Flashcards - 5
Subterranean
: located or living under the surface of the ground
: existing or working in secret
Synonyms: subsurface, belowground, underground
Antonyms: aboveground, surface
Luddite
: one of a group of early 19th century English workmen destroying laborsaving machinery as a protest; broadly : one who is opposed to especially technological change
Luddite adjective
Origin: perhaps from Ned Ludd, 18th century Leicestershire workman who destroyed a knitting frame.
First use: 1811
Radical
: very new and different from what is traditional or ordinary
: very basic and important
: having extreme political or social views that are not shared by most people
Prefigure
: to show or suggest (something that will happen or exist at a future time)
Egalitarian
: aiming for equal wealth, status, etc., for all people
Full Definition
: asserting, promoting, or marked by egalitarianism
egalitarian noun
Origin: French égalitaire, from égalité equality, from Latin aequalitat-, aequalitas, from aequalis equal.
First use: 1885
Whimsy
: a playful or amusing quality : a sense of humor or playfulness
Full Definition
1 : whim, caprice
2 : the quality or state of being whimsical or fanciful s latest whimsy is that she has acting talent
Variants: also whim·sey \ˈhwim-zē, ˈwim-\
Origin: irregular from whim-wham.
First use: 1605
Synonyms: bee, caprice, crank, fancy, freak, humor, kink, maggot, megrim, notion, vagary, vagrancy, whim (also whimsey)
Insular
: separated from other people or cultures : not knowing or interested in new or different ideas
Full Definition
1 a : of, relating to, or constituting an island
b : dwelling or situated on an island
2 : characteristic of an isolated people; especially : being, having, or reflecting a narrow provincial viewpoint
3 : of or relating to an island of cells or tissue
in·su·lar·ism -lə-ˌri-zəm\ noun
in·su·lar·i·ty \ˌin(t)-su̇-ˈla-rə-tē, -syu̇-, ˌin-shə-ˈla-\ noun
in·su·lar·ly \ˈin(t)-su̇-lər-lē, -syu̇-, ˈin-shə-\ adverb
Examples
an insular community that is not receptive of new ideas, especially from outsiders
Origin: Late Latin insularis, from Latin insula island.
First use: 1611
Synonyms: illiberal, narrow, Lilliputian, little, narrow-minded, parochial, petty, picayune, provincial, sectarian, small, small-minded
Antonyms: broad-minded, catholic, cosmopolitan, liberal, open, open-minded, receptive, tolerant
Dichotomy
di·chot·o·my\dī-ˈkä-tə-mē also də-\
noun
: a difference between two opposite things : a division into two opposite groups
Full Definition
1 : a division into two especially mutually exclusive or contradictory groups or entities ; also : the process or practice of making such a division
2 : the phase of the moon or an inferior planet in which half its disk appears illuminated
3 a : bifurcation; especially : repeated bifurcation (as of a plant’s stem)
b : a system of branching in which the main axis forks repeatedly into two branches
c : branching of an ancestral line into two equal diverging branches
4 : something with seemingly contradictory qualities
Other forms: plural di·chot·o·mies
Examples
her outfit is a sartorial dichotomy: an elegant gown and ratty old tennis shoes
Origin: Greek dichotomia, from dichotomos (see dichotomous ).
First use: 1610
Synonyms: contradiction, incongruity, paradox
Sartorial
\: of or relating to clothes Full Definition \: of or relating to a tailor or tailored clothes; broadly : of or relating to clothes sar·to·ri·al·ly \-ē-ə-lē\ adverb Origin: Medieval Latin sartor. First use: 1823
Punitive
: intended to punish someone or something
: extremely or unfairly severe or high
Full Definition
: inflicting, involving, or aiming at punishment
pu·ni·tive·ly adverb
pu·ni·tive·ness noun
Examples
any misbehavior was immediately met with a punitive response
the company had to pay a million dollars in punitive damages
Origin: French punitif, from Medieval Latin punitivus, from Latin punitus, past participle of punire.
First use: 1624
Synonyms: castigating, chastening, chastising, correcting, correctional, corrective, disciplinary, disciplining, penal, penalizing
Acumen
acu·men\ə-ˈkyü-mən, ˈa-kyə-mən\
noun
: the ability to think clearly and make good decisions
Full Definition
: keenness and depth of perception, discernment, or discrimination especially in practical matters
synonyms see discernment
Examples
had the business acumen to know that the market for sportswear was becoming oversaturated
Origin: Latin acumin-, acumen, literally, point, from acuere.
