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;
23 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
|
Abase (uh BAYSE)
|
To humble; disgrace
|
My intention was not to abase the comedian.
|
|
|
Abate (uh BAYT)
|
To reduce in amount, degree or severity
|
As the hurricane's force abated, the winds dropped and the sea became calm.
|
|
|
Abdicate
|
to give up a position, right or power
|
|
|
|
Debutante
|
Young woman making debut in high society
|
The DEBUTANTE spent hours dressing for her very first ball, hoping to catch the eye of an eligible bachelor.
|
|
|
Decorous
|
Proper; tasteful; socially correct
|
The countess trained her daughters in the finer points of decorous behavior, hoping they would make a good impression when she presented them at Court.
|
|
|
Decorum
|
Appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety
|
The countess complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the decorum appropriate for a visit to the palace.
|
|
|
Deleterious
|
Harmful in a subtle or unexpected way
|
If only we had know the clocks were defective before putting them on the market, it wouldn't have been quite so deleterious to our reputation.
|
|
|
Demure
|
To express doubts or objections
|
When scientific authorities claimed that all the planets revolved around the Earth, Galileo, with his superior understanding of the situation, was forced to demur.
|
|
|
Desultory
|
Jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
|
Athena had a desultory academic record; she had changed majors 12 times in three years.
|
|
|
Dictum
|
Authoritative statement
|
"You have time to lean, you have time to clean," was the dictum our boss made us live by.
|
|
|
Dilatory
|
intended to delay; procrastinating
|
The congressman used dilatory measures to delay the passage of the bill.
|
|
|
Dilettante
|
Someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic.
|
Jerry's friends were such dilettantes they seemed to have new jobs and hobbies every week.
|
|
|
Dirge
|
A funeral hymn or mournful speech
|
Melville wrote the poem "A Dirge for James McPherson" for the funeral of a Union general who was killed in 1864.
|
|
|
Disabuse
|
To set right; to free from error
|
The scientist's observations disabused scholars of the notion that wheat could be turned into gold.
|
|
|
Disparate
|
Fundamentally different; entirely unlike
|
Although the twins are physically identical, their personalities are disparate
|
|
|
Dissemble
|
To present a false appearance, to disguise one's real intentions or character
|
The villain could dissemble to the police no longer - he admitted the deed and tore up the floor to reveal the stash of stolen money.
|
|
|
Distend
|
To swell, inflate, bloat
|
Her stomach was distended after she gorged on the six-course meal.
|
|
|
Dither
|
To act confusedly or without clear purpose
|
Ellen dithered around her apartment, uncertain how to tackle the family crisis.
|
|
|
Divine
|
To foretell or know by inspiration
|
The fortune-teller divined from the pattern of the tea leaves that her customer would marry five times.
|
|
|
Doctrinaire
|
Rigidly devoted to theories without regard for practicality; dogmatic
|
The professor's manner of teaching was considered doctrinaire for such a liberal school.
|
|
|
Droll
|
Amusing in a wry, subtle way
|
Although the play couldn't be described as hilarious, it was certainly droll.
|
|
|
Dyspeptic
|
Suffering from indigestion; gloomy and irritable
|
The dyspeptic young man cast a gloom over the party the minute he walked in.
|
|
|
Ebullient
|
Exhilarated, full of enthusiasm and high spirits
|
The beullient child exhausted the baby-sitter, who lacked the energy to keep up with her.
|
