Set #1 Level 2 Flashcards
(30 cards)
Anomaly (noun)
Anything out of sequence; a departure from normal order
Ex: It’s an anomaly to learn calculus before knowing algebra.
Assiduous (adj)
Extremely attentive; diligent
Ex: Ann took assiduous care of Tom, tending to his every need while he was sick.
Blasphemy (noun)
Words or deeds insulting to God or anything considered sacred
Ex: Do you think it was blasphemy for Monique to go to church wearing a tank top?
Callow (adj)
Inexperienced; immature
Ex: Although the new teacher looks young and callow, he has ten years of experience.
Complacency (Noun)
Uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s situation or achievements
Ex: The coach said that her team’s complacency after ten wins in a row led to four straight losses.
Desecrate
To damage or show disrespect to something sacred to others.
Ex: Vandals desecrated the cemetery by splashing paint on the gravestones.
Droll
Oddly amusing or humorous
Ex: Mimi tells such droll stories that she could be a comedian.
Elegy
A sorrowful poem or song, usually of mourning
Ex: At the end of the funeral, he recited an elegy for his grandfather.
Erudite
Highly educated; learned; scholarly
Ex: The ideas in Fredrick Douglass’ autobiography are erudite even though he is self educated.
Expurgate
To censor or to clean out, especially to remove objectionable material from a book movie, etc.
Ex: R-rated movies in school are shown after they have been expurgated.
Fitful
Occurring in fits or spurts; coming and going; irregular
Ex: Greg usually sleeps soundly, but the night before the SAT, he had a fitful sleep.
Fractious
Irritable; cross
Ex: Faced by a fractious crowd, the mayor shortened his speech and left in a hurry.
Harangue
(N) Lengthy oration or lecture, often meant to move, scold, or arouse the audience into action; (v) to deliver such a speech to lecture
Ex: (N) The principal launched into a harangue about misconduct during fires.
Ex: (V) He let the juniors go, but harangued the seniors for 30 minutes more.
Impasse
a deadlock; an obstacle with no apparent way around it
Ex: The negotiations reached an impasse when both sides refused to compromise
Indefatigable
Tireless, weariless
Ex: She is indefatigable behind the wheel; she can drive morning to night without rest.
Intractable
stubborn; difficult to manage or control
Ex: Mark is to intractable to change his mind on the issue.
Martinet
A strict disciplinarian; dictator
Ex: A marine drill sergeant could not be more of a martinet than Mr. Finn, my math teacher
Obstinate
Stubborn; inflexible; difficult to subdue or control
Ex: Timmy is as obstinate as a mule; he won’t do anything you tell him to do.
Paucity
Scarcity; shortage
Ex: The chorus sounds dreadful because it suffers from a paucity of good singers.
Pedantic
Uninspired; unimaginative; overly meticulous; academically narrow
Ex: The speaker turned an engrossing topic into a pedantic recitation of names and dates.
Polemical
Controversial; aggressively argumentative
Ex: Instead of a simple progress report, Hank gave a polemic speech against abortion.
Prevaricate
To lie; to stretch or to stray from truth
Ex: Because the key to witness prevaricated, the defendant was wrongfully convicted.
Prosaic
Ordinary; dull; unimaginative; related to prose, the everyday language used in speaking and writing.
Ex: He liked the girl so much that all which he could say was a prosaic, “hello”,
Relegate
To banish; assign to insignificance; to devalue
Ex: Because her coat was out of fashion, Rita relegated it to the back of her closet.
