Hit Parade 1-3 Flashcards
abate
to lessen in intensity or degree
interest in the author’s home abated as her novels waned in popularity
accolade
an expression of praise
for their exceptional bravery the firefighters received accolades from both local and national officials
aesthetic
dealing with, appreciative of, or responsible to art or the beautiful
There are practical as well as aesthetic reasons for planting trees.
ameliorate
to make better or more tolerable
trying to ameliorate the suffering of people who have lost their jobs
ascetic
one who practices rigid self-denial, especially as an act of religious devotion
“That’s where Cindy draws the line. That’s probably a real good idea,” he says. Mattsson, ascetic for a bachelor, imposes the same rule on himself. LeBeau, who has never been married, is much less restrained.
avarice
greed, especially for wealth (adj. form avaricious)
The corporate world is plagued by avarice and a thirst for power.
axiom
a universally recognized principle; a maxim widely accepted on its intrinsic merit
one of the key axioms of the theory of evolution
burgeon
to grow rapidly or flourish
the burgeoning trees
bucolic
rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants; of the country or country life
Pine Ridge … . Its generic blandness and vaguely bucolic quality anticipated similar names—the Oak Parks and River Groves and Lake Forests and Chestnut Hills
cacophony
a gathering of dissonant sounds
canon
an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature
dogma
a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of the group without being questioned or doubted
These new findings challenge the current dogma in the field.
castigation
severe criticism or punishment
The author castigated the prime minister as an ineffective leader.
catalyst
reaction without itself changing; a person or thing that causes change
caustic
burning or stinging, causing corrosion
The chemical was so caustic that it ate through the pipes.
chary
wary, cautious, sparing; hesitant and vigilant about dangers and risks
chary investors who weren’t burned by the dot-com bust
cogent
appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; (of an argument or case) clear, logical, and convincing.
the results of the DNA fingerprinting were the most cogent evidence for acquittal
complaisance
the willingness to comply with the wishes of others
affable
friendly; being pleasant and at ease in talking to others
a lively and affable young fellow
contentious
argumentative, quarrelsome, causing controversy or disagreement
contrite
regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness (noun form: contrition)
being contrite is not enough to spare you an arrest if you’re caught shoplifting
culpable
deserving blame
He’s more culpable than the others because he’s old enough to know better.
dearth
smallness in quantity or number; scarcity; a lack
there was a dearth of usable firewood at the campsite
demur
to question or oppose; to politely refuse to accept a request or suggestion
pretend Bartleby quote:
“But again Bartleby would demur, I prefer not to.”
didactic
intending to teach a lesson
discretion
cautious reserve in speech; the ability to make responsible decisions
disinterested
free of bias or self-interest; impartial
dogmatic
expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles
a critic’s dogmatic insistence that abstract expressionism is the only school of 20th century art worthy of serious study
ebullience
the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings
Team of Rivals. “Thiis horrific train of events transformed Stanton’s spirit. his natural ebullience faded.”
esoteric
intended for or understood by a small, specific group
the article was esoteric in nature; no one but those deep in the engineering community could truly understand its weight
eclectic
composed of elements drawn from various sources
her tastes in music were so eclectic that one could see her at an international music festival and a rock concert in the same day
emollient
soothing, esp. to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying; an agent that softens or soothes the skin
an emollient hand lotion
mollify
to make (someone) less angry : to calm (someone) down
All attempts to mollify the extremists have failed.
empirical
originating in or based on observation or experience
guidelines for raising children are based on empirical evidence
pragmatic
relating to matters of fact or practical affairs often to the exclusion of intellectual or artistic matters : practical as opposed to idealistic
His pragmatic view of public education comes from years of working in city schools.
enigmatic
mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand (noun form: enigma)
To his friends, he was always something of an enigma.
ephemeral
fleeting, temporary, only lasting a short time
the autumnal blaze of colors is always to be treasured, all the more so because it is so ephemeral
eulogy
a speech honoring the dead (verb: form eulogize)
exonerate
to remove blame
the culprit was exonerated of his crime when it was discovered that the victim disappeared because she had run away of her own volition
facetious
used to describe speech that is meant to be funny but that is usually regarded as annoying, silly, or not proper
a facetious and tasteless remark about people in famine-stricken countries being spared the problem of overeating
fallacy
an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief
The fallacy of their ideas about medicine soon became apparent.
