Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
175 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
Abate
|
to reduce in amount, degree, or severity,
|
|
|
abscond
|
to leave secretly
|
|
|
abstain
|
to choose not to do something
|
|
|
abyss
|
an extremely deep hole
|
|
|
adulterate
|
to make impure
|
|
|
advocate
|
to speak in favor of
|
|
|
aesthetic
|
concerning the appreciation of beauty
|
|
|
aggrandize
|
to increase in power, influence and reputation
ex The supervisor sought to aggrandize himself by claiming that the achivements of his staff were actually his own. |
|
|
alleviate
|
to make more bearable
|
|
|
amalgamate
|
to combine mix together
|
|
|
ambiguous
|
doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted several ways
The directions she gave were so ambihuous that we disagreed on which way to turn. |
|
|
amerliorate
|
to make better improve
|
|
|
anachronism
|
something out of place in time
|
|
|
analogous
|
similar or alike in some way; equivalent to
|
|
|
anomaly
|
deviation from what is normal
|
|
|
antagonize
|
to annoy or provoke to anger
|
|
|
antipathy
|
extreme dislike
|
|
|
apathy
|
lack of interest or emotion
|
|
|
arbitrate
|
to judge a dispute between two opposing parties
|
|
|
archaic
|
ancient, old fashioned
|
|
|
ardor
|
intense and pasionate feeling
|
|
|
articulate
|
able to speak clearly and expressivley
|
|
|
assuage
|
to make somethng unpleasant less severe
|
|
|
attenuate
|
to reduce in force or degree; to weaken
|
|
|
aubacious
|
fearless and daring
|
|
|
austere
|
severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
|
|
|
banal
|
predictable, cliched, boring
|
|
|
bolster
|
to support; prop up
|
|
|
bombastic
|
pompous in speech and manner
|
|
|
cacophony
|
harsh jarring noise
|
|
|
candid
|
impartial and honest in speech
|
|
|
capricious
|
changing ones mind quickly and often
|
|
|
castigate
|
to puinish of criticize harshly
|
|
|
cataylst
|
something that brings about a chage in something else
|
|
|
caustic
|
biting in wit
|
|
|
chaos
|
great disorder or confusion
|
|
|
chauvinist
|
someone predjudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs
|
|
|
chicanery
|
deception by means of craft or guile
|
|
|
cogent
|
convincing and well reasoned
|
|
|
condone
|
to overlook, pardon, or disregard
|
|
|
convoluted
|
intricate and complicated
|
|
|
corroborate
|
to provide supporting evidence
|
|
|
credulous
|
too trusting gullible
|
|
|
crescendo
|
steadily increasing f volume or force
|
|
|
decorum
|
appropraiteness or behavior or conduct; propriety
|
|
|
deference
|
respect courtesy
|
|
|
deride
|
to speak in favor of or treat with contempt; to mock
|
|
|
desiccate
|
to dry out thoroughly
|
|
|
desultory
|
jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
|
|
|
diatribe
|
an abusive, condemnatory speech
|
|
|
diffident
|
lacking self confidence
|
|
|
dilate
|
to make larger, to expand
|
|
|
dilatory
|
intended to delay
|
|
|
dilettante
|
someone with an amatuerish and superficial intrest in a topic
|
|
|
dirge
|
a funeral hym or mournful speech
|
|
|
disabuse
|
to set right ; to free from error
|
|
|
discern
|
to perceive; to recognize
|
|
|
disparate
|
fundamnetally different; entirely unlike
|
|
|
dissemble
|
to present false appearance; to disguiose one;s real intentions or character
|
|
|
dissonance
|
a harsh and disagreeable combination, often sounds
|
|
|
dogma
|
a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief
|
|
|
dogmatic
|
dictatorial in one's opinions
|
|
|
dupe
|
to deceive, a person whoh is easily decieved
|
|
|
eclectic
|
selecting from or made up from a variety of sources.
