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20 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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curmudgeon
cur·mudg·eon |
cranky person.
The old man was a notorious curmudgeon who snapped at anyone who disturbed him for any reason. |
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despondent
de·spon·dent |
feeling discouraged and dejected.
SYNONYMS: despondent, despairing, forlorn, hopeless. ANTONYM: hopeful Mr. Baker was lonely and despondent after his wife's death. |
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abase
a·base |
to humble; disgrace.
SYNONYM: degrade After his immature behavior, John was abased in my eyes. |
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apotheosis
a·poth·e·o·sis |
glorification; an exalted or glorified example.
In her heyday, many people considered Jackie Kennedy to be the apotheosis of stylishness. |
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belligerent
bel·lig·er·ent |
hostile, tending to fight.
SYNONYM: quarrelsome The bartender reazlied it would be fruitless to try to subdue the belligerent drunk by himself. |
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cavalier
cav·a·lier |
carefree, happy; with lordly disdain.
The nobleman's cavalier attitude towards the suffering of the peasants made them hate him. |
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divisive
di·vi·sive |
creating disunity or conflict.
The leader used divisive tactics to pit his enemies against each other. |
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ensconce
en·sconce |
to settle comfortably into a place.
Wayne sold the big, old family house and ensconced his aged mother in a cozy little cottage. |
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fastidious
fas·tid·i·ous |
careful with details.
SYNONYM: meticulous. Brett was normally so fastidious that Rachel was astonished to find his desk littered with clutter. |
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gratis
grat·is |
free, costing nothing, without charge.
The college students swarmed around the gratis buffet in the lobby. |
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inchoate
in·cho·ate |
imperfectly formed or developed.
As her thoughts on the subject were still in inchoate form, Amy could not explain what she meant. |
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invidious
in·vid·i·ous |
envious, obnoxious,tending to rouse ill will, discriminatory.
It is cruel and invidious for parents to play favorites with their children. |
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mercurial
mer·cu·ri·al |
quick, shrewd, and unpredictable.
Her mercurial personality made it difficult to guess how she would react to the bad news. |
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officious
of·fi·cious |
too helpful, meddlesome.
THe officious waiter butted into the couple's conversation, advising them on how to take out a mortgage. |
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perfunctory
per·func·to·ry |
done in a routine way with little interest or care; indifferent.
The machinelike bank teller processed the transaction and gave the waiting customer a perfunctory smile. |
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profligate
prof·li·gate |
corrupt, degenerate.
Some historians claim that it was the Romans' decadent, profligate behavior that led to the decline of the Roman empire. |
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retinue
ret·i·nue |
group of attendants with an important person.
The nobleman had to make room in his mansion not only for the princess, but also for her entire retinue. |
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sophistry
soph·is·try |
deceptive reasoning or argumentation.
The politician used sophistry to cloud the issue whenever he was asked a tough question in a debate. |
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turpitude
tur·pi·tude |
inherent vileness, foulness, depravity.
The priest's affair with the teeange parishioner was considered an act of utter turpitude. |
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whet
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to sharpen, stimulate.
The delicious odors wafting from the kitchen whet Jack's appetite, and he couldn't wait to eat. |
