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453 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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Decorum
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polite or appropriate conduct or behavior
"Please try and conduct yourself with some amount of decorum during your graduation ceremony." |
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Pith
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an essential or central part; precise and brief
"It is pretty rare for a teacher to be so pithy in describing his political views." |
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Repudiate
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to refuse to have anything to do with; disown; deny
"The man refused to repudiate the claims that he had molested snowmen and snowomen." |
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Prosaic
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dull; unimaginative
"He wanted to do something new; he was tired of the prosaic activities his parents suggested each day." |
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Onerous
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troubling; burdensome
"His explanation of the path we were to take down the mountain was more than a little onerous." |
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Occlude
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to obstruct or block
"A blood clot occluded an artery to the heart." |
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Impassive
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revealing no emotion
"Spock was impassive when presented with the news of his uncle's castration." |
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Spendthrift
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one who spends money wastefully
"We would have had money to buy lotto tickets for the entire preschool if your aunt wasn't such a spendthrift." |
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Bolster
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to provide support or reinforcement
"We told him that he was a grower not a shower in order to boost his self confidence." |
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Censure
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to criticize severely; to officially rebuke
"President Imtikar was censured for his spending of taxpayer money on action figures." |
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Waver
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to move to and fro; to sway; to be unsettled in opinion
"When presented with the evidence in the OJ simpson case the jury began to waver in deciding guilt or innocence." |
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Obdurate
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unyielding; hardhearted; intractable
"The customer was completely obdurate despite the manager's many concessions." |
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Tenuous
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having little substance or strenth; flimsy; weak
"His excuse for coming home late, that his pants needed starching, was tenuous at best." |
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Iconoclast
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one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions
"Kato Kaylin is an iconoclast in the history of celebrity witnesses." |
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Effrontery
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extreme boldness; presumptuousness
"We never believed the criminals would have had the effrontery to steal the desert forks." |
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Spurious
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lacking authenticity or validity; false; counterfeit
"One benefit of the antiques roadshow is to help sort out spurious items from authentic ones." |
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Meticulous
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characterized by extreme care and precision; attentive to detail
"The man was as meticulous as a brain surgeon when it came to building his model pirate ships." |
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Hedonism
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devotion to pleasurable pursuits, expecially to the pleasures of the senses
"Most of the passengers on the cruise ship came for no other reason than their hedonistic pursuit of gravy." |
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Truculent
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fierce and cruel; eager to fight
"The man found that Bloomington-Normal was filled with a new kind of more truculent driver than he remembered ever having to deal with in the past." |
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Untenable
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indefensible; not viable; uninhabitable
"It was unfortunate that in his first debate he was expected to defend such untenable positions." |
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Propensity
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a natural inclination or tendency; penchant
"Freddie Mercury definitely had a propensity for miniature golf." |
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Query
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question; inquiry; doubt in the mind; reservation
"I will attempt to answer your numerous queries into the recent failure of the snow cone machine." |
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Cynicism
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an attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness
"Many of your students are growing tired of your cynicism." |
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Innocuous
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harmless; causing no damage
"Yes you can ship watermelon, it is considered to be completely innocuous." |
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Derision
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scorn, ridicule, contemptuous treatment
"The company fight song was held in derision by many members of the board." |
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Dilettante
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one with an amateurish or superficial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge
"What do you expect when you ask such a dilettante to develop your photos of humping chickens." |
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Filibuster
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intentional obstruction, especially using prolonged speechmaking to delay legislative action
"Your monkey is attempting to pull off a filibuster in the senate." |
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Empirical
