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670 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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ignominy
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deep disgrace
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venal (veen ul)
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capable of being
bribed, esp. for money; corrupt The man's interest in helping the sick old woman was strictly venal; he only wanted his name on her will. |
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impugn (imp yoon)
|
to attack the truth of
or integrity of something The critic impugned the originality of Jacob's novel. |
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desultory
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without a plan or purpose; random
Phil made a few desultory attempts to start a garden, but nothing came of them. |
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avow
|
to claim, or to admit
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temerity
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boldness, recklessness, or audacity
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insidious
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treacherous; sneaky
Cancer, which can spread rapidly from a small cluster of cells, is an insidious disease. |
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incantation
|
a chant; a repetitive statement like a chant
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propitious
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marked by favorable signs or conditions
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putative
|
commonly accepted
(not proven), supposed; reputed The putative reason for placing the monument downtown is that nobody wanted it uptown. |
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doctrinaire
|
inflexibly committed to
a doctrine or theory without proof that it works; dogmatic |
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arbitrary
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random; capricious
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adulterate
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to contaminate;
to make impure Vegetarians do not like their foods adulterated with animal fats. (unadulterated = pure) |
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acrid
|
harsh, like acid
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manifest
|
visible, evident
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abject
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hopeless, sad;
defeated An abject person is one who is crushed without hope. "abject poverty" is a redundant statement |
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patent (pay tunt)
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obvious
To say the Earth is flat is a patent absurdity; the world is obviously sphere. |
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impetuous
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impulsive,
extremely impatient Samantha was so impetuous that she never took more than a few seconds to make up her mind. |
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axiom
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a self-evident truth,
an accepted statement |
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congenital
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innate
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enormity
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extreme evil;
hideous offense |
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malinger
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to pretend sickness,
to avoid doing work |
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flout
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to disregard something
A driver flouts the traffic laws by driving through red lights. "flaunt success"= to make it known of ones success |
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plaintive
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expressing sadness
or sorrow The chilly autumn made the bird's song seem plaintive. |
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vitiate
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to make impure,
to pollute The flouride in water can vitiate your body. |
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peremptory (per uhmp tory)
|
final, categorical,
dictorial |
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protract
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to prolong
The trial was so protracted that one of the jurors died of old age. |
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fatuous
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foolish, silly, idiotic
Pauline is so pretty that her suitors are often driven to fatuous acts of devotion. |
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inane
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senseless, silly
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dictum
|
authoritative saying;
proverb |
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precept
|
a rule to live by;
a principle establishing a certain kind of action; a maxim. "Love thy neighbor" is a precept. |
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abnegate
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to reject, to
renounce; to deny oneself things Samantha abnegated desserts for one month after getting on the scale. |
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comprise
|
to consist of
A company comprises employees. "a company is comprised of employees = wrong!" |
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amenable
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obedient; willing to
give in to the wishes of others; agreeable When I suggested that Bert pay for my lunch, he was suprisingly amenable. |
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recant
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to publicly take
back and deny; to openly confess an error |
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desiccate
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to dry out
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consonant
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harmonious, in agreement
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malaise
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feeling of
depression, uneasiness |
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grandiose
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absurdly exhaggerated
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querulous
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complaining
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obsequious
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fawning, subservient
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forgo
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to do without;
to forbear |
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pejorative
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negative, disparaging
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endemic
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native to, indigenous
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polemic
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a powerful argument
(often made to attack or refute a controversial issue) The book was a convincing polemic that exposed CEO's deceptions. |
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ascendency
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supremacy, domination
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venial (vee nial)
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trivial or pardonable
A peccadillo is a venial, harmless sin. |
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exhort
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to urge strongly, to seriously warn
The coach used a bull horn to exhort us to try harder. (adjective: hortatory) |
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epigram
|
witty, satirical saying
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proscribe
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to outlaw, to prohibit
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forebear
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an ancestor
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specious
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deceptively plausible
or attractive The rivers beauty turned out to be specious; what looked like churning rapids was really foamy industrial waste. |
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callow
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immature
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turpitude
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shameful wickedness;
depravity |
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adherent
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follower, supporter
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tenuous
