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349 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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incipient
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beginning to come into being or to become apparent
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quash
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to crush, put down completely
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nascent
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(adj.) just beginning to exist or develop; having just come into existence
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capricious
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Acting on impulse, erratic
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acquiesce
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(v.) to accept without protest; to agree or submit
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irascible
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easily angered; prone to temperamental outbursts
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avulse
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Tear away or dislodge by force
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aver
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(v.) to affirm, declare confidently
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nadir
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(n.) the lowest point
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allay
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(v.) to calm or pacify, set to rest; to lessen or relieve
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inimical
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Hostile, unfriendly
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recalcitrant
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(adj.) stubbornly disobedient, resisting authority
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exacerbate
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To make worse or more severe
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querulous
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inclined to complain; irritable
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fugacious
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fleeting; transitory
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fractious
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(adj.) tending to be troublesome; unruly, quarrelsome, contrary; unpredictable
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avarice
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(n.) a greedy desire, particularly for wealth
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alacrity
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Cheerful or speedy willingness
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noisesome
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disgustingly offensive, often in odor
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jejune
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(adj.) lacking in nutritive value; lacking in interest or substance; immature, juvenile
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facile
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(adj.) easily done or attained; superficial; ready, fluent; easily shown but not sincerely felt;
lacking depth |
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antipathy
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(n.) a strong dislike, hostile feeling
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inveigle
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to entice, lure, ensnare by flattery or artful talk; inducements
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salubrious
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(adj) healthful, promoting health
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sidereal
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astral; relating to stars or constellations
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etiolated
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pale and drawn out due to lack of light; having lost vigor or substance; feeble (esp of a plant lacking light)
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resoluteness
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strong determination; unwavering adherence to a decision
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prerogative
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(n.) a special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellence
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ineluctable
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inescapable; incapable of being resisted or avoided
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invidious
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causing envy or resentment; offensively harmful
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plangent
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(of a sound) loud, reverberating, and often melancholy; resounding
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nugatory
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of minor significance; trifling; invalid
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denouement
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an outcome or solution; the unraveling of a plot
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heterodox
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unorthodox, not widely accepted
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pedantic
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Excessively concerned with book learning and formal rules
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antediluvian
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Extremely old and antiquated
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pusillanimous
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cowardly, craven
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stipulated
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to specify as a condition or agreement
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insurgency
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a usually violent attempt to take control of a government : a rebellion or uprising
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imbibement
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to assimilate or take into solution; drink; to take in or up
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discordance
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state of disagreement
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belie
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Contradict; give a false impression
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demarcate
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to clearly set or mark the boundaries of a group or geographic area
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antedate
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Be older than, precede in time; assign to an earlier date
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apocryphal
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of questionable authority or authenticity
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superannuation
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regular payment made into a fund by an employee toward a future pension.
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senescence
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growing old; aging; characteristic of old age.
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acrimonious/
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(adj.) stinging, bitter in temper or tone
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inured VS immure
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(adj) accustomed to accepting something undesirable
VS to confine |
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astute
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(adj.) shrewd, crafty, showing practical wisdom
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intractable
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(adj.) difficult to manipulate, unmanageable
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predilection
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A preference or special liking for something; a bias in favor of something
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inveterate
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(adj.) firmly established, long-standing; habitual
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timorous
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Fearful, timid
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cowed
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to destroy the resolve or courage of; to bring to a state or action by intimidation
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turgid
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swollen as from a fluid; bloated
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repatriate
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to bring or send back (a person, especially a prisoner of war, a refugee, etc.) to his or her country or land of citizenship
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extradite
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to deliver someone (e.g., a fugitive) to the authority of another government or jurisdiction
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interdict
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to forbid; prohibit
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expurgate
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Censor; remove objectionable or offensive parts (usually of a book)
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indigence
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state of extreme poverty
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penury
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(n.) extreme poverty; barrenness, insufficiency
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eminence
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n. An elevated position with respect to rank, place, character, condition, etc.
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depravity
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extreme corruption; wickedness
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pernicious
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(adj.) extremely harmful; deadly, fatal
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precocity
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unusually early development or maturity, especially in mental aptitude
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parsimony
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stinginess; excessive frugality
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probity
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complete honesty and integrity
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ignobility
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of low character, aims; of low grade; not noble
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odium
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(n.) hatred, contempt; disgrace or infamy resulting from hateful conduct
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cogent
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Convincing and well reasoned
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florid
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(adj.) Reddish or rosy;
flowery, showy, or excessively fancy |
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maladroit
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clumsy; unskillful
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physiognomy
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a person's facial features or expression, especially when regarded as indicative of character or ethnic origin
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innocuous
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(adj.) harmless, inoffensive; insignificant
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lambast
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(v.) to criticize severely or angrily
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propriety
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the quality of behaving in a proper manner; obeying rules and customs
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opprobrium
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the disgrace or the reproach incurred by conduct considered outrageously shameful; infamy; a cause or object of such shame or reproach.
