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96 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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laconic
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(of a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words
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lassitude
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a state of physical or mental weariness; lack of energy
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libel
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a published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation; a written defamation
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libertine
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a person, esp. a man, who behaves without moral principles or a sense of responsibility, esp. in sexual matters
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lien
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a right to keep possession of property belonging to another person until a debt owed by that person is discharged
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limn
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depict or describe in painting or words
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loll
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sit, lie, or stand in a lazy, relaxed way
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lubricious
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offensively displaying or intended to arouse sexual desire
having a smooth or slippery quality |
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lucubrate
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discourse learnedly in writing
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luculent
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(of language) transparently clear; easily understandable
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lugubrious
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excessively mournful
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macabre
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distrubing and horrifying because of involvement with or depiction of death and injury
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machination
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a crafty and involved plot to achieve (usually sinister) ends
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maladroit
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ineffective or bungling; clumsy
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malapropism
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the unintentional misuse of a word by confusion with one that sounds similar
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malinger
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exaggerate or feign illness in order to escape duty or work
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manacle
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a metal band, chain, or shackle for fastening someone's hands or ankles
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maudlin
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self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness
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mellifluous
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pleasing to the ear
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mendacious
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given to lying, intentionally untrue
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mendacity
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the tendency to be untruthful
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mercurial
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(of a person) subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind
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meretricious
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apparently attractive but having in reality no value or integrity
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middling
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moderate or average in size, amount, or rank
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minatory
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expressing or conveying a threat
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misanthrope
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someone who dislikes people in general
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mitigate
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make less severe, serious, or painful
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mollify
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appease the anger or anxiety of (someone)
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multifarious
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many and of various types
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nadir
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the lowest point in the fortunes of a person or organization
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nascent
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(esp. of a process or organization) just coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential
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neophyte
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a person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief
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nexus
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a connection or series of connections linking two or more things
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noisome
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having an extremely offensive smell
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nonplussed
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filled with bewilderment
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nostrum
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a medicine, esp. one that is not considered effective, prepared by an unqualified person
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noxious
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harmful, poisonous, or very unpleasant
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obloquy
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strong public criticism or verbal abuse
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obviate
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prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening
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occluded
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(of a substance) taken into and retained in another substance
closed off |
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odious
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unequivocally detestable
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odium
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hate couple with disgust
state of disgrace resulting from detestable behavior |
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officious
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intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner
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onerous
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not easily borne; wearing
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opprobrious
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(used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame
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ossify
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become bony
cause to become hard and bony make rigid and set into a conventional pattern |
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ostensible
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represented or appearing as such; pretended
appearing as such but not necessarily so |
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overweening
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presumptuously arrogant
unrestrained in especially feelings |
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paean
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a fromal expression of praise
(ancient Greece) a hymn of praise |
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palliate
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provide physical relief, as from pain
lessen or try to lessen the seriousness or extent of |
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palpitate
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beat rapidly
shake with fast, tremulous movements cause to throb or beat rapidly |
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panegyric
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a formal expression of praise
formally expressing praise |
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pariah
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a person who is rejected (from society or home)
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parsimonious
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excessively unwilling to spend
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paucity
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an insufficient quantity or number
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peccadillo
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a petty misdeed
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pedantic
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marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects
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pellucid
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translucently clear
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penury
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a state of extgreme poverty or destitution
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peregrination
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travel (especially by foot)
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peremptory
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(esp. of a person's manner or actions) insisting on immediate attention or obedience, esp. in a brusquely imperious way
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perfidious
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tending to betray
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peripatetic
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a foller of Aristotle or an adherent of Aristotelianism
a person who walks from place to place |
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pernicious
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working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way
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perspicacity
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the capacity to assess situations or circumstances shrewdly and to draw sound conclusions
intelligence manifested by being astute (as in business dealings) |
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petrous
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(of bone) resembling stone in hardness
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philistine
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a member of an Aegean people who settled ancient philistia around the 12th century BC
a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits smug and ignorant and indifferent or hostile to artistic and cultural values |
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phlegmatic
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showing little emotion
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pied
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having sections or patches colored differently and usually brightly
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piquant
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attracting or delighting
engagingly stimulating or porvocative having an agreeably pungent taste |
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pique
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a feeling of irritation or resentment resulting from a slight, esp. to one's pride
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pith
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the choicest or most essential or most vital part of some idea or experience
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plaintive
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expressing sorrow
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platitude
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a trite or obvious remark
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portent
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a sign or warning that something, esp. something momentous or calamitous, is likely to happen
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poseur
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poser
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precipitate
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cause (an event or situation, typically one that is bad or undesirable) to happen suddenly, unexpectedly, or prematurely
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precursory
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preceding something in time, development, or position; preliminary
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predominate
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be the strongest or main element; be greater in number or amount
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preponderance
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the quality or fact of being greater in number, quantity, or importance
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presage
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a sign of something about to happen
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preternatural
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beyond what is normal or natural
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prevaricate
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be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information
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probity
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complete and confirmed integrity
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proclivity
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a natural inclination
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prodigal
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spending resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant
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prodigious
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remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree
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profligate
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recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources
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prolix
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(of speech or writing) using or containing too many words; tediously length
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propagate
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-breed specimens of (a plant, animal, etc.) by natural processes from the parent stock
-spread and promote (an idea, theory, knowledge, etc.) widely |
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propinquity
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the state of being close to someone or something; proximity
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propitiate
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win or regain thge favor of (a god, spirit, or person) by doing something that pleases them
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prosaic
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not challenging; dull and lacking excitement
lacking wit or imagination |
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proscribe
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forbid, esp. by law
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provisional
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arranged or existing for the present, possibly to be changed later
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pugnacious
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eager to argue, quarrel, or fight
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