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73 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Remunerative
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When something is remunerative, it means people get paid for it. Your job is remunerative, and if your research into new farming methods leads to a big government contract, then that also could be called remunerative.
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Reticent
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ADJ) reluctant to draw attention to yourself
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Sartorial
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If it's the day before a big event and you have no idea what to wear and nothing in your closet is going to cut it, you are facing a sartorial dilemma — one that pertains to clothing, fashion or dressing.
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Resilient
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When something is strong and able to recover from damage quickly, call it resilient. If you're rough on your toys, the ones that don't break are resilient.
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Refute
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The verb refute is to prove that something is wrong. When the kids you're babysitting swear they brushed their teeth, you can refute their claim by presenting the dry toothbrushes.
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Specious
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Use specious to describe an argument that seems to be good, correct, or logical, but is not so. We live on the earth, therefore the earth must be the center of the universe has been proven to be a specious theory of the solar system.
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Protracted
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Anything protracted is lasting longer than you would like. A speech that seems to go on forever is protracted. If an employer and a union can't reach an agreement, there could be a protracted strike.
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Recumbent
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ADJ) lying down; in a position of comfort or rest
Your position when you lay back on lounge chair at the pool? Also recumbent |
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Elicit
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Teachers try to elicit responses from students. If a friend smiles at you, it will probably elicit a smile of your own. In court, a lawyer might try to elicit mistakes and inconsistencies in the testimony of a witness. In all cases, whatever is elicited is some kind of response.
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Prodigious
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Prodigious is a word for things that are impressive. If you have prodigious strength, you're very strong. This is a strong word that's also kind of formal. Save it for things that really blow you away because of their quality or quantity.
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Ambient
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Ambient describes some pervasive quality of the surrounding environment, like the ambient lighting in a movie theater, or the ambient temperature of a room. Most times when you’re hearing silence, you’re hearing some ambient noises too.
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Desultory
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If you lack a definite plan or purpose and flit from one thing to another, your actions are desultory. Some people call such desultory wanderings spontaneous. Others call it "being lost."
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Moribund
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Something that is moribund is almost dead, like the moribund plant you didn't water for months, or so without change or growth that it seems dead, like a moribund town that seems trapped in the 1950s
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Reclusive
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reclusive describes a person who is withdrawn from society or seeks solitude, like a hermit. Grocery shopping late at night is a reclusive habit, because few people are in the store then.
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Jettison
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verb) Jettison means to push to the side or toss away.
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Berate
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When you berate someone it is more than just raising your voice at them; it implies putting them down by insulting their character."When the young man behind the counter dropped the scoop of vanilla, the manager berated him excessively by declaring him worthless and weak."
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Obliterate
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it means to erase or destroy completely so that there is nothing left. While you can still obliterate text, you can also obliterate hope, an opponent, or all traces of your presence. Whatever you obliterate is completely gone
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Imperturbable
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If you're imperturbable you are not easily upset. If your goal is to be imperturbable, then you can't let things bother you or get you stressed, confused, or angry.
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Mitigate
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Choose the verb, mitigate, when something lessens the unpleasantness of a situation. You can mitigate your parents' anger by telling them you were late to dinner because you were helping your elderly neighbor.
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Vapid
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ADJ) lacking significance or liveliness or spirit. The word was originally used in English in a much more literal sense, describing beverages that lacked flavor.
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Stringent
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ADJ) Strict and rigorous
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Blatant
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demanding strict attention to rules and procedures
That teacher's demands are stringent — she wants the homework typed in her favorite font, on special paper, and each essay must be exactly 45 lines! |
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Parsimonious
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A parsimonious person is unwilling to spend a lot of money. You know those people who count up every penny when it's time to split a restaurant bill? You can call them parsimonious. Or cheap.
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Contentious
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Contentious issues get people angry and in a fighting mood. On the other hand, some people always seem to be in a fighting mood, no matter what the issue is. People like that are contentious too
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Mute
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Mute means “silent.” No matter how much you talk to your houseplants, they’ll never talk back; they'll remain mute.
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Muse
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As a verb, to muse is to consider something thoughtfully. As a noun, it means a person — especially a woman — who is a source of artistic inspiration.
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Cosset
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VERB) Care for and protect in an overindulgent way
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Reprobate
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There's no way around it, a reprobate is a bad egg. The black sheep of the family, missing a moral compass — a reprobate's been called everything from a deviant to an evildoer to a scoundrel.
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Deprave
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Use the verb deprave as a more dramatic synonym for corrupt: Some parents in the 1980s feared that heavy metal music would deprave their innocent children.
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Profligate
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Any time someone behaves in a reckless, amoral, or wasteful way, they are engaging in profligate behavior. It usually refers to financial behavior but can cross over to social activity as well. A person who is a slave to their cravings and whose behavior is unrestrained and selfish can be called a profligate
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Empthetic
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An empathetic person is someone who can share another person's feelings. If you tell an empathetic person that your heart is broken, she might touch her own heart and gaze at you sadly through moist eyes.
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Philanthropist
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A philanthropist is a person who gives money or gifts to charities, or helps needy people in other ways. Famous examples include Andrew Carnegie and Bill & Melinda Gates.
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Churlish
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ADJ) Rude in a mean-spirited and surly way.
Churlish bear ! -Shakespeare |
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Miscreant
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A miscreant is a person who is bad––who lies, breaks the law, yells at small puppies. It's a somewhat old-fashioned word, popular with old ladies shocked at having their purses stolen at the opera.
