Common Words VI Flashcards
Impartial
free from undue bias or preconceived notions
Nonplussed
unsure how to act or respond
Rebuke
criticize severely or angrily; censure
Edifying
enlightening or uplifting so as to encourage intellectual or moral improvement
Furtive
marked by quiet and caution and secrecy, taking pains to avoid being observed
Elicit
call forth (emotions feelings and responses)
Antipathy
an intense feeling of dislike or eversion
Efficacious
producing the intended result
Truncate
reduce the length of something
Arduous
demanding considerable mental effort and skill; testing power of endurance
Economical
avoiding waste; efficient
Mendacity
the tendency to be untruthful
Specious
based on pretense; deceptively pleasing, plausible but false,superficially plausible, but actually wrong.
Imprudent
not wise,not showing care for the consequences of an action; rash.
Posit
assume as fact
Duress
compulsory force or threat
Reproach
to express criticism towards
Ignominious
(used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame
Stringent
demanding strict attention to rules and procedures
Indecorous
not keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in polite society, improper
Sullen
showing a brooding ( deep unhappiness of thought) ill humor
Polemic
a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something
Jovial
full of or showing high spirited merriment
Harried
troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances
Anomaly
something that is not normal, standard or expected
Askance
with a look of suspicion or disapproval
Mundane
repetitive and boring, not spiritual, relating to the ordinary world
Appease
pacify by acceding to the demands of
Esoteric
confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle
Timorous
timid by nature or revealing fear and nervousness
Dispassionate
unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice
nuance
a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
Maladroit
clumsy
pejorative
expressing disapproval (usually refers to a term)
Maverick
someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action, unorthodox
Erudite
having or showing profound knowledge
Fastidious
overly concerned with details, fussy
Capricious
determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason
Banality
a trite or obvious remark
Contrition
the feeling of remorse or guilt that comes from doing something bad
Dilatory
wasting time
Misconstrue
interpret in the wrong way
Transient
lasting a very short time
Deleterious
harmful to living things
Bolster
support and strengthen
Opulence
wealth as evidenced by sumptuous living
Flux
a state of uncertainty about what should be done ( usually following some important event)
Disseminate
cause to become widely known
Placate
cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of
Craven
pathetically cowardly