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flimsy, extremely thin
He has a tenuous financial situation. "extenuating circumstances" lessen the magnitude (v)attenuate= to make thin |
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noxious
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harmful, offensive
Smoking is a noxious habit in every sense. |
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postulate
|
something accepted as true
without proof; an axiom |
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rebuke
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to criticize sharply
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obtuse
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insensitive, blockheaded
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mortify
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to humiliate
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laconic
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using few words; especially
in a rude way |
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chronic
|
constant, lasting a long
time |
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mandate
|
command, authorization
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circumlocution
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an indirect expression; use
wordy or evasive language |
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capitulate
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to surrender, to give in
On the 20th day of the strike, the workers capitulated & returned to work w/out a new contract. |
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exasperate
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to annoy thoroughly;
to make very angry; to try the patience of |
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dogma
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a belief
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deluge
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a flood, an inundation
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rebut
|
to contradict; to argue
in opposition to; to prove to be false |
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congenial
|
agreeably suitable, pleasant
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degenerate
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to break down; to
deteriorate |
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dissolution
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the breaking up or
dissolving of something into parts |
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exculpate
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free from guilt
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prolific
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abundantly productive,
fruitful or fertile |
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succumb
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to yield or submit; to die
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consecrate
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to make or declare sacred
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construe
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to interpret
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homily
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a sermon, an inspirational
saying |
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explicit
|
clearly and directly
expressed implicit= indirectly expressed |
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indiscrete
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not separated, jumbled
together |
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decorous
|
proper; in good taste,
orderly |
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coerce
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to force someone to do
or not do something |
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cognizant
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aware, conscious
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complement
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(v) to complete or fill up;
to be the perfect counterpart The flowers complemented the table decorations. |
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constitute
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to make up, compose
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comprehensive
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covering or including
everything |
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agrarian
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related to land
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compose
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to make up the contituent
parts of; to form The exhibit was composed of French paintings. |
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concord
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harmony, agreement
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unremitting
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unceasing, unabating;
relentless |
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dialectical
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relating to discussions,
relating to reasoning |
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patrician
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aristrocrat, nobleman
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reciprocal
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mutual, shared
"reciprocity" = reciprocal relation between 2 parties; both parties win. |
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antipathy
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firm dislike
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bane
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poison, torment, curse
"bane of my existence" is used figuratively |
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catharsis
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a purefication that brings
emotional relief |
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cadence
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rhythm; the rise and fall
of sounds |
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ursine
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bears
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chagrin
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humiliation
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inclement
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bad weather
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affinity
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sympathy, attraction
"he has an affinity towards that Porsche" |
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foible
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a minor character flaw
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infer
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to conclude, to deduce
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encroach
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to make gradual or stealthy inroads into; to trespass
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aphorism
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a brief, witty saying; proverb
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tantamount
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equivalent to
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provident
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preparing for the future; frugal
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vindicate
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to clear from all blame; to justify
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bourgeois
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boringly conventional, middle class
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covert
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secret, hidden
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circuitous
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roundabout, not following a direct path
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incisive
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cutting right to the heart of the matter
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infinitesimal
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very small
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intrinsic
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inherent
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circumscribe
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to draw the line around, to set limits
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kinetic
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lively, active
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legacy
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something handed down, a bequest
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broach
