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24 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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Rarefy |
to make thinner or sparser |
Since the atmosphere rarefies as altitudes increase, the air at the top of very tall mountains is too thin to breathe. |
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Repudiate |
to reject the validity of |
The old woman's claim that she was Russian royalty was repudiated when DNA tests showed she was not related to them. |
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Reticent |
silent; reserved |
Physically small and reticent in her speech, Joan Didion often went unnoticed by those upon whom she was reporting. |
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Rhetoric |
effective writing or speaking |
Lincoln's talent for rhetoric was evident in his beautifully expressed Gettysburg Address. |
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Satiate |
to satisfy fully or overindulge |
His desire for power was so great that nothing less than complete control of the country could satiate it. |
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Soporific |
causing sleep or lethargy |
The movie proved to be so soporific that soon loud snores were heard throughout the theater. |
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Specious |
deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious |
The student's specious excuse for being late sounded legitimate but was proved otherwise when her teacher called her home. |
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Stigma |
a mark os shame or discredit |
In "The Scarlet Letter", Hester Prynne was required to wear the letter "A" on her clothes as a public stigma for her adultery. |
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Stolid |
unemotional; lacking sensitivity |
The prisoner appeared stolid and unaffected by judge's harsh sentence. |
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Sublime |
lofty or grand |
The music was so sublime that it transformed the rude surrounding into a special place. |
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Tacit |
done without using words |
Although not a word had been said, everyone in the room knew that a tacit agreement ha been made about which course of action to take. |
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Taciturn |
silent, not talkative |
The clerk's taciturn nature earned him the nickname "Silent Bob." |
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Tirade |
long, harsh speech or verbal attack |
Observers were shocked at the manager's tirade over such a minor mistake. |
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Torpor |
extreme mental and physical sluggishness |
After surgery, the patient experienced torpor until the anesthesia wore off. |
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Transitory |
temporary; lasting a brief time |
The reporter lived a transitory life, staying in one place only long enough to cover the current story. |
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Vacillate |
to sway physically; to be indecisive |
The customer held up the line as he vacillated between ordering chocolate chip or rocky road ice cream. |
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Venerate |
to respect deeply |
In a traditional Confucian society, the young venerate their elders, deferring to the elders' wisdom and experience. |
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Veracity |
filled with truth and accuracy |
She had a reputation for veracity, so everyone trusted her description of events. |
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Verbose |
wordy |
The professor's answer was so verbose that his student forgot what the original question had been. |
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Vex |
to annoy |
The old man who loved his peace and quiet was vexed by his neighbor's loud music. |
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Volatile |
easily aroused or changeable; lively or explosive |
His volatile personality made it difficult to predict his reaction to anything. |
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Waver |
to fluctuate between choices |
If you waver too long before making a decision about which testing site to register for, you may not get your first choice. |
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Whimsical |
acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredictable |
The ballet was whimsical, delighting the children with its imaginative characters and unpredictable sets. |
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Zeal |
passion; excitement |
She brought her typical zeal to the project, sparking enthusiasm in the other team members. |
