Hit Parade 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

abate

A

(verb) to lessen in intensity or degree

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2
Q

accolade

A

(noun) an expression of praise

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3
Q

adulation

A

(noun) excessive praise; intense adoration

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4
Q

aesthetic

A

(adj.) dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful

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5
Q

ameliorate

A

(verb) to make better or more tolerable

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6
Q

ascetic

A

(noun) one who practices rigid self-denial, esp. as an act of religious devotion

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7
Q

avarice (adj. form: avaricious)

A

(noun) greed, esp. for wealth

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8
Q

axiom (adj. form: axiomatic)

A

(noun) a universally recognized principle

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9
Q

bucolic

A

(adj.) rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants

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10
Q

burgeon

A

(verb) to grow rapidly or flourish

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11
Q

cacophony (adj. form: cacophonous)

A

(noun) harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance

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12
Q

canon (adj. form: canonical)

A

an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature

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13
Q

castigation (verb form: castigate)

A

(noun) severe criticism or punishment

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14
Q

catalyst

A

(noun) reaction without itself changing; a person r thing that causes change

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15
Q

caustic

A

(adj.) burning or stinging; causing corrosion

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16
Q

chary

A

(adj.) wary; cautious; sparing

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17
Q

cogent

A

(adj.) appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing

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18
Q

complaisance (adj. form: complaisant)

A

(noun) the willingness to comply with the wishes of others

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19
Q

contentious

A

(adj.) argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement

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20
Q

contrite (noun form: contrition)

A

(adj.) regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness

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21
Q

culpable (noun form: culpability)

A

(adj.) deserving blame

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22
Q

dearth

A

(noun) smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack

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23
Q

demur

A

(verb) to question or oppose

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24
Q

didactic

A

(adj.) intended to teach or instruct

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25
Q

discretion (adj. form: discrete)

A

(noun) cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions

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26
Q

disinterested

A

(adj.) free of bias or self-interest; impartial

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27
Q

dogmatic (noun form: dogma)

A

(adj.) expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles

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28
Q

ebullience (adj. form: ebullient)

A

(noun) the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings

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29
Q

eclectic

A

(adj.) composed of elements drawn from various sources

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30
Q

elegy (adj. form: elegiac)

A

(noun) a mournful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead

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31
Q

emollient

A

(adj./noun) soothing, esp. to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying; an agent that softens or smoothes the skin

32
Q

empirical

A

(adj.) based on observation or experiment

33
Q

enigmatic (noun form: enigma)

A

(adj.) mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand

34
Q

ephemeral

A

(adj.) brief; fleeting

35
Q

esoteric

A

(adj.) intended for or understood by a small, specific group

36
Q

eulogy (verb form: eulogize)

A

(noun) a speech honoring the dead

37
Q

exonerate

A

(verb) to remove blame

38
Q

facetious

A

(adj.) playful; humorous

39
Q

fallacy (adj. form: fallacious)

A

(noun) an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief

40
Q

furtive

A

(adj.) marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious

41
Q

gregarious

A

(adj.) sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people

42
Q

harangue

A

(verb/noun) to deliver a pompous speech or tirade; a long, pompous speech

43
Q

heretical (noun form: heresy)

A

(adj.) violating accepted dogma or convention

44
Q

hyperbole (adj. form: hyperbolic)

A

(noun) an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech

45
Q

impecunious

A

(adj.) lacking funds; without money

46
Q

incipient

A

(adj.) beginning to come into being or to become apparent

47
Q

inert

A

(adj.) unmoving; lethargic; sluggish

48
Q

innocuous

A

(adj.) harmless; causing no damage

49
Q

intransigent (noun form: intransigence)

A

(adj.) refusing to compromise

50
Q

inveigle

A

(verb) to obtain by deception or flattery

51
Q

morose

A

(adj.) sad; sullen; melancholy

52
Q

odious

A

(adj.) evoking intense aversion or dislike

53
Q

opaque

A

(adj.) impenetrable by light; not reflecting light

54
Q

oscillation (verb form: oscillate)

A

(noun) the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm

55
Q

penurious

A

(adj.) penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous

56
Q

pernicious

A

(adj.) extremely harmful; potentially causing death

57
Q

peruse (noun form: perusal)

A

(verb) to examine with great care

58
Q

pious (noun form: piety)

A

(adj.) extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion

59
Q

precursor

A

(noun) one that precedes and indicates or announces another

60
Q

preen

A

(verb) to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care

61
Q

prodigious

A

(adj.) abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary

62
Q

prolific

A

(adj.) producing large volumes or amounts; productive

63
Q

putrefy (adj. form: putrid)

A

(verb) to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor

64
Q

quaff

A

(verb) to drink deeply

65
Q

quiescence (adj. form: quiescent)

A

(noun) stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest

66
Q

redoubtable

A

(adj.) awe-inspiring; worthy of honor

67
Q

sanction

A

(noun)/(verb) authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority to

68
Q

satire (adj. form: satirical)

A

(noun) a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision

69
Q

squalid (noun form: squalor)

A

(adj.) sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect

70
Q

stoic (noun form: stoicism)

A

(adj.) indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast

71
Q

supplant

A

(verb) to take the place of; to supersede

72
Q

torpid (noun form: torpor)

A

(adj.) lethargic; sluggish; dormant

73
Q

ubiquitous

A

(adj.) existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread

74
Q

urbane (noun form: urbanity)

A

(adj.) sophisticated; refined; elegant

75
Q

vilify

A

(verb) to defame; to characterize harshly

76
Q

viscous (noun form: viscosity)

A

(adj.) thick; sticky