My Vocab

Front 1

callous ,cal·lous

Back 1

adj
Definition: cruel, insensitive
Antonyms: compassionate, feeling, kind, nice, sensitive, sympathetic, tender

Front 2

Refulgent,re-ful-gent

Back 2

adjective :: Casting a bright light; radiant; brilliant; resplendent; shining; splendid.

"The refulgent rays transformed the interior of the soiled and squalid canvas to the splendor of a palace in the eyes of the dreaming man." --Burroughs, Edgar Rice

Front 3

complement(verb)

Back 3

complete; consummate; make perfect/cynical (adjective)skeptical or distrustful of human motives

Examples of cynical
cynical at all times, he was suspicious of all altruistic actions of others.
The waiter recommended a glass of port to complement the cheese.

Front 4

diadem (noun)

Back 4

crown/
The king's diadem was on display at the museum.

Front 5

sap (verb)

Back 5

diminish; undermine/
Ten years of war had sapped the country's strength.

Front 6

avid (adjective)

Back 6

greedy; eager for/
He was avid for learning and read everything he could get.

Front 7

rubble (noun)

Back 7

fragments/
Ten years after World War II, some of the rubble left by enemy bombings could still be seen.

Front 8

anachronism (noun)

Back 8

something or someone misplaced in time/
Shakespeare's reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is an anachronism; no clocks existed in Caesar's time.

Front 9

granulate (verb)

Back 9

form into grains/
Sugar that has been granulated dissolves more readily than lump sugar.

Front 10

glossy (adjective)

Back 10

smooth and shining/
I want this photograph printed on glossy paper, not matte.

Front 11

paraphernalia (noun)

Back 11

equipment; odds and ends/
His desk was cluttered with paper, pen, ink, dictionary and other paraphernalia of the writing craft.

Front 12

cynical (adjective)

Back 12

skeptical or distrustful of human motives/
cynical at all times, he was suspicious of all altruistic actions of others.

Front 13

giddy (adjective)

Back 13

light-hearted; dizzy/
He felt his giddy youth was past.

Front 14

orthodox (adjective)

Back 14

traditional; conservative in belief/
Faced with a problem, he preferred to take an orthodox approach rather than shock anyone.

Front 15

prophetic (adjective)

Back 15

having to do with predicting the future/
In interpreting Pharaoh's prophetic dream, Joseph said that the seven fat cows eaten by the seven lean cows represented seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine.

Front 16

toady (noun)

Back 16

servile flatterer; yesman/diaphanous (adjective)
Never tell the boss anything he doesn't wish to hear: he doesn't want an independent adviser, he just wants a toady.

Front 17

diaphanous (adjective)

Back 17

sheer; transparent/
They saw the burglar clearly through the diaphanous curtain.

Front 18

analgesic (adjective)

Back 18

causing insensitivity to pain/
The analgesic qualities of his lotion will provide temporary relief.

Front 19

deleterious (adjective)

Back 19

harmful/
Workers in nuclear research must avoid the deleterious effects of radioactive substances.