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based on observation or experiment
"Most chickens are skeptical about the so called empirical evidence presented in support of the mendel gerban project." |
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Tirade
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a long and extremely critical speech; a harsh denunciation
"So I proceeded to launch into a long tirade about the bank's inept customer service." |
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Disparage
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to slight or belittle
"There is no need to disparage the man, he is only trying to help." |
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Enigmatic
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mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand
"I find that matters of faith tend to be too enigmatic for me to attempt to write about. |
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Zealous
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fervent; ardent; impassioned
"You are definitely a zealous tug boat sailsmen to be sure." |
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Stupefy
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to stun, baffle, or amaze
"Miriam's lack of effort in solving the Corgian rift dilemma will stupefy you." |
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Recant
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to retract, especially a previously held belief
"The evidence caused him to recant his previous statement." |
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Reverent
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marked by, feeling, or expressing profound awe and respect
"They approached the golden fire truck with a reverence i had not seen before." |
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Shard
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a piece of broken pottery or glass
"I cut his finger off with a shard of a budweiser bottle." |
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Proclivity
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a natural predisposition or inclination
"Like I said, Freddie Mercury has a definite proclivity for violence on the miniature golf course." |
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Adulterate
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to reduce purtity by combining with inferior ingredients
"Do not adulterate your art with silly advertisements in the middle." |
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Rarefy
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to make or become thin, less dense; to refine
"The bag of chocolate began to rarefy in the heat of the magma." |
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Exonerate
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to remover blame
"President Forligat asked that the librarian be exonerated of the fooseball robbery she was convicted of having masterminded." |
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Culpable
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deserving blame
"Steven, In the matter of the stolen chicken, you seem somewhat culpable." |
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Intransigent
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refusing to compromise
"the Schwan's truck driver was intransigent in his belief of karmatic debt." |
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Stymie
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to block; thwart
"We will stymie any attempt to buy garrison's tomato toothpaste." |
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Neophyte
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a recent convert; a beginner; novice
"To be honest, I was a neophyte in the matters of food safety and preparation. |
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Refute
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to disprove; to successfully argue against
"Ron will attempt to refute your claim that he capsized your whaling ship." |
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Approbation
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an expression of approval or praise
"Mike was delighted to be met with approbation rather than derision on returning from the stolen whaling ship." |
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Tortuous
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winding; twisting; excessively complicated
"We will not be playing Gurlenbhart's third movement due to it's tortuous middle section." |
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Eloquent
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well spoken; expressive; articulate
"I thought he presented an eloquent explanation of such an enigmatic issue." |
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Relegate
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to focibly assign, especially to a lower place or position
"Garret Fulribat was relegated to a position in the mailroom after the discovery of his animated panty film." |
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Mendacity
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the condition of being untruthful; dishonesty
"I will not hire a monkey with a tendency towards mendacity rather than veracity." |
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Aesthetic
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dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful
"It is difficult to find paintings for an art dealer whose aesthetic tends towards such morose subjects." |
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Intractable
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not easily managed or directed; stubborn, obstinate
"Most of my coworker's are intractable idiots." |
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Trenchant
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sharply perceptive; keen; penetrating
"It is highly valuable to have a friend who gives such trenchant advice." |
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Specious
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seeming true, but actually being fallicious; misleadingly attractive
"Unfortuately, the jury did not see past the specious arguments of the defense lawyer and voted not guilty on all counts." |
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Sanction
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authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance
"The sanctions against Iraq seem as though they are not having the intended affect on Saddham Hussein's regime" |
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Amenable
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agreeable; responsive to suggestion