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to open up a delicate subject
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bucolic
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rustic, countrylike
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beleaguer
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to surround
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decimate
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to kill or destroy a large part of
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catalyst
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it makes things happen
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nepotism
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favoritism to friends
or family in business or politics |
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catholic
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universal, embracing everything
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clement
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mild; mild weather
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obscure
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uknown, hard to understand
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palpable
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capable of
being touched; obvious; touchable or tangible |
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parochial
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narrow point of view, provincial
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partisan
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one who supports
a particular person, cause or idea |
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pathology
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the study of diseases
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elliptical
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oval; missing words; obscure
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tautological
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redundant, circular
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injunction
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a command or court order
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perfidy
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treachery
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sacrilege
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a violation or something sacred;
blasphemy (n. sacrilegious = to commit sacrilege) |
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derogatory
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disapproving; degrading
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impervious
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not allowing anything to pass through
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concurrent
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happening at the same time, parallel
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covenant
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a solemn agreement, a pledge
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disinterested
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not taking sides, unbiased
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sardonic
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mocking, scornful
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vicissitude
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upheaval, natural change, change in fortune
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covet
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to wish for enviously
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prepossess
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to preoccupy, to influence beforehand;
to make a good impression beforehand |
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latent
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present but not visible; potential
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approbation
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approval
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deprecate
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to express disapproval of
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refute
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to prove to be false; to disprove
(irrefutable= can't be disproved) |
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staunch
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firmly committed; steadfast
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nebulous
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vague, hazy, indistinct
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insolent
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arrogant, insulting
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attrition
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weakening, wear away
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abate
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to reduce
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sentient
(SEN shunt) |
able to perceive by the senses; conscious
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tacit
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implied, not spoken
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apotheosis
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elevation of divine status; the perfect
example of something |
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wanton
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malicious, unjustifiable, unprovoked,
egregious (adj) wanton = intemperate, wild "a wanton life" |
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transitory
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not lasting very long
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preeminent
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outstanding, supreme
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circumvent
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to frustrate as though by surrounding
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sublime
|
awesome
(n)sublimity |
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corollary
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something that follows,
a natural consequence |
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delineate
|
to describe accurately
(After Jack delineated his plan, we had no doubt what he intended to do) |
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ebullient
(ih BUL yunt) |
exuberant, enthusiasm
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faction
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a group united around a cause; disagreement within an organization
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beget
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to create, to lead to, to cause, to give birth to
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invective
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insulting speech, an insult
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conjure
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to summon or bring into being as if by magic
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milieu
|
environment, surroundings
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myriad
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a huge number
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nihilism
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belief that there
are no values or morals in the universe |
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stigmatize
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to brand with disgrace
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dissonant
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incompatible, not harmonious
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bemused
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confused
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ingenuous
(in JEN yoo us) |
frank, without deception
(A young child is ingenuous. He doesn't know much about the ways of the world.) ingenue= naive young woman |
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disingenuous
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crafty or artful
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amicable
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polite friendliness
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stratum
|
a layer, a level
strata= plural |
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artful
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crafty, sly
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aristocrat
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of noble birth, snobbish
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amenity
|
pleasantness, attractive feature
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terse
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succint
