19/8/20(princeton,tc,set-6) Flashcards
(25 cards)
zeal
UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
Zeal is great enthusiasm, especially in connection with work, religion, or politics.
…his zeal for teaching. [+ for]
Mr Lopez approached his task with a religious zeal.
Synonyms: enthusiasm, passion, zest, fire
malevolent
ADJECTIVE
A malevolent person deliberately tries to cause harm or evil.
[formal]
Her stare was malevolent, her mouth a thin line.
Synonyms: spiteful, hostile, vicious, malicious More Synonyms of malevolent
malevolence UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
…a rare streak of malevolence.
Synonyms: malice, hate, spite, hatred
Equanimity
UNCOUNTABLE NOUN [oft with NOUN]
Equanimity is a calm state of mind and attitude to life, so that you never lose your temper or become upset.
[formal]
His sense of humour allowed him to face adversaries with equanimity.
The defeat was taken with equanimity by the leadership.
Synonyms: composure, peace, calm, poise
lackluster
ADJECTIVE
If you describe something or someone as lackluster, you mean that they are not exciting or energetic.
He has already been blamed for his party’s lackluster performance during the election campaign.
Synonyms: flat, boring, dull, dim
Jade
- UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
Jade is a hard stone, usually green in colour, that is used for making jewellery and ornaments. - COLOUR
Something that is jade or jade green is bright green in colour.
truant
- COUNTABLE NOUN
A truant is a pupil who stays away from school without permission.
Synonyms: absentee, skiver [British, slang], shirker, dodger More Synonyms of truant - VERB
If a pupil truants, he or she stays away from school without permission.
In his fourth year he was truanting regularly. [VERB]
Synonyms: absent yourself, play truant, skive [British, slang], bunk off
jaded
adjective
not having interest or losing interest because you have experienced something too many times:
Flying is exciting the first time you do it, but you soon become jaded.
Perhaps some caviar can tempt your jaded palate.
inaction
UNCOUNTABLE NOUN [oft with poss]
If you refer to someone’s inaction, you disapprove of the fact that they are doing nothing.
[disapproval]
He is bitter about the inaction of the other political parties. [+ of]
Synonyms: inactivity, inertia, idleness, immobility
unfathomable
adjective formal
impossible to understand:
For some unfathomable reason they built the toilet next to the kitchen.
splenetic
adjective formal
used to describe a person who easily becomes angry or annoyed, or their behaviour :
He launched into a splenetic rant about his colleagues.
iniquitous
adjective formal
very wrong and unfair:
It is an iniquitous system that allows a person to die because they have no money to pay for medicine.
diaphanous
adjective literary
A diaphanous substance, especially cloth, is so delicate and thin that you can see through it:
a diaphanous silk veil
rite
noun [ C usually plural ]
(a usually religious ceremony with) a set of fixed words and actions:
funeral/marriage/fertility rites
You have to go through an initiation rite before you become a full member.
poseur
noun [ C ] disapproving (also poser)
someone who pretends to be something they are not, or to have qualities that they do not have:
You look like a real poseur in your fancy sports car!
by no means
also not by any means
not at all:
It is by no means certain that we’ll finish the project by June.
This isn’t the last we’ll hear of it by any means.
desultory
adjective formal
without a clear plan or purpose and showing little effort or interest:
She made a desultory attempt at conversation.
He wandered around, cleaning up in a desultory way.
seminal
adjective
formal
containing important new ideas and having a great influence on later work:
She wrote a seminal article on the subject while she was still a student.
He played a seminal role in the formation of the association.
meretricious
adjective formal
seeming attractive but really false or of little value:
He claims that a lot of journalism is meretricious and superficial.
apt
adjective
suitable or right for a particular situation:
an apt comment/description
enfeeble
verb [ T ] formal
to make someone or something very weak
odious
adjective formal
extremely unpleasant and causing or deserving hate:
an odious crime
an odious little man
aggrandize
VERB
To aggrandize someone means to make them seem richer, more powerful, and more important than they really are. To aggrandize a building means to make it more impressive.
[disapproval]
At the dinner table, my father would go on and on, showing off, aggrandising himself. [VERB pronoun-reflexive]
…plans to aggrandise the building. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: exaggerate, advance, promote, intensify
perilous
adjective formal
extremely dangerous:
The country roads are quite perilous.
subsidiary
adjective
used to refer to something less important than something else with which it is connected:
a subsidiary role/factor
