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209 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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abash
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v. make ashamed; embarrass
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abject
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adj. hopeless; extremely sad and servile; defeated
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abnegate
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v. deny oneself things; reject; renounce
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abrogate
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v. abolish or repeal formally; set aside; nullify
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abstemious
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adj. sparing or moderate, especially in eating and drinking
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abstruse
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adj. hard to understand or grasp
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abysmal
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adj. extremely hopeless or wretched; bottomless
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accede
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v. give in; yield; agree
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accrete
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v. increase by growth or addition
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adduce
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v. bring forward as an example or as proof; cite
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adroit
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adj. skillful; dexterous; clever; socially at ease
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advent
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n. arrival; coming; beginning
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affable
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adj. easy to talk to; friendly
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affectation
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n. unnatural or artificial behavior, usually intended to impress
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aggregate
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n. sum total; a collection of separate things mixed together
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aghast
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adj. terrified; shocked
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allege
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v. assert without proof
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allusion
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n. an indirect reference to something else; a hint
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ambience
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n. atmosphere; mood; feeling
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ambivalent
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adj. undecided; having opposing feelings simultaneously
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amiable
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adj. friendly; agreeable
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amorphous
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adj. shapeless; bloblike
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anathema
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n. something or someone loathed or detested; a formal ecclesiastical curse and excommunication
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ancillary
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subordinate; providing assistance
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animosity
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n. resentment; hostility; ill will
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antecedent
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something that went before; a preceding cause or event
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antipathy
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n. firm dislike; a strong feeling of aversion
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antithesis
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n. the direct opposite
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apex
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n. highest point
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aphorism
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n. a brief, witty saying; a proverb
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apocryphal
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adj. of dubious authenticity; fictitious
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apostasy
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n. abandonment or rejection of faith or loyalty
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apposite
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adj. distinctly suitable; pertinent
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appropriate
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v. take without permission; set aside for a particular use
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arbiter
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n. one who decides; a judge
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arcane
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adj. mysterious; known only to a select few
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archetype
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n. an original model or pattern
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arrant
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adj. utter; unmitigated; very bad
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astute
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adj. shrewd; keen in judgment
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attrition
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n. a gradual wearing away, weakening, or loss; a natural decrease in numbers or size
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augment
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v. make bigger; add to; increase
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auspicious
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adj. favorable; promising
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avow
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v. claim; declare boldly; admit
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banal
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adj. unoriginal; ordinary
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belabor
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v. go over repeatedly or to an absurd extent
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beleaguer
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v. surround; besiege; harass
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belie
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v. give a false impression of; contradict
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benign
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adj. gentle; not harmful; kind; mild
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bereave
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v. deprive or leave desolate, especially through death
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blithe
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adj. carefree; cheerful
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broach
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v. open up a subject for discussion, often a delicate subject
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brook
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v. bear or tolerate; put up with something
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callow
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adj. immature
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cardinal
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adj. most important; chief
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catholic
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adj. universal; embracing everything
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cavil
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v. quibble; raise trivial objections
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chagrin
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n. humiliation; embarrassed disappointment
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choleric
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adj. hot-tempered; quick to anger
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circumspect
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adj. cautious
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coalesce
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v. come together as one; fuse; unite
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coda
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n. a passage concluding a musical composition
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cognizant
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adj. fully informed; knowledgeable; aware
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collusion
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n. conspiracy; secret cooperation
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commensurate
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adj. equal; proporationate
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conciliatory
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adj. making peace; attempting to resolve a dispute through goodwill
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consecrate
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v. make or declare sacred
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consummate
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adj. perfect; complete; supremely skillful
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contumely
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n. rudeness; insolence; arrogance
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convivial
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adj. fond of partying; festive
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consonant
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adj. harmonious; in agreement
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copious
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adj. abundant; plentiful
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corroborate
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v. confirm; back up with evidence
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coterie
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n. a select group of close associates
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countenance
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n. face; facial expression
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covet
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v. wish for enviously
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cull
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v. pick out from among many; select; collect
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cursory
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adj. hasty; superficial
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daunt
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v. make fearful; intimidate
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debacle
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n. a sudden disastrous collapse, downfall, or defeat; a rout
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debauchery
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n. corruption by sensuality; intemperance; wild living
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decorous
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adj. in good taste; orderly; proper
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deleterious
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adj. harmful
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deluge
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n. a flood
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deprecate
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v. express disapproval of
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dilapidated
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adj. broken-down; fallen into ruin
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discomfit
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v. confuse; disconcert; thwart the plans of; defeat in battle
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discourse
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n. converse; formally discuss a subject
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doggerel
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poetry that is badly written or ridiculous, sometimes because the writer has not intended it to be serious
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egregious
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adj. extremely bad; flagrant
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elucidate
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v. explain; make understandable
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empirical
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adj. relying on experience or observation; not merely theoretical
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endemic
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adj. native; belonging to a specific region or people
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enormity
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n. extreme evil or wickedness
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epicure
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n. a person with refined taste in wine and food
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epitome
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n. the perfect example of something; a paradigm
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equanimity
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n. composure; calm
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eschew
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v. avoid; shun
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espouse
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support; advocate
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evince
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v. show or demonstrate clearly; manifest
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exhort
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v. urge strongly
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exposition
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n. a setting forth of meaning or intent; a discourse intended to explain
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extol
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v. praise highly
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facile
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adj. fluent; skillful in a superficial way; easy
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fatuous
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adj. foolish; silly; idiotic
