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222 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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Magnanimity
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n. the quality of being generously noble in mind and heart, especially in forgiving
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He was magnanimous to a fault; he would give his last penny to anyone who asked for it.
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Malevolent
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adj. having or showing often vicious ill will, spite, or hatred
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The malevolent villain was so mean that she didn't even like puppies or flowers; now that's mean!
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Malinger
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v. to feign illness so as to avoid work
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Malleable
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adj. capable of being shaped or formed, easily influenced
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Martinet
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n. a rigid disciplinarian
adj. martinetish |
Sister Paul Marie is a sweet and generous person, but she is a martinet when it comes to teaching grammar.
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Maunder
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v. to talk or move aimlessly, mutter
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His endless maundering on about nothing to get on my nerves.
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Maverick
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n. an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party
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Always the maverick, Lola insisted on going right whenever everyone else went left.
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Melliflous
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adj. sweetly flowing, usually used to describe words or sounds
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The melliflous of the quartet's performance made the audience smile.
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Mendacity
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n. the condition of being untruthful, dishonesty
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Mendicant
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n. a beggar, supplicant
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Mercurial
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adj. characterized by a rapid and unpredictable changes in mood
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Meretricious
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adj. tawdry, pretentious, attractive but false, showy, having to do with prostitution
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His meretricious argument had all the false allure of a low rent Vegas nightclub: showy on the outside, but seedy and desperate on the inside.
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Mettlesome
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adj. courageous, high-spirited
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The mettlesome doctor risked his own life to try to save the wounded soldiers on both sides.
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Militate
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v. to have weight or bearing on, to argue (against)
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the president's advisors warned him that the volatility of the situation militated against any rash action.
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Milk
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v. to exploit, to squeeze every last ounce of
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Minatory
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adj. menacing, threatening
think Minotaur |
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Mince
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v. pronounce or speak affectedly or to carefully, euphemize, take tiny steps, tiptoe
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Mitigate
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v. to make or become less severe or intense, moderate
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Discovering that I had the date wrong mitigated some of the pain of having no one show up to my birthday party
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Unmitigated
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adj. absolute or unresolved
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My attempt to tango was an unmitigated disaster.
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Mollify
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v. to calm or soothe, reduce in emotional intensity
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Multifarious
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adj. varied, motley, greatly diversified
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The objects of his multifarious crushes ranged from Katherine Hepburn to the cashier at the grocery store.
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Nadir
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n. low point, perigree
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Liver-flavored tapioca with pickled pretzels truly marked the nadir of Darryl's cooking experiments.
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Nascent
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adj. coming into being; in early developmental stages
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I could always tell when Richard had a nascent plan developing, because he got this faraway devious look in his eyes.
The nascent truce between the warring groups was tenuous, and would need intensive diplomatic cooperation in order to grow into a stronger and lasting relationship. |
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Natty
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adj. trimly neat and tidy, dapper
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My
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Neologism
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n. a new word, expression, or usage; the creation or use of new words or senses
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Neophyte
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n. a recent convert; a beginner; novice
antonym: tyro |
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Nexus
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n. a connection, tie, or link; center or focus
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The group members; objective is to strengthen the nexus between theory and practice by implementing programs based on their ideas about community service.
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Nice
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adj. exacting, extremely or even excessively precise; done with delicacy or skill
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The distinction he drew between the two findings was so nice that most of his listeners weren't even sure it was there
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Noisome
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adj. offensive, especially to one's sense of smell, fetid
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I don't know how anyone with a nose can live in an apartment that noisome.
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Nonplussed
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adj. baffled, in a quandary, at a loss for what to say, do or think
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Ernest was a little nonplussed when Gertrude told him that she loved him but she wasn't in love with him.
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Nostrum
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n. cure-all, placebo, questionable remedy
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Any nostrum that claims to cure both a hangover and bunions is either a miracle or a fraud.
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Obdurate
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adj. unyielding, hardhearted, inflexible
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Obeisance
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n. gesture that expresses deference, such asa boy or curtsy
think obeyance |
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Obfuscate
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v. to deliberately obscure, to make confusing
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Magic tricks are based on the art of obfuscation; making an audience believe that it seems something other than what is actually occurring.
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Obstreperous
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adj. noisy, loudly stubborn, boisterous
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Their obstreperous clamor to see their idol didn't quiet down even after he came on stage.
