100 Years Of Solitude Flashcards
Lugubrious
sad and serious:
a lugubrious face
Consternation
a feeling of worry, shock, or confusion:
The prospect of so much work filled him with consternation.
To his consternation, when he got to the airport he found he’d forgotten his passport.
Concupiscence
sexual desire
Perversion
sexual behaviour that is considered strange and unpleasant by most people:
The novels of the Marquis de Sade deal with sexual perversion.
Taiberus had perverse sex life
Perverse
strange and not what most people would expect or enjoy:
Jack was being perverse and refusing to agree with anything we said.
She took a perverse pleasure in hearing that her sister was getting divorced.
Plague
to cause worry, pain, or difficulty to someone or something over a period of time:
Financial problems have been plaguing their new business partners.
My shoulder’s been plaguing me all week.
Irrevocably
in a way that is impossible to change:
Closing the factory would irrevocably alter the character of the local community for the worse.
He came back from the war irrevocably changed.
Decrepit
in very bad condition because of being old, or not having been cared for, or having been used a lot:
Most of the buildings were old and decrepit.
A decrepit old man sat on a park bench.
Irremediable
impossible to correct or cure:
The merits of this plan outweighed several obvious flaws in it, which were irremediable.
Indecipherable
unable to be read or understood:
Her handwriting is virtually indecipherable.
Despotism
he rule of a despot (= a ruler with unlimited power, often one who is unfair and cruel):
After years of despotism, the country is now moving towards democracy.
During his reign, he earned a reputation for despotism.
Vigilance
more careful attention, especially in order to notice possible danger:
The police said that it was thanks to the vigilance of a neighbour that the fire was discovered before it could spread.
Prostration
the act or position of lying with the face down and arms stretched out, especially as a sign of respect or worship:
Approaching the main statue, he threw himself in full prostration before it.
Some people performed prostrations, a sign of respect for the teacher.
Delirium
a state of being unable to think or speak clearly because of fever or mental confusion:
fever accompanied by delirium
Insidious
(of something unpleasant or dangerous) gradually and secretly causing harm:
High blood pressure is an insidious condition which has few symptoms.
Interrogate
to ask someone a lot of questions for a long time in order to get information, sometimes using threats or violence:
Thousands of dissidents have been interrogated or imprisoned in recent weeks.
Covet
to want to have something very much, especially something that belongs to someone else:
She always coveted power but never quite achieved it.
The Booker Prize is the most coveted British literary award.
Bestial
cruel or like an animal:
The soldiers were accused of bestial acts against unarmed civilians.
Belching
to allow air from the stomach to come out noisily through the mouth:
He belched noisily.
Inconceivable
impossible to imagine or think of:
The idea that they might not win was inconceivable to them.
It would be inconceivable for her to change her mind.
Haste (hasty = speedy)
(too much) speed:
Unfortunately the report was prepared in haste and contained several inaccuracies.
[ + to infinitive ] In her haste to get up from the table, she knocked over a cup.
His father had just died and he didn’t want to marry with indecent haste
Concatenation
a series of events, ideas, or things that are connected:
a concatenation of circumstances/events
subterfuge
a trick or a dishonest way of achieving something:
It was clear that they must have obtained the information by subterfuge.
forge
to make an illegal copy of something in order to deceive:
a forged passport
a forged signature
A number of forged works of art have been sold as genuine
subversion
the act of trying to destroy or damage an established system or government:
He was found guilty of subversion and imprisoned
instigation
the action of causing an event or situation to happen by making a set of actions or a formal process begin:
The inquiry was begun at the instigation of a local MP.
They were arrested on suspicion of the instigation of acts of terrorism
terseness
the use of few words to say something, sometimes in a way that seems rude or unfriendly:
He answered with uncharacteristic terseness, “Yes, to both”
predilection
If someone has a predilection for something, they like it a lot:
Ever since she was a child, she has had a predilection for spicy food.
abrogate
to end a law, agreement, or custom formally:
The treaty was abrogated in 1929
succumb
to lose the determination to oppose something; to accept defeat:
The town finally succumbed last week after being pounded with heavy artillery for more than two months.
I’m afraid I succumbed to temptation and had a piece of cheesecake.
