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;
231 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
jejune
|
adj. vapid, uninteresting / childish, immature / lacking nutrition
|
|
jibe
|
v. to agree, to be in accord
|
|
jocose
|
adj. given to joking / humorous
|
|
labile
|
adj. readily open to change, unstable
|
|
lachrymose
|
adj. causing tears, tearful, showing sorrow
|
|
laconic
|
adj. using few words / terse
|
|
lassitude
|
n. listlessness, languor, weariness
|
|
libertine
|
n. someone unrestrained by morality or convention or leading a dissolute life
|
|
limn
|
v. to draw, outline in detail
|
|
limpid
|
adj. transparent, serene, clear and simple in style, untroubled
|
|
list
|
v. to tilt or lean to one side
|
|
lumber
|
v. to move heavily and clumsily or with a rumbling sound
|
|
luminous
|
adj. characterized by brightness and the emission of light, enlightened, clear
|
|
magnanimity
|
n. the quality of being generously noble in mind and heart, especially in forgiving
|
|
malinger
|
v. to feign illness so as to avoid work
|
|
maunder
|
v. to talk or move aimlessly, mutter
|
|
maverick
|
n. an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party
|
|
mellifluous
|
adj. sweetly flowing, usually used to describe words or sounds
|
|
mendacity
|
n. the condition of being untruthful, dishonesty
|
|
mendicant
|
n. a beggar, supplicant
|
|
mercurial
|
adj. characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood
|
|
meretricious
|
adj. tawdry, pretentious, attractive but false, showy, having to do with prostitution
attracting attention in a vulgar manner |
|
mettlesome
|
adj. courageous, high-spirited
|
|
militate
|
v. to have weight or bearing on, to argue (against)
|
|
minatory
|
adj. menacing, threatening
|
|
mince
|
v. pronounce or speak affectedly or too carefully, euphemize, take tiny steps, tiptoe
|
|
mitigate
|
v. to make or become less severe or intense, moderate
|
|
mollify
|
v. to calm or soothe,reduce in emotional intensity
|
|
morose
|
adj. sad, sullen, melancholy
|
|
multifarious
|
adj. varied, motley, greatly diversified
|
|
mundane
|
adj. of the world, typical or concerned with the ordinary
|
|
nadir
|
n. low point, perigee
|
|
natty
|
adj. trimly neat and tidy, dapper
|
|
nebulous
|
adj. vague, cloudy, lacking clearly defined form
|
|
neologism
|
n. a new word, expression, or usage / the creation or use of new words or senses
|
|
nexus
|
n. a connection, tie, or link / center or focus
|
|
nice
|
adj. exacting, extremely or even excessively precise / done with delicacy or skill
|
|
noisome
|
adj. offensive, especially to ones sense of smell, fetid
|
|
nonplussed
|
adj. baffled, in a quandary, at a loss for what to say, do or think
|
|
nostrum
|
n. cure-all, placebo, questionable remedy
|
|
noxious
|
adj. harmful / injurious
|
|
obdurate
|
adj. unyielding, hardhearted, inflexible
|
|
obfuscate
|
v. to deliberately obscure, to make confusing
|
|
obsequious
|
adj. exhibiting a fawning attentiveness / subservient
|
|
obstinate
|
adj. stubborn / hardheaded / uncompromising
|
|
obstreperous
|
adj. noisy, loudly stubborn, boisterous
|
|
obtain
|
v. to be established, accepted, or customary, prevail
|
|
obtuse
|
adj. lacking sharpness of intellect, not clear or precise in thought or expression
|
|
obviate
|
v. to anticipate and make unnecessary
|
|
occlude
|
v. to obstruct or block
|
|
occult
|
adj. hidden, concealed, beyond comprehension
|
|
officious
|
adj. meddlesome, pushy in offering ones services where they are unwanted
|
|
onerous
|
adj. troubling, burdensome