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predilection
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a natural preference for something
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exalt
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to glorify
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contingent
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dependent, possible
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founder
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to fail, to collapse, to sink
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daunt
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to make fearful, to intimidate
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slavish
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extremely servile
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facile
(FAS il) |
fluent; skillful in a superficial way; easy
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disseminate
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to spread seeds,
to scatter, make widely known |
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equivocal
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ambiguous, confusing
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abortive
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unsuccessful
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inordinate
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excessive, unreasonable
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demagogue
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a leader of the people, a rabble rouser
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sensuous
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to delight the senses, to stimulate OTHER peoples senses
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sensual
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gratifying ones own senses through physical pleasure
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sensory
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having to do with senses
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incandescent
|
brilliant, giving off heat; light
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insatiable
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hard to satisfy, greedy
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monolithic
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massive, solid, unyielding
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perennial
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happening year after year, continual
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provisional
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conditional
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allusion
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an indirect reference, a hint
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platitude
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a dull or trite remark; a cliche
(a platitudinous speech) |
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contentious
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argumentative, quarrelsome
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philistine
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a smugly ignorant person with no appreciation of intellectual or artistic matters
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intransigent
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uncompromising, stubborn
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sanctimonious
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pretending to be devout; affecting religious feeling
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inexorable
|
relentless; inevitable; unavoidable
The inexorable waves pounded the shore. |
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expropriate
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to take property officially
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belie
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to give a false impression, to contradict
Mel's smile belied the grief he was feeling. |
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abash
|
to embarrass; to make ashamed
Mia felt abashed by her inability to remember her lines. (unabashedly = without shame) |
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malfeasance
|
an illegal act, especially by a public official
The Senator was convicted of a malfeasance. |
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pernicious
|
deadly, extremely evil
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dissipate
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to thin out, drift away
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rapacious
|
greedy, plundering, avaricious
Wall Street bankers are often accused of being rapacious. |
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autocratic
|
ruling with absolute authority
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promulgate
|
to proclaim, to publicly or formally declare something
The principal promulgated a new dress code. |
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beset
|
to harrass, to surround
The little town was beset by robberies. |
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subversive
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corrupting, overthrowing, undermining, insurgent
The TV set becomes a subversive invention when it gets in the way your reading time. |
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ostensible
|
apparant (but misleading), professed
Bill's ostensible mission was to repair a phone, but his real goal was to spy on his boss's conversation. |
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usurp
(yoo SURP) |
to seize wrongfully
(n) usurpation The child thought that their mother's new boyfriend usurped his father's place in the family. |
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delude
|
to decieve
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bureaucracy
|
inefficient, inflexible system of government
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absolve
|
to forgive
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infatuated
|
foolish; foolishly passionate
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obfuscate
|
to darken, to confuse
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accost
|
to approach and speak to someone aggressively
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unctuous
(UNGK choo US) |
oily (both literally and figuratively); insincere
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malevolent
|
wishing harm
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chasm
|
a deep, gaping hole; a gorge
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peripatetic
|
wandering, traveling constantly
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indulgent
|
lenient, yielding to desire
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burgeon
(bur jun) |
to expand, to flourish
(adj) burgeoning "burgeoning weeds" |
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proletariat
|
the industrial working class
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bereaved
|
deprived, or felt desolate
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neologism
(nee OL uh jiz um) |
a new word or phrase; a new usage of a word
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circumspect
|
cautious
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officious
|
annoyingly eager to help or advise
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pervade
|
to spread throughout
(adj) pervasive |
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pristine
|
original, unspoiled, pure
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choleric
|
hot-tempered; quick to anger
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nefarious
|
evil; flagrantly wicked
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contiguous
|
side by side, adjoining
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contrived
|
artificial, labored
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misappropriate
|
misuse of money
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amnesty
|
official pardon
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conducive
|
promoting
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lugubrious
|
exhaggeratedly mournful
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complicity
|
participation in wrongdoing; the act of being an accomplice
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portentious
|
ominous, pompous or self-conciously serious; amazing or prodigious
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blight
|
a disease in plants; anything that destroys
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antithesis
|
direct opposite
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portent
|
an omen; a sign of something coming in the future
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nominal
|
in name only; insignificant; A-OK (during rocket launches)
