B Flashcards
1
Q
babble
A
chatter idly (Eg: The little girl babbled about her doll. )
2
Q
bacchanalian
A
drunken (Eg: Emperor Nero attended the bacchanalian orgy. )
3
Q
badger
A
pester; annoy (Eg: She was forced to change her telephone number because she was badgered by obscene phone calls. )
4
Q
badinage
A
teasing conversation (Eg: Her friends at work greeted the news of her engagement with cheerful badinage. )
5
Q
baffle
A
frustrate; perplex (Eg: The new code baffled the enemy agents. )
6
Q
bait
A
harass; tease (Eg: The soldiers baited the prisoners- terrorizing them. )
7
Q
baleful
A
menacing; deadly (Eg: Casting a baleful eye at his successful rival- the rejected suitor stole off- vowing to have his revenge. )
8
Q
balk
A
stoop short- as if faced with an obstacle- and refuse to continue (Eg: The chief of police balked at sending his officers into the riot-torn area. )
9
Q
balk
A
foil (Eg: When the warden learned that several inmates were planning to escape- he took steps to balk their attempt. )
10
Q
ballast
A
heavy substance used to add stability or weight (Eg: The ship was listing badly to one side; it was necessary to shift the ballast in the hold to get her back on an )
11
Q
balm
A
something that relieves pain (Eg: Friendship is the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love. )
12
Q
balmy
A
mild; fragrant (Eg: A balmy breeze refreshed us after the sultry blast. )
13
Q
banal
A
hackneyed; commonplace; trite (Eg: His frequent use of cliches made his essay seem banal. )
14
Q
bandy
A
discuss lightly; exchange blows or words (Eg: The president refused to bandy words with reporters at the press conference. )
15
Q
bane
A
cause of ruin (Eg: Lack of public transportation is the bane of urban life. )
16
Q
bantering
A
good-naturedly ridiculing (Eg: They resented his bantering remarks because they misinterpreted his teasing as sarcasm. )
17
Q
barb
A
sharp projection form fishhook- etc.; pointed comment (Eg: The barb from the fishhook caught in his finger as he grabbed the fish. )
18
Q
bard
A
poet (Eg: The ancient bard Homer sang of the fall of Troy. )
19
Q
barefaced
A
shameless; bold; unconcealed (Eg: Shocked by Huck Finn’s barefaced lies- Miss Watson prayed the good Lord would give him a sense of his )
20
Q
baroque
A
highly ornate (Eg: Accustomed to the severe- angular lines of modern skyscrapers- they found the flamboyance of baroque )
21
Q
barrage
A
barrier laid down by artillery fire; overwhelming profusion (Eg: The company was forced to retreat through the barrage of heavy canyons. )
22
Q
barrister
A
counselor-at-law (Eg: Galsworthy started as a barrister- but when he found the practice of law boring- turned to writing. )
23
Q
barterer
A
trader (Eg: The barterer exchanged trinkets for the natives’ furs. )
24
Q
bask
A
luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth (Eg: basking on the beach- she relaxed so completely that she fell asleep. )
25
bastion
stronghold; something seen as a source of protection (Eg: The villagers fortified the town hall- hoping this improvised bastion could protect them from the guerrila )
26
bate
let down; restrain (Eg: Until it was time to open the presents- the children had to bate their curiosity. )
27
bauble
trinket; trifle (Eg: The child was delighted with the bauble she had won in the grab bag. )
28
bawdy
indecent; obscene (Eg: She took offense at his bawdy remarks. )
29
beatific
giving bliss; blissful (Eg: The beatific smile on the child's face made us very happy. )
30
beatitude
blessedness; state of bliss (Eg: Growing closer to God each day- the mystic achieved a state of indescribable beatitude. )
31
bedizen
dress with vulgar finery (Eg: The witch doctors were bedizened in their gaudiest costumes. )
32
bedraggle
wet thoroughly (Eg: We were so bedraggled by the severe storm that we had to change into dry clothing. )
33
befuddle
confuse thoroughly (Eg: His attempts to clarify the situation succeeded only on befuddling her further. )
34
beget
father; produce; give rise to (Eg: One good turn may deserve another; it does not necessarily beget another. )
35
begrudge
resent (Eg: I begrudge every minute I have to spend attending meetings. )
36
beguile
amuse; delude; cheat (Eg: I beguiled himself during the long hours by playing solitaire. )
37
behemoth
huge creature; something of monstrous size or power (Eg: Sportcasters nicknamed the linebacker `The Behemoth.` )
38
beholden
obligated; indebted (Eg: Since I do not wish to be beholden to anyone- I cannot accept this favor. )
39
behoove
be suited to; be incumbent upon (Eg: In this time of crisis- it behooves all of us to remain calm and await the instructions of our superiors. )
40
belabor
explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; assail verbally (Eg: The debate coach warned her student not to bore the audience by belaboring his point. )
41
belated
delayed (Eg: He apologized for his belated note of condolence to the widow of his friend and explained that he had just )
42
beleaguer
besiege (Eg: As soon as the city was beleaguered- the life became more subdued as the citizens began their long wait for )
43
belie
contradict; give a false impression (Eg: His coarse- hard-bitten exterior belied his innate sensitivity. )