|
|
|
efficacy
|
effectiveness
|
|
|
elegy
|
a sorrowful poem or speech
|
|
|
eloquent
|
persuasive and moving, especially in speech
|
|
|
emulate
|
to copy; or try to equal or excel
|
|
|
enervate
|
to reduce in strength
|
|
|
engender
|
to produce, cause or bring about
|
|
|
enigma
|
a puzzle, a mystery
|
|
|
enumerate
|
to count list or itemize
|
|
|
ephemeral
|
lasting a short time
|
|
|
equivocate
|
to ise expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
|
|
|
erratic
|
wandering and unpredictable
|
|
|
erudite
|
learned, scholary, bookish
|
|
|
esoteric
|
known or understood by only few
|
|
|
estimable
|
admirable
|
|
|
euglogy
|
speech in praise of someone
|
|
|
euphemisim
|
use of inoffensiive word or phrse in place of a more distasteful one
|
|
|
exacerbate
|
to make worse
|
|
|
exculpate
|
to clear from blame; prove innocent
|
|
|
exigent
|
urgent; requirieng immediate action
|
|
|
exonerate
|
to clear from blame
|
|
|
explicit
|
clearly stated or shown ; forethought in expression
|
|
|
fantaical
|
acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extremme, unquestioned devotion
|
|
|
fawn
|
to grovelq
|
|
|
fervid
|
intensely emotional; feverish
|
|
|
florid
|
excessively decorated or embellished
|
|
|
foment
|
to arouse or incite
|
|
|
frugality
|
a tendancy to be thrifty or cheap
|
|
|
garrulous
|
tending to talk alot
|
|
|
gregarious
|
outgoing sociable
|
|
|
guile
|
to deceit or trickery
|
|
|
gullibale
|
easily decieved
|
|
|
Homogenous
|
of a simliar kind
|
|
|
iconoclast
|
one who opposes established belifs, causes, customs and instituions
|
|
|
imperturabable
|
not capable of being distrubed
|
|
|
impervious
|
impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected
|
|
|
impetuous
|
qucik to act without thinking
|
|
|
implacable
|
unable to calm down or made peaceful
|
|
|
inchoate
|
not fully formed; disprganized
|
|
|
ingenous
|
showing innocence or chidlike simplicity
|
|
|
inimical
|
hostile; unfriendly
|
|
|
innocuous
|
hamrless
|
|
|
insipid
|
lackinf interest or flavor
|
|
|
intransigent
|
uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled
|
|
|
inundate
|
to overwhelm; to cover with water
|
|
|
irascible
|
easily made angry
|
|
|
laconic
|
using few words
|
|
|
lament
|
to express sorrow to grieve
|
|
|
laud
|
to give praise; to glorify
|
|
|
lavish
|
to give unsparingly (v) extremely generous or extravagant (adj)
|
|
|
lethargic
|
acting in a indfferent or slow, sluggish manner
|
|
|
loquacious
|
talkative
|
|
|
lucid
|
clear and easily understood
|
|
|
luminous
|
broight, brillant, gliwing
|
|
|
malinger
|
to evade responsibilty by pretending to be ill
|
|
|
malleable
|
capable of being shaped
|
|
|
metaphor
|
a figure of speech comparing two different things; a symbol
|
|
|
meticulous
|
extremely careful
|
|
|
misanthrope
|
a person who dislike others
|
|
|
mitigate
|
to sofften or lesson
|
|
|
mollify
|
to calm or make less severe
|
|
|
montony
|
lack of varation
|
|
|
Naive
|
lacking sophistication or experience
|
|
|
oburate
|
hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion
|
|
|
obsequious
|
overly submissive and eager to please
|
|
|
obstinate
|
stubborn, unyielding
|
|
|
obviate
|
to preventl to make unnecessaty
|
|
|
occlude
|
to stop up; to prevent passge of
|
|
|
onerous
|
troublesome and oppressive; burdensome
|
|
|
opaque
|
impoosible to see through
|
|
|
opprobrium
|
public disgrace
|
|
|
ostentaion
|
excessibe showiness
|
|
|
paradox
|
a contradiction or dilemma
|
|
|
paragon
|
model of excellence or perfection
|
|
|
pedant
|
someone who shows of learning
|
|
|
perfidious
|
willing to betray ones trust
|
|
|
perfunctory
|
done in a routine way; indeifferent
|
|
|
philanthropy
|
charity; a desire or effort to promote goodness
|
|
|
placate
|
to soothe or pacify
|
|
|
plastic
|
able to be molded, altered, or bent
|
|
|
plethora
|
excess
|
|
|
pragamatice
|
practical as opposed to idealistic
|
|
|
precipitate
|
to throw violently or bring about abruptly; lacking deliberation
|
|
|
prevaricate
|
to lie or deviate form the truth
|
|
|
pristine
|
fessh and clean; uncorrupted
|
|
|
prodigal
|
lavish wasteful
|
|
|
proliferate
|
to increse in number quickley
|
|
|
propitate
|
to conciliate; to appease
|
|
|
propriety
|
correct behavior; obedience to rules and customs
|
|
|
prudence
|
wisdom, caution, or restraint
|
|
|
pungent
|
sharp and irritatating to the senses
|
|
|
quiescent
|
motionless
|
|
|
rarefy
|
to make thinner or sparser
|
|
|
repudiate
|
to reject the validitu of
|
|
|
reticent
|
silent, reserved
|
|
|
rhetoric
|
effective writing or speaking
|
|
|
soporific
|
casuing sleep or lethargy
|
|
|
specious
|
deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallcious
|
|
|
stolid
|
unemotional ; lacking sensivity
|
|
|
stigma
|
mark of shame or discredit
|
|
|
sublime
|
lofty or grand
|
|
|
tacit
|
done with using words
|
|
|
taciturn
|
silent not talkative
|
|
|
tirade
|
long harsh speech or verbal attack
|
|
|
torpor
|
extreme mental and ohysical sluggishness
|
|
|
tranistory
|
temporay lasting a breif time
|
|
|
vaccilate
|
to sway physically, to be indecisive
|
|
|
vex
|
to annoy
|
|
|
volatile
|
easliy aroused or changeable; lively or explosive
|
|
|
waver
|
to fluculate btween choices
|
|
|
whimisical
|
actinf in a fanciful or capricious manner ; unpredicatble
|
|
|
zeaL
|
passion, excitement
|
