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78 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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acrimony
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(n.) bitterness, discord
Though they vowed that no girl would ever come betweem them, Biff and Trevor could not keep acrimony from overwhelming their friendship after they both fell in love with Teresa. |
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adumbrate
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(v.) to sketch out in a vague way
The coach adumbrated a game plan, but none of the players knew precisely what to do. |
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alacrity
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(n.) eagerness, speed
For some reason, Chuck loved to help his mother whenever he could, so when his mother asked him to set the table, he did so with alacrity. |
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anathema
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(n.) a cursed, detested person
I never want to see that murderer. He is an anathema to me. |
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anomaly
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(n.) something that does not fit into the normal order
"That rip in the space-time continuum is certainly a spatial anomaly," said Spock to Captain Kirk. |
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antipathy
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(n.) a strong dislike, repugnance
I know you love me, but because you are a liar and a thief, I feel nothing but antipathy for you. |
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approbation
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(n.) praise
The crowd welcomed the heroes with approbation. |
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arrogate
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(v.) to take without justification
The king arrogated the right to order executions to himself exclusively. |
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ascetic
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(adj.) practicing restraint as a means of self-discipline, usually religious
The priest lives an ascetic life devoid of television, savory foods, and other pleasures. |
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aspersion
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(n.) a curse, expression of ill-will
The rival politicians repeatedly cast aspersions on each other's integrity. |
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assiduous
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(adj.) hard-working, diligent
The construction workers erected the skyscraper during two years of assiduous labor. |
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atypical
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(adj.) not typical, unusual
Screaming and crying is atypical adult behavior. |
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banal
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(adj.) dull, commonplace
The client rejected our proposal because she found our presentation banal and unimpressive. |
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belie
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(v.) to give a false impression of
Anna's angelic face is belied by her penchance for mischief. |
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blandish
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(v.) to coax by using flattery
Rachel's assistant tried to blandish her into accepting the deal. |
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boon
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(n.) a gift or blessing
The good weather has been a boon for many businesses located near the beach. |
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brusque
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(adj.) short, abrupt, dismissive
The captain's brusque manner offended the passengers. |
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buffet
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1. (v.) to strike with force
The strong winds buffeted the ships, threatening to capsize them. 2. (n.) an arrangement of food set out on a table Rather than sitting around a table, the guests took food from our buffet and ate standing up. |
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burnish
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(v.) to polish, shine
His mother asked him to burnish the silverware before setting the table. |
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buttress
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1. (v.) to support, hold up
The column buttresses the roof above the statue. 2. (n.) something that offers support The buttress supports the roof above the statues. |
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cacaphony
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(n.) trememdous noise, disharmonious sound
The elementary school orchestra created a cacophony at the recital. |
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cajole
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(v.) to urge, coax
Fred's buddies cajoled him into attending the bachelor party. |
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calumny
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(n.) an attempt to spoil someone else's reputation by spreading lies
The local official's calumny ended up ruining his opponent's prospect of winning the election. |
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capricious
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(adj.) subject to whim, fickle
The young girl's capricious tendencies made it difficult for her to focus on achieving her goals. |
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catalyze
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(v.) to charge, inspire
The president's speech catalyzed the nation and resuscitated the economy. |
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circumvent
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(v.) to get around
The school's dress code forbidding navel-baring jeans was circumvented by the determined students, who were careful to cover up with long coats when teachers were nearby. |
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clemency
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(n.) mercy
After he forgot their anniversary, Martin could only beg Maria for clemency. |
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cogent
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(adj.) intellectually convincing
Irene's arguments in favor of abstinence were so cogent that I could not resist them. |
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concomitant
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(adj.) accompanying in a subordinate fashion.
His dislike of hard work carried with it a concomitant lack of funds. |
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ephemeral
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(adj.) short-lived, fleeting
She promised she'd love me forever, but her "forever" was only ephemeral: she left me after one year. |
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epitome
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(n.) a perfect example, embodiment
My mother is the epitome of good taste, and always dresses appropriately for every occasion. |
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eschew
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(v.) to shun, avoid
George hates the color green so much he even eschews green foods. |
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evanescent
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(adj.) fleeting, momentary
My joy at getting promoted was evanescent because I discovered that I would have to work much longer hours. |
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evince
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(v.) to show, reveal
Christopher's hand-wringing and nail-biting evince how nervous he is before a test. |
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exculpate
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(v.) to free from guilt or blame, exonerate, vindicate
My discovery of the ring behind the dresser exculpated me from the charge of having stolen it. |
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epitome
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(n.) a perfect example, embodiment
My mother is the epitome of good taste, and always dresses appropriately for every occasion. |
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eschew
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(v.) to shun, avoid
George hates the color green so much he even eschews green foods. |
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evanescent
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(adj.) fleeting, momentary
My joy at getting promoted was evanescent because I discovered that I would have to work much longer hours. |
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evince
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(v.) to show, reveal
Christopher's hand-wringing and nail-biting evince how nervous he is before a test. |
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exculpate
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(v.) to free from guilt or blame, exonerate, vindicate
My discovery of the ring behind the dresser exculpated me from the charge of having stolen it. |
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execrable
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(adj.) loathsome, detestable
Her cooking is so execrable that she was fired from even the cheapest diner. |
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exigent
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(adj.) urgent, critical
The patient has an exigent need for medication, or else he will lose his sight. |
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expunge
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(v.) to obliterate, eradicate
Fearful of an IRS investigation, Paul tried to expunge all incriminating evidence from his tax files. |
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extant
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(adj.) existing, not destroyed or lost
My mother's extant love letters to my father survived 50 years, and are in the attic trunk. |
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fastidious
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(adj.) meticulous, demanding, having high and often unattainable standards.