First use: circa 1579
Synonyms: astuteness, caginess (also cageyness), canniness, clear-sightedness, foxiness, hardheadedness, intelligence, keenness, knowingness, sharpness, shrewdness, wit
Unfettered
: not controlled or restricted
Full Definition
: free, unrestrained
First use: 1601
Capitalism
: a way of organizing an economy so that the things that are used to make and transport products (such as land, oil, factories, ships, etc.) are owned by individual people and companies rather than by the government
Full Definition
: an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market
Inordinate
: going beyond what is usual, normal, or proper
Full Definition
1 archaic : disorderly, unregulated
2 : exceeding reasonable limits : immoderate
synonyms see excessive
in·or·di·nate·ly adverb
in·or·di·nate·ness noun
Examples
an inordinate number of complaints about the slow pace of snow removal around the city
Origin: Middle English inordinat, from Latin inordinatus, from in- + ordinatus, past participle of ordinare to arrange — more at ordain.
First use: 14th century
Synonyms: baroque, devilish, exorbitant, extravagant, extreme, fancy, immoderate, excessive, insane, intolerable, lavish, overdue, overextravagant, overmuch, overweening, plethoric, steep, stiff, towering, unconscionable, undue, unmerciful
Labyrinthine
adjective
1 : of, relating to, or resembling a labyrinth : intricate, involved
2 : of, relating to, affecting, or originating in the internal ear
Examples
the labyrinthine politics of Central Europe left us totally befuddled
First use: 1632
Synonyms: baroque, byzantine, complicate, complicated, convoluted, daedal, elaborate, intricate, involute, involved, knotty, labyrinthian, complex, sophisticated, tangled
Behemoth
: something very big and powerful
Synonyms: giant, blockbuster, colossus, dinosaur, dreadnought, elephant, Goliath, jumbo, leviathan, mammoth, mastodon, monster, titan, whale, whopper
Protem
“for the time being”
Vituperative
transitive verb \: to abuse or censure severely or abusively : berate intransitive verb \: to use harsh condemnatory language synonyms see scold
Manifest
: able to be seen : clearly shown or visible
: easy to understand or recognize
Full Definition
1 : readily perceived by the senses and especially by the sense of sight
2 : easily understood or recognized by the mind : obvious
synonyms see evident
man·i·fest·ly adverb
Origin: Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French manifeste, from Latin manifestus caught in the act, flagrant, obvious, perhaps from manus + -festus (akin to Latin infestus hostile).
First use: 14th century
Synonyms: apparent, bald, bald-faced, barefaced, bright-line, broad, clear-cut, crystal clear, decided, distinct, evident, lucid, luculent, luminous, clear, nonambiguous, obvious, open-and-shut, palpable, patent, pellucid, perspicuous, plain, ringing, straightforward, transparent, unambiguous, unambivalent, unequivocal, unmistakable
Deadpan
: showing no feeling or emotion
Synonyms: catatonic, blank, empty, expressionless, impassive, inexpressive, numb, stolid, vacant
Depilation
: the removal of hair, wool, or bristles by chemical or mechanical methods
Arrogate
: to take or claim (something, such as a right or a privilege) in a way that is not fair or legal
Disdain
: a feeling of strong dislike or disapproval of someone or something you think does not deserve respect
Synonyms: contemptuousness, despisement, despite, despitefulness, contempt, misprision, scorn
Megalithic
: a very large stone used in ancient cultures as a monument or part of a building
Torrid
: very hot and usually dry
: showing or expressing very strong feelings especially of sexual or romantic desire
: very difficult, uncomfortable, or unpleasant
Muggy
: unpleasantly warm and humid
Synonyms: damp, humid, sticky, sultry
Quaint
: having an old-fashioned or unusual quality or appearance that is usually attractive or appealing
Synonyms: bizarre, bizarro, cranky, crazy, curious, eccentric, erratic, far-out, funky, funny, kinky, kooky (also kookie), offbeat, off-kilter, off-the-wall, outlandish, out-of-the-way, outré, peculiar, odd, queer, queerish, quirky, remarkable, rum [chiefly British], screwy, spaced-out, strange, wacky (also whacky), way-out, weird, weirdo, wild
Calligraphy
: the art of making beautiful handwriting
Full Definition
1 a : artistic, stylized, or elegant handwriting or lettering
b : the art of producing such writing
2 : penmanship
3 : an ornamental line in drawing or painting
cal·li·graph·ic \ˌka-lə-ˈgra-fik\ adjective
cal·li·graph·i·cal·ly -fi-k(ə-)lē\ adverb
Examples
she specializes in scrollwork with beautiful calligraphy
Origin: French or Greek; French calligraphie, from Greek kalligraphia, from kalli- beautiful (from kallos beauty) + -graphia -graphy.