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predicated
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established; assumed
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extirpate
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eradicate; exterminate; erase; uproot
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banal
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predictable; cliched; boring
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bombastic
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(adj.) pompous or overblown in language; full of high-sounding words intended to conceal a lack of ideas
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taciturn
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(adj.) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little
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obeisance
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a deep bow or other body movement indicating respect or submission; deference, homage
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incontrovertible
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(adj.) unquestionable, beyond dispute
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diminutive
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(adj.) small, smaller than most others of the same type
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sacerdotal
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pertaining to priests and priesthood.
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countermand
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a contrary command cancelling or reversing a previous command
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reticent
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(adj) reluctant to draw attention to oneself; temperamentally disinclined to talk;
cool and formal in manner |
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sycophantic
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(adj.) attempting to win favor by flattery
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erstwhile
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formerly; in the past
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foment
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to arouse or incite
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incursion
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a hostile invasion; a raid
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gall
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(v) irritate or vex; become or make sore (as if) by rubbing
(n) the trait of being rude and impertinent; inclined to take liberties |
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disabuse
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(v.) to free someone from deception or error, set right in ideas or thinking
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debase
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(v.) to lower in character, quality, or value; to degrade, adulterate; to cause to deteriorate
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rankle
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(v.) to cause anger, irritation, or bitterness (with the suggestion that the pain grows worse with time)
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calumniate
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(v.) to slander; to accuse falsely and maliciously
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extrapolate
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(v) estimate or conclude
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autocratic
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(adj) tyrannical
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pellucid
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(adj) easy to understand
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pith
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most essential part
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artlessness/artless
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innocence; guilelessness, honesty
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preempt VS preemptive
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supersede, take the place of VS done first
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discreet VS discrete
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subtle, cautious VS distinct, separate
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allude VS elude
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hint at, refer to indirectly VS avoid or escape
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credible VS creditable
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believable VS good but not great
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complacent VS complaisent
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Self-satisfied; smug VS cheerfully obedient
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capitulate VS recapitulate
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Surrender VS summarize
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mettlesome VS meddlesome
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full of courage and fortitude VS prying, interfering
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proscribe (VS prescribe)
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ban, forbid
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impetuous VS impetus
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rash, impulsive VS an impelling force or stimulus
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indigent VS indignant
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Poor VS angry and resentful
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cataclysm
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violent upheaval
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inimitable
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without equal
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attenuate
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taper off
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estimable
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Worthy of esteem, admirable
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apogee
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the highest or most distant point; climax
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tyro
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beginner; novice
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expunge
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(v.) to erase, obliterate
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corollary
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consequence
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diatribe
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bitter verbal attack
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lachrymose
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Tearful, mournful
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inchoate
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not fully formed; disorganized
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ebullient
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Enthusiastic
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histrionic
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overly theatrical
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antic
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grotesque
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celerity
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swiftness
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jingoist
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An extreme patriot, usually calls for a belligerent foreign policy
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clemency
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mercy
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grandiloquent
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pompous
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epigram
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a brief and usually witty or satirical saying
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apothegm
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a terse, witty saying
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truculence
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aggressiveness; tendency to fight
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solicitous
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anxious to please
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adjudicate
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judge
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malinger
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deliberately avoid work; shirk
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conflagration
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a large destructive fire
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halcyon
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calm and peaceful
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puissant
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powerful
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spendthrift
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wasteful with money
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precipitate
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Cause to happen suddenly or prematurely; fling, plunge, or hurl down
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chimera
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illusion
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dovetail
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Join or fit together
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solicitude
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feeling of concern
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surreptitious
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stealthy
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unpropitious
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unfavorable, unlikely to be successful
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maxim
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A concise statement, often offering advice; an adage
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verisimilitude
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the appearance of being true or real
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disseminate
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(v.) to scatter or spread widely
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mellifluous
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having a rich, smoothly flowing sound
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percipient
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perceptive
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abjure
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(v) give up, renounce
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reprisal
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an injury done in return for injury
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punctilious
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overly precise
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baleful
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sinister, threatening
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inviolate
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sacred, pure
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hauteur
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extreme pride, arrogance
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provident
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planning ahead
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flush
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abundant
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moribund
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near death, waning
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prosaic
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dull, ordinary, unimaginative
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imperious
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domineering, overbearing
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obstreperous
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Noisily and stubbornly defiant
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pundit
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expert
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pecuniary
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relating to money
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officious
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meddlesome
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patent
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glaringly obvious
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impecunious
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poor; having no money
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asperity
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harshness, severity
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ribald
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humorous in a vulgar way
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penurious
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poor
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martinet
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disciplinarian
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bromide
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unoriginal remark
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bellicose
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warlike