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gratuitious
|
uncalled for; unjustice
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belabor
|
to go over repeatedly
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epigraph
|
quotation at beginning of book or essay
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exult
|
to rejoice, celebrate
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quixotic
|
romantic or idealistic to an impractical degree
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purported
|
rumored, claimed
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profligate
|
extravagently wasteful, and usually wildly immoral
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espouse
|
to support, to advocate
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vitriolic
|
caustic, full of bitterness
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prerogative
|
a right or privelege (especially linked to class or power position)
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precursor
|
forerunner, something that goes before and anticipates for whatever it is that follows
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arbitrate
|
weigh opposing directions
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machinations
|
evil scheming activity
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impotent
|
powerless, helpless
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artifice
|
clever, trick, cunning
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rogue
|
criminally dishonest person, scoundrel (usually used in playful sense)
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polarize
|
to break up into opposing factions or groupings
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petulant
(PECH ULANT) |
rude, cranky, ill-tempered
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palliate
|
to relieve or alleviate without getting rid of the problem
|
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moribund
|
dying (usually used figuratively)
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martial
|
warlike
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magnanimous
|
forgiving, generous
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requisite
|
required, necessary
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immigrate
|
moving into a new country
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epitome
|
paradigm, brief summary that captures the meaning as a whole
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exacting
|
extremely demanding, receives great care or skill
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effusion
|
pouring forth
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solvent
|
not broke, able to pay one's bills
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penitent
|
sorry
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perfunctory
|
unenthusiastic, careless
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abysmal
|
bottomless
|
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ruminate
|
to contemplate, to ponder; to mull over
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|
arduous
|
hard, difficult
|
|
|
decadent
|
decayed or decaying; especially in terms of morals
|
|
|
utilitarian
|
pragmatic
|
|
|
malign
|
slander
|
|
|
verisimilitude
|
similarity to reality, the appearance of truth, looks real
|
|
|
perterb
|
to disturb greatly
|
|
|
confluence
|
flowing together; a place where rivers flow together
|
|
|
blatant
|
unpleasantly noisy, glaring
|
|
|
disfranchise
(or disenfranchise) |
to take away citizen priveleges (especially with voting)
|
|
|
inert
|
inactive, sluggish
|
|
|
mendicant
|
beggar
|
|
|
chronicle
|
a record of events in order of time; a history
|
|
|
imperious
|
bossy, usually arrogant
|
|
|
awry
(uh RYE) |
off-course, twisted to one side
|
|
|
inept
|
clumsy, incompetent
|
|
|
salient
(SAYL YUNT) |
sticking out; conspicious; leaping
|
|
|
precipitate
|
to cause to happen abruptly
(adj) unwisely or rash "a precipitate decision" |
|
|
precipitous
|
steep (used figurately and literally)
|
|
|
qualify
|
to modify or restrict
(unqualified success = complete unrestricted success) |
|
|
intractable
|
uncontrollable, stubborn, disobedient
|
|
|
hegemony
|
leadership; especially national leadership over another nation
|
|
|
incorrigible
|
incapable of being reformed
|
|
|
litigate
|
to try in court
|
|
|
forbear
|
to refrain from; to abstain
|
|
|
burlesque
|
a ludicrous mocking or imitation
|
|
|
illicit
|
illegal, not permitted
|
|
|
connoisseur
|
an expert, especially in the area of art or taste
|
|
|
compendium
|
a summary, an abridgement
|
|
|
ponderous
|
clumsily large; massive; dull
|
|
|
insular
|
like an island, isolated
|
|
|
anomaly
|
irregularity
|
|
|
indigent
(IN di junt) |
poor
|
|
|
manifesto
|
a public declaration of beliefs
|
|
|
insolvent
|
broke
(n) insolvency |
|
|
incense
|
to make very angry
Jeremy was incensed when I told him he was stupid. |
|
|
countenance
(KOWN tuh nuns) |
face; facial expression, especially an encouraging one
|
|
|
misapprehension
|
misunderstanding
|
|
|
proselytize
|
to convert or recruit converters from one religion or doctrine to another
|
|
|
arcane
|
mysterious, known by a select few
|
|
|
bequest
|
something left to someone in a will
|
|
|
preempt
|
to seize something by prior right
(preemptive action = action undertaken to prevent some other action from being undertaken) |
|
|
replete
|
completely filled; abounding
|
|
|
plethora
(PLETH ur ah) |
an excess
|
|
|
oblique
|
indirect; at an angle
|
|
|
discreet
|
prudent, judiciously reserved
|
|
|
convivial
|
fond of partying; festive
|
|
|
cogent
(KOH junt) |
powerfully convincing
|
|
|
egalitarian
|
believing in social and economical equality
|
|
|
glut
|
overabundance; surplus
|
|
|
fauna
|
animals
|
|
|
assiduous
|
hardworking, busy, diligent
|
|
|
aggregate
|
sum total
|
|
|
bequeath
|
to leave something to someone at a will
|
|
|
charlatan
|
fraud, con-man
|
|
|
aberration
|
deviation from the standard
|
|
|
incipient
|
beginning, emerging
|
|
|
recapitulate
|
to summarize
|
|
|
gauche
|
socially awkward
|
|
|
reparation
|
paying back
(irreparable = can't be fixed [i REP uh ruh bul]) |
|
|
creditable
|
worthy of credit or praise
|
|
|
sedition
|
treason
"charged with sedition" |
|
|
credence
|
belief or international acceptance
(if something is credible, it may gain credence) |
|
|
epithet
|
term (usually disparaging) used to characterize someone
|
|
|
arbiter
|
judge
|
|
|
acrimonious
|
full of spite, bitter
|
|
|
foment
(foh MENT) |
to stir up, to instigate
|
|
|
exonerate
|
to free from blame
|
|
|
wistful
|
yearning, sadly longing
|
|
|
remonstrate
|
to argue against, to protest
|
|
|
secular
|
having nothing to do with religion or spiritual concerns
|
|
|
stipulate
|
to require something as part of an agreement
|
|
|
succint
(SUK singkt) |
brief, concise
|
|
|
intrepid
|
to be fearless
|
|
|
unwitting
|
unintentional, ignorant, not aware
|
|
|
veracity
|
truthfulness
(n) veracious = truthful |
|
|
stricture
|
a restriction; a negative criticism
|
|
|
exigency
(EK si jen see) |
an emergency; an urgency
|
|
|
extrapolate
|
to extract or deduce from something known; infer
|
|
|
rudimentary
|
basic, crude, uninformed or underdeveloped
|
|
|
genteel
|
polite, aristocratic, affected refinement
|
|
|
categorical
|
unconditional, absolute
|
|
|
recondite
(REK un dyte) |
hard to understand, over one's head
|
|
|
flora
|
plants
|
|
|
fecund
|
fertile, productive
|
|
|
grandiloquent
|
pompous, using fancy words to impress
|
|
|
pedantic
|
boringly scholarly
pedant [pe dunt] pedantry [ped un tree] |
|
|
painstaking
|
extremely careful
|
|
|
mellifluous
|
sweetly flowing
|
|
|
maudlin
|
silly and overly sentimental
|
|
|
harbinger
(HAR bin jur) |
forefunner; a signal of
"Warm weather is a harbinger of spring." |
|
|
inundate
(in YOON date) |
to flood, to overwhelm
|
|
|
frenetic
|
frantic; frenzied
|
|
|
figurative
|
metaphorical; based on figures of speech
|
|
|
fetter
|
to restrain; to hamper
(antonymn: unfettered) |
|
|
farcical
|
absurd, ludicrous
|
|
|
facetious
(FA see shus) |
humourous; not serious, clumsily humorous
|
|
|
euphemism
|
pleasant expression used in place of offensive one
("Taking the big bus uptown, was her euphanism for dying and going to heaven") |
|
|
implicit
|
implied, indirectly expressed
|
|
|
maxim
|
a fundamental principle, an old saying
|
|
|
collusion
|
conspiracy, secret cooperation
|
|
|
sagacious
|
discerning; shrewd
|
|
|
squalor
|
filth, wretched, degrading
|
|
|
substantive
|
real; essential
|
|
|
transient
|
not staying a long time; temporary
|
|
|
apocalypse
|
a prophetic revelation, concerning the end of the world
|
|
|
debacle
|
violent breakdown, defeat
|
|
|
conjecture
|
to guess, to deduce
|
|
|
strife
|
bitter conflict, discord; a struggle or clash
|
|
|
libel
(LYE bul) |
written falsehook intended to defame
|
|
|
appropriate
|
to take without permission; to set aside for particular use
|
|
|
coup
(KOO) |
a brilliant victory; the violent overthrow of government
|
|
|
vex
|
to annoy, to pester, to confuse
(a vexed issue = a troubling issue) |
|
|
vernacular
|
everyday speech; slang; idom
|
|
|
discrete
|
unconnected; separate; distinct
