December 2020 Flashcards
Brevity
concise and exact use of words in writing or speech.
“the staff will edit manuscripts with a view to brevity and clarity”
shortness of time.
“the brevity of human life”
Enchantment
a feeling of great pleasure; delight.
“the enchantment of the mountains”
the state of being under a spell; magic.
“a world of mystery and enchantment”
Congregate
gather into a crowd or mass.
“some 4000 demonstrators had congregated at a border point”
Flounder
struggle or stagger helplessly or clumsily in water or mud.
“he was floundering about in the shallow offshore waters”
Struggle
Clamor
of a group of people) shout loudly and insistently.
“the surging crowds clamored for attention”
Flummoxed
completely unable to understand : utterly confused or
: completely unable to understand : utterly confused or perplexed Then, perforce, his eyes returned to the highway as he headed for I-95 and South Carolina, the most flummoxed driver on the road.—
Conflate
combine (two or more texts, ideas, etc.) into one.
“the urban crisis conflates a number of different economic and social issues”
Extrinsic
not part of the essential nature of someone or something; coming or operating from outside.
“extrinsic factors that might affect time budgets”
External exterior
Placating
intended to make someone less angry or hostile.
“David put his hands up in a placating gesture”
Obscure
not discovered or known about; uncertain.
“his origins and parentage are obscure”
keep from being seen; conceal.
“gray clouds obscure the sun”
Expendable
of little significance when compared to an overall purpose, and therefore able to be abandoned.
of an object) designed to be used only once and then abandoned or destroyed.
“the need for unmanned and expendable launch vehicles”
Static
lacking in movement, action, or change, especially in a way viewed as undesirable or uninteresting.
“demand has grown in what was a fairly static market”
Unchanged fixed stable
Dichotomy
a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different.
“a rigid dichotomy between science and mysticism”
División
Contrived
deliberately created rather than arising naturally or spontaneously.
created or arranged in a way that seems artificial and unrealistic.
“the ending of the novel is too pat and contrived”
Forced strained
Revile
criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner.
“he was now reviled by the party that he had helped to lead”
Bigotry
obstinate or unreasonable attachment to a belief, opinion, or faction; in particular, prejudice against a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular group.
“the difficulties of combating prejudice and bigotry”
Predjudice
Innuendo
oun
an allusive or oblique remark or hint, typically a suggestive or disparaging one.
“she’s always making sly innuendoes”
Trajectory
the path followed by a projectile flying or an object moving under the action of given forces.
“the missile’s trajectory was preset”
Course, route path
Hyperbole
exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
“he vowed revenge with oaths and hyperboles”
Buttressed
(of a building or structure) strengthened or supported with a buttress.
“a buttressed wall”
Inoculate
treat (a person or animal) with a vaccine to produce immunity against a disease.
“he inoculated his tenants against smallpox”
introduce (an infective agent) into an organism.
“the microorganism can be inoculated into laboratory animals”
Languish
weaken, grow weak, deteriorate, decline, go into a decline; wither, droop, flag, wilt, fade, fail, waste away; informal go downhill. ANTONYMS thrive, flourish
2 the general is now languishing in prison: waste away, rot, decay, wither away, molder, be abandoned, be neglected, be forgotten, suffer; be disregarded, experience hardship.
3 archaic she still languished after Richard: pine for, yearn for, ache for, long for, sigh for, desire, want, hanker after, carry a torch for; grieve for, mourn, miss; literary repine.
con·stel·la·tion
a group of stars forming a recognizable pattern that is traditionally named after its apparent form or identified with a mythological figure. Modern astronomers divide the sky into eighty-eight constellations with defined boundaries.
• a group or cluster of related things: no two patients ever show exactly the same constellation of symptoms.
Imperative
of vital importance; crucial.
“immediate action was imperative”
giving an authoritative command; peremptory.
“the bell pealed again, a final imperative call”
Articulate
of a person or a person’s words) having or showing the ability to speak fluently and coherently.
“an articulate account of their experiences”
express (an idea or feeling) fluently and coherently.
“they were unable to articulate their emotions”
Indubitable
impossible to doubt; unquestionable.
“an indubitable truth”
Maim
wound or injure (someone) so that part of the body is permanently damaged.
“100,000 soldiers were killed or maimed”
Erratic
not even or regular in pattern or movement; unpredictable.
“her breathing was erratic”
Paroxysm (perek sysm)
a sudden attack or violent expression of a particular emotion or activity.
“a paroxysm of weeping”
Spasm attack
Gesticulate
use gestures, especially dramatic ones, instead of speaking or to emphasize one’s words.
“they were shouting and gesticulating frantically at drivers who did not slow down”
Sedition
conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch.
Provincials
2.
of or concerning the regions outside the capital city of a country, especially when regarded as unsophisticated or narrow-minded.
“the whole exhibition struck one as being ve
Exploitation
make full use of and derive benefit from (a resource).
“500 companies sprang up to exploit this new technology”
use (a situation or person) in an unfair or selfish way.
“the company was exploiting a legal loophole”
benefit unfairly from the work of (someone), typically by overworking or underpaying them.
“making money does not always mean exploiting others”
Rendezvous
a meeting at an agreed time and place, typically between two people.
“Edward turned up late for their rendezvous”
Allegiance
oun
loyalty or commitment of a subordinate to a superior or of an individual to a group or cause.
“those wishing to receive citizenship must swear allegiance to the republic”
Commandeer
officially take possession or control of (something), especially for military purposes.
“telegraph and telephone lines were commandeered by the generals”
Quibbling
the action of raising objections about a trivial matter.
“she was tired of all the quibbling”
adjective
arguing or raising objections about a trivial matter.
