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110 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Abate
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to reduce in amount, degree, or severity
"As the hurricane's force abated, the winds dropped and the sea became calm." |
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Abscond
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to leave secretly
"The patron absconded from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door." |
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Abstain
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to choose not to do something
"She abstained from choosing a mouthwatering dessert from the tray." |
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Abyss
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an extremely deep hole
"The submarine dove into the abyss to chart the previously unseen depths." |
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Adulterate
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to make impure
"The restaurateur made his ketchup last longer by adulterating it with water." |
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Advocate
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to speak in favor of
"The vegetarian advocated a diet containing no meat" |
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Aesthetic
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concerning the appreciation of beauty
"Followers of the aesthetic movement regarded the pursuit of beauty as the only true purpose of art" |
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Aggrandize
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to increase in power, influence, and reputation
"The superior sought to aggrandize himself by claiming that the achievements of his staff were actually his own." |
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Alleviate
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to make more bearable
"Taking aspirin helps to alleviate a headache" |
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Amalgamate
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to combine; to mix together
"Giant industries amalgamated from Mega Products to form Giant-Mega Products Incorporated." |
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Ambiguous
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doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted several ways
"The directions he gave were so ambiguous that we disagreed on which way to turn." |
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Ameliorate
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to make better; to improve
"The doctor was able to ameliorate the patient's suffering using painkillers." |
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Anachronism
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something out of place in time
"The aged hippie used anachronistic phrases like groovy and far out that had not been popular for years." |
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Analogous
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similar or alike in some way; equivalent to
"In a famous argument for the existence of God, the universe is analogous to a mechanical timepiece, the creation of a divinely intelligent 'clockmaker.'" |
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Anomaly
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deviation from what is normal
"Albino animals may display too great an anomaly in their coloring to attract normal colored mates." |
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Antagonize
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to annoy or provoke to anger
"The child discovered the he could antagonize the cat by pulling its tail." |
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Antipathy
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extreme dislike
"The antipathy between the French and the English regularly erupted into open warfare." |
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Apathy
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lack of interest or emotion
"The apathy of voters is so great that less than half the people who are eligible to vote actually bother to do so." |
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Arbitrate
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to judge a dispute between two opposing parties
"Since the couple could not come to agreement, a judge was forced to arbitrate their divorce proceedings." |
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Archaic
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ancient, old-fashioned
"Her archaic commodore computer could not run the latest software." |
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Ardor
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intense and passionate feeling
"Bishop's ardor for landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of the scenic Hudson Valley." |
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Articulate
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able to speak clearly and expressively
"She is such an articulate defender of labor that unions are among her strongest supporters." |
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Assuage
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to make something unpleasant less severe
"Serena used aspirin to assuage her pounding headache." |
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Attenuate
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to reduce in force or degree; to weaken
"The Bill of Rights attenuated the traditional power of government to change laws at will." |
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Audacious
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fearless and daring
"Her audacious nature allowed her to fulfill her dream of skydiving." |
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Austere
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severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
"The lack of decoration makes Zen temples seem austere to the untrained eye." |
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Banal
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predictable, cliche, boring
"He used banal phrases like Have a nice day, or Another day, another dollar." |
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Bolster
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to support; to prop up
"The presence of giant footprints bolstered the argument that Sasquatch was in the area." |
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Bombastic
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pompous in speech and manner
"The dictator's speech were mostly bombastic; his boasting and outrageous claims had no basis in fact." |
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Cacophony
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harsh, jarring noise
"The junior high orchestra created an almost unbearable cacophony as they tried to tune their instruments." |
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Candid
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impartial and honest in speech
"The observations of a child can be charming since they are candid and unpretentious." |
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Capricious
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changing one's mind quickly and often
"Queen Elizabeth was quite capricious; her courtiers could never be sure which of their numbers would catch her fancy." |
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Castigate
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to punish or criticize harshly
"Americans are amazed at how harshly the authorities in Singapore castigate perpetrators of what would be considered minor crimes in the United States" |
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Catalyst
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something that brings about a change in something else
"The imposition of harsh taxes was the catalyst that finally brought on the revolution" |
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Caustic
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biting in wit
"Dorthy Parker gained her reputation for caustic wit from her cutting, yet clever, insults." |
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Chaos
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great disorder or confusion
"In most religious traditions, God created an ordered universe from chaos." |
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Chauvinist
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someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs
"The attitude that men are inherently superior to women and therefore must be obeyed is common among male chauvinists." |
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Chicanery
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deception by means of craft or guile