|
|
|
equitable
|
fair
|
|
|
chimera
(Kye MEER uh) |
an illusion; a foolish fancy
|
|
|
recrimination
|
a bitter counteraccusation
(adj. recriminatory) Melissa was full or recrimination when I accused her of stealing. |
|
|
edify
|
to enlighten, to instruct (moral and religious)
The teacher aimed to edify her student and not force facts down their throats. |
|
|
hermetic
|
airtight; impervious to external influence
|
|
|
reprisal
|
an act of taking revenge for another
|
|
|
forsake
|
to abandon; to renounce; to relinquish
|
|
|
expatriate
|
to move away, or get thrown out of one's native land
|
|
|
touchstone
|
a standard, a test of authenticity or quality
|
|
|
enfranchise
|
to grant citizen priveleges (especially voting)
|
|
|
distend
|
to swell, to extend a great deal
|
|
|
oblivion
|
total forgetfulness
|
|
|
emigrate
|
to move to a new country
The family emigrated to the U.S. from Poland. |
|
|
egregious
|
extremely bad
|
|
|
denizen
|
inhabitant
|
|
|
duplicity
|
double dealing, deception
|
|
|
dubeity
|
uncertainty
(adj.) dubious |
|
|
flounder
|
to move clumsily, or in confusion
|
|
|
tenable
|
defensible, capable of being argued successfully; valid
(untenable = unable to be defended) |
|
|
precedent
|
an earlier example or model of something
|
|
|
urbane
|
poised, sophisticated, refined
|
|
|
debauchery
|
wild living
|
|
|
peruse
|
to read carefully
(peruse doesn't mean to skim or read quickly!) |
|
|
perquisite
|
a privelege that goes along with a job; a perk
|
|
|
austere
(aw steer) |
without excess
|
|
|
unconscionable
(un kahn shuh nuh bul) |
not controlled by conscience; unscrupulous
|
|
|
narcissism
|
excessive love of one's body or oneself
|
|
|
microcosm
|
a world in miniature
Our college, which has many U.S.-born and international students, is a microcosm of the larger world. |
|
|
mentor
|
a teacher, tutor, counselor, or coach
|
|
|
labyrinth
|
a maze; something like a maze
|
|
|
lampoon
|
to satarize; to mock; to parody
|
|
|
fraternal
|
like brothers
The fraternal feelings of the group were strengthened by the monthly fishing trips. |
|
|
avuncular
|
like an uncle, especially a nice uncle
|
|
|
autonomous
|
acting independantly
|
|
|
absolute
|
unlimited, perfect
|
|
|
steadfast
|
loyal; faithful
|
|
|
dystopia
|
far from an ideal society
|
|
|
reiterate
|
to say again; to repeat
|
|
|
penitent
|
sorry; repentant; contrite
|
|
|
parody
|
a satirical imitation
At the talent show the girls sang a terrible parody of "Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones. |
|
|
emulate
|
to strive to equal or excel, usually through imitation
|
|
|
egocentric
|
selfish; believing that one is the center of everything
|
|
|
uninterested
|
don't care about knowing something
|
|
|
disinterested
|
not taking sides; unbiased
|
|
|
deduce
|
to conclude from the evidence; to infer
|
|
|
compelling
|
forceful; causing to yield
|
|
|
cohere
|
to hold together
(coherent = making sense) |
|
|
antithesis
(an TITH uh sis) |
the direct opposite
|
|
|
conventional
|
common; customary; unexceptional
|
|
|
partisan
|
one who supports a particular person, cause, or idea
|
|
|
contentious
|
argumentative; quarrelsome
|
|
|
allusion
|
an indirect reference to something else, especially something in literature; a hint
|
|
|
inherent
|
part of the essential nature of something; intrinsic
|
|
|
cynic
|
one who deeply distrusts human nature; one who believes people are motivated only by selfishness
|
|
|
exposition
|
expounding or explaining; explanatory treatise
|
|
|
consensus
|
unanimity or near unanimity, everyone is in agreement
|
|
|
sagacious
|
wise; possessing wisdom derived from experience and learning
|
|
|
discourse
|
to converse; to formally discuss a subject
|
|
|
sanction
|
authorize or approve; ratify or confirm
|
|
|
genial
|
cheerful and pleasant; friendly; helpful
|
|
|
levee
|
an embankment designed to prevent the flooding of the river
|
|
|
erratic
|
unpredictable or wandering
|
|
|
abstinent
|
abstaining; voluntarily not doing something
|
|
|
exuberant
|
extremely joyful or vigorous; profuse in growth
|
|
|
impede
|
to hinder; to obstruct; to slow something down
|
|
|
audacity
|
boldness; reckless daring; impertinence
|
|
|
indignant
|
angry, especially as a result of something unjust or unworthy
|
|
|
renaissance
|
a rebirth or revival
(renascence = renaissance) |
|
|
feasible
|
able to be done
|
|
|
genre
(john ruh) |
an artistic class or category
|
|
|
mandatory
|
authoritatively ordered or commanded; necessary
|
|
|
idyllic
|
charming in a rustic way; naturally peaceful
|
|
|
pristine
|
original; unspoiled; pure
|
|
|
prodigy
|
an extremely talented child; an extraordinary accomplishment or occurrence
|
|
|
frugal
|
economical; penny-pinching
|
|
|
pathology
|
the science of diseases; any deviation from a healthy, normal condition
|
|
|
plumb
|
to measure the depth of something
|
|
|
visionary
|
a dreamer; someone with impractical goals or ideas about the future
|
|
|
dissonant
|
inharmonious; in disagreement
|
|
|
substantive
|
having substance; real; essential; solid; substantial
|
|
|
flippant
|
frivolously shallow and disrespectful
|
|
|
judicious
|
exercising sound judgment
|
|
|
piquant
|
pungent
|
|
|
impromptu
|
without preparation; on the spur of the moment
|
|
|
parallel
|
a comparison made between two things
|
|
|
sterile
|
unimaginative; unfruitful; infertile
|
|
|
foster
|
to promote the growth or development of
|
|
|
goad
|
to urge forcefully; to taunt someone into doing something
|
|
|
implement
|
to carry out
|
|
|
malleable
|
easy to shape or bend
|
|
|
pungent
|
forceful; sharp or biting to the taste or smell
|
|
|
savor
|
to linger on the taste or smell of something
|
|
|
correlate
|
to find or show the relationship of two things
|
|
|
facetious
(fa see shus) |
humorous; not serious; clumsily humorous
|
|
|
kinship
|
natural or family relationship
|
|
|
rampart
|
a fortification; a bulwark or defense
|
|
|
incisive
|
cutting right to the heart of the matter
|
|
|
abstemious
|
sparing or moderate, especially in eating or drinking
|
|
|
inquisitive
|
inclined to investigate; eager for knowledge; curious
|
|
|
vigor
|
strength; liveliness
|
|
|
vulnerable
|
in danger; unprotected
"We are vulnerable both by water and land, without either fleet or army" Alexander Hamilton." |
|
|
modest
|
shy; reserved; not extreme
"a modest price" |
|
|
progressive
|
moving forward
"progressive change |
|
|
plausible
|
believable
"a plausible excuse" |
|
|
exotic
|
foreign; uncommon; from a distant place; unusual
"exotic tropical plants in a greenhouse" |
|
|
incidental
|
occurring accidentally; by the side; of less importance
"incidental expenses" |
|
|
effectual
|
producing or sufficient to produce a desired effect; effective
|
|
|
swindler
|
a cheat; a con man
"swindled money from the company" |
|
|
weight
|
importance
"The weight of the evidence is against the defendant." |
|
|
kindle
|
to begin to burn
"No spark had yet kindled in him an intellectual passion" George Eliot." |
|
|
trunk
|
the main body of something
|
|
|
synchronize
|
to cause to act on the same schedule
"they synchronized their trip with the annual tulip festival." |
|
|
swagger
|
to strut; to walk or conduct oneself with an insolent or arrogant air;
|
|
|
table
(verb) |
to remove from consideration (a piece of legislation, for example)
|
|
|
tailor
(verb) |
to shape or alter for a particular purpose
"a speech that was tailored to an audience of business leaders" |
|
|
raucous
|
harsh or rough-sounding
"raucous laughter" |
|
|
stupor
|
mental confusion
"a drunken stupor" |
|
|
scale
(verb) |
to climb up
"scaled the peak" |
|
|
wooden
(adjective) |
stiff; inflexible
"a wooden performance; a wooden smile" |
|
|
surmise
|
to guess
|
|
|
newfangled
|
new; untested
"newfangled ideas" |
|
|
stratagem
|
a trick or deception
|
|
|
undermine
|
to weaken the support of
"Late hours can undermine one's health." |
|
|
flower
(verb) |
to flourish; to mature well
"His artistic talents flowered early." |
|
|
uphold
|
to maintain or fight for
"upheld the banner proudly" |
|
|
protrude
|
to push outward
|
|
|
uncouth
|
ill-mannered
|
|
|
preposterous
|
unbelievable; implausible
|
|
|
residual
|
left over when something is gone
|
|
|
hasten
|
to quicken; to speed up
"fanned the wet paint to hasten drying" |
|
|
summons
|
an order to appear in court
|
|
|
effervescent
|
bubbly
|
|
|
suppress
|
to hold down; to hold back
"suppress a smile" |
|
|
subside
|
to sink; to become less active
|
|
|
impose
|
to establish on others by force or authority
"impose a tax" |
|
|
resplendent
|
brilliant
|
|
|
lure
|
an attraction
|
|
|
sobriety
|
seriousness; gravity in bearing, manner, or treatment
|
|
|
threadbare
|
overused to the point of being worn out; tattered
"threadbare excuses" |
|
|
unsung
|
unrecognized; uncelebrated
"an unsung hero" |
|
|
rectify
|
to correct; to straighten; to make amends for
|
|
|
gaunt
|
thin and bony, especially from illness or lack of food
|
|
|
tightfisted
|
greedy
|
|
|
fitful
|
irregular; subject to sudden, violent outbursts
|
|
|
din
|
loud noise
|
|
|
chary
|
careful; cautious; wary
"was chary of the risks involved" |
|
|
loll
|
to hang out lazily
"lolled his head on the armrest" |
|
|
apprise
|
to inform
"apprised us of our rights" |
|
|
abase
|
