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182 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
aberrant
(adj.) Deviating from the norm
abscond
(v.) to depart clandestinely; to steal away and hide.
acerbic
(adj.) having a sour or bitter taste or character.
acumen
(n.) quick, keen or accurate knowledge or insight.
adulterate
(v.) to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients.
alacrity
(n.)eager and enthusiastic willingness.
anachronism
(n.) something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context.
approbation
(n.) an expression of approval or praise.
ascetic
(n.) one who practices rigid self-denial, especially as an act of religion devotion.
astringent
(adj.) having a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh; severe.
audacious
(adj.) daring and fearless; recklessly bold.
austere
(adj.) severely simple; ascetic.
avarice
(n.) greed, especially for wealth.
aver
(v.) to state as fact; to confirm or support.
axiom/axiomatic
(n./adj.) a universally recognized principle; taken as a given; possessing self-evident truth.
bombast/bombastic
(n./adj.) self-evident or pompous writing or speech; pompous; grandiloquent.
bucolic
(adj.) rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
burgeon
(v.) to grow rapidly; to flourish.
canon
(n.) an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature.
canonical
(adj.) following or in agreement with orthodox requirements.
capricious
(adj.) inclined to change one's mind impulsively; erratic; unpredictable.
castigation
(n.) severe criticism or punishment
caustic
(n.) burning or stinging; causing corrosion.
censure
(v.) to criticize severely; to officially rebuke.
chary
(adj.) wary; cautious.
chicanery
(n.) trickery or subterfuge
cogent
(adj.) appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing.
complaisance
(n.) willingness to comply with the wishes of others.
contrite
(adj.) regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness.
convoluted
(adj.) complex or complicated.
cynicism
(n.) an attitude or belief that all people are motivated by selfishness.
decorum
(n.) polite or appropriate conduct or behavior.
demur
(v.) to question or oppose.
derision
(n.) scorn, ridicule, contemptuous treatment.
desiccate
(v.) to dry out or dehydrate; to make dry or dull.
diatribe
(n.) a harsh denunciation
dilettante
(n.) one with an amateurish or superficial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge.
disabuse
(v.) to undeceive; to set right.
discordant
(adj.) conflicting; dissonant or harsh in sound.
dogmatic
(adj.) stubbornly opinionated.
ebullience
(n.) the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings.
effrontery
(n.) extreme boldness; presumptuousness.
elegy
(n.) a mournful poem, especially one lamenting the dead.
emollient
(adj.) soothing, especially to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying.
endemic
(adj.) characteristic of or often found in a particular locality, region, or people.
enervate
(v.) to weaken; to reduce in vitality.
enigmatic
(adj.) mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand.
ennui
(n.) dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy.
ephemeral
(adj.) brief; fleeting.
equivocate
(v.) to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent.
evanescent
(adj.) tending to disappear like vapor; vanishing.
exigent
(adj.) urgent; pressing; requiring immediate action or attention.
extemporaneous
(adj.) improvised; done without preparation.
facetious
(adj.) playful; humorous.
fallacy
(n.) an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief.
fawn
(v.) to flatter or praise excessively.
fervent
(adj.) greatly emotional or zealous.
filibuster
(n.) an intentional obstruction, especially using prolonged speechmaking to delay legislative action.
flout
(v.) to demonstrate contempt for, as in a rule or convention
fulminate
(v.) to loudly attack or denounce.
germane
(adj.) relevant to the subject at hand; appropriate in subject matter.
glib
(adj.) marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in depth; superficial.
grandiloquence
(n.) a pompous speech or expression.
hackneyed
(adj.) rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage.
halcyon
(adj.) calm and peaceful.
harrangue
(v.) to deliver a pompous speech or tirade.
hedonism
(n.) devotion to pleasurable pursuits, especially to the pleasures of the senses.
hegemony
(n.) the consistent dominance of one state or ideology over others.
heretical
(adj.) violating accepted dogma or convention.
hubris
(n.) arrogant presumption or pride.
iconoclast
(n.) one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions.
idolatrous
(adj.) given to intense or excessive devotion to something.
impassive
(adj.) revealing no emotion.
impecunious
(adj.) lacking funds; without money.
imperturbable
(adj.) marked by extreme calm, impassivity, and steadiness.
impetuous
(adj.) hastily or rashly energetic; impulsive and vehement.
implacable
(adj.) not capable of being appeased or significantly changed.
impunity
(n.) immunity from punishment
inchoate
(adj.) in an initial stage; not fully formed.
incipient
(adj.) beginning to come into being or to become apparent.
infelicitous
(adj.) unfortunate; inappropriate.
ingenuous
(adj.) artless; frank and candid; lacking in sophistication
inimical
(adj.) damaging; harmful; malevolent.
insipid
(adj.) without taste or flavor; lacking in spirit; bland.
intractable
(adj.) not easily managed or directed; stubborn, obstinate.
intransigent
(adj.) refusing to compromise.
intrepid
(adj.) steadfast and courageous.
inured
(adj.) accustomed to accepting something undesirable.
