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100 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
precocious
(adj.) advanced, developing ahead of time

Derek was so academically precocious that by the time he was 10 years old, he was already in the ninth grade.
effulgent
(adj.) radiant, splendorous

The golden palace was effulgent.
precipice
(n.) the face of a cliff, a steep or overhanging place

The mountain climber hung from a precipice before finding a handhold and pulling himself up.
propitious
(adj.) favorable

The dark storm clouds visible on the horizon suggested that the weather would not be propitious for sailing.
ineffable
(adj.) unspeakable, incapable of being expressed through words

It is said that the experience of playing with a dolphin is ineffable and can only be understood through direct encounter.
adumbrate
(v.) to sketch out in a vague way

The coach adumbrated a game plan, but none of the players knew precisely what to do.
pervasive
(adj.) having the tendency to spread throughout

Stepping off the plane in Havana, I recognized the pervasive odor of sugar cane fields on fire.
denounce
(v.) to criticize publicly

The senator denounced her opponent as a greedy politician.
facile
(adj.) easy, requiring little effort

This game is so facile that even a four-year- old can master it.

(adj.) superficial, achieved with minimal thought or care, insincere

The business was in such shambles that any solution seemed facile at best; nothing could really helpit in the long-run.
morose
(adj.) gloomy or sullen

Jason’s morose nature made him very unpleasant to talk to.
scintillating
(adj.) sparkling

The ice skater’s scintillating rhinestone costume nearly blinded the judges.
delineate
(v.) to describe, outline, shed light on

She neatly delineated her reasons for canceling the project’s funding.
extricate
(v.) to disentangle

Instead of trying to mediate between my brother and sister, I extricated myself from the family tension entirely and left the house for the day.
intrepid
(adj.) brave in the face of danger

After scaling a live volcano prior to its eruption, the explorer was praised for his intrepid attitude.
temperance
(n.) moderation in action or thought

Maintaining temperance will ensure that you are able to think rationally and objectively.
egregious
(adj.) extremely bad

The student who threw sloppy joes across the cafeteria was punished for his egregious behavior.
inextricable
(adj.) hopelessly tangled or entangled

Unless I look at the solution manual, I have no way of solving this inextricable problem.
laceration
(n.) a cut, tear

Because he fell off his bike into a rosebush, the paperboy’s skin was covered with lacerations.
captivate
(v.) to get the attention of, hold

The fireworks captivated the young boy, who had never seen such things before.
mutable
(adj.) able to change

Because fashion is so mutable, what is trendy today will look outdated in five years.
contemporaneous
(adj.) existing during the same time

Though her novels do not feature the themes of Romanticism, Jane Austen’s work was contemporaneous with that of Wordsworth and Byron.
despot
(n.) one who has total power and rules brutally

The despot issued a death sentence for anyone who disobeyed his laws.
heterogeneous
(adj.) varied, diverse in character

I hate having only one flavor so I always buy the swirled, or should I say heterogeneous, type of ice cream.
plausible
(adj.) believable, reasonable

He studied all the data and then came up with a plausible theory that took all factors into account.
sensuous
(adj.) involving sensory gratification

Paul found drinking Coke, with all the little bubbles bursting on his tongue, a very sensuous experience.
hierarchy
(n.) a system with ranked groups, usually according to social, economic, or professional class

Women found it very difficult to break into the upper ranks of the department’s hierarchy.
forum
(n.) a medium for lecture or discussion

Some radio talk-shows provide a good forum for political debate.
presage
(n.) an omen

When my uncle’s old war injury ached, he interpreted it as a presage of bad weather approaching.
ominous
(adj.) foreboding or foreshadowing evil

The fortuneteller’s ominous words flashed through my mind as the hooded figure approached me in the alley.
discern
(v.) to perceive, detect

Though he hid his emotions, she discerned from his body language that he was angry.
engender
(v.) to bring about, create, generate

During the Olympics, the victories of
pragmatic
(adj.) practical

The politician argued that while increased security measures might not fit with the lofty ideals of the nation, they were a pragmatic necessity to ensure everyone’s safety.
ruse
(n.) a trick

Oliver concocted an elaborate ruse for sneaking out of the house to meet his girlfriend while simultaneously giving his mother the impression that he was asleep in bed.
daunting
(adj.) intimidating, causing one to lose courage

