Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
24 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
|
salient
|
outstanding, prominent, jutting out, jumping forth
|
One of the salient features of the property is its situation near a lake.
|
|
|
severance
|
a separation, division
|
His severance from the company and the resulting loss of pay caused great hardship for his family.
|
|
|
strategy
|
planning large scale military operations, general skill in managing or planning an action
|
Military strategy often involves taking the enemy by surprise.
|
|
|
supplication
|
entreaty, begging, a humble or prayerful request
|
The mother's supplications were not in vain; the court suspended the boy's sentence for stealing.
|
|
|
tentative
|
experimental, provisional, temporary
|
The teacher drew up a tentative lesson plan which she modified according to the students' needs, as the term went on.
|
|
|
tortuous
|
twisting, turning, winding, hence devious, crooked
|
There have been many scientific experiments with rats to see whether the animals could find their way out of a tortuous maze.
|
|
|
umbrage
|
resentment, anger, offense
|
He took umbrage at her offhand refusal of his proposal of marriage.
umbRAGE |
|
|
urbane
|
polite, suave, worldly, polished
|
The actor wsa just as urbane off stage as he was in his most sophisticated roles.
urban vs. rural setting |
|
|
venal
|
capable of being bribed or corrupted, mercenary
|
The newspapers condemned the venal inspectors who had accepted bribes to overlook housing violations.
|
|
|
vignette
|
a small illustration with no definite border, a brief literary sketch
|
Max Beerbohm was noted forh is literary vignettes, delightful sketches of writers that both amused and informed.
|
|
|
wraith
|
an apparition or ghost, specifically the spectral figure of someone who has just died or is about to die
|
The wraith of the murdered king appeared to Macbeth at the banquet.
|
|
|
yawl
|
a small two-masted boat
|
Tied to the dock between two large sailboats was a tiny yawl.
|
|
|
abash
|
to make self-conscious and uneasy, to embarass, to disconcert, to bewilder
|
In making the introduction, I was abashed when I forgot his name.
|
|
|
aborigine
|
the first or earliest inhabitant of a region, a native of the area
|
The aborigines in America were thought to have crossed over from Asia on a land bridge at the end of the Ice Age.
|
|
|
accelerate
|
to speed up, quicken
|
The sprinter accelerated his pace in a final burst of effort as he neared the finish line.
|
|
|
admonish
|
to warn, to reporve mildly
|
The school aide admonished the students for their noisy behavior in the lunchroom.
|
|
|
agile
|
quick, nimble, deft
|
Agile as a mountain goat, he bounded up the steep hill.
|
|
|
ambiguous
|
having two or more possible meanings, unclear, vague
|
The candidate's ambiguous remarks left his listeners in doubt as to his position on the issues.
|
|
|
assiduous
|
hard-working, diligent, perservering
|
He was an assiduous worker; he never paused until he had completed an assignment.
|
|
|
benign
|
good-natured, kindly, favorable, beneficial
|
Unlike my father, my grandfather took a benign attitude towards youthful escapades.
|
|
|
carafe
|
a glass water bottle, a decanter
|
The speaker paused for a moment while he poured himself a glass of water from the carafe on the table.
|
|
|
cogent
|
convincing, compelling
|
The city planner's arguments against the proposed mall were so cogent that the council vetoed the project.
|
|
|
conjecture
|
a guess made on the basis of incomplete evidence, a surmise
|
He lacked full knowledge of the issues in the strike; therefore, it was only conjecture on his part that a settlement would be reached quickly.
|
|
|
demur
|
to hesitate, to object, to have scruples about
|
At first she demurred when she was asked to sing, but eventually she consented.
|
