H Flashcards
hackles
hairs on back and neck- especially of a dog (Eg: The dog’s hackles rose and he began to growl as the sound of footsteps grew louder. )
hackneyed
commonplace; trite (Eg: The English teacher criticized her story because of its hackneyed and unoriginal plot. )
haggard
wasted away; gaunt (Eg: After his long illness- he was pale and haggard. )
haggle
argue about prices (Eg: I prefer to shop in a store that has a one-price policy because- whenever I haggle with a shopkeeper- I am )
halcyon
calm; peaceful (Eg: In those halcyon days- people were not worried about sneak attacks and bombings. )
hale
healthy (Eg: After a brief illness- he was soon hale. )
hallowed
blessed; consecrated (Eg: She was laid to rest in hallowed ground. )
hallucination
delusion (Eg: I think you were frightened by a hallucination that you created in you own mind. )
halting
hesitant; faltering (Eg: Novice extemporaneous speakers often talk in a halting fashion as they grope for the right words. )
hamper
obstruct (Eg: The minority party agreed not to hamper the efforts of the leaders to secure a lasting peace. )
hap
chance; luck (Eg: In his poem hap- Thomas Hardy objects to the part chance plays in our lives. )
haphazard
random; by chance (Eg: His haphazard reading left him unaquainted with the authors of the books. )
hapless
unfortunate (Eg: This hapless creature had never known a moment’s pleasure. )
harangue
long- passionate- and vehement speech (Eg: In her lengthy harangue- the principal berated the offenders. )
harass
annoy by repeated attacks (Eg: When he could not pay his bills as quickly as he had promised- he was harrassed by his creditors. )
harbinger
forerunner (Eg: The crocus is an early harbinger of spring. )
harbor
provide a refuge for; hide (Eg: The church harbored illegal aliens who were political refugees. )
hardy
sturdy; robust; able to stand inclement weather (Eg: We asked the gardening expert to recommend particularly hardy plants that could withstand our harsh )
harping
tiresome dwelling on a subject (Eg: After he had reminded me several times about what he had done for me I told him to stop his harping on )
harrow
break up ground after plowing; torture (Eg: I don’t want to harrow you at this time by asking you to recall the details of your unpleasant experience. )
harry
harass- annoy- torment; raid (Eg: The guerrilla band harried the enemy nightly. )
hatch
deck opening; lid covering a deck opening (Eg: The latch on the hatch failed to catch- so the hatch remained unlatched. )
haughtiness
pride; arrogance (Eg: I resent his haughtiness because he is no better than we are. )
hazardous
dangerous (Eg: Your occupation is too hazardous for insurance companies to consider your application. )
hazy
slightly obscure (Eg: In hazy weather- you cannot see the top of this mountain. )
headlong
hasty; rash (Eg: The slave seized the unexpected chance to make a headlong dash across the border to freedom. )
headstrong
stubborn; willful; unyielding (Eg: Because she refused to marry the man her parents had chosen for her- everyone scolded Minna and called )
heckler
person who verbally harasses others (Eg: )
hedonism
belief that pleasure is the sole aim in life (Eg: hedonism and asceticism are opposing philosophies of human behavior. )
heedless
not noticing; disregarding (Eg: He drove on- heedless of the warnings that the road was dangerous. )
hegemony
dominance- especially of one nation over others (Eg: As one Eastern European nation after another declared its independence- commentators marveled at the )
heinous
atrocious; hatefully bad (Eg: Hitler’s heinous crimes will never be forgotten. )
herbivorous
grain-eating (Eg: Some herbivorous animals have two stomachs for digesting their food. )
heresy
opinion contrary to popular belief or to accepted religion (Eg: He was threatened with excommunication because his remarks were considered to be pure heresy. )
heretic
person who maintains opinions contrary to the doctrines of the church (Eg: She was punished by the Spanish Inquisition because she was a heretic. )
hermetic
sealed by fusion so as to be airtight (Eg: After these bandages are sterilized- they are placed in hermetic containers. )