"Dishonest used care salesmen often use chicanery to sell their beat up old cars." |
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Cogent
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convincing and well reasoned
"Swayed by the cogent argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but acquit the defendant." |
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Condone
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to overlook, pardon, or disregard
"Some theorists believe that failing to prosecute minor crimes is the same as condoning an air of lawlessness." |
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Convoluted
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intricate and complicated
"Although many people bought A Brief History of Time, few could follow its convoluted ideas and theories." |
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Corroborate
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to provide supporting evidence
"Fingerprints corroborated the victim's testimony that he saw the defendant in the victim's apartment." |
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Credulous
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too trusting, gullible
"Although some four-year-olds believe in the Easter Bunny, only the most credulous nine-year-olds also believe in him." |
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Crescendo
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steadily increasing volume or force
"The crescendo of tension became unbearable as Evel Knievel prepared to jump his motorcycle over the school buses." |
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Deciryn
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appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety
"The countess complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the decorum appropriate for a visit to the palace." |
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Deference
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respect, courtesy
"The respectful young law clerk treated the Supreme Court justice with the utmost deference." |
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Deride
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to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock
"The awkward child was often derided by his "cooler" peers." |
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Desiccate
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to dry out thoroughly
"After a few weeks of lying on the desert's baking sands, the cow's carcass became completely desiccated." |
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Desultory
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jumping from one thing to another, disconnected
"Dianne had a desultory academic record; she had changed majors 12 times in three years." |
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Diatribe
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an abusive, condemnatory speech
"The trucker bellowed a diatribe at the driver who had cut him off." |
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Diffident
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lacking self confidence
"Steve's diffident manner during the job interview stemmed from his nervous nature and lack of experience in the field." |
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Dilate
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to make larger, expand
"When you enter a darkened room, the pupils of your eyes dilate to let in more light." |
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Dilatory
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intended to delay
"The congressman used dilatory measures to delay the passage of the bill." |
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Dilettante
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someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
"Jerry's friends were such dilettantes that they seemed to have new jobs and hobbies every week." |
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Dirge
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a funeral hymn or mournful speech
"Melville wrote the poem "A Dirge for James McPherson" for the funeral of a Union general who was killed in 1864." |
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Disabuse
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to set right; to free from error
"Galileo's observations disabused scholars of the notion that the Sun revolved around the earth." |
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Discern
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to perceive; to recognize
"It is easy to discern the difference between butter and butter-flavored topping." |
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Disparate
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fundamentally different; entirely unlike
"Although the twins appear to be identically physically, their personalities are disparate." |
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Dissemble
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to present a false appearance; to disguise one's real intentions or character
"The villain could dissemble to the police no longer - he admitted the deed and tore up the floor to reveal the body of an old man." |
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Dissonance
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a harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds
"Cognitive dissonance is the inner conflict produced when long-standing beliefs are contradicted by new evidence." |
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Dogma
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a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief
"Linus' central dogma was that children who believed in the Great Pumpkin would be rewarded." |
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Dogmatic
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dictatorial in one's opinion
"The dictator was dogmatic - he, and only he, was right." |
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Dupe
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to deceive; a person who is easily deceived
"Bugs Bunny was able to dupe Elmer Fudd by dressing up as a lady rabbit." |
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Electric
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selecting from or made up from a variety of sources
"Budapest's architecture is a electric mix of eastern and western styles." |
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Efficacy
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effectiveness
"The efficacy of penicillin was unsurpassed when it was first introduced; the drug completely eliminated almost all bacterial infections from which it was administered." |
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Elegy
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a sorrowful poem or speech
"Although Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" is about death and loss, it urges its readers to endure this life, and to trust in spirituality." |
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Eloquent
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persuasive and moving, specially in speech
"The Gettysburg Address is moving not only because of its lofty sentiments but also because of its eloquent words." |
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Emulate
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to copy; to try to equal or excel
"The graduate student sought to emulate the professor in every way, copying not only how she taught, but also how she conducted herself outside class." |
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Enervate
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to reduce in strength
"The guerrillas hoped that a series of surprise attacks would enervate the regular army." |
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Engender
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to produce, cause, or bring about
"His fear and hatred of clowns was engendered when he witnessed the death of his father at the hands of a clown." |
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Enigma
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a puzzle; a mystery
"Speaking in riddles and dressed in old robes, the artist gained a reputation as something of an enigma." |
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Enumerate
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to count, list, or itemize
"Moses returned from the mountain with tablets on which the commandments were enumerated." |
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Ephemeral
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lasting a short time
"The lives of mayflies seem ephemeral to us, since the flies' average life span is a matter of hours." |
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Equivocate
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to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
