Defining Extremes Flashcards
draconian
of or relating to Draco or his harsh code of laws
strident
being sharply insistent on being heard; unpleasantly loud and harsh; of speech sounds produced by forcing air through a constricted passage (as f', s’, z', or th’ in both thin' and then’);conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry
perfunctory
hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough; as a formality only
rife
excessively abundant; encountered generally especially at the present time
unfettered
not bound by shackles and chains
ubiquity
the state of being everywhere at once (or seeming to be everywhere at once)
constellation
a configuration of stars as seen from the earth;an arrangement of parts or elements
effusive
extravagantly demonstrative; uttered with unrestrained enthusiasm
unremitting
uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
quantum
(physics) the smallest discrete quantity of some physical property that a system can possess (according to quantum theory); a discrete amount of something that is analogous to the quantum in quantum theory
pernicious
working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way; exceedingly harmful
vitriol
abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will
unalloyed
free from admixture
patina
an appearance or aura that is derived from association, habit, or established character
capacious
large in capacity
ballyhoo
blatant or sensational promotion; advertize noisily or blatantly
vestigial
not fully developed in mature animals
pillory
a wooden instrument of punishment on a post with holes for the wrists and neck; offenders were locked in and so exposed to public scorn; punish by putting in a pillory; expose to ridicule or public scorn; criticize harshly or violently
evanescent
tending to vanish like vapor
monomaniacal
obsessed with one self
extirpate
surgically remove (an organ); pull up by or as if by the roots; destroy completely, as if down to the roots
