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201 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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Anomaly |
something that deviates from what is standard, normal or expected |
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Assuage |
make (an unpleasant feeling) less so |
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Enigma |
a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling or difficult to understand |
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Equivocal |
open to more than one interpretation, ambiguous |
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Erudite |
having or showing great knowledge or learning |
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Fervid |
intensely enthusiastic or passionate, especially to an excess degree |
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Lucid |
Expressed clearly, easy to understand |
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Opaque |
not able to be seen through
(especially of language) hard or impossible to understand, unfathomable |
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Placate |
make (someone) less angry or hostile |
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Precipitate |
cause (an event or situation, typically one that is bad or undesireable) to happen suddenly, unexpectedly, or prematurely |
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Prodigal |
spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wasteful, extravagant
having or giving something on a lavish scale |
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Zeal |
great energy or entusiasim, passion and excitement |
She brought her typical ZEAL to the project, sparking enthusiasm in the other team members. |
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Abate |
to reduce in amount |
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Abscond |
to leave secretly |
The patron ABSCONDED from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking our the back door |
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Abstain |
to choose not to do something |
She abstained from choosing a mouthwatering dessert from the tray. |
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Abyss |
extremely deep hole |
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Adulterate |
to make impure |
The chef made his ketchup last longer by adulterating it with water. |
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Advocate |
to speak in favor of |
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Aggrandize |
to increase in power |
The supervisor sought to aggrandize herself by claiming that the achievements of her staff were actually her own. |
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Alleviate |
to make more bearable |
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Amalgamate |
to combine; to mix together |
Giant industries amalgamated with Mega productions to form Giant-Mega products incorporated. |
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Ambiguous |
doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted in several different ways |
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Ameliorate |
to make better; to improve |
The doctor was able to AMELIORATE the patient's suffering using painkillers. |
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Anachronism |
something out of place in time |
The aged hippe used ANACHRONISTIC phrases like groovy and far out that hat not been popular for years. |
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Analogous |
similar or alike in some way; equivalent to |
In Newtonian construct for explaining the existence of God, the universe is ANALOGOUS to a mechanical timepiece, the creation of a divinely intelligent "clockmaker". |
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Antagonize |
to annoy or provoke anger |
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Antipathy |
extreme dislike |
The antipathy between the Frenc and the English erupted into open warfare. |
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Apathy |
lack of interest or emotion |
The apathy of voters was so great that less than half the people who are eligible to vote actually bother to do so. |
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Arbitrate |
to judge a dispute between opposing parties |
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Archaic |
ancient, old-fashioned |
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Ardor |
intense and passionate feeling |
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Articulate |
able to speak clearly and expressively |
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Attenuate |
to reduce in force or degree; to weaken |
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Audacious |
fearless and daring |
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Austere |
severe or stern in appearance; undecorated |
The lack of decoration makes military barracks seem austere to the civilian eye. |
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Banal |
predictable, cliched, boring |
Another day another dollar |
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Bolster |
to support, to prop up |
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Bombastic |
pompous in speech and manner |
The ranting of the radio talk-show host was mostly bombastic; his boasting and outrageous claims had no basis in fact. |
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Cacophony |
harsh, jarring noise |
The junior high orchestra created an almost unbearable cacophony as they tried to tune their instruments. |
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Candid |
impartial and honest in speech |
The observations of a child can be charming since they are candid and unpretentious. |
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Capricious |
changing one's mind quickly and often |
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Castigate |
to punish or criticize harshly |
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Catalyst |
something that brings about a change in something else |
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Caustic |
biting in wit |
Dorothy Parker gained her reputation for caustic wit from her cutting, yet clever, insults. |
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Chaos |
great disorder or confusion |
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Chauvinist |
someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs |
feminist ******** |
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Chicanery |
Deception by means of craft or guile |
Dishonest used car sales people often use chicanery to sell their beat-up old cars. |
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Cogent |
convincing and well reasoned |
Swayed by the congent argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant. |
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Condone |
to overlook, pardon, or disregard |
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Convoluted |
intricate and complicated |
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Corroborate |
to provide supporting evidence |
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Credulous |
too trusting; guillible |
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Crescendo |
steadily increasing in volume or force |
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Decorum |
appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety |
The countess complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the decorum appropriate for a visit to the palace. |
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Deference |
respected, courtesy |
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Deride |
to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock |
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Dessiccate |
to dry out thoroughly |
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Desultory |
jumping from one thing to another; disconnected |
Diane had a desultory academic record; she had changed majors 12 times in three years. |
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Diatribe |
an abusive, condemnatory speech |
The trucker bellowed a diatribe at the driver who had cut him off. |