First use: 1604
Synonyms: handwriting, longhand, manuscript, penmanship, script
Artifact
: a simple object (such as a tool or weapon) that was made by people in the past
: an accidental effect that causes incorrect results
Insulae
In Roman architecture, an insula (Latin for “island,” plural insulae) was a kind of apartment building that housed most of the urban citizen population of ancient Rome, including ordinary people of lower- or middle-class status (the plebs) and all but the wealthiest from the upper-middle class (the equites).
Harbinger
: something that shows what is coming
Synonyms: angel, foregoer, forerunner, herald, outrider, precursor
: to be a harbinger of : presage
Precursor
: something that comes before something else and that often leads to or influences its development
Synonyms: angel, foregoer, harbinger, herald, outrider, forerunner
Deluge
: a large amount of rain that suddenly falls in an area
: a situation in which a large area of land becomes completely covered with water
: a large amount of things that come at the same time
Synonyms: alluvion, bath, cataclysm, cataract, flood, flood tide, inundation, Niagara, overflow, spate, torrent
Decry
: to say publicly and forcefully that you regard (something) as bad, wrong, etc.
Churlish
: not polite
Synonyms: boorish, clownish, classless, cloddish, loutish, uncouth, surly, vulgar, intractable
Bilious
: having or causing a sick feeling in the stomach : feeling or causing nausea
: angry or bad-tempered
: very unpleasant to look at
Synonyms: acid, bearish, ill–tempered, bloody-minded [chiefly British], cantankerous, disagreeable, dyspeptic, ill-humored, ill-natured, ornery, splenetic, surly
Hail
1 : an exclamation of greeting or acclamation
2 : a calling to attract attention
3 : hearing distance
Bamboozle
: to trick or confuse (someone)
Dupe, hoodwink
Rattle
1 : to make a rapid succession of short sharp noises
2 : to chatter incessantly and aimlessly
3 : to move with a clatter or rattle; also : to be or move about in a place or station too large or grand
: a series of short, loud sounds
: a baby’s toy that makes a series of short sounds when it is shaken
: the group of hard, loose pieces (called scales) that cover the end of a rattlesnake’s tail
Synonyms: babel, blare, bluster, bowwow, brawl, bruit [archaic], cacophony, chatter, clamor, clangor, decibel(s), din, discordance, katzenjammer, racket, noise, roar
Defiance
: a refusal to obey something or someone : the act of defying someone or something
Permutation
: one of the many different ways or forms in which something exists or can be arranged
Immensity
: extremely great size
Synonyms: enormity, enormousness, giantism, gigantism, hugeness, immenseness, magnitude, massiveness, prodigiousness, vastitude, vastness
Enormity
: a shocking, evil, or immoral act
: great evil or wickedness
: great size
Synonyms: atrociousness, atrocity, badness, depravedness, depravity, diabolicalness, evilness, heinousness, hideousness, monstrosity, sinfulness, vileness, wickedness
Lexicon
: the words used in a language or by a person or group of people
Coddle
: to treat (someone) with too much care or kindness
Pamper
Indulge
: to allow (yourself) to have or do something as a special pleasure
: to allow (someone) to have or do something even though it may not be proper, healthy, appropriate, etc.
: to patiently allow (someone) to do or say something (pamper)
Debilitating (enfeebled)
: to make (someone or something) weak : to reduce the strength of (someone or something)
Callow
—used to describe a young person who does not have much experience and does not know how to behave the way adults behave
Synonyms: adolescent, green, immature, inexperienced, juvenile, puerile, raw, unfledged, unformed, unripe, unripened, wet behind the ears
Epistemology
: the study or a theory of the nature and grounds of knowledge especially with reference to its limits and validity
Redemption
: the act of making something better or more acceptable
: the act of exchanging something for money, an award, etc.
