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209 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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abjure
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to renounce or retract with solemnity
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abrogate
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to abolish, annul, repeal - especially by authority
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adjure
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to command or entreat earnestly
ie I adjure thee by the living God |
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aggrandize
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to increase the scope of; to make greater in power, influence, reputation
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amortize
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to decrease an amount gradually or in installments
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anacoluthon
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an abrupt change within a sentence to a second construction inconsistent with the first
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anathema
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a formal ecclesiastical ban, curse, or excommunication; denunciation of anything as accursed
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anodyne
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a source of pain-relief or soothing comfort
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apogee
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the point in an orbit most distant from the body being orbited
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aposiopesis
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sudden reticence in the middle of a sentence, as though the speaker were unwilling or unable to continue
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apostate
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a person who has renounced a religion, political party, or cause
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approbation
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an expression of warm approval; praise
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arrogate
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to take or claim for oneself without right; appropriate
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asperity
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roughness or harshness, as of surface, sound, or climate
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assiduous
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diligent, persistent
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atavistic
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displaying characteristics of a previous cultural era or of a previous ancestral form
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aureate
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golden; characterized by inflated or pompous language
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aver
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to assert the truth of, to affirm with confidence
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baleful
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portending evil, ominous; full of hurtful or malign influence
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bathetic
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effusively or insincerely emotional
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blandishment
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speech or action expressive of affection or kindness, and tending to win the heart
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bon vivant
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a person with refined taste, especially in food
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bonhomie
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a pleasant and affable disposition
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cabal
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a conspiratorial group of plotters
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calumny
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a false statement maliciously made to injure another's reputation
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capricious
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impulsive and subject to whim
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casuistry
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specious or excessively subtle reasoning intended to rationalize or mislead
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catachresis
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the misapplication of a word or phrase or a mixed metaphor
ex. a palatable tone, horsemanship on a mule |
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cathexis
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concentration of emotional energy on an object or idea
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clerihew
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a witty satiric verse containing two rhymed couplets and mentioning a famous person
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coeval
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originating or existing during the same period
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complaisant
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exhibiting a desire or willingness to please
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concupiscent
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amorous, lustful
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contumacious
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contemptuous of authority; willfully disobedient
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copacetic
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very satisfactory or acceptable
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cupidity
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excessive desire, especially for wealth
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declivity
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a downward slope, as of a hill
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desultory
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having no set plan; haphazard or random
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diffidence
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the state of being timid or shy; reticence or self-effacement
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dissemble
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to disguise or conceal behind a false appearance
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dissolute
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lacking moral restraint, given to vice and dissipation
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distaff
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characteristic of women; referring to the maternal side of a family
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dyspeptic
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having indigestion; of or displaying a morose disposition
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ebullience
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zestful enthusiasm
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edify
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to build, construct; to instruct or improve morally or intellectually
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effrontery
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brazen boldness; presumptuousness
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egregore
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an occult concept representing a thoughtform or collective group mind
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emollient
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moisturizing; mollifying
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enervate
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to weaken or destroy the strength or vitality of
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epicurean
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pursuing pleasure, especially in reference to food or comfort
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esemplastic
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unifying; having the power to shape disparate things into a unified whole
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exculpate
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to clear of guilt or blame
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exigent
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urgent; demanding
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expiate
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to make amends; atone
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expurgate
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to remove erroneous or vulgar material before publication
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faineant
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a do-nothing; a lazy, shiftless person
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felicitous
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well-fitting; exhibiting an agreeably appropriate manner; marked by good fortune
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florid
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flushed with rosy color; very ornate
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foment
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to incite or cause troublesome acts; to encourage; to instigate
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gainsay
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to declare false; deny
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gambol
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to leap about playfully
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garrulous
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given to excessive and often trivial or rambling talk
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hobbledehoy
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a gawky, adolescent boy
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iconoclast
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one who breaks or destroys images; one who attacks cherished beliefs or traditional institutions regarded as based on error or superstition
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ignominy
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infliction of disgrace or dishonor; the state of being degraded or held in contempt; obloquy, opprobrium
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impecunious
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habitually without money
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imprecation
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a slanderous accusation; a prayer that a curse or calamity may befall someone
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inamorato
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a male lover
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inchoate
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in an initial or early stage, incipient; imperfectly formed or developed as yet; in-ko-it
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incunabule
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a book printed between ~1440 (Gutenberg) and 1500
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inexorable
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impervious to pleas, persuasion; not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
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inimical
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adverse in effect (habits inimical to good health); unfriendly (a cold, inimical voice)
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insouciant
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marked by blithe unconcern, nonchalant
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intransigent
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unwilling to compromise or moderate a position, unreasonable, irreconcilable, stubborn
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inveigle
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to convince or win over with flattery or artful talk; to obtain by cajolery
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invidious
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excites envious ill will, animosity, or resentment (invidious accusations)
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jalopy
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an old, dilapidated car
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laconic
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marked by the use of few words, terse, pithy and concise
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intransigent
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unwilling to compromise or moderate a position, unreasonable, irreconcilable, stubborn
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inveigle
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to convince or win over with flattery or artful talk; to obtain by cajolery
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invidious
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excites envious ill will, animosity, or resentment (invidious accusations)
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jalopy
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an old, dilapidated car
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laconic
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marked by the use of few words, terse, pithy
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lacuna
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a small opening, an empty space, a missing part
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lambent
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flickering lightly over a surface (as in moonlight); effortlessly light or brilliant (as in wit)
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largess
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liberality in bestowing gifts, especially in an ostentatious manner; the gifts or money given in such a way
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libertine
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usually a man who is morally unrestrained; dissolute, licentious, profligate
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licentious
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lacking moral discipline or ignoring societal standards, particularly in sexual conduct
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limpid
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characterized by clearness or transparency; easily intelligible
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litotes
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a figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite as in "This is no small problem."
