Adj. Section 4 Flashcards
1
Q
momentary
A
lasting but a moment; very brief: a momentary glimpse
that might occur at any moment; ever impending: We are in momentary expectation of the arrival of you.
2
Q
momentous
A
(of a decision, event, or change) of great or far-reaching importance or consequence, especially in its bearing on the future
a momentous occasion, event, decision; the momentous news of the president’s death
3
Q
monumental
A
exceptionally great, as in quantity, quality, extent, or degree
a monumental work; it’s more than a mistake, it’s a case of monumental stupidity; the monumental complexity of the issue; repairing the damage will be a monumental task;
4
Q
moralistic
A
narrowly and conventionally moral
A moralistic speech will not convince kids not to try drugs.
5
Q
moribund
A
in a dying state; near death
a moribund economy, industry, company; a moribund patient, tree
Economies become moribund but a powerful, humane idea never dies.
6
Q
morose
A
sullen and ill-tempered, gloomy
a morose expression; I’ve been so morose today, thinking of everything I failed at.
7
Q
mundane
A
of or pertaining to this world or earth as contrasted with heaven; worldly, earthly: mundane affairs
common; ordinary; banal; unimaginative: Mundane matters such as paying bills and shopping for food do not interest her.
Mowing the lawn is a mundane chore.
8
Q
munificent
A
extremely liberal in giving; very generous
A former student has donated a munificent sum of money to the college.
9
Q
nebulous
A
hazy, vague, indistinct, or confused
nebulous memory; nebulous line between confidence and overconfidence; She has a few nebulous ideas about what she might like to do in the future, but nothing definite.
10
Q
nefarious
A
(typically of an action or activity) wicked or criminal
nefarious activities such as drug trafficking and fraud; The director of the company seems to have been involved in some nefarious practices, activities.
11
Q
nonchalant
A
feeling or appearing casually calm and relaxed; not displaying anxiety, interest, or enthusiasm
Most of them were pretty nonchalant and haven’t spoken to me about it much.
‘It will be fine,’ she replied, with a nonchalant shrug.
12
Q
nondescript
A
lacking distinctive or interesting features or characteristics
a nondescript person, building, town; It’s literally gorgeous, but also nondescript.
13
Q
nonporous
A
not porous(full of pores); not permeable by water, air rocks are nonporous
14
Q
notorious
A
widely and unfavorably known
a notorious criminal; The country is notorious for its appalling prison conditions; The bar has become notorious as a meeting-place for drug dealers; The city is notorious for its bumper-to-bumper traffic.
15
Q
oblique
A
the definition of oblique is slanted or tilted direction. It also refers to something that is misleading or not straight to the point; slanting
an oblique reference, approach, comment; She made several oblique references to the current financial situation.
An example of oblique is an argument that has no clear point or thesis to it.
16
Q
oblivious
A
unmindful; unconscious; unaware: She was oblivious of his admiration. He was quite oblivious of/to the danger.
forgetful; without remembrance or memory: oblivious of my former failure
17
Q
obnoxious
A
extremely unpleasant; someone or something that is very annoying or offensive; objectionable due to being a showoff
an obnoxious habit; When she’s in a bad mood, she is obnoxious to everyone; Some colleagues say that he’s loud and obnoxious; An example of obnoxious is an upstairs neighbor listening to extremely loud music at two o’clock in the morning
18
Q
obsequious
A
servilely compliant or deferential; complaisant
be obsequious to the great; She is almost embarrassingly obsequious to anyone in authority.
19
Q
obsolete
A
no longer produced or used; out of date
an obsolete vessel, word; Gas lamps became obsolete when electric lighting was invented.
20
Q
obstreperous
A
noisy and difficult to control; boisterous
obstreperous customers, patients, neighbors; a room full of obstreperous children; an obstreperous crowd protesting the government’s immigration policy
21
Q
obtrusive
A
noticeable or prominent in an unwelcome or intrusive way
Hats will be less obtrusive this season. The propaganda was occasionally obtrusive. The sofa would be less obtrusive in a paler color. They tried to ensure that their presence was not too obtrusive.
22
Q
obtuse
A
not quick or alert in perception, feeling, or intellect; not sensitive or observant; dull; not sharp, acute, or pointed; blunt in form
He is too obtuse to take a hint; Obtuse scissors designed so that young users will not cut themselves.
23
Q
ominous
A
giving the impression that something bad or unpleasant is going to happen; threatening; inauspicious
ominous dark clouds
There was an ominous silence when I asked if my contract was going to be renewed.