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Obtain
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v. to be established, accepted, or customary, prevail
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The customary niceties of polite conversation do not obtain in the middle of a tornado.
The proper conditions for the summit will only obtain if all parties agree to certain terms |
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Obviate
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v. to anticipate and make unnecessary
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The successful outcome of the most recent experiments obviated the need for any additional testing.
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Occlude
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v. to obstruct or block
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The path had become occluded by years of underbrush growing over the trail.
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Occult
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adj. hidden, concealed, beyond comprehension
v. to hide |
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Officous
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adj. meddlesome, pushy in offering one's services where they are unwanted
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Our well-intended but officious host kept refilling our plates and glasses before we had a chance to take more than a bite or two.
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Onerous
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adj. troubling, burdensome
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Opprobrium
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n. disgrace, contempt, scorn
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The students couldn't bare to face their teacher's opprobrium after they all failed the midterm exam.
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Ossified
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adj. changed into bone; made rigidly conventional and unreceptive to change
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The department had so ossified over time that no new ideas were ever introduced.
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Ostensible
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adj. seeming, appearing as such, professed
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Even when they are ostensibly written for children, many cartoons are actually more entertaining for adults.
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Ostentatious
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adj. characterized by or given to pretentiousness
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Overweening
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adj. presumptuously arrogant, overbearng, immoderate
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His overweening arrogance made everyone want to smack him.
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Paean
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n. a song or expression of praise and thanksgiving
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Palliate
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v. to make something appear less serious, gloss over, mitigate
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Nothing could palliate the boredom he felt.
His attempts to palliate the significance of his plagiarism only made it worse. |
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Pandemic
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adj. widespread; occuring over a large area or affecting an unusually large percentage of the population
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Panegyric
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n. formal expression of praise
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Parry
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v. to block, evade or ward off, as a blow
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Parsimonious
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adj. cheap, miserly
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Partisan
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adj. one-sided, committed to a party, biased or prejudiced
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Paucity
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adj. scarcity, a lacking of
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Citing a paucity of admissible evidence, the judge dismissed the case
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Peccadillo
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n. a slight offense, literally, a minor sin
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Pedagogy
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n. the art or profession of training, teaching or instructing
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Pedantic
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adj. ostentatious display of learning, excessive attention to minutiae and formal rules, unimaginative
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The author's pedantic writing stle managed to make a fascinating topic completely boring by including endless fussy details.
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Penurious
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adj. penny-pinching; excessively thrifty, ungenerous
sounds like penny Penury is extreme poverty, destitution or lack of resources |
My penurious boss makes us bring toilet paper from home in order to save the company money.
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Peremptory
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adj. admitting of no contradiction, putting an end to further debate, haughty, imperious
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Her peremptory tone made it clear that there would be no further discussion of the matter.
The king dismissed the petitioner with a peremptory wave of his hand, not even bothering to say anything more. |
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Perennial
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adj. recurrent through the year or many years, happening repeatedly
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Death of a Salesman was a perennial favorite of the community theater; they performed it every season.
Perennials are plants that live for more than one year. |
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Perfidy
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n. intentional breach of faith, treachery
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i couldn't believe my campaign manager's perfidy in voting for my opponent.
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Perfunctory
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adj. cursory, done without care or interest
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Hilda's perfunctory approach to cleaning left dust bunnies the size of small horses in the corners.
His perfunctory response to my question confirmed that he hadn't been paying attention to what I said |
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Peripatetic
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adj. itinerant, traveling, nomadic
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As a peripatetic salesman, Frank spent most of his time in his car.
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Pernicious
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adj. extremely harmful, potentially causing death
similar to inimical |
The effect of her pernicious sarcasm could be felt at ten paces.
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Personable
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adj. pleasing in appearance, attractive
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I found him quite personable, as all those other people flirting with him apparently did as well.
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Perspicacious
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adj. acutely perceptive, having keen discernment
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How very perspicacious of you to notice that I dyed my hair blue.
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Peruse
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v. to examine with great care
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Petrous
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adj. like a rock, hard, stony
like petrify...to make hard |
I wasn't surprised that my petrous cake wasn't a big hit, but it does make a wonderful doorstop!
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Petulant
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adj. impatient, irritable
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It's always easy to tell when Brad is feeling petulant because his bottom lip starts to protrude.
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philanthropic
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adj. humanitarian, benelovent
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Philistine
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n. a crass individual guided by material rather than intellectual or artistic values
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THe author claimed that his many critics were philistines, who obviously lacked any taste since they didn't appreciate his writing.
