Vocab 4 Flashcards
(51 cards)
Ossify
become rigid or fixed in attitude or position; cease developing.
“our political system has ossified”
Reactionary
(of a person or a set of views) opposing political or social liberalization or reform.
“reactionary attitudes toward women’s rights”
Artillery
a military detachment or branch of the armed forces that uses large-caliber guns.
Agglomeration
a mass or collection of things; an assemblage.
“the arts center is an agglomeration of theaters, galleries, shops, restaurants and bars”
Frontier
a line or border separating two countries.
“international crime knows no frontiers”
the extreme limit of understanding or achievement in a particular area.
“the success of science in extending the frontiers of knowledge”
Fetter
restrain with chains or manacles, typically around the ankles.
“there were no chains immediately available to fetter the prisoners”
Supersede
take the place of (a person or thing previously in authority or use); supplant.
“the older models have now been superseded”
Strata
a level or class to which people are assigned according to their social status, education, or income.
“members of other social strata”
Diminutive
extremely or unusually small.
“a diminutive figure dressed in black”
Precarious
not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse.
“a precarious ladder”
dependent on chance; uncertain.
“he made a precarious living as a painter”
Superincumbent
lying on something else.
“the crushing effect of the superincumbent masonry”
Jurisprudence
the theory or philosophy of law.
a legal system.
“American jurisprudence”
Tautology
the saying of the same thing twice in different words, generally considered to be a fault of style
Outgrowth
something that grows out of something else.
“outgrowths at the base of the leaf”
a natural development or result of something.
“the book is an imaginative outgrowth of practical criticism”
Induce
succeed in persuading or influencing (someone) to do something.
“the pickets induced many workers to stay away”
Inroad
progress; an advance.
“an important way to make inroads in reducing spending”
a hostile attack; a raid.
Paramilitary
of an unofficial force) organized similarly to a military force.
“soldiers and police have been killed in conflicts with the drug cartels and their paramilitary allies”
Lampoon
publicly criticize (someone or something) by using ridicule, irony, or sarcasm.
“the actor was lampooned by the press”
a speech or text lampooning someone or something.
“does this sound like a lampoon of student life?”
Indictment
a formal charge or accusation of a serious crime.
“an indictment for conspiracy”
a thing that serves to illustrate that a system or situation is bad and deserves to be condemned.
“these rapidly escalating crime figures are an indictment of our society”
Upbraid
find fault with (someone); scold.
“he was upbraided for his slovenly appearance”
High-falutin
especially of speech, writing, or ideas) pompous or pretentious.
“you don’t want any highfalutin jargon”
Clerical
of a job or person) concerned with or relating to work in an office, especially routine documentation and administrative tasks.
“temps are always needed for clerical work”
relating to the clergy.
“he was still attired in his clerical outfit”
Parson
a beneficed member of the clergy; a rector or a vicar.
Declaim
utter or deliver words or a speech in a rhetorical or impassioned way, as if to an audience.
“she declaimed her views”
