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304 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
aberrant
adj. deviating from the norm (n. aberration)
abscond
v. depart clandestinely; steal off and hide
alacrity
n. great willingness or enthusiasm
anomaly
n. deviation from the normal order, form, or rule; abnormality (adj. anomalous)
approbation
n. an expression of approval or praise
arduous
adj. strenuous; taxing; requiring significant effort
assuage
v. ease or lessen; appease or pacify
audacious
adj. daring and fearless; recklessly bold (n. audacity)
austere
adj. without adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic (n. austerity)
axiomatic
adj. taken as a given; possessing self-evident truth (n. axiom)
canonical
adj. following or in agreement with accepted, traditional standards (n. canon)
capricious
adj. inclined to change one's mind impulsively; erratic; unpredictable
censure
v. criticize severely; officially rebuke
chicanery
n. trickery or subterfuge
connoisseur
n. an informed and astute judge in matters of taste; expert
convoluted
adj. complex or complicated
disabuse
v. undeceive; set right
discordant
adj. conflicting; dissonant or harsh in mind
disparate
adj. fundamentally distinct or dissimilar
effrontery
n. extreme boldness; presumptuousness
eloquent
adj. well-spoken; expressive; articulate (n. eloquence)
enervate
v. weaken; reduce in vitality
ennui
n. dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy
equivocate
v. use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent (adj. equivocal)
erudite
adj. very learned; scholarly (n. erudition)
exculpate
v. exonerate; clear of blame
exigent
adj. urgent; pressing; requiring immediate action or attention
extemporaneous
adj. improvised; done without preparation
filibuster
n. intentional obstruction, esp. using prolonged speechmaking to delay legislative action
fulminate
v. loudly attack or denounce
ingenuous
adj. artless; frank and candid; lacking in sophistication
inured
adj. accustomed to accepting something undesirable
irascible
adj. easily angered; prone to temperamental outbursts
laud
v. praise highly (adj. laudatory)
lucid
adj. clear; easily understood
magnanimity
n. the quality of being generously noble in mind and heart, esp. in forgiving (adj. magnanimous)
martial
adj. associated with war and the armed forces
mundane
adj. of the world; typical of or concerned with the ordinary
nascent
adj. coming into being; in early developmental stages
nebulous
adj. vague; cloudy; lacking clearly defined form
neologism
n. a new word, expression, or usage; the creation or use of new words or senses
noxious
adj. harmful; injurious
obtuse
adj. lacking sharpness of intellect; not clear or precise in thought or expression
obviate
v. anticipate and make unnecessary
onerous
adj. troubling; burdensome
paean
n. a song or hymn of praise and thanksgiving
parody
n. a humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect, esp. in literature and art
perennial
adj. recurrent though the year or many years; happening repeatedly
perfidy
n. intentional breach of faith; treachery (adj. perfidious)
perfunctory
adj. cursory; done without care or interest
perspicacious
adj. acutely perceptive; having keen discernment (n. perspicacity)
prattle
v. babble meaninglessly; talk in an empty and idle manner
precipitate
adj. acting with excessive haste or impulse, v. cause or happen before anticipated or required
predilection
n. a disposition in favor of something; preference
prescience
n. foreknowledge of events; knowing of events prior to their occurring (adj. prescient)
prevaricate
v. deliberately avoid the truth; mislead
qualm
n. misgivings; reservations; causes for hesitancy
recant
v. retract, esp. a previously held belief
refute
v. disprove; successfully argue against
relegate
v. forcibly assign, esp. to a lower place or position
reticent
adj. quiet; reserved; reluctant to express thoughts and feelings
solicitous
adj. concerned and attentive; eager
sordid
adj. characterized by filth, grime, or squalor; foul
sporadic
adj. occurring only occasionally, or in scattered instances
squander
v. waste by spending or using irresponsibly
static
adj. not moving, active, or in motion; at rest
stupefy
v. stun, baffle, or amaze
stymie
v. block; thwart
synthesis
n. the combination of parts to make a whole (v. synthesize)
torque
n. a force that causes rotation
tortuous
adj. winding; twisting; excessively complicated
truculent
adj. fierce and cruel; eager to fight
veracity
n. truthfulness; honesty
virulent
adj. extremely harmful or poisonous; bitterly hostile or antagonistic
voracious
adj. having an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit; ravenous
waver
v. move to and fro; sway; be unsettled in opinion
abate
v. lessen in intensity of degree