inveigle
(v.) to obtain by deception or flattery.
laconic
(adj.) using few words; terse.
martial
(adj.) associated with war and the armed forces.
maverick
(n.) an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party.
mendacity
(n.) the condition of being untruthful; dishonesty.
mercurial
(adj.) characterized by rapid and unpredictable mood change.
mitigate
(v.) to make or become less severe; to moderate.
mollify
(v.) to calm or soothe; to reduce in emotional intensity.
mundane
(adj.) ordinary; of the world.
nascent
(adj.) coming into being; in early developmental stages.
neologism
(n.) a new word, empression, or usage.
neophyte
(n.) a recent convert; a beginner; a novice.
noxious
(adj.) harmful; injurious.
obdurate
(adj.) unyielding; hardheaded; intractable.
obfuscate
(v.) to deliberately obscure; to make confusing.
obstinate
(adj.) stubborn; hardheaded; uncompromising.
obtuse
(adj.) lacking sharpness of intellect; not clear or precise in thought or expression.
obviate
(v.) to anticipate and prevent or eliminate.
occlude
(v.) to obstruct or block.
odious
(adj.) evoking intense dislike.
onerous
(adj.) troubling; burdensome.
opaque
(adj.) impenetrable by light; not reflecting light.
opprobrium
(n.) disgrace; contempt; scorn.
ostentatious
(adj.) given to pretentiousness.
paean
(n.) a song or hymn of praise and thanksgiving.
parody
(n.) a humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect.
pedantic
(adj.) ostentatious about learning; excessive attention to minutiae and formal rules.
penurious
(adj.) penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous.
penury
(n.) poverty; destitution.
perennial
(adj.) recurrent through the year or many years; happening repeatedly.
perfidy
(n.) intentional breach of faith; treachery.
perfunctory
(adj.) cursory; done without care or interest.
perspicacious
(adj.) acutely perceptive; having keen discernment.
phlegmatic
(adj.) calm; sluggish; unemotional.
pith/pithy
(n./adj.) the essential or central part; precise and brief.
platitude
(n.) a superficial remark, especially one offered as meaningful.
polemical
(adj.) controversial; argumentative.
pragmatic
(adj.) practical rather than idealistic.
precipitate
(v.) to cause or to happen before anticipated or required; acting with excessive haste or impulse.
precursor
(n.) one that indicates someone or something to come.
predilection
(n.) a preference.
preen
(v.) to groom with elaborate care; to primp.
prescience
(n.) foreknowledge of events.
presumptuous
(adj.) overstepping due bounds as of propriety; taking liberties.
prevaricate
(v.) to deliberately avoid the truth; to mislead.
probity
(n.) adherence to highest principles.
proclivity
(n.) a natural predisposition or inclination.
prodigal
(adj.) recklessly wasteful
prodigious
(adj.) huge; extraordinary
profligate
(adj.) shamelessly immoral; prodigal; excessively wasteful
prosaic
(adj.) dull; unimaginative.
putrefy
(v.) to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor.
quaff
(v.) to drink deeply
querulous
(adj.) quarrelsome; complaining
quiescence
(n.) stillness; state of rest
quixotic
(adj.) foolishly impractical; marked by lofty romantic ideals
quotidian
(adj.) occurring or recurring daily; commonplace
rancorous
(adj.) characterized by bitter resentment
recalcitrant
(adj.) defiant of authority; intractable
recondite
(adj.) hidden
redoubtable
(adj.) awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
refulgent
(adj.) radiant; shiny
renege
(v.) to fail to honor a commitment
repudiate
(v.) to disown
rescind
(v.) to invalidate; to repeal
salubrious
(adj.) promoting health or well-being
satire
(n.) a literary work that criticizes a human vice through humor or derision
sedulous
(adj.) diligent; persistent; hard-working
solicitous
(adj.) concerned and attentive; eager
solvent
(adj.) able to meet financial obligations
soporific
(adj.) sleep-inducing
spendthrift
(n.) one who spends money wastefully
spurious
(adj.) lacking authenticity or validity; false
stoic
(adj.) indifferent to pleasure or pain; steadfast
stymie
(v.) to block; thwart
supplant
(v.) to take the place of; supersede
surfeit
(n.) excess; overindulgence
tacit
(adj.) implied; not explicitly stated
torpid
(adj.) lethargic; sluggish
torque
(n.) a force that causes rotation
tortuous
(adj.) winding; excessively complicated
trenchant
(adj.) sharply perceptive; keen
truculent
(adj.) fierce and cruel; eager to fight
ubiquitous
(adj.) existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread
untenable
(adj.) indefensible; not viable; uninhabitable
urbane
(adj.) sophisticated; refined; elegant
vacillate
(v.) to waver indecisively
variegated
(adj.) multicolored
veracity
(adj.) truthfulness; honesty
vexation
(n.) irritation
vilify
(v.) to defame
virulent
(adj.) hostile or poisonous
vituperate
(v.) to use harsh, condemnatory language; berate
voracious
(adj.) having an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit