER
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To pretend to be ill to avoid work
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EFFERVESCENT
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To bubble and foam as gas escapes
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AVARICE
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Greed
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FUTILE
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Useless
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CENSURE
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Severe criticism
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BENEVOLENT
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Showing kindness or goodwill
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DESPONDENT
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feeling or showing extreme discouragement, dejection, or depression
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EBULLIENT
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cheerful
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FRENETIC
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frantic
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PARSIMONIOUS
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Thrifty, stingy
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FLACCID
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Limp, lacking energy
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AMELIORATE
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To improve something to make it better
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AUGMENT
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To grow or increase something
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APATHY
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Lack of interest in anything, indifferent
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AVARRICIOUS
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Greedy
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APOCRYPHAL
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Probably not true but widely believed to be true
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DECREPIT
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Old, in poor condition
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DEARTH
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Lack
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EPHEMERAL
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Short-lived
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THE BIASED-SAMPLE FALLACY
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This fallacy is committed when a person draws a conclusion about a population based on a sample that is biased or prejudiced in some manner. It has the following form:
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Sample S, which is biased, is taken from population P. Conclusion C is drawn about Population P based on S.
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THE INSUFFICENT-SAMPLE FALLACY
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The Fallacy of the Insufficient Sample is committed whenever an inadequate sample is used to justify the conclusion drawn.
Here's an argument that commits the fallacy of the insufficient sample:
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I have worked with 3 people from New York City and found them to be obnoxious, pushy and rude. It is obvious that people from New York City have a bad attitude.
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The data for the inference in this argument are insufficient to support the conclusion. Three observations of people are not sufficient to support a conclusion about 10 million.
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THE FALLACY OF FAULTY ANALOGY
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Reasoning by analogy functions by comparing two similar things. Because they are alike in various ways, the fallacy is that it is likely they will share another trait as well. Faulty Analogy arguments draw similarities between the things compared that are not relevant to the characteristic being inferred in the conclusion.
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Here's an example of a Faulty Analogy fallacy:
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Ted and Jim excel at both football and basketball. Since Ted is also a track star, it is likely that Jim also excels at track.
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In this example, numerous similarities between Ted and Jim are taken as the basis for the inference that they share additional traits.
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POST HOC
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This is a "false cause" fallacy in which something is associated with something else because of mere proximity of time. One often encounters - in news stories- people assuming that because one thing happened after another, the first caused it, as with "I touched a toad, I have a wart, the toad caused the wart." The error in arguments that commit this fallacy is that their conclusions are causal claims that are not sufficiently substantiated by the evidence.
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Here are two examples of the After This, Therefore Because of This Fallacy:
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Ten minutes after walking into the auditorium, I began to feel sick to
my stomach. There must have been something in the air in that building that caused my nausea.
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The stock market declined shortly after the election of the president,
thus indicating the lack of confidence the business community has in the new administration.
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THE FALSE DICHOTOMY FALLACY
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THE “ALL THINGS ARE EQUAL” FALLACY
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This fallacy is committed when it is assumed, without justification, that background conditions have remained the same at different times/locations. In most instances, this is an unwarranted assumption for the simple reason that things rarely remain the same over extended periods of time, and things rarely remain the same from place to place.
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The last Democrat winner of the New Hampshire primary won the general election. This year, the winner of the New Hampshire primary will win the general election.
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The assumption operative in this argument is that nothing has changed since the last primary. No evidence or justification is offered for this assumption.
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THE FALLACY OF EQUIVACANTION
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The Fallacy of Equivocation occurs when a word or phrase that has more than one meaning is employed in different meanings throughout the argument.
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"Every society is, of course, repressive to some extent - as Sigmund Freud pointed out, repression is the price we pay for civilization." (John P. Roche- political columnist)
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In this example, the word repression is used in two completely different contexts. "Repression" in Freud's mind meant restricting sexual and psychological desires. "Repression" in the second context does not mean repression of individual desires, but government restriction of individual liberties, such as that in a totalitarian state.
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FALSE AUTHORITY
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A false authority fallacy occurs when people offer themselves (or other suspicious authorities) as sufficient warrant for believing their claims
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APPEAL TO IGNORANCE
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Appealing to ignorance as evidence for something. (e.g., We have no evidence that God doesn't exist, therefore, he must exist. Or: Because we have no knowledge of alien visitors, that means they do not exist). Ignorance about something says nothing about its existence or non-existence.
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