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lugubrious
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mournful or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree
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lychnobite
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one who labors at night and sleeps in the day
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martinet
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a strict disciplinarian
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mawkish
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effusively or insincerely sentimental; sickening or insipid in taste
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mendicant
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a pauper who lives by begging; a friar who depends on alms
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meretricious
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tastelessly gaudy, superficially attractive but lacking substance, falsely alluring; of, or relating to prostitutes
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mondegreen
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a form of error arising from mishearing a spoken or sung phrase
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obloquy
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contumelious or abusive language, calumny; disgrace suffered as a result of abuse or vilification
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obviate
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to bypass a requirement or render unnecessary
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officious
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marked by excessive eagerness in offering unwanted services or advice; meddlesome
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opprobrium
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disgrace arising from exceedingly shameful conduct
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orotund
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full in sound, sonorous (as in music); ostentatiously lofty in style
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otiose
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disinclined to work or exertion, resulting in no effect, serving no useful purpose
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paean
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a song of joyful praise or exultation
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palliate
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to relieve the symptoms of; to lessen the severity of
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pangyric
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a formal eulogistic composition intended as a public compliment; an elaborate encomium
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panoply
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a splendid display; a full set of elaborate attire; something that covers and protects (porcupine's panoply of quills)
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pareidolia
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the tendency to interpret a vague stimulus as something known to the observer such as seeing shapes in clouds or hearing messages in reversed music
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paroxysm
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a sudden outburst of emotion or action; a fit or exacerbation of a disease that occurs at intervals
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pastiche
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a work of art that imitates the style of some previous work; a musical composition consisting of songs from various sources; a hodgepodge
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peregrinate
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to journey from place to place, especially on foot
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perfidy
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violation of a faith or allegiance; an act of deceit or treachery
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peripatetic
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one who walks about; an itinerant
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perspicacious
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of acute discernment; having keen insight
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phlegmatic
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not easily excited to action or passion, sluggish
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phlogiston
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a hypothetical substance once believed to be present in all combustible materials and to be released during burning
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potentate
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one who possesses great power or sway
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probity
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tried virtue or integrity, strict honesty, rectitude, incorruptibility
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profligate
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recklessly wasteful; dissolute and abandoned to vice
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propitiate
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to conciliate an offended power; to appease
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proscribe
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to forbid; to denounce or condemn; to banish or outlaw
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protean
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exhibiting considerable variety; readily assuming different shapes or forms
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pugilist
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someone who fights with his fists for sports
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pulchritude
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physical beauty
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pusillanimous
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showing ignoble cowardice or contemptible timidity
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qualtagh
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the first individual a person meets after exiting his or her house
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quondam
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former, that once was (that quondam drunkard, now perfectly sober)
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rebarbative
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irritating, repellant
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recondite
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remote from apprehension, abstruse
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redolent
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aromatic; suggestive or reminiscent
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redoubtable
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eliciting respect or fear; awe-inspiring
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refractory
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obstinate in opposition or disobedience; resistant to heat or treatment
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restive
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impatient under delay, duress, or control; stubborn
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sedulity
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the quality of being constantly diligent and attentive, assiduous
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sibylline
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clairvoyant
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solecism
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error in the use of language; a violation of etiquette, a faux pas
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solicitous
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given to anxious care and often hovering attentiveness
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sophistry
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plausible but fallacious argumentation
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spoonerism
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a transposition of sounds of two or more words (Let me show you to your seat = Let me sew you to your sheet)
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stentorian
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loud, powerful voice, suitable for giving speeches to large crowds
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strident
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unpleasantly loud and harsh
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sybarite
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a person devoted to pleasure and luxury
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syzygy
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the straight line configuration of 3 celestial bodies as in an eclipse
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temerity
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reckless boldness, foolish bravery
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trenchant
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sharp; vigorously effective and articulate (as in wit or an argument)
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truculence
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savageness of manners, ferocity
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unctuous
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oily or greasy; insincerely earnest; excessively ingratiating in manner or speech
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velleity
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the lowest degree of desire or volition, with no effort to act
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veracious
