Similar Words - Don't Get These Confused Flashcards

Question

FETTER or FRITTER

Answer 1

FETTER - 1. a chain or shackle for the feet 2. something that confines : restraint ``` FRITTER AWAY (colloquial) - fritter something away (on someone or something) to waste something, such as money, on someone or something, foolishly. ```

Answer 2

SALUBRIOUS - making good health possible or likely SALACIOUS - relating to sex in a way that is excessive or offensive

Answer 3

AVER - to declare as true; to say (something) in a very strong and definite way AVERT - to turn (your eyes, gaze, etc.) away or aside; to prevent (something bad) from happening ADVERT - to turn or direct attention toward.

Answer 4

ASCRIBE - to attribute or assign to a cause SUBSCRIBE - to give consent or approval to something written by signing to feel favorably disposed

Answer 5

ASCETIC - self-denial; restrained AESTHETIC - of or relating to art or beauty

Answer 6

ASSIDUOUS - making careful and persistent effort FASTIDIOUS -very careful about how you do something; liking few things; hard to please; wanting to always be clean, neat, etc.

Answer 7

PETTISH adj; petulantly peevish: a pettish refusal. cranky, fractious, irritable, nettlesome, peckish PETULANT adj; moved to or showing sudden, impatient irritation, especially over some trifling annoyance: a petulant toss of the head. PEEVISH adj. 1.cross, querulous, or fretful, as from vexation or discontent:a peevish youngster. 2. showing annoyance, irritation, or bad mood: a peevish reply; apeevish frown. 3. perverse or obstinate.

Answer 8

RAVAGING - pillage, sack, or devastate. to lay waste. RAVISHING - to rape, or rob violently. (a woman is so beautiful she rapes with one's eyes.) RAVENOUS - hungry to the point of violent devouring. RAPTUROUS - great happiness, pleasure, or love (enrapture is to fill with delight). RAPACIOUS - voracious, greedy, plundering If a woman smashes your apartment up, she ravages it. If she looks stunningly beautiful, she is ravishing. If she eats the whole platter of hors d’oeuvres you’ve set out for the party before the other guests come, she’s ravenous.

Answer 9

EXECRATE - to dislike and criticize (someone or something) very strongly; - to declare to be hateful or abhorrent; denounce; to loathe; to curse; EXCORIATE - to condemn or censure scathingly; to remove the skin.

Answer 10

EXECRATE - to dislike and criticize (someone or something) very strongly; - to declare to be hateful or abhorrent; denounce; to loathe; to curse; EXPLICATE: : to explain or analyze (something, such as an idea or work of literature) EXEGESIS: : exposition, explanation; especially : an explanation or critical interpretation of a text

Answer 11

FATUOUS - inanely foolish FACTITIOUS - produced by humans rather than by natural forces; formed by or adapted to an artificial or conventional standard; produced by special effort : sham FRACTIOUS - : causing trouble : hard to manage or control; full of anger and disagreement VACUOUS - having or showing a lack of intelligence or serious thought : lacking meaning, importance, or substance

Answer 12

TRENCHANT - 1 keen, sharp 2: vigorously effective and articulate ; also : caustic 3a : sharply perceptive : penetrating b: clear-cut, distinct TRUCULENT - 1.: feeling or displaying ferocity : cruel, savage 2: deadly, destructive 3: scathingly harsh : vitriolic 4: aggressively self-assertive : belligerent

Answer 13

INDOLENT - 1a : causing little or no pain b : slow to develop or heal 2a: averse to activity, effort, or movement : habitually lazy b: conducive to or encouraging laziness c: showing an inclination to laziness REDOLENT - : 1. exuding fragrance : aromatic 2a: full of a specified fragrance : scented b: evocative, suggestive

Answer 14

PROVIDENCE - 1 often capitalized : divine guidance or care 2. State of being provident; PROVIDENT - : careful about planning for the future and saving money for the future; frugal PROVENANCE: 1: origin, source 2: the history of ownership of a valued object or work of art or literature

