Vocab List 11-12 Flashcards
(20 cards)
magnanimous
generous in overlooking injury or insult; rising above pettiness or meanness
adjective
churchill emphasized that we should be firm in war, defiant in defeat, and magnanimous in victory
misanthrope
a person who hates or mistrusts all people
noun
because of his hateful stares and habitual silence, the man had the reputation of being a misanthrope.
parsimonious
unreasonable cheap or stingy, unwilling to spend
adjective
he had become so accustomed to a parsimonious way of living that he denied himself even the simplest comforts.
pundit
an expert in a particular subject or field who is frequently called on to give opinions about it to the public
noun
during the week of the Super Bowl, many so-called pundits are always telling you in advance which team will win the game.
officious
offering unnecessary or unwanted advice in services; meddlesome, especially in an overbearing way
adjective
to disguise the fact that he was performing no useful function, he developed an officious manner of intruding into everyone else’s work
intrepid
bold; fearless; dauntless; very brave
adjective
all honors should go to the intrepid and highly trained men who are exploring outer space.
lugubrious
very sad or mournful, especially in a way that seems exaggerated or ridiculous
adjective
his lugubrious expression was intended to suggest that he, more than anyone else, understood the sadness of the occasion.
esoteric
intended for or understood by only a chosen few beyond the knowledge and understanding of most people
adjective
the lecture was too esoteric to be appreciated by most people in the audience.
imperious
arrogant; haughty; seeking to dominate; overbearing
adjective
He is so inflated with the sense of his own importance that he adopts an imperious manner toward his subordinates.
poignant
distressing to the feelings; touching; appealing to the emotions; affecting
adjective
who can remain unmoved by the poignant scene in which sidney carton sacrifices his life for the woman he loves.
repugnant
distasteful; offensive; repulsive
adjective
i find his horrible manners utterly repugnant.
tacit
implied but not expressed
adjective
since mother raised no objection to my idea, I assumed that I had her tacit consent to go ahead with the plan.
vicarious
experienced in the imagination through the feelings or actions of another person.
adjective
having been too frail to participate in competitive sports, he took vicarious pleasure in his younger brother’s football heroics.
prevaricate
to evade or conceal the truth; to deviate from
the truth; to lie
verb
although you may be tempted to prevaricate, in the long run it will be better off if you own up to what you did.
supercilious
contemptuously proud; haughty; disdainful
adjective
in spite of his supercilious attitude, I refuse to concede that he is our social superior.
enervate
to weaken; to deprive of force
verb
the long stretch of hot, humid weather enervated all of us.
plethora
an excess; an overabundance
noun
the boy has a plethora of energy and inventiveness, which he sometimes directs into mischief.
prototype
an original that serves as a model on which later stages are based or judged; an early and typical example
noun
salinger’s brilliant catcher in the rye has served as the prototype for many novels about confused teenagers.
askew
to one side; crookedly
adverb
in my efforts to straighten the picture, I knocked the lampshade askew.
abrogate
to cancel or repeal by authority; to annul
verb
since the treaty had proved unworkable, the two nations decided to abrogate it.