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truthful
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vicissitude
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mutability; successive alternation from one condition to another; a change in one's life or fortune
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vituperate
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to criticize in a harsh or abusive manner
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voluble
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marked by a ready flow of speech; easily rolling or turning
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vulnerary
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healing, curative
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welter
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(verb) to wallow or toss about, as in mud or high seas; to lie soaked in a liquid; (noun) a jumble
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prolix
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tediously lengthy
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numismatics
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study of coins
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reprobate
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(v) to condemn; (adj) damned, immoral; (n) a morally unprincipled person
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suborn
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to induce someone to commit an unlawful or malicious act, or to commit perjury
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haecceity
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the essence that makes something the kind of thing it is and makes it different from any other
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cortege
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a train of attendants, as of a distinguished person; a retinue
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flibbertigibbet
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a silly, scatterbrained, or garrulous person
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cynosure
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that which serves to guide or direct (as in the North Star); the center of attention
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grimalkin
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an old-cat; a crone
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adamantine
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having the hardness of a diamond; unyielding, inflexible
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caduceus
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a winged staff with two snakes twined around it, as carried by Hermes; an insignia used by the medical profession
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sinecure
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a position that requires no work but still provides a salary
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augur
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to foretell events, to serve as an omen of
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bane
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a cause of misery or death; a source of persistent exasperation; a murderer; poison
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noetic
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of or pertaining to the mind or intellect
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alacrity
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eager willingness, enthusiasm; speed, celerity
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hackneyed
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overfamiliar through overuse, trite
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apocryphal
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of doubtful authenticity; of dubious veracity, anecdotal
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apodyopsis
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the act of mentally undressing someone
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nascent
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emerging, just coming into existence
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flaneur
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one who habitually strolls about idly
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coterie
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a circle of people who associate with another
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ancillary
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of secondary importance; auxiliary; subordinate
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recalcitrant
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marked by a stubborn unwillingness to obey figures of authority
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ascetic
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characterized by rigorous self-denial or self-discipline, particularly as an act of religious devotion
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proprioception
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the unconscious perception of movement and spatial orientation arising from stimuli within the body itself
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insipid
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flavorless; uninteresting, dull
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anosognosia
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the inability of a person to recognize his or her own illness or handicap
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autodidact
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a self-taught person
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grimoire
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a manual of black magic
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intemperate
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indulging in any appetite or passion to excess
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aplomb
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self-confidence; poise; composure
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scion
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a descendant or heir
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callow
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immature, lacking in life experience;
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parvenu
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a person who has risen to a higher economic class and has not yet gained social acceptance by others in that class; an upstart
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intemperate
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indulging in any appetite or passion to excess
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aplomb
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self-confidence; poise; composure
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scion
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a descendant or heir
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callow
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immature, lacking in life experience;
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parvenu
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a person who has risen to a higher economic class and has not yet gained social acceptance by others in that class; an upstart
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purview
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the extent or range of function, power, or competence; scope
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verisimilitude
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the property of seeming true, of resembling reality
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lassitude
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lethargy, languor, weariness
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acrimony
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a sharp and bitter hatred
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chicanery
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deception by use of trickery, quibbling, or subterfuge
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tacit
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not spoken; implied by or inferred from actions or statements
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dilettante
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a person with a general but superficial interest in any art or a branch of knowledge, somewhat derogatory
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paucity
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fewness; scarcity
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ineffable
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incapable of being expressed; indescribable; too sacred to be uttered
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simulacrum
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a representation of a person; an insubstantial or vague semblance
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equanimity
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the state of being calm, stable, and composed, especially under stress
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intractable
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not easily governed, managed, or directed, obstinate; difficult to mold, manipulate, or alleviate
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onerous
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burdensome, oppressive
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incorrigible
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impervious to correction by punishment; incurably depraved; unalterable
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avuncular
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resembling an uncle in kindness or indulgence
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