Tape 1, Words 1 Through 40, Va And Es

Front 1

1. Illusive

Back 1

1. (Adj.) Deceiving

Front 2

2. Retinue

Back 2

2. (N) (a) A following; (b) group of attendants.

(b. ex.) the king and his retinue
(a. ex.) a pop star traveling with his retinue

Front 3

3. Semblance

Back 3

3. (N) outward and often specious appearance or show; an outward appearance: ex. (wrapped in a semblance of composure )

Front 4

4. Reprove

Back 4

4. (V - transitive verb) Rebuke, censure: ex. (1) to scold or correct usually gently or with kindly intent; (2) the father was forced to rebuke his son for the spendthrift ways he had adopted since arriving at college; (3) strongly rebuked the girl for playing with matches.

Front 5

5. Voluminous

Back 5

5. (Adj.) Having or marked by great volume or bulk; Large. ex. (1) the building's high ceilings and voluminous spaces; (2) a writer of voluminous output

Front 6

6. Titular

Back 6

6. (Adj.) (1) existing in title only; ex. She became the titular head of the company after her husband's death. (2) having the title and usually the honors belonging to an office or dignity without the duties, functions, or responsibilities [the titular head of a political party].

Front 7

7. Plaintive

Back 7

7. (Adj.) Mournful: ex. She had such a plaintive expression that someone asked if her dog had died.

Front 8

8. Sojourn

Back 8

8. (N) A temporary stay. ex. Our family enjoyed a two-week sojourn in the mountains.

Front 9

9. Ambivalence

Back 9

9. (N) 1: simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings (as attraction and repulsion) toward an object, person, or action
2. a: continual fluctuation (as between one thing and its opposite) b: uncertainty as to which approach to follow
— ambivalent - adjective;
— ambivalently - adverb

Front 10

10. Inept

Back 10

10. (adj.) 1: lacking in fitness or aptitude: unfit [inept at sports];
2: lacking sense or reason: foolish
3: not suitable to the time, place, or occasion: inappropriate often to an absurd degree [an inept metaphor]
4: generally incompetent: bungling [inept leadership]
— in·ept·ly\-ˈnep(t)-lē\ adverb
— in·ept·ness\-nəs\ noun
Ex.: (1) He was completely inept at sports.
(2) He made an inept attempt to apologize.

Front 11

11. Adroit

Back 11

11. (Adj.): having or showing skill, cleverness, or resourcefulness in handling situations [an adroit leader] [adroit maneuvers]
— adroitly adverb
— adroitness noun

Front 12

12. Sporadic

Back 12

12. (Adj.): occurring occasionally, singly, or in irregular or random instances [sporadic protests] [a sporadic disease]
— sporadically - adverb

Front 13

13. Frenetic

Back 13

13. (Adj.): Frantic, frenzied. ex.: The celebration was noisy and frenetic.
frenetically - adverb;
freneticism - noun

Front 14

14. Hapless

Back 14

14. (Adj.) having no luck; unlucky; unfortunate.
Ex.: She plays the hapless heroine who is unlucky in love.
— haplessly - adverb;
— haplessness - noun

Front 15

15. Defray

Back 15

15. (V - transitive verb): To pay the costs of.
defrayable - adjective;
defrayal -ˈnoun

Front 16

16. Debilitate

Back 16

16. (V - transitive verb): Weak, feeble. ex.: The virus debilitates the body's immune system.
Debilitation - noun

Front 17

17. Alienate

Back 17

17. (V - transitive verb): (1) to make unfriendly, hostile, or indifferent especially where attachment formerly existed; estrange; separate. (2) to convey or transfer (as property or a right) usually by a specific act rather than the due course of law; (3) to cause to be withdrawn or diverted.
Ex.: (a) He alienated most of his colleagues with his bad temper. (b) Her position on this issue has alienated many former supporters.

Front 18

18. Onus

Back 18

18. (N) Burden; responsibility. ex.: He perpetually tries to shift the onus for any mistakes onto other team members.

Front 19

19. Moot

Back 19

19. (adj): Debatable, open to question. ex.: (a) The court ruled that the issue is now moot because the people involved in the dispute have died. (b) I think they were wrong, but the point is moot. Their decision has been made and it can't be changed now.

Front 20

20. Ambience

Back 20

20. (N) (1) a feeling or mood associated with a particular place, person, or thing - environment; (2) Atmosphere. ex. The ambience of a tropical island.

