Deck 10 Flashcards
(130 cards)
1
Q
personable
A
adjective: having a pleasant appearance and character
She is intelligent, hard-working, and personable.
2
Q
nugatory
A
adjective: worth nothing or of little value
a nugatory amount
3
Q
solipsistic
A
adjective: relating to or characteristic of solipsism (= the belief that only your own experiences and existence can be known or are important)
4
Q
sophomoric
A
adjective: silly and behaving like a child
a sophomoric sense of humour
5
Q
undue
A
adjective: to a level that is more than is necessary, acceptable, or reasonable
Such a high increase will impose an undue burden on the local tax payer.
6
Q
ape
A
verb: to copy something or someone badly and unsuccessfully
He called the new building unoriginal and said that it merely aped the classical traditions.
7
Q
ponderous
A
adjective: slow and awkward because of being very heavy or large
He had a slow and ponderous manner.
8
Q
literati
A
noun: people with a good education who know a lot about literature
Her novels are popular with university literati, but they have failed to attract a wider audience.
9
Q
hoi-polloi
A
noun: ordinary people
10
Q
painstaking
A
adjective: extremely careful and correct, and involving a lot of effort
It took months of painstaking research to write the book.
11
Q
baneful
A
adjective: causing harm or trouble
12
Q
peccadillo
A
noun: a small fault or mistake, or something that someone does wrong that is not very serious
13
Q
abridge
A
verb: to make a book, play, or piece of writing shorter by removing details and information that is not important
14
Q
lascivious
A
adjective: lewd, libidinous, expressing a strong desire for sexual activity
a lascivious smile
15
Q
prescient
A
adjective: clairvoyant, knowing or suggesting correctly what will happen in the future
a prescient warning
16
Q
preternatural
A
adjective: otherwordly, more than is usual or natural
Anger gave me preternatural strength, and I managed to force the door open.
17
Q
preordained
A
adjective: (especially of a power thought to be greater than ordinary people) to decide or fix what will happen in a way that cannot be changed or controlled
Illness and suffering seemed (to be) preordained to be her lot.
18
Q
caustic
A
adjective: A caustic chemical burns or destroys things, especially anything made of living cells
a caustic substance
19
Q
vicissitudes
A
noun: changes that happen at different times during the life or development of someone or something, especially those that result in conditions being worse
Losing your job is just one of the vicissitudes of life.
20
Q
akimbo
A
adjective: If a person’s arms are akimbo, they are bent at the elbows (= the middle part of the arms where they bend) with the hands on the hips
He stood, arms akimbo, refusing to move.
21
Q
obtuse
A
adjective: stupid and slow to understand, or unwilling to try to understand
The answer’s obvious - or are you being deliberately obtuse?
22
Q
apologist
A
oun: a person who supports a particular belief or political system, especially an unpopular one, and speaks or writes in defence of it
There are few apologists for the old system.
23
Q
lackey
A
noun: a servant or someone who behaves like one by obeying someone else’s orders or by doing unpleasant work for them
He treats us all like his lackeys.
24
Q
mercenary
A
adjective: interested only in the amount of money that you can get from a situation
He had some mercenary scheme to marry a wealthy widow.
25
improvident
adjective: not planning carefully for the future, especially by spending money in a way that is unwise
26
aghast
adjective: suddenly filled with strong feelings of shock and worry
He looked at her aghast.
27
impecunious
adjective: having very little money
I first knew him as an impecunious student living in a tiny apartment.
28
grandiloquent
adjective: a grandiloquent style or way of using language is complicated in order to attract admiration and attention, especially in order to make someone or something seem important
Her speech was full of grandiloquent language, but it contained no new ideas.
29
cajole
verb: to persuade someone to do something they might not want to do, by pleasant talk and (sometimes false) promises
He really knows how to cajole people into doing what he wants.
30
insouciance
noun: a relaxed and happy way of behaving without feeling worried or guilty
I admired his youthful insouciance.
31
homily
noun: a piece of spoken or written advice about how someone should behave
He launched into a homily on family relationships.
32
anachronistic
adjective: existing out of its time in history
He described the law as anachronistic and ridiculous.
33
providential
adjective: happening exactly when needed but without being planned
a providential opportunity
34
shrewd
adjective: having or based on a clear understanding and good judgment of a situation, resulting in an advantage
He was shrewd enough not to take the job when there was the possibility of getting a better one a few months later.
35
inure
verb: If you become inured to something unpleasant, you become familiar with it and able to accept and bear it
After spending some time on the island they became inured to the hardships.
36
effusive
adjective: expressing welcome, approval, or pleasure in a way that shows very strong feeling
They gave us such an effusive welcome it was quite embarrassing.
37
syncopate
verb: to have a rhythm in which strong notes are not on the beat, or to create music that has this rhythm
The music suddenly syncopates, like ragtime.
