Advanced 6, 7 Flashcards
dissolution
Living full of debauchery and indulgence in sensual pleasure.
Many Roman emperors were known for their dissolution, indulging in unspeakable desires of the flesh.
estimable
Deserving of esteem and respect.
After serving thirty years, in which he selflessly served the community, Judge Harper was one of the more estimable people in town.
ebullient
Joyously unrestrained; Cheerful and full of energy.
Can you blame him for his ebullient mood? He just graduated from medical school.
trenchant
Full of force and vigor; Keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought, expression, or intellect.
Jill presented a rather superficial treatment of sales in Asia, but her trenchant analysis of sales in Europe inspired a number of insights into how to proceed in that market.
cataclysm
An event resulting in great loss and misfortune.
The introduction of smallpox was a cataclysm for Native Americans, killing off more than half of their population.
ineluctable
Impossible to avoid or evade or escape from.
For those who smoke cigarettes for years, a major health crisis brought on by smoking is ineluctable.
flag
Droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness; Become less intense.
If you begin to flag, there is an excellent cafe around the corner.
graft
Corruption, usually through bribery.
In countries with rampant graft, getting a driver’s license can require no more than paying an official.
dissemble
Conceal one’s true motives, usually through deceit.
To get close to the senator, the assassin dissembled his intentions, convincing many people that he was a reporter for a well-known newspaper.
row
An angry dispute.
The Prime Minister looked very foolish after his row with the foreign dignitary was caught on video and posted on youtube.
concomitant
An event or situation that happens at the same time as or in connection with another.
Concomitant with his desire for nature was a desire for the culture and energy of a big city.
loath
Reluctant; Unwilling to do something contrary to your custom.
I was loath to leave the concert before my favorite band finished playing.
exorbitant
Greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation; Unreasonably high.
Shelley made one exorbitant purchase after another, buying new clothes and taking vacations even though she earned a limited salary.
diminutive
To indicate smallness; Very small.
He prefers to be called a diminutive of his name; When he put on his father’s suit and shoes, his appearance was that of a diminutive youth.
exiguity
The quality of being meager; Lacking in quantity or quality.
After two months at sea, the exiguity of the ship’s supplies forced them to search for fresh water and food.
officious
Intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner.
The professor had trouble concentrating on her new theorem, because her officious secretary would barge in frequently reminding her of some trivial detail involving departmental paperwork.
chauvinism
Fanatical patriotism; Belief that one’s group/cause is superior to all other groups/causes.
Vegetarians argue that man is chauvinistic in his belief that animals do not consciously feel the pain we humans do.
extrapolate
Draw from specific cases for more general cases.
By extrapolating from the data on the past three months, we can predict a 5% increase in traffic to our website.
hoodwink
Deceive or trick someone.
Someone tried to hoodwink Marty with an email telling him that his uncle had just passed away, and to collect the inheritance he should send his credit card information.
dissipate
Squander or spend money frivolously; Disperse or scatter.
The recent graduates dissipated their earning on trips to Las Vegas and cruises in Mexico; Kathleen’s perfume was overwhelming in the cramped apartment, but once we stepped outside the smell dissipated and we could breathe once again.
verisimilitude
Appearance of truth.
All bad novels are bad for numerous reasons; all good novels are good for their verisimilitude of reality, placing the readers in a world that resembles the one they know.
infelicitous
Inappropriate
During the executive meeting, the marketing director continued to make infelicitous comments about the CEO’s gambling habit.
bastardization
An act that debases or corrupts.
The movie World War Z is a complete bastardization of the book with little more in common than zombies and a title.
splenetic
Very irritable.
Ever since the car accident, Frank has been unable to walk without a cane, and so he has become splenetic and unpleasant to be around.
enamored
Strongly attracted to or in love with.
She is completely enamored with Justin Bieber, and goes to all his concerts on the East coast.
demonstrative
Given to or marked by the open expression of emotion; Showing feelings of affection openly.
When Sally told James that she wanted to break up with him, she expected he would react demonstratively, but he quietly nodded his head and left without saying a word.
obtain
Be valid, applicable or true.
The custom of waiting in line does not obtain in some countries, in which many people try to rush to the front of the line at the same time.
evanescent
Tending to vanquish like vapor; Soon passing or quickly fading.
The storm flashed into existence above us and lasted for only a short time; an evanescent turbulence of wind and cloud
modicum
Small or moderate or token amount.
If my sister had even a modicum of sense, she wouldn’t be engaged to that barbarian.
bereft
Unhappy in love; Sorrowful through loss or deprivation.
After 64 years of marriage, William was bereft after the death of his wife.
eponym
Name derived from a person; Someone for which something is named.
Alexandria, Egypt is an eponym because is is named after Alexander the Great.
despot
Cruel and oppressive dictator.
The emperor Claudius was regarded as a fair-minded leader; his successor, Nero, was an absolute despot.
adjudicate
Serve as a judge in a competition; Arrive at a judgement or conclusion.
Only those with the most refined palates were able to adjudicate during the barbecue contest.
promulgate
State or announce.
The President wanted to promulgate the success of the treaty negotiations, but he had to wait until Congress formally approved the agreement.
surfeit
Excessive amount of something.
There was no such thing as a surfeit amount of shopping for Nancy. She could stay at the outlet stores from opening to closing times.
abrogate
Revoke or relinquish formally; Do away with.
As part of the agreement between the labor union and the company, the workers abrogated their right to strike for four years in exchange for better health insurance.
simulacrum
Representation of a person (especially as a sculpture); Bad imitation.
The early days of computer graphics made real people into a simulacrum that now seems comical.
veritable
Truthfully; Without a doubt.
Frank is a veritable life-saver - last year, on two different occasions, he revived people using CPR.
lachrymose
Showing sorrow.
Lachrymose and depressed, Alexei walked two miles home in the rain after learning that his wife was having an affair.
capitulate
Surrender (usually under agreed conditions).
Paul, losing 19-0 in a ping-pong match against his nimble friend, basically capitulated when he played the last two points with his eyes closed.
