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135 Cards in this Set
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didactic
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instructive
(the tapes were entertaining and didactic; they both amused and instructed the children) |
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effusive
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showing excessive emotion; overflowing
(Accepting his Oscar for Best Supporting Sound Editor, Ben delivered the most effusive speech in Academy Awards history: he cried, he hugged people, he blew kisses to the audience...) |
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loquacious
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very talkative
(I'm not eloquent, so I'll just come out and say it: LaKeesha is loquacious and will talk, and talk, and talk.) |
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acumen
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quickness, accuracy, and keenness of judgment
(Judge Ackerman's legal acumen was so well regarded that he was nicknamed the "Solomon of the South") |
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adroit
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dexterous; deft
(An adroit balloon-animal maker, Adrianna became popular at children's parties) |
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circumspect
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careful; prudent; discreet
(Ned's circumspect manner makes him a wise appointment to the diplomatic cops) |
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disseminate
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to scatter widely, as in sowing seed
(The news about Dave's embarrassing moment at the party disseminated quickly through the school; by the end of the day, everyone knew what had happened) |
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erudition
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deep, extensive learning
(Professor Rudy's erudition was such that she could answer any question her students put to her) |
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pedantic
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excessively concerned with book learning and formal rules
(Pedro's pedantic tendencies prompted him to remind us constantly of all grammatical rules we were breaking) |
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perspicacious
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shrewd; clear-sighted
(Persephone's perspicacious mind had solved so many cases that the popular private investigator was able to retire) |
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precocious
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exhibiting unusually early intellectual aptitude or maturity
(Bobby Fisher's precocious intellect made him one of the world's best chess players before he could even drive) |
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prolific
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very productive; producing great qualities
(Charles Harld St. John Hamilition was the world's most prolific author; it is estimated he wrote the equivalent of one thousand novels) |
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prospectus
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formal proposal
(Before writing my thesis, I had to submit a detailed prospectus to the department for approval) |
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abstruse
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difficult to understand
(Abby found her professor's lecture on non-Euclidian geometry abstruse; she doubted anyone else in class understood it either) |
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disaffected
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having lost faith or loyalty; discontent
(The disaffected cat trainer had finally quit his job when he realized you just can't train cats, no matter how much you yell at them) |
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inscrutable
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difficult to fathom or understand; impenetrable
(The ancient poet's handwriting was so inscrutable, that even the most prominent Latin scholars could not read the manuscript) |
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reticent
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inclined to keep silent; reserved
(Rosanna's reticent behavior caused the interviewer to think her incapable of conversing with other students) |
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arcane
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known or understood by only a few
(The dusty archive includes an arcane treasure trove of nautical charts from the Age of Discovery) |
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cosmopolitan
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worldly; widely sophisticated
(Inga was surprisingly cosmopolitan considering she had never left her tiny hometown in Norway) |
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esoteric
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intended for or understood by only a small group
(Esme's play is extremely esoteric; someone not raised in Estonia would find it difficult to follow) |
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gaffe
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a clumsy social error; a faux pas
(Geoff committed the gaffe of telling his date that he'd gone out with her sister the night before) |
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insular
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isolated; narrow
(The family was so insular that no one else could get near them) |
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potentate
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one who has the power and position to rule over others; monarch
(An omnipotent potentate is a person to be reckoned with; great power in the hands of a great leader is a powerful combination) |
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castigate
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to scold, rebuke, or harshly criticize
(Mr. Castile preferred not to castigate student misbehavior publicly; instead, he would quietly send the troublemaker to the the principal's office) |
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vituperative
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marked by harshly abusive condemnation
(The vituperative speech was so cruel that the members left feeling completely abused) |
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contiguous
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sharing an edge or boundary; touching
(The continental US consists of 48 contiguous states) |
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incontrovertible
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indisputable; not open to question
(The videotape of the robbery provided incontrovertible evidence against the suspect--he was obviously guilty) |
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litigious
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prone to engage in lawsuits
(Letitia was a litigious girl; at one point she tried to sue her dog) |
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parity
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equality, as in amount, status, or value (antonym: disparity)
(The judges at the Olympics must score each athlete's performance with parity; such impartial treatment is hard since one always wants to root for one's own country) |
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remiss
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lax in attending to duty; negligent
(Cassie was remiss in fulfilling her Miss America duties; she didn't even come close to ending world hunger) |
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repudiate
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to reject the validity or authority of
(I repudiated the teacher's arguments about Empress Wu Zetian's reputation by showing him that the reports of her cruelty were from unreliable sources) |
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sanctimonious
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feigning piety or righteousness
(The sanctimonious scholar had actually been plagiarizing other people's work for years) |
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scrupulous
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principled, having a strong sense of right and wrong; conscientious and exacting
(Evan's scrupulous behavior began to annoy his friends when he called the cops of them for TPing their teacher's house) |
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solicitous
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concerned
(The parents asked solicitous questions about the college admissions officer's family) |
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substantiate
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to support with proof or evidence; verify
(The argument was substantiated by clear facts and hard evidence) |
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veracity
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adherence to the truth; truthfulness
(Since Vera was known for her veracity, it came as a complete shock when her family found out she's lied on her application) |
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cajole
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to urge with repeated appeals, teasing, or flattery
(The sweet-talking senior cajoled an impressionable junior into seeing The Lord of the Rings for the tenth time) |
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chicanery
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trickery
(The candidate accused his debate opponent of resorting to cheap chicanery to sway the electorate) |