44
belittle
disparage; depreciate (Eg: Parents should not belittle their children's early attempts at drawing- but should encourage their efforts. )
45
bellicose
warlike (Eg: His bellicose disposition alienated his friends. )
46
belligerent
quarrelsome (Eg: Whenever he had too much to drink- he became belligerent and tried to pick fights with strangers. )
47
bemused
confused; lost in thought; preoccupied (Eg: Jill studied the garbled instructions with a bemused look on her face. )
48
benediction
blessing (Eg: The appearance of the sun after the many rainy days was like a benediction. )
49
benefactor
gift giver; patron (Eg: Scrooge later became Tiny Tim's benefactor and gave him a benediction. )
50
beneficent
kindly; doing good (Eg: The overgenerous philanthropist had to curb his beneficent impulses before he gave away all his money )
51
beneficiary
person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy (Eg: You may change your beneficiary as often as you wish. )
52
benevolent
generous; charitable (Eg: His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him. )
53
benign
kindly; favorable; not malignant (Eg: The old man was well liked because of his benign attitude toward friend and stranger alike. )
54
benison
blessing (Eg: Let us pray that the benison of peace once more shall prevail among the nations of the world. )
55
bent
determined; natural talent or inclination (Eg: bent on advancing in the business world- the secretary heroine of Working Girl had a true bent for high )
56
bequeath
leave to someone by means of a will; hand down (Eg: In his will- Father bequeathed his watch to Phillip; the bequest meant a great deal to the boy. )
57
berate
scold strongly (Eg: He feared she would berate him for his forgetfulness. )
58
bereavement
state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved (Eg: His friends gathered to console him upon his sudden bereavement. )
59
bereft
deprived of; lacking (Eg: The foolish gambler soon found himself bereft of funds. )
60
berserk
frenzied (Eg: )
61
beset
harass; trouble (Eg: Many problems beset the American public school system. )
62
besmirch
soil- defile (Eg: The scandalous remarks in the newspaper besmirch the reputations of every member of the society. )
63
bestial
beastlike; brutal; inhuman (Eg: The Red Cross sought to put an end to the bestial treatment of prisoners of war. )
64
bestow
confer (Eg: He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero. )
65
betroth
become engaged to marry (Eg: The announcement that they had become betrothed surprised their friends who had not suspected any )
66
bevy
large group (Eg: The movie actor was surrounded by a bevy of startlets. )
67
bicameral
two-chambered- as a legislative body (Eg: The United States Congress is a bicameral body. )
68
bicker
quarrel (Eg: The children bickered morning- noon- and night- exasperating their parents. )
69
biennial
every two years (Eg: The group held biennial meetings instead of annual ones. )
70
bifurcated
divided into two branches; forked (Eg: With a bifurcated branch and a piece of elastic rubber- he made a crude but effective slingshot. )
71
bigotry
stubborn intolerance (Eg: Brought up in a democratic atmosphere- student was shocked by the bigotry and narrowness expressed by )
72
bilious
suffering from indigestion; irritable (Eg: His bilious temperament was apparent to all who heard him rant about his difficulties. )
73
bilk
swindle; cheat (Eg: The con man specialized in bilking insurance companies. )
74
bivouac
temporary encampment (Eg: While in bivouac- we spent the night in our sleeping bags under the stars. )
75
bizarre
fantastic; violently contrasting (Eg: The plot of the novel was too bizarre to be believed. )
76
blanch
bleach; whiten (Eg: Although age had blanched his hair- he was still vigorous and energetic. )
77
bland
soothing; mild (Eg: She used a bland ointment for her sunburn. )
78
blandishment
flattery (Eg: Despite the salesperson's blandishments- the customer did not buy the outfit. )
79
blase
bored with pleasure or dissipation (Eg: Your blase attitude gives your students an erroneous impression of the joys of scholarship. )
80
blasphemous
profane; impious (Eg: The people in the room were shocked by his his blasphemous language. )
81
blatant
extremely obvious; loudly offensive (Eg: Caught in a blatant lie- the scoundrel had only one regret: he wished that he had lied more subtly. )
82
bleak
cold; cheerless (Eg: The Aleutian Islands are bleak military outposts. )
83
blighted
suffering from a disease; destroyed (Eg: The extent of the blighted areas could be seen only when viewed from the air. )
84
blithe
gay; joyous; careless (Eg: Shelley called the skylark a `blithe spirit` because of its happy song. )
85
bloated
swollen or puffed as with water or air (Eg: Her bloated stomach came from drinking so much water. )
86
blowhard
talkative boaster (Eg: After all Sol's talk about his big show business connections led nowhere- Sally decided he was just another )
87
bludgeon
club; heavy-headed weapon (Eg: His walking stick served him as a bludgeon on many occasions. )
88
bluff
pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff (Eg: Claire thought Lord Byron's boast that he would swim the Hellespont was just a bluff- she was astounded )
