Hard Flashcards
Gainsay
Def: to deny, dispute, or contradict
Catharsis
Def: the purging of emotions or relieving of emotional tension
Militate
Def: to have a substantial effect (positive or negative)
Segue
Def: to make a transition from one thing to another
Bespoke
Def: made to individual order; custom made (of clothing)
Sarcasm
Def: harsh or bitter derision or irony; a sharply ironical taunt
Existentialism
Def: the philosophy that stresses the individual’s unique position as a self-determining agent responsible for the authenticity of his/her choices
Slag
Fed: the completely vitrified (turned to glass) matter removed during the reduction of metal from ore
Precocious
Def: unusually advanced or mature in development
Surreptitiously
Def: done, made, or obtained by stealth; clandestined
Obsequious
Def: characterized by or showing servile complaisance
Didact
Didactic
Def: a person who is over inclined to instruct others
Def: intended for instruction; tending or teaching a moral lesson
Ergonomics
Def: the study of how to design and arrange things to make them more user-friendly and safe; the parts or qualities of a design that make it easy to use
Platitudes
Def: a flat or dull remark; an overused phrase
Vapid
Def: lacking or having lost life; without liveliness or spirit
Anachronism
Def: a person or thing that is not in its correct chronological, especially when they belong to an earlier time
Intelligentsia
Def: intellectuals considered as a group; the community of intellectuals Ina. Given place, o a particular field
Chagrin
Def: distress or embarrassment felt because of a failure or humiliation
Perspicacious
Def: having keen mental perception; discerning
Hyperbole
Def: obvious and intentional exaggeration
Catatonic
Def: appearing to be in a daze; unresponsive
Tautology
Def: needless repetition of an idea without imparting additional force or clearness
Erudite
Def: characterized by great knowledge
Syllogism
Def: a logical argument with two premises and a conclusion that necessarily follows from that conclusion. the conclusion contains terms directly linked with the premises.
Pejorative
Def: having a disparaging, derogatory, or belittling effect or force
Rhetoric
Def: the study of effective use of language
Prodigal/profligate
Def: recklessly extravagant; lavishly abundant
Iconoclast
Def: one who eschews conventional wisdom, who is eccentric; in Greek it means “breaker of idols”
Lampooned
Def: a sharp, virulent style of satire directed against an individual or institution; to mock or ridicule
Deadpan
Def: displaying no emotional or personal attachment
Stasis
Def: stagnation in the flow of any fluid in the body; state of inactivity or equilibrium
Upbraid
Def: to find fault with or reproach severely
Reductio ad absurdum
Def: an argument in which the speaker attempts to disprove a statement by showing it leads to an absurd conclusion
Polemic/Polemical
Def: (n) a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something; (adj) relating to strongly critical, or controversial writing or speech
Parsimony
Def: extreme or excessive frugality or economy
Topography
Def: the arrangement of the natural and artificial physical features of an area
Protean
Def: tending or able to change frequently or easily
Mendacious
Def: the quality of untruthfulness, the tendency to lie
Sententious
Def: given to moralizing in a pompous or affected manner manner
Jaunty
Def: having or expressing a lively or self-confident manner
Excoriate
Def: to critics severely
Expiate
Def: to atone for (a sin)
Hubris
Def: excessive self-confidence or pride
Invective
Def: insulting, abusive, or highly critical language
Ascetic
Def: characterizes by the practice of severe self discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence
Languid
Def: having a disinclination to physical exertion; slow or relaxed
Lascivious
Def: feeling or revealing an overt and often offensive sexual desire
Quotidian
Def: of or occuring every day; daily
Paradigm
Def: an accepted method of thinking about something; a framework containing basic assumptions, ways of thinking and methodologies commonly accepted
Panoply
Def: a complete or impressive collection of things