furtive
done with or expressive of stealth : sly
We exchanged furtive smiles across the table
gregarious
sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people
a gregarious child who ran up to every person on the playground and wanted to be their friend
harangue
a speech addressed to a public assembly; a ranting speech or writing
He delivered a long harangue about the evils of popular culture.
heretical
violating accepted dogma or convention (noun form: heresy)
The church regards them as heretics
hyperbole
an exaggerated statement; often used as a figure of speech
“enough food to feed a whole army” is a common example of hyperbole
impecunious
having very little or no money usually habitually
they were so impecunious that they couldn’t afford to give one another even token Christmas gifts
incipient
beginning to come into being or become apparent
I have an incipient dislike and distrust of that guy, and I only met him this morning.
inert
unmoving, lethargic, sluggish; lacking the ability to move
an inert and lifeless body
lethargic
of, relating to, or characterized by laziness or lack of energy : feeling or affected by lethargy
The patient is weak and lethargic.
innocuous
producing no injury : harmless
not likely to give offense or to arouse strong feelings or hostility; inoffensive
He told a few innocuous jokes.
intransigent
characterized by refusal to compromise or to abandon an extreme position or attitude; uncompromising
He has remained intransigent in his opposition to the proposal.
inveigle
to persuade someone to do something in a clever or deceptive way
We inveigled the information from him.
morose
sad, sullen, melancholy
He became morose and withdrawn and would not talk to anyone.
odious
evoking intense aversion or dislike
opaque
not letting light through : not transparent; also, difficult to understand
the opaque water of the muddy river
oscillation
the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm (verb form: oscillate)
the sound wave oscillated at a wavelength///
penurious
penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
The penurious school system had to lay off several teachers.
pernicious
extremely harmful; potentially causing death; causing great harm or damage often in a way that is not easily seen or noticed
More pernicious still has been the acceptance of the author’s controversial ideas by the general public.
peruse
read; especially : to read over in an attentive or leisurely manner
He perused the newspaper over breakfast.
pious
extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion (noun from: piety)
They lived a quiet, pious life.
precursor
one that precedes and indicates or announces another
18th-century lyric poets like Robert Burns were precursors of the Romantics
preen
to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself (chiefly british: pin)
prodigious
abundant in size, force, or extent; exciting amazement or wonder
a prodigious supply of canned food kept in the basement for emergencies
prolific
producing large volumes or amounts; marked by abundant inventiveness or productivity
a famously prolific author who could produce several works of fiction and nonfiction a year
putrefy
to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor (adj. form: putrid)
we traced the bad smell to a dead skunk putrefying under the house
quaff
to drink deeply; to drink a large amount of something quickly
We stopped at a bar and quaffed a few beers.
quiescence
stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest (adj. form quiescent)
was struck by the elk’s quiescence as it just stood there in the clearing
redoubtable
awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
sanction
authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority to
satire
a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision
derision
the feeling that people express when they criticize and laugh at someone or something in an insulting way
The team’s awful record has made it an object of derision in the league.
squalid
sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect
The family lived in squalid conditions.
stoic
indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast
after waiting six years for permission to immigrate to the U.S., the family is stoic about a six-month postponement
supplant
to take the place of; to supersede
old traditions that were fading away and being supplanted by modern ways
torpid
lethargic; sluggish; dormant (noun form: torpor)
a torpid sloth that refused to budge off its tree branch
ubiquitous
existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread
by that time cell phones had become ubiquitous, and people had long ceased to be impressed by the sight of one
urbane
sophisticated; refined; elegant; notably polite or polished in manner
a gentlemanly and urbane host of elegant dinner parties
vilify
to defame; to characterize harshly
claimed that she had been vilified by the press because of her conservative views
viscous
thick; sticky
viscous syrup that takes forever to pour from a narrow-neck bottle
quintessence
(noun) the fifth and highest element in ancient and medieval philosophy that permeates all nature and is the substance composing the celestial bodies; the essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form; the most typical example or representative
the Parthenon in Greece was considered the quintessence of the perfectly proportioned building
endoscope
an illuminated usually fiber-optic flexible or rigid tubular instrument for visualizing the interior of a hollow organ or part (as the bladder or esophagus) for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes that typically has one or more channels to enable passage of instruments
tenuous
having little substance or strength; flimsy; weak
The local theater has had a tenuous existence in recent years.