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obsequious
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fawning and servile
(Kevin was so obsequious that even his teachers were embarrassed; as a result, his sucking up rarely led to better grades) |
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sycophant
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insincere, obsequious flattery
(Siggie is such a sycophant; he slyly sucks up to his teachers, and reaps the rewards of his behavior) |
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altruism
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unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness
(Alta, a model of altruism, gaveher movie ticket to someone who needed it more) |
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extol
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to praise highly
(Tollivan extolled the virtues of the troll while his teacher looked on amazed) |
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laudatory
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full of praise
(The mother's remarks were laudatory, congratulating college-bound son on finally learning to do laundry) |
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magnanimous
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courageously or generously noble in mind and heart
(The magnanimous prince cared deeply for his country and its people) |
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philanthropic
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humanitarian; benevolent; relating to monetary generosity
(Phil was a philanthropic soul, always catering to the needy and underprivileged) |
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abase
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to lower in rank, prestige, or esteem
(Bayard's withering restaurant review was an attempt to abase his former friend, the owner) |
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deride
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to mock contemptuously
(Derrick was derided for wearing two different colored socks, but he couldn't help it--it was laundry day) |
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effrontery
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brazen boldness; presumptuousness
(The attorney's effrontery in asking such personal questions so shocked Esther that she immediately ran from the office) |
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ignominy
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great personal dishonor or humiliation; disgraceful conduct
(Ignacio felt great ignominy after the scandal broke) |
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impugn
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to attack as false or questionable
(Instead of taking the high road, the candidate impugned his opponent's character) |
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pejorative (adj)
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disparaging, belittling, insulting
(Teachers should refrain from using pejorative terms as "numbskull" and "idiot" to refer to other teachers) |
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bombastic
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given to pompous speech or writing
(The principal's bombastic speech bombed in the eyes of the students; it only furthered their impression of him as a pompous jerk) |
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ebullience
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intense enthusiasm
(A sense of ebullience swept over the lacrosse fans crowd when their team won the game) |
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lugubrious
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mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree
(Lucas' lugubrious eulogy for his pet lobster quickly became ridiculous) |
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opulent
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displaying great wealth
(The ophthalmologist's opulent home was the envy of his friends; the crystal chandeliers, marble floors, and teak furniture must have cost a fortune) |
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penchant
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a strong inclination or liking
(Penny's penchant for chocolate-covered ants led her to munch on them all day) |
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ubiquitous
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being or seeming to be everywhere at the same time; omnipresent
(Kenny had a ubiquitous little sister; wherever he turned, there she was) |
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vicarious
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felt or undergone as if one were taking part in the experience or feelings of another
(Stan, who was never athletic but loved sports, lived vicariously through his brother, a professional basketball player) |
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vignette
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a short scene or story
(The poodle vignette in my new film expresses the true meaning of Valentine's Day) |
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amalgam
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a combination of diverse elements; a mixture
(The song was an amalgam of many different styles, from blues to hip hop to folk) |
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multifarious
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diverse; various
(The multifarious achievements of Leonardo da Vinci, ranging from architecture to philosophy, are unparalleled in our century) |
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palliative
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relieving or soothing the symptoms of a disease or disorder without effecting a cure
(Watching professional polo on TV became a palliative for the screaming child; it was the only thing that would quiet him) |
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epitome
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a representative or example of a type
(She is the epitome of selflessness; no matter how much or little she has, she always gives to others) |
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felicitous
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admirably suited; apt
(Felicia made a felicitous speech when she won her Oscar; it was well suited for the occasion) |
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belie
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to misrepresent or disguise
(He smiled in order to belie his hostility) |
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duplicitous
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deliberately deceptive
(The duplicitous man duplicated dollars and gave the counterfeits to unsuspecting vendors) |
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fallacy
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a false notion
(The idea that there is only one college for you is fallacy) |
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mendacious
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lying; untruthful
(John's mendacious statements on the stand sealed his fate; he was found guilty of lying to the court about his role in the crime) |
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specious
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having the ring of truth or plausibility but actually false
(Susie's specious argument seemed to make sense, but when I looked more closely it was clearly illogical) |
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ambiguous
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open to more than one interpretation
(Big's eyes were an ambiguous color: in some lights, brown, in others, green) |
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ambivalent
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simultaneously feeling opposing feelings; uncertain
(Amy felt ambivalent about her dance class: one on hand, she enjoyed the exercise, but on the other, the choice of dances bored her) |
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apathetic
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feeling or showing little emotion
(The apathetic students didn't even bother to vote for class president) |
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capricious
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impulsive and unpredictable
(The referee's capricious behavior angered the players; he would call a foul for minor contact, but ignore elbowing and kicking) |
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equivocal
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open to two or more interpretations and often intended to mislead; ambiguous (antonym: unequivocal)
(The politician made so many equivocal statements during the scandal that no one could be sure what, if anything, he admitted to) |
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impetuous
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suddenly and forcefully energetic or emotional; impulsive and passionate
(Mr. Limpet was so impetuous that we never knew what he would do next) |
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impetus
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an impelling force or stimulus
(A looming deadline provided Imelda with the impetus she needed to finish her research paper) |
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vacillate
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to sway from one side to another; oscillate
(The cook vacillated between favoring chicken and preferring fish; he just couldn't decide which to prepare) |
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flag (v.)
