chain reaction Flashcards
1
Q
jejune
A
- devoid of significance or interest : DULL
- __\_ lectures
- JUVENILE, PUERILE
- ___ reflections on life and art
- lacking nutritive value
- ___ diets
2
Q
assuage
A
- To lessen, calm or satisfy
- VERB. If you assuage an unpleasant feeling that someone has, you make them feel it less strongly.
- The announcement appeared designed to ____ concerns at home and abroad. [VERB noun]
- She was just trying to ____ her guilt by playing the devoted mother. [VERB noun]
- VERB. If you assuage a need or desire for something, you satisfy it.
- The meat they’d managed to procure ____ their hunger
3
Q
mollify
A
Verb.
- to soften in feeling or temper, as a person; pacify; appease.
- to mitigate or reduce; soften:
- to ____ one’s demands.
Placate, assuage
4
Q
gruntle
A
- to put in a good humor
- were ____ with a good meal and good conversation
Placate
5
Q
lenify
A
- to assuage, alleviate, or mitigate
* Assuage, mollify, gruntle, placate*
6
Q
scattergood
A
NOUN
- a person who spends wastefully or squanders money or possessions; a spendthrift
* Spenthrift, prodigal*
7
Q
prodigal
A
adjective
- spending money or using resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant
- ___ habits die hard.
- having or giving something on a lavish scale
- the dessert was ___ with whipped cream.
noun
- a person who spends money in a recklessly extravagant way
- the government wished to clip the wings of the local authority ___.
Synonime: spendthrift
8
Q
profligate
A
adjective
- recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources
- _____ consumers of energy.
- licentious; dissolute
- he succumbed to drink and a _____ lifestyle.
noun
- a licentious, dissolute person.
Spendthrift
9
Q
leery
A
adjective (leerier, leeriest) informal informal
- cautious or wary due to realistic suspicions: a city leery of gang violence.
* Taciturn*
10
Q
yielding
A
adjective
- (of a substance or object) giving way under pressure; not hard or rigid
- she dropped on to the _____ cushions.
- (of a person) complying with the requests or desires of others
- a gentle, _____ person.
- [in combination] giving a product or generating a financial return of a specified amount
- higher-_____ wheat.
11
Q
licentious
A
12
Q
hasty
A
adjective (hastier, hastiest)
- done or acting with excessive speed or urgency; hurried
- a ___ attempt to defuse the situation
- ___ decisions.
- acting with with excessive speed or insufficient consideration:
- don’t be too ___ in criticizing a colleague.
- archaic quick-tempered.
13
Q
contempt
A
noun - desprecio
- the feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn
- he showed his ____ for his job by doing it very badly.
- disregard for something that should be taken into account:
- this action displays an arrogant _____ for the wishes of the majority.
14
Q
timely
A
adjective
- done or occurring at a favourable or useful time; opportune
- a ___ warning.
- • done or occurring sufficiently early; prompt
- ___ diagnosis and subsequent early administration will be imperative
15
Q
exacting
A
adjective
- making great demands on one’s skill, attention, or other resources
- the ____ standards laid down by the organic food industry
16
Q
copious
A
adjective
- abundant in supply or quantity
- she took ___ notes.
- archaic profuse in speech or ideas
- I had been a little too ___ in talking of my country
17
Q
profuse
A
adjective
- (especially of something offered or discharged) very plentiful; abundant
- I offered my ____ apologies.
- • archaic (of a person) extravagant
- they are ____ in hospitality.
18
Q
acerbic
A
adjective
- (especially of a comment or style of speaking) sharp and forthright
- his acerbic ____.
- 2 archaic or technical tasting sour or bitter.
19
Q
wit
A
noun [mass noun]
- (also __-s) the capacity for inventive thought and quick understanding; keen intelligence
- she does not lack perception or native ___
- he needed all his ___s to figure out the way back.
- • [with infinitive] good sense
- I had the ___ to realize that the only way out was up.
- a natural aptitude for using words and ideas in a quick and inventive way to create humour
- his caustic ___ cuts through the humbug.
- • [count noun] a person showing or characterized by quick and inventive verbal humour
- she is such a ___
20
Q
humbug
A
noun
- [mass noun] deceptive or false talk or behaviour
- his comments are sheer ___.
- [count noun] a hypocrite
- you see what a ___ I am.
- British a boiled sweet, especially one flavoured with peppermint.
21
Q
sheer
A
adjective
- [attributive] nothing other than; unmitigated (used for emphasis)
- she giggled with ___ delight
- it’s been ___ hard work.
