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;
160 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
approbation
|
the expression of approval or favorable opinion, praise; official approval
|
|
assuage
|
to make easier or milder, relieve; to quiet, calm; to put an end to, appease, satisfy, quench
|
|
coalition
|
a combination, union, or merger for some specific purpose
|
|
decadence
|
decline, decay, or deterioration; a condition or period of decline or decay; excessive self-indulgence
|
|
elicit
|
to draw forth, bring out from some sourse (such as another person)
|
|
expostulate
|
to attempt to dissuade someone from some course or decision by earnest reasoning
|
|
hackneyed
|
used so often as to lack freshness or originality
|
|
hiatus
|
a gap, opeing, brak (in the sense of having an element missing)
|
|
innuendo
|
a hint, indirect suggestion, or reference (often in a derogatory sense)
|
|
intercede
|
to plead on behalf of someone else; to serve as a third party or go-between in a disagreement
|
|
jaded
|
wearied, worn-out, dulled (in the sense of being satiated by excessive indulgence)
|
|
lurid
|
causing shock, horror, or revulsion; sensational; pale or sallow in color; terrible or passionate in intensity or lack of restraint
|
|
meritorious
|
worthy, deserving recognition and praise
|
|
petulant
|
peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset
|
|
prerogative
|
a special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellence
|
|
provincial
|
pertaining to an outlying area; local; narrow in mind or outlook, countrified in the sense of being limited and backward; of a simple, plain design that originated in the countryside; a person with a narrow point of view; a person from an outlying area; a soldier from a province or colony
|
|
simulate
|
to make a pretense of, imitate; to show the outer signs of
|
|
transcend
|
to rise above or beyond, exceed
|
|
umbrage
|
shade cast by trees; foilage giving shade; an overshadowing influence or power; offense, resentment; a vague suspicion
|
|
unctuous
|
excessively smooth or smug; trying too hard to give an impreesion or earnestness, sincerity, or piety; fatty, oily; pliable
|
|
ameliorate
|
to improve, make better, correct a flaw or shortcoming
|
|
aplomb
|
poise, assurance, great self-confidence; perpendicularity
|
|
bombastic
|
pompous or overblown in language; full of high-sounding words intended to conceal a lack of ideas
|
|
callow
|
without experience; immature, not fully developed; lacking sophistication and poise; without feathers
|
|
drivel
|
saliva or mucus flowing from the mouth or nose; foolish, aimless, talkor thinking; nonsense; to let saliva flow from the mouth; to utter nonsense or childish twaddle; to waste or fritter away follishly
|
|
epitome
|
a summary, condensed account; an instance that represents a larger reality
|
|
exhort
|
to urge strongly; advise earnestly
|
|
ex officio
|
by virtue of holding a certain office
|
|
infringe
|
to violate, treapss, go beyond recognized boundaries
|
|
ingratiate
|
to make oneself aggeeable and thus gain favor or acceptance by others (sometimes used in a critical or derogatory sense)
|
|
interloper
|
one who moves in where he or she is not wanted or has no right to be, an intruder
|
|
intrinsic
|
belonging to someone or something by its very nature, essential, inherernt; originating in a bodily organ or part
|
|
inveigh
|
to make a violent attack in words, express strong disapproval
|
|
lassitude
|
weariness of body or mind, lack of energy
|
|
millennium
|
a period of one thousand years; a period of great joy
|
|
occult
|
mysterious, magical, supernatural; secret, hidden from view; not detectable by ordinary means; to hide, conceal, eclipse; matters involving the supernatural
|
|
permeate
|
to spread through, penetratem soak through
|
|
precipitate
|
to fall as moisture; to cause or bring about suddenly; to hurl down from a great height; to give distinct form to; characterized by excessive haste; moisture; the product of an action or process
|
|
stringent
|
strict, severe; rigorously or urgently binding or compelling; sharp or bitter to the taste
|
|
surmise
|
to think or believe without certain supporting evidence; to conjecture or guess; likely idea that lacks definite proof
|
|
abominate
|
to have an intense dislike or hatred for
|
|
acculturation
|
the modification of the socials patterns, traits, or structures of one group or society by contact with those of another; the resultant blend
|
|
adventitious
|
resulting from chance rather than inherent cause or character; accidental, not essential; (medicine) acquireed, not congenital
|
|
ascribe
|
to assign or refer to (as a cause or source), attribute
|
|
circuitous
|
roundabout, not direct
|
|