“he came back with a quibbling rebuttal”
Valiantly
with courage or determination.
“they fought valiantly to the end”
Prodigious
remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree.
“the stove consumed a prodigious amount of fuel”
Lascivious
of a person, manner, or gesture) feeling or revealing an overt and often offensive sexual desire.
“he gave her a lascivious wink”
Malign
speak about (someone) in a spitefully critical manner. "don't you dare malign her in my presence"
Wraith
a ghost or ghostlike image of someone, especially one seen shortly before or after their death.
used in reference to a pale, thin, or insubstantial person or thing.
“heart attacks had reduced his mother to a wraith”
a wisp or faint trace of something.
“a sea breeze was sending a gray wraith of smoke up the slopes”
Sullen
bad-tempered and sulky; gloomy.
“a sullen pout”
Flog
beat (someone) with a whip or stick as punishment or torture.
“the stolen horses will be returned and the thieves flogged”
Regiment
a permanent unit of an army typically commanded by a colonel and divided into several companies, squadrons, or batteries and often into two battalions.
“two or three miles inland a highly experienced artillery regiment had established a defensive position”
Unit force army
Antics
foolish, outrageous, or amusing behavior.
“the antics of our political parties”
Viable
capable of working successfully; feasible.
“the proposed investment was economically viable”
of a plant, animal, or cell) capable of surviving or living successfully, especially under particular environmental conditions.
“the largest and most viable population of this endangered vetch”
Carnage
the killing of a large number of people.
“the bombing was timed to cause as much carnage as possible”
Rigmarole
a lengthy and complicated procedure.
“he went through the rigmarole of securing the front door”
a long, rambling story or statement.
“she went into a long rigmarole about the different jobs she’d had”
Edgewise
contribute to a conversation with difficulty because the other speaker talks almost without pause.
“I didn’t get a word in edgewise for an hour”
Dissary
a state of disorganization or untidiness.
“her gray hair was in disarray”
Placate
make (someone) less angry or hostile.
“they attempted to placate the students with promises”
Frolic
(of an animal or person) play and move about cheerfully, excitedly, or energetically.
“Edward frolicked on the sand”
Enmity
the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.
“decades of enmity between the two countries”
Garrulous
excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters.
“Polonius is portrayed as a foolish, garrulous old man”
Swill
INFORMAL
drink (something) greedily or in large quantities.
“they whiled away their evening swilling pints of beer”
wash or rinse out (an area or container) by pouring large amounts of water or other liquid over or into it.
“I swilled out the mug”
Maudlin
self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness.
“the drink made her maudlin”
Litany
a tedious recital or repetitive series.
“a litany of complaints”
Grim
forbidding or uninviting.
of humor) lacking genuine levity; mirthless; black.
“some moments of grim humor”
Bilious
affected by or associated with nausea or vomiting.
“I had eaten something that didn’t agree with me and I was a little bilious”
spiteful; bad-tempered.
“outbursts of bilious misogyny”
Ardent/ ardor
enthusiastic or passionate.
“an ardent baseball fan”
Inferior
lower in rank, status, or quality.
“schooling in inner-city areas was inferior to that in the rest of the country”
Indenture
a legal agreement, contract, or document.
bind (someone) by an indenture as an apprentice or laborer.
“landowners tried to get their estates cultivated by indentured laborers”
Stoically
adverb
adverb: stoically
without showing one’s feelings or complaining about pain or hardship.
“an old woman who stoically accepts the demolition of her house”
Dilatory
slow to act.
“he had been dilatory in appointing a solicitor”
intended to cause delay.
“they resorted to dilatory procedural tactics, forcing a postponement of peace talks”
Procured
obtain (something), especially with care or effort.
“food procured for the rebels”
persuade or cause (someone) to do something.
“he procured his wife to sign the agreement”
Pertinent
relevant or applicable to a particular matter; apposite.
“she asked me a lot of very pertinent questions”
To the point suitable appropriate
Florid
having a red or flushed complexion.
“a stout man with a florid face”
elaborately or excessively intricate or complicated.
“florid operatic-style music was out”
Heckle
interrupt (a public speaker) with derisive or aggressive comments or abuse.
“he was booed and heckled when he tried to address the demonstrators”
a heckling comment.
“the meeting regularly dissolved into heckles”
Haggard
looking exhausted and unwell, especially from fatigue, worry, or suffering.
“I trailed on behind, haggard and disheveled”
Shrewder
A shrewd person is able to understand and judge a situation quickly and to use this understanding to their own advantage.
Monotony
lack of variety and interest; tedious repetition and routine.
“you can become resigned to the monotony of captivity”
Contention
heated disagreement.
“the captured territory was one of the main areas of contention between the two countries”
Skirmish
an episode of irregular or unpremeditated fighting, especially between small or outlying parts of armies or fleets.
“the unit was caught in several skirmishes and the commanding officer was killed”
Valiant
possessing or showing courage or determination.
“she made a valiant effort to hold her anger in check”
Surfeit
cause (someone) to desire no more of something as a result of having consumed or done it to excess.
“I am surfeited with shopping”
Aloof
not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant.
“they were courteous but faintly aloof”
Disconsolate
(of a place or thing) causing or showing a complete lack of comfort; cheerless.
“solitary, disconsolate clumps of cattails”
Derogatory
showing a critical or disrespectful attitude.
“she tells me I’m fat and is always making derogatory remarks”
Tentatively
in a way that lacks confidence; hesitantly.
““Are you all right?” Claire asked tentatively”
Auspicious
conducive to success; favorable.
“it was not the most auspicious moment to hold an election”