Answer 15

CANNY - : clever, shrewd "a canny lawyer"; also : prudent "canny investments" UNCANNY - 1.a : seeming to have a supernatural character or origin : eerie, mysterious b: being beyond what is normal or expected : suggesting superhuman or supernatural powers

Answer 16

SOLICITUDE - : concern that someone feels about someone's health, happiness, etc. SOLITUDE - : a state or situation in which you are alone usually because you want to be

Answer 17

INIMICAL - Harsh, hostile. INIMITABLE: : impossible to copy or imitate

Answer 18

PROSAIC - Common or unimaginative PROPITIOUS - favorable (conditions) PRODIGIOUS - having great power or size; extreme

Answer 19

DISSEMBLE - 1. to hide under a false appearance | 2. to put on the appearance of : simulate

Answer 20

SUBLIME (adj): lofty, grand, or exalted in thought, expression, or manner b : of outstanding spiritual, intellectual, or moral worth c : tending to inspire awe usually because of elevated quality (as of beauty, nobility, or grandeur) or transcendent excellence SUBLIME (v): 1. to cause to pass directly from the solid to the vapor state and condense back to solid form; 2a (1) : to elevate or exalt especially in dignity or honor (2) : to render finer (as in purity or excellence) b : to convert (something inferior) into something of higher worth SUBLIMATE (v): : to divert the expression of (an instinctual desire or impulse) from its unacceptable form to one that is considered more socially or culturally acceptable "She sublimated her erotic feelings into a series of paintings."

Answer 21

DOGMA : firmly held belief or opinion, often religious DOGMATIC: could be related to dogma, but also means: expressing personal opinions or beliefs as if they are certainly correct and cannot be doubted

Answer 22

QUIETUS: 1. final settlement (as of a debt) 2. removal from activity; especially : death 3. something that quiets or represses QUITTANCE: 1. discharge from a debt or an obligation b : a document evidencing quittance 2. recompense, requital REQUITAL: 1. something given in return, compensation, or retaliation 2. the act or action of requiting; the state of being requited "the electrician's requital for the used car was in the form of work on the dealer's house" REQUITE: 1a : to make return for : repay b : to make retaliation for : avenge 2: to make suitable return to for a benefit or service or for an injury "the future writer would later requite the abuse he suffered at the hands of his classmates by creating scathing portraits of them in his novels"

Answer 23

TUMID: marked by swelling : swollen, enlarged 2. protuberant, bulging 3. bombastic, turgid TURGID: 1. being in a state of distension : swollen, tumid ; especially : exhibiting turgor 2. excessively embellished in style or language : bombastic, pompous TUMESCENT: somewhat swollen. "our pregnant kitty's tumescent middle" TORPOR: having or showing very little energy or movement : not active TURBID: a : deficient in clarity or purity : foul, muddy b : characterized by or producing obscurity (as of mind or emotions)

Answer 24

DIDACTIC - designed or intended to teach people something; used to describe someone or something that tries to teach something (such as proper or moral behavior) in a way that is annoying or unwanted PEDANTIC: of, relating to, or being a pedant (a. one who makes a show of knowledge b : one who is unimaginative or who unduly emphasizes minutiae in the presentation or use of knowledge c : a formalist or precisionist in teaching) 2. narrowly, stodgily, and often ostentatiously learned 3. unimaginative, pedestrian PEDAGOGY: the art or profession of teaching. Note a "Pedagogue" is a teacher, but has an additional connotation of the negative Pedantic

Answer 25

COGITATE: to ponder; to think carefully and seriously about something EXCOGITATE: to think out : devise: Synonyms: concoct, construct, contrive, cook (up), devise, drum up, invent, fabricate, make up, manufacture, think (up), trump up, vamp (up)

Answer 26

APOSTATE: someone whose beliefs have changed and who no longer belongs to a religious or political group. Synonyms RENEGADE, DEFECTOR, DESERTER, RECREANT APOSTLE: 1. a person who initiates a great moral reform or who first advocates an important belief or system; an ardent supporter : adherent 2. the highest ecclesiastical official in some church organizations 3. One of 12 chosen by Christ; also one of the high ranking Mormons

