4-2, 5-2 Flashcards
deferential
respecful
apprehensive
anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen
exasperating
intensely irritating and frustrating
abet
encourage, assist
credulous
Gullible; prone to believing or trusting too easily or without enough evidence
Theranos is a horror story of wishful thinking, credulous media, and celebrity impunity
culminate
Reach the highest point or final stage
The investigation could culminate in the retroactive imposition of significant tariffs on solar cells and modules from Chinese companies
cupidity
Greed, great or excessive desire, avarice
The cupidity of the government and white real estate developers leaves working-class locals with few options
curmudgeon
Bad-tempered, difficult person; grouch
debase
Degrade; lower in quality, value, rank, etc.; lower in moral quality
… a constitutional amendment that would allow Congress to outlaw debasing the American flag.
declaim
to speak pompously or bombastically (usually on stage or podium); harangue
Listening to an actor declaim a passage in a Shakespeare play can be enjoyable.
Most people don’t appreciate being treated as an audience, and good advice is usually more welcome when it’s not given in a declamatory style.
declivity
Downward slope
decorous
Behaving with propriety and good taste; polite
We were asked to be on our most decorous behavior at the formal event
deface
Vandalize, mar the appearance of
The building was defaced with graffitti
deference
Respectful submission; yielding to the authority or opinion of another
The media’s deference to the mourning period has sparked discomfort, as regular news coverage and tv programming has been bene eclipsed with updates on King Charle’s accession
deleterious
Harmful, unhealthful
High quit rates have become so deleterious that companies are flagging the Great Resignation as a potential business risk in their annual reports
delimit
Fix, mark, or define the boundaries of
Strict guidelines and laws delimit his responsibilities as the monarch
disposition
A person’s general or natural mood; tendency
disquieting
Disturbing, causing anxiety
In much of the Bay Area, COVID and protocols have kept people in their homes, engulfing whole cities in a sense of disquieting calm
dissemble
Mislead, conceal the truth, put on a false appearance of
The government will soon mandate that all visitors be vaccinated, but my relative plans to dissemble in order to evade the requirement
disseminate
to spread, disperse
The group then used Telegram to disseminate photos of the vandalism.
dissonance
Harsh, inharmonious sound; cacophony; disagreement
the dissonance between what we are told and what we see with our own eyes
distaff
Female, esp. relating to the maternal side of the family; women or women’s work; a staff that holds wool or flax for spinning
distaff executives are still the vast minority
dissent
Disagree or take an opposing view, esp. in relation to a formal body such as a government, political party, or church; such a view
Three of the justices dissented from the majority opinion.
dissolution
breaking bonds or breaking up of a group of people; death, disintegration; sinking into extreme hedonism, vice, and degradation
What unites the democrats now is a passionate antagonism for Donald Trump, and a sincere worry that American democracy is on the precipice of dissolution
distend
swell or cause to well by pressure from inside
the abdomen distended rapidly
distill
purify; extract the essential elements from
dither
Act indecisively (verb); a state of fear or trembling excitement
The nation is facing humanitarian crisis, and countless allies remain trapped there, but the White House continue to dither
