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44 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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abjure
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to reject, renounce
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To prove his honesty, the president abjured the evil policies of his wicked predessor.
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abrogate
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to abolish, usually by authority
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The Bill of Rights assures that the government cannot abrogate our right to a free press.
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acumen
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keen insight
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Because of his mathematical acumen, Larry was able to figure out in minutes problems that took other students hours.
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adumbrate
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to sketch out in a vague way
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The coach adumbrated a game plan, but none of the players knew precisely what to do.
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anathema
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a cursed, detested person
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I never want to see that murderer. He is an anathema to me.
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antipathy
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a strong dislike, repugnance
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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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praise
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The crowd welcomed the heroes with approbation.
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arrogate
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to take without justification
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The king arrogated the right to order executions to himself exclusively.
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aspersion
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a curse, expression of ill-will
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The rival politicians repeatedly cast aspersions on each others'integrity
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blandish
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to coax by using flattery
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Rachel's assistant tried to blandish her into accepting the deal.
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buffet
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to strike with force
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The strong winds buffeted the ships, threatening to capsize them.
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burnish
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to polish, shine
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His mother asked him to burnish the silverware before setting the table.
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capricious
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subject to whim, fickle
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The young girl's capricious tendencies made it difficult for her to focus on archieving her goals.
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clemency
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mercy
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After he forgot their anniversary, Martin could only beg Maria for clemency
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cogent
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intellectually convincing
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Irene's arguments in favour of abstinence were so cogent that I could not resist them.
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concomitant
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accompanying in a subordinate fashion
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His dislike of hard work carried with it a concomitant lack of funds.
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conflagration
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great fire
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The conflagration consumed the entire building.
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contrite
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penetent, eager to be forgiven
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Blake's contrite behaviour made it impossible to stay angry at him.
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credulity
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readiness to believe
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His credulity made him an easy target for con men.
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cupridity
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greed, strong desire
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His cupridity made him enter the abandoned gold mine despite the obvious dangers.
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cursory
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brief to the point of being superficial
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Late for the meeting, she cast a cursory glance at the agenda.
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decry
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to criticize openly
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The kind video rental clerk decried the policy of charging customers late fees.
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defile
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to make unclean, impure
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She defiled the calm of the religious building by playing her banjo.
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demure
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quiet, modest, reserved
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Though everyone else at the party was dancing and going crazy, she remained demure.
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deprecate
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to belittle, depreciate
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Always over-modest, he deprecated his contribution to the local charity.
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desiccated
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dried up, dehydrated
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The skin of the desiccated mummy looked like old paper.
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diaphanous
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light, airy, transparent
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Sunlight poured in through the diaphanous curtains, brightening the room.
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discursive
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rambling, lacking order
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The professor's discursive lectures seemed to be about every subject except the one initially described.
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dither
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to be indecisive
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Not wanting to offend either friend, he dithered about which of the two birthday parties he should attend.
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ebullient
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extremely lively, enthusiastic
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She became ebullient upon receiving an acceptance letter from her first-choice college.
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effrontery
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impudence, nerve, insolence
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When I told my aunt that she was boring, my mother scolded me for my effrontery.
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effulgent
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radiant, splendorous
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The golden palace was effulgent.
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egregious
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extremely bad
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The student who threw sloppy joes across the cafeteria was punished for his egregious behaviour.
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eschew
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to shun, avoid
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George hates the colour green so much that he eschews all green food.
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evince
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to show, reveal
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Christopher's hand-writing and nail-biting evince how nervous he is about the upcoming English test.
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execrable
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loathsome, detestable
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Her pudding is so execrable that it makes me sick.
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exigent
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urgent, critical
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The patient has an exigent need for medication, or else he will lose his sight.
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expiate
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to make amends for, atone
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To expiate my selfishness, I gave all my profits to charity.
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expunge
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to obliterate, eradicate
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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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existing, not destroyed or lost
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My mother's extant love letters to my father are in the attic trunk.
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fallacious
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incorrect, misleading
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Emily offered me cigarettes on the fallacious assumption that I smoked.
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fastidious
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meticulous, demanding, having high and often unattainable standards
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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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silly, foolish
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He considers himself a serious poet, but in truth, he only writes fatuous limericks.
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fecund
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fruitful, fertile
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The fecund tree bore enough apples to last us through the entire season.
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