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50 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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aberration (n.) /æb.ə'reɪ.ʃ ə n/
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something that differs from the norm, a temporary change from the typical or usual way of behaving
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(In 1974, Poland won the World Cup, but the success turned out to be an aberration, and Poland have not won a World Cup since).
(In a moment of aberration, she agreed to go with him.) (I'm sorry I'm late - I had a mental aberration and forgot we had a meeting today.) |
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abhor (v.) /'əbɔ: r / [ T not continuous ]
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to hate, detest, to hate a way of behaving or thinking, often because you think it is not moral
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(Because he always wound up getting hit in the head when he tried to play cricket, Marcin began to abhor the sport).
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acquiesce (v.) /,æk.wi'es/
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to accept or agree to something, often unwillingly
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(Though Mr. Pospieszny wanted to stay outside and work in his garage, when his wife told him that he had better come in to dinner, he acquiesced to her demands.)
(Reluctantly, he acquiesced to/in the plans. ) |
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alacrity (n.) /ə'læk.rə.ti/
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speed and eagerness
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(For some reason, Simon loved to help his girlfriend whenever he could, so when his girlfriend asked him to set the table he did so with alacrity.)
(She accepted the money with alacrity. ) |
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amiable (adj.) /'eɪ.mi.ə.bl ̩/
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friendly
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(An amiable fellow, Neil got along with just about everyone.)
(So amiable was the mood of the meeting that a decision was soon reached. ) |
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appease (v.) /ə'pi:z/
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to calm, satisfy
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(When Jerry cries, his mother gives him chocolate to appease him.)
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arcane (adj.) /ɑ:'keɪn/
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obscure, secret, known only by a few people
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(The professor is an expert in arcane Kashubian literature.)
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avarice (n.) /'æv. ə r.ɪs/
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excessive greed, an extremely strong want to get or keep money or possessions
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(The banker’s avarice led him to amass an enormous personal fortune.)
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brazen (adj.) /'breɪ.z ə n/
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excessively bold, brash, clear and obvious, without any attempt to be hidden
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(Critics condemned the writer’s brazen attempt to plagiarise Frankow-Czerwonko’s work.)
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brusque (adj.) /bru:sk/
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short, abrupt, dismissive,
quick and rude in manner or speech |
(Simon’s brusque manner sometimes offends his colleagues.)
(His secretary was rather brusque with me.) |
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cajole (v.) /kə'dʒəʊl/
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to urge, coax, to persuade someone to do something they might not want to do, by pleasant talk and (sometimes false) promises
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(He really knows how to cajole people into doing what he wants.)
(Magda's friends cajoled her into drinking too much.) |
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callous (adj.) /'kæl.əs/
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harsh, cold, unfeeling, unkind or cruel, without sympathy or feeling for other people
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(The murderer’s callous lack of remorse shocked the jury.)
(It might sound callous, but I don't care...) |
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candour (n.) /'kæn.də r /
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honesty, frankness
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(We were surprised by the candor of the politician’s speech because she is usually rather evasive.)
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chide (v.) /tʃaɪd/
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to speak to someone severely because they have behaved badly
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(She chided him for his bad manners.)
(Hania chided Gregory for his vulgar habits and sloppy appearance.) |
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circumspect (adj.) /'sɜ:.kəm.spekt/
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cautious, careful not to take risks
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(Officials were circumspect about what the talks had achieved.)
(Though I promised Marta’s father I would bring her home promptly by midnight, it would have been more circumspect not to have specified a time.) |
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clandestine (adj.) /klæn'des.tɪn/
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planned or done in secret, especially describing something that is not officially allowed
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She undertook several clandestine operations for the CIA.
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coerce (v.) /kəʊ'ɜ:s/
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to make somebody do something by force or threat
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(The court decided that David Beckham did not have to honor the contract because he had been coerced into signing it.)
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coherent (adj.) /kə ʊ ' hɪə.rənt/
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logically consistent, intelligible
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(William could not figure out what Harold had seen because he was too distraught to deliver a coherent statement.)
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complacency (n.) /kəmpleɪ.s ə n t .si/
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self-satisfied ignorance of danger, a feeling of calm satisfaction with your own abilities or situation that prevents you from trying harder
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(Simon tried to shock his friends out of their complacency by painting a frightening picture of what might happen to them
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confidant (n.) /'kɒn.fɪ.dænt/
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a person you trust and share your feelings and secrets with
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(Shortly after we met, he became my chief confidant.)
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cumulative (adj.) /'kju.mjʊ.lə.tɪv/
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increasing, building upon itself
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(The cumulative effect of hours spent using the World English website was a vast improvement in his vocabulary and general level of English.)
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debase (v.) /dɪ'beɪs/
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to lower the quality or esteem of something
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(The large raise that he gave himself debased his motives for running the charity.)
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decry (v.) /dɪ'kraɪ/
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to criticize openly, to condemn
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(Andrzej Lepper, the leader of the Polish Self Defence party decried the appaling state of Polish roads.)
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deferential (adj.) /def.ə'ren. t ʃəl/
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showing respect for another’s authority
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(Donata is always excessively deferential to any kind of authority figure.)
She is always extremely deferential to/towards anyone in authority. |
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connive (v.) /kə'naɪv/
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to plot, scheme, to plan secretly and dishonestly for something to happen which will be to your advantage
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(She connived to get me to give up my plans to start up a new business.)
