10/1 Flashcards
Crafty
Cunning, skillful in deception or schemes
Counterpoint
Contrasting item, opposite; a complement; the use of contrast in a work of art
Milk is the perfect counterpoint to spicy food.
Cynical
Thinking the worst of others, bitterly pessimistic
Debase
Degrade, lower in quality
Do not debase your morals just to look cool.
Desiccate
Thoroughly dried up, dehydrated
Discriminating
Judicious, having good judgment or insight
Delineate
Mark the outline of; sketch, describe in detail
Default
Failure to act, neglect; fail to fulfill an obligation ($)
Dispatch
Speed, promptness; send or deal with in a speedy way
Dispassionate
Unbiased, not having a selfish or personal motivation, not influenced by strong emotions
Discredit
Injure the reputation of, destroy the credibility or confidence in
Credulous
Gullible, prone to believing too easily
Culminate
Reach the highest point, final stage
Daunt
Discourage, dishearten, lessen the courage of
Diatribe
Rant, bitter abusive attack
Deride
Mock, scoff at, laugh at
Crescendo
Steady increase in force, intensity; a climactic peak
Disabuse
Free someone of a mistake in thinking
Diverge
Differ, deviate; branch off or turn aside
Dissent
To disagree or take an opposing view
Derivative
Not original, secondary
Detached
Impartial, disinterested, unconcerned, distant, aloof, objective
Disinterested
Unbiased, impartial
Denigrate
Belittle, attack the reputation of
Deference
Respectful submission, yielding to the authority or opinion of
Disseminate
Scatter, spread about, broadcast
Divest
Deprive or strip of rank OR to sell off holdings
Din
Loud confused noise esp. for a long period of time
Discerning
Having good judgment or insight
Dissonance
Harsh in harmonious sound, disagreement, cacophony
Dogma
A system of principles laid down by authority, established belief
Pariah
Social outcast
Implicit
Implied, not stated directly; unquestionable, involved in the very essence of
It is essential that you trust him implicitly.
Jocular
Joking or given to joking
Keen
Sharp, piercing; very perceptive
Rocky has a keen sense of smell.
Inadvertent
Characterized by a lack of attention, careless
Lampoon
Harsh satire; ridicule or satirize
Levity
Lightness or lack of seriousness (sometimes inappropriate)
In as much
Considering
Levy
Collect tax on, wage war on, or enlist for military
Mollify
Calm or soothe; lessen or soften
We can use the gripe water to mollify her colic discomfort.
Lassitude
Tiredness, wariness; lazy indifference
August heat always causes lassitude.
Incendiary
Arousing rebellion, inflaming the sense, setting property on fire
His incendiary speeches always made his constituents wild.
Obstinate
Stubborn or hard to control
Inchoate
Just begun, undeveloped, unorganized
Her inchoate French proved no good in real life.
Languid
Drooping from exhaustion; sluggish, slow
Mores
Customs, manners or morals of a certain group
Incipient
Just beginning, in a very early stage
Nuance
A subtle difference in tone, meaning, expression
Incongruous
Out of place, inappropriate, not harmonious
Offhand
Causal, informal; rude in a short way, brusque
Officious
Meddlesome, eager in giving unwanted advice
Occult
To hide, shut off from view (eclipse ex.)
Outstrip
Surpass, exceed, leave behind
Paradigm
Model or pattern, worldview
Libertine
Morally or sexually unrestrained
Charlie Sheen
Inform
Inspire, animate; give substance to; be the characteristic quality of
A love of nature informed his writing.
Paradox
Contradiction or seeming contradiction that is true; a statement that seems contradictory or absurd but pin reality expresses a possible truth
Indeterminate
Not fixed, indefinite, vague
There is an indeterminate number of lottery winners.
Patronize
Condescending; having a superior manner
Paucity
Scarcity, lack of something
These definitions have a paucity of words.
Ingenuous
Genuine, sincere, naive
Perfidious
Deceitful and untrustworthy, disloyal, treacherous, violating one’s trust
Onerous
Hard to endure
