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133 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
abjure
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solemnly renounce (a belief, cause or claim)
"His refusal to abjure the Catholic faith infuriated me." |
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abrogate
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repeal or do away with (a law, right, or formal agreement)
"We proposed to abrogate temporarily the right to strike." |
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abstemious
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non-self indulgent (eating and drinking)
"How abstemious of you to only have one." |
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acumen
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the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions, typically in a particular domain.
"He is a business acumen." |
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arrogate
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take or claim (something) for oneself without justification
"The emergency committee arrogated to itself whatever powers it chose." |
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antebellum
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occurring or existing before a particular war (American Civil War)
"The conventions of antebellum South included slavery." |
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auspicious
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conductive to success, favorable
"Christmas time is not the most auspicious moment to start a fad diet." |
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belie
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fail to give a true notion or impression of something (appearance)
"His lively alert manner belied his years." fail to fulfill or justify (claim or expectation) "The notebooks belie Darwin's later recollection." |
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bellicose
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demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight
"A group of bellicose patriots stormed the capital." |
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bowdlerize
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remove material that is considered improper or offensive from (a text or account) with the result that it becomes weaker or less effective
"The bowdlerized version of the story included no animal violence." |
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chicanery
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the use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose
"The underhanded politician used chicanery to further his campaign." |
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churlish
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rude in a mean-spirited and surly way
"It was churlish of him to complain." |
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circumlocution
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the use of many words where fewer would suffice, especially in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive
"His admission came after years of circumlocution." |
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circumnavigate
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sail all the way around something (the world)
"He helped her to circumnavigate the large puddle." |
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deciduous
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(a tree or shrub) shedding its leaves annually
"The deciduous tree dropped its leaves in the fall." the milk teeth of a mammal, which are shed after a time |
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deleterious
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causing harm or damage
"Divorce has deleterious effects on children." |
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diffident
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modest or shy because of lack of self-confidence
"I was diffident when I first arrived at school." |
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enervate
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cause (someone) to feel drained of energy or vitality; weaken
"The social activity enervated the introvert." |
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enfranchise
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give the right to vote to
"Women were enfranchised after men." |
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epiphany
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a moment of sudden revelation or insight
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equinox
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the time or date (twice each year) at which the sun crosses the celestial equator, when day and night are of equal length
(approximately September 22 and March 20) |
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euro
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the single European currency adopted in 1999 by eleven countries in the European Union (Belgium, Austria, Finland, Spain, Ireland, Portugal, Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy, Luxembourg) as an alternative currency in noncash transactions. 2002 - Greece too.
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evanescent
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soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence; quickly fading or disappearing
"A shimmering, evanescent bubble." |
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expurgate
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remove matter thought to be objectionable or unsuitable from (a book or account)
"I let my new girlfriend read the expurgated email from my ex." |
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facetious
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treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor
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fatuous
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silly and pointless
"The comment was fatuous." |
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feckless
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(of a person) lacking in efficiency or vitality
"A feckless mama's boy has everything done for him." unthinking and irresponsible "The feckless exploitation of the world's natural resources." |
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fiduciary
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involving trust, esp. with regard to the relationship between a trustee and a beneficiary
"The company has a fiduciary duty to shareholders." |
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filibuster
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an action such as a prolonged speech that obstructs progress in a legislative assembly while not technically contravening the required procedures
"It was defeated by a Senate filibuster in June." a person engaging in unauthorized warfare against a foreign country |
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flippant
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not showing a serious or respectful attitude
"The flippant remark about the Vietnam War offended my grandfather." |
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gamete
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a mature haploid male or female cell that can unite with another gamete of the opposite sex to form a zygote
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gauche
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lacking ease or grace; unsophisticated and socially awkward
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gerrymander
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manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) as to favor one party or class, or to achieve a result by such manipulation
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hegemony
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leadership or dominance, esp. by one country or social group over others
"The country was united under Britain hegemony." |
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homogeneous
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of the same kind; alike
"My elementary school peers were extremely homogeneous." |
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hubris
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excessive pride or self-confidence
"He oozed hubris when describing his athletic skills." |
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hypotenuse
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the longest side of a right triangle, opposite the right angle
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impeach
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to call into question the integrity or validity of (a practice)
charge (the holder of a public office) with misconduct |
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incognito
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(of a person) having one's true identity concealed
"He's operating incognito." |
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incontrovertible
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not able to be denied or disputed
"Their love was incontrovertible." |
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inculcate
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instill (an attitude, idea, or habit) by persistent instruction
"The church fails to inculcate a sense of moral responsibility." teach by such instruction "They will inculcate you with a respect for their their culture." |
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infrastructure
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the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for the operation of a society or enterprise
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interpolate
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insert something between fixed points
interject (a remark) in conversation |
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jejune
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naive, simplistic, and superficial
"Their opinions were entirely predictable and jejune." dry and uninteresting "The poem I was required to read was, sadly, jejune." |
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kinetic
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of, relating to, or resulting from motion
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kowtow
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l
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laissez faire
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l
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lexicon
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l
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loquacious
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l
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lugubrious
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l
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metamorphosis
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l
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mitosis
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l
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moiety
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l
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nanotechnology