accolade
n. an expression of praise
adulation
n. excessive praise; intense adoration
ameliorate
v. make better or more tolerable
ascetic
n. one who practices rigid self-denial, esp. as an act of religious devotion
avarice
n. greed, esp. for wealth (adj. avaricious)
aesthetic
adj. dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful
axiom
n. a universally recognized principle (adj. axiomatic)
bucolic
adj. rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
burgeon
v. grow rapidly or flourish
cacophony
n. harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance (adj. cacophonous)
canon
n. an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature (adj. canonical)
castigation
n. severe criticism or punishment (v. castigate)
catalyst
n. a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing; a person of thing that causes change
caustic
adj. burning or stinging; causing corrosion
chary
adj. wary; cautious; sparing
cogent
adj. appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing
complaisance
n. the willingness to comply with wishes of others (adj. complaisant)
contentious
adj. argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement
contrite
adj. regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness (n. contrition)
culpable
adj. deserving blame (n. culpability)
dearth
n. smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack
demur
v. question or oppose
didactic
adj. intended to teach or instruct
discretion
n. cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions (adj. discreet)
disinterested
adj. free of bias of self-interest; impartial
dogmatic
adj. expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or unprovable principles (n. dogma)
ebullience
adj. the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings (adj. ebullient)
eclectic
adj. composed of elements drawn from various sources
elegy
n. a mournful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead (adj. elegiac)
emollient
adj. / n. soothing, esp. to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying; an agent that softens of smoothes the skin
empirical
adj. based on observation or experiment
enigmatic
adj. mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand (n. enigma)
ephemeral
lasting or used for only a short period of time
esoteric
adj. intended for or understood by a small, specific group
eulogy
n. a speech or piece of writing praising somebody/something very much
exonerate
v. remove blame
facetious
adj. playful; humorous
fallacy
n. an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief (adj. fallacious)
furtive
adj. marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
gregarious
adj. sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people
harangue
v. / n. deliver a pompous speech or tirade; a long, pompous speech
heretical
adj. violating accepted dogma or convention (n. heresy)
hyperbole
n. an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech (adj. hyperbolic)
impecunious
adj. lacking funds; without money
incipient
adj. beginning to come into being or to become apparent
inert
adj. unmoving; lethargic; sluggish
innocuous
adj. harmless; causing no damage
intransigent
adj. refusing to compromise (n. intransigence)
morose
adj. unhappy, bad-tempered and not talking very much
odious
adj. evoking intense aversion or dislike
opaque
adj. impenetrable by light; not reflecting light
oscillation
n. the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm (v. oscillate)
penurious
adj. penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
pernicious
adj. extremely harmful; potentially causing death
inveigle
v. obtain by deception or flattery
peruse
v. examine with great care (n. perusal)
pious
adj. extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion (n. piety)
precursor
n. one that precedes and indicates or announces another
preen
v. dress up; primp; groom oneself with elaborate care
prodigious
adj. abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary
prolific
adj. producing large volumes or amounts; productive
putrefy
rot; decay and give off a foul odor (adj. putrid)
quaff
v. drink deeply
quiescence
n. stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest (adj. quiescent)
redoubtable
adj. awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
sanction
n. / v. authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance; give permission or authority to
satire
n. a way of criticizing a person, an idea or an institution in which you use humor to show their faults or weaknesses; a piece of writing that uses this type of criticism
squalid
adj. sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect (n. squalor)
supplant
v. take the place of; supersede
torpid
adj. lethargic; sluggish; dormant (n. torpor)
ubiquitous
