Hit Parade Group 3

Front 1

abate

Back 1

v. to lessen in intensity or degree

Front 2

accolade

Back 2

n. an expression of praise

Front 3

adulation

Back 3

n. excessive praise; intense adoration

Front 4

aesthetic

Back 4

adj. dealing with, appreciate of, or responsive to art or the beautiful

Front 5

avarice

Back 5

n. greed, esp. in wealth

Front 6

burgeon

Back 6

v. to grow rapidly or flourish

Front 7

cacophony

Back 7

n. harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonace

Front 8

canon

Back 8

n. an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature

Front 9

castigation

Back 9

n. severe criticism or punishment

Front 10

catalyst

Back 10

n. a substance that accelerates the rate of chemical reaction without itself changing

Front 11

caustic

Back 11

n. burning or stinging; causing corrosion

Front 12

chary

Back 12

adj. wary; cautious; sparing

Front 13

cogent

Back 13

adj. appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing

Front 14

complaisance

Back 14

n. the willingness to comply with the wishes of others

Front 15

contrite

Back 15

adj. regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness

Front 16

dearth

Back 16

n. smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack

Front 17

demur

Back 17

v. to question or oppose

Front 18

didactic

Back 18

adj. intended to teach or instruct

Front 19

discretion

Back 19

n. cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions

Front 20

disinterested

Back 20

adj. indifferent; free from self-interest

Front 21

dogmatic

Back 21

adj. stubbornly opinionated

Front 22

ebullience

Back 22

adj. the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings

Front 23

elegy

Back 23

n. a mournful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead

Front 24

emollient

Back 24

adj. soothing, esp. to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying

Front 25

empirical

Back 25

adj. based on observation or experiment

Front 26

enigmatic

Back 26

adj. mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand

Front 27

esoteric

Back 27

adj. intended for or understood by a small, specific group

Front 28

exonerate

Back 28

v. to remove blame

Front 29

fallacy

Back 29

n. an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief

Front 30

furtive

Back 30

adj. marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious

Front 31

gregarious

Back 31

adj. sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people

Front 32

harangue

Back 32

v. to deliver a pompous speech or tirade

Front 33

heretical

Back 33

adj. violating accepted dogma or convention

Front 34

impecunious

Back 34

adj. lacking funds; without money

Front 35

incipient

Back 35

adj. beginning to come into being or to become apparent

Front 36

inert

Back 36

adj. unmoving; lethargic; sluggish

Front 37

innocuous

Back 37

adj. harmless; causing no damage

Front 38

intransigent

Back 38

adj. refusing to compromise

Front 39

inveigle

Back 39

v. to obtain by deception or flattery

Front 40

morose

Back 40

adj. sad; sullen; melancholy

Front 41

odious

Back 41

adj. evoking intense aversion or dislike

Front 42

opaque

Back 42

adj. impenetrable by light; not reflecting light

Front 43

peruse

Back 43

v. to examine with great care

Front 44

preen

Back 44

v. to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care

Front 45

prodigious

Back 45

adj. abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary

Front 46

putrefy

Back 46

v. to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor

Front 47

quaff

Back 47

v. to drink deeply

Front 48

sanction

Back 48

n. authorative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance

Front 49

urbane

Back 49

adj. sophisticated; refined; elegant

Front 50

viscous

Back 50

adj. thick; sticky