He kept delaying the daunting act of asking for a promotion.
noxious
(adj.) harmful, unwholesome

Environmentalists showed that the noxious weeds were destroying the insects’ natural habitats.
libertarian
(adj.) advocating principles of liberty and free will

The dissatisfied subjects overthrew the monarch and replaced him with a libertarian ruler who respected their democratic principles.
avenge
(v.) to seek revenge

The victims will take justice into their own hands and strive to avenge themselves against the men who robbed them.
empathy
(n.) sensitivity to another’s feelings as if they were one’s own

I feel such empathy for my sister when she’s in pain that I cry too.
disdain
(v.) to scorn, hold in low esteem

Insecure about their jobs, the older employees disdained the recently hired ones, who were young and capable.

(n.) scorn, low esteem

After learning of his immoral actions, Justine held Lawrence in disdain.
confluence
(n.) a gathering together

A confluence of different factors made tonight the perfect night.
perfunctory
(adj.) showing little interest or enthusiasm

The radio broadcaster announced the news of the massacre in a surprisingly perfunctory manner.
hardy
(adj.) robust, capable of surviving through adverse conditions

I too would have expected the plants to be dead by mid-November, but apparently they’re very hardy.
semaphore
(n.) a visual signal

Anne and Diana communicated with a semaphore involving candles and window shades.
injunction
(n.) an order of official warning

After his house was toilet-papered for the fifth time, the mayor issued an injunction against anyone younger than 21 buying toilet paper.
contusion
(n.) bruise, injury

The contusions on his face suggested he’d been in a fight.
cerebral
(adj.) related to the intellect

The books we read in this class are too cerebral— they don’t engage my emotions at all.
infamy
(n.) notoriety, extreme ill repute

The infamy of his crime will not lessen as the decades pass.
potable
(adj.) suitable for drinking

During sea voyages it is essential that ships carry a supply of potable water because salty ocean water makes anyone who drinks it sick.
culmination
(n.) the climax toward which something progresses

The culmination of the couple’s argument was the decision to divorce.
odious
(adj.) instilling hatred or intense displeasure

Mark was assigned the odious task of cleaning the cat’s litter box.
ascertain
(v.) to perceive, learn

With a bit of research, the student ascertained that some plants can live for weeks without water.
ambivalent
(adj.) having opposing feelings

My feelings about Calvin are ambivalent because on one hand he is a loyal friend, but on the other, he is a cruel and vicious thief.
dissipate
(v.) to disappear, cause to disappear

The sun finally came out and dissipated the haze.

(v.) to waste

She dissipated her fortune on a series of bad investments.
judicious
(adj.) having or exercising sound judgment

When the judicious king decided to compromise rather than send his army to its certain death, he was applauded.
abide
(v.) to put up with

Though he did not agree with the decision, Chuck decided to abide by it.

(v.) to remain

Despite the beating they’ve taken from the weather throughout the millennia, the mountains abide.
dissent
(v.) to disagree

The principal argued that the child should repeat the fourth grade, but the unhappy parents dissented.

(n.) the act of disagreeing

Unconvinced that the defendant was guilty, the last juror voiced his dissent with the rest of the jury.
modulate
(v.) to pass from one state to another, especially in music

The composer wrote a piece that modulated between minor and major keys.
licentious
(adj.) displaying a lack of moral or legal restraints

Marilee has always been fascinated by the licentious private lives of politicians.
accommodating
(adj.) helpful, obliging, polite

Though the apartment was not big enough for three people, Arnold, Mark, and Zebulon were all friends and were accommodating to each other.
aerial
(adj.) somehow related to the air

We watched as the fighter planes conducted aerial maneuvers.
artifact
(n.) a remaining piece from an extinct culture or place

The scientists spent all day searching the cave for artifacts from the ancient Mayan civilization.
ostracism
(n.) exclusion from a group

Beth risked ostracism if her roommates discovered her flatulence.
plaudits
(n.) enthusiastic approval, applause

The controversial new film received plaudits from even the harshest critics.
perspicacity
(adj.) shrewdness, perceptiveness

The detective was too humble to acknowledge that his perspicacity was the reason for his professional success.
benevolent
(adj.) marked by goodness or doing good

Police officers should be commended for their benevolent service to the community.
nebulous
(adj.) vaguely defined, cloudy

