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29 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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contrive |
verb: to pull off a plan or scheme, usually through skill or trickery Despite a low GPA, he contrived to get into college, going so far as to write his own glowing letters of recommendation. |
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heretic |
noun: a person who holds unorthodox opinions in any field (not merely religion) Though everybody at the gym told Mikey to do cardio before weights, Mikey was a heretic and always did the reverse. |
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forlorn |
adjective: marked by or showing hopelessness After her third pet dog died, Marcia was simply forlorn: this time even the possibility of buying a new dog no longer held any joy. |
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quotidian |
adjective: found in the ordinary course of events Phil gets so involved thinking about Aristotle's arguments that he totally forgets quotidianconcerns, such as exercising and eating regularly. |
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spurious |
adjective: plausible but false When listening to a politician speak, it is hard to distinguish the spurious claims from the authentic ones. |
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tenacious |
adjective: stubbornly unyielding Even the most tenacious advocates for gun ownership must admit some of the dangers that firearms present. |
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ephemeral |
adjective: lasting a very short time The lifespan of a mayfly is ephemeral, lasting from a few hours to a couple of days. |
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apathy |
noun: an absence of emotion or enthusiasm Widespread apathy among voters led to a very small turnout on election day. |
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vilify |
verb: spread negative information about Todd was noble after the divorce, choosing to say only complimentary things about Barbara, but Barbara did not hesitate to vilify Todd. |
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ascetic |
adjective: practicing self-denial His ascetic life is the main reason he inspired so many followers, especially since he gave up wealth and power to live in poverty. |
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circumvent |
verb: cleverly find a way out of one's duties or obligations One way of circumventing the GRE is to apply to a grad school that does not require GRE scores. |
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fallacious |
adjective: of a belief that is based on faulty reasoning The widespread belief that Eskimos have forty different words for snow is fallacious, based on one false report. |
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avaricious |
adjective: excessively greedy Since avaricious desire is similar to gluttony or lust--sins of excess--it was listed as one of the seven deadly sins by the Catholic church. |
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ameliorate |
verb: make something bad better "Three Cups of Tea" tells the story of western man who hopes to ameliorate poverty and the lack of education in Afghanistan. |
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exacting |
adjective: requiring and demanding accuracy Though his childhood piano teacher was so exacting, Max is thankful now, as a professional pianist. |
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exalt |
verb: praise or glorify The teenagers exalted the rock star, covering their bedrooms with posters of him. |
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ostentatious |
adjective: intended to attract notice and impress others; tawdry or vulgar Matt wanted to buy stone lions for front of the house, but Cynthia convinced him that such a display would be too ostentatious for a modest house in an unassuming neighborhood. |
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apocryphal |
adjective: being of questionable authenticity The web is notorious for sandwiching apocryphal stories between actual news. |
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expound |
verb: add details or explanation; clarify the meaning; state in depth The CEO refused to expound on the decision to merge our department with another one, and so I quit. |
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temperance |
noun: the trait of avoiding excesses Welles wasn't known for his temperance--he usually ate enough for two and drank enough for three. |
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soporific |
adjective: inducing mental lethargy; sleep inducing Although the professor is brilliant, his bland monotone gives his lectures a soporific effect. |
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admonitory |
adjective: serving to warn; expressing reproof or reproach especially as a corrective At the assembly, the high school vice-principal gave the students an admonitory speech, warning them of the many risks and dangers of prom night. |
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intransigent |
adjective: unwilling to change one's beliefs or course of action Despite many calls for mercy, the judge remained intransigent, citing strict legal precedence. |
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copious |
adjective: in abundant supply In midsummer, there are copious popsicle stands at the beach; in the winter, there are none. |
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acerbic |
adjective: harsh in tone Most movie critics are acerbic towards summer blockbusters, often referring to them as garbage. |
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ingratiate |
verb: gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts Even though Tom didn't like his new boss, he decided to ingratiate himself to her in order to advance his career. |
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tortuous |
adjective: marked by repeated turns and bends; not straightforward Because the logic behind McMahon's side of the debate was so tortuous, his audience came out either completely confused or, worse, feeling they'd been tricked. |
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pedantic |
adjective: marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects Professor Thompson was regarded as an expert in his field, but his lectures were utterlypedantic, focused on rigorous details of the most trivial conventions in the field. |
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incorrigible |
adjective: impervious to correction by punishment Tom Sawyer seems like an incorrigible youth until Huck Finn enters the novel; even Sawyer can't match his fierce individual spirit. |