Answer 27

ICONOCLAST: a person who criticizes or opposes beliefs and practices that are widely accepted Synonyms: bohemian, boho, counterculturist, deviant, enfant terrible, free spirit, heretic, nonconformist, individualist, loner, lone ranger, lone wolf, maverick, nonconformer MARTINET: a person who is very strict and demands obedience from others

Answer 28

SECULAR: 1a. of or relating to the worldly or temporal ; b. not overtly or specifically religious . c. not ecclesiastical or clerical 2: not bound by monastic vows or rules; specifically : of, relating to, or forming clergy not belonging to a religious order or congregation 3.a : occurring once in an age or a century b : existing or continuing through ages or centuries c : of or relating to a long term of indefinite duration SECTARIAN: relating to religious or political sects and the differences between them

Answer 29

SEQUITUR: the conclusion of an inference : consequence. "a reasonable sequitur from that announcement is that you'll be leaving the company" NON SEQUITUR: 1: an inference that does not follow from the premises; specifically : a fallacy resulting from a simple conversion of a universal affirmative proposition or from the transposition of a condition and its consequent 2: a statement (as a response) that does not follow logically from or is not clearly related to anything previously said "We were talking about the new restaurant when she threw in some non sequitur about her dog"

Answer 30

OLIGARCHY - Leadership by a few. OCHLOCRACY: government by the mob: mob rule PLUTOCRACY: government by the richest people

Answer 31

EGALITARIANISM: a belief in human equality especially with respect to social, political, and economic affairs

Answer 32

INDIGENT: 1: suffering from extreme poverty : impoverished INDIGENOUS:1: produced, growing, living, or occurring naturally in a particular region or environment 2: innate, inborn

Answer 33

AMITY: a feeling of friendship : friendly relations between nations or groups ENMITY: positive, active, and typically mutual hatred or ill will

Answer 34

APPOSE: to place in juxtaposition or proximity APPOSITE: highly pertinent or appropriate : apt, apropos "enriched his essay on patriotism with some very apposite quotations from famous people on the subject"

Answer 35

PEREGRINATE: vi: to travel especially on foot : walk vt: to walk or travel over : traverse

Answer 36

BESOT: 1: to make dull or stupid; especially : to muddle with drunkenness; 2. foolish infatuation. INFATUATE: 1: to cause to be foolish : deprive of sound judgment 2: to inspire with a foolish or extravagant love or admiration

Answer 37

BESMIRCH: : to cause harm or damage to (the reputation of someone or something) : sully, soil

Answer 38

BLANDISH: vt: to coax with flattery : cajole vi: to act or speak in a flattering or coaxing manner BLATHER: : to talk foolishly at length —often used with on

Answer 39

CHOLERIC: made angry easily

Answer 40

CHAGRIN: : a feeling of being frustrated or annoyed because of failure or disappointment : disquietude or distress of mind caused by humiliation, disappointment, or failure

Answer 41

COMPLAISANT: : willing or eager to please other people : easily convinced to do what other people want COMPLACENT: : satisfied with how things are and not wanting to change them

Answer 42

CONSANGUINEOUS: : of the same blood or origin; specifically : descended from the same ancestor SANGUINEOUS: 1: blood-red 2: of, relating to, or involving bloodshed : bloodthirsty 3: of, relating to, or containing blood ``` SANGUINE: 1: blood-red 2a : consisting of or relating to blood b : bloodthirsty, sanguinary c of the complexion : ruddy 3: having blood as the predominating bodily humor; also : having the bodily conformation and temperament held characteristic of such predominance and marked by sturdiness, high color, and cheerfulness 4: confident, optimistic ```

Answer 43

DOTAGE: : the period of old age : the time when a person is old and often less able to remember or do things DOTE: 1: to exhibit mental decline of or like that of old age : be in one's dotage 2: to be lavish or excessive in one's attention, fondness, or affection —usually used with on "doted on her only grandchild"

Answer 44

DYSTOPIAN: 1: an imaginary place where people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives 2: anti-utopia 2 UTOPIAN: 1: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a utopia; especially : having impossibly ideal conditions especially of social organization 2: proposing or advocating impractically ideal social and political schemes 3: impossibly ideal : visionary 4: believing in, advocating, or having the characteristics of utopian socialism DIONYSIAN: of or relating to the sensual, spontaneous, and emotional aspects of human nature.