commiserate
|
to sympathize with, have pity or sorrow for, share a feeling of distress
|
|
enjoin
|
to direct or order; to prescribe a course of action in an authoritative way; to prohibit
|
|
expedite
|
to make easy, cause to progress faster
|
|
expiate
|
to make amends, make up for; to avert
|
|
ferment
|
a state of great excitement, agitation, or turbulence; to be in or work into such a state; to produce alcohol by chemical action
|
|
inadvertent
|
resulting from or marked by lack of attention; unintentional, accidental
|
|
nominal
|
existing in name only, not real; too small to be considered or taken seriously
|
|
noncommittal
|
not decisive of definite; unwilling to take a clear position or to say yes or no
|
|
peculate
|
to steal something that has been given into one's trust; to take improperly for one's own use
|
|
proclivity
|
a natural or habitual inclination or tendency (especially of human character or behavior)
|
|
sangfroid
|
composure or coolness, especially in trying circumstances
|
|
seditious
|
resistant to lawful authority; having the purpose of overthrowing an established government
|
|
tenuous
|
thin, slender, not dense; lacking clarity or sharpness; of slight importance or significance; lacking a sound basis, poorly supported
|
|
vitiolic
|
bitter, sarcastic; highly caustic or biting (like strong acid)
|
|
wheedle
|
to use coaxing or flattery to gain some desired end
|
|
affable
|
courteous and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to
|
|
aggrandize
|
to increase in greatness, power, or wealth; to build up or intensify; to make appear greater
|
|
amorphous
|
shapeless, witjout definite form; of no particular type or character; without organization, unity, or cohesion
|
|
aura
|
that which surrounds (as an atmosphere); a distinctive air or personal quality
|
|
contraband
|
illegal traffic, smuggled goods; illegal, prohibited
|
|
erudite
|
scholarly, learned, bookish, pedantic
|
|
gossamer
|
thin, light, delicate, insubstantial; a very thin, light cloth
|
|
infer
|
to find out by reasoning; to arrive at a conclusion on the basis of thought; to hint, suggest, imply
|
|
inscrutable
|
incapable of being understood; impossible to see through physically
|
|
insular
|
relating to, characteristic of, or situated on an island; narrow or isolated in outlook or experience
|
|
irrevocable
|
incapable of being changed or called back
|
|
propensity
|
a natural inclination or predilection toward
|
|
querulous
|
peevish, complaining, fretful
|
|
remonstrate
|
to argue or plead with someone against something, protest againnst, object to
|
|
repudiate
|
to disown, reject, or deny the validity of
|
|
resilient
|
able to return to an original shape or form; able to recover quickly
|
|
reverberate
|
to re-echo, resound; to reflect or be reflected repeatedly
|
|
scurrilous
|
coarsely abusive, vulgar, low (especially in language), foul-mouthed
|
|
sedulous
|
persistent, showing industry and determination
|
|
sleazy
|
thin or flimsy in texture; cheap; shoddy or inferior in quality or character; ethnically low, mean, or disreputable
|
|
amnesty
|
a general pardon for an offense against a government in general, any act of forgiveness or absolution
|
|
autonomy
|
self-government, political control
|
|
axiomatic
|
self-evident, expressing a universally accepted principle or rule
|
|
blazon
|
to adorn or embellish; to display conspicuously; to publish or proclaim widely
|
|
cavear
|
a warning or caution to prevent misunderstanding or discourage behavior
|
|
equitable
|
fair, just, emboduing principles of justice
|
|
extricate
|
to free from entangles or difficulties; to remove with effort
|
|
filch
|
to steal, especially in a sneaky way and in petty amounts
|
|
flout
|
to mock, treat with contempt
|
|
fractious
|
tending to be troublesome; unruly, quarrelsome, contrary; unpredictable
|
|
precept
|
a rule of conduct or action
|
|
salutary
|
benficial, helpful; healthful, wholesome
|
|
scathing
|
bitterly severe, withering; causing great harm
|
|
scourge
|
to whip, punish severly; a cause of affliction or suffering; a source of severe punishment or criticism
|
|
sepuchral
|
funereal, typical of the tomb; extremely gloomy or dismal
|
|
soporific
|
tending to cause sleep, relating ti sleepiness or lethargy; something that induces sleep
|
|
straitlaced
|
extremely strict in regard to moral standards and conduct; prudish, puritanical
|
|
transient
|
lasting only a short time, fleeting; one who stays only a short time
|
|
unwieldly
|
not easily carried, handled, or managed because of size or complexity
|
|
vapid
|
dull, uninteresting, tiresome; lacking in sharpness, flavor, liveliness, or force
|
|
anomalous
|
abnormal, irregular, departing from the usual
|
|
aspersion
|
