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130 Cards in this Set
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- Back
repine
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1. To be discontented or low in spirits; complain or fret.
2. To yearn after something: Immigrants who repined for their homeland. |
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prevaricate
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To stray from or evade the truth; equivocate.
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tractable
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1. Easily managed or controlled; governable.
2. Easily handled or worked; malleable. |
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virulence
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1. Extremely infectious, malignant, or poisonous. Used of a disease or toxin.
2. Capable of causing disease by breaking down protective mechanisms of the host. Used of a pathogen. |
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stygian
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1. Gloomy and dark.
2. Infernal; hellish. |
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spurious
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1. Lacking authenticity or validity in essence or origin; not genuine; false.
Of illegitimate birth. |
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upbraid
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1. To reprove sharply; reproach
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nefarious
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infamous by way of being wicked
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ameliorate
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To make or become better; improve
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mollify
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1. To calm in temper or feeling; soothe. See Synonyms at pacify.
2. To lessen in intensity; temper. 3. To reduce the rigidity of; soften. |
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effrontery
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Brazen boldness; presumptuousness.
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splenetic
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Of or relating to the spleen.
Affected or marked by ill humor or irritability. n. A person regarded as irritable. |
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abstemious
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Eating and drinking in moderation.
Sparingly used or consumed: abstemious meals. Restricted to bare necessities: an abstemious way of life. |
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augury
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The art, ability, or practice of auguring; divination.
A sign of something coming; an omen: “The chartist buys when the auguries look favorable and sells on bad omens” (Burton G. Malkiel). |
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deposition
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The act of deposing, as from high office.
The act of depositing, especially the laying down of matter by a natural process. Something deposited; a deposit. Law. Testimony under oath, especially a statement by a witness that is written down or recorded for use in court at a later date. Deposition The removal of Jesus from the cross. |
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sycophantic
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A servile self-seeker who attempts to win favor by flattering influential people.
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cavil
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To find fault unnecessarily; raise trivial objections. See Synonyms at quibble.
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feckless
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Lacking purpose or vitality; feeble or ineffective.
Careless and irresponsible. |
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chicanery
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Deception by trickery or sophistry.
A trick; a subterfuge. |
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surly
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Sullenly ill-humored; gruff.
Threatening, as of weather conditions; ominous: surly clouds filled the sky. Obsolete. Arrogant; domineering. |
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abate
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To reduce in amount, degree, or intensity; lessen. See Synonyms at decrease.
To deduct from an amount; subtract. To lessen |
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abdication
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To relinquish (power or responsibility) formally.
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abeyance
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The condition of being temporarily set aside; suspension: held the plan in abeyance.
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abjure
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To renounce under oath; forswear.
To recant solemnly; repudiate: abjure one's beliefs. To give up (an action or practice, for example); abstain from: “For nearly 21 years after his resignation as Prime Minister in 1963, he abjured all titles, preferring to remain just plain ‘Mr.’” (Time). -To promise to give up |
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abrogate
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To abolish, do away with, or annul, especially by authority.
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abscond
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To leave quickly and secretly and hide oneself, often to avoid arrest or prosecution.
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abstruse
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Difficult to understand; recondite. See Synonyms at ambiguous.
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acarpous
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Producing no fruit; sterile.
Having no fruit. |
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accolade
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An expression of approval; praise.
A special acknowledgment; an award. |
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accretion
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the growing of separate things into one
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adamant
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Impervious to pleas, appeals, or reason; stubbornly unyielding
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admonitory
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cautious advice or warning
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agile
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Characterized by quickness, lightness, and ease of movement; nimble.
Mentally quick or alert: an agile mind. |
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alacrity
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Cheerful willingness; eagerness.
Speed or quickness; celerity. |
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celerity
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Swiftness of action or motion; speed. See Synonyms at haste
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alloy
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A homogeneous mixture or solid solution of two or more metals, the atoms of one replacing or occupying interstitial positions between the atoms of the other: Brass is an alloy of zinc and copper.
A mixture; an amalgam: “Television news has... always been an alloy of journalism and show business” (Bill Moyers). |
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animosity
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Bitter hostility or open enmity; active hatred.
A hostile feeling or act. See Synonyms at enmity. |
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aplomb
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Self-confident assurance; poise
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apostate
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One who has abandoned one's religious faith, a political party, one's principles, or a cause.
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apotheosis
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Exaltation to divine rank or stature; deification.
Elevation to a preeminent or transcendent position; glorification: “Many observers have tried to attribute Warhol's current apotheosis to the subversive power of artistic vision” (Michiko Kakutani). An exalted or glorified example: Their leader was the apotheosis of courage. |
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apprise
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To give notice to; inform: apprised us of our rights
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approbation
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approval
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apropos
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At an appropriate time; opportunely.
