Week 6 Flashcards
(116 cards)
1
Q
inchoate
A
rudimentary, not fully formed or developed
the country ran an inchoate democracy
2
Q
vitriolic
A
filled with criticism or malice
it was a vitriolic attack on the government
3
Q
ineffable
A
too great or extreme to be described in words
ineffable beauty
4
Q
inexorable
A
impossible to stop or prevent
the seemingly inexorable march of new technology
5
Q
interlocutor
A
someone who takes part in a dialogue
one of the interlocutors asked a very interesting question.
6
Q
jingoism
A
aggressive touting of one’s patriotism
the politician’s jingoism caused much controversy
7
Q
leviathon/leviathan
A
something huge (based on a mythological creature) he faced a leviathon of a monster
8
Q
licentious
A
morally lax or unprincipled
he followed licentious rules
9
Q
mawkishness
A
sentimental in a feeble or sickly way, overly sentimental
a mawkish poem
10
Q
milieu
A
a person’s social environment- he grew up in a military milieu
11
Q
munificence
A
being generous
we must be thankful for his munificence
12
Q
myopic
A
nearsighted
the gov’t has a myopic view on the issue
13
Q
nihilism
A
rejection of established values and morality
his nihilism led to a rebellious personality
14
Q
nondescript
A
lacking distinctive features
she lived in a nondescript suburban neighborhood
15
Q
nonplussed
A
confused to the point of not being able to speak
he was nonplussed by the fact that his wife was a spy
16
Q
obstreperous
A
noisy and difficult to control
the boy is obstreperous and cocky
17
Q
onerous
A
burdensome
he found his duties increasingly onerous
18
Q
opprobrium
A
harsh criticism or censure; scorn, contempt
his films generated critical opprobrium
19
Q
ostensible
A
stating or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so
the delay may have a cause different than the ostensible one
20
Q
panacea
A
a solution or remedy for all diseases
the panacea for stress is ice cream
21
Q
pedagogic
A
of or relating to teaching
they showed great pedagogic skills
22
Q
perfidious
A
deceitful and untrustworthy
she was a perfidious lover
23
Q
petulant
A
childishly sulky or bad tempered
he was moody and petulant
24
Q
plaudits
A
praise
the network received plaudits for its sports show
25
pontificate
to express opinion pompously or superciliously
| he was pontificating about art and history
26
precept
rule of behavior or action
| the religion included many moral precepts
27
precipitate
to cause something to happen before planned
| the incident precipitated a political crisis
28
probity
having moral principles, honesty, and decency
| the businessman had financial probity
29
profligate
recklessly extravagant or wasteful
| they were profligate consumers of energy
30
promulgate
promote or make widely known
| the organization promulgated their beliefs
31
supercilious
behaving or thinking superiorly
| the supercilious lady acted above everyone else
32
qualm
an uneasy feeling of doubt, worry, or fear
| they had no qualms about what might happen at the event
33
quibble
slight objection or criticism
| besides a few quibbles, the book was a masterpiece
34
quixotic
unrealistic and impractical
| the project was vast and quixotic
35
raiment
clothing
| they dressed in formal raiments
36
refractory
stubborn or unmanageable
| the refractory horse wouldn't obey
37
retrograde
reverting to an earlier, inferior position; going back
| the new law was a retrograde step
38
serendipity
good fortune; making a discovery by accident
| in a stroke of serendipity, he found a 100 dollar bill on the floor
39
spate
large number of things in quick succession
| he delivered a spate of insults towards his brother
40
steadfastness
dutifully firm and unwavering
| steadfast loyalty
41
subterfuge
deceit used in order to achieve a goal
| journalists often relied on subterfuge
42
surfeit
an excessive amount of something
| he consumed a surfeit of food
43
sybarite
a self-indulgent hedonist in fondness of sensual wealth.
| the fancy restaurant only catered to wealthy sybarites.
