Daily List Q4 Flashcards
acerbic
bitter; harsh
an acerbic wait; an acerbic taste
asperity
bitterness
he replied with asperity in his tone
jingoist (-)
national extremist; superpatriot
that jingoist refused to compromise
elucidate
to make clear
please elucidate the matter
impeccable
perfect
a man of impeccable character
sullied
blemished
his name was unfortunately sullied
inevitable
unavoidable
was was inevitable
capricious
unpredictable; fickle
the administration was capricious with snow days
volatile
unpredictable; mercurial
he had a volatile disposition
phlegmatic
calm; composed
they seemed phlegmatic after mass
alleviate
reduce; lessen
they could not stop the pain, only alleviate it
laud
praise highly
his obituary lauded his short, but productive life
coercion
it didn’t take much coercion to hurt his feelings
pernicious
harmful; toxic
a pernicious myth
penultimate
second to last
the penultimate vocab warmup
coup de grâce
a final blow given to kill a wounded person
he administered the coup de grâce with one last bullet
zenith
top; the highest point
the sun had passed its zenith
apex
top; the highest point
he stood at the apex of the roof
summit
top; the highest point of a mountain
the summit of Mount Washington