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Diffident |
lacking self-confidence |
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Dilate |
to make larger; to expand (dilate eyes) |
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Dilatory |
intended to delay |
The congressman used dilatory measures to delay the passage of the bill. |
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Dilettante |
Someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic |
Jerry's friends were such dilettantes that they seemed to have new jobs and hobbies every week. |
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Dirge |
a funeral hymn or mounful speech |
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Disabuse |
to set right; to free from error |
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Discern |
to perceive; to recognize |
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Disparate |
fundamentally different; entirely unlike |
Although the twins appear to be identical physically, their personalities are disparate. |
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Dissemble |
to present a false appearance; to disguise one's real intentions or character |
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Dissonance |
a harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds |
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Dogma |
a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief |
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Dogmatic |
dictorial in one's opinions |
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Dupe |
to deceive; a person who is easily deceived |
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Eclectic |
selecting from or made up from a variety of sources |
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Efficacy |
Effectiveness |
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Elegy |
a sorrowful poem or speech |
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Eloquent |
persuasive and moving, especially in speech |
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Emulate |
to copy, to try to equal or excel |
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Enervate |
to reduce in strength |
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Engender |
to produce, cause, or bring about |
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Enigma |
a puzzle, a myster |
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Enumerate |
to count, list, itemize |
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Ephemeral |
lasting a short time |
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Equivocate |
to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead |
When faced with criticism of her policies, the politician equivocated and left all parties thinking she agreed with them. |
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Erratic |
wandering and unpredictable |
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Erudite |
learned, scholarly, bookish |
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Esoteric |
known or understood by only a few |
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Estimable |
admirable |
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Eulogy |
speech in praise of someone |
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Euphemism |
use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one |
The funeral director preferred to use the euphemism sleeping instead of the word dead. |
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Exacerbate |
to make worse |
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Exculpate |
to clear from blame; prove innocent |
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Exigent |
urgent; requiring immediate action |
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Exonerate |
to clear of blame |
The fugitive was exonerated when another criminal confessed to comitting the crime. |
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Explicit |
clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression |
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Fanatical |
acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion |
The stormtroopers were fanatical in their devotion to the emperor, readily sacificing their lives for him. |
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Fawn |
to grovel |
The understudy fawned over the director in hopes of being cast in the part on a permanent basis. |
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Fervid |
intensely emotional; feverish |
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Florid |
excessively decorated or embellished |
The palace had been decorated in a florid style; every surface was carved or gilded. |
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Foment |
to arouse or incite |
The protesters tried to foment against the war through their speeches and demonstrations. |
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Frugality |
a tendency to be thrifty or cheap |
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Garrulous |
tending to talk a lot |
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Gregarious |
outgoing, sociable |
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Guile |
deceit or trickery |
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Gullible |
easily deceived |
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Homogenous |
of a similar kind |
The class was fairly homogenous, since almost all of the students were senior journalism majors. |
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Iconoclast |
one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions |
His lack of regard for traditional beliefs soon established him as an iconoclast. |
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Imperturbable |
not capable of being disturbed |
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Impervious |
impossible to penetratel incapable of being affected |
A good raincoat will be impervious to moisture. |
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Impetuous |
quick to act without thinking |
It is not good for an investment broker to be impetuous, since much thought should be given to all the possible options. |
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Inchoate |
not fully formed; disorganized |
The ideas expressed in Nietzsche's mature work also appear in an inchoate form in his earlies writing. |
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Ingenous |
showing innocence or childlike simplicity |
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Inimical |
hostile, unfriendly |
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Innocuous |
harmless |
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Insipid |
lacking interest or flavor |
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Intransigent |
uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled |
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Inundate |
to overwhelm; to cover with water |
The tidal wave inundated Atlantis, which was lost beneath the water. |
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Irasible |
easily made angry |
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Laconic |
using few words |
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Lament |
to express sorrow; to grieve |
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Laud |
to give praise; to glorify |
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Lavish |
to give unsparingly (v);
extremely generous or extravagant (adj) |
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Lethargic |
acting in an indifferent or slow, sluggish manner |
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Loquacious |
talkative |
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Lucid |
clear and easily understood |
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Luminous |
bright, brilliant, glowing |
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Malinger |
to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill |
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Malleable |
capable of being shaped |
Gold is the most malleable of precious metals; it can easily be formed into almost any shape. |
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Metaphor |
