Word List 23 Flashcards
lucid
suffused with light; luminous; translucent
having full use of one’s faculties; sane
clear to the understanding; intelligible
e.g. He is able to recognize his wife in his lucid moments.
those lucid bands that spread across the arctic sky and are known as the northern lights
murky
characterized by a heavy dimness or obscurity caused by or like that caused by overhanging fog or smoke
characterized by thickness and heaviness of air; foggy, misty
darkly vague or obscure
e.g. She peered into one of the church’s murky chapels.
a politician with a murky past
murky official rhetoric
lucrative
producing wealth; profitable
ludicrous
amusing or laughable through obvious absurdity, incongruity, exaggeration, or eccentricity
meriting derisive laughter or scorn as absurdly inept, false, or foolish
e.g. a ludicrous and easily detected attempt to forge his father’s signature on a note to school
lug
drag, pull
to carry laboriously
to introduce in a forced manner
e.g. lugged the bags to the car
lugs my name into the argument
lukewarm
moderately warm; tepid
lacking conviction; halfhearted
e.g. lukewarm support/reception
lull
to cause to sleep or rest; soothe
to cause to relax vigilance
a temporary pause or decline in activity
e.g. lulled into a false sense of security
We took the opportunity of a lull in conversation to announce that we were engaged.
the early-morning lull in urban noise
lumber
to move ponderously
rumble
surplus or disused articles that are stored away
timber or logs especially when dressed for use
lumen
the cavity of a tubular organ or part
a unit of luminous flux equal to the light emitted in a unit solid angle by a uniform point source of one candle intensity
luminary
a person of prominence or brilliant achievement
a body that gives light; especially, one of the celestial bodies
e.g. luminaries of the art world
lunule
a crescent-shaped body part or marking (as the whitish mark at the base of a fingernail)
lurch
a sudden roll of a ship to one side
an abrupt jerking, swaying, or tipping movement; also, stagger
to roll or tip abruptly; pitch
to move with a lurch; also, stagger
e.g. suddenly lurched forward
has lurched from crisis to crisis
lurid
causing horror or revulsion; gruesome
melodramatic, sensational; also, shocking
wan and ghastly pale in appearance
shining with the red glow of fire seen through smoke or cloud
e.g. a lurid tale of violence and betrayal
the lurid lighting of a nightclub
The light from the fire cast a lurid glow on everything.
lurk
to lie in wait in a place of concealment especially for an evil purpose
to move furtively or inconspicuously
to constitute a latent threat
e.g. She could tell there was someone out there lurking in the shadows.
lush
growing vigorously especially with luxuriant foliage characterized by abundance; plentiful prosperous, profitable savory, delicious; appealing to senses opulent, sumptuous
e.g. The frequent rainfall encourages the lush growth of trees, ferns, and shrubs.
the lush sound of the orchestra
lush accommodations
sere
being dried and withered
e.g. a sere region that can’t support agriculture
wanderlust
strong longing for or impulse toward wandering
lustrous
reflecting light evenly and efficiently without glitter or sparkle
radiant in character or reputation; illustrious
e.g. The lustrous finish on the satin bedspread adds to the feeling of luxury.
lyric
of, relating to, or being drama set to music; especially, operatic
expressing direct usually intense personal emotion especially in a manner suggestive of song
exuberant, rhapsodic
e.g. The film’s lyric photography really enhanced its romantic mood.
macabre
having death as a subject; comprising or including a personalized representation of death
dwelling on the gruesome
tending to produce horror in a beholder
e.g. a macabre story of murder and madness
macerate
to cause to waste away by or as if by excessive fasting
to cause to become soft or separated into constituent elements by or as if by steeping in fluid; broadly, steep, soak
e.g. garnished with cherries that had been macerated in liqueur
Those who macerate the body, and long to put on longevity, are only in a kind of dream.
machination
the act to plan or plot especially to do harm
a scheming or crafty action or artful design intended to accomplish some usually evil end
e.g. incredibly complicated machinations to assassinate the president that inevitably failed
backstage machinations that have dominated the film industry
maculated
marked with spots; blotched
impure, besmirched
madrigal
a short poem, often about love, suitable for being set to music
a type of song for several singers without instruments that was popular in the 16th or 17th centuries
maelstrom
a powerful often violent whirlpool sucking in objects within a given radius
something resembling a maelstrom in turbulence
e.g. a maelstrom of emotions
magenta
a bright, deep purplish-red color
also
magisterial
of, relating to, or having the characteristic of a master or teacher; authoritative
marked by an overbearingly dignified or assured manner or aspect
of or relating to a magistrate or a magistrate’s office or duties
e.g. He spoke with a magisterial tone.
magnanimous
showing or suggesting a loft and courageous spirit
showing or suggesting nobility of feeling and generosity of mind
e.g. too sincere for dissimulation, too magnanimous for resentment
the irreproachable lives and magnanimous sufferings of their followers
a magnanimous donation
magnate
a person of rank, power, influence, or distinction often in a specified area
e.g. a studio magnate who had the biggest stars in Hollywood at his beck and call
magpie
a noisy black-and-white bird
a person who chatters noisily
one who collects indiscriminately
e.g. Media magpies will no doubt seize upon the president’s latest gaffe and blow if all out of proportion.
maize
Indian corn
maladroit
lacking adroitness; inept
e.g. The government has been criticized for his maladroit handling of the budget crisis.
Some maladroit steering on her part caused the bicycle to go crashing into the bushes.
malaise
an indefinite feeling of debility or lack of health often indicative of or accompanying the onset of an illness
a vague sense of mental or moral ill-being
e.g. An infected person will fell a general malaise.
The country’s current economic problems are symptoms of a deeper malaise
a malaise of cynicism and despair
malapropism
the usually unintentionally humorous misuse or distortion of a word or phrase; especially, the use of a word sounding somewhat like the one intended but ludicrously wrong in the context
malcontent
a discontented person
dissatisfied with the existing state of affairs; discontented
e.g. He complained so much that he got a reputation for being a malcontent.
She seems like a very malcontent person, always acting as if the entire world were out to get her.
malevolent
having, showing, or arising from intense often vicious ill will, spite, or hatred
productive of harm or evil
e.g. The novel grossly oversimplified the conflict as a struggle between relentlessly malevolent villains on one side and faultless saints on the other.
malfeasance
wrongdoing or misconduct especially by a public official
e.g. The investigation has uncovered evidence of corporate malfeasance.
malice
desire to cause pain, injury, or distress to another
intent to commit an unlawful act or cause harm without legal justification or excuse
e.g. an attack motivated by pure malice
She claimed that her criticisms were without malice.
malign
evil in nature, influence, or effect; injurious
malignant, virulent
having or showing intense often vicious ill will; malevolent
to utter injuriously misleading or false reports about; speak evil of
e.g. Both parties to the divorce showed a malign desire to make each other’s future life utterly miserable.
Her supporters say she is being unfairly maligned in the press.
malinger
to pretend or exaggerate incapacity or illness (as to avoid duty or work)
e.g. His boss suspected him of malingering because of his frequent absences from work.
malleable
capable of being extended or shaped; also, capable of being altered or controlled by outside forces or influences
having a capacity for adaptive change
e.g. The cult leader took advantage of the malleable, compliant personalities of his followers.
mallet
a hammer with a typically barrel-shaped head
mammoth
of very great size
e.g. Renovating the house is a mammoth undertaking.
a mammoth book