tirade
a long and extremely critical speech; a harsh denunciation
He went into a tirade about the failures of the government.
transient
fleeting; brief; passing especially quickly into and out of existence : transitory
had transient thoughts of suicide but never acted on them
zealous
fervent; ardent; devoted to a cause (a zealot is a zealous person)
The detective was zealous in her pursuit of the kidnappers.
pith (noun)
the essential or central part; core
finally got to the pith of the discussion
pithy (adj.)
precise and brief; using few words in a clever and effective way
The book is filled with pithy sayings about love and loss.
pedantic
overly concerned with the trivial details of learning or education; show-offish about one’s knowledge
pine
to yearn intensely; to languish; to lose vigor
pervasive
having the tendency to permeate or spread throughout; existing in or spreading through every part of something
television’s pervasive influence on our culture
permeate
to diffuse through or penetrate something
A feeling of anxiety permeated the office as we rushed to meet the deadline.
pirate
to illegally use or produce
placate
to appease; to calm by making concessions
concessions
the act or an instance of conceding (as by granting something as a right, accepting something as true, or acknowledging defeat)
platitude
a superficial remark; esp. one offered as meaningful; dull; insipid
His speech was filled with familiar platitudes about the value of hard work and dedication.
insipid
not interesting or exciting : dull or boring
While it is fashionable to write off that decade as an insipid time, one long pajama party, the ’50s, in sport at least, were a revolutionary age.
plummet
to plunge or drop straight down
polemical
controversial; argumentative
an unnecessarily polemical look at the supposed incompatibility between science and religion
prodigal
recklessly wasteful; extravagant; profuse; lavish
the prodigal child always spent her allowance the minute she got it
profuse
pouring forth liberally
He offered profuse apologies for being late.
proliferate
to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly
rumors about the incident proliferated on the Internet
queries
questions; inquiries; doubts in the mind; reservations
querulous
prone to complaining or grumbling; peevish
peevish
fretful; marked by ill temper
I would rather figure things out on my own than ask that peevish librarian for help.
rancorous
characterized by bitter, long-lasting resentment
a rancorous autobiography in which the author heaps blame on just about everyone who had the misfortune of knowing him
malevolent
having or showing a desire to cause harm to another person
the novel grossly oversimplified the conflict as a struggle between relentlessly malevolent villains on one side and faultless saints on the other
recalcitrant
difficult to manage; obstinately defiant of authority
a heart-to-heart talk with the recalcitrant youth revealed that he had a troubled life at home
obstinate
refusing to change your behavior or your ideas
his obstinate refusal to obey
repudiate
to disown; to refuse to have anything to do with
a generation that has repudiated the values of the past
rescind
to invalidate; to repeal; to retract
The navy rescinded its ban on women sailors.
reverent
marked by, feeling, or expressing a feeling of profound awe and respect (noun form: reverence)
a reverent crowd of worshippers
salubrious
promoting health or well-being
fresh air and exercise are always salubrious
solvent
able to meet financial obligations
He couldn’t stay solvent after losing his business.
specious
seeming true, but actually being fallacious; misleadingly attractive; plausible but false
He justified his actions with specious reasoning.
spurious
lacking authenticity or validity; false; counterfeit
a spurious Picasso painting that wouldn’t have fooled an art expert for a second
succinct
brief; precise
subpoena
a court order requiring appearance and/or testimony
superfluous
exceeding what is sufficient or necessary; “extra”
cleared off all the superfluous stuff on his desk to make room for the new computer
surfeit
an overabundant supply; excess; to feed or supply to excess
ended up with a surfeit of volunteers who simply got in each other’s way
tenacity
the quality of adherence or persistence to something valued; not easily stopped or pulled apart : firm or strong (adj. form: tenacious)
f there is a particular tenacity in Islamist forms of terrorism today, this is a product not of Islamic scripture but of the current historical circumstance that many Muslims live in places of intense political conflict.
