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;
51 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
antipathy
|
n. aversion; dislike. Tom's extreme antipathy for disputes keeps him from getting into arguments with his temperamental wife. Noise in any form is antipathetic to him. Among his other antipathies are honking cars, boom boxes, and heavy metal rock.
|
|
|
antiquated
|
adj. obsolete; outdated. Accustomed to editing his papers on word processors, Philip thought typewriters were too antiquated for him to use.
|
|
|
antiseptic
|
n. substance that prevents infection. It is advisable to apply an antiseptic to any wound, no matter how slight or insignificant. also ADJ.
|
|
|
antithesis
|
n. contrast; direct opposite of or to. This tyranny was the antithesis of all that he had hoped for, and he fought it with all his strength. antithetical or antithetic, ADJ.
|
|
|
anvil
|
n. iron block used in hammering out metals. After heating the iron horseshoe in the forge, the blacksmith picked it up with his tongs and set it on the anvil.
|
|
|
apathy
|
n. lack of caring; indifference. A firm believer in democratic government, she could not understand the apathy of people who never bothered to vote. apathetic, ADJ.
|
|
|
ape
|
v. imitate or mimic.
|
|
|
aperture
|
n. opening; hole. She discovered a small aperture in the wall, through which the insects had entered the room.
|
|
|
apex
|
n. tip; summit; climax. At the apex of his career, the star received offers of leading roles daily; two years later, he was reduced to taking bit parts in B-movies.
|
|
|
aphasia
|
n. loss of speech due to injury or illness. After the automobile accident, the victim had periods of aphasia when he could not speak at all or could only mumble incoherently.
|
|
|
aphorism
|
n. pithy maxim or saying. An aphorism is usually philosophic or scientific, as compared to an adage, which is usually more homely and concrete. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely" is an aphorism. "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink" is an adage. aphoristic, ADJ.
|
|
|
apiary
|
n. a place where bees are kept. Although he spent many hours daily in the apiary, he was very seldom stung by a bee.
|
|
|
aplomb
|
n. poise; assurance. Gwen's aplomb in handling potentially embarrassing moments was legendary around the office; when one of her clients broke a piece of her best crystal, she coolly picked up her own goblet and hurled it into the fireplace.
|
|
|
apocalyptic
|
adj. prophetic; pertaining to revelations. The crowd jeered at the street preacher's apocalyptic predictions of doom. The Apocalypse or Book of Revelations of Saint John prophesies the end of the world as we know it and foretells marvels and prodigies that signal the coming doom. apocalypse, N.
|
|
|
apocryphal
|
adj. spurious; not authentic; invented rather than true. Although many versions exist of the famous story of Emerson's visit to Thoreau in jail, in his writings Thoreau never mentions any such visit by Emerson, and so the tale is most likely apocryphal.
|
|
|
apogee
|
n. highest point. When the moon in its orbit is furthest away from the earth, it is at its apogee. Discouraged by the apparent deterioration of America's space program, the science columnist wondered whether the golden age of space travel had reached its apogee with the Apollo 11 moon landing and would never again achieve such heights.
|
|
|
apolitical
|
adj. having an aversion or lack of concern for political affairs. It was hard to remain apolitical during the Vietnam War; even people who generally ignored public issues felt they had to take political stands.
|
|
|
apologist
|
n. one who writes in defense of a cause or institution. Rather than act as an apologist for the current regime in Beijing and defend its brutal actions, the young diplomat decided to defect to the West.
|
|
|
apostate
|
n. one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs. Because he switched from one party to another, his former friends shunned him as an apostate. An apostle passionately adheres to a belief or cause; an apostate passionately renounces or abandons one. apostasy, N.
|
|
|
apothecary
|
apothecary
n. druggist. In Holland; apothecaries still sell spices as well as ointments and pills. |
|
|
apothegm
|
n. pithy, compact saying. Proverbs are apothegms that have become familiar sayings.
|
|
|
apotheosis
|
n. elevation to godhood; an ideal example of something. The Roman empress Livia envied the late emperor Augustus his apotheosis; she hoped that on her death she, too, would be exalted to the ranks of the gods. The hero of the novel Generation X was the apotheosis of a slacker, the quintessential example of a member of his generation.
|
|
|
appall
|
v. dismay; shock. We were appalled by the horrifying conditions in the city's jails.
|
|
|
apparition
|
n. ghost; phantom. On the castle battlements, an apparition materialized and spoke to Hamlet, warning him of his uncle's treachery. In Ghostbusters, hordes of apparitions materialized, only to be dematerialized by the specialized apparatus wielded by Bill Murray.
