Barron's Word List 4 Flashcards
jibe
to be in agreement
jocose
fond of joking; jocular
juggernaut
huge force destroying everything in its path
junta
group of people united in political intrigue
juxtapose
place side by side
kudos
fame; glory; honor
labile
likely to change
laconic
using few words
lambaste
to trash verbally or physically
lasivious
lustful
lassitude
lethargy; sluggishnes
latent
dormant; not apparent
laud
praise
lethargic
inactive
levee
an embankment that prevents a river from overflowing
levity
light manner or attitude
liberal
tolerant; broad-minded
libertine
one without moral restraint
libido
sexual desire
lilliputian
extremely small
limn
to draw, describe
limpid
clear; transparent
linguistic
pertaining to language
litany
lengthy recitation; repetitive chant
literati
scholarly of learned persons
litigation
legal proceedings
log
record of a voyage or daily activities
loquacious
talkative
lucid
bright; clear; intelligble
lucre
money or profits
luminous
bright; brilliant; glowing
lustrous
shining
machiavellian
craft; double-dealing
machinations
plots or schemes
maelstrom
whirlpool; turmoil
magnaminity
generosity; nobility
malign
to speak evil of
malinger
to feign illness to escape duty
malleable
capable of being shaped by pounding; impresisonate
maverick
dissenter
megalomania
delusions of power or importance
menagerie
a variety of animals kept together
mendacious
dishonest
mendicant
beggar
meretricious
gaudy; specious; attractive but useless
mesmerize
to hypnotize
metamorphosis
change; transformation
metereological
concerned with weather
meticulous
very careful; picky; fastidious
mettle
courage; endurance
mettlesome
full of courage and fortitude
microcosm
a small system having analogies to a larger system
militate
to work against
minatory
threatening; menacing
minuscule
very small
minutia
petty details
misanthrope
one who hates humanity; one who dislikes others
miscellany
mixture of writings on various subjects
miscreant
villan; criminal
misogynist
one who hates women
mitigate
alleviate; to become less sever
mnemonic
related to memory; assisting memory
modicum
limited quantity
mollify
to soothe
monolithic
solid and uniform; constituting a single unified whole
morose
ill-humored; sullen
motley
many colored; made up of many parts
multifarious
diverse
mundane
worldy as opposed to spiritual; concerned with the ordinary
necromancy
black magic
negate
to cancel out; nullify
neologism
new word or expression
neophyte
novice; beginner
nexus
a means of connection; a center
nonplussed
bewildered
nostalgia
sentimental longing for a past time
nostrum
medicine or remedy for a past time
nugatory
useless; invalid
obdurate
stubborn
obsequious
overly submissive
obsequy
funeral ceremony
obviate
remove a need or difficulty; prevent
occlude
to shut; block
occult
relating to practices connected with supernatural phenomena
odyssey
a long, adventurous voyage; a quest
olfcatory
concerning the sense of smell
oligarchy
form of government in which power belongs to only a few leaders
onerous
burdensome
onomatopeia
formation or use of words that imitate sounds of the actions they refer to
opprobium
public disgrace; contempt
ornithologist
scientist who studies birds
oscillate
to move back and forth
ostentiatious
showy; pretentious
overweening
showing excessive confidence or pride; arrogant
paean
song of joy or triump
paleonthology
study of past geological era through fossil remains
pallid
lacking color liveliness
panegyric
elaborate praise; formal hymn of praise
paragon
model of perfection or excellence
partisan
one sided; committed to a party, group or cause
pathological
departing from normal condition
patois
jargon; a regional dialect
paucity
scarcity
pedantic
showing off learning
pellucid
transparent; easily understood
penchant
inclination
penury
extreme poverty
peregrination
wandering from place to place
peremptory
imperative; leaving no choice
perennial
present throughout the years; persistent
perfidious
faithless; disloyal; untrustworthy
perfunctory
superficial; carried out with little effort
perigee
point in an orbit that is closest to Earth
permeable
penetrable
perturb
to disturb greatly; make uneasy or anxious
pervasive
spread through every aprt
petulant
rude; peevish
phlegmatic
unemotional; calm in teperament
phoenix
anything that is restored after suffering great destruction
physiognomy
facial features
piety
devoutness; quality of being religious
piquant
pleasantly pungent; attractive
pique
fleeting feeling or hurt pride
placate
soothe; pacify
placid
calm
plaintive
melancholy; mournful
plasticity
pliability; condition of being able to be shaped or formed
platitude
stale; overused expression
platonic
spiritual; theoretical
plethora
excess; overabundance
plumb
to examine deeply; determine the depth
plummet
to fall; plunge
plutocracy
society ruled by the wealthy