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Phlegmatic
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adj. calm, sluggish, unemotional, stoic
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Karen was so phlegmatic that she didn't even respond when Rita stepped on her foot repeatedly.
His phlegmatic response to the question revealed nothing of what he was feeling, if he was feeling anything at all. |
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Picaresque
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adj. involving clever rogues or adventures
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Huck Finn is sometime sdescribed as a picaresque hero, since the novel follows his roguish adventures.
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Pied
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adj. multi-colored, usually in blotches
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The jester wore a pied coat of many bright colors
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Pillory
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v. to punish, hold up to public scorn
Like a pillory in medieval punishment |
The politician was pilloried in the press for his inability to spell potato.
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Pine
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v. to yearn intensely, to languish, to lose vigor
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Piquant
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adj. agreeably pungent, spicy, stimulating
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The piquant gumbo was a welcome change after days of bland hopsital flood.
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Pique
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n. resentment, feeling of irritation due to hurt pride
v.to annoy or irritate, or to provoke or arouse |
In a fit of pique, Chelsea thew her boyfriend's bowling ball out the window onto his car.
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Pith
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n. the essential or central part
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Plaintive
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adj. mournful, melancholy, sorrowful
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The plaintive strains of the bagpipe made everyone feel as mournful as it sounded.
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Plangent
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adj. pounding, thundering, resounding
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The plangent bells could be heard all over town as they chimed the hour.
We were awakened from our nap by the plangent honking of a flock of migrating geese. |
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Platitude
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n. a superficial or trite remark, especially one offered as meaningful
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Most people can only offer platitudes when faced with someone else's loss; we're just not very good at knowing how to say something meaningful when confronted with grief.
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Pluck
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n. courage, spunk, fortitude
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Plumb
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v. to measure the depth, to examine critically
adj. exactly vertical - informal can also mean directly (fell plumb on his butt) or completely (plumb tired!) |
Having plumbed the viability of the plan, we decided it was too risky to undertake at night.
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Poignant
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adj. distressing, pertinent, touching, stimulating, emotional
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He felt poignant anxiety at the thought of what his life would be like now that he no longer had a job.
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Polemical
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adj. controversial, argumentative
n. polemics - the art or practice of controversy and argumentation |
Her polemical attack on the president's foreign policy was carefully designed to force him into public debate on the subject.
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Prate
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v. chatter, babble
like prattle |
The toddler prated on happily to himself though no one else had any idea what he was saying
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Precept
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n. rule establishing standards of conduct, a doctrine that is taught
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You will violate the precepts of fair play if you peek at my cards.
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Precipitate (adj.)
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adj. acting with excessive haste or impulse
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The captain was forced to take precipitate action when the storm arrived earlier than he had expected.
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Precipitate
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v. to cause or happen before anticipated or required
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The sale of one it's divisions to its major competitor precipitated the company's collapse.
Be careful, any sudden movement could precipitate an avalanche. |
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Predilection
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n. a disposition in favor of something preference
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Preempt
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v. to replace, to supersede, to appropriate
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Prescience
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n. knowing of events prior to their occurrence
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I wish I had had the prescience to know it was going to rain today.
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Prevaricate
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v. to deliberately avoid the truth, mislead
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The detective began to think the suspect was prevaricating about having stayed in all last night when he found mud and grass on her shoes.
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Prize
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v. to pry, press or force with lever
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Although I tried to prize the information out of him, Arthur refused to reveal his biscuit recipe.
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Probity
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adj. adherence to highest principles, uprightness
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Because the chieftain was known for his probity and the soundness of his judgement, people came form miles around to ask him to hear their disputes.
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Proclivity
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n. a natural predisposition or inclination
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His proclivity for napping through movies made his desire to be a film critic a little strange.
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Prodigious
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adj. abundant in size, force or extent, extroardinary
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The prodigious weight of my backpack made me fall over backwards.
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Profligate
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adj. excessively wasteful, recklessly extravagant
sounds like prodigal |
The profligate ruler empited the country's treasury to build his many mansions.
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Profuse
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adj. given or coming forth abundantly, extravagant
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Proliferate
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v. to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly
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The termites proliferated in the basement until the whole house crumbled.
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Proliferation
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n. the act of increasing quickly
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Prolix
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adj. long-winded, verbose
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The prolix politician was a natural at filibustering; he could talk for hours without stopping.
