basic 4 Flashcards
genteel
gentle - high-class - refined
a live string quartet would provide a more genteel air to the wedding than would a folk singer.
whimsical
based on whim
He has a wonderful whimsical sense of humor.
Miller is known for her whimsical paintings.
grovel
verb
show fear
to beg like a hungry dog. Like importune
I had to really grovel to the bank manager to get a loan.
every time Susan comes to the office, Frank grovels as if she were about to fire him.
sentimental
emotional
debase
like degrade or demean ارزش چیزی رو پایین اوردن
reduce the quality or value of something.
actors who debased themselves by participating in the show
debase a currency/coinage (=reduce its value)
irresolute
unable to decide what to do SYN uncertain گیج
The room was empty except for Nigel, standing irresolute by the drinks tray.
Resolute=determined
martial
the word martial adds a warlike tone to any noun it describes.
martial music
It was the biggest demonstration since the lifting of martial law in 1988
jargon
a characteristic language of a particular group - used to show disapproval
Keep it simple and avoid the use of jargon.
technical/scientific/legal/medical etc jargon
documents full of legal jargon
the jargon of doctors can be very difficult to understand.
inadvertent
unintentional
Of course it was Trondur who inadvertently cheered me up.
The Finance Minister inadvertently revealed budget secrets to reporters.
tawdry
1 cheaply and badly madeبدردنخور like shoddy OPP genteel
tawdry jewellery and fake furs
2 showing low moral standards
a tawdry tale of lies and deception
lucid
transparently clear
genial
friendly
You can be a genial host or a genial guest.
credence
belief or acceptance
I don’t give any credence to these rumors.
His ideas quickly gained credence among economists.
The DNA results lend credence to Hausmann’s claims of innocence.(to make it more believable)
cornucopia
a lot of good things
a cornucopia of delights
A grocery store with a large selection of fruits and vegetables could be said to have a cornucopia of produce.
commendable
deserving praise
Your enthusiasm is highly commendable.
Baldwin answered with commendable honesty.
the efforts of firefighters were commendable.
precedent
پیش زمینه
A precedent is something that sets a standard for future events.
UN involvement in the country’s affairs would set a dangerous precedent.
detrimental
مخرب
hamstring
restrict someone’s power. Like circumscribe
pp hamstrung
made ineffective or powerless
The president feels he is hamstrung by Congress.
the FBI has made so many restrictions on the local police that they are absolutely hamstrung, unable to accomplish anything
banish
verb
expel - exile (تبعید) - expatriate
I was banished to a distant corridor.
Thousands were banished to Siberia.
facetious
funny - humorousنمک) بعضی وقتا بی مزه)
facetious behavior will not be tolerated during sex education class.
uncompromising
غیر قابل انعطاف, مصالحه ناپذیر
stubbornly refuses to change their opinions
the relationship between Bart and Hilda failed because they were both so uncompromising, never wanting to change their opinion.
tumult
غوغا - همهمه - turmoil - a state of chaos
The whole country is in tumult.
Riots broke out in front of our building, and the tumult continued late into the night.
urbane
شهری
“maintained an urbane tone in his letters”
unruly
1 violent or difficult to control SYN wild
unruly children
unruly behaviour
2 unruly hair is difficult to keep tidy
egotist
self-centered
Someone who is egotistical is full of himself.
spurn
reject because you are too proud
She spurned all offers of help.
Four men worked hard all day to give them safety, and they spurned it.
vacuous
dumb
showing no intelligence or having no useful purpose
In a more reflective mood, the Marxist explanation turned out to be almost vacuous, in detail.
he delivered a vacuous speech.
خالی.پوچ. بی معنی
elaborate
explain in more detail
conductive
be conductive to منجر ب چیزی شدن
illicit
illegal
illicit drugs
the illicit trade in stolen cattle
Illicit diamond exports are said to be worth over $200 million.
benign
1 kind and gentle
i remember my grandpa’s face was wrinkled, benign and calm.
2 a benign tumour (=unnatural growth in the body) is not caused by cancer OPP malignant(بدخیم)
3 not likely to be harmful. Like innocuous
empathetic
همدرد
empathy and sympathy means همدردی
most hatred is based on a lack of empathetic awareness of people that have the same aspirations and fears.
smattering
a small amount of something
i know only a smattering of German.
I heard smatterings of laughter.
perennial
eternal - everlasting - permanent
Lack of resources has been a perennial problem since the beginning.
Teddy bears are a perennial favorite with children.
assail
attack in speech or writing. Like assult
in the weekly paper, the editor assailed the governor for wasting money.
assail, diatribe, broadside, vitriol, tirade, harangue, polemic
rankle
verb
continue to be painful
وقتی جاش هنوز درد میکنه
His comments still rankled.
augment
enlarge or increase or improve
Any surplus was sold to augment their income.
This not only augments the supply of visual aids, but is an excellent method of learning.
euphoria
an extremely strong feeling of happiness and excitement which usually only lasts for a short time.
The euphoria that new parents feel quickly changes to exhaustion.
The whole country experienced a period of euphoria after winning the war.
derisive
expressing contempt(تحقیر) or ridicule(تمسخر) Like contemptuous
i was surprised by her derisive tone, usually she is sweet and soft spoken.
Deride: speak with contempt
perpetuate
to make something continue ( especially a bad one)
an education system that perpetuates the divisions in our society.
His view is that the welfare system helps to perpetuate failure and poverty.
contemptuous
humiliating - scornful - derisive
a contemptuous glance
He was openly contemptuous of his father.
on fasion, Vanessa looked contemptuously at anyone wearing dated clothing.
surly
sullen - morose - ill-tempered
Her boss being a surly middle-aged man
altruism
selflessly help others.
when you care about or help other people, even though this brings no advantage to yourself
Many choose to work in developing countries out of altruism.
pertinent
relevant and appropriate OPP immaterial
apposite - applicable
If you give your best friend pertinent advice, that means the advice is appropriate for the situation.
buck
1 جفتک انداختن اسب
2 رم کردن اسب
3 to oppose something in a direct way
He was a rebel who bucked the system
4 to make someone feel more happier
He was bucked by the success he’d had.
She gave me a tonic which bucked me a little.
5 resist
“buck the trend”
fickle
بی ثبات - دمدمی مزاج
she was so fickle in her politics, it was hard to pinpoint( discover or explain exactly) her beliefs.
impeccable
without fault and error
he was impeccably dressed in the latest fashion.
pristine
unspoiled - untouched (usu of nature)
immaculately clean and unused
the glacial lake was pristine and we filled our canteens to drink deeply.
glib
Said easily but without thinking carefully.
I know this will sound glib, but don’t pretend you aren’t feeling what you feel.
The doctor made some glib comment about my headaches being “just stress.”
assuage
verb
make something less severe SYN relieve
If you assuage an unpleasant feeling, you make it go away. Assuaging your hunger by eating a bag of marshmallows may cause you other unpleasant feelings.
Nothing could assuage his guilt.