a figure of speech comparing two different things; a symbol |
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Meticulous |
extremely carefuk about details |
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Misanthrope |
a person who dislikes others |
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Mitigate |
to soften, to lessen |
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Mollify |
to calm or make less severe |
Their argument was so intense that it was difficult to believe any compromise would mollify them. |
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Monotony |
lack of variation |
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Naive |
lacking sophistication or experience |
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Obdurate |
hardned in feeling; resistant to persuasion |
The president was completely obdurate on the issue, and no amount of persuasion would change his mind. |
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Obsequious |
overly submissive and eager to please |
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Obstinate |
stubborn, unyielding |
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Obviate |
to prevent, to make unnecessary |
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Occlude |
to stop on; prevent the passage of |
A shadow is thrown across the earth's surface during a solar eclipse, when the light from the sun occluded by the moon. |
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Onerous |
troublesome and oppressive; burdensome |
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Opaque |
impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light |
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Opprobrium |
public disgrace |
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Ostentatious |
excessive showiness |
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Paradox |
a contradiction or dilemma |
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Paragon |
model of excellence or perfection |
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Pedant |
someone who shows off learning |
The graduate instructor's tedious and excessive commentary on the subject soon gained her a reputation as a pedant. |
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Perfidious |
willing to betray one's trust |
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Perfunctory |
done in routine way; indifferent |
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Permeate |
to penetrate |
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Philanthropy |
charity; a desire or effort to promote goodness |
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Placate |
to soothe or pacify |
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Plastic |
able to be molded, altered, or bent |
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Plethora |
excess |
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Pragmatic |
practical as opposed to idealist |
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Precipitate |
to throw violently or bring about abruptly; lacking deliberation |
Upon learning that the couple married after knowing eachother only two months, friends and family members expected such a precipitate marriage to end in divorce. |
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Prevaricate |
to lie or deviate from the truth |
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Pristine |
fresh and clean; uncorrupted |
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Prodigal |
lavish, wasteful |
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Proliferate |
to increase in number quickly |
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Propitiate |
to coniliate; to appease |
The management propitiated the irate union by agreeing to raise wages for its members. |
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Propriety |
correct behavior; obedience to rules and customs |
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Prudence |
wisdom, caution, or restraint |
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Pungent |
sharp and irritating to the senses |
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Quiescent |
motionless |
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Rarefy |
to make thinner or sparser |
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Repudiate |
to reject the validity of |
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Reticent |
silent, reserved |
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Rhetoric |
effective writing or speaking |
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Satiate |
to satisfy fully or overindulge |
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Soporific |
causing sleep or lethargy |
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Specious |
deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallactious |
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Stigma |
a mark of shame or discredit |
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Stolid |
unemotional; lacking sensitivity |
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Sublime |
lofty or grand |
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Tacit |
done without using words |
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Taciturn |
silent, not talkative |
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Tirade |
long, harsh speech or verbal attack |
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Torpor |
extreme mental and physical sluggishness |
After surgery, the patient experienced torpor until the anesthesia wore off. |
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Transitory |
Temporary, lasting a brief time |
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Vacillate |
to sway physically; to be indecisive |
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Venerate |
to repect deeply |
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Veracity |
filled with truth and accuracy |
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Verbose |
wordy |
The professor's answer was so verbose that his student forgot what the original question had been. |
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Vex |
to annoy |
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Volatile |
easily aroused or changeable; lively or explosive |
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Waver |
to fluctuate between choices |
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Whimsical |
acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredictable |
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Hackneyed |
lacking significance through having been overused; unoriginal and trite |
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Adhere |
to give support or maintain loyalty
to stick to a surface |
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Elucidate |
make something clear; explain |
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Stifle |
retrain (a reaction) or stop oneself acting on (an emotion)
to suffocate |
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Derivative |
something that is based on another source |
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Asiduous |
showing great care and perseverance |
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Censure |
express severe disapproval of, typically in a formal statement |
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Insinuate |
suggest or hint (something bad or reprehensible) in an indirect and unpleasant way |
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Cursory |
hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed |
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Nebulous |
(of a concept or idea) unclear, vague, or ill-defined |
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Heedless |
showing a reckless lack of care or attention |
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Ancillary |
providing necessary support to the primary activities or operation of an organization, institution, industry, or system |
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Deprecate |
express disapproval of |
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Harangue |
lengthy and aggressive in speech
lecture someone |
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