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75 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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qualify
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to modify or restrict
- Susan qualified her praise of Judith by saying her kind words applied only to her skillful cooking. |
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qualitative
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having to do with the quality of something
- The school achieved a qualitative improvement in enrollment. |
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querulous
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complaining, grumbling
- The exasperated mother finally managed to hush her querulous child. |
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quixotic
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romantic or idealistic to a foolish degree
- For many years Mr. Morris had led a quixotic effort to become a knight. |
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rancor
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bitter, long-lasting ill will or resentment
- The mutual rancor felt by the two nations eventually led to war. |
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rapacious
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greedy
- Wall Street investment bankers are often accused of being rapacious. |
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rebuke
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to criticize sharply
- We trembled as the professor rebuked us on our presentation. |
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rebut
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to contradict
- No one could rebut by argument. |
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recalcitrant
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stubbornly defiant of authority or control
- The recalcitrant dictator refused to listen to the pleas of the people. |
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recant
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to publicly take back and deny something
- The senator recanted his earlier statements. |
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reclusive
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hermitlike
- Our new neighbors were so reclusive we didn't even meet them until a year after their move. |
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recondite
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hard to understand
- The philosopher was so recondite that I couldn't get past his first sentence. |
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recrimination
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a bitter counteraccusation
- The courtroom echoed with recriminations of the convicted defendant. |
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redolent
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fragrant
- The new play was redolent of one I had seen many years ago. |
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relegate
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to banish, to send away
- Th junior executive was relegated to a tiny, windowless office. |
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relinquish
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to release or let go of, surrender
- The retiring president relinquished control of the company. |
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remonstrate
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to argue against; to protest
- The manager remonstrated against the umpire. |
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reparation
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paying back
- The defeated country demanded reparation for the destruction it had suffered at the hands of the army. |
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replete
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completely filled, abounding
- The once polluted stream was not repleted with fish of every kind. |
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reprehensible
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worthy of severe blame
- His manners were reprehensible. |
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reprisal
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a military action undertaken in revenge for another,
Fearing reprisals, the CIA beefed up its security. |
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reproach
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to scold, to blame
- The police officer reproached me for leaving me car in a "no parking" zone. |
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reprove
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to criticize mildly
- Kevin reproved me for leaving my dirty dish in the sink. |
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repudiate
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to reject, to renounce
- In court, the man repudiated his former connection with the mob. |
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resolute
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determined, firm
- The other team was strong, but our players were resolute. |
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respite
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a period of rest or relief
- We worked without respite all day. |
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reticent
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quiet, restrained. reluctant to speak
- I am reticent when giving presentations. |
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revere
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to respect highly, to honor
- We revered the company president when he visited our property. |
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rhetoric
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the art of formal speaking or writing
- The talented public speaker was skilled in rhetoric. |
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rogue
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a criminally dishonest person, a scoundrel
- My manager is a rogue. |
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rudimentary
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basic, crude
- The boy who lived with wolves for fifteen years had rudimentary social skills. |
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ruminate
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to contemplate, to ponder
- He ruminated the decision to leave his job for a new opportunity. |
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sacrilege
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a violation of something sacred, blasphemy
- Mormons believe that drinking coffee is a sacrilege. |
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sacrosanct
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sacred
- His early morning run was sacrosanct to him. |
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sagacious
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discerning, wise
- Edgar's decision to move the car into the garage was sagacious; about an hour later, it rained. |
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salient
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sticking out
- Barbara Streisand's nose is a salient feature. |
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salutary
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healthful
- Lowered blood pressure is among the salutray effects of exercise. |
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sanctimonious
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pretending to be devout
- The santimonious old man acted offended when anyone said even a mild swear word around him. |
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sanguine
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cheerful, optimistic
- Miguel was sanguine about his chances of winning the Nobel Peace Prize. |
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sardonic
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mocking, scornful
- His attempts at being funny were met by only sardonic laughter. |
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scintillate
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to sparkle
- My grades thus far are scintillating. |
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scrupulous
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strict, careful, hesitant for ethical reasons
- Leela was scrupulous in keeping her accounts in order. |
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secular
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having nothing to do with religion or spirituality
- The priest's secular interests including eating pizza and playing the trombone. |
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sedition
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treason
- The political group was charged with sedition. |
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sentient
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able to perceive by the senses.
- Many people believe that certain things in nature are sentient. |
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servile
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submissive and subservient
- Cat lovers sometimes say dogs are too servile. |
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singular
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unique, superior
- The magician has the singular ability to make objects dissapear. |
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solicitous
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eager and attentive
- Every time we turned around, we were greeted by the solicitous salesman. |
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solvent
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no broke, able to pay one's bills
- Jerry didn't want to become a millionaire, he just wanted to be solvent. |
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soporific
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sleep inducing, boring
- The professor's speeches were soporific. |
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sordid
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vile, filthy
- The frat brothers lived in a sordid apartment. |
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specious
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deceptively attractive
- The ads on craigslist are often specious. |
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spurious
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false, fake
- The political candidate lost the election after spurious rumors were started about him. |
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squalor
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filth, wretched
- The poor family lived in squalor. |
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squander
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to waste
- The little boy squandered his savings. |
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stagnation
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motionless, inactivity
- The company grew quickly at first, then fell into stagnation. |
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static
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stationary, not changing
- Sales of the new book have been static for weeks. |
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staunch
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firmly committed
- A staunch Republican only votes for Republican candidates. |
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stipulate
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to require something as part of an agreement
- The guarantee stipulated the conditions for return. |
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stoic
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indifferent to pleasure or pain
- Nina was stoic about the death of her dog. |
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stratum
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a layer or level
- The report had many stratums. |
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stricture
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a restriction or limitation
- The unfavorable lease had many strictures on how the building could be used. |
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strife
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bitter, conflict
- The couples' strife led to divorce. |
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stringent
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strict, restrictive
- The restaurant had a very stringent dress code. |
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stymie
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to twart, to get in the way
- I was stymied by my boss who took credit for all the good I did. |
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subjugate
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to subdue and dominate
- The tyrant sujugated all the peasants living in his kingdom. |
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sublime
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awesome, extremely exalted
- After winningthe lottery, my happiness was sublime. |
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subversive
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corrupting, overthrowing
- The TV was subversive to the kids' learning. |
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succinct
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brief and to the point, concise
- I am very succinct in my writing style. |
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supercilious
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haughty, patronizing
- The newly famous author was so supercilious, he pretended to not know members of his own family. |
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superfluous
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extra, unnecessary
- Most of the textbook was superfluous. |
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surfeit
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excess, an overindulgence
- Thanksgiving meals are usually a surfeit for everyone involved. |
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surreptitious
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sneaky, secret
- The baby-sitter made herself a surreptitious meal of lobster once the parents were gone. |
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sycophant
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one who sucks up to others
- The French class was full of sycophants. |
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synthesis
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the combining of parts to form a whole
- Peanutbutter and Jelly create the perfect synthesis. |
