Bonus deck 1 Flashcards
(12 cards)
belie
to show to be false; contradict
Synonyms: negate, repudiate
Memory trick: He claimed he exercised every day, but his bulging belly revealed his lie.
“Janice hoped her smile would belie the sadness she felt”
denigrate
to speak damagingly of; criticize in a derogatory manner; sully; defame:
Synonyms: belittle, disparage, slaner
Memory trick: In the past, it would have been disparaging to be called a negro. (Think you “blacken” their repurtation)
“On the talk show, the mean host usually tries to denigrate her guests by reminding them of their misdeeds”
solecism
a nonstandard or ungrammatical usage (e.g. “they was”); a breach of good manners or etiquette; a deviation from the norm
Synonyms: misuse, blunder
Memory trick: Her sole criticism was a solecism in the otherwise friendly gathering
“The soldier executed a solecism of protocol when he neglected to salute his commanding officer.”
sanction
authoritative permission or approval
Synonyms: approval, assent, endorsement
Memory trick: Sandy’s mother sang approval of her boyfriend’s curteous actions
“The government will never sanction drinking and driving because it is unsafe.”
difference between “collaborate” and “corroborate”
collaborate → L = liaison = work together
corroborate → R = right = confirm that another person’s right
vitiate
to impair the quality of; make faulty; spoil; to debase; corrupt; pervert
Synonyms: negate, defile
Memory trick: All the vaginas Vicky ate spoiled her appetite for penises
“Duress to the individual negotiator would vitiate the effect of his signature”
derogate
to detract, as from authority, estimation, etc. (usually followed by from); to disparage or belittle (with object).
Synonyms: denigrate, discredit, detract
Memory trick: The rogue gay son derogated his family’s reputation (sorry for the political incorrectness).
“By the phrase ‘fortune,’ I mean not in the smallest degree to derogate from his merit.”
“The critic didn’t mean to derogate the author, only his poorly written novel.”
rebuff
a blunt or abrupt rejection, as of a person making advances
Synonyms: rebuke, reject, snub
Memory trick: Spanish bofetada (slap). Rejected with a slap in the face.
“Because the position does not pay well, Kelly decided to rebuff her supervisor’s offer of a promotion”
depredate
to plunder or lay waste to; prey upon; pillage; ravage
Synonyms: attack, pillage, loot
Memory trick: Think of a predator attacking a village.
“Hungry and half-starved squirrels will depredate on birds’ nests, fruit and gardens”
asperity
harshness or sharpness of tone, temper, or manner; hardship or difficulty (e.g. the asperities of polar weather); roughness of surface
Synonyms: harshness, irritability, crabbiness
Memory trick: The dominatrix harshly demanded one ass spanking per tity peek
“Nando is going to talk to all his daughter’s dates with asperity to try to scare them all away”
trenchant
incisive or keen, as language or a person
Synonyms: sarcastic, scathing, biting, cutting
Memory trick: People made sarcastic comments about the hipster trench he wore to the pool party
“Sometimes your tone of voice is so trenchant that you come across as being a mean person.”
credulous
willing to believe or trust too readily, especially without proper or adequate evidence; gullible
Synonyms: naive, accepting, overtrusting
Memory trick: Spanish creer (to believe)
“Credulous individuals will believe anything they are told”