The engine had been making an ominous sound all the way from London.
24
Q
onerous
A
(of a task, duty, or responsibility) involving an amount of effort and difficulty that is oppressively burdensome
an onerous responsibility, job; the onerous duties of motherhood
25
opaque
not transparent or translucent; hard to understand; not clear or lucid; obscure
the opaque water of the muddy water; Somehow the listeners seem to connect with the songwriter, despite his deeply personal, often opaque lyrics.
26
opulent
ostentatiously rich and luxurious or lavish
hoping to marry an opulent widow; living in opulent comfort; an opulent upper crust that like to show off its possessions; an opulent mansion filled with priceless art and antiques
27
orthodox
conforming to what is generally or traditionally accepted as right or true; established and approved
orthodox treatment, methods, views, opinions; orthodox Christians, Jews, Muslims; we would prefer a more orthodox approach to the problem
28
ostensible
stated or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so; pretended
the ostensible reason for the army's presence was to keep the peace; the ostensible reason for the meeting turned out to be a trick to get him to the surprise party
29
ostentatious
characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice
an ostentatious gesture; they criticized the ostentatious lifestyle of their leaders; although extremely wealthy, he was never ostentatious
30
outlandish
freakishly or grotesquely strange or odd, as appearance, dress, objects, ideas, or practices; bizarre; having a foreign appearance
outlandish clothes; outlandish questions
31
overbearing
domineering; dictatorial; haughtily or rudely arrogant
overbearing heat; He had a pompous, overbearing father. To them, a strong executive and overbearing government are only useful during crises that involve jobs.
32
overt
done or shown openly; plainly or readily apparent, not secret or hidden
overt racism, hostility, criticism; they have given overt support to the new law; he shows no overt signs of his unhappiness
33
overwrought
in a state of nervous excitement or anxiety
she was so tired and overwrought that she burst into tears; he was in an overwrought state/condition for weeks after the accident
34
painstaking
requiring a lot of care, effort or hard work
it took months of painstaking research to write the book; he was described by his colleagues as a painstaking journalist
An example of something painstaking is a project requiring students to count every frame in a three hour long movie, a painstaking project.
35
partisan
a strong supporter of a party, cause, or person: most newspapers are politically partisan
partial to a specific party, person: partisan politics
Sharper partisan differences have a downside.
36
passionate
showing or caused by strong feelings or a strong belief
| He has a degree in landscape architecture and is passionate about plants.
37
patronizing
displaying an offensively condescending manner
I was only trying to explain; I didn't want to sound patronizing.
There's a patronizing and condescending tone to it which is off putting.
38
pedestrian
going or performed on foot; walking; lacking in vitality, imagination, distinction; commonplace; prosaic or dull
Her latest play is more pedestrian and less ambitious than her earlier work.
The food rarely rises above a pedestrian level.
39
peevish
easily irritated, especially by unimportant things
| he could be peevish and irritable at times; a peevish, bad-tempered person
40
pejorative
expressing contempt or disapproval; having a negative or belittling effect
Make sure students realize that 'fat' is an unflattering or pejorative word.
It comes as quite a shock to still hear a judge describing a child as 'illegitimate', with all the pejorative overtones of that word.
An example of pejorative is a cruel statement about a student's schoolwork that causes him to produce even lower quality schoolwork.
41
pell-mell
indiscriminate; disorderly; confused
| At the sound of the alarm bell, the customers ran pell-mell for the doors.
42
pellucid
allowing the maximum passage of light, as glass; translucent; clear or limpid
The light was so pellucid, so dazzling that she reached for her sunglasses.
His eyes were a pellucid blue.
43
penurious
extremely poor; extremely stingy; parsimonious; miserly
The notebooks described the places, the people, the events of his penurious life.
The penurious school system had to lay off several teachers.
44
perfunctory
performed merely as a routine duty; hasty and superficial
| a perfunctory nod, smile; they only made a perfunctory effort
45
peripheral
of, relating to, or situated on the edge; concerned with relatively minor, irrelevant, or superficial aspects of the subject in question
The talks made progress on peripheral issues, but failed to resolve the main dispute between the two sides; We made some discoveries about the immune system that were peripheral to our search for a vaccine.
46
perpetual
never ending or changing; everlasting
a perpetual calendar, lease; the perpetual noise of traffic
We lived for years in a perpetual state of fear.
Mountain peaks covered with perpetual snows and ice.
How can I work with these perpetual interruptions?
47
perspicacious
having keen mental perception and understanding; perceptive; discerning
His perspicacious grandfather had bought the land as an investment, guessing that there might be gold underground.