|
|
opprobrium
|
n. disgrace, contempt, scorn
|
|
ossified
|
adj. changed into bone / made rigidly conventional and unreceptive to change
|
|
ostensible
|
adj. seeming, appearing as much, professed
|
|
ostentatious
|
adj. characterized by or given to pretentiousness
|
|
overweening
|
adj. presumptuously arrogant, overbearing, immoderate
|
|
paean
|
n. a song or expression of praise and thanksgiving
|
|
palliate
|
v. to make something appear less serious, gloss over, mitigate
|
|
panegyric
|
n. formal expression of praise
|
|
parsimonious
|
adj. cheap, miserly
|
|
peccadillo
|
n. a slight offense, literally, a minor sin
|
|
pedantic
|
adj. ostentatious display of learning, extcessive attention to minutiae and formal rules, unimaginative
|
|
pedestrian
|
adj. commonplace, trite, unremarkable
|
|
penurious
|
adj. penny-pinching / excessively thrifty / ungenerous
|
|
peremptory
|
adj. admitting of no contradiction, putting an end to further debate, haughty, imperious
|
|
perennial
|
adj. recurrent through the year or many years, happening repeatedly
|
|
perfidy
|
n. intentional breach of faith, treachery
|
|
perfunctory
|
adj. cursory, done without care or interest
|
|
peripatetic
|
adj. itinerant, traveling, nomadic
|
|
pernicious
|
adj. extremely harmful, potentially causing death
|
|
personable
|
adj. pleasing in appearance, attractive
|
|
perspicacious
|
adj. acutely perceptive, having keen discernment
|
|
peruse
|
v. to examine with great care
|
|
pervade
|
v. to permeate throughout
|
|
petrous
|
adj. like a rock, hard, stony
|
|
petulant
|
adj. impatient, irritable
|
|
phlegmatic
|
adj. calm sluggish, unemotional, stoic
|
|
picaresque
|
adj. involving clever rogues or adventurers
|
|
pied
|
adj. multi-colored, usually in blotches
|
|
pillory
|
v. to punish, hold up to public scorn
|
|
pine
|
v. to yearn intensely, to languish, to lose vigor
|
|
piquant
|
adj. agreeably pungent, spicy, stimulating
|
|
pique
|
n. resentment, feeling of irritation due to hurt pride
|
|
pith
|
n. the essential or central part
|
|
plaintive
|
adj. mournful, melancholy, sorrowful
|
|
plangent
|
adj. pounding, thundering, resounding
|
|
plastic
|
adj. moldable, pliable, not rigid
|
|
platitude
|
n. a superficial or trite remark, especially one offered as meaningful
|
|
pluck
|
n. courage, spunk, fortitude
|
|
plumb
|
v. to measure the depth, to examine critically
|
|
poignant
|
adj. distressing, pertinent, touching, stimulating, emotional
|
|
polemical
|
adj. controversial, argumentative
|
|
pragmatic
|
adj. practical rather than idealistic
|
|
prate
|
v. chatter, babble
|
|
prattle
|
v. to bable meaninglessly / to talk in an empty and idle manner
|
|
precarious
|
adj. uncertain, risky, dangerous
|
|
precept
|
n. rule establishing standards of conduct, a doctrine that is taught
|
|
precipitate
|
adj. acting with excessive haste or impulse
|
|
predilection
|
n. a disposition in favor of something, preference
|
|
prescience
|
n. knowing of event prior to their occurring
|
|
presumptuous
|
adj. overstepping bounds, as of propriety or courtesy / taking liberties
|
|
prevaricate
|
v. to deliberately avoid the truth, mislead
|
|
prize
|
v. to pry, press or force with a lever
|
|
probity
|
adj. adherence to highest principles, uprightness
|
|
proclivity
|
n. a natural predisposition or inclination
|
|
prodigal
|
adj. recklessly wasteful, extravagant, profuse, lavish
|
|
prodigious
|
adj. abundant in size, force, or extent / extraordinary
|
|
profligate
|
adj. excessively wasteful / recklessly extravagant