adj. existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread
urbane
adj. sophisticated; refined; elegant (n. urbanity)
vilify
v. defame; characterize harshly
viscous
adj. thick; sticky (n. viscosity)
acumen
n. keen, accurate judgement or insight
adulterate
v. reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients
amalgamate
v. combine several elements into a whole (n. amalgamation)
archaic
adj. outdated; associated with an earlier, perhaps more primitive, time
aver
v. state as a fact; declare or assert
bolster
v. provide support or reinforcement
diatribe
n. a harsh denunciation
bombastic
adj. pompous; grandiloquent (n. bombast)
dissemble
v. disguise or conceal; mislead
eccentric
adj. departing from norms or conventions
evanescent
adj. tending to disappear like vapor; vanishing
exacerbate
v. make worse or more severe
fervent
adj. greatly emotional or zealous (n. fervor)
fortuitous
adj. happening by accident or chance
germane
adj. relevant to the subject at hand; appropriate in subject matter
hackneyed
adj. rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage
halcyon
adj. calm and peaceful
hedonism
n. devotion to pleasurable pursuits, esp. to the pleasures of the senses ( a hedonist is someone who purses pleasure)
iconoclast
a person who criticizes popular beliefs or established customs and ideas
grandiloquence
n. pompous speech or expression (adj. grandiloquent)
hegemony
n. the consistent dominance of one state or ideology over others
idolatrous
adj. given to intense or excessive devotion to something (n. idolatry)
impassive
adj. revealing no emotion
imperturbable
adj. marked by extreme clam, impassivity, and steadiness
impunity
n. immunity from punishment or penalty
implacable
adj. not capable of being appeased or significantly changed
infelicitous
adj. unfortunate; inappropriate
insipid
adj. without taste or flavor; lacking in spirit; bland
loquacious
adj. extremely talkative (n. loquacity)
luminous
adj. characterized by brightness and the emission of light
malevolent
adj. having or showing often vicious ill will, spite, or hatred (n. malevolence)
inchoate
adj. in an initial stage; not fully formed
malleable
adj. capable of being shaped or formed; tractable; pliable
mendacity
n. the condition of being untruthful; dishonesty (adj. mendacious)
meticulous
adj. characterized by extreme case and precision; attentive to detail
misanthrope
n. one who hates all other humans (adj. misanthropic)
mitigate
v. make or become less severe or intense; moderate
obdurate
adj. unyielding; hardhearted; intractable
obsequious
adj. exhibiting a fawning attentiveness
occlude
v. obstruct or block
opprobrium
n. disgrace; contempt; scorn
pedagogy
n. the profession or principles of teaching, or instructing
pedantic
adj. the parading of learning; excessive attention to minutiae and formal rules
penury
n. poverty; destitution
pervasive
adj. having the tendency to permeate or spread throughout
pine
v. yearn intensely; languish; lose vigor
pirate
v. illegally use or reproduce
pith
n. the essential or central part
pithy
adj. precise and brief
placate
v. appease; clam by making concessions
platitude
n. a superficial remark, esp. one offered as meaningful
plummet
v. plunge or drop straight down
polemical
adj. controversial; argumentative
prodigal
adj. recklessly wasteful; extravagant; profuse; lavish
profuse
adj. given or coming forth abundantly; extravagant
proliferate
v. grow or increase swiftly and abundantly
queries
n. questions; inquiries; doubts in the mind; reservations
querulous
adj. prone to complaining or grumbling; peevish
rancorous
adj. characterized by bitter, long-lasting resentment (n. rancor)
recalcitrant
adj. obstinately defiant of authority; difficult to manage
repudiate
v. refuse to have anything to do with; disown
rescind
v. invalidate; repeal; retract
reverent
adj. marked by, feeling, or expressing a feeling of profound awe and respect (n. reverence)
rhetoric
n. the art or study of effective use of language for communication and persuasion
salubrious
adj. promoting health or well-being
solvent
adj. able to meet financial obligations; able to dissolve another substance
specious
adj. seeming true, but actually being fallacious; misleadingly attractive; plausible but false
spurious
adj. lacking authenticity or validity; false; counterfeit
subpoena
n. a court order requiring appearance and/or testimony
succinct
adj. brief; concise
superfluous
adj. exceeding what is sufficient or necessary
surfeit
n./v. an overabundant supply; excess; feed or supply to excess
tenacity
n. the quality of adherence or persistence to something valued; persistent determination (adj. tenacious)
tenuous
adj. having little substance or strength; flimsy; weak
tirade
n. a long and extremely critical speech; a harsh denunciation
