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New Words > December 2020 > Flashcards

December 2020 Flashcards

1
Q

Brevity

A

concise and exact use of words in writing or speech.
“the staff will edit manuscripts with a view to brevity and clarity”

shortness of time.
“the brevity of human life”

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2
Q

Enchantment

A

a feeling of great pleasure; delight.
“the enchantment of the mountains”

the state of being under a spell; magic.
“a world of mystery and enchantment”

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3
Q

Congregate

A

gather into a crowd or mass.

“some 4000 demonstrators had congregated at a border point”

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4
Q

Flounder

A

struggle or stagger helplessly or clumsily in water or mud.
“he was floundering about in the shallow offshore waters”

Struggle

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5
Q

Clamor

A

of a group of people) shout loudly and insistently.

“the surging crowds clamored for attention”

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6
Q

Flummoxed

A

completely unable to understand : utterly confused or
: completely unable to understand : utterly confused or perplexed Then, perforce, his eyes returned to the highway as he headed for I-95 and South Carolina, the most flummoxed driver on the road.—

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7
Q

Conflate

A

combine (two or more texts, ideas, etc.) into one.

“the urban crisis conflates a number of different economic and social issues”

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8
Q

Extrinsic

A

not part of the essential nature of someone or something; coming or operating from outside.
“extrinsic factors that might affect time budgets”

External exterior

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9
Q

Placating

A

intended to make someone less angry or hostile.

“David put his hands up in a placating gesture”

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10
Q

Obscure

A

not discovered or known about; uncertain.
“his origins and parentage are obscure”

keep from being seen; conceal.
“gray clouds obscure the sun”

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11
Q

Expendable

A

of little significance when compared to an overall purpose, and therefore able to be abandoned.

of an object) designed to be used only once and then abandoned or destroyed.
“the need for unmanned and expendable launch vehicles”

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12
Q

Static

A

lacking in movement, action, or change, especially in a way viewed as undesirable or uninteresting.
“demand has grown in what was a fairly static market”

Unchanged fixed stable

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13
Q

Dichotomy

A

a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different.
“a rigid dichotomy between science and mysticism”

División

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14
Q

Contrived

A

deliberately created rather than arising naturally or spontaneously.
created or arranged in a way that seems artificial and unrealistic.
“the ending of the novel is too pat and contrived”

Forced strained

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15
Q

Revile

A

criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner.

“he was now reviled by the party that he had helped to lead”

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16
Q

Bigotry

A

obstinate or unreasonable attachment to a belief, opinion, or faction; in particular, prejudice against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular group.
“the difficulties of combating prejudice and bigotry”

Predjudice

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17
Q

Innuendo

A

oun
an allusive or oblique remark or hint, typically a suggestive or disparaging one.
“she’s always making sly innuendoes”

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18
Q

Trajectory

A

the path followed by a projectile flying or an object moving under the action of given forces.
“the missile’s trajectory was preset”

Course, route path

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19
Q

Hyperbole

A

exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
“he vowed revenge with oaths and hyperboles”

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20
Q

Buttressed

A

(of a building or structure) strengthened or supported with a buttress.
“a buttressed wall”

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21
Q

Inoculate

A

treat (a person or animal) with a vaccine to produce immunity against a disease.
“he inoculated his tenants against smallpox”

introduce (an infective agent) into an organism.
“the microorganism can be inoculated into laboratory animals”

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22
Q

Languish

A

weaken, grow weak, deteriorate, decline, go into a decline; wither, droop, flag, wilt, fade, fail, waste away; informal go downhill. ANTONYMS thrive, flourish
2 the general is now languishing in prison: waste away, rot, decay, wither away, molder, be abandoned, be neglected, be forgotten, suffer; be disregarded, experience hardship.
3 archaic she still languished after Richard: pine for, yearn for, ache for, long for, sigh for, desire, want, hanker after, carry a torch for; grieve for, mourn, miss; literary repine.

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23
Q

con·stel·la·tion

A

a group of stars forming a recognizable pattern that is traditionally named after its apparent form or identified with a mythological figure. Modern astronomers divide the sky into eighty-eight constellations with defined boundaries.
• a group or cluster of related things: no two patients ever show exactly the same constellation of symptoms.