|
|
profuse
|
adj. given or coming forth abundantly, extravagant
|
|
prolix
|
adj. long winded, verbose
|
|
propensity
|
n. a natural inclination or tendency, penchant
|
|
propinquity
|
adj. nearness in time or place, affinity of nature, kinship
|
|
propitiate
|
v. to appease, conciliate
|
|
propitious
|
adj. auspicious, favorable
|
|
prosaic
|
adj. dull, unimaginative
|
|
proscribe
|
v. to outlaw or prohibit
|
|
provident
|
adj. frugal, looking to the future
|
|
puerile
|
adj. childish, immature
|
|
pugnacious
|
adj. contentious, quarrelsome, given to fighting, belligerent
|
|
punctilious
|
adj. precise, paying attention to trivialities, especially in regard to etiquette
|
|
pundit
|
n. an authority on a subject, one who gives opinions
|
|
pusillanimous
|
adj. cowardly, craven
|
|
putrefy
|
v. to rot, decay and give off a foul odor, become gangrenous
|
|
quaff
|
v. to drink deeply
|
|
quail
|
v. to shrink back in fear, lose courage
|
|
qualify
|
v. to limit
|
|
querulous
|
adj. prone to complaining or grumbling, quarrelsome
|
|
quiescence
|
n. stillness, motionlessness, quality of being at rest
|
|
quixotic
|
adj. foolishly impractical, marked by lofty romantic idea
|
|
quotidian
|
adj. occurring or recurring daily, commonplace
|
|
rail
|
v. to complain about bitterly
|
|
ramify
|
v. to be divided or subdivided, branch out
|
|
rancorous
|
adj. characterized by bitter, long-lasting resentment
|
|
rapacious
|
adj. voracious greedy, plundering, subsisting on prey
|
|
rarefy
|
v. to make or become thin, less dense, refine
|
|
rebus
|
n. riddle, a representation of words by pictures or symbols that sound like the words
|
|
recalcitrant
|
adj. obstinately defiant of authority or guidance, difficult to manage
|
|
recant
|
v. to retract, especially a previously held belief
|
|
recondite
|
adj. hidden, concealed, difficult to understand, obscure
|
|
reconnoiter
|
v. to engage in reconnaissance, make a preliminary inspection of
|
|
recumbent
|
adj. leaning, resting, prone
|
|
redolent
|
adj. fragrant, suggestive or evocative
|
|
redoubtable
|
adj. awe-inspiring
|
|
refulgent
|
adj. radiant / shiny / brilliant
|
|
refute
|
v. to disprove, successfully argue against
|
|
regale
|
v. to delight or entertain, feast
|
|
remonstrate
|
v. to protest, object
|
|
rent
|
v. torn, split, pierced as by a sound
|
|
repine
|
v. to feel or express dejection or discontent, long for
|
|
repudiate
|
v. to refuse to have anything to do with, disown
|
|
resolute
|
adj. adamant, steadfast, determined
|
|
reticent
|
adj. quiet, reserved, reluctant to express thoughts and feelings
|
|
rhetoric
|
n. the art or study of effective use of language for communication and persuasion
|
|
rubric
|
n. a class or category/authoritative rule, heading , title as of a chapter in a code of law
|
|
rue
|
v. regret, feel remorse
|
|
sagacious
|
adj. having sound judgment, perceptive, wise
|
|
salacious
|
adj. appealing to or causing sexual desire, bawdy
|
|
salient
|
adj. prominent, protruding, conspicuous, highly relevant
|
|
salubrious
|
adj. promoting health or well-being
|
|
salutary
|
adj. remedial, wholesome, causing improvement
|
|
sanctimony
|
n. self-righteousness, pretended piety
|
|
sanction
|
n. authoritative permission or approval / a penalty intended to enforce compliance
|
|
sanguine
|
adj. cheerful, confident, optimistic
|
|
sap
|
v. to enervate or weaken the vitality of
|
|
satiate
|
v. to overindulge, satisfy to excess
|
|
saturnine
|
adj. gloomy, dark, sullen, morose
|
|
scurvy
|
adj. contemptible, despicable