"State Farm does not tend to hire personalities that are not amenable to their strange corporate culture." |
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Pedantic
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the parading of learning; excessive attention to minutiae and formal rules
"It is difficult to find application for his lectures when he is so pedantic." |
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Incipient
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beginning to come into being or to become apparent
"There was an incipient star system off to the left of our rocket ship." |
Think of inception
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Soporific
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Causing drowsiness; tending to induce sleep
"Medications that are indicated as soporific should not be taken when you need to drive." |
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Harangue
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to deliver a pompous speech or tirade
"When he finally stopped his haranguing, I responded calmly." |
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Misanthrope
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one who hates all other humans
"It would be easy to have labeled him as a misanthrope but in truth he just enjoyed being alone' |
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Laconic
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Using few words; terse
"We respected the speakers laconic introduction for the lifetime achievement award |
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Loquacious
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extremelty talkative
"I will have an extremely high cell phone bill due to my loquacious mother-in-law" |
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Expiation
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to make amends, show remore=se, or suffer punishment
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Repose
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state of rest or inactivity
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ponderous
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lumbering and laborious in movement
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profligate
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extremely wasteful; extravagant
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calumniate
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to accuse somebody falsely or slander somebody
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inexorable
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impossible to stop not capable of being persuaded
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dissuasion
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to persuade somebody not to do something, not to believe, think, or feel
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sublime
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not to be excelled; supreme; inspiring awe; impressive
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obsequious
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full of or exhibiting servile compliance; fawning
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sycophant
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a servile self-seeker who attempts to win favor by flattering influential people
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pusillanimous
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lacking courage; cowardly
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asperity
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harshness or severity of manner or tone. something hard to bear because of it's harshness or severity
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gambol
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to leap or skip about playfully
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lackluster
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lacking energy, excitement, enthusiasm or passion
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incisive
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penetrating, clear and sharp, as in operation or expression
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virtuosity
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technical skill, fluency or style exhibited by a virtuoso or a composition
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sepulchral
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suggesting or posessing the characteristics associated with the grave, for example, gloominess
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flout
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to show contempt for a law or convention by openly disobeying or defying it
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flaunted
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to display something ostentatiously
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affect
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doing or bringing about the change
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effect
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receiving the change
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immigrate
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to enter in to a new country for settling
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emigrate
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to leave a place especially a native country, to go and live in another country
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principal
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first and foremost
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principle
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an important underlying law or assumption required in a system of thought
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urbane
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showing sophistication, refinement, or courtesy
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dissolution
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bringing to an end, separating, decomposing, termination of a legal relationship, end of an organization or institution
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oblique
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not straightforward or direct
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apotheosis
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the highest point of glory, power or importance. best example of something. a human into a diety
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parsimonious
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very frugal or ungenerous; requiring a minimum of detail as an explanation
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abrogate