germane
relevant to the subject at hand
my personal opinion isn’t germane to our discussion of the facts of the case
grandiloquence
pompous speech or expression (adj. form: grandiloquent)
the predictably wearisome grandiloquence of the speeches at a political convention
hackneyed
rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage
halcyon
calm and peaceful
during those early halcyon years the company’s potential for growth seemed unlimited
trite
not interesting or effective because of being used too often
by the time the receiving line had ended, the bride and groom’s thanks sounded trite and tired
hedonism
devotion to pleasurable pursuits, especially to the pleasures of the senses (a hedonist is someone who pursues pleasure)
their spring break trip to Mexico became an exercise in heedless hedonism
hegemony
the consistent dominance of one state or ideology over others
They discussed the national government’s hegemony over their tribal community.
iconoclast
one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions
notorious as an iconoclast, that music critic isn’t afraid to go after sacred cows
idolatrous
given to intense or excessive devotion to something (noun form: idolatry)
impassive
revealing no emotion
imperturbable
marked by extreme calm, impassivity, and steadiness
Although he seems outwardly imperturbable, he can get very angry at times.
implacable
not capable of being appeased or significantly changed
He has an implacable hatred for his political opponents.
impunity
immunity from punishment or penalty
she mistakenly believed that she could insult people with impunity
inchoate
in an initial stage; not fully formed
inchoate feelings of affection for a man whom she had, up till now, thought of as only a friend
mendacity
the condition of being untruthful; dishonesty
highly fictionalized “memoirs” in which the facts were few and the mendacities many
misanthrope
one who hates all other humans (adj. form: misanthropic)
a former misanthrope who now professes a newly discovered love of mankind
mitigate
to make or become less severe or intense
Emergency funds are being provided to help mitigate the effects of the disaster.
obdurate
unyielding; hardhearted; intractable; stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
the obdurate refusal of the crotchety old man to let the neighborhood kids retrieve their stray ball from his backyard
crotchety
subject to whims, crankiness, or ill temper
a crotchety old man
obsequious
exhibiting a fawning attentiveness
occlude
to obstruct or block
opprobrium
disgrace; contempt; scorn
pedagogy
the profession of teaching or instructing
sadomasochism
the derivation of pleasure from the infliction of physical or mental pain either on others or on oneself
masochism
pleasure in being abused or dominated : a taste for suffering
sadism
a sexual perversion in which gratification is obtained by the infliction of physical or mental pain on others (as on a love object); delight in cruelty
acumen
keen, accurate judgement or insight
adulterate
to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients; to make (something, such as a food or drink) impure or weaker by adding something of poor quality
The company is accused of adulterating its products with cheap additives.
amalgamate
to combine several elements into a whole (noun form: amalgamation)
They amalgamated the hospital and the university.
aver
to state as a fact; to declare or assert
“I am innocent,” he averred.
bolster
to provide support or reinforcement
a convincing argument that was bolstered by the speaker’s reputation
bombastic
pompous; grandiloquent (noun form: bombast)
a bombastic speech intended to impress the voters in her congressional district
diatribe
a harsh denunciation
The article is a diatribe against mainstream media.
dissemble
to disguise or conceal; to mislead
he dissembled happiness at the news that his old girlfriend was getting married—to someone else
evanescent
tending to disappear like vapor; vanishing
beauty that is as evanescent as a rainbow
exacerbate
to make worse or more severe
The proposed factory shutdown would only exacerbate our unemployment problems.
fervent
greatly emotional or zealous (noun form: fervor)
a fervent speech that called for tolerance and compassion for those who are different
fortuitous
happening by accident or chance (good)
You could not have arrived at a more fortuitous time.
voracious
having an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit; ravenous
He has a voracious appetite.
virulent
extremely harmful or poisonous; bitterly hostile or antagonistic
The country seemed to be returning to the virulent nationalism of its past.
truculent
fierce and cruel; ready to fight
die-hard fans who became truculent and violent after their team’s loss
tortuous
winding, twisting; excessively complicated
torque
a force that causes rotation
a car engine delivers torque to the drive shaft
synthesis
the process of combining parts to make a whole
stymie
to block; thwart
stupefy
to stun; baffle
sordid
characterized by filth, grime, or squalor
he managed to rise above the sordid streets upon which he grew up
solicitous
concerned and attentive, eager
a most solicitous husband, he had already cleaned the house and cooked dinner by the time his wife returned home from work
reticent
quiet; reserved; reluctant to express thoughts and feelings
the panel decided to investigate the fraud charges against the company, which has always been reticent about its internal operations
relegate
to forcibly assign; esp. to a lower place or position
some psychologists argue that the syndrome should be relegated to a different class of autism
refute
to disprove; to successfully argue against
recant
to retract; esp. to a previously held belief; renounce
the Inquisition forced Galileo to recant his support of the Copernican observation that the earth revolves around the sun
qualms
misgivings; reservations; causes for hesitancy
prevaricate
to deliberately avoid the truth; to mislead
during the hearings the witness was willing to prevaricate in order to protect his friend
prescience
foreknowledge of events; knowing of events prior to their occurring (adj. form: prescient)
most believers would probably agree that complete prescience is one of God’s attributes
predilection
a disposition in favor of something; preference
precipitate (verb)
to cause to happen before anticipated or required
precipitate a scandal that would cause his expulsion
precipitate (adj.)