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Propinquity
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adj. nearness in time or place, affinity of nature, kinship
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The geographic propinquity of the two towns led to a close connection between the two populations.
His propinquity to the object of his affections made him blush. |
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Propitiate
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v. to appease or pacify
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They tried to propitiate the storm gods by dancing in the rain.
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Propitious
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adj. auspicious, favorable
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Propriety
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n. appropriateness; conformity with standards of acceptable behavior
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Prosaic
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adj. dull, unimaginative
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I was surprised that he should offer so prosaic an account of his travels in Spain.
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Proscribe
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v. to outlaw or prohibit
sounds like proscription |
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Provident
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adj. frugal, looking to the future
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His provident financial planning allowed him to buy a small tropical island when he retired.
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Pugnacious
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adj. contentious, quarrelsome, given to fighting, belligerent
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The civil rights attorney was known for her pugnacious readiness to fight any injustice.
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Punctilious
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adj. precise, paying attention to trivialities, especially in regard to etiquette
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Pundit
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n. an authority on a subject, one who gives opinions
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Rob never had any opinions on his own, he just quoted what the pundits had said.
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Pusillanimous
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adj. cowardly, craven
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Qualify
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v. to limit
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He qualified the harshness of his criticism by smiling warmly at the students as he delivered it.
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Queries
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n. questions, inquiries, reservations
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Quiesence
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n. stillness, motionless, qualify of being at rest
could also mean inactive, latent, causing no trouble, being at rest |
The volcano's quiescence was only temporary; it could erupt at any time.
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Quotidian
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adj. occurring or recurring daily, commonplace
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Rail
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v. to complain about bitterly
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Ramify
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v. to be divided or subdivided, branch out
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Instead of being resolved, the dispute merely ramified as more and more people got involved.
The subject of his book ramified in new directions as he began to research all the different branches of the history. |
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Rancorous
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adj. characterized by bitter, long-lasting, resentment
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Rapacious
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adj. voracious, greedy, plundering, subsisting on prey
sounds like rape |
The rapacious moths ate huge holes in every single one of my socks.
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Rarefy
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v. to make or become thing, less dense, refine
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His sole goal in life was to gain admission to the rarefied air of the literary society.
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Rebus
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n. riddle, a representation of words by pictures or symbols that sound like words
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Recalcitrant
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adj. obstinately defiant of authority or guidance, difficult to manage.
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Recant
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v. to retract, especially a previously held belief
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Recondite
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adj. hidden, concealed, difficult to understand, obscure
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Searching for info about the town's recondite origins was a lot like doing detective work.
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Reconnoiter
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v. to engage in reconnaissance, make a preliminary inspection of
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We sent Bob to reconnoiter the party when we first arrived, in order to see who was in the other rooms.
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Recumbent
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adj. leaning, resting, prone
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Wealthy Romans were fond of dining recumbent on couches set around a table.
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Redolent
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adj. fragrant, suggestive or evocative
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The city in spring was redolent of cherry blossoms.
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Refulgent
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adj. radiant, shiny, brilliant
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The refulgent gleam of the motorcycle's chrome was his pride and joy.
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Regale
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v. to delight or entertatin, feast
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Relegate
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v. to forcibly assign, especially to a lower place or position
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As the youngest member of the troupe, I was relegated to the back end of the dancing donkey costume.
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Remonstrate
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v. to protest, object
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Rent
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v. torn, split apart, pierced as by a sound
n. a tear or breach present tense is rend |
The doll was rent limb from limb as the boys fought over it.
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Repine
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v. to feel or express dejection or discontent, long for
like pine for... |
The old man repined for his lost youth, when everything seemed so much more exciting than it was now.
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Repudiate
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v. to refuse to have anything to do with, disown
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Reticent
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adj. quiet, reserved, reluctant to express thoughts and feelings
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Rhetoric
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n. the art or study of effective use of language for communication and persuasion
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Risible
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adj. hilarious, provoking laughter
can also mean inclined to be amused |
The mating horses created a risible sight for Rita who had never been to a farm before. Rita herself, though, is a fairly risible individual.
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Rubric
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n. authoritative rule, heading, title, or category
adj. (obscure) reddish or written in red |
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Salacious
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adj. appealing to or causing sexual desire, bawdy
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Salient
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adj. prominent, protruding, conspicuous, highly relevant
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The salient fact that I had failed to notice at first was that my ride had left me stranded at the club.