|
|
sedulous
|
adj. diligent, persistent, hard-working
|
|
seine
|
n. a large net hung out and dragged in to catch fish
|
|
sere
|
adj. withered, arid
|
|
seminal
|
adj. like a seed, constituting a source, originative
|
|
simper
|
v. to smirk, to say something with a silly, coy smile
|
|
sinecure
|
n. position requiring little or no work and usually providing an income
|
|
sinuous
|
adj. winding, curving, moving lithely, devious
|
|
slake
|
v. to satisfy, quench, lessen the intensity of
|
|
sodden
|
adj. soaked or drenched, unimaginative, dull
|
|
solicitous
|
adj. concerned and attentive, eager
|
|
solvent
|
adj. able to meet financial obligations
|
|
sophistry
|
n. fallactious reasoning / plausible but faulty logic
|
|
sophomoric
|
adj. exhibiting immaturity, lack of judgment, pretentious
|
|
soporific
|
adj. causing drowsiness, tending to induce sleep
|
|
sordid
|
adj. characterized by filth, grime, or squalor, foul
|
|
specious
|
adj. seeming true, but actually false, misleadingly attractive
|
|
spendthrift
|
n. one who spends money wastefully
|
|
splenetic
|
adj. bad-tempered, irritable
|
|
spurious
|
adj lacking authenticity or validity, false, counterfeit
|
|
squalid
|
adj. sordid, wretched and dirty as from neglect
|
|
stanch
|
v. to stop the flow of a fluid
|
|
steep
|
v. to saturate or completely soak
|
|
stentorian
|
adj. extremely loud and powerful
|
|
stint
|
v. to restrain, be sparing or frugal
|
|
stoic
|
adj. indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain, steadfast
|
|
stupefy
|
v. to stun, baffle, or amaze
|
|
stygian
|
adj. gloomy, dark
|
|
stymie
|
v. to block, thwart
|
|
succinct
|
adj. brief, concise
|
|
succor
|
n. assistance, relief in time of distress
|
|
sundry
|
adj. various, miscellaneous, separate
|
|
supercilious
|
adj. disdainful, arrogant, haughty characterized by haughty scorn
|
|
superfluous
|
adj. exceeding what is sufficient or necessary
|
|
supine
|
adj. inactive, lying on ones back, apathetic, mentally or morally slack
|
|
supplant
|
v. to take the place of supersede
|
|
suppliant
|
adj. asking humbly, beseeching
|
|
supplicant
|
n. beggar, one who prays or begs for something
|
|
surfeit
|
v. to feed or supply in excess
|
|
sycophant
|
n. someone who tries to flatter or please for personal gain, parasite
|
|
tacit
|
adj. implied, not explicitly stated
|
|
taciturn
|
adj. not talkative, silent
|
|
tamp
|
v. to plug, to drive in or down by a series of blows
|
|
tautology
|
n. a repetition, a redundancy, a circular argument
|
|
tawdry
|
adj. cheap, gaudy, showy, tacky, indecent
|
|
tendentious
|
adj. biased, showing marked tendencies
|
|
tender
|
v. to offer formally
|
|
tenuous
|
adj. having little substance or strength, flimsly, weak
|
|
timorous
|
adj. timid, fearful, diffident
|
|
toady
|
n. sychophant, flatterer, yes-man
|
|
torpid
|
adj. lethargic, sluggish, dormant
|
|
torrid
|
adj. scorching, ardent, passionate, hurried
|
|
tortuous
|
adj. winding, twisting, excessively complicated
|
|
tout
|
v. to publicly praise or promote
|
|
tractable
|
adj. docile, obedient, easily led
|
|
travesty
|
n. mockery, caricature, parody
|
|
trenchant
|
adj. sharply perceptive, keen, penetrating, biting, clear cut
|
|
truculent
|
adj. fierce, scathing, eager to fight
|
|
tumid
|
adj. swollen
|
|
turbid
|
adj. muddy, having sediment stirred up, clouded to the point of being opaque, in a state of turmoil
|
|
turgid
|
adj. swollen, bloated, pompous, excessively ornate
|
|
turpitude
|
n. depravity, baseness
|
|
tyro
|
n. novice, beginner in learning
|