44
synergistic
working together and having a greater combined effect
| their work was synergistic- they got more done together
45
tawdry
cheap looking but gaudy and showy
| she bought tawdry jewlery
46
temerity
reckless boldness
| he led the battle charge with temerity
47
threadbare
worn and shabby
| he wore threadbare clothing
48
perfidy
deceitfulness, untrustworthiness
| perfidy would not go unpunished under his watch
49
treacly/treacle
overly sentimental
| enough of this treacle, let's go back to business
50
truculent
belligerent
| his days of truculent defiance were over
51
turgid
swollen or pompous
| the book used turgid language
52
unctuous
inky/oily or ingratiating
the goo had an unctuous texture
he spoke in an unctuous manner
53
unheralded
unannounced or unexpected
| he brought an unheralded surprise
54
untenable
unable to be defended
| the argument was untenable
55
upstart
a rebel
| the upstart would not conform to society
56
vaunt
brag or boast
| he vaunted about his new plan
57
verisimilitude
appearance of being true or real
| the detail gave the novel versimilitude
58
victuals
food
| they were known for their extreme consumption of victuals
59
virile
strong, manly
| the virile bully despised weak people
60
visceral
relating to the abdomen; instinctive rather than reasoned
| he voted conservative because he had a visceral fear of change
61
vitiate
to impair or render ineffective
| the lack of support vitiated the movement
62
vitriolic
filled with criticism or malice
| vitriolic attacks
63
watershed
a turning point
| the battle was the watershed in the war
64
waylay
to stop or interrupt, esp. for conversation
| he waylaid me in the stairs
65
wheedle
to cajole or coax
| he wheedled his brother into driving him places
66
wily
sly
| he faced wily opponents
67
windfall
an unexpected gain or boon
| winning the lottery was an unexpected windfall
68
winsome
attractive
| she had a winsome smile
69
witticism
a witty remark
| his witticisms made him popular
70
zephyr
a light breeze
| the hurricane soon turned into a mere zephyr
71
meandering
following a winding course
| he took a meandering lane
72
serpentine
of or like a serpent, esp. bc of winding
| a serpentine lane
73
sinuous
with many curves or turns
| the sinuous river
74
sagacious
showing good judgement
| they were sagacious enough not to jump off the waterfall
75
scathing
witheringly scornful and critical
76
fanciful
over-imaginative and unrealistic
| he had fanciful fantasies of unicorns
77
phlegmatic
unemotionally stolid
| his phlegmatic disposition allowed him to get over his friends' death
78
embroider
to decorate or embellish
| she embroidered her toys with sparkles
79
equivocate
to use ambiguous language to hide or conceal
| he equivocated when asked about the scandal
80
augur
to signal a good or bad outcome
| the end of the war seemed to augur well
81
portend
to be a sign or warning of something
| eclipses portant major events
82
premonition
strong feeling that something is going to happen
| he had a premonition of imminent disaster
83
parsimonious
frugal or stingy
| they were parsimonious in spending money during holidays
84
penurious
poor or poverty stricken
| a penurious old tramp
85
jaunty
lively, cheerful, or self confident
| there was no mistaking that jaunty walk
86
incipient
initial stage, beginning to happen
| he could feel incipient anger building up
87
nascent
just coming into existence
| the nascent space industry
88
haptic
relating to sense of touch
| haptic feedback provides users with the illusion of real-world virtual objects
89
palpable
able to be touched or felt
| he had a palpable bump on his leg
90
surreptitious
kept secret
| they kept it a surreptitious affair
91
modicum
small quantity
| he only told a modicum of the truth
92
tenuous
very weak or slight
| tenuous evidence is not enough to send someone to jail
93
tangential
barely touching, slightly connected, diverging
| tangential information
94
aural
relating to the sense of hearing
| he had a strong aural sense
95
strident
loud and harsh, grating
| his voice became increasingly strident
96
dilatory
slow to act
| he had been dilatory in preparing for the exam
97
redolent
strongly reminiscent or suggestive
| his writing was redolent of shakespeare
98
banal
obviously lacking originality
| songs with banal, repeated words
99
insipid
lacking vigor or interest
| artists continue to churn out insipid work
100
soporific
inducing drowsiness or sleepiness
| the boring sermon was soporific
101
vapid
lacking liveliness, dull or tedious
| a vapid party
102
burgeon
begin to increase or grow rapidly
| manufacturers are keen on cashing in on the burgeoning demand
103
distend
to cause to swell from pressure
| the abdomen distended rapidly
104
redouble
to make greater or more numerous
| he redoubled his efforts
105
scintillating
sparkling or shining brightly
| the scintillating sun
106
averse
having a strong dislike or opposition to something
| he was averse to his beliefs
107
demure
reserved, modest, shy (of a woman)
| a demure midwife
108
diffident
modest or shy because of lack of self confidence
| he was a diffident person
109
placid
not easily upset or excited, tranquil
| the horse had a placid natrue
110
fastidious
attentive to detail
| he chooses his words with fastidious care
111
cantankerous
bad tempered, argumentative, and uncooperative
| he was a cantankerous old man
112
rancorous
characterized by bitterness and resentment
| rancorous disputes filled the room
113
repugnant
distasteful, unacceptable
| the thought of moving back was repugnant to him
114
stratify
to arrange into layers
| the city was socially stratified
115
variegate
irregularly exhibiting different colors
| variegated yellow bricks with red splotches
116
withering
intended to make someone feel mortified or humiliated
| he gave him a withering look
