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123 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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Abjure
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(verb) to renounce, repudiate, or retract, especially with formal solemnity; recant
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"For nearly 21 years after his resignation as Prime Minister in 1963, he abjured all titles, preferring to remain just plain 'Mr.'" (Time).
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Abhorrent
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(adjective) disgusting, loathsome, or repellent
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"The obscene massacre at Wounded Knee was an abhorrent deed that will live on in infamy."
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Adamant
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(adjective) utterly unyielding in attitude or opinion in spite of all appeals, urgings
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"He's as stubborn as an ox! He is adamant in his refusal to change his mind!"
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Aesthetic
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(adjective) artistic; pertaining to a sense of what is beautiful
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"The beautiful illustrations made the book an aesthetic success."
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Alleviate
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(verb) to make easier to endure; to relieve; to diminish
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"I took Aleve to alleviate my horrible headache!"
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Anarchy
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(noun) a state of society without government or law
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"The death of the King was followed by a year of anarchy."
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Anomaly
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(noun) deviation from the normal or common order or form or rule; an unusual person
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"With his quiet nature, he was an anomaly in his exuberant family."
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Anticipate
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(verb) to realize beforehand; foretaste or foresee; to expect; look forward to; be sure of
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"Anticipating rain, he decided to wear his raincoat and bring an umbrella in his backpack."
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Appease
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(verb) soothe; placate; to pacify or attempt to pacify by granting concessions
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"She appeased the crying child by giving him his favorite toy."
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Approbation
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(noun) approval; commendation
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"After listening to his eloquent, moving speech, the audience thunderously applauded the speaker in approbation."
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Arcane
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(adjective) known or understood by very few; mysterious; secret; obscure; esoteric
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"She knew a lot about Sanskrit grammar, string theory, dowsing rods, and other arcane matters."
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Archive
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(verb) to place or store in an archive
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"The city's historic documents were archived in the public library for future reference."
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Assiduous
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(adjective) marked by care and persistent effort; devoted; attentive; unremitting
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"The assiduous student carefully answered all the questions on the SAT before going back and checking his answers."
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Austere
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(adjective) stern in manner or appearance; strict in morals
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"The austere man never smiled or did anything fun."
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Authoritarian
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(noun) a person who supports the principles of subjection to authority
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"The authoritarian boss managed his workers's daily schedules and made them all work overtime."
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Belie
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(verb) to show to be false; contradict; to misrepresent
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"His trembling hands belied his calm voice."
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Benign
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(adjective) showing gentleness and mildness; of a kind and gentle disposition; having little or no detrimental effect; harmless
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"The kind woman gave a benign smile to her grandchildren."
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Benevolent
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(adjective) characterized by or expressing goodwill or kindly feelings
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"The benevolent girl volunteered at a local charity because she wanted to help others."
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Cajole
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(verb) to persuade by pleasant words of false promises
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"I am not about to cajole or flatter you into a reception of my views." --F. W. Robertson.
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Capitalize
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(verb) to take advantage of; turn something to one's advantage
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"As any successful entrepreneur knows, it's important to capitalize on your opportunities."
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Capricious
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(adjective) changeable, fickle
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"He's such a capricious boss I never know how he'll react!"
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Chauvinist
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(noun) zealous and aggressive patriotism or blind enthusiasm for military glory
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"The chauvinist aggressively belittled all the foreign exchange students, believing in the superiority of his own country."
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Chronicle
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(verb) to recount, relate, narrate, report
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"The strike was chronicled in the San Francisco Chronicle the next day."
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Clement
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(adjective) inclined to be lenient or merciful; mild; good
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"A clement judge reduced his sentence."
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Cogent
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(adjective) clear; logical; well-thought-out; persuasive
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"His cogent argument persuaded the skeptical audience to accept his viewpoint."