The salient root sticking several inches out of the ground caught my foot and caused me to fall. |
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Salubrious
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adj. promoting health or well-being
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Salutary
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adj. remedial, wholesome, causing improvemnt
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Paul was dismayed to hear the teacher say that she thought summer school would be salutary for his math skills.
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Sanctimony
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adj. self-righteousness, pretended piety
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His sanctimony was laughable, since he was the most self-absorbed, ruthless jerk I'd ever met.
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Sanction
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n. authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance
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Without the sanction of the planning commission, we cannot proceed with the renovation.
After receiving the offical sanction of the ethics committee, the lawyer was disbarred. |
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Sanguine
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adj. cheerful, confident, optimistic
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His sanguine attitude was baffling to me, since it seemed clear that he was going to lose the race.
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Saturnine
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adj. gloomy, dark, sullen, morose
like Saturninus |
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Scurvy
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adj. contemptible, despicable
pirates get scurvy of the mouth...and they are quite scurvy! |
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Sedulous
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adj. diligent, persistent, hard-working
sounds like assiduous...same meaning! |
His sedulous efforts to organize the conference were rewarded when the entire event went off percetly.
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Seine
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n. a large net hung out and dragged in to catch fish
like the river Seine.... |
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Sere
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adj. withered, arid
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Even the sere vegetation at the edge of the desert sent forth new shoots when the brief rains came.
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Seminal
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adj. like a seed, constituting a source, originative
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Linda Nochlin's seminal essay "Why Are There No Great Women Artists?"
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Simper
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v. to smirk, to say something with a silly, coy smile
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Her simpering praise for the famous actress made me want to throw up.
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Sinecure
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n. position requiring little or no work and usually providing an income
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The job was hardly a sinecure; not only was there a ton of work, but there was also no job security.
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Singular
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adj. exceptional, unusual, odd
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Sinuous
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adj. winding, curving, moving lithely, devious
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Slake
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v. to satisfy, quench, lessen the intensity of
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His anger slaked somewhat when he realized he had simply parked his car in the wrong spot, and that no one had stolen it.
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Sodden
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adj. soaked or drenched, unimaginative, dull
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Solder
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v. to weld, fuse or join, as with a soldering gun
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Solicitous
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adj. concerned and attentive, eager
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It was nice of her to be so solicitous of my comfort as to offer me the couch, but I was fine sleeping on the floor.
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Solvent
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adj. able to meet financial obligations
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Sophistry
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n. fallacious reasoning; plausible but faulty logic
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I'm such a sucker for sophistry; I can never see through the convincing surface to the false logic underneath.
The environmentalists claimed that the distinction between "strategic harvesting" and "clear cutting" were merely a political sophistry designed to hide the lumber industry's plans. |
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Soporific
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adj. causing drowsiness, tending to induce sleep
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Specious
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adj. seeming true, but actually false, misleadingly attractive
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The specious "get rich quick" promises of pyramid schemes have suckered countless people over the years
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Splenetic
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adj. bad-tempered, irritable
like spleen...causing ill temper! |
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Spurious
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adj. lacking authenticity or validity, false, counterfeit
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His spurious claim that he had found the fountain of youth was soon proven to be the fraud everyone had suspected.
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Steep
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v. to saturate or completely soak
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Stentorian
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adj. extremely loud and powerful
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Is it absolutely necessary to keep the stereo at such a stentorian volume that the whole neighborhood can hear it?
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Stint
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v. to restrain, be sparing or frugal
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I hate to stint on dessert, so I always save room for at least two portions
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Stolid
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adj. calm, impassive
sounds like solid - little animation or emotion! |
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Striated
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adj. striped, grooved, or banded
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Strut
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adj. a structural support used to brace a framework
v. to brace or support |
When the struts on our car started to wear, we could feel every tiny bump on the road
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Stymie
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v. to block, thwart
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Succor
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n. assistance, relief in time of distress
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The town's inhabitants sought succor in the emergency shelters during and after the hurricane.
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Sundry
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adj. various, miscellaneous, separate
like torn asunder... |
Of the sundry items for sale, the young boy was most interested in the water pistols.
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Supercilious
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adj. disdainful, arrogant, haughty, characterized by haughty scorn
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Supine
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adj. inactive, lying on one's back, apathetic, mentally or morally slack
Means lying face up |
We spent hours supine on the floor looking up at the glow-in-the-dark stickers we had pasted on the ceiling.
