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49 Cards in this Set
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contingent
I understand that scholarship funds from Flagship are contingent upon availability of funds |
adjective
1 subject to chance : the contingent nature of the job. See note at accidental . • (of losses, liabilities, etc.) that can be anticipated to arise if a particular event occurs : businesses need to be aware of their liabilities, both actual and contingent. |
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aberrant
A crime is a relatively rare and aberrant event. |
aberrant |ˈabərənt; əˈber-|
adjective departing from an accepted standard. • chiefly Biology diverging from the normal type : aberrant chromosomes. |
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androgynous
"Take the whole men-wcaring-makeup, the Kurt Cobain, androgynous thing, |
androgynous |anˈdräjənəs|
adjective partly male and partly female in appearance; of indeterminate sex. • having the physical characteristics of both sexes; hermaphrodite. |
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ergonomic
if you see enough trendsetters in enough cities buying things that are ergonomic in design, |
ergonomic |ərgəˈnämik|
adjective (esp. of workplace design) intended to provide optimum comfort and to avoid stress or injury |
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impetuosity /impetuous
Smith called himself a rough stone, thinking of his own impetuosity and lack of polish |
impetuous |imˈpe ch oōəs|
adjective acting or done quickly and without thought or care : her friend was headstrong and impetuous. • moving forcefully or rapidly : an impetuous but controlled flow of water. |
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epigrammatic
his teachings were rather epigrammatic and oracular |
epigram |ˈepiˌgram|
noun a pithy saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way. See note at saying . • a short poem, esp. a satirical one, having a witty or ingenious ending. |
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purportedly
Joseph Smith purportedly received a revelation about the three degrees have glory |
purport
verb |pərˈpôrt| [with infinitive ] appear or claim to be or do something, esp. falsely; profess : she is not the person she purports to be. |
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irenic
that irenic viewpoing allows armstrong to write about mohammeds visions as if they actually occured |
irenic |īˈrenik; īˈrē-| (also eirenic)
adjective formal aiming or aimed at peace. |
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avocation
Focus on an avocation rather then a vocation. |
avocation |ˌavəˈkā sh ən|
noun a hobby or minor occupation. |
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paradoxically
the more adults inveigh against smoking and lecture teenagers about its dangers, the more teens, paradoxically, will want to try it. |
paradoxical |ˌparəˈdäksikəl|
adjective seemingly absurd or self-contradictory : by glorifying the acts of violence they achieve the paradoxical effect of making them trivial. |
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surfeit
their lack of deference and their surfeit of defiance combine to make them relatively indifferent to what people think of them." |
surfeit |ˈsərfət|
noun [usu. in sing. ] an excessive amount of something : a surfeit of food and drink. • archaic an illness caused or regarded as being caused by excessive eating or drinking : he died of a surfeit. |
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runyonesque
He was a great Runyonesque figure, a trickster hero, who immigrated from Poland |
Runyon |ˈrənyən|
Runyon, (Alfred) Damon (1884–1946), U.S. author and journalist. His short stories about New York City's underworld characters are written in a highly individual style with much use of colorful slang. His collection Guys and Dolls (1932) formed the basis for the musical of the same name (1950). runyonesque - adj |
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precocity
sexual precocity, |
precocious |priˈkō sh əs|
adjective (of a child) having developed certain abilities or proclivities at an earlier age than usual : he was a precocious, solitary boy. • (of behavior or ability) indicative of such development : a precocious talent for computing. • (of a plant) flowering or fruiting earlier than usua |
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aversive
for almost everyone their initial experience with tobacco was somewhat aversive |
aversion |əˈvər zh ən|
noun a strong dislike or disinclination : he had a deep-seated aversion to most forms of exercise. • someone or something that arouses such feelings. DERIVATIVES |
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pilloried
The tobacco industry, for instance, has been pilloried for years for denying that nicotine is addictive |
pillory |ˈpilərē| historical
noun ( pl. -ries) a wooden framework with holes for the head and hands, in which an offender was imprisoned and exposed to public abuse. |
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truculent
the adolescent fantasy that to be rebellious and truculent and irresponsible is a good way to spend your life |
truculent |ˈtrəkyələnt|
adjective eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant : his days of truculent defiance were over. |
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impetus
people can radically transform their behavior or beliefs in the face of the right kind of impetus. |
impetus |ˈimpitəs|
noun the force or energy with which a body moves : hit the booster coil before the flywheel loses all its impetus. • the force that makes something happen or happen more quickly : the crisis of the 1860s provided the original impetus for the settlements. |
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interrogatory
and it is by no means impossible that the answer to the interrogatory may thus be written: Joseph smith. |
