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81 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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Abate |
To reduce in amount, degree, or severity |
As the hurricane's forced abated, the winds dropped and the sea became calm |
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Abscond |
To leave secretly. |
The patron absconded from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door. |
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Abstain |
To choose not to do something |
She abstained from choosing a mouthwatering dessert from the tray. |
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Abyss |
An extremely deep hole. |
The submarine dove into the abyss to chart the previously unseen depths. |
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Adulterate |
To make impure |
The chef made his ketchup last longer by adulterating it with water. |
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Advocate |
To speak in favor of |
The vegetarian advocated a diet containing no meat. |
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Aesthetic |
Concerning the appreciation of beauty |
Followers of the aesthetic movement regarded the pursuit of beauty as the only true purpose of art. |
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Aggrandize |
To increase in power, influence, and reputation |
The supervisor sought to aggrandize herself by claiming that the achievements of her staff were actually her own. |
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Alleviate |
To make more bearable |
Taking aspirin helps to alleviate a headache. |
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Amalgamate |
To combine, to mix together |
Giant industries amalgamated with mega products to form Giant-Mega products incorporated. |
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Ambiguous |
Doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted several ways. |
The directions she gave me were so ambiguous that we disagreed on which way to turn. |
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Ameliorate |
To make better; to improve |
The doctor was able to ameliorate the patient's suffering using painkillers. |
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Anachronism |
Something out of place in time |
The aged hippie used anachronistic phrases, like "groovy" and "far out," that had not been popular for years. |
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Analogous |
Similar or alike in some way; equivalent to |
In the Newtonian construct for explaining the existence of God, the universe is analogous to a mechanical timepiece, the creation of a divinely intelligent "clockmaker." |
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Anomaly |
Deviation from what is normal |
Albino animals may display too great an anomaly in their coloring to attract normal colored mates. |
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Antagonize |
To annoy or provoke to anger |
The child discovered that he could antagonize the cat by pulling it's tail. |
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Antipathy |
Extreme dislike |
The antipathy between French and the English regular erupted into open warfare. |
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Apathy |
Lack of interest or emotion |
The apathy of voters is so great that less than half the people who are eligable to vote actually do so. |
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Arbitrate |
To judge a dispute between two opposing parties |
Since the couple could not come to an agreement, a judge was forced to arbitrate their divorce proceedings. |
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Archaic |
Ancient, old-fashioned |
Her archaic commodore computer could not run the latest software. |
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Ardor |
Intense and passionate feeling |
Bishop's ardor for the landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of scenic Hudson valley. |
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Articulate |
Able to speak clearly and expressively |
She is such an articulate defender of labor that unions are among her strongest supporters. |
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Assuage |
To make something unpleasant less severe |
Serena used aspirin to assuage her pounding headache. |
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Attenuate |
To reduce in force or degree; to weaken |
The bill of rights attenuated the traditional power of governments to change laws at will. |
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Audacious |
Fearless and daring |
Her audacious nature allowed her to fulfill her dream of skydiving. |
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Austere |
Severe or stern in appearance; undecorated |
The lack of decorations makes military barracks seem austere to civilian eyes. |
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Banal |
Predictable, cliched, boring |
He used banal phrases like "have a nice day" and "another day, another dollar" |
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Bolster |
To support; to prop up |
The presence of giant footprints bolstered the argument that Sasquatch was in the area. |
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Bombastic |
Pompous in speech and manner |
The ranting of the radio talk-show host was mostly bombastic; his boasting and outrageous claims had no basis in fact. |
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Cacophony |
Harsh, jarring noise |
The junior high orchestra created an almost unbearable cacophony as the tried to tune their instruments. |
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Candid |
Impartial and honest in speech |
The observation of a child can be charming since they are candid and unpretentious. |
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Capricious |
Changing one's mind quickly and often |
Queen Elizabeth I was quite capricious; her courtiers could never be sure which of their numbers would catch her fancy. |
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Castigate |
To punish or criticize harshly |
Many Americans are amazed at how harshly the authorities in Singapore castigate perpetrators of which would be considered minor crimes in the United States. |
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Catalyst |
Something that brings about a change in something |
The imposition of harsh taxes was the catalyst that finally brought the revolution. |
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Caustic |
Biting in wit |
Dorothy Parker gained her reputation for caustic with from her cutting, yet clever, insults. |
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Chaos |
Great disorder or confusion |
In many religious traditions, God created an ordered universe from Chaos. |
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Chauvinist |
Someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs |
The attitude that men are inherently Superior to women and therefore must be obeyed is common among male chauvinists. |
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Chicanery |
Deception by means of craft or guile |
Dishonest used car salespeople often use chicanery to sell their beat-up old cars. |
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Cogent |
Convincing and well reasonef |
Swayed by the cogent argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant. |
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Condone |
To overlook, pardon, or disregard |
Some theorists believe that failing to prosecute minor crimes is the same as condoning an air of lawlessness. |
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Convoluted |
Intricate and complicated |
Although many people bought "A Brief History of Time," few could follow its convoluted ideas and theories. |
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Corroborate |