48
perspicuous
(of an account or representation) clearly expressed and easily understood; lucid
a perspicuous argument; The language which they have used for this purpose is plain, simple, and perspicuous.
49
petulant
showing sudden, impatient irritation, especially over some trifling annoyance
He behaved like a petulant child and refused to cooperate.
Her tone of voice became abrupt and petulant.
50
phlegmatic
not easily excited to action or display of emotion; apathetic; sluggish
As a footballer his great asset was his calm, phlegmatic manner.
51
placid
pleasantly calm or peaceful; unruffled; tranquil; serenely quiet or undisturbed
in a placid mood; a placid baby, horse; a placid expression, face; the placid waters of the lake
52
plaintive
expressing sorrow or melancholy; mournful
| a plaintive melody, cry; That's too bad, because despite her plaintive plea, she ought to be judged.
53
plausible
seemingly worthy of approval or acceptance; credible; believable
A bomb was the only plausible explanation for the crash.
The story was plausible but that didn't necessarily mean it was true.
54
poignant
evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret; that has a strong effect on emotions or the senses, especially smell; pungent to the smell
Her face was a poignant reminder of the passing of time.
The photograph awakens poignant memories of happier days.
It is especially poignant that he died on the day before the wedding.
Some of his most poignant and most enchanting letters were written during this romantic period of his life.
55
pompous
characterized by an ostentatious display of dignity or importance; high-flown
His speech sounded very pompous and self-congratulatory.
56
portentous
of or like a portent (an indication or omen of something about to happen, especially something momentous)
The report contains numerous portentous references to a future environmental calamity.
Europe's leaders plan a jamboree in berlin that will issue a portentous declaration.
causing awe or wonder: His passion for details not only swelled his volumes to a portentous size, but was fatal to artistic construction.
self-important: An example of portentous is a professor’s lecture that is more about his own experiences than about teaching a subject.
57
pragmatic
dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations
In business, the pragmatic approach to problem is often more successful than an idealistic one.
An example of pragmatic is a situation solved entirely by logic and reason
58
precarious
dependent on circumstances beyond one's control; uncertain; unstable; insecure
a precarious future, situation, position, existence; For the refugees life was always precarious.
59
preeminent
eminent above or before others; superior; surpassing; very distinguished in some way
He is preeminent in his profession.
A preeminent example of the artist's work.
Dickens was preeminent among English writers of his day.
60
prepossessing
attractive or appealing in appearance
He wasn't a very prepossessing sort of person.
The box did not look very prepossessing, but the necklace inside was beautiful.
61
presumptuous
(of a person or their behavior) failing to observe the limits of what is permitted or appropriate
It would be presumptuous of me to decide what she wants.
It would be presumptuous of me to say what your dream means to you.
62
primordial
existing at the beginning of time; native, fundamental or at the earliest stages of development
primordial forms of life; primordial customs; primordial germ, cell
63
pristine
having its original purity; in its original condition; unspoiled; uncorrupted; unsullied
a pristine white shirt; pristine African rainforest
The car has been restored to pristine condition.
64
prodigal
spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant; profligate
There have been rumors that he has been prodigal with company funds.
65
profligate
recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources; prodigal: She is well-known for her profligate spending habits.
acting in a way that is immoral or wrong: An example of profligate is a congressman spending government money on personal projects.
66
prohibitive
tending to prohibit or forbid something; (of a price or charge) excessively high; difficult or impossible to pay
prohibitive laws; Hotel prices in the major cities are high but not prohibitive.
67
prolific
(of a plant, animal, or person) producing much fruit or foliage or many offspring
He was probably the most prolific songwriter of his generation.
Rabbits and other rodents are prolific.
68
prominent
standing out so as to be seen easily; conspicuous; particularly noticeable
Her eyes are her most prominent feature.
He played a prominent part in the campaign.
The church tower was a prominent feature in the landscape.
The story was given a prominent position on the front page.
69
prone
likely to or liable to suffer from, do, or experience something, typically something regrettable or unwelcome
I have always been prone to headaches.
If you tend to be emotional, this is an example of when you are prone to being emotional: He was prone to depression even as a teenager.
lying facing down: The photograph showed a man lying prone on the pavement, a puddle of blood about his head.
70
prophetic
accurately describing or predicting what will happen in the future
Many of his warnings proved prophetic.
The prophetic books of the old testament.