38
inveigle
verb: to persuade someone to do something in a clever and dishonest way, when they do not want to do it
Her son tried to inveigle her into giving him the money for a car.
39
coltish
adjective: a coltish person is young and energetic but awkward
Gigi is a coltish young girl growing up in turn-of-the-century Paris.
40
sentry
noun: a soldier who guards a place and prevents those who are not allowed in from entering:
41
forebear
noun: ancestor, a relative who lived in the past
42
recant
noun: to announce in public that your past beliefs or statements were wrong and that you no longer agree with them
After a year spent in solitary confinement, he publicly recanted (his views).
43
stouter
adjective: (especially of older people) fat and solid-looking, especially around the waist
Mrs Blower was the stout lady with the glasses.
44
unobtrusive
adjective: discreet, not noticeable; seeming to fit in well with the things around
Make-up this season is unobtrusive and natural-looking.
45
concomitant
noun: something that happens with something else and is connected with it
Loss of memory is a natural concomitant of old age.
46
vestigial
adjective: being a small remaining part or amount
47
sagacious
adjective: having or showing understanding and the ability to make good judgments
a sagacious person/comment/choice
48
skittish
adjective: (of a person) not serious and likely to change their beliefs or opinions often
Marilyn was like a child, playful and skittish one moment, sulky and withdrawn the next.
49
solicitous
adjective: showing care and helpful attention to someone
He made a solicitous enquiry after her health.
50
endearing
adjective: adorable, making someone like you
She laughs at herself a lot, which is always endearing.
51
obloquy
noun: very strong public criticism or blame
His controversial essays have brought him much obloquy.
52
parsimony
noun: the quality of not being willing to spend money or to give or use a lot of something
She criticised government parsimony with defence investment.
53
tepid
adjective: lukewarm
54
antediluvian
adjective: antiquated, extremely old-fashioned
My mother has some hopelessly antediluvian ideas about the role of women.
55
deplorable
adjective: very bad
I thought his behaviour was absolutely deplorable.
56
berserk
adjective: very angry or out of control
My mother will go berserk (= be extremely angry) when she finds out I've ruined her favourite dress.
57
cunning
adjective: clever
58
desultory
adjective: without a clear plan or purpose and showing little effort or interest
She made a desultory attempt at conversation.
59
sangfroid
adjective: the ability to stay calm in a difficult or dangerous situation
60
semiotic
adjective: relating to semiotics (= the study of signs and symbols)
They deconstruct text and images on the basis of their semiotic meaning beyond the surface text.
61
parlous
adjective: very bad, dangerous, or uncertain
Relations between the two countries have been in a parlous state for some time.
62
entreaty
noun: an attempt to persuade someone to do something
She refused to become involved with him despite his passionate entreaties.
63
stopgap
noun: something intended for temporary use until something better or more suitable can be found
Hostels are used as a stopgap until the families can find permanent accommodation.
64
paragon
noun: a person or thing that is perfect or has an extremely large amount of a particular good characteristic
In the novel, Constanza is a paragon of virtue.
65
truism
noun: a statement that is so obviously true that it is almost not worth saying
As far as health is concerned, it's a truism that prevention is better than cure.
66
plaudit
noun: praise
She's received plaudits for her work with homeless people.
67
amity
noun: friendship, a good relationship
The two groups had lived in perfect amity for many years before the recent troubles.
68
solace
noun: help and comfort when you are feeling sad or worried
When his wife left him, he found solace in the bottle (= drank alcohol).
69
terseness
noun: the use of few words to say something, sometimes in a way that seems rude or unfriendly
He answered with uncharacteristic terseness, "Yes, to both".
70
tendentious
adjective: (of speech or writing) expressing or supporting a particular opinion that many other people disagree with
71
protean
adjective: easily and continuously changing
the protean talents of this comedian
72
arcadian
adjective: showing or relating to an image or idea of perfect countryside life
He described a scene of Arcadian tranquillity.
73
squalid
adjective: (of places) extremely dirty and unpleasant, often because of lack of money
Many prisons, even today, are overcrowded and squalid places.
74
tony
adjective: stylish and expensive
He lives in a tony neighborhood of Los Angeles.
75
spartan
adjective: simple and severe with no comfort
a spartan diet/meal
76
deft
adjective: skilful, clever, or quick
Her movements were deft and quick.
77
effete
adjective: weak and without much power
With nothing to do all day the aristocracy had grown effete and lazy.
78
accrue
verb: to increase in number or amount over a period of time
Interest will accrue on the account at a rate of seven percent.
79
beholden
adjective: feeling you have a duty to someone because they have done something for you
She wanted to be independent and beholden to no one.
80
seethe
verb: to feel very angry but to be unable or unwilling to express it clearly
The rest of the class positively seethed with indignation when Julia won the award.