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24
Q

Imperative

A

of vital importance; crucial.
“immediate action was imperative”

giving an authoritative command; peremptory.
“the bell pealed again, a final imperative call”

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25
Q

Articulate

A

of a person or a person’s words) having or showing the ability to speak fluently and coherently.
“an articulate account of their experiences”

express (an idea or feeling) fluently and coherently.
“they were unable to articulate their emotions”

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26
Q

Indubitable

A

impossible to doubt; unquestionable.

“an indubitable truth”

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27
Q

Maim

A

wound or injure (someone) so that part of the body is permanently damaged.
“100,000 soldiers were killed or maimed”

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28
Q

Erratic

A

not even or regular in pattern or movement; unpredictable.

“her breathing was erratic”

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29
Q

Paroxysm (perek sysm)

A

a sudden attack or violent expression of a particular emotion or activity.
“a paroxysm of weeping”

Spasm attack

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30
Q

Gesticulate

A

use gestures, especially dramatic ones, instead of speaking or to emphasize one’s words.
“they were shouting and gesticulating frantically at drivers who did not slow down”

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31
Q

Sedition

A

conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch.

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32
Q

Provincials

A

2.
of or concerning the regions outside the capital city of a country, especially when regarded as unsophisticated or narrow-minded.
“the whole exhibition struck one as being ve

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33
Q

Exploitation

A

make full use of and derive benefit from (a resource).
“500 companies sprang up to exploit this new technology”

use (a situation or person) in an unfair or selfish way.
“the company was exploiting a legal loophole”
benefit unfairly from the work of (someone), typically by overworking or underpaying them.
“making money does not always mean exploiting others”

34
Q

Rendezvous

A

a meeting at an agreed time and place, typically between two people.
“Edward turned up late for their rendezvous”

35
Q

Allegiance

A

oun
loyalty or commitment of a subordinate to a superior or of an individual to a group or cause.
“those wishing to receive citizenship must swear allegiance to the republic”

36
Q

Commandeer

A

officially take possession or control of (something), especially for military purposes.
“telegraph and telephone lines were commandeered by the generals”

37
Q

Quibbling

A

the action of raising objections about a trivial matter.
“she was tired of all the quibbling”
adjective
arguing or raising objections about a trivial matter.
“he came back with a quibbling rebuttal”

38
Q

Valiantly

A

with courage or determination.

“they fought valiantly to the end”

39
Q

Prodigious

A

remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree.

“the stove consumed a prodigious amount of fuel”

40
Q

Lascivious

A

of a person, manner, or gesture) feeling or revealing an overt and often offensive sexual desire.
“he gave her a lascivious wink”

41
Q

Malign

A 
speak about (someone) in a spitefully critical manner.
"don't you dare malign her in my presence"
42
Q

Wraith

A

a ghost or ghostlike image of someone, especially one seen shortly before or after their death.

used in reference to a pale, thin, or insubstantial person or thing.
“heart attacks had reduced his mother to a wraith”

a wisp or faint trace of something.
“a sea breeze was sending a gray wraith of smoke up the slopes”

43
Q

Sullen

A

bad-tempered and sulky; gloomy.

“a sullen pout”

44
Q

Flog

A

beat (someone) with a whip or stick as punishment or torture.
“the stolen horses will be returned and the thieves flogged”

45
Q

Regiment

A

a permanent unit of an army typically commanded by a colonel and divided into several companies, squadrons, or batteries and often into two battalions.
“two or three miles inland a highly experienced artillery regiment had established a defensive position”

Unit force army

46
Q

Antics

A

foolish, outrageous, or amusing behavior.

“the antics of our political parties”

47
Q

Viable

A

capable of working successfully; feasible.
“the proposed investment was economically viable”

of a plant, animal, or cell) capable of surviving or living successfully, especially under particular environmental conditions.
“the largest and most viable population of this endangered vetch”

48
Q

Carnage

A

the killing of a large number of people.

“the bombing was timed to cause as much carnage as possible”

49
Q

Rigmarole

A

a lengthy and complicated procedure.
“he went through the rigmarole of securing the front door”

a long, rambling story or statement.
“she went into a long rigmarole about the different jobs she’d had”

50
Q

Edgewise

A

contribute to a conversation with difficulty because the other speaker talks almost without pause.
“I didn’t get a word in edgewise for an hour”

51
Q

Dissary

A

a state of disorganization or untidiness.