I felt sure it would only be a matter of time before he succumbed to my charms
to die or suffer badly from an illness:
Thousands of cows have succumbed to the disease in the past few months.
delirium
a state of being unable to think or speak clearly because of fever or mental confusion:
fever accompanied by delirium
a state of extreme excitement or happiness:
I’ve never seen such delirium at a football game before.
Complicity
involvement in a crime or some activity that is wrong:
She is suspected of complicity in the fraud.
Voracious
very eager for something, especially a lot of food:
He has a voracious appetite (= he eats a lot).
He’s a voracious reader of historical novels (= he reads a lot of them eagerly and quickly).
Colossus
a person or thing of great size, influence, or ability:
She has been described as the creative colossus of the literary world.
Usurp
to take control of a position of power, especially without having the right to:
Local control is being usurped by central government.
Barrack
to shout loudly in order to interrupt someone that you disagree with:
Every time the minister got up to speak he was barracked mercilessly.
Convalesce
to rest in order to get better after an illness:
After your operation, you’ll need to convalesce for a week or two.
Decrepitude
the fact of being in very bad condition because of being old, or not having been cared for, or having been used a lot:
a state of decrepitude
Her mother was in the final stages of senile decrepitude.
Stupefaction
the condition of being unable to think clearly, usually because someone is extremely tired or bored, or has taken drugs:
Because of the drugs, he was in a state of stupefaction by the time we found him.
He was intoxicated to the point of stupefaction.
Stoicism
the quality of experiencing pain or trouble without complaining or showing your emotions:
He endured the pain of his wounds with great stoicism.
Teremity
a willingness to do or say something that shocks or upsets other people:
[ + to infinitive ] She had the temerity to call me a liar.
Desist
to stop doing something, especially something that someone else does not want you to do:
The soldiers have been ordered to desist from firing their guns.
The high winds are expected to desist tomorrow.
Trousseau
a collection of personal possessions, such as clothes, that a woman takes to her new home when she gets married
Temerity
a willingness to do or say something that shocks or upsets other people:
[ + to infinitive ] She had the temerity to call me a liar.
Shaken always speaks with great temerity to relatives because he wants to show himself/ his character, and shock them and make impression.
Tenacious
holding tightly onto something, or keeping an opinion in a determined way:
The baby took my finger in its tenacious little fist.
There has been tenacious local opposition to the new airport.
Respite
a pause or rest from something difficult or unpleasant:
We worked for hours without respite.
Obscene
offensive, rude, or shocking, usually because of being too obviously related to sex or showing sex:
In the raid, police found several boxes of obscene DVDs.
He was jailed for making obscene phone calls (= ones in which unwanted sexual suggestions were made to the listener).
obscene language/graffiti
Gibberish
spoken or written words that have no meaning:
I was so nervous, I just started talking gibberish.
Cynicism
believing that people are only interested in themselves and are not sincere:
She has a pretty cynical view of men.
I’ve always been deeply cynical about politicians.
Itinerary
a detailed plan or route of a journey:
The tour operator will arrange transport and plan your itinerary.
Tardy
slow or late in happening or arriving:
Dinner was somewhat delayed on account of David’s rather tardy arrival.
Stench
a strong, unpleasant smell:
the stench of rotting fish/burning rubber/cigarette smoke
an overpowering stench
a bad effect that follows an unpleasant event or situation and is noticeable for a long time:
For some time after the minister’s resignation, the stench of scandal hung over the government.
Rotten
Very bad, decayed
Rotten weather
Rotten vegetables
Aridity
he state of being very dry and without enough rain for plants:
the aridity of much of the Australian interior
the state of not being interesting or successful:
the aridity of a life without love
Unguent
a thick substance, usually with a pleasant smell, used to treat skin problems or make the skin soft:
She smelled powerfully of bath salts and unguents.
Avalanche
too many things that arrive or happen at the same time:
We were swamped by an avalanche of letters/phone calls/complaints.
Plebeian
belonging to a low social class:
He used to make fun of what he called her “plebeian origins”.
He retained a plebeian taste in food and drink.
Calamity
a serious accident or bad event causing damage or suffering for many people:
A series of calamities ruined them - floods, a failed harvest, and the death of a son.
