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75 Cards in this Set
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aplomb |
great coolness and composure under strain
I wish I had handled it with ____________. — New York Times (May 18, 2014) |
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apprehensive |
in fear or dread of possible evil or harm
Virga still feels _______________ when visiting an unfamiliar zoo. — New York Times (Jul 3, 2014) |
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aptitude |
inherent ability
I was recently asked in an interview, what is more valued by companies –_____________ or attitude? — Forbes (Sep 12, 2014) |
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attentive |
taking heed
You make sure to be extra ____________ to your friend. — Time (Oct 2, 2014) |
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banish |
send away from a place of residence, as for punishment
Napoleon loses so big that he is _____________ to an island. — New York Times (Dec 5, 2014) |
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barricade |
block off with barriers
The Secret Service ordered nearby streets and parking lots __________________ for security. — Washington Times (Dec 1, 2014) |
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commotion |
confused movement
Moments later came _____________, followed by shouts of “Stop pushing me!” — MSNBC (Sep 26, 2014) |
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concoction |
any foodstuff made by combining different ingredients
There are some food combos that blend beautifully with each other to create truly tasty _____________________. — US News (Sep 4, 2014) |
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wrought |
shaped to fit by altering the contours of a pliable mass
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conspicuous |
obvious to the eye or mind
Today, the link is more _______________: highlighted in blue, it appears directly beneath the site’s login form. — New York Times (Oct 23, 2014) |
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contortion |
a tortuous and twisted shape or position
There was tumbling, human pyramids and bodies stretched into extraordinary _________________. — BBC (Aug 25, 2013) |
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cunning |
shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception
Moreover, it was no secret that Cleopatra had ruthless ____________ and superior intelligence. — Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen |
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debris |
the remains of something that has been destroyed
The blast rattled their homes and sent _____________flying onto nearby properties, they said. — Washington Times (Dec 4, 2014) |
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defiance |
a hostile challenge
Schools still could expel students for violating school rules or laws and could suspend students for willful ____________ of authorities in grades 4 through 12. — Washington Times (Sep 27, 2014) |
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deft |
skillful in physical movements; especially of the hands
To make it work requires a __________ hand. — Forbes (Sep 25, 2014) |
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disdain |
lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
In the visage of Grumpy Cat, it seems, her fans found the perfect holy expression of indifferent ___________ for all things. — Washington Post |
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dismal |
causing dejection
It’s been a pretty ___________month, as far as world events go, but the news wasn’t all bad thanks to some very entertaining on-air mishaps. — Time (Aug 28, 2014) |
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dispel |
force to go away
For most of us, ________________ the darkness is as simple as turning on a light. — Time (Oct 23, 2014) |
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egregarious |
conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible
Prosecutors questioned him about killings and other _______________ human rights abuses perpetrated by his regime. — Los Angeles Times (Oct 4, 2014) |
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emerge |
come out into view, as from concealment
They say that program has helped them _____________ from the shadows, making possible a work permit, a Social Security number and enhanced self-respect. — Washington Post |
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engross |
consume all of one's attention or time
I don’t know how long I was reading; I was so _________ in the paper that I did not hear any footsteps. — Long Walk to Freedom |
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exasperation |
a feeling of annoyance
Like many a teenager on his school holidays, Parys is in bed, his mother explains with ________________. — The Guardian (Aug 2, 2014) |
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exhilirate |
fill with sublime emotion “To see Yosemite Falls coming to life this morning is truly ______________,” Park Superintendent Don Neubacher said in a statement. — Los Angeles Times (Dec 3, 2014) |
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falter |
move hesitatingly, as if about to give way
“The rocket has _____________, but it won’t crash,” he said. — New York Times (Nov 20, 2014) |
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foresight |
seeing ahead; knowing in advance; foreseeing
But nobody had the wherewithal or _________ to think that day would actually happen. — MSNBC (Jul 3, 2014) |
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furtive |
secret and sly or sordid
What muffled whispers do they share, what __________ games are they playing? — The Guardian (Dec 18, 2012) |
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grueling |
characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
As of Dec. 19, 22 students will have made it through a ____________ curriculum that requires about 700 hours of computer code. — Washington Times (Dec 10, 2014) |
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hasten |
speed up the progress of; facilitate
Rather than wait for that day, he set out to ________ its arrival. — Scientific American (Sep 3, 2014) |
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headway |
forward movement
At times, you feel like you’re struggling to run forward, going through the motions but making no _____________, frozen in place. — Washington Post |
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ignite |
cause to start burning
Firefighters say the blaze started when stain-soaked rags _____________on the front porch. — Washington Times (Dec 10, 2014) |
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illuminate |
make free from confusion or ambiguity
The problem is that for _______________ answers, you need to ask the right questions. — New York Times (Dec 6, 2014) |
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impending |
close in time; about to occur
First, he gives the enemy 12 days of warning about ______________ air attacks. — Washington Post |
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imperious |
having or showing arrogant superiority to
It was a little scary how quickly he flipped from friendly to ______________. — New York Times (Sep 4, 2013) |
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jargon |
technical terminology characteristic of a particular subject
Steer clear of ___________, me-too claims, and statements without substance. — Forbes (Dec 5, 2014) |