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to decline in vigor or strength; to tire; to droop
(After several days climbing mountains in pouring rain, our enthusiasm for the hiking trip began to flag) |
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jaded
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worn out, wearied
(Jade's experiences had jaded her; she no longer believed that the junk stacked in her garage was going to make her rich) |
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clandestine
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done secretively, especially to deceive; surreptitious
(I met the secret agent in an alleyway, where she handed me the plans for the clandestine operation) |
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subterfuge
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a deceptive stratagem or device
(The submarine pilots were trained in the art of subterfuge; they were excellent at faking out their enemies) |
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surreptitious
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secretive; sneaky
(Sara drank the cough syrup surreptitiously because she didn't want anyone to known that she was sick) |
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dearth
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scarce supply; lack
(There was a dearth of money in my piggybank; it collected dust, not bills) |
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modicum
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a small, moderate, or token amount
(A modicum of effort may result in a small score of improvement; to improve significantly, however, you must study as often as possible) |
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tenuous
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having little substance or strength; shaky
(Her grasp on reality is tenuous at best; she's not even sure what year it is) |
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mercenary
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motivated solely by a desire for money or material gain
(Mercer is a mercenary lawyer; he'll argue for whichever side pays him more) |
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synergy
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combined action or operation
(The synergy of hydrogen and oxygen creates water) |
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tangential
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merely touching or slightly connected; only superficially relevant
(Though Abby's paper was well-written, its thesis was so tangential to its proof that her teacher couldn't give her a good grade) |
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aesthetic
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having to do with the appreciated of beauty
(Aesthetic considerations determined the arrangement of paintings at the museum; as long as the art looked good together, it didn't matter who had painted it) |
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cacophony
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discordant, unpleasant noise
(Brian had to shield his ears from the awful cacophony produced by the punk band onstage) |
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incongruous
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lacking in harmony; incompatible
(My chicken and jello soup experiment failed; the tastes were just too incongruous) |
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sonorous
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producing a deep or full sound
(My father's sonorous snoring keeps me up all night unless I close my door and wear earplugs) |
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strident
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loud, harsh, grating, or shrill
(The strident shouting kept the neighbors awake all night) |
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debacle
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disastrous or ludicrous defeat or failure; fiasco
(Jim's interview was a complete debacle; he accidentally locked himself in the bathroom, sneezed on the interviewer, and knocked into the president of the company) |
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anachronistic
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the representation of something as existing or happening in the wrong time period
(I noticed an anachronism in the museum's ancient Rome display: a digital clock ticking behind a statue of Venus) |
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dilatory
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habitually late
(Always waiting until the last moment to leave home in the morning, Dylan was a dilatory student) |
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ephemeral
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lasting for only a brief period of time
(The importance of SAT scores is truly ephemeral; when you are applying, they are crucial, but once you get into college, no one cares about how well you did) |
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redolent
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fragrant; aromatic; suggestive
(The aroma of apple pie wafted into my room, redolent of weekends spent baking with my grandmother) |
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temporal
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of, relating to, or limited by time
(One's enjoyment of a Starbuck's mocha latte is bound by temporal limitations; all too soon, the latte is gone) |
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onerous
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troublesome or oppressive; burdensome
(The onerous task was so difficult that Ona thought she'd never get through it) |
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portent
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indication of something importation or calamitous about to occur; omen
(A red morning sky is a terrible portent for sailors--it means that stormy seas are ahead) |
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prescience
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knowledge of actions or events before they occur; foreknowledge; foresight
(Preetha's prescience was such that people wondered if she was psychic; how else could she know so much about the future?) |
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austere
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without decoration; strict
(The gray walls and bare floors of his monastery cell provided an even more austere setting than Brother Austen had hoped for) |
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banal
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drearily commonplace; predictable; trite
(The poet's imagery is so banal that I think she cribbed her work from "Poetry for Dummies") |
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hackneyed
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worn out through overuse; trite
(All Hal could offer in the way of advice were hackneyed old phrases that I'd heard a hundred times before) |
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insipid
