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44 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
placate
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verb: cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of
I was able to placate the angry mob of students by promising to bring cookies on Monday syn: pacify, appease, mollify, propitiate |
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dispassionate
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adjective: unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice
A good scientist should be dispassionate, focusing purely on what the evidence says, without personal attachment. syn: disinterested: closed related: stolid |
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bolster
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verb: support and strengthen
The case for the suspect's innocence was bolstered considerably by the fact that neither fingerprints nor DNA were found at the scene. syn: espouse, proponent, advocate, corroborate, endorse |
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imprudent
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adjective: not wise
Hitler, like Napoleon, made the imprudent move of invading Russia in winter, suffering even more casualties than Napoleon had. ant: sage, sagacious, wit |
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opulence
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noun: wealth as evidenced by sumptuous living
Russian oligarchs are famous for their opulence, living in fancy homes and dining on expensive caviar. syn: jaunty, ostentatious |
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flux
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noun: a state of uncertainty about what should be done (usually following some important event)
Ever since Elvira resigned as the head of marketing, everything about our sales strategy has been in a state of flux. syn: nonplussed, bewilder, perplexed |
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reproach
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verb: to express criticism towards
At first, Sarah was going to yell at the boy, but she didn't want to reproach him for telling the truth about the situation. syn: rebuke, censure, excoriate, vituperation |
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sullen
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adjective: showing a brooding ill humor
Herbert took board games too seriously, often appearing sullen after losing. |
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elicit
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verb: call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)
Just smiling--even if you are depressed--can elicit feelings of pleasure and happiness. |
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polemic
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noun: a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something.
The professor launched into a polemic, claiming that Freudian theory was a pack of lies that absolutely destroyed European literary theory. syn: screed, tirade, diatribe, harangue, denouncing, invective |
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transient
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adjective: lasting a very short time
The unpredictable and transient nature of deja vu makes it a very difficult phenomenon to study properly. syn: ephemeral, evanescent, transitory |
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edifying
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adjective: enlightening or uplifting so as to encourage intellectual or moral improvement
I recently read an article in the Times about whether good literature is edifying or not; specifically, does reading more make a person more moral. syn: galvanize, kindle |
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mendacity
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noun: the tendency to be untruthful
I can forgive her for her mendacity but only because she is a child and is seeing what she can get away with. syn: veracity |
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mundane
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djective: repetitive and boring; not spiritual
Nancy found doing dishes a thorouglymundane task, although Peter found a kind of Zen pleasure in the chore. adjective: relating to the ordinary world Though we think of the pope as someone always dealing in holy matters, he is also concerned with mundane events, such as deciding when to set his alarm each morning. syn: trite, banal, blatant, cliché, hackneyed, bromide, platitude, quotidian |
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thankless
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adjective (not comparable)
(of a task)not appreciated or rewarded (of a person) ungrateful or unappreciative |
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ignominious
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adjective: (used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame
Since the politician preached ethics and morality, his texting of revealing photographs was ignominious, bringing shame on both himself and his party. syn: humiliation, disgrace |
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regret
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syn: contrition, abash, rue, compunction
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maverick
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noun: someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action
Officer Kelly was a maverick, rarely following police protocols or adopting the conventions for speech common among his fellow officers. sun: libertine |
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nuance
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noun: a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
Because of the nuances involved in this case, I hired an outside consultant to advice us and help. |
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arduous
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adjective: demanding considerable mental effort and skill; testing powers of endurance
In order to deal with the arduous cross-country journey, truck drivers often survive on a string of caffeinated drinks, staying awake for up to 30 hours at a time. |
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askance
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adverb: with a look of suspicion or disapproval
The old couple looked askance on the teenagers seated next to them, whispering to each other, "They've got rings through their noses and purple hair!" |
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impartial
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adjective: free from undue bias or preconceived opinions