71
propitious
indicating a good chance of success; favorable
| a propitious sign; propitious weather for journey
72
prosaic
commonplace or dull; matter-of-fact or unimaginative
a prosaic life; a prosaic writing style
The reality, however, is probably more prosaic.
73
provincial
belonging or peculiar to some particular province; local
provincial assemblies, elections
In spite of his education and travels, he has remained very provincial.
74
prudent
wise or judicious in practical affairs; sagacious; discreet or circumspect; acting with or showing care and thought for the future
Her reaction was so overtly prudent it sent the others into an unprecedented panic.
75
pugnacious
inclined to quarrel or fight readily; quarrelsome
| I found him pugnacious and arrogant.
76
punctilious
showing great attention to detail or correct behavior; strict or exact in the observance of the formalities or amenities of conduct or actions
Both companies were punctilious about delisting people who asked for their names to be removed.
77
pungent
having a sharply strong taste or smell; directly to the point
the pungent smell of burning rubber; the air was pungent with the smell of spices; pungent criticism; An example of a pungent remark is the witty satire of a comedian.
78
querulous
complaining in a petulant or whining manner; complaining
He became increasingly dissatisfied and querulous in his old age.
He complained in a querulous voice about having been woken up.
An example of querulous is a child whining loudly in the grocery store that she wants to go home.
79
quiescent
being at rest; quiet; still; inactive or motionless
The furious rain dwindles to a rainbow, then cedes to a fiery, quiescent sunset.
During most of its history the earth has been fairly quiescent.
80
quirky
characterized by peculiar or unexpected traits
| He was a scientist with a brilliant mind and a quirky sense of humor.
81
quixotic
resembling Don Quixote; extravagantly chivalrous or romantic; exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical or impracticable; visionary
This is a vast, exciting and some say quixotic project.
An example of quixotic is a young man in love behaving foolishly or wildly.
82
quizzical
odd, queer, or comical; (of a person's expression or behavior) indicating mild or amused puzzlement
He gave me a quizzical look when I ordered champagne.
83
racy
(of speech, writing, or behavior) lively, entertaining, and typically mildly titillating sexually; having an agreeably peculiar taste or flavor, as wine, fruit
racy or scandalous gossip; a racy literary style
84
ramshackle
(especially of a house or vehicle) in a state of severe disrepair
There is a ramshackle old shed at the bottom of the garden.
We need to reorganize this ramshackle system.
85
reckless
utterly unconcerned about the consequences of some action; without caution; careless
Don't do anything reckless.
She showed a reckless disregard for her own safety.
86
reclusive
shut off or apart from the world; living in seclusion, often for religious reasons; solitary
a reclusive millionaire
The reclusive cats are seldom seen but leave their mark by footprints in the snow and other physical evidence.
87
redoubtable
that is to be feared; formidable
| The finished product can stand a redoubtable five feet tall and measure the same or more in diameter.
88
redundant
not or no longer needed or useful; superfluous
| Computers have made our paper records redundant.
89
refractory
hard or impossible to manage; stubbornly disobedient; unmanageable
a refractory child; refractory players will be ejected from the game.
Believing that rules are only for other people, he's been refractory virtually his entire life.
90
relentless
that does not relent; unyieldingly severe, strict, or harsh; unrelenting; oppressively constant; incessant.
He seems to be under relentless pressure at work.
Arnold was relentless in his pursuit of a good news story.
91
renowned
known or talked about by many people; famous; celebrated
a renowned artist, writer, sprinter
The program includes a performance by the world-renowned Berlin philharmonic orchestra.
Perry was renowned as an aggressive competitor.
The coast is renowned for its beautiful beaches.
92
replete
abundantly supplied or provided; filled
| For him, the city was replete with memories.
93
reprehensible
deserving censure or condemnation; blameworthy
His conduct/action was thoroughly reprehensible.
Giving everyone a chance to fail, or even a second chance, is by no means a reprehensible policy.
94
repugnant
extremely distasteful; unacceptable; objectionable, or offensive
We found his suggestion absolutely repugnant.
The idea of eating meat was repugnant to her.
95
resilient
returning to the original form or position after being bent, compressed, or stretched; recovering readily from illness, depression, adversity
This rubber ball is very resilient and immediately springs back into shape.
She is a resilient girl - she won't be unhappy for long.
96
resourceful
having the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome difficulties
We have a resourceful community dedicated to supporting learning initiatives.
Mink are resourceful survivors, with needle-sharp teeth.
97
resplendent
attractive and impressive through being richly colorful or sumptuous; shining brilliantly; gleaming; splendid
resplendent with jewels; resplendent achievements; resplendent in full uniform
The restaurant was resplendent with glass chandeliers and mirrors.