89
blunder
error (Eg: The criminal's fatal blunder led to his capture. )
90
blurt
utter impulsively (Eg: Before she could stop him- he blurted out the news. )
91
bode
foreshadow; portend (Eg: The gloomy skies and the sulfurious odors from the mineral springs seemed to bode evil to those who )
92
bogus
counterfeit; not authentic (Eg: The police quickly found the distributors of the bogus twenty-dollar bills. )
93
boisterous
violent; rough; noisy (Eg: The unruly crowd became even more boisterous when he tried to quiet them. )
94
bolster
support; reinforce (Eg: The debaters amassed file boxes full of evidence to bolster their arguments. )
95
bombast
pompous- inflated language (Eg: Filled with bombast- the orator's speech left the audience more impressed with his pomposity than with his )
96
boon
blessing; benefit (Eg: The recent rains that filled our empty reservoirs were a boon to the whole community. )
97
boorish
rude; insensitive (Eg: Though Mr. Potts constantly interrupted his wife- she ignored his boorish behavior- for she had lost hope )
98
bouillon
clear beef soup (Eg: The cup of bouillon served by the stewards was welcomed by those who had been chilled by the cold )
99
bountiful
generous; showing bounty (Eg: She distributed gifts in a bountiful and gracious manner. )
100
bourgeois
middle class (Eg: The French Revolution was inspired by the bourgeois- who resented the aristocracy. )
101
bovine
cowlike; placid and dull (Eg: Nothing excites Esther; even when she won the state lottery- she still preserved her air of bovine calm. )
102
bowdlerize
expurgate (Eg: After the film editors had bowdlerized the language in the script- the motion picture's rating was changed )
103
brackish
somewhat saline (Eg: He found the only wells in the area were brackish; drinking the water made him nauseous. )
104
braggadocio
boasting (Eg: He was disliked because his manner was always full of braggadocio. )
105
braggart
boaster (Eg: Modest by nature- she was no braggart- preferring to let her accomplishments speak for themselves. )
106
bravado
swagger; assumed air of defiance (Eg: )
107
brawn
muscular strength; sturdiness (Eg: It takes brawn to become a champion weight-lifter. )
108
brazen
insolent (Eg: Her brazen contempt for authority angered the officials. )
109
breach
breaking of contract or duty; fissure; gap (Eg: They found a breach in the enemy's fortifications and penetrated their lines. )
110
breadth
width; extent (Eg: We were impressed by the breadth of her knowledge. )
111
brevity
conciseness (Eg: brevity is essential when you send a telegram or cablegram; you are charged for every word. )
112
brindled
tawny or grayish with streaks or spots (Eg: He was disappointed in the litter because the puppies were brindled; he had hoped for animals of uniform )
113
bristling
rising like bristles; showing irritation (Eg: The dog stood there- bristling with anger. )
114
brittle
easily broken; difficult (Eg: My employer's brittle personality made it difficult for me to get along with her. )
115
broach
open up (Eg: He did not even try to broach the subject of poetry. )
116
brocade
rich- figured fabric (Eg: The sofa was covered with expensive brocade. )
117
brochure
pamphlet (Eg: This brochure on farming was issued by the Department of Agriculture. )
118
brooch
ornamental clasp (Eg: She treasured the brooch because it was an heirloom. )
119
brook
tolerate; endure (Eg: The dean would brook no interference with his disciplinary actions. )
120
browbeat
bully; intimidate (Eg: Billy resisted Ted's attempts to browbeat him into handing over his lunch money. )
121
brusque
blunt; abrupt (Eg: She was offended by his brusque reply. )
122
bucolic
rustic; pastoral (Eg: )
123
buffoonery
clowning (Eg: John Candy's buffoonery in Uncle Buck was hilarious. )
124
bugaboo
bugbear; object of baseless terror (Eg: If we become frightened by such bugaboos- we are no wiser than the birds who fear scarecrows. )
125
bullion
gold and silver in the form of bars (Eg: Much bullion is stored in the vaults at Fort Knox. )
126
bulwark
earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends (Eg: The navy is our principal bulwark against invasion. )
127
bungle
spoil by clumsy behavior (Eg: I was afraid you would bungle his assignment but I had no one else to send. )
128
bureaucracy
government by bureaus (Eg: Many people fear that the constant introduction of federal agencies will create a government by )
129
burgeon
grow forth; send out buds (Eg: In the spring- the plants that burgeon are a promise of the beauty that is to come. )
130
burlesque
give an imitation that ridicules (Eg: In his caricature- he burlesqued the mannerisms of his adversary. )
131
burly
husky; muscular (Eg: The burly mover lifted the packing crate with ease. )
132
burnish
make shiny by rubbing; polish (Eg: The maid burnished the brass fixtures until they reflected the lamplight. )
133
buttress
support; prop up (Eg: Just as architects buttress the walls of cathedrals with flying buttresses- debates buttress their arguments )
134
buxom
full-bosomed; plump; jolly (Eg: High fashion models usually are slender rather than buxom. )
