Pcat Vocab

Front 1

Repudiate

Back 1

(v.) refuse to accept or be associated with

Front 2

Sanguine

Back 2

(adj.) optimistic or positive, esp. in an apparently bad or difficult situation
(n.) blood-red colour

Front 3

Antipathy

Back 3

(n.) deep-seated feeling of dislike or aversion

Greek origin: anti = against; pathos = feeling

Front 4

Veneration

Back 4

(n.) great respect or reverence

Front 5

Licentious

Back 5

(adj.) promiscuous and unprincipled in sexual matters

Latin root: licentia 'freedom'

Front 6

Idolatrous

Back 6

(adj.) worshiping idols or treating someone/something as an idol

Front 7

Tepid

Back 7

(adj.)
1-only slightly warm; lukewarm esp. of a liquid
2-showing little enthusiasm

Latin root: tepere 'be warm'

Front 8

Miser

Back 8

(n.) a person who hoards wealth and spends as little money as possible

Front 9

Nebulous

Back 9

(adj.) in form of cloud/haze or in concept of idea, unclear, vague, or ill-defined

Front 10

Exculpate

Back 10

(v.) show or declare someone that is not guilty of wrongdoing

Latin root: culpa 'blame'

Front 11

Churl

Back 11

(n.) an impolite or mean-spirited person

Front 12

Contentious

Back 12

(adj.) causing or likely to cause an argument; controversial

Front 13

Exorbitant

Back 13

(adj.) unreasonably high price or amount charged

Front 14

Cursory

Back 14

(adj.) hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed

Front 15

Sumptuous

Back 15

(adj.) splendid and expensive-looking

Latin root: sumptus 'expenditure'

Front 16

Allay

Back 16

(v.) diminish or put at rest (fear, suspicion, worry); or relieve or alleviate (pain or hunger)

Front 17

Obfuscation

Back 17

(v.) render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible

Latin root: obfuscare 'dark'

Front 18

Belied

Back 18

(v.)
1-(of an appearance) fail to give a true notion or impression of
2-fail to fulfill or justify (a claim or expectation); betray

Front 19

Rescind

Back 19

(v.) revoke, cancel, or repeal (law, order, or agreement)

Latin root: scindere 'to divide, split'

Front 20

Legardemain

Back 20

French for "light of hand"

Associated with magic

Front 21

Misanthrope

Back 21

(n.) hater of humankind

Front 22

Xenophobe

Back 22

(n.) person who fears or hates foreigners, strange customs, etc.

Front 23

Proponent

Back 23

(n.)
1-person who puts forward a proposition or proposal
2-person who argues in favor of something

Front 24

Emendation

Back 24

(n.) a correction or change, as of a text

Front 25

Recantation

Back 25

(n.) a statement that one no longer holds a particular opinion or belief; a retraction

Front 26

Epigram

Back 26

(n.) a concise saying that is interesting, memorable, sometimes surprising or satirical

Front 27

Platitude

Back 27

(n.) a remark or statement, esp. one with a moral content, that has been used too often to be interesting or thoughtful

French origin: plat 'flat'

Front 28

Trite

Back 28

(adj.) overused and consequently of little import; lacking originality or freshness

Front 29

Mendacious

Back 29

(adj.) not telling the truth; lying

Latin root: mendac- 'lying'

Front 30

Intransigent

Back 30

(adj.) unwilling or refusing to change one's views or to agree about something

Latin root: transigere 'come to an understanding'

Front 31

Restive

Back 31

(adj.) unable to keep still or silent and becoming increasingly difficult to control, esp. because of impatience, dissatisfaction, or boredom

Front 32

Gerund

Back 32

(n.) a form that is derived from a verb but that functions as a noun ('-ing' suffix)

Front 33

Reprisal

Back 33

(n.) an act of retaliation

Front 34

Feckless

Back 34

(adj.) lacking initiative or strength of character; irresponsible

Front 35

Dilettante

Back 35

(n.) a person who cultivates an area of interest, such as the arts, without real commitment or knowledge

Italian root: dilettare 'person loving the arts'

Front 36

Neophyte

Back 36

(n.) a person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief

Front 37

Dissent

Back 37

(v.) hold or express opinions that are at variance with those previously, commonly, or officially expressed

Latin root: dissentire 'differ in sentiment'