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jostle |
make one's way by pushing or shoving
In Jerusalem, great religions have crowded and __________ their way down through millenniums. — Los Angeles Times (Nov 21, 2014) |
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jut |
extend out or project in space
From its long beak ________ a fearsome tooth. — New York Times (Nov 10, 2014) |
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kindle |
call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
Recently in class I saw the fire of an idea flicker in a first-year student’s eyes—and so to ___________ it I cold-called him. — Forbes (Sep 16, 2014) |
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luminous |
softly bright or radiant
It was briefly one of the most ______________ stars in the galaxy. — New York Times (Sep 3, 2014) |
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malleable |
easily influenced
“Memory is so ____________ or volatile that each time we see something, the memory is actually influenced and re-created.” — Washington Times (Oct 18, 2014) |
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materialize |
come into being; become reality
By the time people reach their 70s, they’re beginning to look back at the plans they made and dreams they had that never _________________. — Time (Nov 25, 2014) |
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meander |
move or cause to move in a sinuous or circular course
Instead of straight paths and noisy throngs, the new park will have _____________ walkways and quiet places for picnicking nestled in gently sloping "lawn valleys." — Chicago Tribune (Jul 26, 2014) |
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meticulous |
marked by extreme care in treatment of details
It's a six-page scene and very _____________, step by step. — Los Angeles Times (Aug 24, 2014) |
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monotonous |
monotonoussounded or spoken in a tone unvarying in pitch
Unfortunately, their ____________ verbiage reminds me of Charlie Brown’s teacher in the “Peanuts” TV shows. — Washington Post |
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muster |
gather or bring together
Fans chanted and hollered and enriched the arena with as much life as they could possibly ______________. — New York Times (Dec 10, 2014) |
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obscure |
not clearly understood or expressed
The book contains little plot, an abundance of _____________ poetry and the untimely death of three protagonists. — Los Angeles Times (Dec 5, 2014) |
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ominous |
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
“Evil forces around the world want to harm Americans every day,” an _____________ voiceover states. — Time (Oct 7, 2014) |
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persistent |
stubbornly unyielding
It says, “together, if we face obstacles and counter the negative with a ____________ positive, we might just change the world.” — Seattle Times (Dec 1, 2014) |
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pertinent |
having precise or logical relevance to the matter at hand
You write about things that feel __________ and urgent to you, and that varies depending on what stage of life you are going through. — MSNBC (Jul 11, 2014) |
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quell |
overcome or allay
The White House has tried to _________ anxieties about the danger of Ebola spreading in the United States. — Washington Post |
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plenteous |
affording an abundant supply
"The harvest truly is ______________, but the labourers are few." — Wilson, J. M. (James Maurice) |
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pristine |
completely free from dirt or contamination
Back at the jail, Snow White is getting under Anna's skin a bit -- shaking her once ______________ view of the princess. — Los Angeles Times (Dec 8, 2014) |
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recuperate |
restore to good health or strength
Sleep is the time when your body ____________ and rebuilds from the day’s stress. — US News (Jun 24, 2014) |
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replenish |
fill something that had previously been emptied
They bring in dredged sand to ______________ the beach. — Washington Post |
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repugnant |
offensive to the mind
The truth is that we need only look at recent human history to find real, live, utterly __________________ evil. — Salon (Sep 4, 2014) |
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sabotage |
destroy property or hinder normal operations
“We want at least a district that won’t ____________ the dreams of its youths.” — Los Angeles Times (Nov 21, 2014) |
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subside |
wear off or die down
The virus has a history of ________________, then flaring up again. |
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versatile |
able to move freely in all directions
Eggs are among the most ________________ foods and the proteins change when you heat them, beat them or mix them with other ingredients. — US News (Dec 10, 2014) |
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vigilant |
carefully observant or attentive
Because there are so many scammers out there, banks are ____________ about verifying that you are who you say you are. — Washington Post |
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vunerable |
capable of being wounded or hurt
Second, older cells are more _______________ to this damage—or less able to repair themselves. — Scientific American (Dec 9, 2014) |
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auspicious |
auguring favorable circumstances and good luck
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belie |
be in contradiction with
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diffident |
showing modest reserve
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feckless |
generally incompetent and ineffectual
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incontrovertible |
impossible to deny or disprove
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infrastructure |
the basic features of a system or organization
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lugubrious |
excessively mournful
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loquacious |
full of trivial conversation
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obsequious |
attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
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paradigm |
a standard or typical example
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reciprocal |
concerning each of two or more persons or things
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supercilious |
having or showing arrogant superiority to
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tempestuous |
characterized by violent emotions or behavior
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vehement |
marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions
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pecuniary |
relating to or involving money
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unctuous |
unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating
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