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Colloquial
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(adjective) conversational; used in informal speech or writing
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Condescending
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(adjective) to deal with people in a patronizingly superior manner
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Connoisseur
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(noun) a person with expert knowledge or training, especially in the fine arts
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Console
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(verb) to alleviate or lessen the grief, sorrow, or disappointment of; give solace or comfort
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Constituent
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(noun) a resident of a district or member of a group represented by an elected official; a component
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Contempt
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(noun) the feeling with which a person regards anything considered mean, vile, or worthless; disdain; scorn
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Contrary
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(adjective) opposite in nature or character; diametrically or mutually opposed
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Contrive
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(verb) to plan with ingenuity; devise; invent
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Conviction
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(noun) a fixed or firm belief
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Convolute
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(verb) to coil up; form into a twisted shape
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Corroborate
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(verb) to testify in agreement; to strengthen or support with other evidence; make more certain
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Cynical
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(adjective) believing the worst of human nature and motives; negative or pessimistic; jaded and skeptical
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Definitive
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(adjective) most reliable or complete, as of a text, author, criticism, study or the like
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Deliberate
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(adjective) carefully weighed or considered; studied; intentional
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Derivative
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(adjective) copied or adapted from others
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Derogatory
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(adjective) tending to lower in estimation; degrading
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Devious
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(adjective) not straightforward; lying
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Diffident
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(adjective) lacking confidence in one's own ability, worth, or fitness; timid; shy
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Disavow
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(verb) to disclaim knowledge of, connection with, or responsiblity for; disown; repudiate
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Disclose
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(verb) to make known; reveal or uncover
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Disparate
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(adjective) fundamentally distinct or different in kind; entirely dissimilar
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Distort
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(verb) to twist awry or out of shape; make crooked or deformed
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Dovish
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(noun) an innocent, gentle, or tender person
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Eccentric
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(adjective) deviating from the recognized or customary character, practice, etc.; irregular; erratic; peculiar; odd
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Enfranchise
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(verb) to grant a franchise to; admit citizenship, especially to the right of voting
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Eradicate
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(verb) to remove or destroy utterly; extirpate
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Erosion
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(noun) the process by which the surface of the earth is worn away by the action of water, glaciers, winds, waves, etc.
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Eschew
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(verb) to abstain or keep away from; shun; avoid
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Euphonious
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(adjective) pleasant in sound; agreeable to the ear; characterized by euphony
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Exceptional
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(adjective)forming an exception or rare instance; unusual; extraordinary
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Exclusive
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(adjecctive) not admitting of something else; incompatible
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Exemplary
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(adjective) worthy of imitation; commendable; serving as an illustration or model; typical
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Expropriated
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(adjective) taken out of the possession of another and transferred to you own use often without permission
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Extol
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(verb) to praise highly
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Facile
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(adjective) moving, acting, working, proceeding, etc., with ease, sometimes with superficiality
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Fortuitous
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(adjective) having no cause or apparent cause; happening by accident; lucky
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Frugal
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(adjective) not wasteful or lavish; wise in the expenditure or application of materials, time or money; economical; saving
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Futile
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(adjective) incapable of producing any result; ineffective; useless; not successful
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Gait
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(noun)a manner of walking, stepping, or running
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Garb
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(noun) a fashion or mode of dress, especially of a distinctive, uniform kind
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Garrulous
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(adjective) given to excessive and often trivial or rambling talk; tiresomely talkative
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Grandiose
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(adjective) characterized by greatness of scope or intent; characterized by feigned or affected grandeur; pompous
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Harry
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(verb) to harness, annoy, or prove a nuisance to, by, or as if by repeated attacks; worry
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Herald
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(verb) to give news or tidings of; announce; proclaim
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Heretic
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(noun) a professed believer who maintains religious opinions contrary to those accepted by his or her church or rejects doctrines presented by that church
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Impetuous
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(adjective)characterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation; heedless; hasty
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Inarticulate
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(adjective) lacking the ability to express oneself, especially in clear and effective speech
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Incomparable
