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40 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
bliss
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perfect happiness
The young movie star could conceive of no greater bliss than winning an Oscar. |
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blithe
|
joyous; heedless
Our friends' blithe looks signaled that the final had been easy. |
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buoy
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keep afloat; raise the spirits of; encourage
Your encouragement buoyed us and gave us hope. |
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complacency
|
self-satisfaction; smugness
Don't be too pleased with yourself; complacency is dangerous. |
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convivial
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sociable; fond of eating and drinking with friends
Our convivial host hates to dine alone. |
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delectable
|
very pleasing; delightful
the food was delectable; we enjoyed every morsel. |
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ecstasy
|
state of overwhelming joy; rapture
If we win tomorrow, there will be ecstasy; if we lose, gloom. |
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elated
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in high spirits; joyful
Except for my sister, who misses the old neighborhood, the family is elated with our new living quarters. |
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frolic
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romp; play and run about happily; have fun
Very young children need a safe place to frolic. |
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frolicsome
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playful
The clown's frolicsome antics amused the children |
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gala
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characterized by festivity
The annual Mardi Gras in New Orleans is a gala carnival of parades and merriment. |
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jocund
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merry; cheerful; lighthearted
Our neighbor is a jocund fellow who tells amusing anecdotes. |
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ascetic
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shunning pleasures; self-denying; austere
The ascetic Puritans rigidly suppressed many forms of recreation. |
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chagrin
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embarrassment; mortification
Imagine my chagrin when I leaned that I had not been invited to the party! |
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compunction
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regret; qualm; remorse; misgiving; scruple
We had no compunction about turning in the old care bc it had become undependable. |
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contrite
|
peniten; showing deep regret and sorrow for wrongdoing; repntant; remorseful
Believing the young offender to be contrite, the dean decided to give him another chance. |
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contrition
|
penitence; repntance; remorse
The ringleader showed no contrition, but his accomplices have expressed sorrow for their misdeeds. |
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disconsolate
|
cheerless; inconsolable
The mother oculd not stop her disconsolate son from sobbing over the loss of his dog. |
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doleful
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dolorus; lugubrious; causing grief or sadness; mournful
the refugee told a doleful tale of hunger and persecution |
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lamentable
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pitiable; rueful
The reporter described the lamentable harships of families living in war-torn Afghanistan. |
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maudlin
|
weakly sentimental and tearful
After singing a couple of maudlin nubers, the quartet was asked for something more cheerful. |
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pathos
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quality in events or in art (literature, music, etc.) that arouses our pity
The young seamstress who precedes Sydney Carton to the guillotine addes to the pathos of A Tale of Two cities |
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poignant
|
painfully touching; piercing
One of the most poignant scenes in Macbeth occurs when Macduff learns that his wife and children have been slaughtered. |
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sullen
|
glum; morose; resentfully silent; gloomy
The sullen suspect refused to give his name and address. |
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tribulation
|
suffering; distress
The 1845 potato famine was a time of great tribulation in Ireland. |
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burly
|
husky
Extralarge football uniforms were ordered to outfit out burly linemen. |
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buxom
|
plump and attractive
Next to her thin city cousin, the farm girl looked radiant and buxom. |
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cherubic
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chubby and innocent-looking; like a cherub ( angel in the form of a child)
Your well-nourished nephew, despite his cherubic face, can be quite mischievous. |
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attenuate
|
make thin
photographs of presiden lincoln reveal how rapidly the cares of leadership aged and attenuated him. |
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emaciated
|
make unnaturally thin; abnormally lean because of starvation or illness
Emaciated by his illness, the patient found, on his recovery, that his clothes were too big. |
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haggard
|
gaunt
Haggard from their long ordeal, the rescued mountain climbers were rushed to the hospital for treatment and rest. |
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svelte
|
slender; lithe
Ballet dancers observe a strict diet to maintain their svelte figures. |
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blandishment
|
word of mild flattery
With terms of endearment, flowers, and other blandishments, Brian won Aliya over to his side. |
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cajole
|
wheedle; coax; goad
My sister cajoled Dad into raising her allowance. |
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fulsome
|
offensive because of insincerity; repulsive; disgusting
The new chief basks in the fulsome praises of his deputy, who raves over his every decision, right or wrong. |
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ingratiate
|
work (oneslef) into favor
By tring to respond to every question, the new pupil tried to ingratiate herself with the teacher. |
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lackey
|
servant; toady
The queen could never get a frank opinion from the lackeys surrounding her, for they would always agree with her. |
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obsequious
|
subservient; fawning
The obsequious subordinates vied with one another in politeness and obedience, each hoping to win the director's favor. |
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sycophant
|
parasitic flatterer; truckler
Many sycophants live off celebrities who enjoy flattery. |
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truckle
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submit in a subservient manner to a superior; fawn; make a doormat of oneself
Some employees, unfortunately, gain promotion by truckling to their supervisors. |