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l
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nihilism
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l
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nomenclature
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l
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nonsectarian
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l
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notarize
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l
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obsequious
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l
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oligarchy
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l
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omnipotent
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l
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orthography
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l
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oxidize
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l
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parabola
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l
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paradigm
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l
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parameter
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l
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pecuniary
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l
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photosynthesis
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l
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plagiarize
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l
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plasma
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l
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polymer
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l
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precipitous
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l
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quasar
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l
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quotidian
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l
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recapitulate
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l
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reciprocal
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l
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reparation
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l
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respiration
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l
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sanguine
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l
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soliloquy
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l
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subjugate
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l
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suffragist
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l
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supercilious
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l
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tautology
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l
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taxonomy
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l
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tectonic
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l
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tempestuous
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l
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thermodynamics
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l
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totalitarian
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l
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unctuous
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l
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usurp
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l
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vacuous
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l
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vehement
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l
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vortex
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l
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winnow
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l
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wrought
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l
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xenophobe
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l
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yeoman
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l
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ziggurat
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l
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frenchify
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to make French in quality or trait; to make somewhat effeminate; to contract a veneral disease
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bescumber
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to spray with poo
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microphallus
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an unusually small penis
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coccydynia
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a pain in the butt
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ninnyhammer/ninny
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a fool or silly person
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buncombe/bunkum
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a ludicrously false statement
bullshit or nonsense |
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hircismus
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offensive armpit odor
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capric
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resembling a goat
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corpulent
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very fat
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feist/fice
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a small dog of uncertain ancestry, a mongrel
a person of little worth or someone with bad temper silent fart |
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bdolotic
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prone to farting
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cacafuego
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a swaggering braggart or boaster
"shit-fire" |
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abattoir
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slaughterhouse
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ablution
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the act of washing or cleansing - often seen as the plural ablutions
"She realized that her morning ablutions were a set of formal rituals involving soap, shampoo and facial scrub." |
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abominable
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loathsome, odious or detestable
"Jennifer's neglect of her pets was abominable and inexcusable." |
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absquatulate
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to flee
"At Thanksgiving, uncle Phil's dog leapt onto the table and absquatulated with the turkey." |
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abscond
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to flee
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acrid
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bitter, stinging, sharp, harsh
"The room was filled with acrid cigarette smoke." |
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acrimony
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bitterness or ill feeling
"He sensed the students' acrimony as he entered the classroom, and realized they had all heard about the ten-page paper due in two days." |
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alacrity
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cheerful willingness
"I accepted her invitation to prom with alacrity." |
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foreboding
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fearful apprehension
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albeit
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"even though"
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allision
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the act of a moving object striking a fixed object
"The car allided with the bridge" |
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amanuensis
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one who manually copies documents or takes dictation
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anachronism
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thing, person or practices that exist out of their proper historical time
"Teenagers find anachronisms such as 'groovy' and 'far-out' to be silly." |
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antediluvian
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very old, old-fashioned, or out of date
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antepenultimate
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third from the end
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antithetical
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opposite
"Despite a cultural obsession with acquisition, objective poverty and happiness are not antithetical." |
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aplomb
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self-confidence, poise, self-assurance; coolness, especially under pressure or in strange situations
"She seemed surprised at first, but pulled off the interview with her usual aplomb." |
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apoplectic
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extreme rage or fury, to the point of virtual paralysis; relating to a stroke (apoplexy)
"She was apoplectic when he cheated on her." |
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approbation
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approval, sanction or commendation
"Most of us desire the approbation of others, though it may be hard to admit." |
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asinine
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utterly stupid or silly
"My brother is asinine." |
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assuage
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to modify or ease
"Exercising to assuage a guilty conscience after Thanksgiving dinner does not always work." |
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avuncular
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of or relating to an uncle; kindly, genial, benevolent
"Despite his avuncular behavior, his motives were less than honorable." |