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(adjective) beyond comparison; matchless or unequaled
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Incongruous
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(verb) out of keeping or place; inappropriate; unbecoming
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Innocuous
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(adjective) not harmful or injurious; harmless
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Inquisitive
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(adjective) given to inquiry, research, or asking questions; eager for knowledge; intellectually curious
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Inveterate
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(adjective) settled or confirmed in a habit, practice, feeling, or the like
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Marred
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(adjective) injured; spoiled; damaged; disfigured
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Mercenary
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(adjective) working or acting merely for money or other reward; venal
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Minuscule
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(adjective) very small
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Miserly
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(adjective) of, like, or befitting a miser; penurious; stingy; niggardly
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Munificent
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(adjective) extremely liberal in giving; very generous
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Nebulous
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(adjective) hazy, vague, indistinct, or confused
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Nonchalant
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(adjective) cooly unconcerned or indifferent
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Notorious
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(adjective) widely and unfavorably known
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Obligatory
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(adjective) required as a matter of obligation; mandatory
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Obscure
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(adjective) not clear or plain; ambiguous, vague, or uncertain
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Obsequious
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(adjective) servilely attentive; compliant to excess; cringing; fawning
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Ominous
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(adjective) threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments; portentous
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Omit
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(verb) to leave out; fail to include or mention
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Partisan
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(adjective) showing a strong support for a party or cause
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Pejorative
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(adjective) having a disparaging, derogatory, or belittling effect or force
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Perfidy
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(noun) treachery; betrayal of trust
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Pillory
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(verb) to expose to public derision, ridicule, or abuse
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Placate
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(verb) appease; pacify; calm
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Plebeian
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(adjective) belonging or pertaining to the common people
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Pompous
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(adjective) self-important, stately, magnificent; excessively ornate
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Pragmatic
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(adjective) practical
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Profound
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(adjective) penetrating or entering deeply into subjects of thought or knowledge; having deep insight or understanding
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Prominent
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(adjective) standing out so as to be seen easily; conspicuous; particularly noticeable; leading, important, or well-known
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Prosaic
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(adjective) dull; uninteresting; commonplace; unimaginative
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Rancor
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(noun) bitter, long-lasting resentment; deep-seated ill will; enmity
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Reluctant
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(adjective) unwilling; disinclined
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Resolute
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(adjective) firm or determined; unwavering; bold; resolved
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Reticent
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(adjective) disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved
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Reverence
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(noun) a feeling of profound awe and respect and often love; veneration
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Risqu/e
(/e = accent mark above "e") |
(adjective) daringly close to indelicacy or impropriety; off-color
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Speculative
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(adjective) pertaining to, of the nature of, or characterized by speculation, contemplation, conjeccture, or abstract reasoning
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Sporadic
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(adjective) appearing or happening at irregular intervals in time; occasional
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Stoic
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(adjective) seemingly indifferent to or unaffeccted by pleasure or pain; impassive
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Succinct
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(adjective) expressed in few words; concise; terse
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Superfluous
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(adjective) beyond what is required or sufficient; extra
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Surreptitious
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(adjective) sly; stealthy; done in a quiet or secret way
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Taciturn
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(adjective) habitually untalkative; laconic; uncommunicative
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Therapeutic
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(adjective) of or pertaining to the treating or curing of disease; curative
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Trivialize
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(verb) to make trivial; cause to appear unimportant, trifling, etc.
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Tyrant
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(noun) a sovereign or other ruler who uses power oppressively or unjustly
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Utility
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(noun) the state or quality of being useful; usefulness
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Utopian
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(adjective)excellent or ideal but impracticable; visionary
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Vociferous
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(adjective) crying out noisily; clamorous
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Voluble
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(adjective) fluent in speech--especially in the derogatory sense of someone who talks too much or too fast
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Wary
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(adjective) watchful; being on one's guard against danger
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Woeful
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(adjective) full of woe; wretched; unhappy
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