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24 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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avarice (N) David was repulsed by the avarice that thrived on Wall Street in the 1990s. |
extreme greed Form: avaricious= extremely greedy Syns: cupidity, rapacity, covetousness |
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bourgeois (ADJ) He rebelled against the stultifying bourgeois lifestyle and yearned for the life of a bohemian. |
burgus castle, fortified town pertaining to or characteristic of the conventional and materialistic life of the middle class Form: bourgeoise= the middle class Syn: conventional |
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Root family: burg |
burg- city or town
borough- an administrative district, as or within a town or city burglar- one who breaks into homes to rob them |
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decadent (ADJ) I decided that since I had adhered strictly to my diet for two months, I could be decadent at my wedding. |
de- down + cadere to fall
excessively self-indulgent Form: decadence= excessive self-indulgence |
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Root family: de- |
denounce- declare as bad detract- reduce the value of something debase- reduce in value denigrate- criticize unfairly deference- submission to the authority of another condescend- to act superior to someone else |
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Root family: cide, cade, cas, cay |
accident- an unintentional, unexpected, and unfortunate incident coincide- to occur at the same time cascade- small waterfall cadence- the rising and falling inflection of the voice recidivism- falling back into a life of crime |
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exorbitant (ADJ) She charged an exorbitant fee for only a few hours' work. |
ex- out + orbita track, course excessive; exceeding the bounds of propriety or reason syn: prohibitive |
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Root family: e-, ex- |
extol- to praise highly extemporaneous- without planning exuberant- filled with liveliness and energy elusive- difficult to catch or achieve |
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Root family: orb |
orbit- elliptical path of a satellite |
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frugal (ADJ) He was too frugal to even pay for a cab ride home |
reluctant to spend money or expend resources Form: frugality= thriftiness; reluctance to expend resources Syn: miserly, stingy |
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indigent (ADJ or N) We've donated the proceeds to a charity that provides food and shelter to the indigent of our city. Fewer indigents can be found on the streets since the city opened the new shelter and soup kitchen. |
adj) poor; needy n) a poor and homeless person Form: indigence = poverty |
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lavish (ADJ or V) It was a lavish affair, elegant to the last detail. His aunts lavished little Stephen with attention. |
adj) extravagant or elaborate v) to give in extravagant quantities |
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lucrative (ADJ) He abandoned his lucrative banking job for a more fulfilling career in teaching. |
lucrum profit highly profitable syns: remunerative, gainful |
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Root family: lucr |
lucre - profit, usually that which is ill-gotten |
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mercenary (ADJ or N) When our CEO left for a higher-paying job after only 6 months, he was rightly castigated for being mercenary. The general preferred to work with dedicated soldiers than mercenaries. |
merces payment adj) primarily concerned with making money syn: acquisitive, venal, avaricious, covetous n) a soldier who fights for money rather than patriotism; a person concerned primarily with making money rather than with personal integrity syn: soldier of fortune |
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Root family: merc |
merchant- trader or store owner mercantilism- belief in the benefits of profitable trading commerce- the activity of buying and selling merchandise- goods that are brought and sold |
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opulent (ADJ) Jay Gatsby threw opulent parties at his elegant mansion. |
ostentatiously rich or lavish form: opulence= lavishness syns: grandiose, ritzy, splendid |
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ostentatious (ADJ) We decorated our house tastefully, avoiding the ostentatious Christmas displays that were so common in town. |
ostens presented for display intended to attract attention; characterized by vulgar and pretentious display form: ostentation = pretentious and vulgar display syns: pretentious, flamboyant, gaudy, ornate, garish |
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Root family: osten |
ostensible - appearing to be true, but not necessarily so |
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prodigal (ADJ) A prodigal manager can squander a year's worth of careful savings in just a few weeks. |
prodigus lavish tending to spend resources wastefully form: prodigality = wastefulness syns: profligate, spendthrift, improvident |
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Root family: prodigi
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prodigy- a young person with exceptional talent prodigious- great in size or degree |
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remuneration (N) We were unhappy with the remuneration new received for the hard work we put into the project. |
munero to share, to give a gift payment for services forms: remunerate = to pay someone for services, remunerative = pertaining to payment for services syns: recompense, reimbursement, compensation |
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root family: muni, muner |
immunity- resistance to an infection or toxin munificent- generous |
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squander (V) We must not squander this opportunity to get our financial house in order. |
to waste recklessly, particularly money or opportunity |
