101-200 Flashcards
Deference
Respect; courtesy
the young law clerk treated the Supreme Court justice with utmost deference
Deleterious
Subtly or unexpectedly harmful
leaving out the key details in the crocheted was deleterious to the company’s reputation
Demagogue
A leader or rabble-rouser, usually one appealing to emotion or prejudice
he was a demagogue, giving moving speeches to his supporters
Demur
To express doubts or objections
without enough info, the critic demured to the manager
Deride
To speak of or treat with contempt; to mock
the awkward child was often derided by his “cooler” peers
Desultory
Jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
athena had desultory academic record, after changing her majors 12 times
Diaphanous
Allowing light to show through; delicate
the diaphanous curtains did not block out the sunlight
Diatribe
An abusive, condemnatory speech
the trucker bellowed a diatribe at the driver who had cut him off
Diffident
Lacking self-confidence
Walking into the interview Jenna felt diffident looking at her resume with only two references
Dilatory
Intended to delay
the congresswoman used dilatory measures to delay the passage of the bill
Dilettante
Someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
Her friends were dilettantes switching jobs/hobbies consistently
Dirge
A funeral hymn or mournful speech
she had asked her sister to help her with the dirge for their mother
Disparate
Fundamentally different, entirely unlike
the twins had similar features yet their personalities were disparate
Dissemble
To present a false appearance; to disguise one’s real intentions or character
The villain could not dissemble the police any further and was caught leaving in different clothing
Dissonance
A harsh and disagreeable combination, especially of sounds
cognitive dissonance is inner conflict when long standing beliefs are contradicted with new evidence
Dither
To act confusedly or without clear purpose
I dithered around my apartment after getting distracted by a phone call from my mother
Diurnal
Active or occurring during the day
diurnal creatures tend to become inactive during the night
Doctrinaire
Rigidity devoted to theories without regard for practicality; dogmatic
the professor’s manner of teaching was considered doctrinaire for such liberal school
Dogmatic
Dictatorial in one’s opinion
the dictator was dogmatic, claiming he was the only person right
Droll
Amusing in a wry, subtle way
the play, not amazing like reviews said, was quite droll
Dyspeptic
Suffering from indigestion; gloomy and irritable
the dyspeptic individual was such a drag at the brunch
Ebullient
Exhilarated; full of enthusiasm and high spirits
the ebullient child was a handful for the tired parents
Edify
To instruct morally and spiritually
the spirit guide was supposed to edify the group on their trip
Effigy
A stuffed doll; a likeness of a person
the protestors burned effigies of the unpopular leader
Effrontery
Impudent boldness; audacity
the young man had the effrontery to laugh in the face of the woman he betrayed and cheated on
Elegy
A sorrowful poem or speech
the beautiful elegy said the funeral brought everyone to tears
Encomium
Warm praise
she wrote an encomium in praise of the outgoing president
Enervate
To reduce in strength
the group hoped the surprise attacks would enervate the army
Ephemeral
Lasting a short time
I originally thought the flight would be long but it felt ephemeral
Epicure
A person with refined taste in food and wine
the critic was a well known epicure
Equivocate
To use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
In order to deceive her side piece she equivocated and left him more confused than before
Erudite
Learned; scholarly; bookish
the valedictorian was the most elite erudite of the school
Esoteric
Known or understood only by a few
the extensive research in physics is esoteric
Estimable
Admirable
the work doctors do in the program Doctors Without Borders is considered estimable
Euphony
Pleasant, harmonious sound
the orchestra sounded like a euphony in the opening set
Exculpate
To clear from blame; to prove innocent
the defense lawyer was able to exculpate his client
Exponent
One who champions or advocates
the runner up was an exponent in climate change
Expurgate
To censor
China is known for expurgating its citizens on so many levels
Fatuous
Stupid; foolishly self-satisfied
Dad’s fatuous comments made his family cringe
Fawn
To grovel
the intern fawned at her boss’s feet
Fecund
Fertile; fruitful; productive
Mormons tend to be very fecund
Flag
To decline in vigor, strength, or interest
the endurance of the runner flagged as the finals miles of the marathon started
Florid
Excessively decorated or embellished
the florid decor of the party was contrasted by the attire guests wore
Foment
To arouse or incite
the Gilbert gooniez would foment violence with strangers
Fractious
Unruly; rebellious
the fractious teens are hard to parent
Frenetic
Frantic; frenzied
His frenetic schedule with two jobs and school never left him with free time
Frugality
Tending to be thrifty or cheap
the quality of the clothes had a frugality feel to them
Furtive
Secret; stealthy
the spy remained furtive in the vents above the ongoing meeting
Gambol
To dance or skip around playfully
the little kids on the playground would gambol together
Garrulous
Tending to talk a lot
the two were garrulous and seemed to stay entertained when in each other’s company
Gregarious
Outgoing; sociable
the gregarious new hire made friends at the company quickly
Guile
Deceit; trickery
magicians are very entertaining individuals that guile onlookers