transient
adj. fleeting; passing quickly; brief
zealous
adj. fervent; ardent; impassioned; devoted to a cause (cf. zealot)
stoic
adj. indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain (stoicism)
endemic
adj. characteristic of or often found in a particular locality, region, or people
acerbic
adj. having a sour or bitter taste or character; sharp; biting
aggrandize
v. increase in intensity, power, influence, or prestige
alchemy
n. a medieval science aimed at the transmutation of metals, esp. base metals into gold
amenable
adj. agreeable; responsive to suggestion
anachronism
n. something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context
astringent
adj./n. having a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh; severe
bombast
n. self-important or pompous writing or speech (adj. bombastic)
contiguous
adj. sharing a border; touching; adjacent
convention
n. a generally agreed-upon practice or attitude
credulous
adj. tending to believe too readily; gullible (n. credulity)
cynicism
n. an attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness (adj. cynical)
decorum
n. polite or appropriate conduct or behavior (adj. decorous)
derision
n. scorn; ridicule; contemptuous treatment (adj. derisive, v. deride)
desiccate
v. dry out or dehydrate; make dry or dull
dilettante
n. one with an amateurish or superficial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge
disparage
v. slight or belittle
divulge
v. disclose something secret
fawn
v. flatter or praise excessively
flout
v. show contempt for, as in a rule or convention
garrulous
adj. pointlessly talkative, talking too much
glib
adj. marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in depth; superficial
hubris
n. overbearing presumption or pride; arrogance
imminent
adj. about to happen; impending
immutable
adj. not capable of change
impetuous
adj. hastily or rashly energetic; impulsive and vehement
indifferent
adj. having no interest or concern; showing no bias or prejudice
inimical
adj. damaging; harmful; injurious
intractable
adj. not easily managed or directed; stubborn; obstinate
intrepid
adj. steadfast and courageous
laconic
adj. using few words; terse
maverick
n. an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party
mercurial
adj. characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood
mollify
v. calm or soothe; reduce in emotional intensity
neophyte
n. a recent convert; a beginner; novice
obfuscate
deliberately obscure; make confusing
obstinate
adj. stubborn; hardheaded; uncompromising
ostentatious
adj. characterized by or given to pretentious display; showy
pervade
v. permeate throughout (adj. pervasive)
phlegmatic
adj. calm; sluggish; unemotional
plethora
n. an overabundance; a surplus
pragmatic
adj. practical rather than idealistic
presumptuous
adj. overstepping due bounds (as of propriety or courtesy); taking liberties
pristine
adj. pure; uncorrupted; clean
proclivity
n. a natural predisposition or inclination
profligate
adj. excessively wasteful; recklessly extravagant (n. profligacy)
propensity
n. a natural inclination or tendency, penchant
prosaic
adj. dull; lacking in spirit or imagination
pungent
adj. characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste
quixotic
adj. foolishly impractical; marked by lofty romantic ideals
quotidian
adj. occurring or recurring daily; commonplace
rarefy
v. make or become thin, less dense, refine
probity
n. adherence to highest principles; complete and confirmed integrity; uprightness
recondite
adj. hidden; concealed; difficult to understand; obscure
refulgent
adj. radiant; shiny; brilliant
renege
v. fail to honor a commitment; go back on a promise
sedulous
adj. diligent; persistent; hardworking
shard
n. a piece of broken pottery or glass
soporific
adj. causing drowsiness; tending to induce sleep
sparse
adj. thin; not dense; arranged at widely spaced intervals
spendthrift
n. one who spends money wastefully
subtle
adj. not obvious; elusive; difficult to discern
tacit
adj. implied; not explicitly stated
terse
adj. brief and concise in wording
tout
v. publicly praise or promote
trenchant
adj. sharply perceptive; keen; penetrating
unfeigned
adj. genuine; not false or hypocritical
untenable
adj. indefensible; not viable; uninhabitable
vacillate
v. waver indecisively between one course of action or opinion and another; waver
variegated
adj. multicolored; characterized by a variety of patches of different color
vexation
n. annoyance; irritation (v. vex)
vigilant
adj. alertly watchful (n. vigilance)
vituperate
v. use harsh condemnatory language; abuse or censure severely or abusively; berate
volatile
adj. readily changing to a vapor; changeable; fickle; explosive (n. volatility)
multifarious
of many different kinds; having great variety