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30 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Boor
Noun [bohr] |
Crude person, one lacking manners or taste
"That utter boor ruined my recital with his constant guffawing!" wailed the pianist. Synonyms: clod; lout; vulgarian; yahoo |
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Burgeon
Verb [-buhr- juhn] |
To grow and flourish
Faulkner neither confirmed nor denied stories about himself, allowing rumor to burgeon where it would. Synonyms: Bloom; burgeon; flourish; prosper; thrive |
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Burnish
Verb [-buhr- nihsh] |
to polish
He burnished the silver coffee pot until it shone brightly. Synonyms: buff; luster; polish ; scour |
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Cabal
Noun [kuh -bahl-] |
A seceret group seeking to overturn something
The boys on the street formed a cabal to keep girls out of their tree house. Synonyms: camp; circle; clan; clique; coterie; in-group; mafia; mob; ring |
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Cacophony
Noun [kuh -kah- fuh nee] |
harsh, jaring noise
The junior high orchestra created an almost unbearable cacophony as they tried to tune their instruments. Synonyms: chaos; clamor; din; discord; disharmony; noise |
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Calumny
Noun [-kaa- luhm nee] |
a fake and malicious accusation; misrepresentation
The unscrupulous politician used calumny to bring down his opponent in the senatorial race. Synonyms: defamation; libel; slander |
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Canard
Noun [kuh -nard-] |
A lie
That tabloid's feature story about a goat giving birth to human child was clearly a canard. Synonyms: falsehood; falsity; fib; misrepresentation; prevarication;tale; untruth |
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Candid
Adj [-kaan- did] |
Impartial and honest in speech
The observations of a child can be charming since they are candid and unpretentious. Synonyms: direct; forthright; frank; honest; open; sincere; straight; straightforward; undisguised |
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Capricious
Adj [kuh -pree- shuhs] [kuh -prih- shuhs] |
Changing one's mind quickly and often
Queen Elizabeth I was quite capricious; her courtiers could never be sure which one would catch her fancy. Synonyms: arbitrary; chance; changeable; erractic; fickle; inconstant; mercurial; random; whimsical; willful |
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Cartography
Noun [kahr -tahg- ruh fee] |
Science or art of making maps
Gail's interest in cartography may stem from the extensive traveling she did as a child. Synonyms: charting; surveying; topography |
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Castigate
Verb [-kaa- stih gayt] |
To punish or criticize harshly
Martina castigated her boyfriend for not remembering her birthday. Synonyms: admonish; chastise; chide; rebuke; reprimand; reproach; reprove; scold; tax; upbraid |
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Catalyst
Noun [-kaa- tuh lihst] |
Something that brings about a change in something else
The imposition of harsh taxes was the catalyst that finally brought on the revolution. Synonyms: accelerator; impetus; stimulant |
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Catholic
Adj [-kaa- thuh lihk] [-kaa- thlihk] |
Universal; broad and comprehensive
Hot tea with honey is a catholic remedy for a sore throat. Synonyms: extensive; general |
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Caustic
Adj [-kah- stihk] |
Biting in wit
Dorothy Parker gained her reputation for being caustic from her cutting, yet witty, insults. Synonyms: acerbic; biting; mordant; trenchant |
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Chaos
Noun [-kay- ahs] |
Great disorder or confused situation
In most religious traditions, God created an ordered universe from chaos. Synonyms; clutter; confusion; disarrangement; disarray; disorder; disorderliness; disorganization; jumble; mess; muddle; scramble; snarl; topsy-turviness; turmoil |
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Chauvinist
Noun [-shoh- vuh nist] |
Someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs
The attitude that men should earn more money than women is common among male chauvinist. Synonym: biased; colored; one-sided; partial; partisan; prejudicial |
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Chicanery
Noun [shih -kayn- ree] [shi -kay- nuh ree] |
Deception by means of craft or guile
Dishonest used-car salesmen often use chicanery to sell their beat-up old cars. Synonyms: artifice; conniving; craftiness; deception; deviouness; misrepresentation |
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Circumspect
adj [-suhr- kuhm spehkt] |
Cautious, aware of potential consequences
She was circumspect in her language and behavior when introduced to her fiancee's parents. Synonyms: alert; cautious; heedful; mindful; prudent; solicitous; vigilant; wary |
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Cloying
adj [-kloy- ing] |
Sickly sweet; excessive
When Enid and Jay first started dating, their cloying affection toward one another annoyed most of their friends. Synonyms: excessive; fulsome |
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Coalesce
Verb [koh uh -lehs-] |
To grow together to form a single whole
The sun and planets eventually coalesced out of a vast cloud of gas and dust. Synonyms: amalgamate; blend; condense; consolidate; fuse; unite |
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Coffer
Noun [-kah- fuhr] |
Strongbox; large chest for money
The bulletproof glass of the coffer is what keeps the crown jewels secure. Synonyms: chest; exchequer; treasury; war chest |
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Cogent
Adj [-koh- juhnt] |
Convincing and well-reasoned
Swayed by the cogent argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant. Synonyms: convincing; persuasive; solid; sound; telling; valid |
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Collusion
Noun [kuh -loo- zhuhn] |
Collaboration, complicity, conspiracy
It came to light that the police chief and the mafia had a collusion in running the numbers racket. Synonyms: connivance; intrigue; machination |
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Condone
Verb [kuhn -dohn-] |
To overlook, to pardon, to disregard
Some theorist believe that failing to prosecute minor crimes is the same as condoning an air of lawlessness. |
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Connoisseur
Noun [kah nuh -suhr-] |
A person with expert knowledge or discriminating taste
Dr. Crane was a connoisseur of fine food and wine, drinking and eating only the best. Synonyms: authority; epicure; expert; gastronome; gourmet |
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Contrite
Adj [kuhn -triet-] |
Deeply sorrowful and repentant for a wrong
After three residents were mugged in the lobby while the watchman was away from his post, he felt very contrite. Synonym: apologetic; regretful; remorseful |
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Contumacious
Adj [kahn tuh -may- shuhs] |
Rebellious
The contumacious teenager ran away from home when her parents told her she was grounded. Synonyms: factious; insubordinate; insurgent; mutinous; rebellious; seditious |
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Convoluted
Adj [kahn vuh -loo- tehd] |
Intricate and complicated
Although many people bought the professor's book, few people could follow its convoluted ideas and theories. Synonyms: Byzantine; complex; elaborate; intricate; knotty; labyrinthine; perplexing; tangled |
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Corroborate
Verb [kuh -rahb- uhr ayt] |
To support with evidence
All the DA needed was fingerprints to corroborate the witness's testimony. Synonyms: authenticate; back; buttress; confirm; substantiate; validate; verify |
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Cosset
Verb [-kah- suht] |
To pamper, to treat with great care
Marta just loves to cosset her first and only grandchild. Synonyms: cater to; cuddle; dandle; fondle; love; pamper; pet; spoil |