By the way; incidentally: Apropos, where were you yesterday? |
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ardor
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Fiery intensity of feeling. See Synonyms at passion.
Strong enthusiasm or devotion; zeal: “The dazzling conquest of Mexico gave a new impulse to the ardor of discovery” ( |
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argot
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A specialized vocabulary or set of idioms used by a particular group: thieves' argot
-slang |
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arrant
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Completely such; thoroughgoing: an arrant fool; the arrant luxury of the ocean liner.
-in the highest degree |
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aspersion
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An unfavorable or damaging remark; slander: Don't cast aspersions on my honesty.
The act of defaming or slandering. -slander |
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assail
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To attack with or as if with violent blows; assault.
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assiduous
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Constant in application or attention; diligent: an assiduous worker who strove for perfection. See Synonyms at busy.
Unceasing; persistent: assiduous research. |
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attenuate
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To make slender, fine, or small: The drought attenuated the river to a narrow channel.
To reduce in force, value, amount, or degree; weaken: Medicine attentuated the fever's effect. To lessen the density of; rarefy. -enervate |
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auspicious
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Attended by favorable circumstances; propitious: an auspicious time to ask for a raise in salary. See Synonyms at favorable.
Marked by success; prosperous |
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auxiliary
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Giving assistance or support; helping.
Acting as a subsidiary; supplementary: the main library and its auxiliary branches. Held in or used as a reserve: auxiliary troops; an auxiliary power generator. |
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aver
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To affirm positively; declare.
Law. To assert formally as a fact. To justify or prove. |
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baleful
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Portending evil; ominous. See Synonyms at sinister.
Harmful or malignant in intent or effect. |
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balk
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To stop short and refuse to go on: The horse balked at the jump.
To refuse obstinately or abruptly: She balked at the very idea of compromise. obstacle |
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baneful
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Causing harm, ruin, or death; harmful
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barrage
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An artificial obstruction, such as a dam or irrigation channel, built in a watercourse to increase its depth or to divert its flow.
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bedizen
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To ornament or dress in a showy or gaudy manner.
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belabor
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To attack with blows; hit, beat, or whip. See Synonyms at beat.
To assail verbally. To discuss repeatedly or at length; harp on: Don't belabor the point. |
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bellicose
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Warlike in manner or temperament; pugnacious. See Synonyms at belligerent
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bequeath
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The act of giving, leaving by will, or passing on to another.
Something that is bequeathed; a legacy. |
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bereft
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To leave desolate or alone, especially by death: “Cry aloud for the man who is dead, for the woman and children bereaved” (Alan Paton).
Archaic. To take (something valuable or necessary), typically by force. |
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blandishment
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To coax by flattery or wheedling; cajole
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cajole
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To urge with gentle and repeated appeals, teasing, or flattery; wheedle
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blithe
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Carefree and lighthearted.
Lacking or showing a lack of due concern; casual: spoke with blithe ignorance of the true situation. |
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bolster
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To support or prop up with or as if with a long narrow pillow or cushion.
To buoy up or hearten: Visitors bolstered the patient's morale. |
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breach
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An opening, a tear, or a rupture.
A gap or rift, especially in or as if in a solid structure such as a dike or fortification. A violation or infraction, as of a law, a legal obligation, or a promise. A breaking up or disruption of friendly relations; an estrangement. A leap of a whale from the water. The breaking of waves or surf. |
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broach
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To bring up (a subject) for discussion or debate.
To announce: We broached our plans for the new year. To pierce in order to draw off liquid: broach a keg of beer. To draw off (a liquid) by piercing a hole in a cask or other container. To shape or enlarge (a hole) with a tapered, serrated tool. |
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brook
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To put up with; tolerate: We will brook no further argument
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burgeon
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To put forth new buds, leaves, or greenery; sprout.
To begin to grow or blossom. To grow and flourish. |
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burnish
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To make smooth or glossy by or as if by rubbing; polish.
To rub with a tool that serves especially to smooth or polish. |
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cabal
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A conspiratorial group of plotters or intriguers: “Espionage is quite precisely ita cabal of powerful men, working secretly” (Frank Conroy).
A secret scheme or plot. |
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cadge
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to beg or get by begging
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cajole
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To urge with gentle and repeated appeals, teasing, or flattery; wheedle
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calumny
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A false statement maliciously made to injure another's reputation.
The utterance of maliciously false statements; slander |
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candid
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frank, straightfoward
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cant
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Monotonous talk filled with platitudes.
Hypocritically pious language. The special vocabulary peculiar to the members of an underworld group; argot. Cant See Shelta. Whining speech, such as that used by beggars. The special terminology understood among the members of a profession, discipline, or class but obscure to the general population; jargon. See Synonyms at dialect. |
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cantankerous
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Ill-tempered and quarrelsome; disagreeable: disliked her cantankerous landlord.