98
restive
(of a person) unable to keep still or silent and becoming increasingly difficult to control, especially because of impatience, dissatisfaction, or boredom; refractory; stubborn
The speeches were dull and the listening crowd became increasingly restive.
99
restless
unable to rest or relax as a result of anxiety or boredom
a restless heart; a restless child; a man of restless energy
Anna was growing restless, marching up and down the platform.
He was getting restless and wanted to return to New York.
She had spend a restless night worrying about him.
100
reticent
not revealing one's thoughts or feelings readily
He is very reticent about his past.
Most of the students were reticent about answering questions.
101
rudimentary
limited to basic principles; elementary
They usually have little background in health care and only rudimentary training.
Blind mice developed rudimentary vision when researchers activated certain retinal cells using a gene commonly found in algae.
102
rueful
causing sorrow or pity; pitiable
He gave me a rueful smile and apologized.
The rueful faces of friends and family who had gathered to pay their last respects.
103
ruthless
without pity or compassion; cruel; merciless
a ruthless dictator, killer
She showed a ruthless determination to succeed in her career.
104
sagacious
having or showing acute mental discernment and keen practical sense; shrewd
a sagacious person, comment, choice
An example of sagacious is someone checking the oil in their car before a long road trip.
105
salient
most noticeable or important; prominent or conspicuous
She began to summarize the salient features/points of the proposal.
The article presented the salient facts of the dispute clearly and concisely.
106
salutary
favorable to or promoting health; healthful
a salutary lesson, experience, warning
The accident was a salutary reminder of the dangers of climbing.
This would have a salutary effect upon the health of the family.
107
sanguine
cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident; reddish; ruddy
a sanguine lip; a sanguine person, nature
They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects.
He tends to take a sanguine view of the problems involved.
108
savage
fierce, ferocious, or cruel; untamed; uncivilized; barbarous
a savage man, criticism, attack, beating, murder
a savage look flitted across his face
109
scarce
seldom met with; rare: a scarce book; scarce metals
insufficient to satisfy the need or demand; not abundant
We are scarce of provisions.
Fresh water and medicine were scarce in the disaster area.
110
scathing
bitterly severe, as a remark; harmful, injurious, or searing
| a scathing review of the play; the committee's report is quite scathing
111
schematic
(of a diagram or other representation) symbolic and simplified
Please provide schematic diagrams of how this works.
He said that schematic drawings had been completed and a new stadium had been priced, though he would not reveal the cost.
112
scrupulous
punctiliously or minutely careful, precise, or exact; of someone who is aware of the right thing to do; principled
You must be scrupulous about hygiene when you're preparing a baby's feed.
He was scrupulous in all his business dealings.
A good citizen who returns money found to the person who dropped it is an example of someone scrupulous.
113
seasoned
skilled or knowledgeable through long practice
Online clubs offer advice, swap meets, reviews and guidance from seasoned mentors.
Brown was a seasoned professional who simply modified his club show for a new audience.
114
secular
pertaining to worldly things or to things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual, or sacred; temporal
We live in an increasingly secular society, in which religion has less and less influence on our daily lives.
115
sentimental
prompted by feelings of tenderness, sadness, or nostalgia
a sentimental love story; he has a strong sentimental attachment to the place; he gets sentimental about old friendships
The ring was not worth very much but it had great sentimental value.
Her book is honest without being sentimental.
116
serene
calm, peaceful, or tranquil; unruffled
| serene skies; a serene smile
117
shoddy
badly made or done; of poor quality or inferior workmanship; intentionally rude or inconsiderate; shabby
shoddy goods
They refused him sick pay when he was off ill, which is a shoddy way to treat an employee.
Stealing from people who trust you is an example of shoddy behavior.
A cheap knock-off purse with uneven stitching and bad design is an example of a shoddy purse.
118
shrewd
showing sharp powers of judgment; astute; keen; piercing
| a shrewd politician; a shrewd marketing strategy; a shrewd businessman
119
simplistic
Contrary to what some people believe, simplistic is not a fancy word for simple. Simplistic does not describe things that are easy to understand, deal with, or use. Those sorts of things are simply simple. However, if something is too simple—misleadingly so—then it is correctly called simplistic.
Simply saying that electronic readers will replace printed books or magazines is too simplistic.
Simply saying "let's give food to all the hungry," is an example of a simplistic solution because solving world hungry isn't simply as easy as handing out food to everyone
