Wordly Wise Lessons 16-20

Front 1

Aura

Back 1

Noun:
A distinctive atmosphere or feeling that seems to surround someone or something; a distinctive appearance or impression.

Front 2

Banal

Back 2

Adjective:
Lacking freshness; trite.

Front 3

Bemuse

Back 3

Verb:
To confuse or bewilder.

Front 4

Cognizant

Back 4

Adjective:
Fully aware; taking notice.

Front 5

Conundrum

Back 5

Noun:
A riddle whose answer is a play on words.
A puzzle or problem that is difficult or impossible to solve.

Front 6

Evanescent

Back 6

Adjective:
Short-lived; staying temporarily.

Front 7

Factotum

Back 7

Noun:
A helper or assistant with a wide range of duties and responsibilities.

Front 8

Grandiose

Back 8

Adjective:
Impressive because of large size or scope.
Characterized by the pretense of grandeur or absurd exaggeration.

Front 9

Induce

Back 9

Verb:
To bring about; to cause.
To influence or persuade

Front 10

Intransigent

Back 10

Adjective:
Refusing to compromise or change one's position on an issue

Front 11

Laudatory

Back 11

Adjective:
Full of praise.

Front 12

Panache

Back 12

Noun:
Dash or flamboyance and in style or action.

Front 13

Picayune

Back 13

Adjective:
Pretty or insignificant; concerned with trifling matters.

Front 14

Predilection

Back 14

Noun:
An inclination; preference.

Front 15

Promontory

Back 15

Noun:
A high point of land that juts out into water.

Front 16

Aggregate

Back 16

Noun or adjective:
A group of things gathered into a whole; sum total.

Front 17

Allocate

Back 17

Verb:
To set aside for a specific purpose; to allot.
To distribute according to a plan.

Front 18

Augur

Back 18

Verb:
To predict future events, especially from omens.
To give promise of.

Front 19

Bastion

Back 19

Noun:
A fortified area or position; a person, a place, or thing that is a source of strength.
Something that is considered a stronghold.

Front 20

Decorum

Back 20

Noun:
Suitable, proper behavior or speech.

Front 21

Defunct

Back 21

Adjective:
No longer existing or functioning.

Front 22

Disarray

Back 22

Noun:
A lack of order; confusion.

Front 23

Halcyon

Back 23

Adjective:
Calm, peaceful, and happy; prosperous.

Front 24

Homily

Back 24

Noun:
A lecture, usually long, on how to behave morally.

Front 25

Hyperbole

Back 25

Noun:
Extravagant exaggeration.

Front 26

Importune

Back 26

Verb:
To plead for persistently.

Front 27

Jurisdiction

Back 27

Noun:
Legal authority to govern or control.

Front 28

Ruminate

Back 28

Verb:
To think over again and again; to ponder.

Front 29

Temerity

Back 29

Noun:
Reckless boldness without regard to danger or opposition.

Front 30

Winnow

Back 30

Verb:
To separate and remove with is undesirable and leave what is desirable; to blow away the chaff from grain.

Front 31

Acoustic

Back 31

Adjective:
Relating to sound or hearing.

Front 32

Assemblage

Back 32

Noun:
A collection or gathering of people or things.
A fitting together of parts.

Front 33

August

Back 33

Adjective:
Inspiring great respect or admiration; noble.

Front 34

Auspices

Back 34

Noun:
Protection, support, or guidance; patronage.

Front 35

Cavil

Back 35

Verb:
To criticize unimportant things; to quibble.

Front 36

Curator

Back 36

Noun:
A person in charge of an exhibition; an overseer of a museum or library collection.

Front 37

Extant

Back 37

Adjective:
Still existing; not lost or destroyed.

Front 38

Gamut

Back 38

Noun:
The entire range of something.

Front 39

Ineffable

Back 39

Adjective:
Incapable of being expressed in words.

Front 40

Mellifluous

Back 40

Adjective:
Sweetly flowing; pleasant to the ear.

Front 41

Mien

Back 41

Noun:
A person's manner, appearance, or expression; bearing.

Front 42

Nonpareil

Back 42

Noun:
A person or thing without an equal.

Front 43

Patina

Back 43

Noun:
A green film that forms on copper exposed to the elements.
A beautiful surface finish, the results of age and proper care.

Front 44

Rapt

Back 44

Adjective:
Fully absorbed; engrossed.
Filled with deep pleasure; enraptured.

Front 45

Resuscitate

Back 45

Verb:
To revive from unconsciousness or apparent death; to revive or restore to health or vigor.

Front 46

Amendable

Back 46

Adjective:
Responsible; willing to be controlled or to take advice.

Front 47

Ascribe

Back 47

Verb:
To attribute to a source or a cause.

Front 48

Charisma

Back 48

Noun:
A special quality in a person that inspires devotion or fascination in others.

Front 49

Dearth

Back 49

Noun:
Scarcity; a shortage.

Front 50

Demoralized

Back 50

Verb:
To destroy the morals or morale of someone; to weaken the spirit or courage of someone.

Front 51

Ebullient

Back 51

Adjective:
Bubbling with enthusiasm or high spirits.

Front 52

Entrepreneur

Back 52

Noun:
An individual who manages and takes the risk of a business.

Front 53

Fatuous

Back 53

Adjective:
Foolish; silly; stupid.

Front 54

Harbinger

Back 54

Noun:
A person or thing that is a symbol of what is to come.

Front 55

Homogeneous

Back 55

Adjective:
Of a similar kind or nature; uniform throughout.

Front 56

Incumbent

Back 56

Noun or adjective:
One who occupies an office or position.
Currently in office.

Front 57

Matriarchy

Back 57

Noun:
A society that is headed by a female.

Front 58

Neophyte

Back 58

Noun:
A beginner; a novice.

Front 59

Prerogative

Back 59

Noun:
A special right limited to a person, group, or office; a privilege.

Front 60

Sibling

Back 60

Noun:
One of two or more people who have the same parents; brother or sister.

Front 61

Accost

Back 61

Verb:
To approach and speak to in an aggressive or challenging way.

Front 62

Avarice

Back 62

Noun:
Greed for wealth.

Front 63

Bilk

Back 63

Verb:
To cheat out of what is due.

Front 64

Consummate

Back 64

Adjective:
Extremely skilled; complete or perfect.

Front 65

Conversant

Back 65

Adjective:
Having knowledge or experience; well-informed.

Front 66

Credulous

Back 66

Adjective:
Willing to believe things with only slight or no evidence; easily convinced.

Front 67

Euphoria

Back 67

Noun:
A feeling of great happiness or well-being.

Front 68

Fortuitous

Back 68

Adjective:
Happening by lucky chance; accidental.
Lucky or fortunate.

Front 69

Hypothetical

Back 69

Adjective:
Based on something that is not actual but assumed or supposed.

Front 70

Incoherent

Back 70

Adjective:
Not connected; confused; rambling.

Front 71

Minuscule

Back 71

Adjective:
Very small in size or importance.

Front 72

Pleasantry

Back 72

Noun:
An agreeable, casual remark.

Front 73

Procrastinate

Back 73

Verb:
To put off until later.

Front 74

Qualm

Back 74

Noun:
A feeling of uneasiness as to whether what one is doing is right or wise; a misgiving.

Front 75

Stigma

Back 75

Noun:
A mark of shame or disgrace.

Front 76

Stigmatize

Back 76

Verb:
To give a bad name to.

Front 77

Hypothesis

Back 77

Noun:
A supposition or tentative explanation for purposes of argument, further study, or investigation.