“her gray hair was in disarray”

52
Q

Placate

A

make (someone) less angry or hostile.

“they attempted to placate the students with promises”

53
Q

Frolic

A

(of an animal or person) play and move about cheerfully, excitedly, or energetically.
“Edward frolicked on the sand”

54
Q

Enmity

A

the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.
“decades of enmity between the two countries”

55
Q

Garrulous

A

excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters.

“Polonius is portrayed as a foolish, garrulous old man”

56
Q

Swill

A

INFORMAL
drink (something) greedily or in large quantities.
“they whiled away their evening swilling pints of beer”

wash or rinse out (an area or container) by pouring large amounts of water or other liquid over or into it.
“I swilled out the mug”

57
Q

Maudlin

A

self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness.
“the drink made her maudlin”

58
Q

Litany

A

a tedious recital or repetitive series.

“a litany of complaints”

59
Q

Grim

A

forbidding or uninviting.

of humor) lacking genuine levity; mirthless; black.
“some moments of grim humor”

60
Q

Bilious

A

affected by or associated with nausea or vomiting.
“I had eaten something that didn’t agree with me and I was a little bilious”

spiteful; bad-tempered.
“outbursts of bilious misogyny”

61
Q

Ardent/ ardor

A

enthusiastic or passionate.

“an ardent baseball fan”

62
Q

Inferior

A

lower in rank, status, or quality.

“schooling in inner-city areas was inferior to that in the rest of the country”

63
Q

Indenture

A

a legal agreement, contract, or document.

bind (someone) by an indenture as an apprentice or laborer.
“landowners tried to get their estates cultivated by indentured laborers”

64
Q

Stoically

A

adverb
adverb: stoically
without showing one’s feelings or complaining about pain or hardship.
“an old woman who stoically accepts the demolition of her house”

65
Q

Dilatory

A

slow to act.
“he had been dilatory in appointing a solicitor”

intended to cause delay.
“they resorted to dilatory procedural tactics, forcing a postponement of peace talks”

66
Q

Procured

A

obtain (something), especially with care or effort.
“food procured for the rebels”

persuade or cause (someone) to do something.
“he procured his wife to sign the agreement”

67
Q

Pertinent

A

relevant or applicable to a particular matter; apposite.
“she asked me a lot of very pertinent questions”

To the point suitable appropriate

68
Q

Florid

A

having a red or flushed complexion.
“a stout man with a florid face”

elaborately or excessively intricate or complicated.
“florid operatic-style music was out”

69
Q

Heckle

A

interrupt (a public speaker) with derisive or aggressive comments or abuse.
“he was booed and heckled when he tried to address the demonstrators”

a heckling comment.
“the meeting regularly dissolved into heckles”

70
Q

Haggard

A

looking exhausted and unwell, especially from fatigue, worry, or suffering.
“I trailed on behind, haggard and disheveled”

71
Q

Shrewder

A

A shrewd person is able to understand and judge a situation quickly and to use this understanding to their own advantage.

72
Q

Monotony

A

lack of variety and interest; tedious repetition and routine.
“you can become resigned to the monotony of captivity”

73
Q

Contention

A

heated disagreement.

“the captured territory was one of the main areas of contention between the two countries”

74
Q

Skirmish

A

an episode of irregular or unpremeditated fighting, especially between small or outlying parts of armies or fleets.
“the unit was caught in several skirmishes and the commanding officer was killed”

75
Q

Valiant

A

possessing or showing courage or determination.

“she made a valiant effort to hold her anger in check”

76
Q

Surfeit

A

cause (someone) to desire no more of something as a result of having consumed or done it to excess.
“I am surfeited with shopping”

77
Q

Aloof

A

not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant.

“they were courteous but faintly aloof”

78
Q

Disconsolate

A

(of a place or thing) causing or showing a complete lack of comfort; cheerless.
“solitary, disconsolate clumps of cattails”

79
Q

Derogatory

A

showing a critical or disrespectful attitude.

“she tells me I’m fat and is always making derogatory remarks”

80
Q

Tentatively

A

in a way that lacks confidence; hesitantly.

““Are you all right?” Claire asked tentatively”

81
Q

Auspicious

A

conducive to success; favorable.

“it was not the most auspicious moment to hold an election”

New Words (26 decks)

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