interrogatory |ˌintəˈrägəˌtôrē|
adjective conveying the force of a question; questioning : the guard moves away with an interrogatory stare. |
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puerile
his readers found the Mormon beliefs both puerile and shocking |
puerile |ˈpyoŏ(ə)rəl; ˈpyoŏrˌīl|
adjective childishly silly and trivial : you're making puerile excuses. See note at youthful . |
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constituency
these seekers were joseph's natural constituency |
constituency |kənˈsti ch oōənsē|
noun ( pl. -cies) a body of voters in a specified area who elect a representative to a legislative body : the politician who wishes to remain in the good graces of his constituency. • chiefly Brit. the area represented in this way. • a body of customers or supporters : a constituency of racing fans. |
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sublime
She was a proud, highstrung woman, belligerent, capable of anger, grief, and sublime confidence in the final triumph of the innocent. |
sublime |səˈblīm|
adjective ( -limer , -limest ) of such excellence, grandeur, or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe : Mozart's sublime piano concertos | [as n. ] ( the sublime) experiences that ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous. • used to denote the extreme or unparalleled nature of a person's attitude or behavior : he had the sublime confidence of youth. |
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insolvent
he quickly learned that the estate was insolvent |
insolvent |inˈsälvənt|
adjective unable to pay debts owed : the company became insolvent. • relating to insolvency : insolvent liquidation. |
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recourse
But at least they were not without recourse |
recourse |ˈrēˌkôrs; riˈkôrs|
noun [in sing. ] a source of help in a difficult situation : surgery may be the only recourse. • ( recourse to) the use of someone or something as a source of help in a difficult situation : a means of solving disputes without recourse to courts of law | all three countries had recourse to the IMF for standby loans. |
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doldrums
the new england economy had left the doldrums of the 1820's behind. |
doldrums |ˈdōldrəmz; ˈdäl-; ˈdôl-|
plural noun ( the doldrums) low spirits; a feeling of boredom or depression : color catalogs will rid you of February doldrums. • a period of inactivity or a state of stagnation : the mortgage market has been in the doldrums for three years. |
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virility
ginseng was known as as an herb which could prolong life, and restore virility. |
virile |ˈvirəl|
adjective (of a man) having strength, energy, and a strong sex drive. See note at male . • having or characterized by strength and energy : a strong, virile performance of the Mass. |
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candor
Her candor made it painfully clear that she believed what she was saying |
candor |ˈkandər; -ˌdôr| ( Brit. candour)
noun the quality of being open and honest in expression; frankness : a man of refreshing candor. |
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subterfuge
I was outraged by her subterfuge yet couldn't understand why I was this angry. |
subterfuge |ˈsəbtərˌfyoōj|
noun deceit used in order to achieve one's goal. • a statement or action resorted to in order to deceive. |
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recapitulate
A mere recapitulation of a few of his transactions with the statesmen and soldiers of his time gives a fair indication of his activities |
recapitulate |ˌrēkəˈpi ch əˌlāt|
verb [ trans. ] summarize and state again the main points of : he began to recapitulate his argument wi |
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elucidates
a very interesting description of his life at this period, which elucidates his methods and his motives in writing ‘The Prince.’ |
elucidate |iˈloōsiˌdāt|
verb [ trans. ] make (something) clear; explain : work such as theirs will help to elucidate this matter See note at clarify . : [with clause ] in what follows I shall try to elucidate what I believe the problems to be | [ intrans. ] they would not elucidate further. |
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benignity
they in their benignity answer me |
benignity |biˈnignitē|
noun ( pl. -ties) kindness or tolerance toward others : his air of benignity. • archaic an act of kindness. |
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Principalities
what a principality is |
principality |ˌprinsəˈpalətē|
noun ( pl. -ties) 1 a state ruled by a prince. • ( the Principality) Brit. Wales. 2 ( principalities) (in traditional Christian angelology) the fifth highest order of the ninefold celestial hierarchy. |
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vicissitudes
The ‘little book’ suffered many vicissitudes before attaining the form in which it has reached us. |
vicissitude |vəˈsisəˌt(y)oōd|
noun (usu. vicissitudes) a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant : her husband's sharp vicissitudes of fortune. • poetic/literary alternation between opposite or contrasting things : the vicissitude of the seasons. |
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dissident
made against the church by dissident members |
dissident |ˈdisidənt|
noun a person who opposes official policy, esp. that of an authoritarian state : a dissident who had been jailed by a military regime. adjective in opposition to official policy : a group of dissident workers set up communist China's first free trade union. |
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Dowdy
That the palace at St. James’s had become a bit dowdy bothered him not at all. |
dowdy |ˈdoudē|