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to repeal or abolish something formally and publicly
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stilted
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pompous or unduly formal.
lacking fluency, halted |
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ungainly
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lacking grace while moving
awkward to handle long - limbed |
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mirth
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happiness or enjoyment, especially accompanied by laughter
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petulance
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being ill-tempered or sulky in a peevish manner
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hedge
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an evasive or non-commital statement
a means of protecting against something |
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redoubtable
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with personal qualities worthy of respect or fear
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unimposing
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not forcing to agree with you
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tractable
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being very easy to control or persuade / work with
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precipitate
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to make something happen suddenly or quickly
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gaucheness
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lacking grace or tact in social situations
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circumspect
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showing unwillingness to act w/o first weighing risks / consequences
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taciturn
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habitually uncommunicative or reserved in speech and manner
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decorous
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conforming to what is acceptable iin formal or solemn settings
understated and dignified |
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egoism
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looking out for yourself and your interests
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abnegation
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giving up or renouncing something
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rococo
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an overly ornate or fancy style
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reticent
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unwilling to talk, communicate, reveal facts
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palliated
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to reduce the intensity or severity of something
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indolence
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lethargic state, not showing interest or making effort
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lugubrious
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extremely mournful, sad or gloomy
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loquacious
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talkative, tending to talk a great deal
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ostensible
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presented as being true or appearing to be true but hiding a different motive or meaning
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vaunted
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boasted or praised in an ostentaious manner
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brooked
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put up with something
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repose
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a state of rest or inactivity
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abeyance
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temporary inactivity or non-operation
condition in which legal ownership has not been established |
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recidivist
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lapsing into a previous undesirable type of behaviour, crime
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felicitous
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appropriate or highly suitable pleasing or agreeable, happy, fortunate
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recreant
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somebody who is disloyal or deserts a cause
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supplicant
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someone who addresses a humble but heart-felt appeal to someone who has the power to grant his / her request
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gregarious
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very friendly and sociable
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protozoan
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single-celled
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supercilious
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full of contempt and arrogance
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dilatory
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intended to cause or waste time
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denigrate
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to defame somebody's character or reputation
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aggrieved
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to be in a state of pain, trouble or distress
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expunge
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to delete something from a written record
to destroy or put an end to something |
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terse
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brief and unfriendly; often conveying annoyance
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exigent
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needs immediate action
making heavy demands on someone |
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prolix
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tiresomely wordy
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florid
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having an unhealthy glowing pink or red complexion