- (especially of a cliff or wall) perpendicular or nearly so
- the ___ ice walls.
- (of a fabric) very thin; diaphanous
- ___ white silk chiffon
22
Q
scathing
A
adjective
- witheringly scornful; severely critical
- she launched a ____ attack on the Prime Minister.
23
Q
rife
A
adjective [predicative]
- (especially of something undesirable) of common occurrence; widespread
- male chauvinism was ___ in medicine.
- • (rife with) full of
- the streets were ___ with rumour and fear.
adverb
- in an unchecked or widespread manner
- speculation ran ___ that he was an arms dealer.
24
Q
affability
A
noun [mass noun]
- the quality of having a friendly and good-natured manner
- an air of benign ____.
25
stark
adjective
* severe or bare in appearance or outline
* *the ridge formed a ___ silhouette against the sky.*
* unpleasantly or sharply clear
* *his position is in ___ contrast to that of Curran*
* *the ___ reality of life for millions of young people.*
* [attributive] complete; sheer
* *he came running back in ___ terror.*
* archaic or literary stiff, rigid, or incapable of movement
* *a human body lying stiff and ___ by the stream.*
* physically strong or powerful
* *the dragoons were ___ fellows.*
26
miserliness
noun [mass noun]
* excessive desire to save money; extreme meanness
* *the party earned a damaging reputation for ___ by cutting pensions.*
* • the quality of being small or inadequate; meagreness
* *the relative ___ of the prizes involved.*
27
stinginess
adjective informal
* mean; ungenerous
* *his boss is ___ and idle.*
28
idle
adjective (idler, idlest)
* (of a person) avoiding work; lazy
* *\_\_\_ students.*
* (of a person) not working; unemployed
* *10.3 per cent of the workforce is now \_\_\_.*
* (especially of a machine or factory) not active or in use
* *the mill has been standing ___ for eight years.*
* [attributive] (of time) characterized by inaction or absence of significant activity
* *at no time in the day must there be an ___ moment.*
* (of money) held in cash or in accounts paying no interest.
* without purpose or effect; pointless
* *he did not want to waste valuable time in ___ chatter.*
* • (especially of a threat or boast) without foundation
* *I knew Ellen did not make ___ threats.*
29
diffidence
noun [mass noun] falta de seguridad en sí mismo
* modesty or shyness resulting from a lack of self-confidence
* *I say this with some \_\_\_\_*
30
illiberal
adjective mezquino, intransigente
* opposed to liberal principles; restricting freedom of thought or behaviour
* *\_\_ and anti-democratic policies.*
* *archaic* uncultured or unrefined.
* *archaic* not generous; mean.
31
frugal
adjective
* sparing or economical as regards money or food
* *I'm a bit too ___ to splash out on designer clothes.*
* • simple and plain and costing little
* *a ___ meal.*
32
thrift
noun [mass noun]
* the quality of using money and other resources carefully and not wastefully
* *the values of ____ and self-reliance.*
* [count noun] US another term for savings and loan.
33
coarseness
noun [mass noun]
* the quality of being rough or harsh
* *the ___ of her hair*
* rudeness; vulgarity
* *he disliked the ___ of the men around him.*
34
unseemly
adjective
* (of behaviour or actions) not proper or appropriate
* *an unseemly squabble.*
35
quarrel
noun
* a heated argument or disagreement, typically about a trivial issue and between people who are usually on good term
* *she made the mistake of picking a ____ with John.*
* *Squabble: noisy ___ about somethiing trivial*
36
deceptive
adjective. engañoso
* giving an appearance or impression different from the true one; misleading
* *he put the question with ____ casualness.*
37
guile
noun [mass noun] astucia
* sly or cunning intelligence
* *he used all his ___ and guts to free himself from the muddle he was in.*
38
deplete
verb [with object]
* use up the supply or resources of
* *reservoirs have been \_\_\_d by years of drought*
* (as adjective *\_\_\_d*) : *Mansfield started the game with a \_\_\_d side.*
* [no object] diminish in number or quantity:
* *supplies are \_\_\_ing fast.*
39
equable
adjective
* not easily disturbed or angered; calm and even-tempered:
* *he could look sterner than his __ temperament would suggest.*
* not varying or fluctuating greatly:
* *an __ climate*
*sereno, ecuánime*
40
pliable
adjective
* easily bent; flexible:
* *quality leather is ___ and will not crack.*
* easily influenced:
* *\_\_\_ teenage minds.*
41
shrewd
adjective
* having or showing sharp powers of judgement; astute:
* *she was __ enough to guess the motive behind his gesture*
* *a ___ career move*