|
|
|
appease
|
v. pacify or soothe; relieve. Tom and Jody tried to appease the crying baby by offering him one toy after another. However, he would not calm down until they appeased his hunger by giving him a bottle. appeasement, N.
|
|
|
appellation
|
n. name; title. Macbeth was startled when the witches greeted him with an incorrect appellation. Why did they call him Thane of Cawdor, he wondered, when the holder of that title still lived?
|
|
|
append
|
v. attach. When you append a bibliography to a text, you have created an appendix.
|
|
|
application
|
application
n. diligent attention. Pleased with how well Tom had whitewashed the fence, Aunt Polly praised him for his application. (Tom had applied himself to applying the paint.) (secondary meaning) apply, v. |
|
|
apposite
|
adj. appropriate; fitting. She was always able to find the apposite phrase, the correct expression for every occasion.
|
|
|
appraise
|
v. estimate value of. It is difficult to appraise old paintings; it is easier to call them priceless. appraisal, N.
|
|
|
appreciate
|
v. be thankful for; increase in worth; be thoroughly conscious of. Little Orphan Annie truly appreciated the stocks Daddy Warbucks gave her, whose value appreciated considerably over the years.
|
|
|
apprehend
|
v. arrest (a criminal); dread; perceive. The police will apprehend the culprit and convict him before long.
|
|
|
apprehensive
|
adj. fearful; discerning. His apprehensive glances at the people who were walking in the street revealed his nervousness.
|
|
|
apprise
|
v. inform. When NASA was apprised of the dangerous weather conditions, the head of the space agency decided to postpone the shuttle launch.
|
|
|
approbation
|
n. approval. Wanting her parents' regard, she looked for some sign of their approbation. Benjamin Franklin, that shrewd observer of mankind, once wrote, "We must not in the course of public life expect immediate approbation and immediate grateful acknowledgment of our services,"
|
|
|
appropriate
|
v. acquire; take possession of for one's own use. The ranch owners appropriated the lands that had originally been set aside for the Indians' use.
|
|
|
appurtenances
|
n. subordinate possessions. He bought the estate and all its appurtenances.
|
|
|
aptitude
|
n. fitness; talent. The American aviator Bessie Coleman grew up in Waxahatchie, Texas, where her mathematical aptitude freed her from working in the cotton fields with her twelve brothers and sisters.
|
|
|
aquiline
|
adj. curved, hooked. He can be recognized by his aquiline nose, curved like the beak of the eagle.
|
|
|
arabesque
|
n. style of decoration involving intertwined plants and abstract curves; ballet position with one leg supporting the weight of the body, while the other leg is extended in back. Because the Koran prohibits the creation of human and animal images, Moorish arabesques depict plants but no people. The statue of winged Mercury stands poised on one foot, frozen in an eternal arabesque.
|
|
|
arable
|
adj. fit for growing crops. The first settlers wrote home glowing reports of the New World, praising its vast acres of arable land ready for the plow.
|
|
|
arbiter
|
n. person with power to decide a matter in dispute; judge. As an arbiter in labor disputes, she has won the confidence of the workers and the employers.
|
|
|
arbitrary
|
arbitrary
adj. unreasonable or capricious; tyrannical. The coach claimed the team lost because the umpire made some arbitrary calls. |
|
|
arbitrate
|
arbitrate
v. act as judge. She was called upon to arbitrate the dispute between the union and the management. |
|
|
arboretum
|
n. place where different varieties of trees and shrubs are studied and exhibited. Walking along the treelined paths of the arboretum, Rita noted poplars, firs, and some particularly fine sycamores.
|
|
|
arcade
|
n. a covered passageway, usually lined with shops. The arcade was popular with shoppers because it gave them protection from the summer sun and the winter rain.
|
|
|
arcane
|
arcane
adj. secret; mysterious: known only to the initiated. Secret brotherhoods surround themselves with arcane rituals and trappings to mystify outsiders. So do doctors. Consider the arcane terminology they use and the impression they try to give that what is arcane to us is obvious to them. |
|
|
archaeology
|
n. study of artifacts and relics of early mankind. The professor of archaeology headed an expedition to the Gobi Desert in search of ancient ruins.
|
|
|
archaic
|
adj. antiquated. "Methinks," "thee," and "thou" are archaic words that are no longer part of our normal vocabulary.
|
|
|
archetype
|
n. prototype; primitive pattern. The Brooklyn Bridge was the archetype of the many spans that now connect Manhattan with Long Island and New Jersey.
|
|
|
archipelago
|
n. group of closely located islands. When he looked at the map and saw the archipelagoes in the South Seas, he longed to visit them.
|