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titular
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having a title or rank but not having the power associated with that position
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autocrat
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a ruler who holds an unlimited power and who is answerable to no other person
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banal
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boringly ordinary and lacking in originality
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concatenation
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to connect separate units or items into a linked system
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expurgate
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to remove words or passages considered offensive or unsuitable from a book before publication
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enervate
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to weaken somebody's physical, mental, or moral vitality
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obsequious
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excessively eager to please or to obey all instructions
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panacea
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a supposed cure for all diseases or problems
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apostate
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somebody who has renounced a religious or political belief or allegiance
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preponderance
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a large number or the majority
dominance or superiority |
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jaundiced
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an attitude that is characterized by cynical hostility, jealousy or prejudice
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cursory
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done in a quick or superficial way
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sanguine
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cheerfully optomistic
a healthy rosy color |
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bellicose
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ready or inclined to quarrel, fight or go to war
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untrammeled
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not restrained or restricted
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soporific
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causing a deep sleep or drowsiness; boring
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foundering
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to become filled w/ water and sink, to give way
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mendicant
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begging for and living on alms
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munificent
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very generous in giving
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coterie
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a small exclusive group of people who share the same interests
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paucity
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an inadequacy or lack of something
a small number |
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sycophantic
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servile flatterer who praises for personal gain
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craven
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so lacking in courage as to be worthy of contempt
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temerity
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reckless confidence that might be offensive
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timorousness
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showing fear or hesitancy
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insouciance
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cheerful lack of anxiety or concern
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plebiscite
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a vote by a whole electorate to decide a question of importance
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moribund
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nearly dead
having lost all sense of purpose or vitality becoming obsolete |
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conspicuous
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easily or clearly visible
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inconspicuous
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not easily seen or noticed
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propogate
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to reproduce a plant or animal
to spread ideas or customs to many people to move or transmit something forward in space |
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dubious
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uncertain about an outcome or conclusion
likely to be dishonest, untrustworthy |
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perfunctory
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done as a matter of custom w/o thought, attention or geunine feeling
done hastily or superficially |
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distend
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to expand, swell or inflate as if by pressure from within
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boggle
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to astonish or confuse somebody
to be overwhelmed |
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crestfallen
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dispirited and depressed; dejected
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pertinacious
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determinedly resolute in purpose, belief, or action
highly persistent |
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nettle
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to irritate or annoy somebody, sting
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cavil
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to make objections about something on small and unimportant points
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occlude
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to block or stop up something such as a passage, to cut off
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ignominious
