41-60 Flashcards
morbid
to do with death
“I had a morbid fascination with blood.”
Predilection
preference (usually bad)
“Ever since she was a child, she had a predilection for spicy food.”
nebulous
unclear, cloudy
“Nebulous topics, like the quality of life, are often discussed.”
conflate
to bring disparate elements together to form a whole
“This idea conflates all the opposing ideas into one big idea.”
disparate
separate, different
“Romeo and Juliet could never be together: their worlds were just too disparate.”
apropos
related to/as appropiate
“A propos of the girls’ football triump this weekend, I hope the boys also smash gateway.”
pe se
exactly/ intrinsically.
“I don’t enjoy marking books per se, but I do like seeing progress in them.”
intrinsically
in a natural/essential way
“Murderers aren’t often intrinsically evil; they often act out of momentary rage.”
oppugn
to fight against/ call into question
“Many people oppugned his peculiar ideas.”
élan
vigorous spirit/enthusiasm
“The dancers performed with contagious élan.”
inconspicuous
hidden
“The camo print is supposed to help soldiers remain inconspicuous.”
rudiments
basics
“I’m afraid you’re going to have to go back to the rudiments of Maths.”
mausoleum
fancy tomb
“I fancy seeing the mausoleum being built in his memory.”
vehemently
with strong feeling
“I objected vehemently, wanting to change my answer.”
apoplectic
mad with anger, like having a fit.
“My mother was absolutely apoplectic at my brother’s decision.”
philippic
long, critical speech
“Unfortunately, your enraged philippic towards your parents only sparked punishment.”
prosaic
tediously practical
“The truth is more prosaic, but disturbing.”
anaphora
repetition of the same word/phrase at the beginning of lines/sentences
epistrophe
repetition of the same words/phrases as the end of lines/sentences
placid
calm, easy-going, difficult to disturb
“The cows were quite placid, and didn’t seem to be disturbed by us.”