Christianity : the act of saving people from sin and evil : the fact of being saved from sin or evil
Refrain
: a phrase or verse that is repeated regularly in a poem or song
: a comment or statement that is often repeated (chorus)
: to stop yourself from doing something that you want to do (restrain)
As nauseam
: to a sickening or excessive degree
Collegial
1 : collegiate 2
2 a : marked by power or authority vested equally in each of a number of colleagues
b : characterized by equal sharing of authority especially by Roman Catholic bishops
3 : marked by camaraderie among colleagues
col·le·gial·ly adverb
Examples
company luncheons that are designed to instill a collegial spirit among coworkers
First use: 14th century
Synonyms: amicable, bonhomous, buddy-buddy, chummy, friendly, companionable, comradely, cordial, genial, hail-fellow, hail-fellow-well-met, hearty, matey [chiefly British], neighborly, palsy, palsy-walsy [slang], warm, warmhearted
Rake
a machine for gathering hay
1 : to gather, loosen, or smooth with or as if with a rake
2 : to gain rapidly or in abundance — usually used with in
3 a : to touch in passing over lightly
b : scratch, scrape
4 : to censure severely
5 : to search through : ransack
6 : to sweep the length of especially with gunfire : enfilade
7 : to glance over rapidly
8. 2 : inclination from the horizontal : slope
9. : a dissolute person : libertine
Dissolute
—used to describe someone (such as a person who often gets drunk) whose way of living is considered morally wrong
Synonyms: debased, debauched, decadent, degenerate, degraded, demoralized, depraved, dissipated, corrupt, jackleg, libertine, loose, perverse, perverted, rakehell (or rakehelly), rakish, reprobate, sick, unclean, unwholesome, warped
Harrow
1 : to cultivate with a harrow
2 : torment, vex
Debase
: to lower the value or reputation of (someone or something) : to make (someone or something) less respected
Nonplus
: to cause to be at a loss as to what to say, think, or do : perplex
synonyms see puzzle
Buoyed
: an object that floats on water in a lake, bay, river, etc., to show areas that are safe or dangerous for boats
Conceit
: too much pride in your own worth or goodness
: an idea that shows imagination
Boisterous
: very noisy and active in a lively way
Synonyms: hell-raising, knockabout, rambunctious, raucous, robustious, roisterous, rollicking, rowdy, rumbustious [chiefly British], wild and woolly
Overweening
: too confident or proud
: too great : excessive and unpleasant
Peccadillo
: a small mistake or fault that is not regarded as very bad or serious
Preen
1 of a bird : to groom with the bill especially by rearranging the barbs and barbules of the feathers and by distributing oil from the uropygial gland
2 : to dress or smooth (oneself) up : primp
3 : to pride or congratulate (oneself) on an achievementintransitive verb
1 : to make oneself sleek
2 : to behave or speak with obvious pride or self-satisfaction
Prophylactic
medical : designed to prevent disease
Coquettish
: a woman who likes to win the attention or admiration of men but does not have serious feelings for them
Pedestrian (quotidian
: not interesting or unusual
: relating to or designed for people who are walking
Eccentricity
: the quality of being strange or unusual in behavior
: an act or habit that is strange or unusual
Synonyms: crotchet, curiosity, idiosyncrasy, erraticism, individualism, kink, mannerism, oddity, peculiarity, quiddity, quip, quirk, singularity, tic, trick, twist
Banter
1 : to speak to or address in a witty and teasing manner
Pacific
: of, relating to, bordering on, or near the Pacific Ocean
: calm and peaceful
: loving peace : not wanting war or conflict
Synonyms: appeasing, conciliating, conciliatory, disarming, mollifying, pacifying, peacemaking, placating, placatory, propitiatory
Brusque
: talking or behaving in a very direct, brief, and unfriendly way
Synonyms: abrupt, bluff, blunt (also brusk), crusty, curt, downright, short, short-spoken, snippy, unceremonious
Berserk
1 : an ancient Scandinavian warrior frenzied in battle and held to be invulnerable
2 : one whose actions are recklessly defiant
: crazy and violent especially because of anger
Metastasize
: to spread or grow by or as if by metastasis
Metastasis means:
1 a : change of position, state, or form
b : the spread of a disease-producing agency (as cancer cells) from the initial or primary site of disease to another part of the body; also : the process by which such spreading occurs
2 : a secondary malignant tumor resulting from metastasis
Parlous
: full of danger or risk
Synonyms: grave, grievous, hazardous, jeopardizing, menacing, dangerous, perilous, risky, serious, threatening, unhealthy, unsafe, venturesome
Antonyms: harmless, innocent, innocuous, nonhazardous, nonthreatening, safe, unthreatening
Semiotic
: the study of signs and symbols and how they are used
Careen
to go forward quickly without control
Synonyms: rock, lurch, pitch, roll, seesaw, sway, toss, wobble (also wabble)
Trundled
: to roll (something) on wheels slowly and noisily
: to move noisily on wheels
: to walk slowly and heavily
Tarry
: to be slow in going : to stay somewhere
Transmute
: to completely change the form, appearance, or nature of (someone or something)
Synonyms: alchemize, make over, metamorphose, transfigure, transform, convert, transpose, transubstantiate
Fascist
: a way of organizing a society in which a government ruled by a dictator controls the lives of the people and in which people are not allowed to disagree with the government
: very harsh control or authority
Vainglorious
: having or showing too much pride in your abilities or achievements
Synonyms: assured, biggety (or biggity) [Southern&Midland], bigheaded, complacent, consequential, egoistic (also egoistical), egotistic (or egotistical), important, overweening, pompous, prideful, proud, self-conceited, self-important, self-opinionated, self-satisfied, smug, stuck-up, swellheaded, vain, conceited
Apposed
1 archaic : to put before : apply (one thing) to another
2 : to place in juxtaposition or proximity
Irascible
: becoming angry very easily : having a bad temper
Eremitic
: hermit; especially : a religious recluse
Synonyms: anchorite, recluse, hermit, isolate, solitary
Besmirch
: to cause harm or damage to (the reputation of someone or something)
Bleated
: to make the sound that a sheep or goat makes
: to speak or complain in an annoying way
Synonyms: beef, bellyache, bitch, complain, carp, caterwaul, crab, croak, fuss, gripe, grizzle, grouch, grouse, growl, grumble, grump, holler, inveigh, keen, kick, kvetch, maunder [chiefly British], moan, murmur, mutter, nag, repine, scream, squawk, squeal, wail, whimper, whine, whinge [British], yammer, yawp (or yaup), yowl
Postulate
: to suggest (something, such as an idea or theory) especially in order to start a discussion
: a statement that is accepted as being true and that is used as the basis of a theory, argument, etc.