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involving a total loss of dignity and pride and making somebody or something appear shamefully weak and ineffective
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auspicious
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lucky, marked by the promise of success or happiness
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desultory
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moving or jumping from one thing to another
occuring haphazardly; random |
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pulchritude
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that quality of appearance which pleases the eye; beauty; comeliness; grace; loveliness
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gamely
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in a spirite manner; with courage
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vouchsafe
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to promise, agree, or allow something;
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splenetic
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extremely bad-tempered or spiteful
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luminous
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characterized by brightness and the emission of light
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squalid
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dirty and wretched, as from poverty or lack of care
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spasmodically
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relating to, affected by, or having the character of a spasm; convulsive
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extemporaneous
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improvised; done w/o preparation
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pragmatic
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practical rather than idealistic
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fortuitous
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happening by fortunate accident or chance
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hackneyed
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overfamiliar through overuse
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conspicuous
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easy to notice; obvious
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prodigal
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reckless and wasteful; extravagant
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aver
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state as a fact; confirm
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lucid
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clear; easily understood
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vigorous
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strong; active in mind or body; robust
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forestall
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delay, hinder
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satire
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literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision
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vigilant
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alert; watchful
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garroulous
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talk too much
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exigent
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pressing; urgent
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burgeon
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grow rapidly; flourish
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fawn
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flatter or praise excessively
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recalcitrant
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defiant of authority; difficult to manage
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transient
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fleetin; passing quickly
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axiom
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universal principle; given; self evident truth
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ameliorate
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make better or more tolerable
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elegy
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mournful poem, especially lamenting the dead
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renege
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fail to honor a commitment; go back on a promise
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connoisseur
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expert in a matter of taste
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pungent
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strong odor, smell or taste
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astringent
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tightening living tissue; harsh; sever
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avarice
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greed, especially for wealth
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morose
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sad; sullen; melancholy
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surfeit
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excess; overindulgence
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heretical
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violating acceptable dogma or convention
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sparse
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thin; not dense; widely spaced
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imminent
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about to happen; impending
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enervate
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to weaken; reduce in vitality
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canonical
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in agreement with orthodox requirements
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torpid
|
lethargic; sluggish
|
|
|
|
exculpate
|
exonerate; to clear of blame
|
|
|
|
acerbic
|
sour or bitter taste or character
|
|
|
|
solicitous
|
concerned and attentive; eager
|
|
|
|
anomaly
|
abnormality; derivation from the normal order
|
|
|
|
reticent
|
quiet; reluctant to express thoughts and feelings; reserverved
|
|
|
|
assuage
|
ease or lessen; pacify
|
|
|
|
ennui
|
dissatisfaction and restlesness resulting from boredom or apathy