to humiliate; to lower in esteem or dignity; to humble
"I abased myself in front of the principal because I figured I had to in order to keep from being expelled." |
|
|
ballyhoo
|
sensational advertising or promotion; uproar
"The candidate tried to give his speech, but his words could not be heard above the ballyhoo on the convention floor." |
|
|
blanch
|
to turn pale; to cause to turn pale
"The hot, dry summer had left the leaves on the trees looking blanched and dry." |
|
|
capacious
|
spacious; roomy; commodious
(Something that is capacious has a large capacity) |
|
|
consign
|
to hand over; to assign; to entrust; to banish
"Upon her retirement, Dinah consigned to her co-workers the contents of her desk." |
|
|
conjugal
(KAHN juh gul) |
having to do with marriage
|
|
|
importune
|
to urge with annoying persistence; to trouble
"Sorry to importune you again, but can I borrow your ipod?" |
|
|
impregnable
|
unconquerable; able to withstand attack; impenetrable
"Again and again, the army unsuccessfully attacked the fortress, only to conclude that it was impregnable." |
|
|
lascivious
(luh SIV ee us) |
lustful; obscene, lewd
"Clarence's lascivious comments made his female associates extremely uncomfortable." |
|
|
queue
(kyoo) |
a line or file OR (v.) to line or file
"The people standing in a long queue were waiting for movie tickets." |
|
|
vacuous
|
empty of content; lacking in ideas or intelligence
|
|
|
supine
|
lying on one's back
"Shirley lay supine on her deck chair, soaking up the sunshine and, in the process, turning her complexion into leather." |
|
|
listless
|
sluggish; without energy or enthusiasm
(the noun is listlessness) |
|
|
fulminate
|
to denounce vigorously; to protest vehemently against something
"The old man sat in his room fulminating." |
|
|
epicure
|
a person with refined taste in wine and food
(The adjective is epicurean) |
|
|
disconcert
|
to upset; to ruffle; to perturb
"The boos of the audience did not disconcert Bob; he droned on with his endless, boring speech regardless." |
|
|
chortle
|
to chuckle with glee
(A chortle is a cross between a chuckle and a snort. The term was coined by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking Glass.) |
|
|
cipher
(SYE fer) |
zero; a nobody; a code; the solution to a code
(To decipher a coded message is to decode it. To encipher a message is to put it into code.) |
|
|
doldrums
|
low spirits; a state of inactivity
(doldrums is almost always preceded by 'the') "Meredith has been in the doldrums ever since her pet bees flew away."" |
|
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divulge
|
to reveal, especially to reveal something that has been a secret
"We begged and pleaded, but we couldn't persuade Lester to divulge the secret of his chocolate-chip cookies." |
|
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imbue
|
to inspire; to permeate or tinge
"Henrietta soaked her white dress in a bathtub of tea to imbue it with a subtle tan color." |
|
|
sally
|
a sudden rushing attack; an excursion; an expedition; a repartee; a clever rejoinder
"he made a lightning-fast sally into the living room" OR "they took a sally down Newbury Street" OR "his quick-witted sally made the whole class laugh" |
|
|
ribald
(RIB uld) |
indecent or vulgar; off-color
(Ribald language or horsing around is called ribaldry (RIB uld ree)) |
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render
|
to make; to cause to be; to provide; to depict
"Steve's funny faces rendered his sister incoherent with laughter." |
|
|
propound
|
to set forth or propose; to offer for consideration
(Propound, propose, and proposition have the same root; a Latin word meaning to set forth) |
|
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occult
|
supernatural; magical; mystical
"occult rituals" |
|
|
harry
(HAR ee) |
to harass; to annoy
(the adjective is 'harried') |
|
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confer
|
to exchange ideas; to consult with; to bestow
"The referees conferred briefly before ruling that the pass had been incomplete." |
|
|
concomitant
(kun KAHM uh tunt) |
following from; accompanying; going along with
"Along with his large cash donation, the philanthropist made a concomitant promise to support the new library with smaller gifts in the coming years." |
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|
cabal
(kuh bal) |
a group of conspirators; the acts of such a group; a clique
"The high-level cabal against the company's president accelerated rapidly and resulted in her ouster." |
|
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fawn
|
to exhibit affection; to seek favor through flattery; to kiss up to someone
"The old women fawned over the new baby." |
|
|
expiate
|
to make ammends for; to atone for
(The act of 'expiating' is 'expiation') |
|
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evince
|
to demonstrate convincingly; to prove
"The soldiers evinced great courage, but their mission was hopeless, and they were defeated rapidly." |
|
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stalwart
|
sturdily built; robust; valiant; unwavering
"Ernie has been a stalwart friend through thick and thin, even when I used to pretend not to recognize him in the hall." |
|
|
faux
(foh) |
false
(A faux pas (foh pah) literally means false step, but is used to mean an embarrassing social mistake.) |
|
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benighted
|
ignorant; unenlightened
"Not one of Mr. Emerson's benighted students could say with certainty in which century the Second World War had occurred." |
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refractory
|
disobedient and hard to manage; resisting treatment
"Bobby is such a refractory little boy when it comes to haircuts that he has to be tied up and hoisted into the barber's chair." |
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licentious
(lye SEN shus) |
lascivious; lewd; promiscuous; amoral
(The act or state of being 'licentious' is 'licentiousness'. The Puritans saw licentiousness almost everywhere." |
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|
litany
|
recital or list; tedious recounting
"Ruth's litany of complaints about her marriage to Tom is longer than most children's letters to Santa." |
|
|
opprobrious
(uh PROH bree us) |
damning; extremely critical; disgraceful
('Opprobrium' is reproach, scorn, or disgrace.) |
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|
halcyon
(HAL see un) |
peaceful; carefree; serene
"These halcyon skies are a good harbinger of a pleasant vacation." |
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|
melee
(MAY lay) |
a brawl; a confused fight or struggle; a violent free-for-all; tumultuous confusion
|
|
|
quintessential
(kwin tuh SEN chul) |
being the most perfect example of
(The noun is 'quintessence' (kwin TES uns). When you have reduced something to its most pure and concentrated form, you have captured its quintessance.) |
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quaint
|
pleasantly old-fashioned; picturesque
"a quaint old cottage" |
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resplendent
|
brilliantly shining; radiant; dazzling
"Betsy's gown looked resplendent in the candlelight." |
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canon
|
a rule or law, especially a religious one; a body of rules or laws; an official set of holy books; an authoritative list; the set of works by an author that are accepted as authentic
|
|
|
adduce
|
to bring forward as an example or as proof; to cite
"In support of his client's weak case, the lawyer adduced a few weak precedents from English common law." |
|
|
apropos
(ap ruh POH) |
appropriate; coming at the right time
"Susan's loving toast at the wedding dinner was apropos; the clown suit she wore while making it was not." |
|
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delinquent
|
neglecting a duty or law; late in payment
"The delinquent father failed to show up for visits with his children from his first marriage." |
|
|
demur
(di MUR) |
to object; to take exception
"Diego demurred when I suggested that he eat the entire plate of 'seriously spicy' chicken wings at Fred's Diner." |
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|
rapant
|
widespread; uncontrollable; prevalent; raging
"A rampant horde of squealing fans swarmed the rock star." |
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|
limpid
|
transparant; clear; lucid
"Theodora's poetry has a limpid quality that makes other writers' efforts sound stiff and overformal." |
|
|
corporeal
(kawr PAWR ee ul) |
material; tangible; having substance, like the body
"Steve was mildly crazy; he believed that at night his thoughts became corporeal and wandered around the house eating potato chips and doing laundry." |
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champion
(as a verb) |
to defend; to support
"During his campaign, the governor had championed a lot of causes that he promptly forgot about once he was elected." |
|
|
askance
(uh SKANS) |
with suspicion or disapproval
"When Herman said that he repaired the car by pouring apple cider into its gas tank, Jerry looked at him askance." |
|
|
inimical
(i NIM i kul) |
unfavorable; harmful; detrimental; hostile