The judge was not impartial since he had been bribed by the witness's family syn: disinterested, dispassionate |
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disseminate
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verb: cause to become widely known
Before the effects of anesthesia were disseminated, patients had to experience the full pain of a surgery. syn: prevail |
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contrition
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noun: the feeling of remorse or guilt that comes from doing something bad
Those who show contrition during their prison terms--especially when under review by a parole board--often get shortened sentences. syn: rue, compunction, abash, expiate |
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jovial
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adjective: full of or showing high-spirited merriment
The presidential candidate and her supporters were jovial once it was clear that she had won. syn: mirth, beatific |
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rebuke
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verb: criticize severely or angrily; censure
The police chief rebuked the two officers whose irresponsible decisions almost led to the deaths of seven innocent by-standers. syn: vituperation, reproach, reproof, censure |
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fastidious
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adjective: overly concerned with details; fussy
Whitney is fastidious about her shoes, arranging them on a shelf in a specific order, each pair evenly spaced. syn: meticulous |
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specious
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adjective: based on pretense; deceptively pleasing
Almost every image on TV is speciousand not to be trusted. adjective: plausible but false He made a career out of speciousarguments and fictional lab results, but lost his job and reputation when his lies were exposed by an article in The New York Times. syn: spurious |
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harried
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adjective: troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances
With a team of new hires to train, Martha was constantly harried with little questions and could not focus on her projects. |
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pejorative
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adjective: expressing disapproval (usu. refers to a term), negative connotations
Most psychologists object to thepejorative term "shrink", believing that they expand the human mind, not limit it. |
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duress
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noun: compulsory force or threat
The witness said he signed the contract under duress and argued that the court should cancel the agreement. |
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capricious
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adjective: determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason
Nearly every month our capricious CEO had a new plan to turn the company around, and none of them worked because we never gave them the time they needed to succeed. syn: whimsical, mercurial, unpredictable, erratic |
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erudite
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adjective: having or showing profound knowledge
Before the Internet, the library was typically where you would find erudite readers. syn: perspicacious, recondite, obscure, esoteric, abstruse, inscrutable, pundit |
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furtive
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adjective: marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed
While at work, George and his boss Regina felt the need to be as furtive as possible about their romantic relationship. syn: stealth, clandestine, mysterious, cryptic, covert |
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appease
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verb: pacify by acceding to the demands of
Neville Chamberlain, the British prime minister during WWII, tried to appeaseHitler and in doing so sent a clear message: you can walk all over us. syn: pacify, propitiate, placate, mollify, assuage, ameliorate, mitigate |
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efficacious
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adjective: producing the intended result
Since Maggie's cough syrup, which had expired five years back, was no longer efficacious, she coughed through the night. |
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antipathy
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noun: an intense feeling of dislike or aversion
Maria had an antipathy for tour groups, often bolting to the other side of the museum as soon as she saw a chaperone leading a group of wide-eyed tourists. |
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dilatory
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adjective: wasting time
Lawyers use dilatory tactics so that it takes years before the case is actually decided. syn: squander, wax |
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maladroit
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adjective: clumsy
As a child she was quite maladroit, but as an adult, she has become an adept dancer. syn: unskilled |
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truncate
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verb: reduce the length of something
The soccer game was truncated when the monsoon rain began to fall. |
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stringent
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adjective: demanding strict attention to rules and procedures
Most of the students disliked the teacher because of his stringent homework policy, but many students would later thank him for demanding so much from them. |
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timorous
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adjective: timid by nature or revealing fear and nervousness
Since this was her first time debating on stage and before an audience, Di's voice was timorous and quiet for the first 10 minutes. syn: craven, daunting, cowardly, trepid, ant: plucky |
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misconstrue
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verb: interpret in the wrong way
The politician never trusted journalists because he thought that they wouldmisconstrue his words and misrepresent his positions. |
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nonplussed
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adjective: unsure how to act or respond
Shirley was totally nonplussed when the angry motorist cut her off and then stuck his finger out the window. syn: flux |