Book Flashcards
Emblematic
serving as a symbol of a particular quality or concept; symbolic.
“this case is emblematic of a larger problem”
incredulous
(of a person or their manner) unwilling or unable to believe something.
dubious
hesitating or doubting.
not to be relied upon; suspect.
“extremely dubious assumptions”
stupefy
make (someone) unable to think or feel properly.
“the offense of administering drugs to a woman with intent to stupefy her”
astonish and shock.
“the amount they spend on clothes would appall their parents and stupefy their grandparents”
blasé
unimpressed or indifferent to something because one has experienced or seen it so often before.
“she was becoming quite blasé about the dangers”
galvanize
shock or excite (someone) into taking action.
“the urgency of his voice galvanized them into action”
tantamount
equivalent in seriousness to; virtually the same as.
“the resignations were tantamount to an admission of guilt”
prescient
having or showing knowledge of events before they take place.
“a prescient warning”
flail
wave or swing or cause to wave or swing wildly.
“his arms were flailing helplessly”
sedition
conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch.
reproach
address (someone) in such a way as to express disapproval or disappointment.
“critics reproached him for his failure to tackle the deficiency”
crow
(of a person) make a sound expressing a feeling of happiness or triumph.
say something in a tone of gloating satisfaction.
“avoid crowing about your success”
irascible
having or showing a tendency to be easily angered
pugnacious
eager or quick to argue, quarrel, or fight
his public statements became increasingly pugnacious
profligacy
reckless extravagance or wastefulness in the use of resources.
“there is no conceivable justification for such fiscal profligacy”
licentious or dissolute behavior.
spurious
not being what it purports to be; false or fake.
“separating authentic and spurious claims”
maladroit
ineffective or bungling; clumsy.
“both men are unhappy about the maladroit way the matter has been handled”
panegyrical
to praise someone or something in a formal way by saying good things about them and not mentioning anything bad
frivolous
not having any serious purpose or value.
“rules to stop frivolous lawsuits”
forestall
prevent or obstruct (an anticipated event or action) by taking action ahead of time.
“vitamins may forestall many diseases of aging”
benign
gentle and kindly.
“his benign but firm manner”
diffidence
modesty or shyness resulting from a lack of self-confidence.
“I say this with some diffidence”
propriety
the state or quality of conforming to conventionally accepted standards of behavior or morals.
“he always behaved with the utmost propriety”
reticent
not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings readily.
“she was extremely reticent about her personal affairs”
brashness
the trait of being rash and hasty
pithy
concise and forcefully expressive.
whimsical
playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in an appealing and amusing way.
“a whimsical sense of humor”
acting or behaving in a capricious manner.
facile
appearing neat and comprehensive only by ignoring the true complexities of an issue; superficial.
easily achieved
glib
fluent and voluble but insincere and shallow.
implacable
relentless; unstoppable.
“the implacable advance of the enemy”
forlorn
pitifully sad and abandoned or lonely.
“forlorn figures at bus stops”
unlikely to succeed or be fulfilled; hopeless.
“a forlorn attempt to escape”
bellicose
demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight.
“a group of bellicose patriots”
doughty
brave and persistent.
“his doughty spirit kept him going”
rebuke
to express sharp, stern disapproval of; reprove; reprimand.
expiate
make amends for sin
soporific
tending to induce drowsiness or sleep.
“the motion of the train had a somewhat soporific effect”
coruscating
severely critical; scathing.
“his coruscating attack on the Prime Minister”
preternatural
beyond what is normal or natural.
“autumn had arrived with preternatural speed”
teleological
relating to or involving the explanation of phenomena in terms of the purpose they serve rather than of the cause by which they arise.
preclude
prevent from happening; make impossible.
“the secret nature of his work precluded official recognition”
countenance
admit as acceptable or possible.
“he was reluctant to countenance the use of force”
consonant
in agreement or harmony with.
“the findings are consonant with other research”
complaisance
a desire or willingness to please others, or to be agreeable and obliging
edifying
providing moral or intellectual instruction.
“edifying literature”
grating
sounding harsh and unpleasant.
“a high, grating voice”
didactic
intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive.
“a didactic novel that set out to expose social injustice”
cadge
ask for or obtain (something to which one is not strictly entitled).
“he eats whenever he can cadge a meal”
allay
diminish or put at rest (fear, suspicion, or worry).
“the report attempted to educate the public and allay fears”
mendicate
to beg or practice begging
anodyne
not likely to provoke dissent or offense; inoffensive, often deliberately so.
“anodyne New Age music”
pavonine
of or like a peacock.
saturnine
(of a person or their features) dark in coloring and moody or mysterious.
“his saturnine face and dark, watchful eyes”
(of a place or an occasion) gloomy.
“a saturnine setting”