The transition between governments meant that who was actually in charge was a nebulous matter.
cavort
(v.) to leap about, behave boisterously

The adults ate their dinners on the patio, while the children cavorted around the pool.
mundane
(adj.) concerned with the world rather than with heaven, commonplace

He is more concerned with the mundane issues of day-to-day life than with spiritual topics.
anachronistic
(adj.) being out of correct chronological order

In this book you’re writing, you say that the Pyramids were built after the Titanic sank, which is anachronistic.
effrontery
(n.) impudence, nerve, insolence

When I told my aunt that she was boring, my mother scolded me for my effrontery.
pithy
(adj.) concisely meaningful

My father’s long-winded explanation was a stark contrast to his usually pithy statements.
appropriate
(v.) to take, make use of

The government appropriated the farmer’s land without justification.
capitulate
(v.) to surrender

The army finally capitulated after fighting a long costly battle.
insipid
(adj.) dull, boring

The play was so insipid, I fell asleep halfway through.
abnegation
(n.) denial of comfort to oneself

The holy man slept on the floor, took only cold showers, and generally followed other practices of abnegation.
oscillate
(v.) to sway from one side to the other

My uncle oscillated between buying a station wagon to transport his family and buying a sports car to satisfy his boyhood fantasies.
submissive
(adj.) easily yielding to authority

In some cultures, wives are supposed to be submissive and support their husbands in all matters.
trite
(adj.) not original, overused

Keith thought of himself as being very learned, but everyone else thought he was trite because his observations about the world were always the same as David Letterman’s.
blemish
(n.) an imperfection, flaw

The dealer agreed to lower the price because of the many blemishes on the surface of the wooden furniture.
disavow
(v.) to deny knowledge of or responsibility for

Not wanting others to criticize her, she disavowed any involvement in the company’s hiring scandal.
obstreperous
(adj.) noisy, unruly

Billy’s obstreperous behavior prompted the librarian to ask him to leave the reading room.
florid
(adj.) flowery, ornate

The writer’s florid prose belongs on a sentimental Hallmark card.
frugal
(adj.) thrifty, economical

Richard is so frugal that his diet consists almost exclusively of catfish and chicken liver—the two most inexpensive foods in the store.
chaos
(n.) absolute disorder

Mr. Thornton’s sudden departure for the lavatory plunged his classroom into chaos.
amiable
(adj.) friendly

An amiable fellow, Harry got along with just about everyone.
fabricate
(v.) to make up, invent

When I arrived an hour late to class, I fabricated some excuse about my car breaking down on the way to school.
cosmopolitan
(adj.) sophisticated, worldly

Lloyd’s education and upbringing were cosmopolitan, so he felt right at home among the powerful and learned.
dynamic
(adj.) actively changing

The parents found it hard to keep up with the dynamic music scene with which their children had become very familiar.
propagate
(v.) to multiply, spread out

Rumors of Paul McCartney’s demise propagated like wildfire throughout the world.
vilify
(v.) to lower in importance, defame

After the Watergate scandal, almost any story written about President Nixon sought to vilify him and criticize his behavior.
zealous
(adj.) fervent, filled with eagerness in pursuit of something

If he were any more zealous about getting his promotion, he’d practically live at the office.
pliable
(adj.) flexible

Aircraft wings are designed to be somewhat pliable so they do not break in heavy turbulence.
sinuous
(adj.) lithe, serpentine

With the sinuous movements of her arms, the dancer mimicked the motion of a snake.
quandary
(n.) a perplexed, unresolvable state

Carlos found himself in a quandary: should he choose mint chocolate chip or cookie dough?
wizened
(adj.) dry, shrunken, wrinkled

Agatha’s grandmother, Stephanie, had the most wizened countenance, full of leathery wrinkles.
vestige
(n.) a mark or trace of something lost or vanished

Do you know if the Mexican tortilla is a vestige of some form of Aztec corn-based flat bread?
swarthy
(adj.) of dark color or complexion

When he got drunk, Robinson’s white skin became rather swarthy.
copious
(adj.) profuse, abundant

Copious amounts of Snapple were imbibed in the cafeteria.
exculpate
(v.) to free from guilt or blame, exonerate

My discovery of the ring behind the dresser exculpated me from the charge of having stolen it.
palette
(adj.) a range of colors or qualities

The palette of colors utilized in the painting was equaled only by the range of intense emotions the piece evoked.