"The reviews of his exhibition were so inimical that Charles never painted another picture again." |
|
|
quasi
|
almost; near; resembling
(this word is always used in combination with other words) "our invention was a quasi-success" "he came up with a quasi-plausible excuse" |
|
|
menagerie
(muh NAJ uh ree) |
a collection of animals
|
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|
infringe
|
to violate; to encroach or trespass
(an act of 'infringing' is an 'infringement') |
|
|
impetuous
(im PECH oo wus) |
rash; overimpulsive; headlong
"Jeremy is so impetuous that he ran out and bought an engagement ring for a girl who smiled at him in the subway." |
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obeisance
|
a bow or curtsy; deep reverence
"When the substitute teacher walked into the room, the entire class rose to its feet in mocking obeisance to her." |
|
|
paroxysm
|
a sudden, violent outburst; a severe attack
"Sheldon flew into a paroxysm of rage and threw his books across the room after finding that his house has been burglarized." |
|
|
preponderance
|
superiority in weight, number, size, extent, influence, etc.; majority; predominance
"preponderance of onions in the beef stew" |
|
|
facade
(fuh SAHD) |
the false front of a building; the false front or misleading appearance of anything
"Gretchen's kindness is just a facade; she is really a hostile, scheming creep." |
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|
estimable
|
worthy of admiration; capable of being estimated
(Something that cannot be estimated is 'inestimable') |
|
|
excise
|
to remove by cutting, or as if by cutting
(The noun form of the word is 'excision') |
|
|
congeal
(kun JEEL) |
to solidify; to jell
"The bacon grease congealed into a smooth white mass when we put the skillet in the freezer." |
|
|
suffuse
(suh FYOOZ) |
to cover; to overspread; to saturate
(Adj: suffuse (suh FYOOS)) |
|
|
vogue
|
fashion; style
(To be in vogue, or susceptible to vogues, is to be voguish (VOHG ish)) |
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insurrection
|
an act of open rebellion against authority; a revolt
(synonyms: revolt, uprising, rebellion, rising) |
|
|
debase
|
to lower in quality or value; to degrade
"To deprive a single person of his or her constitutional rights debases the liberty of us all." |
|
|
crux
|
the central point; the essence
(usually followd by "of the matter") "The crux of the matter is the heart of the matter." |
|
|
gambit
|
a scheme to gain an advantage; a ploy
"My young son said he wanted a drink of water, but I knew that his request was merely a gambit to stay up later." |
|
|
prowess
|
exceptional skill or strength; uncommon bravery
"Although he boasts of having great prowess in the kitchen, Dudley knows how to make nothing but toast." |
|
|
teem
|
to swarm; to be inundated; to overrun
"On a clear night high in the mountains, the sky teems with stars." |
|
|
foray
(FAWR ay) |
a quick raid or attack; an initial venture
"The young soldier's ill-fated foray into the woods ended with his capture by an enemy patrol." |
|
|
inalienable
(in AY lee un uh bul) |
sacred; incapable of being transferred, lost, or taken away
"In my household, we believe that people are born with inalienable rights to have desserts after meals." |
|
|
quandary
|
state of perplexity; predicament; dilemma
"Joe is in a quandary; tomorrow he's scheduled to marry three different women in three different towns." |
|
|
underlying
|
basic; fundamental; only noticeable under scrutiny
"The underlying cause of the cult's disintegration was not faithlessness but homesickness on the part of its members." |
|
|
wizened
(WIZ und) |
shriveled; withered; shrunken
"A few wizened apples were all found on the tree; all the nice ones had already been picked." |
|
|
schism
(SIZ um) |
division; separation; discord or disharmony
|
|
|
pundit
|
an expert; an authority; a learned person
"I can never decide what the most important issues of the day are, so I let the pundits who write the columns on the editorial page tell me." |
|
|
dissemble
|
to conceal the real nature of; to act or speak falsely in order to deceive
"Anne successfully dissembled her hatred for Beth." |
|
|
disquiet
|
to make uneasy
"The movie's graphic depiction of childbirth disquieted the children, who had been expecting a story about a stork." |
|
|
fester
|
to generate pus; to decay
"For many years, resentment had festered beneath the surface of the apparantly happy organization." |
|
|
lout
(LOWt) |
boor; oaf; clod
(to be a 'lout' or act like a 'lout' is to be 'loutish') |
|
|
desist
|
to stop doing (something)
"Rachel was slurping her soup loudly when Greta asked her to desist." |
|
|
demure
(di MYOOR) |
shy; reserved; sedate
"Jenna was a demure child; she sat quietly next to her mother with her hands folded on her lap." |
|
|
compunction
|
remorse; a feeling of uneasiness at doing something wrong
"Ms. Riley had no compunction about overeating if she thought that her meal was low in fat." |
|
|
churl
|
a rude person; a boor
(to be a 'churl' is to be 'churlish') |
|
|
cataclysm
(KAT uh kliz um) |
a violent upheaval; an earthquake; a horrible flood
"Suddenly, the sky opened, and the clouds unleashed a cataclysm that nearly washedd away the town." |
|
|
defile
|
to make filthy or foul; to desecrate
"The snowy field was so beautiful that I hated to defile it by driving across it." |
|
|
deign
(dayn) |
to condescend; to think it in accordance with one's dignity
"wouldn't deign to greet the servant who opened the door" |
|
|
discomfit
|
to frustrate; to confuse
"I was discomfited by my secretary's apparant inability to type and answer the telephone." |
|
|
extant
|
still in existance
"Paul rounded up all extant copies of his embarrassing first novel and had them destroyed." |
|
|
query
|
a question; an inquiry
"Please any queries for the end of the lecture, or the professor will lose his train of thought and start singing the national anthem." |
|
|
reactionary
|
ultraconservative; right-wing; backward-thinking
"Grandpa Gus is so reactionary that he doesn't think women should be allowed to vote." |
|
|
recidivism
(ri SID uh viz um) |
the act of repeating an offense
"There's not much evidence that imprisoning people reforms them; the rate of recidivism among released convicts is high." |
|
|
tumult
|
violent, noisy commotion; uproar; outbreak
"Such a tumult breaks out when the end-of-school bell rings that the teachers have learned to jump onto their desks to avoid being trampled." |
|
|
titillate
|
to excite; to stimulate; to tease
"Appetizers are supposed to titillate people's appetites, not stuff them to the gills." |
|
|
defunct
|
no longer in effect; no longer in existence
"The long spell of extremely hot weather left my entire garden defunct." |
|
|
converse
(KAHN vurs) |
the opposite
"Freddy followed not the rule but its converse; that is, he did the opposite of what he was supposed to do." |
|
|
lax
|
negligent; lazy; irresponsible
(noun= laxity) |
|
|
propogate
|
to reproduce; to multiply; to spread or disseminate
"It shocked the nation when Tom gave up his career in professional basketball and devoted his life to propogating tree fungi." |
|
|
privation
|
lack of comforts or necessities; poverty
"Oh, come on, Karen! Not having an indoor swimming pool isn't exactly a privation, you know!" |
|
|
secede
|
to withdraw from an alliance
"When the southern states seceded from the Union, they probably never expected to create quite as much of a ruckus as they did." |
|
|
repose
(ri POHZ) |
rest; tranquility; relaxation
"Her husband lolled back on the sofa in an attitude of repose." |
|
|
sententious
(sen TEN shus) |
preachy; pompous; excessively moralizing; self-righteous
"I can stand a boring lecture, but not a sententious one!" |
|
|
supersede
|
to take the place of; to supplant; to make (something) obsolete
"Every few minutes, someone introduces a new antiaging cream that allegedly supersedes all the existing antiaging creams on the market." |
|
|
iridescent
|
displaying glowing, changing colors
"It's strange to think that plain old gasoline can create such a lovely iridescent sheen on the water's surface." |
|
|
ominous
|
threatening, menacing, portentous
"ominous black clouds" |
|
|
malice
|
ill will; a desire to harm
(adj) malicious |
|
|
scale
(v) |
to climb up
"scaled the peak" |
|
|
noisome
|
offensive or disgusting; stinking; noxious
"The noisome brown liquid seeping out of the floor of my bathroom certainly isn't water." |
|
|
mire
|
marshy, stuck, mucky ground
"I'm mired in a sewing project and I can't get away." |
|
|
motley
|
extremely varied or diverse; heterogeneous; multicolored
"Louise's friends are a motley group of artists, bankers, and sanitation engineers." |
|
|
sanction
(2nd definition) |
punitive measure
"For many years international sanctions in South Africa included the banning of athletes from competing in the Olympics." |
|
|
revel
(REV ul) |
to enjoy thoroughly; to take delight in; to carouse
"Ken is reveling in luxury now that he has finally come into his patrimony." |
|
|
stout
|
plump; stocky; substantial
"Mr. Barton was built a little bit like a beach ball; he was stout in the middle and skinny at either end." |
|
|
abeyance
|
suspension; temporary cessation
"Joe's poverty kept his addiction to video games in abeyance." |