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fetter
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v. restrain; hamper
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flag
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v. weaken; slow down
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flippant
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adj. frivolously shallow and disrespectful
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foment
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v. stir up; instigate
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forbear
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v. refrain from; abstain
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founder
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v. fail; collapse; sink
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fulsome
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adj. offensively flattering or insincere; replusive
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gainsay
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v. deny; speak or act against
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gambit
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n. a scheme to gain an advantage; a ploy
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genial
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adj. cheerful and pleasant; friendly; helpful
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germane
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adj. applicable; pertinent; relevant
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gratis
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adj. free of charge
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gratuitous
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adj. given freely (said of something bad); unjustified; unprovoked; uncalled for
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guile
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n. cunning; duplicity; artfulness
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harbinger
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n. a forerunner; a signal of
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hermetic
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adj. impervious to external influence, airtight
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idyllic
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adj. charming in a rustic way; naturally peaceful
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ignominy
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n. deep disgrace
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impecunious
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adj. without money; penniless
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impromptu
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adj. without preparation; on the spur of the moment
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impugn
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v. attack as false or questionable
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incandescent
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adj. brilliant; giving off heat of light
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incipient
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adj. beginning; emerging
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incorrigible
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adj. incapable of being reformed
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indolent
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adj. lazy
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indulgent
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adj. lenient; yielding to desire
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ineluctable
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adj. incapable of being reformed
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inept
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adj. clumsy; incompetent
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inert
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adj. inactive; sluggish; not reacting chemically
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inexorable
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adj. relentless; inevitable; unavoidable
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inherent
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adj. part of the essential nature of something; intrinsic
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inundate
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v. flood; overwhelm
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inveterate
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adj. habitual; deeply rooted
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itinerant
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adj. moving from place to place
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judicious
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adj. exercising sound judgment
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lament
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v. mourn
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largess
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n. liberality in giving gifts; money or gifts bestowed; generosity of attitude
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lascivious
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adj. lustful; obscene; lewd
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latent
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adj. present but not visible or apparent; potential
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levee
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n. an embankment designed to prevent the flooding of a river
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levity
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n. lightness; frivolity; unseriousness
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licentious
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adj. lascivious; lewd; promiscuous; amoral
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magnate
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n. a rich, powerful, or very successful businessperson
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manifest
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adj. visible; evident
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maudlin
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adj. tearfully sentimental; silly or weepy
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maxim
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n. a fundamental principle; an old saying
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mendicant
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n. a beggar
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motility
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n. spontaneous movement
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noisome
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adj. offensive or disgusting; stinking; noxious
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nominal
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adj. in name only; insignificant
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novel
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adj. new; original
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oblique
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adj. indirect; at an angle
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palliate
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v. make less severe or intense; make an offense seem less serious
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panacea
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n. something that cures everything
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paradigm
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n. a model or example
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paradox
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n. a true statement or phenomenon that seems to contradict itself
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parsimonious
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adj. stingy; miserly
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partisan
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adj. having a bias in support of a party, group, or cause, n. one who supports a particular party, group, or cause
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patina
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n. surface discoloration caused by age and oxidation
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paucity
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n. scarcity
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pedestrian
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adj. unoriginal; banal
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perturb
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v. disturb greatly
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piquant
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adj. pleasantly pungent or tart
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placid
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adj. pleasantly calm; peaceful
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plaintive
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ad. expressing sadness or sorrow
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plumb
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v. measure the depth of something
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portent
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n. an omen; a sign of something coming in the future
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precipitous
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adj. steep
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predilection
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n. a natural preference for something
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presage
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v. portend; foreshadow; forecast or predict
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privation
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n. lack of comforts or necessities; poverty
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provincial
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adj. limited in outlook to one's own small corner of the world; narrow
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prurient
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adj. having lustful thoughts or desires; causing lust
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putative
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adj. commonly accepted; supposed; reputed
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quay
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n. a landing on the edge of the water; wharf; pier
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queue
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n. a line of waiting people or things, v. get in line
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quintessential
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adj. being the most perfect example of
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rampart
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n. a fortification; a bulwark of defense
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redolent
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adj. fragrant; aromatic; suggestive or reminiscent
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remonstrate
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v. argue against; protest; raise objections
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remuneration
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n. payment; recompense
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renaissance
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n. a rebirth of revival
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replete
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adj. completely filled; abounding
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reproach
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v. scold, usually in disappointment; blame; disgrace
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reprobate
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n. a wicked, sinful, depraved person
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reprove
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v. criticize mildly
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respite
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n. a period of rest or relief
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ribald
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adj. characterized by vulgar, lewd humor
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sagacious
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adj. wise
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sagacity
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n. wisdom
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sage
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n. a wise person
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salutary
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adj. healthful; remedial; wholesome
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sanguine
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adj. cheerful; optimistic; hopeful
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surreptitious
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adj. sneaky; secret
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sycophant
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n. one who sucks up to others; a servile, self-seeking flatterer
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taciturn
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adj. untalkative by nature
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temerity
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n. recklessness; audacity; foolhardy disregard of danger
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turpitude
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n. shameful wickedness or depravity
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unalloyed
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adj. undiluted; pure
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usury
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n. lending money at an extremely high rate of interest
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venal
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adj. capable of being bribed; corrupt
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verdant
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adj. covered with green plants; leafy; inexperienced
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vestige
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n. a remaining bit of something; a last trace
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vitiate
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v. make faulty or defective; impair; corrupt morally
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wizened
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adj. shriveled; withered; shrunken
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