1-100 Flashcards
Abase
To humble; to disgrace
my intention was not to abase the comedian
Abjure
To reject; to abandon formally
the spy abjured his allegiance to the United States when he defected to Russia
Antipathy
Extreme dislike
the antipathy between fans of the rival soccer teams made the game more electrifying to watch
Apocryphal
Of questionable authority or authenticity
there is no hard or authoritative evidence to support the apocryphal tales that link the Roswell, New Mex, incident to a downed UFO
Approbation
Approval and praise
the approbation that Jerry Lewis received in France included a medal from the Ministry of Culture
Arbitrary
Determined by chance or impulse
when you lack the information to judge what to do next, you will be forced to make an arbitrary decision
Arbitrate
To judge a dispute between two opposing parties
since the couple could not come to an agreement, a judge was forced to arbitrate their divorce proceedings
Ardor
Intense and passionate feeling
bishop’s ardor for landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of scenic Hudson Valley
Arrogate
To claim without justification; to claim for oneself without right
Gretchen watched in astonishment as her boss arrogated the credit for her brilliant work on the project
Attenuate
To reduce in force or degree; to weaken
the Bill of Rights attenuated the traditional power of government to change laws at will
Augury
A prophecy; a prediction of events
troy hoped the rainbow was an augury of good things to come
August
Dignified; grandiose
the August view of the Grand Teton summit took my breath away
Austere
Sever or stern in appearance; undecorated
the lack of determination makes Zen temples seem austere to the untrained eye
Axiom
Premise; postulate; self-evident truth
halle lived her life based on the axioms her grandmother had passed on to her
Banal
Predictable; cliched; boring
his conversation consisted of banal phrases like “have a nice day”
Blithe
Joyful, cheerful, or without appropriate thought
summer finally came, and the blithe students spent their days at the beach
Boor
A crude person; one lacking manners or taste
that utter boor ruined my recital with his constant talking
Burgeon
To grow and flourish
flaukner neither confirmed nor denied stories, allowing the rumors to burgeon
Burnish
To polish
he burnished the silver coffee pot
Calumny
A false and malicious accusation; misrepresentation
the unscrupulous politician used calumny to bring down his opponent in the senatorial race
Capricious
Changing one’s mind quickly and often
The preteen was quite capricious, her parents could never figure out what she wanted
Caustic
Biting in wit
dorothy Parker gained her caustic reputation from her cutting, yet witty, insults
Chauvinist
Someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs
thinking women must obey men due to their superiority is very common amongst male chauvinists
Chicanery
Deception by means of craft or guile
dishonest used car salespeople often use chicanery to sell their beat up old cars
Cloying
Sickly sweet; excessive
At the start of their relationship, their cloying affection because nauseating
Coalesce
To grow together to form a single whole
the sun and planets eventually coalesced out of a vast cloud of gas and dust
Cogent
Convincing and well-reasoned
swayed by the cogent argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant
Contrite
Deeply sorrowful and repentant for a wrong
after people ran and slipped on the lifeguards watch, he felt contrite
Contumacious
Rebellious
the contumacious teenager ran away from home when her parents told her she was grounded
Convoluted
Intricate and complicated
the way the author wrote, only a few could follow its convoluted ideas and theories
Cosset
To pamper; to treat with great care
Marta just loves to cosset her first and only grandchild
Coterie
An intimate group of persons with a similar purpose
angel invited a coterie of fellow stamp enthusiasts to a stamp-trading party
Craven
Lacking courage
the craven lion ran from the mouse
Credulous
Too trusting; gullible
I can be a bit credulous when it comes to my friends
Cupidity
Greed; strong desire
the thief looked at his loot with cupidity in his eyes
Curmudgeon
A cranky person, usually an old one
ernesto was the notorious curmudgeon in the neighborhood with a short temper
Decorous
Proper; tasteful; socially correct
the princess was trained in decorous behavior to act accordingly