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insipid
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dull, bland
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vituperate
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scold harshly
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approbatory
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showing approval
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quandry
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dilemma, state of perplexity or doubt
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effrontery
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Shameless boldness
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fecund
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fruitful, productive (esp intellectually)
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phlegmatic
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calm and unemotional in temperament
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urbane
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sophisticated; refined; elegant
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austere
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severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
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cosseted
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overly pampered
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aplomb
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poise, coolness and composure under strain
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quixotic
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overly idealistic; impractical
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peripatetic
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wandering from place to place, especially on foot
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magisterial
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learned and authoritative
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consummate
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(adj.) complete or perfect in the highest degree; (v.) to bring to a state of completion or perfection
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concomitant
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existing concurrently
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ineffable
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Inexpressible
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unscrupulous
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(adj.) dishonest; not guided or controlled by moral principles
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tawdry
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gaudy, cheap,or showy
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recrimination
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a bitter counteraccusation
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fell
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cruel or evil; (of a disease) deadly
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sartorial
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pertaining to a tailor or his work
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callow
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immature or inexperienced
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rapprochement
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reconciliation; restoration of harmonious relations
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rarefied
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refined
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maudlin
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overly sentimental
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elegiac
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Expressing sorrow or lamentation
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pedestrian
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Ordinary, dull, commonplace
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byzantine
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extremely intricate or complicated in structure
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phantasmagorical
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illusive; unreal
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sanguine
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ruddy; cheerfully optimistic
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lascivious
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lustful or lewd
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brook
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suffer or tolerate
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ponderous
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Heavy and slow moving
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lampoon
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ridicule; spoof
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imbroglio
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complicated situation; an entanglement
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febrile
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feverish
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protean
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(adj) versatile
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peruse
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(v) To read thoroughly and carefully
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impugn
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(v) call into question
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hoary
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(adj) very old; whitish or gray from age
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mendicant
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(n) beggar
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hedge
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to protect against possible loss by taking compensatory measures; to avoid making a direct statement
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hegemony
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the domination of one state or group over its allies
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obtain
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(v) to be customary or accepted
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scintillating
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(adj.) sparkling, twinkling, exceptionally brilliant (applied to mental or personal qualities)
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discursive
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(adj.) rambling, lacking order, digressing
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anodyne
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something that calms or soothes pain
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acme
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(n) pinnacle, highest point (of achievement)
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cupidity
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Greed, great or excessive desire
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efficacious
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(adj) effective
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schadenfreude
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(n) delight in another person's misfortune, sadism
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abrogate
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(v) cancel, repeal; abolish
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malapropism
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(n) humorous misuse of a word or confusion of similar words
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promulgate
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(v) To make known officially
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factitious
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(adj) produced artificially; not genuine
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dessicated
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(adj) dried out; lacking vitality
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fastidious
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(adj) fussy, Difficult to please
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apposite
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(adj) appropriate, suitable, relevant
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convivial
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(adj) sociable, genial; friendly and lively
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unconscionable
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(adj) unreasonable; unscrupulous; shockingly unfair or unjust
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vaunted
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(adj.) much boasted about in a vain or swaggering way
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avuncular
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(adj) like an uncle, benevolent and tolerant
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aboveboard
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(adj) honest, without concealment
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lionize
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(v) to celebrate, treat as a celebrity
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hew (eg hewing to)
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(v) conform or adhere
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proselytize
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to convert someone to a faith, belief, or cause
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bilious
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bad tempered; cross
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atavism
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reversion to an earlier type; throwback
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pugnacious
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Quarrelsome, fond of fighting
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supercilious
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Arrogant
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apotheosis
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elevation to divine status; the perfect example of something
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unstinting
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very generous
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jaundiced
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prejudiced; hostile
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dispensation
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a release from an obligation or promise
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excoriate
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scold with biting harshness; censure strongly; strip the skin off
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raconteur
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witty, skillful storyteller
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junta
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a military group ruling a country after seizing power
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intrepid
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fearless
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perspicacious
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acutely perceptive; having keen discernment
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conflate
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verb: mix together different elements or concept
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objurgate
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scold, criticize
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internecine
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pertaining to conflict within a group; mutually destructive
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prognostication
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a forecast or prediction (prognosis)
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broadside
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a strong verbal attack
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temerity
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Boldness
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exhort
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(v.) to urge strongly, advise earnestly
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incisive,
trenchant |
(adj.) sharp, keen, penetrating (w decisiveness/ effectiveness)
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panegyric
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(n.) formal or elaborate praise; a tribute
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tractable
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Easily managed or controlled
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pithy
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Full of meaning; concise
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lugubrious
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exaggeratedly mournful
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ersatz
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Artificial, synthetic; being an inferior substitute
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arrogate
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to claim without justification; to claim for oneself without right
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graft
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(n) corruption, usually through bribery
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invective
|
An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language.