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uninteresting; unchallenging; lacking taste or savor
(That insipid movie was so predictable that I walked out) |
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prosaic
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unimaginative; dull (antonym: poetic)
(Rebecca made a prosaic mosaic consisting of identical, undecorated tiles) |
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soporific
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inducing or tending to induce sleep
(The congressman's speech was so soporific that even his cat was yawning) |
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vapid
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lacking liveliness, animation, or interest; dull
(Valerie's date was so vapid that she thought he was sleeping with his eyes open) |
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expedient
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appropriate to a purpose; convenient; speedy
(It was more expedient to use FedEx than to use the Post Office) |
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augment
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to make greater, as in size, extent, or quantity; to supplement
(The model Angele Franju is rumored to have augmented her studies in chemistry with a minor in German literature) |
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burgeon
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to grow and flourish
(The burgeoning Burgess family required a new house because its old one only had one bedroom) |
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scintillating
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brilliant
(The writer's scintillating narrative diverted Isabelle's attention away from her other guests) |
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demure
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modest and reserved
(Muriel was the most demure girl in the class, always sitting quietly in the back of the room and downplaying any compliments received) |
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diffidence
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timidity or shyness
(Lea's diffident nature often prevented her from speaking out in class) |
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innocuous
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having no adverse effect; harmless
(The plants were as innocuous as they looked; we suffered no ill effects from eating their leaves) |
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quiescent
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quiet, still, or at rest; inactive
(Quinn's quiescent behavior made him an ideal roommate) |
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concord
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agreement (antonym: discord)
(The class was in concord about he necessity to perform "Hamlet" rather than "King Lear") |
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dogmatic
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stubbornly attached to insufficiently proven beliefs
(Avik was dogmatic in his belief that the power lines were diving his dog headaches) |
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fastidious
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carefully attentive to detail; difficult to please
(Kelly, always so fastidious, dramatically edited our group's report) |
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intransigence
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refusal to moderate a position or to compromise
(Jess was so intransigent in his views that it was impossible to have a rational debate with him) |
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jocular
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characterized by or given to joking
(Yung-Ji's jocular disposition helped him gain popularity) |
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alacrity
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promptness in response; cheerful readiness; eagerness
(I was so happy when I got the acceptance letter from the University that I sprinted home with great alacrity to share the news) |
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sanguine
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cheerfully confident; optimistic
(Harold's sanguine temperament kept him cheerful, even through somber times) |
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belligerent
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eager to fight; hostile or aggressive
(The prosecutor was reprimanded for his belligerent cross-examination of the witness, who had dissolved to tears) |
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cantankerous
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ill-tempered and quarrelsome; disagreeable
(The dog hid under the tank as a result of the cat's cantankerous disposition) |
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deleterious
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having a harmful effect
(It was only once he started his test that Murray realized the deleterious effects of one too many Red Bulls; he couldn't concentrate and his hands were shaking too much) |
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nefarious
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flagrantly wicked; vicious
(Dorothy's kindness and bravery triumphed over the nefarious antics of the Wicked Witch of the West) |
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pernicious
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extremely or irrevocably harmful; deadly
(The fertilizer's pernicious effects were not immediately obvious, but researchers became suspicious when all the petunias died) |
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rancorous
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marked by bitter, deep-seated ill-will
(They had such a rancorous relationship that no one could believe that they had ever gotten along) |
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supercilious
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disdainful; haughty; arrogant
(The nobleman traveled through the town with a supercilious expression, sneering at the peasants as he was carried past them) |
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arboreal
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relating to or resembling a tree or trees
(The Rocky Mountain National Forest will celebrate its arboreal splendor with an Arbor Day concert) |
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stratify
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to layer or separate into layers
(Jonas studied the stratified bedrock and was able to see which time periods went with which layers) |
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variegated
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having streaks, marks, or patches of a different color(s); varicolored
(The wood's markings were so variegated that Mr. Vargas assumed they had been painted on) |
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verdant
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green with vegetation
(The garden was verdant after the rain) |