Difficult to handle: “had to use liquid helium, which is supercold, costly and cantankerous” (Boston Globe). |
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castigate
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to inflict SEVERE punishment
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centurion
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leader of an army of 100 soldiers
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chary
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Very cautious; wary: was chary of the risks involved.
Not giving or expending freely; sparing: was chary of compliments. |
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chasten
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correct or punish
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chauvinist
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blindly devoted patriot
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churl
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bad-tempered person
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clinch
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To fix or secure (a nail or bolt, for example) by bending down or flattening the pointed end that protrudes.
To fasten together in this way. To settle definitely and conclusively; make final: “The cocktail circuit is a constant and more contracts are clinched over pâté than over paper” (Ann L. Trebbe). |
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cloture
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A parliamentary procedure by which debate is ended and an immediate vote is taken on the matter under discussion. Also called closure
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coagulate
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To cause transformation of (a liquid or sol, for example) into or as if into a soft, semisolid, or solid mass.
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coalesce
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To grow together; fuse.
To come together so as to form one whole; unite: The rebel units coalesced into one army to fight the invaders. |
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coeval
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Originating or existing during the same period; lasting through the same era
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cogent
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strong, convincing
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collusion
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secret meeting for a deceitful purpose
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combustion
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process of burning
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commodious
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spacious
-having plenty of space for what is needed |
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conciliatory
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reconciling, mollifying, comforting
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concord
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agreement or harmony
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congeal
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make or become stiff or solid
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connotation
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The act or process of connoting.
An idea or meaning suggested by or associated with a word or thing: Hollywood holds connotations of romance and glittering success. The set of associations implied by a word in addition to its literal meaning. Logic. The set of attributes constituting the meaning of a term; intension. |
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consequential
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Following as an effect, result, or conclusion; consequent.
Having important consequences; significant: “The year's only really consequential legislation was the reform of Social Security” (New York Times). |
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consternation
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surprise, fear, dismay
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constrain
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To compel by physical, moral, or circumstantial force; oblige: felt constrained to object. See Synonyms at force.
To keep within close bounds; confine: a life that had been constrained by habit to the same few activities and friends. To inhibit or restrain; hold back: “Failing to control the growth of international debt will also constrain living standards” (Ronald Brownstein). To produce in a forced or inhibited manner. |
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contemn
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scorn or despise
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contentious
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argumentative pugnacious combative quarrelsome
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contiguous
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Sharing an edge or boundary; touching.
Neighboring; adjacent. Connecting without a break: the 48 contiguous states. Connected in time; uninterrupted: served two contiguous terms in office. |
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contrite
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Feeling regret and sorrow for one's sins or offenses; penitent.
Arising from or expressing contrition: contrite words. |
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contumacious
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Obstinately disobedient or rebellious; insubordinate.
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convoke
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call together; summon
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cordon
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line (of police acting on guard)
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corporeal
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physical; of the body
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corroboration
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additional strengthening evidence
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countenance
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Appearance, especially the expression of the face: The question left him with a puzzled countenance.
The face or facial features. A look or expression indicative of encouragement or of moral support. Support or approval. Obsolete. Bearing; demeanor. |
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countervail
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To act against with equal force; counteract.
To compensate for; offset. |
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cower
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to cringe in fear
-crouch, shrink back |
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craven
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Characterized by abject fear; cowardly.
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credulity
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A disposition to believe too readily.
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cumbersome
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Difficult to handle because of weight or bulk. See Synonyms at heavy.
Troublesome or onerous. |
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curmudgeon
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An ill-tempered person full of resentment and stubborn notions
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cursory
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Performed with haste and scant attention to detail: a cursory glance at the headlines.
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curtail
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make shorter than planned
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dearth
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A scarce supply; a lack: “the dearth of uncensored, firsthand information about the war” (Richard Zoglin).
Shortage of food; famine. |
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debacle
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A sudden, disastrous collapse, downfall, or defeat; a rout.
A total, often ludicrous failure. The breaking up of ice in a river. A violent flood. |
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decorum
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propriety; properness
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decry
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disapprove of
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defer
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postpone; give up (authority)
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deferential
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showing respect
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delineate
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to portray depict sketch out
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contention
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The act or an instance of striving in controversy or debate. See Synonyms at discord.
A striving to win in competition; rivalry: The teams met in fierce contention for first place. An assertion put forward in argument. |
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deluge
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great flood
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demagogue
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A leader who obtains power by means of impassioned appeals to the emotions and prejudices of the populace.
A leader of the common people in ancient times. |
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demur
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To voice opposition; object: demurred at the suggestion. See Synonyms at object.
Law. To enter a demurrer. To delay. |
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denigrate
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blacken belittle sully defame
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