To provide supporting evidence |
Fingerprints corroborated the witness's testimony that he saw the defendant in the victim's apartment. |
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Credulous |
Too trusting, gullible |
Although some four year olds believe in the Easter Bunny, only the most credulous nine-year-olds still believe in him. |
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Crescendo |
Steadily increasing volume or force |
The crescendo of tension became unbearable as Evel Knievel prepared to jump his motorcycle over the school buses. |
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Decorum |
Appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety |
The countess complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the decorum appropriate for a visit to the palace. |
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Deference |
Respect, courtesy |
The respectful young law clerk treated the supreme Court Justice with utmost deference. |
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Deride |
To speak of or treat with contempt; to mock |
The awkward child was often derided by his "cooler" peers. |
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Desiccate |
To dry out thoroughly |
After a few weeks of lying on the desert's baking sands, the cow's carcass became completely dessicated. |
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Desultory |
Jumping from one thing to another; disconnected |
Diane had a desultory academic record; she had changed majors 12 times in three years. |
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Diatribe |
An abusive, condemnatory speech |
The trucker bellowed a diatribe at the driver who had cut him off. |
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Diffident |
Lacking self-confidence |
Steve's diffident manner during the job interview stemmed from his nervous nature and lack of experience in the field. |
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Dilate |
To make larger; to expand |
When you enter a darkened room, the pupils of your eyes dilate to let in more light. |
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Dilatory |
Intend to delay |
The congressman used dilatory measures to delay the passage of the bill. |
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Dilettante |
Someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in the topic |
Jerry's friend were such dilettantes that they seemed to have new jobs and hobbies every week. |
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Dirge |
A funeral hymn or mournful speech |
Melville wrote the poem "A Dirge got James McPherson" for the funeral of the union general who was killed in 1864. |
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Disabuse |
To set right; to free from error |
Galileo's observation disabused scholars of the notion that the sun revolved around the Earth. |
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Discern |
To perceive; to recognize |
It is easy to discern the difference between butter and butter-flavored toppings. |
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Disparate |
Fundamentally different; entirely unlike |
Although the twins appear to be identical physically, their personalities are disparate |
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Dissemble |
To present false appearance; to disguise one's real intentions or character |
The villain could dissemble to the police no longer - he admitted the deed and tore up the floor to reveal the body of the old man. |
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Dissonance |
A harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds |
Cognitive dissonance is the inner conflict produced when long-standing beliefs are contradicted by new evidence. |
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Dogma |
A firmly held opinion, often a religious belief |
Linus's Central dogma was that children who believed in the great pumpkin would be rewarded. |
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Dogmatic |
Dictatorial in one's opinion |
The dictator was dogmatic - he, and only he, was right. |
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Dupe |
To deceive; a person who is easily deceived |
Bugs Bunny was able to dupe Elmer Fudd by dressing up like a lady rabbit. |
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Eclectic |
Selecting from or made up from a variety of sources |
Budapest's architecture is an eclectic mix of Eastern and Western styles. |
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Efficacy |
Effectiveness |
The efficacy of penicillin was unsurpassed when it was first introduced. |
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Elegy |
A sorrowful poem or speech |
Although Thomas Gray's "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" is about death and loss, it urges its readers to endure this life and to trust spirituality. |
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Eloquent |
Persuasive and moving, especially in speech |
The Gettysburg Address is moving not only because of its lofty sentiments, but also because of its eloquent words. |
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Emulate |
To copy; to try to equal or excel |
The graduate student sought to emulate his professor in every word, copying not only how she taught, but also how she conducted herself outside of class. |
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Enervate |
To reduce in strength |
The guerillas hoped that a series of surprise attacks would enervate the regular army. |
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Engender |
To produce, cause, or bring about |
His fear and hatred of clowns was engendered when he witnessed the death of his father at the hands of a clown. |
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Enigma |
A puzzle; a mystery |
Speaking in riddles and dressed in old robes, the artist gained a reputation as something of an enigma. |
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Enumerate |
To count, list, or itemize |
Moses returned the mountain with tablets on which the commandments were enumerated. |
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Ephemeral |
Lasting a short time. |
The lives of mayflies seem ephemeral to us, since the flies average life span is a matter of hours. |
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Equivocate |
To use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead |
When faced with criticism of her policies, the politician equivocated and left all parties thinking she agreed with them. |
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Erratic |
Wandering and unpredictable |
The plot seemed predictable until it suddenly took a series of erratic turns that surprised the audience. |
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Erudite |
Learned, scholarly, bookish |
The annual meeting of philosophy professors was a gathering of the most erudite, well-published individuals in the field. |
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Esoteric |
Known or understood by only a few |
Only a handful of experts are knowledgeable about the esoteric world of particle physics. |
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Estimable |
Admirable |
Most people consider it estimable that mother Teresa spent her life helping the poor of India |
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Eulogy |
Speech in praise of someone. |
His best friend gave the eulogy, outlining his Manu achievements and talents. |
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Euphemism |
Use of an in offensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one. |
The funeral director preferred the euphemism "sleeping" instead of the word "dead" |
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Exacerbate |
To make worse |
It is unwise to take aspirin to try to relieve heartburn; instead of providing relief, the drug will only exacerbate the problem. |
