25/08 Flashcards
Hit Parade 2
Ascetic
(N) one who practices rigid self-denial
Avarice
(N) greed (esp for wealth)
Axiom
(N) universally recognized principle
Burgeon
(V) to grow rapidly or flourish
Bucolic
(Adj) rustic as pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
Canon
(N) an established set of principles or code of law, often religious in nature
Castigation
(N) severe criticism or punishment
Caustic
(Adj) burning or stinging; causing corrosion
Chary
(Adj) wary; cautious; sparing
Cogent
(Adj) appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing
Complaisance
(N) the willingness to comply with the wishes
Contrite
(Adj) regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness
Culpable
(Adj) deserving blame
Demur
(V) to question or oppose
Discretion
(N) cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions
Disinterested
(Adj) free of bias or self-interest; impartial
Dogmatic
(Adj) expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles
Ebullience
(N) the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings
Eclectic
(Adj) composed of elements drawn from various sources
Elegy
(N) a mournful poem,esp. One lamenting the dead
Emolliment
(Adj) / (n) soothing, esp. To the skin; making less harsh; mollifying
Empirical
(Adj) based on observation or experiment
Facetious
(Adj) playful, humorous
Fallacy
(N) an invalid or incorrect notion
Furtive
(Adj) marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
Gregarious
(Adj) sociable; outgoing
Harangue
(V). / (n) to deliver a forceful or angry speech; raging speech or writing
Heretical
(Adj) violating accepted dogma or convention
Impecunious
(Adj) lacking funds; without money
Incipent
(Adj) beginning to come into being or to become apparent
Inert
(Adj) unmoving; lethargic; sluggish
Intransigent
(Adj) refusing to compromise
Inviegle
(V) to obtain by deception or flattery
Odious
(Adj) evoking intense aversion or dislike
Penurious
(Adj) excessively thrifty; penny-pinching; ungenerous
Pernicious
(Adj) extremely harmful in a way that is not easily seen or noticed
Peruse
(V) to examine with great care
Pious
(Adj) extremely reverent or devout
Preen
(V) to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care
Prodigious
(Adj) abundant in size, force or extent; extraordinary
Prolific
(Adj) producing large volumes or amounts; productive
Putrefy
(V) to rot
Quaff
(V)to drink deeply
Quiescence
(N) stillness; motionlessness
Redoubtable
(Adj) awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
Sanction
(N)/(v)
Authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority
Satire
(N) a literary work that ridicules or criticises a human vice through humor or derision
Squalid
(Adj) wretched or dirty; as from neglect
Supplant
(V) to take the place of; to supersede
Torpid
(Adj) lethargic; sluggish; dormant
Ubiquitous
(Adj) existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread
Urbane
(Adj) sophisticated; refined; elegant
Vilify
(V) to defame; to characterize harshly
Torpor
(N) the state of being sluggish, lethargic or dormant
Squalor
(N) bring wretched and dirty, as from neglect
Putrial
(N) state of being rotten or decayed
Piety
(N) state of being extremely reverent or devout
Perusal
(N) examination of something with great care
Heresy
(N)state of being in violation of accepted dogma or convention
Dogma
(N) rigis opinion based on unproved or improvable principles
Discreet
(Adj) cautiously reserved in speech
Contrition
(N) being regretful