Answer 45

EREMITE: : hermit; especially : a religious recluse HERMETIC: : relating to or characterized by occultism or abstruseness : recondite 2 [from the belief that Hermes Trismegistus invented a magic seal to keep vessels airtight] a : airtight b : impervious to external influence c : recluse, solitary

Answer 46

EQUABLE: 1: marked by lack of variation or change : uniform 2: marked by lack of noticeable, unpleasant, or extreme variation or inequality EQUANAMITY:1: evenness of mind especially under stress 2: right disposition : balance

Answer 47

HOI-POLLOI: : ordinary people : people who are not rich, famous, etc.: the general populace : masses "“I pay no attention to the opinions of the hoi polloi,” the writer sniffed" PROVINCIAL: : one living in or coming from a province; a person of local or restricted interests or outlook : a person lacking urban polish or refinement

Answer 48

LIBERTINE: : a person (especially a man) who leads an immoral life and is mainly interested in sexual pleasure 1. usually disparaging : a freethinker especially in religious matters 2: a person who is unrestrained by convention or morality; specifically : one leading a dissolute life PHILISTINE: a : a person who is guided by materialism and is usually disdainful of intellectual or artistic values b : one uninformed in a special area of knowledge

Answer 49

MORDANT: : expressing harsh criticism especially in a way that is funny 1: biting and caustic in thought, manner, or style : incisive "a mordant wit" 2: acting as a mordant 3: burning, pungent "a writer famous for her mordant humor" "a mordant review of the movie that compared it to having one's teeth pulled for two hours" MORBID: 1a : of, relating to, or characteristic of disease "morbid anatomy" b : affected with or induced by disease "a morbid condition" c : productive of disease "morbid substances" 2: abnormally susceptible to or characterized by gloomy or unwholesome feelings 3: grisly, gruesome "morbid details" "morbid curiosity"

Answer 50

PARSIMONIOUS: : very unwilling to spend money 1: exhibiting or marked by parsimony; especially : frugal to the point of stinginess 2: sparing, restrained "a parsimonious woman who insists that charity begins—and ends—at home" IMPECUNIOUS - having little or no money PERSPICACIOUS - : of acute mental vision or discernment : keen

Answer 51

PERQUISITES:1: a privilege, gain, or profit incidental to regular salary or wages; especially : one expected or promised (PERQ) 2: gratuity, tip 3: something held or claimed as an exclusive right or possession "Use of the company's jet is a perquisite of the job." "give the movers a perquisite if they do a good job" PREREQUISITES: something that you officially must have or do before you can have or do something else

Answer 52

PRURIENT:: having or showing too much interest in sex : marked by or arousing an immoderate or unwholesome interest or desire; especially : marked by, arousing, or appealing to sexual desire "He took a prurient interest in her personal life." "a book that appealed to the prurient curiosity of its readers" PURITAN: : a person who follows strict moral rules and who believes that pleasure is wrong "She's a puritan about sex." "some of the town's puritans still maintain that sex education has no place in the school"

Answer 53

STASIS:: a state or condition in which things do not change, move, or progress 1: a slowing or stoppage of the normal flow of a bodily fluid or semifluid: as a : slowing of the current of circulating blood b : reduced motility of the intestines with retention of feces 2a : a state of static balance or equilibrium : stagnation b : a state or period of stability during which little or no evolutionary change in a lineage occurs "The country is in economic stasis." "His art was characterized by bursts of creativity followed by long periods of stasis." SEPTIC: 1: of, relating to, or causing putrefaction 2: relating to, involving, caused by, or affected with sepsis "septic patients" 3: used for sewage treatment and disposal "a septic system"; also : of or relating to a septic system "septic effluents"