"When faced with criticism of his polices, the politician equivocated and left all parties thinking he agreed with them." |
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Erratic
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wandering and unpredictable
"The plot seemed predictable until it suddenly took a series of erratic turns that surprised the audience." |
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Erudite
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learned, scholarly, bookish
"The annual meeting of philosophy professors was a gathering of the most erudite, well-published individuals in the field." |
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Esoteric
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known or understood only be a few
"Only a handful of experts are knowledgeable about the esoteric world of particle physics." |
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Estimable
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admirable
"Most people consider it estimable that Mother Teresa spent her life helping the poor in India." |
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Eulogy
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speech in praise of someone
"His best friend gave the eulogy, outlining his many achievements and talents." |
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Euphemism
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use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one
"The funeral director preferred to use the euphemism "sleeping" instead of the word "dead." |
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Exacerbate
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to make worse
"It is unwise to take aspirin to try to relieve heartburn; instead of providing relief, the drug will only exacerbate the problem." |
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Exculpate
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to clear from blame; prove innocent
"The adversarial legal system is intended to convict those who are guilty and to exculpate those who are innocent." |
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Exigent
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urgent; requiring immediate action
"The patient was losing blood so rapidly that it was exigent to stop the source of bleeding." |
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Exonerate
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to clear of blame
"The fugitive was exonerated when another criminal confessed to committing the crime." |
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Explicit
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clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression
"The owners of the house left a list of explicit instructions detailing their house-sitters' duties, including a schedule for watering the house plants." |
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Fanatical
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acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion
"The stormtroopers were fanatical in their devotion to the Emperor, readily sacrificing their lives for him." |
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Fawn
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to grovel
"The understudy fawned over the director in hopes of being cast in the part on a permanent basis." |
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Fervid
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intensely emotional; feverish
"The fans of Maria Callas were unusually fervid, doing anything to catch a glimpse of the great opera singer." |
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Florid
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excessively decorated or embellished
"The palace had been decorated in an excessively florid style; every surface had been carved and gilded." |
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Foment
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to arouse or incite
"The protesters tried to foment feeling against the war through their speeches and demonstrations." |
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Frugality
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a tendency to be thrifty or cheap
"Scrooge McDuck's frugality was so great that he accumulated enough wealth to fill a giant storehouse with money." |
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Garrulous
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tending to talk a lot
"The garrulous parakeet distracted its owner with its continuous talking." |
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Gregarious
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outgoing, sociable
"She was so gregarious that when she found herself along she felt quite sad." |
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Guile
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deceit or trickery
"Since he was not fast enough to catch the roadrunner on foot, the coyote resorted to guile in an effort to trap his enemy." |
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Gullible
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easily deceived
"The con man pretended to be a bank officer so as to fool gullible bank customers into giving him their account information." |
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Homogeneous
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of a similar kind
"The class aw fairly homogeneous, since almost all of the students were senior journalism majors." |
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Iconoclast
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one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
"The lack of regard for traditional beliefs soon established him as an iconoclast." |
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Imperturbable
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not capable of being disturbed
"The counselor had so much experience dealing with distraught children that she seemed imperturbable, even when faced with the wildest tantrums." |
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Impervious
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impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected
"A good raincoat will be impervious to moisture." |
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Impetuous
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quick to act without thinking
"It is not good for an investment broker to be impetuous, since much thought should be given to all the possible options." |
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Implacable
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unable to be calmed down or made peaceful
"His rage at the betrayal was so great that he remained implacable for weeks." |
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Inchoate
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not fully formed; disorganized
"The ideas expressed in Nietzsche's mature work also appear in an inchoate form in his earliest writing." |
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Ingenuous
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showing innocence or childlike simplicity
"She was so ingenuous that her friends feared that her innocence and truthfulness would be exploited when she visited the big city." |
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Inimical
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hostile, unfriendly
"Even though the children had grown up together they were inimical to each other at school." |
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Innocuous
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harmless
"Some snakes are poisonous, but most species are innocuous and pose no danger to humans." |
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Insipid
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lacking interest or flavor
"The critic claimed that the painting was insipid, containing no interesting qualities at all." |
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Intransigent
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uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled
"The professor was intransigent on the deadline, insisting that everyone turn the assignment in at the same time." |
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Inundate
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to overwhelm; to cover with water
"The tidal wave was inundated Atlantis, which was lost beneath the water." |
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Irascible
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easily made angry
"Attila the Hun's irascible and violent nature made all who dealt with him fear for their lives." |
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Laconic
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using few words
"She was a laconic poet who built her reputation on using words as sparingly as possible." |