adjective ( dowdier , dowdiest ) (of a person, typically a woman, or their clothes) unfashionable and without style in appearance : she could achieve the kind of casual chic that made every other woman around her look dowdy. |
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Arbiter
Samuel Johnson, the era’s reigning arbiter of all things of the mind, and no easy judge of men |
arbiter |ˈärbitər|
noun a person who settles a dispute or has ultimate authority in a matter : the military acted as arbiter of conflicts between political groups. • (usu. arbiter of) a person whose views or actions have great influence over trends in social behavior : an arbiter of taste. |
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Strident
As the crisis in America grew worse, and the opposition in Parliament more strident, he saw |
strident |ˈstrīdnt|
adjective loud and harsh; grating : his voice had become increasingly sharp, almost strident. See note at vociferous . • presenting a point of view, esp. a controversial one, in an excessively and unpleasantly forceful way : public pronouncements on the crisis became less strident |
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insurgent
the “insurgents” were few in number in comparison to those loyal to the Crown |
insurgent |inˈsərjənt|
adjective [ attrib. ] rising in active revolt : alleged links with insurgent groups. See note at uprising . • of or relating to rebels : a series of insurgent attacks. noun (usu. insurgents) a rebel or revolutionary : an attack by armed insurgents. |
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vehement
a vehement new paper, attacked |
vehement |ˈvēəmənt|
adjective showing strong feeling; forceful, passionate, or intense : her voice was low but vehement | vehement criticism. |
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portentous
were “big with the most portentous and ruinous consequences |
portentous |pôrˈtentəs|
adjective of or like a portent : the envelope and its portentous contents. See note at ominous . • done in a pompously or overly solemn manner so as to impress : the author's portentous moralizings. |
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declamation
delivered one of the longest, most vehement declamations of the night, |
declaim |diˈklām|
verb [ reporting verb ] utter or deliver words or a speech in a rhetorical or impassioned way, as if to an audience : [ trans. ] she declaimed her views | [ intrans. ] a preacher declaiming from the pulpit. |
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urbane
North was much liked—moderate, urbane, and intelligent |
Cary Grant was known for playing urbane, sophisticated roles. Urbane in this context suggests the social poise and polished manner of someone who is well-traveled and well-bred, while sophisticated means worldly-wise as opposed to naive
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clandestine
What supplies there were came mainly by clandestine shipments from Europe to New York and Philadelphia by way of the Dutch island St. Eustatius in the Caribbean |
clandestine |klanˈdestən; -ˌtīn; -ˌtēn; ˈklandəs-|
adjective kept secret or done secretively, esp. because illicit : she deserved better than these clandestine meetings. See note at secret . |
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precocious
provided by a precocious young New Englander of Loyalist inclinations named Benjamin Thompson |
precocious |priˈkō sh əs|
adjective (of a child) having developed certain abilities or proclivities at an earlier age than usual : he was a precocious, solitary boy. • (of behavior or ability) indicative of such development : a precocious talent for computing. • (of a plant) flowering or fruiting earlier than usual. |
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furlough
somtimes they requested a furlough |
furlough |ˈfərlō|
noun leave of absence, esp. that granted to a member of the armed services : a civil servant home on furlough | a six-week furlough in Australia. • a temporary release of a convict from prison : a system that allowed murderers to leave prison for weekend furloughs. • a layoff, esp. a temporary one, from a place of employment. |
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salient
Seeing things as they were, and not as he would wish them to be, was one of his salient strengths. |
salient |ˈsālyənt; -lēənt|
adjective 1 most noticeable or important : it succinctly covered all the salient points of the case. • prominent; conspicuous : it was always the salient object in my view. • (of an angle) pointing outward. The opposite of reentrant . 2 [ postpositive ] Heraldry (of an animal) standing on its hind legs with the forepaws raised, as if leaping. |
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comport
exception—and he learned to comport himself in the elaborately polite society of the day with perfect manners and polish |
comport 1 |kəmˈpôrt|
verb 1 ( comport oneself) formal conduct oneself; behave : articulate students who comported themselves well in television interviews. 2 [ intrans. ] ( comport with) accord with; agree with : the actions that comport with her own liberal views |
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remunerative
In addition, surveying proved highly remunerative. |
remunerate |riˈmyoōnəˌrāt|
verb [ trans. ] pay (someone) for services rendered or work done : they should be remunerated fairly for their work. |
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gentry
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gentry |ˈjentrē|
noun (often the gentry) people of good social position, specifically (in the UK) the class of people next below the nobility in position and birth : |
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perptually
he looked perpetually unkept |
perpetual |pərˈpe ch oōəl|
adjective 1 never ending or changing : deep caves in perpetual darkness. • [ attrib. ] denoting a position, job, or trophy held for life rather than a limited period, or the person holding it : a perpetual secretary of the society. |