81
bay
verb: (of dogs and wolves) to make a long, deep cry repeatedly
82
heterodox
adjective: (of beliefs, ideas, or activities) different to and opposing generally accepted beliefs or standards
His opinions have always been distinctly heterodox.
83
enshrinement
noun: something that is held as sacred
84
unkempt
adjective: untidy; not cared for
an unkempt lawn
85
ratify
verb: (especially of governments or organizations) to make an agreement official
Many countries have now ratified the UN convention on the rights of the child.
86
fester
verb: If a cut or other injury festers, it becomes infected and produces pus
a festering sore
87
bogus
adjective: fake, phoney, false, not real, or not legal
On investigation, his claim was found to be bogus.
88
vitreous
adjective: made of or similar to glass
vitreous china/enamel
vitrina
89
grizzled
adjective: having hair that is grey or becoming grey
Grizzled veterans in uniform gathered at the war monument.
90
rancorous
adjective: having or showing a feeling of hate and continuing anger about something in the past
a rancorous dispute
91
doting
adjective: adoring, fond, showing that you love someone very much
We saw photographs of the doting father with the baby on his knee.
92
duplicitous
adjective: two-faced, involving duplicity
a duplicitous traitor/spy/politician
93
mutiny
noun: an occasion when a group of people, especially soldiers or sailors, refuses to obey orders and/or attempts to take control from people in authority
Conditions on the ship were often very bad, and crews were on the point of mutiny.
94
helmsman
noun: a person who directs a ship or boat, using a handle or wheel
95
interlocutor
noun: someone who is involved in a conversation and who is representing someone else
Abraham was able to act as interpreter and interlocutor for our group.
96
belie
verb: to show something to be false, or to hide something such as an emotion
Her calm face belied the terror she was feeling.
97
ebullient
adjective: very energetic, positive, and happy
He wasn't his usual ebullient self.
98
taxonomy
noun: a system for naming and organizing things, especially plants and animals, into groups that share similar qualities
99
nonchalance
noun: calm behaviour that suggests you are not interested or do not care
He leaned back in his chair with apparent nonchalance.
100
idle
adjective: not working or being used
Half these factories now stand idle.
101
flagrancy
adjective: conspicuously bad, offensive, or reprehensible, shameless
102
partition
noun: a vertical structure like a thin wall that separates one part of a room or building from another
The partitions between the toilets were very thin.
103
albatross
noun: something or someone you want to be free from because that thing or person is causing you problems
Her own supporters see her as an albatross who could lose them the election.
104
hallmark
noun: a typical characteristic or feature of a person or thing
Simplicity is a hallmark of this design.
105
titillation
noun: the act of intentionally making someone slightly excited, usually with sexual images or descriptions
We've certainly seen an increase on TV of foul language and sexual titillation.
106
simulacrum
noun: something that looks like or represents something else, effigy
107
abettor
noun: someone who helps or encourages another person to do something wrong or illegal
They are all aiders and abettors.
108
balkanize
verb: to break up into smaller and often hostile units
109
patrician
adjective: of or like a person of high social rank, aristocratic
110
sinecure
noun: a position which involves little work, but for which the person is paid
111
disquieting
adjective: causing worry
112
meddlesome
adjective: interfering; often getting involved in situations where you are not wanted, especially by criticizing in a damaging or annoying way
113
subvert
verb: to try to destroy or damage something, especially an established political system
The rebel army is attempting to subvert the government.
114
salubrious
adjective: a salubrious place is pleasant, clean, and healthy to live in
He doesn't live in a very salubrious part of town.
115
comestible
adjective: edible
116
cultivar
noun: a variety (= type) of a plant that has been produced by breeding
Rice cultivars exist that are adapted to deep flooding.
117
fiduciary
adjective: relating to the responsibility to take care of someone else's money in a suitable way
a breach of fiduciary duty
118
equanimity
noun: a calm mental state, especially after a shock or disappointment or in a difficult situation
He received the news of his mother's death with remarkable equanimity.
119
gawkiness
noun: awkwardness, clumsiness; the carriage of someone whose movements and posture are extremely ungainly and inelegant
120
quixotic
adjective: not sensible about practical matters; idealistic and unrealistic
121
brandish
verb: move or swing back and forth
122
cloaked
adjective: having its true character concealed with the intent of misleading
123
lurid
adjective: marked by sensationalism
124
disapprobation
noun: an expression of strong disapproval; pronouncing as wrong or morally culpable
125
acquisitive
adjective: eager to acquire and possess things especially material possessions or ideas
126
tendentiousness
noun: an intentional and controversial bias
127
fractiousness
noun: the trait of being prone to disobedience and lack of discipline
128
misnomer
noun: an incorrect or unsuitable name
129
curtail
verb: reduce in extent or quantity, impose a restriction on; deprive someone of (something)
130
bridle
verb: to bring something under control; to curb