|
|
|
|
peruse
|
to examine w/ great care
|
|
|
|
pontificate
|
to express opinions or judgements in a dogmatic way
|
|
|
|
impecunious
|
lacking funds; w/o money
|
|
|
|
prodigious
|
abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary
|
|
|
|
inert
|
unmoving; lethargic; sluggish; non-reactive
|
|
|
|
presumptive
|
providing a reasonable basis for belief or acceptance
|
|
|
|
fobbed
|
to put off or appease by deceitful or deceptive means
|
|
|
|
volition
|
free will; an instance of making a conscious choice or decision
|
|
|
|
vitreous
|
glass; glassy; having the nature of glass
|
|
|
|
archipelago
|
a large group of islands
|
|
|
|
excelsior
|
slender curved wood shavings used for packing
|
|
|
|
odious
|
evoking intense aversion or dislike
|
|
|
|
adroit
|
displaying physical or mental skill
|
|
|
|
meretricious
|
attracting attention in a vulgar manner
|
|
|
|
reproach
|
to express disapproval of, criticism or, dissappointment in
|
|
|
|
castigation
|
sever criticism or punishment
|
|
|
|
demur
|
to question or oppose
|
|
|
|
tenacity
|
persistence; adherence
|
|
|
|
pernicious
|
extremely harmful; potentially causing death
|
|
|
|
middling
|
of medium size, position or quality
|
|
|
|
mendacity
|
condition of untruthfulness, a lie; falsehood
|
|
|
|
arrogated
|
to take or claim for oneself w/o right
|
|
|
|
mitigate
|
to make or become less severe or intense; to moderate
|
|
|
|
disinterested
|
indifferent; free from self-interest
|
|
|
|
perfidy
|
intentional breach of faith; treachery
|
|
|
|
egregious
|
conspicuously bad or offensive
|
|
|
|
credulous
|
gullible; tending to believe too readily
|
|
|
|
fervent
|
greatly emotional or zealous
|
|
|
|
jauntily
|
having a buoyant or self confident air; brisk
|
|
|
|
injunction
|
a command imposing with authority; order; directive
|
|
|
|
sedulous
|
diligent; persistent; hardworking
|
|
|
|
virulent
|
harmful; poisonous; antagonistic
|
|
|
|
magnanimity
|
generously noble especially in forgiving
|
|
|
|
penury
|
poverty; destitution
|
|
|
|
neologism
|
a new word; expression
|
|
|
|
profuse
|
coming forth abundantly
|
|
|
|
profligate
|
excessively wasteful; recklessly extravagant
|
|
|
|
obviate
|
to anticipate and make unnecessary
|
|
|
|
phlegmatic
|
calm; sluggish; unemotional
|
|
|
|
ostentatious
|
very pretentious
|
|
|
|
perennial
|
recurrent through the year or many years; repeatedly
|
|
|
|
alacrity
|
eager and enthusiastic willingness
|
|
|
|
abscond
|
to steal away and hide; leave stealthy
|
|
|
|
dogmatic
|
stubbornly opinionated
|
|
|
|
glib
|
superficial; ease or informality
|
|
|
|
fulminate
|
to loudly attack or denounce
|
|
|
|
endemic
|
characteristic of or often found in a particular locality, region, or people
|
|
|
|
probity
|
adherence to highest principles; uprightness
|
|
|
|
querulous
|
prone to complaining or grumbling; quarrelsome
|
|
|
|
exacerbate
|
to make worse or more severe
|
|
|
|
maverick
|
an independent individual who does not go along w a group or party
|
|
|
|
laud
|
to praise highly
|
|
|
|
obstinate
|
stubborn; hardheaded; uncompromising
|
|
|
|
archaic
|
outdated; associated with an earlier, perhaps more primitive time
|
|
|
|
fallacy
|
an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief
|
|
|
|
contentious
|
argumentative; causing controversy
|
|
|
|
erudite
|
very learned; scholarly
|
|
|
|
immutable
|
no capable of change
|
|
|
|
opaque
|
impenetrable by light; not reflecting light
|
|
|
|
pervasive
|
having the tendency to permeate or spread throughout
|
|
|
|
pirate
|
to illegally use or reproduce
|
|
|
|
catalyst
|
a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction w/o changing. person or thing that causes change
|
|
|
|
squander
|
to waste by spending or using irresponsibly
|
|
|
|
static
|
not moving, active, or in motion; at rest
|
|
|
|
preen
|
to dress up; to primp; groom oneself w/ elaborate care
|
|
|
|
precipitate
|
to cause or happen before anticipated or required; acting w/ excessive haste or impulse
|
|
|
|
pervade
|
to permeate throughout
|
|
|
|
precursor
|
one that indicates or announces someone or something to come
|
|
|
|
plummet
|
to plunge or drop straight down
|
|
|
|
pristine
|
pure; uncorrupted; clean
|
|
|
|
grandiloquence
|
pompous speech or expression
|
|
|
|
partisan
|
biased in support of a party, group or cause
|
|
|
|
remunerate
|
to pay suitable amount in return for goods, services or losses incurred
|
|
|
|
transgressive
|
Of or relating to a genre of fiction, filmmaking, or art characterized by graphic depictions of behavior that violates socially acceptable norms, often involving violence, drug use, and sexual deviancy
|
|
|
|
quaff
|
to drink deeply
|
|
|
|
ephemeral
|
brief; fleeting
|
|
|
|
tacit
|
implied; not explicitly stated
|
|
|
|
bayed
|
a deep prolonged bark
|
|
|
|
veracity
|
truthfulness; honesty
|
|
|
|
vituperate
|
to use harsh, condemning language; to abuse or censure severely
|
|
|
|
prescience
|
foreknowledge of events
|
|
|
|
penurious
|
penny pinching; thrifty
|
|
|
|
vacuous
|
having no content
|
|
|
|
emollient
|
soothing; making less harsh
|
|
|
|
tout
|
to praise publicly or promote
|
|
|
|
esoteric
|
intended for or understood by a small, specific group
|
|
|
|
divulge
|
to disclose something secret
|
|
|
|
sordid
|
filth, grime or squalor
|
|
|
|
torque
|
a force that causes rotation
|
|
|
|
variegated
|
multicolored; lots of different colors
|
|
|
|
parody
|
humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect
|
|
|
|
mollify
|
to calm or soothe; to reduce in emotional intensity
|
|
|
|
obtuse
|
lacking sharpness of intellect; not clear or precise in thought or expression
|
|
|
|
mercurial
|
rapid and unpredictable changes in mood
|
|
|
|
accolade
|
an expression of praise
|
|
|
|
prattle
|
babble meaninglessly
|
|
|
|
presumptuous
|
overstepping bounds; taking liberties
|
|
|
|
irascible
|
easily angered; prone to tempermental outbursts
|
|
|
|
malevolent
|
having or showing often vicious ill will, spite or hatred
|
|
|
|
gregarious
|
sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of others
|
|
|
|
rescind
|
to take back; invalidate
|
|
|
|
discretion
|
cautious reserve in speech; ability to make wise decisions
|
|
|
|
discordant
|
conflicting; dissonant or harsh in sound
|
|
|
|
squalid
|
sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect
|
|
|
|
alchemy
|
medieval science aimed at the transmutation of metals, especially base metals, into gold
|
|
|
|
mundane
|
ordinary, of the world; typical
|
|
|
|
malleable
|
capable of being shaped or formed; tractable; pliable
|
|
|
|
didactic
|
intended to teach or instruct
|
|
|
|
subtle
|
not obvious; elusive; difficult to discern
|
|
|
|
idolatrous
|
given to intense or excessive devotion to something
|
|
|
|
synthesis
|
combining parts to make whole
|
|
|
|
audacious
|
daring and fearless; recklessly bold
|
|
|
|
eccentric
|
departing from norms or conventions
|
|
|
|
contrite
|
regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness
|
|
|
|
vacillate
|
to waver indecisively; swing back and forth
|
|
|
|
cacophony
|
harsh; jarring, discordant sound; dissonance
|
|
|
|
halcyon
|
calm and peaceful
|
|
|
|
impunity
|
exempt from punishment or penalty
|
|
|
|
bucolic
|
rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
|
|
|
|
convoluted
|
complex or complicated
|
|
|
|
ascetic
|
one who practices rigid self denial, especially for religious purposes
|
|
|
|
viscous
|
thick, sticky
|
|
|
|
caustic
|
burning or stinging; causing corrosion
|
|
|
|
adulation
|
excessive praise; intense adoration
|
|
|
|
subpoena
|
a court order requiring appearance and / or testimony
|
|
|
|
superfluous
|
exceeding what is necessary
|
|
|
|
unfeigned
|
genuine; not false or hypocritical
|
|
|
|
solvent
|
able to pay
|
|
|
|
imperturbable
|
extreme calm, impassivity, steadiness
|
|
|
|
germane
|
relevant to the subject at hand; appropriate in subject matter
|
|
|
|
volatile
|
readily changing to a vapor; explosive
|
|
|
|
evanescent
|
tending to disapperar like vapor; vanishing
|
|
|
|
desiccate
|
to dry out; make dry or dull
|
|
|
|
eclectic
|
composed of elements drawn from various sources
|
|
|
|
rhetoric
|
the art or study of language for communication and persuasion
|
|
|
|
redoubtable
|
awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
|
|
|
|
vilify
|
to defame; to chacterize harshly
|
|
|
|
succint
|
brief; concise
|
|
|
|
eulogy
|
speech honoring the dead
|
|
|
|
anachronism
|
out of place in history or chronological context
|
|
|
|
ubiquitous
|
existing everywhere at the same time; widespread
|
|
|
|
quotidian
|
recurring daily; common
|
|
|
|
hubris
|
overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance
|
|
|
|
aberrant
|
deviating from the norm
|
|
|
|
convention
|
generally agreed upon practice
|
|
|
|
amalgamate
|
combine several elements into a whole
|
|
|
|
acumen
|
quick, keen, or accurate knowledge or insight
|
|
|
|
aggrandize
|
to increase in intensity, power, or prestige
|
|
|
|
complaisance
|
willingness to comply with the wihes of others
|
|
|
|
austere
|
w/o adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic
|
|
|
|
gerontocratic
|
governing by a group of elders
|
|
|
|
berate
|
to rebuke or scold angrily and at length
|
|
|
|
compensatory
|
to make satisfactory reocompense, reimburse
|
|
|
|
deft
|
quick and skillful, adroit
|
|
|
|
granular
|
appearing to be composed of granules or grains
|
|
|
|
incredulity
|
skeptical; disbelieving
|
|
|
|
dilettante
|
someone who dabbles in an art or a field of knowledge
|
|
|
|
dubious
|
fraught with uncertainty or doubt; arousing doubt
|
|
|
|
fraught
|
filled with elements of
|
|
|
|
quixotic
|
foolishly impractical; marked by lofty romantic ideals
|
|
|
|
insipid
|
w/o taste or flavor; lacking in spirit; bland
|
|
|
|
placate
|
to appease; to calm by making concesssions
|
|
|
|
perfunctory
|
cursory; done w/o care or interest
|
|
|
|
inured
|
accustomed to accepting something undesirable
|
|
|
|
inveigle
|
to obtain by deception or flattery
|
|
|
|
obsequious
|
exhibiting a fawning attentiveness
|
|
|
|
platitude
|
a superficial remark, especially one offered as meaningful
|
|
|
|
opprobrium
|
disgrace; contempt; scorn
|
|
|
|
nascent
|
coming into being; in early developmental stages
|
|
|
|
paen
|
song or hymn of praise and thanksgiving
|
|
|
|
noxious
|
harmful; injurious
|
|
|
|
chicanery
|
trickery or subterfuge
|
|
|
|
putrefy
|
to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor
|
|
|
|
pious
|
reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion
|
|
|
|
furtive
|
marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
|
|
|
|
prevaricate
|
to deliberately avoid the truth; to mislead
|
|
|
|
ebullience
|
lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings
|
|
|
|
disabuse
|
to undecieve; to set right
|
|
|
|
facetious
|
playful; humorous
|
|
|
|
equivocate
|
to use ambiguous language w/ a deceptive intent
|
|
|
|
urbane
|
sophisticated; refined; elegant
|
|
|
|
rancorous
|
bitter long-lasting resentment
|
|
|
|
perspicacious
|
acutely perceptive; having keen discernment
|
|
|
|
infelicitous
|
unfortunate; inappropriate
|
|
|
|
impetuous
|
hastily or rashly energetc; impulsive and vehement
|
|
|
|
vexation
|
annoyance; irritation
|
|
|
|
ingenuous
|
artless; frank and candid; lacking in sophistication
|
|
|
|
hegemony
|
the consistent dominance of one state or ideology over others
|
|
|
|
keening
|
to wail in lamentation
|
|
|
|
inimical
|
damagin; harmful; malevolent
|
|
|
|
implacable
|
not capable of being appeased or significantly changed
|
|
|
|
hyperbole
|
an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech
|
|
|
|
inchoate
|
in an initial stage; not fully formed
|
|
|
|
intrepid
|
steadfast and courageous
|
|
|
|
flout
|
to demonstrate contempt for, as in a rule or convention
|
|
|
|
capricious
|
inclined to change one's mind impulsively; erratic; unpredictable
|
|
|
|
supplant
|
to take the place of; supersede
|
|
|
|
refulgent
|
radiant; shiny; brilliant
|
|
|
|
disparate
|
fundamentally distinct or dissimilar
|
|
|
|
obfuscate
|
to deliberately obscure; to make confusing
|
|
|
|
polemical
|
argumentative; controversial
|
|
|
|
qualm
|
misgiving; reservation; cause for hesitancy
|
|
|
|
chary
|
wary; cautious
|
|
|
|
diatribe
|
a harsh denunciation
|
|
|
|
recondite
|
hidden; concealed; difficult to understand; obscure
|
|
|
|
dissemble
|
to disguise or conceal; to mislead
|
|
|
|
bombast
|
self-evident or pompous writing or speech; pompous; grandiloquent
|
|
|
|
quiescence
|
stillness; motionless; quality of being at rest
|
|
|
|
oscillation
|
the act or state of swinging back and forth w/ a steady, uninterupted rhythm
|
|
|
|
proliferate
|
to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly
|
|
|
|
martial
|
of or relating to war and the armed forces
|
|
|
|
dearth
|
a small amount; lack
|
|
|
|
predilection
|
a dispositon in favor of something; preference
|
|
|
|
prolific
|
producing large volumes or amounts; productive
|
|
|
|
pine
|
to yearn intensely; to languish; to lose vigor
|
|
|
|
canon
|
established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature
|
|
|
|
salubrious
|
promoting health or well-being
|
|
|
|
plethora
|
an overabundance; a surplus
|
|
|
|
nebulous
|
vague; cloudy; lacking clearly defined form
|
|
|
|
pedagogy
|
the art or profession of training, teaching, or instructing
|
|
|
|
sporadic
|
occuring only occasionally, or in scattered instances
|
|
|
|
abate
|
to lessen in intensity or degree
|
|
|
|
voracious
|
having an instiable appetite for an activity or pursuit; ravenous
|
|
|
|
indifferent
|
having no interest or concern; showing no bias or prejudice
|
|
|
|
arduous
|
strenous, taxing, requiring significant effort
|
|
|
|
cogent
|
appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing
|
|
|
|
stoic
|
indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast
|
|