Front 38

Pariah

Back 38

(n.) an outcast

Front 39

Acclaim

Back 39

(v.) praise enthusiastically and publicly

Latin root: acclamare 'to express approval'

Front 40

Temerity

Back 40

(n). excessive confidence or boldness; audacity

Front 41

Effrontery

Back 41

(n.) insolent or impertinent behavior

Latin root: effrons 'shameless, barefaced'

Front 42

Equivocal

Back 42

(adj.) open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous

Front 43

Sere

Back 43

(adj.) dry or withered

Front 44

Pundit

Back 44

(n.) an expert in a particular subject or field who is frequently called on to give opinions about it to the public

Sanskrit origin: pandita 'learned'

Front 45

Fallow

Back 45

(adj.) plowed and harrowed but left unsown for a period in order to restore its fertility as part of a crop rotation or to avoid surplus production

Front 46

Slake

Back 46

(v.) quench or satisfy (one's thirst)

Front 47

Vapid

Back 47

(adj.) offering nothing that is stimulating or challenging

Front 48

Amorphous

Back 48

(adj.) without a clearly defined shape or form

Front 49

Catenary

Back 49

(n.) a curve formed by a wire, rope, or chain hanging freely from two points that are not in the same vertical line

Front 50

Abstemious

Back 50

(adj.) not self-indulgent, esp. when eating and drinking

Front 51

Profligate

Back 51

(adj.) recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources

Front 52

Benighted

Back 52

(adj.)
1-in a state of pitiful or contemptible intellectual or moral ignorance, typically owing to a lack of opportunity
2-overtaken by darkness

Front 53

Encomium

Back 53

(n.) a speech or piece of writing that praises something or someone highly

Front 54

Assiduous

Back 54

(adj.) showing great care and perseverance

Front 55

Insouciant

Back 55

(adj.) showing a casual lack of concern; indifferent

Front 56

Timorousness

Back 56

(adj.) showing or suffering from nervousness, fear, or a lack of confidence

Latin root: timor 'fear'

Front 57

Iconoclast

Back 57

(n.)
1-a person who attacks cherished belifs or institutions
2-a destroyer or images used in religious worship

Front 58

Impeach

Back 58

(v.)
1-call into question the integrity or validity of (a practice)
2-charge (the holder of a public office) with misconduct

Front 59

Overture

Back 59

(n.) an introduction to something more substantial; an approach or proposal made to someone with the aim of opening negotiations or establishing a relationship

Front 60

Taciturn

Back 60

(adj.) reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little

Front 61

Acrimony

Back 61

(n.) bitterness or ill feeling

Front 62

Philanthropic

Back 62

(adj.) seeking to promote the welfare of others, esp. by donating money to good causes; generous and benevolent

Front 63

Chauvinistic

Back 63

(adj.) feeling or displaying aggressive or exaggerated patriotism

Front 64

Transitory

Back 64

(adj.) not permanent

Front 65

Circumspect

Back 65

(adj.) wary and unwilling to take risks

Latin root: 'circumspicere' look around

Front 66

Banality

Back 66

(n.) the fact or condition of being unoriginal

Front 67

Jocular

Back 67

(adj.) humorous or playful; joking

Front 68

Querulous

Back 68

(adj.) complaining in a petulant or whining manner

Front 69

Truculent

Back 69

(adj.) eager or quick to argue or fight

Front 70

Laudatory

Back 70

(adj.) expressing praise and commendation of speech or writing

Front 71

Remonstrate

Back 71

(v.) make a forcefully reproachful protest

Front 72

Pejorative

Back 72

(adj.) expressing contempt or disapproval

Front 73

Estimable

Back 73

(adj.) worthy of great respect

Front 74

Puritanical

Back 74

(adj.) practicing or affecting strict religious or moral behavior (often derogatory)

Front 75

Guile

Back 75

(n.) sly or cunning

Front 76

Awl

Back 76

(n.) tool for piercing holes

Front 77

Cavil

Back 77

(v.) make petty or unnecessary objections

Front 78

Intractable

Back 78

(adj.) hard to control or deal with

Front 79

Torpor

Back 79

(n.) laziness, whether physical or mental

Front 80

Capitulate

Back 80

(v.) surrender

Front 81

Augur

Back 81

(v.) sign of good or bad outcome

Front 82

Garrulous

Back 82

(adj.) excessively talkative

Front 83

Intrepid

Back 83

(adj.) fearless; adventurous