acting with excessive hast or impulse; exhibiting violent or unwise speed (falling, flowing, or rushing with steep descent)
prattle
to babble meaninglessly; to talk in an empty and idle manner
perspicacious
acutely perceptive; having keen discernment (noun form: perspicacity)
she was perspicacious in choosing a mate, she had been through horrible previous relationships and was unwilling to waste any time on something that would not work
perfunctory
done without care or interest
the violinist delivered a perfunctory performance that displayed none of the passion and warmth he was once known for
perfidy
intentional breach of faith; treachery (adj. form perfidious)
he decided to forgive his wife’s perfidy, choosing to ascribe it to a moment of uncharacteristic weakness
perennial
recurrent through the year or many years; happening repeatedly; continuing without interruption
her perennial pessimism was really starting to annoy her coworkers
parody
a humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect, esp. in literature and art
Paean
a song or him of praise and thanksgiving
Obviate
To anticipate and make unnecessary
Brushing regularly should obviate the need for frequent trips to the dentist
Obtuse
Lacking sharpness of intellect; not clear or precise in thought or expression
Forgive me for being obtuse, but I wish you’d explain that to me again
Noxious
Harmful; injurious (esp. Morally corrupting)
A noxious new breed of humor in which graphic depictions of torture are presented as entertainment
Neologism
A new word, usage, or expression; the creation or use of new words or senses
Nebulous
Vague; cloudy; lacking clearly defined form
Nascent
Coming into being; in early developmental stages
One of the leading figures in the nascent civil rights movement
Mundane
Of the world; typical or concerned with the ordinary
Magnanimity
The quality of being generously noble in mind and heart, esp. in forgiving
Laud
To praise highly
She was lauded in her efforts
Irascible
Easily angered; prone to temperamental outbursts
Forced to endure a memorably irascible boss on her first job after college
Inured
Accustomed to accepting something undesirable
The hardship of army training inured her to the rigors of desert warfare
Fulminate
To loudly attack of denounce
Ingenuous
Artless; frank and candid
Extemporaneous
Improvised; done without preparation
Caught by surprise, I had to make an extemporaneous speech at the awards banquet
Exigent
Urgent; pressing; requiring immediate action or attention
Started his workday with a flood of exigent matters that required his quick decision
Exculpate
(Verb) exonerate; to clear of blame
Ennui
(Noun) Dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy
The kind of ennui that comes from having too much time on one’s hands and too little will to find something productive to do
Enervate
To weaken; to reduce in vitality
Effrontery
Extreme boldness; presumptuousness
The little squirt had the effrontery to deny eating any cookies, even with the crumbs still on his lips
Disabuse
To undeceive; to set right
Let me disabuse you of your foolish notions about married life
Convoluted
Complex or complicated
Chicanery
Trickery or subterfuge
The candidate only won the election through chicanery
Subterfuge
A deceptive device or stratagem
propagandists who use a kind of photographic subterfuge, superimposing one image on another to create a false “reality”
Censure
To criticize severely; to officially rebuke
He was censured by the committee for his failure to report the problem
Capricious
Inclined to change one’s mind impulsively; fickle
Canonical
Following or in agreement with accepted, traditional standards (noun form: canon)
Assuage
To ease or lessen; to appease or pacify
A mother cooing to her toddler and assuaging his fear of the dark
Alacrity
Eager and enthusiastic willingness
Having just acquired his driver’s license that morning, the teen agreed with alacrity to drive his cousin to the airport
Abscond
To depart clandestinely; to steal off and hide
The burglar was trying to abscond with the jewels when he tumbled down the stairs
