Chapter 16 Flashcards
soothsayer
n.
One who claims to be able to foretell events or predict the future; a seer.
archetype
n.
- An original model or type after which other similar things are patterned; a prototype e.g. Frankenstein, Dracula
- An ideal example of a type; quintessence: an archetype of the successful entrepreneur.
clemency
n.
- A disposition to show mercy, especially toward an offender or enemy.
- A merciful, kind, or lenient act.
- Mildness, especially of weather.
disinterested
adj. 1. Free of bias and self-interest; impartial: disinterested scientific opinion 2. a. Not interested; indifferent b. Having lost interest.
ingénue
n.
1. A naive, innocent girl or young woman.
2.
a. The role of an ingénue in a dramatic production.
b. An actress playing such a role.
mendacious
adj.
- Lying; untruthful: a mendacious child.
- False; untrue: a mendacious statement.
paucity
n.
- Smallness of number; fewness.
- Scarcity; dearth: a paucity of natural resources.
protean
adj.
- Readily taking on varied shapes, forms, or meanings.
- Exhibiting considerable variety or diversity: protean talent
sophomoric
adj.
- Of or characteristic of a sophomore.
- Exhibiting great immaturity and lack of judgment: sophomoric behavior.
venal
adj.
1.
a. Open to bribery; mercenary: a venal police officer.
b. Characterized by corrupt dealings, especially bribery: a venal arrangement between the police and the drug dealers.
disparage
v.
- To speak of in a slighting or disrespectful way.
- To reduce in esteem or rank.
ingrate
n.
An ungrateful person.
mercenary
adj.
- Motivated solely by a desire for monetary or material gain.
- Hired for service in a foreign army.
peccadillo
n.
A small sin or fault.
soporific
adj.
- Inducing or tending to induce sleep.
- Drowsy.
fly-by-night
adj.
- Unreliable or unscrupulous, especially with regard to business dealings; disreputable: some fly-by-night startup
- Of an impermanent or insubstantial nature: fly-by-night fashions in clothing.
inimical
adj.
- Injurious or harmful in effect; adverse: habits inimical to good health.
- Unfriendly; hostile: a cold, inimical voice.
mercurial
adj.
- Having the characteristics of eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, and thievishness attributed to the god Mercury.
- Containing or caused by the action of the element mercury.
- Quick and changeable in temperament; volatile: a mercurial nature.
pedant
n.
One who ostentatiously exhibits academic knowledge or who pays undue attention to minor details or formal rules.
venerate
v.
To regard with deep respect or reverence.
artifice
n.
1.
a. Deception or trickery: artifice of the seller.
b. Something contrived or made up to achieve an end, especially by deceiving; a stratagem or ruse.
2.
a. Cleverness or ingenuity in making or doing something; art or skill: literary artifice
b. An artistic device or convention: artifices such as conceits and puns.
coalesce
v.
- To come or grow together into a single mass; merge: the material that coalesced to form stars.
- To come together as a recognizable whole or entity: the stories that coalesced as the history of the movement.
- To come together for a single purpose: The rebel units coalesced into one army to fight the invaders.
dispassionate
adj.
Not influenced by strong feelings or emotions; impartial: a dispassionate reporter.
forensic
adj.
- Relating to, used in, or appropriate for courts of law or for public discussion or argumentation.
- Relating to the use of science or technology in the investigation and establishment of facts or evidence in a court of law: a forensic laboratory.
pedestrian
adj.
- Of, relating to, or made for pedestrians: a pedestrian bridge.
- Going or performed on foot: a pedestrian journey.
- Undistinguished; ordinary; common; mundane; dull: pedestrian prose.