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Prone
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adj. lying face down
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Suppliant
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adj. asking humbly, beseeching
same as supplicant |
The suppliant expression on the boy's face would have melted anyone's will to refuse him what he wanted.
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Surfeit
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v. to feed or supply in excess
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The girls sufeited themselves with candy and cookies at the bday party.
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Sycophant
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n. someone who tries to flatter or please for personal gain, paraiste
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Table
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v. to remove (as a parliamentary motion) from consideration
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Unsurprisingly the council tabled the students' motion to reduce the school day by half for the fifth year in a row.
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Tamp
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v. to plug, to drive in or down by a series of blows
think of espresso tamp |
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Tautology
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n. a repetition, a redundancy, a circular argument
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"There can no such thing as obscenity in art because art is not obscene" is a tautology
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Tenacity
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n. the quality of adherence of persistence to something valued
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Tendentious
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adj. biased, showing marked tendencies
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Tender
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v. to offer formally
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We refused the terms of the truce the other side tendered b/c they wanted us to surrender our water balloons first.
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Tenuous
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adj. having little substance or strength, flimsy, weak
sort of the opposite of tenacity |
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Timorous
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adj. timid, fearful, diffident
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Toady
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n. sycophant, flatterer, yes-man
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Torpid
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adj. lethargic, sluggish, dormant
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We were torpid with exhaustion and could barely move after walking fifteen miles back to camp.
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Torque
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n. a force that causes rotation
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Torrid
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adj. scorching, ardent, passionate, hurried
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Tortuous
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adj. winding, twisting, excessively complicated
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Tout
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v. to publicly praise or promote
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Tractable
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adj. docile, obedient, easily led
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Travesty
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n. mockery, caricature, parody
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Trenchant
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adj. sharply perceptive, keen, penetrating, biting, clear cut
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His trenchant criticism of the report revealed the fundamentally flawed premise on which it was based.
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Truculent
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adj. fierce, sacthing, eager to fight
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The truculent trucker had already been arrested five times this year for starting barroom bawls.
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Tumid
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adj. swollen
tumescence is swollen |
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Turbid
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adj. muddy, having sediment stirred up, clouded to the point of being opaque, in a state of turmoil
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Grace's mind was so turbid with anxieties over how she was going to handle the next day she couldn't sleep all night.
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Turgid
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adj. swollen, bloated, pompous, excessively ornate
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His turgid prose would have been difficult to take in any context, but it was particularly ill suited to a computer how-to book.
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Turpitude
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n. depravity, baseness
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Tyro
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n. novice, beginner in learning
syn. neophyte |
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Umbrage
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n. offense, resentment
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Untenable
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adj. indefensible, not viable, uninhabitable
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The president realized he was in an untenable position when even his own cabinet disagreed with him.
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Untoward
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adj. troublesome, unruly, unseemly, adverse
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There was a rumor going around that something untoward had occurred in the professor's office the night before.
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Upbraid
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v. to scold, censure, rebuke, chastise
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Urbane
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adj. sophisticated, refine, elegant
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Variegated
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adj. multicolored, characterized by a variety of patches of different colors
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Vaunt
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v. to brag or boast
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Venal
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adj. capable of being bought or bribed, mercenary
think of vendor Venality is the use of position for personal gain |
The presence of the venal juror who accepted a bribe resulted in an acquittal.
Rampant venality in city politics eroded everyone's trust in the system. |
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Verisimilitude
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n. appearing true or real
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The playwright tried to achieve historical verisimilitude by writing dialogue in the dialect of the region and time in which the play was set.
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Vilify
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v. to defame, characterize harshly
think villain! |
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Vitiate
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v. to reduce the value of, debase, spoil, make ineffective
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His failure to live up to his end of the deal vitiated the entire agreement as far as I was concerned.
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Vituperate
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v. to use harsh condemnatory language, abuse or censure severely
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Don't you vituperate me, missy, when you know you're every bit as much to blame.
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Volatile
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adj. readily changing to a vapor; changeable, fickle, explosive
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Welter
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v. to writhe, to toss about, to be in turmoil
n. state of turmoil or chaotic jumble |
The lake weltered in the storm, tossing the boat up on huge waves.
He'd searched through the welter of paper on his desk for the contract but couldn't find it. |
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Wend
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v. to go, proceed, walk
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We wended our way through the market, buying vegetables for dinner.
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Whet
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n. to sharpen or stimulate
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