Chapter 17 Flashcards
provincial
adj.
- Of or relating to a province.
- Of or characteristic of people from the provinces; not fashionable or sophisticated
- Limited in perspective; narrow and self-centered.
specious
adj.
- Having the ring of truth or plausibility but actually fallacious: a specious argument.
- Deceptively appealing
venial
adj.
Easily excused or forgiven; pardonable: a venial offense.
coddle
v.
- To cook in water just below the boiling point: coddle eggs.
- To treat indulgently; baby; pamper.
innocuous
adj.
- Having no adverse effect; harmless.
- Not likely to offend or provoke to strong emotion; insipid.
peerless
adj.
Being such as to have no match; incomparable.
veracity
v.
- Adherence to the truth; truthfulness.
- Conformity to fact or truth; accuracy: a report of doubtful veracity.
- A true statement: the stern veracities of science
ascetic
adj.
Relating to, characteristic of, or leading a life of self-discipline and self-denial, especially for spiritual improvement; severely simple; without luxuries
fortuitous
adj.
- Happening by accident or chance.
- Resulting in good fortune; lucky.
pejorative
adj.
Disparaging; belittling: pejorative connotation
puerile
adj.
Immature, especially in being silly or trivial; childish.
verbose
adj.
Using or containing a great and usually an excessive number of words; wordy.
assiduous
adj.
Showing or characterized by persistent attention or untiring application; diligent; thorough: an assiduous worker who strove for perfection; did assiduous research before writing the book.
cogent
adj.
Appealing to the intellect or powers of reasoning; convincing: a cogent argument.
inscrutable
adj.
Difficult to understand or interpret; impenetrable.
mettle
n.
The ability to meet a challenge or persevere under demanding circumstances; determination or resolve: a race that tested the best runners’ mettle.
pellucid
adj.
- Admitting the passage of light; transparent or translucent.
- Transparently clear in style or meaning: pellucid prose.
punctilious
adj.
- Strictly attentive to minute details of form in action or conduct; meticulous.
- Precise; scrupulous.
spurious
adj.
- Lacking authenticity or validity in essence or origin; not genuine: spurious poems attributed to Shakespeare.
- Not trustworthy; dubious or fallacious: spurious reasoning; a spurious justification.
assuage
v.
- To make (something burdensome or painful) less intense or severe; relieve: assuage her grief.
- To satisfy or appease (e.g. hunger or thirst).
- To appease or calm: assuaged his critics.
cogitate
v.
To take careful thought or think carefully about; ponder.
insentient
adj.
Devoid of sensation or consciousness; inanimate.
milieu
n.
An environment or a setting.
purloin
v.
To steal, especially in a stealthy way.
astute
adj.
Having or showing shrewdness and discernment, especially with respect to one’s own concerns; perceptive; sharp-witted.
