Vocab 2

Front 1

pragmatic (adj)

syn: efficient, practical, realistic
ant: idealistic, unreasonable

Back 1

1. of or pertaining to a practical point of view or practical considerations.

2. dealing or concerned with facts or actual occurrences; practical.

Front 2

rigor (n)

syn: harshness, accuracy, austerity
ant: flexibility, leniency

Back 2

Strictness or severity, as in temperament, action, or judgment, as in dealing with people.

Front 3

conspicuous (adj)

syn: obvious, apparent, distinct
ant: concealed, hidden, inconspicuous

Back 3

easily seen or noticed; readily visible or observable: a conspicuous error.

Front 4

ascetic (n) + (adj)

syn: abstemious, strict, disciplined
ant: self-serving, greedy

Back 4

(noun) 1. a person who dedicates his or her life to a pursuit of contemplative ideals and practices extreme self-denial or self-mortification for religious reasons.

(adj) exceedingly strict or severe in religious exercises or self-mortification

2. a person who leads an austerely simple life, esp. one who abstains from the normal pleasures of life or denies himself or herself material satisfaction.

Front 5

dogmatic (adj)

syn: arrogant, opinionated,
adj: amenable, indecisive, submissive

Back 5

asserting opinions in a doctrinaire or arrogant manner; opinionated.

Front 6

didactic (adj)

syn: acedemic, bookish, educational
ant: uneducational, unscholarly

Back 6

1. intended for instruction; instructive: didactic poetry.

2. inclined to teach or lecture others too much: a boring, didactic speaker.

Front 7

disparage (verb)

syn: belittle, degrade, deprecate
ant: commend, flatter, praise

Back 7

1. to speak of or treat slightingly; depreciate; belittle: Do not disparage good manners.

2. to bring reproach or discredit upon; lower the estimation of: Your behavior will disparage the whole family.

Front 8

ephemeral (adj) + (n)

syn: brief, episodic, temporary
ant: enduring, interminable, lasting

Back 8

(adj) 1. lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory: the ephemeral joys of childhood.

2. lasting but one day: an ephemeral flower.

(noun) anything short-lived, as certain insects.

Front 9

prosaic (adj)

syn: actual, boring, common
ant: interesting, creative, imaginative

Back 9

1. commonplace or dull; matter-of-fact or unimaginative: a prosaic mind.

2. of or having the character or form of prose rather than poetry.

Front 10

profuse (adj)

syn: abundant, bountiful, generous
ant: lacking, sparse, wanting

Back 10

1. spending or giving freely and in large amount, often to excess; extravagant (often fol. by in): profuse praise.

2. made or done freely and abundantly: profuse apologies.

Front 11

expedient (adj) + (n)

syn: beneficial, advantageous, convenient
ant: innapropriate, unbeneficial, unprofitable

Back 11

(adj)
1. tending to promote some proposed or desired object; fit or suitable for the purpose; proper under the circumstances: It is expedient that you go.

2. conducive to advantage or interest, as opposed to right.

(noun)
1. Something that is a means to an end.

2. Something contrived or used to meet an urgent need.

Front 12

fastidious (adj)

syn: captious, critical, choosy, difficult, particular, punctillious
ant: indifferent, loose, careless

Back 12

1. excessively particular, critical, or demanding; hard to please: a fastidious eater.

2. requiring or characterized by excessive care or delicacy; painstaking.

Front 13

belligerent (adj) + (n)

syn: aggressive, warlike, bellicose
ant: cooperative, peaceful, kind, agreeable

Back 13

(adj)
1. warlike; given to waging war.

2. of warlike character; aggressively hostile; bellicose: a belligerent tone.

(noun) a state or nation at war.

Front 14

astute (adj)

syn: adroit, bright, canny, clever
ant: asinine, idiot, ignorant

Back 14

1. of keen penetration or discernment; sagacious: an astute analysis.

2. clever; cunning; ingenious; shrewd: an astute merchandising program; an astute manipulation of facts.

Front 15

censure (n) + (verb)

syn: admontion, condemnation
ant: approval, encouragment

Back 15

(noun)
1. strong or vehement expression of disapproval: The newspapers were unanimous in their censure of the tax proposal.

2. an official reprimand, as by a legislative body of one of its members.

(verb)
to criticize or reproach in a harsh or vehement manner: She is more to be pitied than censured.

Front 16

mitigate (verb)

syn: abate, alleviate, appease
ant: aggravate, intensify, incite

Back 16

1. to lessen in force or intensity, as wrath, grief, harshness, or pain; moderate.

2. to make less severe: to mitigate a punishment.

Front 17

reprehensible (adj)

syn: blamable, censurable, guilty
ant: creditable, kind, respectable

Back 17

deserving of reproof, rebuke, or censure; blameworthy.

Front 18

engender (verb)

syn: beget, procreate, arouse, breed
ant: destroy, halt, stop

Back 18

1. to produce, cause, or give rise to: Hatred engenders violence.

2. to beget; procreate.

Front 19

relegate (verb)

syn: demote, dismiss, deport
ant: promote, upgrade

Back 19

1. to send or consign to an inferior position, place, or condition: He has been relegated to a post at the fringes of the diplomatic service.

2. to consign or commit (a matter, task, etc.), as to a person: He relegates the less pleasant tasks to his assistant.

3. to assign or refer (something) to a particular class or kind.

Front 20

anecdote (noun)

syn: episode, relation, reminiscence, concoction
ant: non-fiction, truth

Back 20

a short account of a particular incident or event of an interesting or amusing nature, often biographical.