Mark is so fastidious that he is never able to finish a project because it always seems imperfect to him. |
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fatuous
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(adj.) silly, foolish
He considers himself a serious poet, but in truth, he only writes fatuous limericks. |
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fecund
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(adj.) fruitful, fertile
The fecund tree bore enough apples to last us the entire season. |
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feral
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(adj.) wild, savage
That beast looks so feral that I would fear being alone with it. |
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fetid
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(adj.) having a foul odor
I can tell from the fetid smell in your refrigerator that either meat or milk has spoiled. |
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florid
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(adj.) flowery, ornate
The writer's florid prose belongs on a sentimental greeting card. |
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impertinent
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(adj.) rude, insolent
Most of your comments are so impertinent that I don't wish to dignify them with an answer. |
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impervious
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(adj.) impenetrable, incapable of being affected
Because of their thick layer of fur, many seals are almost impervious to the cold. |
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impetuous
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(adj.) rash, hastily done
Hilda's slaying of the king was an impetuous, thoughtless action; she did not consider the consequences. |
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impinge
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1. (v.) to impact, affect, make an impression
The hail impinged the roof, leaving large dents. 2. (v.) to encroach, infringe I apologize for impinging upon you like this, but I really need your immediate help. |
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implacable
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(adj.) incapable of being appeased or mitigated.
After hearing her husband's criticism of her cooking, Grandma was implacable and could not be appeased by anyone for the rest of the evening. |
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impudent
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(adj.) casually rude, insolent, impertinent
The impudent young man looked made an inappropriate comment about his date's looks, implying how he hoped the night would end. |
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inchoate
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(adj.) unformed or formless, in a beginning stage
The country's government is still inchoate and unstable because it does not yet have any traditions or past-practices to rely on. |
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incontrovertible
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(adj.) indisputable
Only stubborn Tina would attempt to disprove the incontrovertible laws of physics. |
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indefatigable
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(adj.) incapable of defeat, failure, decay
Even after traveling 60 miles, the indefatigable runner kept moving at a strong pace. |
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ineffable
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(adj.) unspeakable, incapable of being expressed through words
It is said that the experience of swimming with dolphins is ineffable and can only be understood through direct experience. |
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intrepid
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(adj.) brave in the face of danger
After scaling a live volcano prior to its eruption, the explorer was praised for his intrepid attitude. |
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inure
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(v.) to cause someone or something to become accustomed to a situation.
Twenty years in the salt mines inured the man to the discomforts of dirt and grime. |
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invective
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(n.) an angry verbal attack
My mother's irrational invective against the way I dress only made me decide to dye my hair green. |
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inveterate
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(adj.) stubbornly established by habit
I'm the first to admit that I'm an inveterate coffee drinker and I have at least four cups a day. |
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jubilant
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(adj.) extremely joyful, happy
The crowd was jubilant when the firefighter carried the woman from the flaming building. |
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juxtaposition
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(n.) the act of placing two things next to each other for implicit comparison.
The interior designer admired my juxtaposition of the yellow couch and green table. (v.) to place two things next to each other for implicit comparison. The teacher juxtaposed a poem and story from different time periods to show their similarity in theme. |
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legerdemain
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(n.) deception, sleight-of-hand
Smuggling the drugs through customs took a remarkable bit of legerdemain. |
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licentious
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(adj.) displaying a lack of moral or legal restraint
Marilee has always been fascinated by the licentious private lives of politicians. |
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limpid
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(adj.) clear, transparent
Hemingway's limpid writing style greatly pleases readers who dislike complicated, over-descriptive novels. |
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maelstrom
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(n.) a destructive whirlpool that rapidly sucks in objects
The students' dislike of the dress code created a maelstrom of protests that swayed even those who didn't mind the new policy, and everyone ended up in trouble. |
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magnanimous
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(adj.) noble, generous
Although I had already erased some files by mistake, Jack was magnanimous in letting me continue to use his computer. |
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malediction
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(n.) a curse
The police officer was later cited by the department for yelling racial maledictions at the murderer he arrested. |
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mawkish
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(adj.) characterized by sick sentimentality
(Although some nineteenth-century critics viewed Dicken's writing as mawkish, contemporary readers find great emotional depth in his works. |
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mendacious
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(adj.) having a lying, false character
The mendacious contents of the tabloid magazines in, at least, entertaining. |
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perfunctory
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(adj.) showing little interest or enthusiasm
The radio broadcaster announced the news of the massacre in a surprisingly perfunctory manner. |
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pernicious
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(adj.) extremely destructive or harmful
The new government feared that the Communist sympathizers would have a pernicious influence on the nation's stability. |
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perspicacity
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(adj.) shrewdness, perceptiveness
The detective was too humble acknowledge that his perspicacity was the reason for his professional success. |
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pertinacious
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(adj.) stubbornly persistent
Harry's parents were frustrated with his pertinacious insistence that monster lived in his closet. Then they opened the door and were eaten. |