Front 21

21. Affable

Back 21

21. (Adj.): (1) being pleasant and at ease in talking to others (an affable host); (2) characterized by ease and friendliness (an affable manner).
— affability - noun;
— affably - adverb
Ex.: a lively, affable young fellow

Front 22

22. Foppish

Back 22

22. (Adj.) vane about ones dress or appearance

Front 23

23. Resplendent

Back 23

23. (Adj.): shining brilliantly : characterized by a glowing splendor.
— resplendently - adverb
Ex.: (a) The fields were resplendent with flowers.
(b) She looked resplendent in her green evening gown.

Front 24

24. Rift

Back 24

24. (N) Opening; break; fissure. ex.: (a) The fight will only widen the rift with his brother.
(b) the rift in the rock
(c) We could see some stars through the rifts in the clouds.

Front 25

25. Wrest

Back 25

25. (V - transitive verb): (1) to pull, force, or move by violent wringing or twisting movements; (2) to gain with difficulty by or as if by force, violence, or determined labor
Ex.: (a) He tried to wrest control of the company from his uncle. (b) the boy wrested the book out of his sister's hands

Front 26

26. Wary

Back 26

26. (Adj.) (1) Very cautious; (2) marked by keen caution, cunning, and watchfulness especially in detecting and escaping danger
— warily - adverb;
— wariness - noun
Ex.: (a) The store owner kept a wary eye on him.
(b) Investors are increasingly wary about putting money into stocks.

Front 27

27. Blithe

Back 27

27. (Adj.) (1) of a happy lighthearted character or disposition; joyous; carefree; cheerful; merry; (2) lacking due thought or consideration : casual, heedless [blithe unconcern]
— blithely - adverb
Ex.: (a) He showed blithe disregard for the rights of others.
(b) He was blithe about the risks to his health.

Front 28

28. Caliber

Back 28

28. (N) (1) degree of mental capacity or moral quality; (2) degree of excellence or importance.
ex.: (a) I was impressed by the high caliber of the team's work.
(b) musicians of the highest caliber perform at that concert hall

Front 29

29. Dispersion

Back 29

29. (N) the scattering of the values of a frequency distribution from an average
[the dispersion of energy from a source]

Front 30

30. Forte

Back 30

30. (N) Ones strong point or special talent. [Emily's particular forte was desserts.]

Front 31

31. Freshet

Back 31

31. (N) A great rise or overflowing of a stream caused by heavy rains or melted snow; a sudden flood.

Front 32

32. Gamut

Back 32

32. (N) An entire range or series; extent [ran the gamut from praise to contempt]

Front 33

33. Stringent

Back 33

33. (Adj.) (1) Binding; ridig; (2) Marked by rigor, strictness, or severity especially with regard to rule or standard [stringent decontamination procedures]
(3) marked by money scarcity and credit strictness [a stringent budget]
— stringently - adverb
Ex.: stringent rules against unauthorized persons being in the building

Front 34

34. Vie

Back 34

34. (V - intransitive verb): to strive for superiority: contend; compete
Ex. (a) They are vying to win the championship for the third year in a row.
(b) vied with his colleagues for the coveted promotion

Front 35

35. Allude

Back 35

35. (V - intransitive verb): To make indirect reference [comments alluding to an earlier discussion]; refer to indirectly.
Ex.: Mrs. Simons alluded to some health problems, without being specific.

Front 36

36. Atone

Back 36

36. (V - intransitive verb): to make amends [atone for sins]

Front 37

37. Countermand

Back 37

37. (V - transitive verb) (1) to revoke/cancel (a command) by a contrary order; (2) to recall or order back by a superseding contrary order [countermand reinforcements]
Ex.: Orders to blow up the bridge were countermanded.

Front 38

38. Ensue

Back 38

38. (V) As a transitive verb: to strive to attain; pursue [I wander, seeking peace, and ensuing it — Rupert Brooke]
As an intransitive verb:
To take place afterward or as a result; follow as a result.

Front 39

39. Foil

Back 39

39. (V - transitive verb) (1) To prevent from attaining an end; defeat; frustrate. [always able to foil her enemies] (2) To bring to naught; thwart [foiled the plot]

Front 40

40. Impasse

Back 40

40. (N) (1) a. A predicament affording no obvious escape b. deadlock
(2) an impassable road or way: cul-de-sac
Ex.: (a) An arbitrator was called in to break the impasse.
(b) She had reached an impasse in her career.