Answer 54

SUPPLIANT: SUPPLICANT "didn't like being in the position of a suppliant, having to ask her parents to help her pay the rent on her apartment" "the new governor soon had to deal with a long line of supplicants asking for jobs and other political favors" SUPPLANT:: to take the place of (someone or something that is old or no longer used or accepted) 1: to supersede (another) especially by force or treachery b : to take the place of and serve as a substitute for especially by reason of superior excellence or power "old traditions that were fading away and being supplanted by modern ways"

Answer 55

VITREOUS:1a : resembling glass (as in color, composition, brittleness, or luster) : glassy "vitreous rocks" b : characterized by low porosity and usually translucence due to the presence of a glassy phase "vitreous china" 2: of, relating to, derived from, or consisting of glass VITRIOL:: harsh and angry words 1a : a sulfate of any of various metals (as copper, iron, or zinc); especially : a glassy hydrate of such a sulfate b : oil of vitriol 2: something felt to resemble vitriol especially in caustic quality; especially : virulence of feeling or of speech "His speech was full of political vitriol." "a film critic noted for the vitriol and sometimes outright cruelty of his pronouncements" VIRTUOUS:1: potent, efficacious 2a : having or exhibiting virtue — (see virtue) b : morally excellent : righteous "a virtuous decision" 3: chaste

Answer 56

ARROGATE:: to take or claim (something, such as a right or a privilege) in a way that is not fair or legal 1a : to claim or seize without justification b : to make undue claims to having : assume 2: to claim on behalf of another : ascribe "They've arrogated to themselves the power to change the rules arbitrarily." "She arrogated the leadership role to herself." ABROGATE:: to end or cancel (something) in a formal and official way : to fail to do what is required by (something, such as a responsibility) 1: to abolish by authoritative action : annul 2: to treat as nonexistent "abrogating their responsibilities" "The company's directors are accused of abrogating their responsibilities." "the U.S. Congress can abrogate old treaties that are unfair to Native Americans" ABNEGATE: 1: deny, renounce "abnegated their God" 2: surrender, relinquish "abnegated her powers" ABDICATE: : to leave the position of being a king or queen : to fail to do what is required by (a duty or responsibility)

Answer 57

PROPITIOUS:: likely to have or produce good results 1: favorably disposed : benevolent 2: being a good omen : AUSPICIOUS "propitious sign" 3: tending to favor : advantageous "Now is a propitious time to start a business." PROPITIATE: : to make (someone) pleased or less angry by giving or saying something desired : to gain or regain the favor or goodwill of : APPEASE "He made an offering to propitiate the angry gods."

Answer 58

PROFUNDITY: 1a : intellectual depth b : something profound or abstruse 2: the quality or state of being profound or deep "the profundity of his thoughts" "Her books are a mixture of playfulness and profundity." FECUND: 1: fruitful in offspring or vegetation : prolific. "a fecund breed of cattle" 2: intellectually productive or inventive to a marked degree. "a fecund imagination"

Answer 59

IMPERTINENT:1: not pertinent : irrelevant 2a : not restrained within due or proper bounds especially of propriety or good taste "impertinent curiosity" b : given to or characterized by insolent rudeness "an impertinent answer" PERTINENT: having a clear decisive relevance to the matter in hand "he impressed the jury with his concise, pertinent answers to the attorney's questions" PERTINACIOUS: 1a : adhering resolutely to an opinion, purpose, or design b : perversely persistent 2: stubbornly tenacious "a pertinacious little boy who was determined to catch and collect reptiles" "a pertinacious salesman who would simply not take “No!” for an answer"

Answer 60

SERENDIPITY: luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for SURREPTITIOUS: done in a secret way: stealthy

Answer 61

CATHOLIC: comprehensive, universal; especially : broad in sympathies, tastes, or interests "She is a novelist who is catholic in her interests." "a museum director with catholic tastes in art" CATECHIZE: 1: to instruct systematically especially by questions, answers, and explanations and corrections; specifically : to give religious instruction in such a manner 2: to question systematically or searchingly "her roommates catechized her about every detail of her date with her new boyfriend" "applicants are rigorously cathechized by the seminary's rector regarding their motives for joining the priesthood"

Similar Words - Don't Get These Confused Flashcards

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