Vocab 12 Flashcards
(42 cards)
Premonition
a strong feeling that something is about to happen, especially something unpleasant.
“he had a premonition of imminent disaster”
Entreaty
an earnest or humble request.
“his supervisors have ignored his entreaties”
Niggling
causing slight but persistent annoyance, discomfort, or anxiety.
“niggling aches and pains”
disconcerting
causing one to feel unsettled.
“he had a disconcerting habit of offering jobs to people he met at dinner parties”
compendious
containing or presenting the essential facts of something in a comprehensive but concise way.
“a compendious study”
mimicry
the action or art of imitating someone or something, typically in order to entertain or ridicule.
“the word was spoken with gently teasing mimicry”
priggish
self-righteously moralistic and superior.
“a priggish little pedant”
expunge
erase or remove completely (something unwanted or unpleasant).
“I’ve kind of expunged that period from my CV”
trounce
defeat heavily in a contest.
“the Knicks trounced the Rockets on Sunday”
inconsequential
not important or significant.
“they talked about inconsequential things”
arcane
understood by few; mysterious or secret.
“modern math and its arcane notation”
eclectic
deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
“universities offering an eclectic mix of courses”
denoting or belonging to a class of ancient philosophers who did not belong to or found any recognized school of thought but selected doctrines from various schools of thought.
tantamount
equivalent in seriousness to; virtually the same as.
“the resignations were tantamount to an admission of guilt”
exonerate
(especially of an official body) absolve (someone) from blame for a fault or wrongdoing, especially after due consideration of the case.
“they should exonerate these men from this crime”
release someone from (a duty or obligation).
“Pope Clement V exonerated the king from his oath to the barons”
spewing
expel large quantities of (something) rapidly and forcibly.
“buses were spewing out black clouds of exhaust”
petulant
(of a person or their manner) childishly sulky or bad-tempered.
“he was moody and petulant”
recant
say that one no longer holds an opinion or belief, especially one considered heretical.
“heretics were burned if they would not recant”
diatribe
a forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something.
“a diatribe against the Roman Catholic Church”
tirade
a long, angry speech of criticism or accusation.
“a tirade of abuse
consanguinity
the fact of being descended from the same ancestor.
“the marriage was annulled on grounds of consanguinity”
sift
put (a fine, loose, or powdery substance) through a sieve so as to remove lumps or large particles.
“sift the flour into a large bowl”
examine (something) thoroughly so as to isolate that which is most important or useful.
“until we sift the evidence ourselves, we can’t comment objectively”
dispose
get rid of by throwing away or giving or selling to someone else.
“people now have substantial assets to dispose of after their death”
bring (someone) into a particular frame of mind.
“prolactin is released, disposing you toward sleep”
extrinsic
not part of the essential nature of someone or something; coming or operating from outside.
“extrinsic factors that might affect time budgets”
(of a muscle, such as any of the eye muscles) having its origin some distance from the part that it moves.
wherewith
with or by which.
“the instrumental means wherewith the action is performed”