Synonyms: given, hypothetical, if, assumption, premise (also premiss), presumption, presupposition, supposition
Oligarchy
: a country, business, etc., that is controlled by a small group of people
: the people that control a country, business, etc.
: government or control by a small group of people
Bemoan
: to say that you are unhappy about (something) : to complain about (something)
Rectitude
: the quality of being honest and morally correct
Synonyms: character, decency, goodness, honesty, integrity, probity, morality, righteousness, rightness, uprightness, virtue, virtuousness
Scruple
: to be unwilling to dosomething because you think it is improper, morally wrong, etc.
Full Definition
1 : to have scruples
2 : to show reluctance on grounds of conscience : hesitate
3.minute part or quantity : iota
Turpitude
: a very evil quality or way of behaving
tur·pi·tude\ˈtər-pə-ˌtüd, -ˌtyüd\
noun
: a very evil quality or way of behaving
Full Definition
: inherent baseness : depravity ; also : a base act
Examples
pictorial advertisements for chic clothing and fragrances in which drug addiction and other forms of moral turpitude are depicted as alternative fashion statements
Origin: Middle French, from Latin turpitudo, from turpis vile, base.
First use: 15th century
Synonyms: abjection, corruptness, debasement, debauchery, decadence, decadency, degeneracy, degenerateness, degeneration, degradation, demoralization, depravity, dissipatedness, dissipation, dissoluteness, libertinage, libertinism, perversion, pervertedness, rakishness, corruption
Stopgap
: someone or something that is intended to be used for a short time and then replaced by someone or something better : a temporary substitute
Synonyms: expedient, makeshift
Consecrate
: dedicated to a sacred purpose
First use: 14th century
Synonyms: blessed (also blest), holy, consecrated, hallowed, sacral, sacred, sacrosanct, sanctified
Tumultuous
: loud, excited, and emotional
: involving a lot of violence, confusion, or disorder
Natty
: very neat and clean
Synonyms: dapper, smart, sharp, snappy, spruce
Tremulous
: shaking slightly especially because of nervousness, weakness, or illness
: feeling or showing a lack of confidence or courage
Synonyms: fainthearted, fearful, fearsome, mousy (or mousey), scary, skittish, timid, timorous, shy
Openhanded
: having or showing the quality of being very generous
: done with the hand held open
Synonyms: bighearted, bounteous, bountiful, charitable, free, freehanded, freehearted, fulsome, liberal, munificent, open, generous, unselfish, unsparing, unstinting
Ulterior
: kept hidden in order to get a particular result
Buttress
: a structure built against a wall in order to support or strengthen it
transitive verb
: to support, strengthen, or defend (something)
Full Definition
: to furnish or shore up with a buttress; also : support, strengthen
Blithe
: showing a lack of proper thought or care : not caring or worrying
: happy and without worry
Synonyms: cheerful, blithesome, bright, buoyant, canty [British dialect], cheery, chipper, eupeptic, gay, gladsome, lightsome, sunny, upbeat, winsome
Chasten
: to cause (someone) to feel sad or embarrassed about something that has happened
Full Definition
1 : to correct by punishment or suffering : discipline; also : purify
2 a : to prune (as a work or style of art) of excess, pretense, or falsity : refine
b : to cause to be more humble or restrained : subdue
synonyms see punish