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Acerbic
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ADJ)sour or bitter in taste
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Acrimonious
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ADJ) biting, or rancorous especially in feeling, language, or manner
he went through an acrimonious divorce. |
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Garrulous
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Garrulous person just won’t stop talking (and talking, and talking, and talking...).
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Inarticulate
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Use the adjective inarticulate to describe poor communication skills, like at your most inarticulate moments when you nervously fumble to find the right word.
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Vapid
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ADJ) lacking significance or liveliness or spirit or zest
A vapid smile |
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Surly
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Surly describes behavior nobody wants to be around.
ADJ) Angry, irritating, mean... |
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Frivolous
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Frivolous things are silly or unnecessary. If something is frivolous, then you don't need it.
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Insouciant
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ADJ) someone who shows lack of concern or nonchalant
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Grasp
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To grasp it get a hold of something, literally or figuratively. Grasp the grammar textbook with both hands and then read it to grasp the rules of the English language.
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Uproar
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Noun) Turbulence, Turmoil, Noise, Chaos
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Firm
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Something that is solid can be described as firm. When you take a stick of butter out of the fridge, it's firm, and it needs to soften before you cream it with sugar. Another definition for the adjective firm is unwavering or loyal. You might be a firm supporter of your favorite baseball team
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Uphold
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When you uphold something, you stick up for or support it. Police officers are paid to uphold the law, and crazy Elvis fans uphold their belief that he's still alive out there somewhere.
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Wavering
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ADJ) Unsure, Uncertain, Undecided, Unstable.
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Steadfast
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ADJ) Someone who is firm and determined in a belief or a position can be called steadfast in that view.
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Staunch
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As an adjective, staunch means firm. You might want to go to that concert Friday night, but your parents' staunch opposition prevents you.
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Sturdy
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Describe something that is firmly constructed or strongly made as sturdy. That house you built was not sturdy at all. It blew down in the last wind storm.
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Rickety
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ADJ) inclined to shake as from weakness or defect
“a rickety table” |
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Ramshackle
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Is your house in terrible condition? Does the roof leak? Is it half tumbling down? Congratulations! It's ramshackle — in other words — in terrible condition and barely holding together.
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Putative
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You might be the putative leader of your lacrosse team, even if someone else holds the title of captain. Putative means to be known as something by reputation, or assumed to be something, or generally accepted.
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Baffled
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If you're baffled, you can't understand something. Some people are baffled by math; others are baffled by things celebrities do. Some are baffled at why anyone would care what celebrities do.
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Laconic
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Laconic is an adjective that describes a style of speaking or writing that uses only a few words, often to express complex thoughts and ideas. A more laconic way to write that last sentence might be this: laconic means brief.
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Insipid
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Some insipid is lacking in flavor or interest. You'll probably find the generic poems inside of greeting cards insipid.
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Demean
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If you noticed the word mean in demean, that's a good clue to its meaning.A teacher could demean a student by saying "You're stupid!" To demean is to insult.
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Obnoxious
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If something is obnoxious, it's annoying and unpleasant. Generally, people like to avoid obnoxious folks.
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Gall
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Gall describes something irritating, like someone very rude. If you barge into a bakery and cut in front of a sweet old lady, then you have gall.
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Redolent
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1) strongly reminiscent or suggestive of:
names redolent of history and tradition 2) literary strongly smelling of: the church was old, dark, and redolent of perfume |
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Unctuous
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Unctuous and "oily" are synonyms that both suggest that someone is trying to butter you up; they're being nice, because they're hoping you'll give them what they want.
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Baleful
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Baleful means the foreshadowing of tragic or evil events. If no one's listening in class and your teacher reprimands you with a baleful glance, expect a pop quiz.
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Circumspect
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Near synonyms are prudent and cautious, though circumspect implies a careful consideration of all circumstances and a desire to avoid mistakes and bad consequences.
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Ascertain
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Near synonyms are prudent and cautious, though circumspect implies a careful consideration of all circumstances and a desire to avoid mistakes and bad consequences.
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Delineate
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Though you pronounce it duh-LIN-ee-ate, there is a "line" in the middle of delineate. This might help you remember that to delineate is to outline and define something in detail or with an actual marking of lines and boundaries.
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Delegate
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VERB) give an assignment to (a person) to a post, or assign a task to (a person). If you don't like cleaning the bathroom, you can try to delegate that task to your little brother.
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Hypocrisy
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People who go to church but don't believe in god? People who are vegetarians on a moral basis but wear leather jackets? They are engaging in hypocrisy, or behavior that is different from what they say they believe.
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Revulsion
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Revulsion means an intense, violent, sometimes physical, dislike of something. People feel revulsion to different things. You may feel revulsion at the thought of seeing a horror movie
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Condone
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If you condone something, you allow it, approve of it, or at least can live with it. Some teachers condone chewing gum, and some don't.
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Impunity
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Without loss, punishment, or harm
>she mistakenly believed that she could insult people with impunity |
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Reprise
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Reprise means "repeat an earlier role." If you’re asked to reprise your role as "kid entertainer" at the annual family reunion, that means people want you to do it again this year
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Petulance
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Petulance is whininess and irritability. Your least favorite thing about the kids you babysit might be their petulance.
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Obstreperous
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Obstreperous means boisterous, noisy, aggressive, defiant. You’ve probably seen an obstreperous child in the grocery store, pulling away from her mother, screaming at the top of her lungs.
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