1 - 25 Flashcards
enormous
Adjective: enormous i’nor-mus
Extraordinarily large in size, extent, amount, power or degree "an enormous boulder"; "enormous expenses"; - tremendous, ginormous [Brit]
mediocrity
Noun: mediocrity ,mee-dee’ó-kri-tee
Ordinariness as a consequence of being average and not outstanding - averageness A person of second-rate ability or value "shone among the mediocrities who surrounded him"; - second-rater
indefinable
Adjective: indefinable ,in-du’fI-nu-bul
Not capable of being precisely or readily described; not easily put into words "an abstract concept that seems indefinable"; "an indefinable feeling of terror"; - undefinable Defying expression or description "indefinable yearnings";
clientele
Noun: clientele ,klee-un’tel or ,klI-un’tel or ,klee,ón’tel
Customers collectively "they have an upper class clientele"; - patronage, business
excavated
erb: excavate ‘ek-sku,veyt
Recover through digging "Schliemann excavated Troy"; "excavate gold"; - unearth Find by digging in the ground "I excavated an old box in the garden"; - dig up, turn up
theropods
Noun: theropod ‘theer-u,pód
Any of numerous carnivorous dinosaurs of the Triassic to Cretaceous with short forelimbs that walked or ran on strong hind legs - theropod dinosaur, bird-footed dinosaur
contemporaries
Noun: contemporaries kun’tem-pu,re-reez [N. Amer], kun’tem-pu-(ru-)reez [Brit]
All the people living at the same time or of approximately the same age - coevals, generation
Noun: contemporary kun’tem-pu,re-ree [N. Amer], kun’tem-pu-(ru-)ree [Brit]
A person of nearly the same age as another - coeval
shoddy
Adjective: shoddy (shoddier,shoddiest) shó-dee
Cheap and shoddy "shoddy moviemaking...that feeds on the low taste of the mob"; - cheapjack [N. Amer], tawdry Of inferior workmanship and materials "mean little shoddy houses"; - jerry-built Designed to deceive or mislead either deliberately or inadvertently
ecological
Adjective: ecological ,ee-ku’ló-ji-kul
Characterized by the interdependence of living organisms in an environment "an ecological disaster"; - ecologic (biology) of or relating to the science of ecology "ecological research"; - ecologic, bionomical, bionomic
unsettling
Verb: unsettle ,ún’se-t(u)l
Disturb the composure of "The kids are so comfortably settled, isn't it a pity to unsettle them?";
abjure
Verb: abjure ub’jûr or ab’jûr
Formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure "She abjured her beliefs"; - recant, forswear, retract, resile
pragmatic
Adjective: pragmatic prag’ma-tik
Concerned with practical matters "a pragmatic approach to the problem"; - matter-of-fact, pragmatical Of or concerning the theory of pragmatism - pragmatical Guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory "not ideology but pragmatic politics"; - hardheaded, hard-nosed, practical
crave
Verb: crave kreyv
Have a craving, appetite, or great desire for - hunger, thirst, starve, lust Plead or ask for earnestly
calming
Noun: calming kaa(l)-ming
The act of appeasing (as by acceding to the demands of) - appeasement
Verb: calm kaa(l)m
Make calm or still "calm the dragons of worry and fear"; - calm down, quiet, tranquilize [N. Amer], tranquillize, tranquillise [Brit], quieten [Brit], lull, still
dissuade
Verb: dissuade di’sweyd
Turn away from by persuasion "Negative campaigning will only dissuade people"; - deter
Derived forms: dissuades, dissuaded, dissuading
dearth
Noun: dearth durth
An acute insufficiency - famine, shortage An insufficient quantity or number - paucity
Derived forms: dearths
barren
Adjective: barren (barrener,barrenest) ber-un [N. Amer], ba-run [Brit]
Providing no shelter or sustenance "barren lands"; - bare, bleak, desolate, stark Not bearing offspring "a barren woman" Completely wanting or lacking "writing barren of insight"; - destitute, devoid, free, innocent, empty
conducive
Adjective: conducive kun’d(y)oo-siv
Tending to bring about; being partly responsible for "working conditions are not conducive to productivity
indecisive
Adjective: indecisive ,in-di’sI-siv
Characterized by lack of decision and firmness "an indecisive manager brought the enterprise to a standstill";
substantial
Adjective: substantial sub’stan-shul
Fairly large "won by a substantial margin"; - significant Having a firm basis in reality and being therefore important, meaningful, or considerable "substantial equivalents"; - substantive Having substance or capable of being treated as fact; not imaginary "a mere dream, neither substantial nor practical"; "most ponderous and substantial things"; "the substantial world"; - real, material
vogue
Noun: vogue vowg
The popular taste at a given time "leather is the latest vogue"; - trend, style
propagated
Verb: propagate ‘pró-pu,geyt
Transmit from one generation to the next "propagate these characteristics" Travel through the air "sound and light propagate in this medium" Transmit "propagate sound or light through air"
diverse
Adjective: diverse dI’vurs or ‘dI,vurs
Many and different "a person of diverse talents";
credence
The mental attitude that something is believable and should be accepted as true
“he gave credence to the gossip”;
entropy
(communication theory) a numerical measure of the uncertainty of an outcome
wrought
Shaped to fit by or as if by altering the contours of a pliable mass (as by work or effort)
wreak
Cause to happen or to occur as a consequence
tenet
A religious doctrine that is proclaimed as true without proof
resilience
The physical property of a material that can return to its original shape or position after deformation that does not exceed its elastic limit
- resiliency
An occurrence of rebounding or springing back - resiliency
Derived forms: resiliences
avalanche
snow slide
avarice
greed
onslaught
against / violent attack
intent
strong intention/interest
accede
agree with
probe
something into
devious
dishonest, deceitful, underhand