([ + to infinitive ] They connived to break the school rules at every opportunity. ) |
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demure (adj.) /dɪ'mjʊə r /
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(especially of women and children) quiet and well behaved ,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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deride (v.) /dɪ'raɪd/
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to laugh at mockingly, scorn
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(The native speaker often derided the other teacher’s accent.)
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despot (n.) /'des.pɒt/
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one who has total power and rules brutally
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(The despot issued a death sentence for anyone who disobeyed his laws.)
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diligent (adj.) /'dɪl.ɪ.dʒ ə nt/
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showing care in doing one’s work
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(The diligent researcher made sure to double check her measurements.)
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elated (adj.) /ɪ'leɪ.tɪd/
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overjoyed, thrilled, extremely happy and excited, often because something has happened or been achieved
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(When he found out he had won the lottery, the postman was elated.)
(The prince was reported to be elated at/by the birth of his daughter. ) |
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eloquent (adj.) /'el.ə.kw ə nt/
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giving a clear, strong message, expressive, articulate, moving
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(The best man gave such an eloquent speech that most guests were crying.)
(She made an eloquent appeal for action. ) |
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embezzle (v.) /ɪm'bez.l ̩/
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to secretly take money that is in your care or that belongs to an organization or business you work for to steal money by falsifying records,
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(The accountant was fired for embezzling €10,000 of the company’s funds.)
(She embezzled thousands of dollars from the charity.) |
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empathy (n.) /'em.pə.θi/
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sensitivity to another’s feelings as if they were one’s own; the ability to share someone else's feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in their situation
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(I feel such empathy for my dog when she’s upset so am I!)
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enmity (n.) /'en.mɪ.ti/
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a feeling of hate, ill will, hatred, hostility
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(John and Scott have clearly not forgiven each other, because the enmity between them is obvious to anyone in their presence.)
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erudite (adj.) /'er.ʊ.daɪt/
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having or containing a lot of specialist knowledge, learned
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(He's the author of an erudite book on Scottish history. )
(My English teacher is such an erudite scholar that he has translated some of the most difficult and abstruse Old English poetry.) |
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extol (v.) /ɪk'stəʊl/
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to praise, revere
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(Kamila extolled the virtues of a vegetarian diet to her meat-loving boyfriend.)
(His book extolling the benefits of vegetarianism sold thousands of copies. ) |
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fabricate (v.) /'fæb.rɪ.keɪt/
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to invent or produce something false in order to deceive
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(He was late, so he fabricated an excuse to avoid trouble.)
(He claims that the police fabricated evidence against him.) |
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feral (adj.) /'fer. ə l/
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existing in a wild state, especially describing an animal that was previously kept by people, savage
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(That beast looks so feral that I would fear being alone with it.)
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flabbergasted (adj.) /'flæb.ə.gɑ.stɪd/
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astounded, very surprised or shocked
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(Whenever I read an Agatha Christie mystery novel, I am always flabbergasted when I learn the identity of the murderer.)
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forsake (v.) /fɔ:'seɪk/
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to give up, renounce, to leave someone forever, especially when they need you
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(I won't forsake my conservative principles.)
(Do not forsake me! ) |
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fractious (adj.) /'fræk.ʃəs/
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troublesome or irritable, easily upset or annoyed, and often complaining
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(Although the child insisted he wasn’t tired, his fractious behaviour - especially his decision to crush his jam sandwiches all over the floor - convinced everyone present that it was time to put him to bed.)
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furtive (adj /'fɜ:.tɪv/
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(of people) behaving secretly and often dishonestly, or (of actions) done secretly and often dishonestly, secretive, sly
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(Claudia’s placement of her drugs in her sock drawer was not as furtive as she thought, as the sock drawer is the first place most parents look.)
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gluttony (n.) /'glʌt. ə n.i/
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overindulgence in food or drink; when people eat and drink more than they need to
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(Helen’s fried chicken tastes so divine, I don’t know how anyone can call gluttony a sin.)
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gratuitous (adj.) /grə'tju.ɪ.təs/
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uncalled for, unwarranted, (of something such as bad behaviour) not necessary; with no cause
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(Every evening the guy at the fish and chip shop gives me a gratuitous helping of vinegar.)
(A lot of viewers complained that there was too much gratuitous sex and violence in the film. ) |
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haughty (adj.) /hɔ:.ti/
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disdainfully proud, unfriendly and seeming to consider yourself better than other people
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(The superstar’s haughty dismissal of her co-stars will backfire on her someday.)
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hypocrisy (n.) /hɪ'pɒk.rɪ.si/
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pretending to believe what one does not; when someone pretends to believe something that they do not really believe or that is the opposite of what they do or say at another time
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(Once the politician began passing legislation that contradicted his campaign promises, his hypocrisy became apparent.)
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impeccable (adj) /ɪm'pek.ə.bl ̩/
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exemplary, flawless, perfect, with no problems or bad parts
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(impeccable taste/manners/credentials )
(His English is impeccable.) |
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impertinent (adj.) /ɪm'pɜ:.tɪ.nənt/
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rude and not respectful, especially towards someone older or in a higher position than you, insolent
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(Most of your comments are so impertinent that I don’t wish to dignify them with an answer.)
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implacable (adj.) /ɪm'plæk.ə.bl ̩/
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describes (someone who has) strong opinions or feelings which are impossible to change
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(an implacable enemy )
((Watch out: once you shun Grandmother’s cooking, she is totally implacable.)) |
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impudent (adj.) /'ɪm.pjʊ.d ə nt/
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rude and not respectful, especially towards someone who is older or in a more important position
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(an impudent remark/child )
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