Vocabulary 6

Front 1

1. a wasting away of the body or of an organ or part, as from defective nutrition or nerve damage.
2. degeneration, decline, or decrease, as from disuse

Back 1

atrophy

He argued that there was a progressive atrophy of freedom and independence of thought.

syn:decline, degeneracy, degeneration, deterioration, diminution, downfall, downgrade
ant: development, flourish, germination, growth, improvement, ripening, strength, strengthening

Front 2

1. Fortification. a projecting portion of a rampart or fortification that forms an irregular pentagon attached at the base to the main work.
2. a fortified place.
3. anything seen as preserving or protecting some quality, condition, etc.

Back 2

bastion

a bastion of solitude; a bastion of democracy.

syn:breastwork, bulwark, citadel, defense, fortification, fortress, mainstay
ant:weak spot, weakness

Front 3

1. agreement between persons, groups, nations, etc.; concurrence in attitudes, feelings, etc.; unanimity; accord:
2. agreement between things; mutual fitness; harmony.
3. peace; amity.
4. a treaty; compact; covenant.

Back 3

concord

There was complete concord among the delegates.

syn:accord, agreement, amity, calmness, chime, comity, concert, concordance, consensus, consonance, friendship
ant: discord, disunity

Front 4

1. complete or perfect; supremely skilled; superb:
2. being of the highest or most extreme degree: a work of consummate skill;

Back 4

consummate
a consummate master of the violin.
an act of consummate savagery.

syn: able, absolute, accomplished, complete, conspicuous, downright, faultless, finished,
ant: incomplete, unfinished, worst, neglect

Front 5

–verb (used with object)
1. to put out of array or order; throw into disorder.
2. to undress.
–noun
3. disorder; confusion:
4. disorder of apparel.

Back 5

disarray

The army retreated in disarray.

syn: anarchy, ataxia, chaos, clutter, disarrangement, discomposure, disharmony, dishevelment
ant:arrangement, harmony, order, orderliness, organization

Front 6

1. urgency.
2. Usually the need, demand, or requirement intrinsic to a circumstance, condition, etc.:
3. a case or situation that demands prompt action or remedy; emergency:

Back 6

exigency

the exigencies of city life.He promised help in any exigency.

syn:acuteness, constraint, contingency, crisis, criticalness, crossroad, demandingness, dilemma, distress, duress, emergency
ant:ease, easiness, ordinariness

Front 7

1. the part of the wreckage of a ship and its cargo found floating on the water.
2. material or refuse floating on water.
3. useless or unimportant items; odds and ends.
4. a vagrant, penniless population:

Back 7

flotsam

the flotsam of the city slums in medieval Europe.

syn:cargo, castoffs, jetsam, junk, odds and ends, sea-drift, wreckage

Front 8

frantic; frenzied.

Back 8

frenetic

syn:corybantic, delirious, demented, distraught, excited, fanatical, frantic, frenzied, furibund, furious, hyper, in a lather, insane,
ant:balanced, calm

Front 9

1. to gather slowly and laboriously, bit by bit.
2. to gather (grain or the like) after the reapers or regular gatherers.
3. to learn, discover, or find out, usually little by little or slowly.

Back 9

glean

syn:accumulate, amass, ascertain, conclude, cull, deduce, extract, garner, gather

Front 10

to grumble; complain:

Back 10

grouse (v)

I've never met anyone who grouses so much about his work.

syn:bellyache, grievance, gripe, grouch, grumble, squealer

Front 11

1. imprison; confine.
2. to enclose; constrict closely.

Back 11

incarcerate

syn:bastille, book*, cage*, commit, confine, constrain,
ant:free, let go, release

Front 12

the holder of an office:

Back 12

incumbent

The incumbent was challenged by a fusion candidate.

syn:occupant, official

Front 13

given to, characterized by, intended for, or suited to joking or jesting; waggish; facetious:

Back 13

jocular

jocular remarks about opera stars.

syn: amusing, blithe, camp, cheerful, comic, comical, crazy, daffy, droll, facetious
ant:morose, serious, unfunny

Front 14

causing laughter because of absurdity; provoking or deserving derision; ridiculous; laughable:

Back 14

ludicrous

a ludicrous lack of efficiency.

syn: antic, bizarre, burlesque, comic, comical, crazy, droll, fantastic, farcical, foolish, funny
ant:logical, reasonable, sensible

Front 15

1. sharply caustic or sarcastic, as wit or a speaker; biting.
2. burning; corrosive.
3. having the property of fixing colors, as in dyeing.

Back 15

mordant

syn: acerb, acerbic, acid, biting, bitter, caustic, cutting, cynical, disparaging, disrespectful, mean, poignant, pointed, sardonic, scathing, sharp

Front 16

to irritate, annoy, or provoke.

Back 16

nettle

syn: annoy, chafe, disgust, disturb, exasperate, fret
ant: appease, mollify, please

Front 17

1. of or pertaining to money:
2. consisting of or given or exacted in money or monetary payments:
3. (of a crime, violation, etc.) involving a money penalty or fine

Back 17

pecuniary

pecuniary difficulties. pecuniary tributes.

syn: banking, budgeting, business, economic, fiscal, monetary

Front 18

1. lacking courage or resolution; cowardly; faint-hearted; timid.
2. proceeding from or indicating a cowardly spirit.

Back 18

pusillanimous

syn:afraid, chicken, cowardly, gutless, tame, timid, timorous
ant: bold, brave, courageous, daring, dauntless, unafraid, undaunted, unfearful

Front 19

1. lying down; reclining; leaning.
2. inactive; idle.

Back 19

recumbent

syn:decumbent, flat, horizontal, level, procumbent, prostrate, reclining, resupine, sprawling, supine

Front 20

1. a plan, scheme, or trick for surprising or deceiving an enemy.
2. any artifice, ruse, or trick devised or used to attain a goal or to gain an advantage over an adversary or competitor:

Back 20

stratagem

business stratagems.

syn: action, angle, artifice, bit, booby trap, brainchild, child, con, deception, device,