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Pollyannaish
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extremely optimistic
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obdurate
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stubborn
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umbrage
|
offense; resentment
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staunch
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loyal; faithful; dependable
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didactic
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Instructive
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gauche
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(adj.) awkward, lacking in social graces, tactless, clumsy
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quiescent
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Inactive; at rest
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fatuous
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(adj.) stupid or foolish in a self-satisfied way
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comely
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attractive
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dissembler
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one who hides himself or puts on a false appearance
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ascetic
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Practicing self-denial; austere
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dissimilitude
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(n.) lack of resemblance or similarity
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diffidence
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shyness; lack of confidence
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doughty
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bold, courageous
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glib
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fluent in an insincere manner; offhand; casual
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lark
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a carefree adventure
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winsome
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(adj.) charming, attractive, pleasing (often suggesting a childlike charm and innocence)
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recondite
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Hard to understand, abstruse/esoteric
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esoteric
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known or understood only by a few
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litany
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any long, repetitive, or dull recital
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exacting
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extremely demanding
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spartan
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highly self-disciplined; frugal; austere
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stolid
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unemotional; lacking sensitivity
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insidious
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1. Intended to deceive or entrap; sly, treacherous
2. proceeding gradually and subtly, but w/ harmful effects |
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sybarite
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Person devoted to pleasure and luxury
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glut
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an oversupply
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duress
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(n.) compulsion by threat; forcible confinement
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piquant
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pleasantly pungent; attractive
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maunder
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to talk in a rambling way; to move aimlessly
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coterminous
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of equal extent or scope
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arriviste
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a social climber, an upstart
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dissemble
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(v.) to disguise or conceal, deliberately give a false impression
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untoward
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not favorable, troublesome, unruly
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derelict
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abandoned; negligent
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paucity
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Scarcity
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incumbent
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(adj.) obligatory, required; (n.) one who holds a specific office at the time spoken of
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aberration
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A state or condition markedly different from the norm
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panache
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flamboyance or dash in style and action; verve
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provincial
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Unsophisticated
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recrudesce
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relapse
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saturnine
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gloomy and remote
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parvenu
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upstart, Someone newly wealthy
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quisling
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traitor
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beatific
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(adj.) blissful; rendering or making blessed
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redoubtable
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(adj.) inspiring fear or awe; illustrious, eminent
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munificent
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Very generous, lavish
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pyrrhic
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(adj) describing a victory that comes at such a great cost that the victory is not worthwhile
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devolve
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delegate
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precocious
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Exhibiting unusually early intellectual aptitude or maturity
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underwrite
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to sponsor financially; to subsidize; to insure
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sangfroid
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(n.) composure or coolness, especially in trying circumstances
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incorrigible
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Incapable of being reformed
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largess
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generosity
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stultify
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1.to impair or reduce to uselessness, to dull
2. to cause through routine to lose energy and enthusiasm |
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assuage
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To make something unpleasant less severe
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appurtenant
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supplying added support
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renege
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to fail to honor a commitment; to go back on a promise
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truculent
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fierce and cruel; eager to fight
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canard
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Rumor, a false or baseless story
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tortuous
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Twisting, winding, complex; devious, not straightforward
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desideratum
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something needed and wanted
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sedulous
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diligent, assiduous
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impute
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Credit, attribute; lay blame or responsibility for (sometimes falsely)
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fete
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to honor with a banquet or feast
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tendentious
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Marked by a strong point of view, biased
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remonstrate
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(v.) to argue or plead against something, protest, object to
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polemic
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controversy; argument; verbal attack
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raillery
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good-humored ridicule or teasing
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auguries
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Omens, signs
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aphoristic
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concise, true
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peremptory
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bossy and domineering
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subsume
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include or absorb (something) in something else
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exegesis
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critical analysis; scholarly explanation or interpretation
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schmooze
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talk idly or casually and in a friendly way
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virago
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Ill-tempered and sometimes violent woman
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prolixity
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verbosity
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travail
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Painful effort; arduous work
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probing
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scrutinizing, questioning
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