a damaging or derogatory statement; the act of slandering or defaming
|
|
bizarre
|
extremely strange, unusual, atypical
|
|
brusque
|
abrupt, blunt, with no formalities
|
|
cajole
|
to coax, persuade through flattery or artifice; to deceive with soothing thoughts or false promises
|
|
castigate
|
to punish severely; to criticize severely
|
|
contrive
|
to plan in ingenuity, invent; to bring about as the result of a scheme or plan
|
|
demagogue
|
a leader who exploits popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power
|
|
disabuse
|
to free from deception or error, set right in ideas or thinking
|
|
ennui
|
weariness and dissatisfaction from lack of occupation or interest, boredom
|
|
fetter
|
a chain or shackle placed on the feet (often used in plural), anything that confines or restrains; to chain or shackle; to render helpless or impotent
|
|
heinous
|
very wicked, offensive, hateful
|
|
immutable
|
not subject to change, constant
|
|
insurgent
|
one who rebels or rises against authority; rising in revolt, refusing to accept authority; surging or rushing in or on
|
|
megalomania
|
a delusion marked by a feeling of power, wealth, talent, etc., far in excess of reality
|
|
sinecure
|
a position requiring little or no work; an easy job
|
|
sureptitious
|
stealthy, secret, intended to escape observation; made or accomplished by fraud
|
|
transgress
|
to go beyond a limit or boundary; to sin, violate a law
|
|
transmute
|
to change from one nature, substance, or form to another
|
|
vicarious
|
performed, suffered, or otherwise experienced by one person in place of another
|
|
austere
|
severe or stern in manner; without adornment or luxury, simple, plain; harsh or sour in flavor
|
|
beneficent
|
performing acts of kindness or charity; conferring benefits, doing good
|
|
cadaverous
|
pale, gaunt, resembling a corpse
|
|
concoct
|
to prepare by combining ingredients, make up (as a dish), to devise, invent, fabricate
|
|
crass
|
coarse, infeeling; stupid
|
|
debase
|
to lower in character, quality, or value; to degrade, adulterate; to cause to detiorate
|
|
desecrate
|
to commit sacrilege upon, treat irreverently; to contaminate, pollute
|
|
disconcert
|
to confuse; to disturb the composure of
|
|
grandoise
|
grand in an impressive or stately way; marked by pompous affectation or grandeur, absurdly exaggerated
|
|
inconsequential
|
trifling, unimportant
|
|
infraction
|
a breaking of a law or obligation
|
|
mitigate
|
to make milder or softer, to moderate in force or intensity
|
|
pillage
|
to rob of goods by open force (as in war), plunder; the act of looting; booty
|
|
prate
|
to talk a great deal in a foolish or aimless fashion
|
|
punctilious
|
very careful and exact, attentive to fine points of etiquette or propriety
|
|
redoubtable
|
inspiring fear or awe; illustrious, eminent
|
|
reprove
|
to find fault with, scold, rebuke
|
|
restitution
|
the act of restoring someone or something to the rightful owner or to a former state or position; making good on a loss or damage
|
|
stalwart
|
strong and sturdy; brave; resolute; a brave, strong person; a strong supporter; one who takes an uncompromising position
|
|
vulnerable
|
open to attack; capable of being wounded or damaged; unprotected
|
|
acrimonious
|
stinging, bitter in temper or tone
|
|
bovine
|
resembling a cow or ox; sluggish; unresponsive
|
|
consternation
|
dismay, confusion
|
|
corpulent
|
fat; having a large, bulky body
|
|
disavow
|
to deny responsibility for or connection with
|
|
dispassionate
|
impartial; calm, free from emotion
|
|
dissention
|
disagreement, sharp difference of opinion
|
|
dissipate
|
to cause to disappear; to scatter, dispel; to spend foolishly, squander; to be extravagant in pursuit of pleasure
|
|
expurgate
|
to remove objectionable passages or words from a written text; to cleanse, purify
|
|
gauntlet
|
a armored or protective glove; a challenge; two lines of men armed with weapons with which to beat a person forced to run between them; an ordeal
|
|
hypothetical
|
based on an assumption or guess; used as a provisional or tentative idea to guide or direct investigation
|
|
ignoble
|
mean, low, base
|
|
impugn
|
to call into question; to attack as false
|
|
intemperate
|
immoderate, lacking in self-control; inclement
|
|
odium
|
hatred, contempt; disgrace or infamy resulting from hateful conduct
|
|
perfidy
|
faithlessness, treachery, betrayal
|
|
relegate
|
to place in a lower position; to assign, refer, turn over; to banish
|
|
squeamish
|
inclined to nausea; easily shocked or upset; excessively fastidious or refined
|
|
subservient
|
subordinate in capacity or role; submissively obedient; serving to promote some end
|
|
susceptible
|
open to; easily influenced; lacking in resitance
|