Day 4 Flashcards
benign
Harmless; favorable; kindly, gentle, or
beneficial; not cancerous
“his benign but firm manner”
bent
Personal inclination or tendency
“a man of a religious bent”
besiege
Attack, overwhelm, crowd in on or surround
“she spent the whole day besieged by newsmen”
“the king marched north to besiege Berwick”
bevy
Group of birds or other animals that stay close
together; any large group
“a bevy of larks trill their carefree songs”
bifurcate
To fork into two branches or divide into two
halves
“just below Cairo the river bifurcates”
bilk
Cheat or defraud
“government waste has bilked the taxpayer of billions of dollars”
blight
Disease that kills plants rapidly, or any cause of decay or destruction (noun); ruin or cause to wither (verb)
“the vines suffered blight and disease”
“the vacant properties are a blight on the neighbourhood”
blithe
Joyous, merry; excessively carefree (so as to
ignore more important concerns)
“a blithe seaside comedy”
“a blithe disregard for the rules of the road”
bogus
Fake, fraudulent
“a bogus insurance claim”
bolster
support or strengthen.
“the fall in interest rates is starting to bolster confidence”
bombastic
(Of speech or writing) far too showy or
dramatic than is appropriate; pretentious
“bombastic rhetoric”
bonhomie
Friendliness, open and simple good
heartedness
“he exuded good humour and bonhomie”
boor
Rude, ill-mannered, or insensitive person; a
peasant or country bumpkin
“at last the big obnoxious boor had been dealt a stunning blow for his uncouth and belligerent manner”
brandish
Shake, wave, or flourish, as a weapon
“a man leaped out brandishing a knife”
brook
Suffer or tolerate
“Jenny would brook no criticism of Matthew”
bucolic
Pertaining to shepherds; suggesting a
peaceful and pleasant view of rural life
“the church is lovely for its bucolic setting”
buffer
Something that shields, protects, absorbs
shock, or cushions
“family and friends can provide a buffer against stress”
bureaucracy
Government characterized by many bureaus
and petty administrators or by excessive,
seemingly meaningless requirements
“the unnecessary bureaucracy in local government”
burgeon
Grow or flourish rapidly; put forth buds or
shoots (of a plant)
“manufacturers are keen to cash in on the burgeoning demand”
burnish
Polish, make smooth and lustrous
“highly burnished armour”
buttress
Support or encourage (verb); a support or
prop, esp. projecting from and supporting the
wall of a building (noun)
“the cathedral’s massive buttresses”
bygone
Past, former (adj); that which is in the past
(usually plural noun)
“the museum consists of a fascinating collection of rural bygones”
cacophony
Harsh, discordant, or meaningless mixture of
sounds
“a cacophony of deafening alarm bells”
calumny
Malicious lie intended to hurt someone’s
reputation; the act of telling such lies
“a bitter struggle marked by calumny and litigation”
“a change in the law would prevent the press from publishing calumnies”
canard
Rumor, a false or baseless story
“the old canard that LA is a cultural wasteland”
candid
Open, sincere, honest
“his responses were remarkably candid”
canonical
Authorized, recognized; pertaining to the
canon, or body of accepted rules, standards or
artistic works
“the canonical rites of the Roman Church”
capricious
Acting on impulse, erratic
“a capricious and often brutal administration”
cardinal
Chief, most important
“two cardinal points must be borne in mind”
cartography
Mapmaking
“The book contains detailed technical information about practices of colonial boundary-demarcation and cartography that is useful for historians not trained in geography.”
castigate
Criticize severely; punish in order to correct
“he was castigated for not setting a good example”
catalyst
Causer of change
“the prime minister’s speech acted as a catalyst for debate”
catholic
Universal, broad-minded
“her tastes are pretty catholic”
