Hit Parade #2 Flashcards
Abate
to lessen in intensity or degree
Accolade
an expression of praise
Adulation
excessive praise; intense adoration
Aesthetic
dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to beauty or art
Ameliorate
to make better or more tolerable
Ascetic
one who practices self-denial especially as an act of religion devotion
Avarice
greed for wealth
Axiom
a universally recognized principle
Burgeon
to grow rapidly or flourish
Bucolic
rustic or pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
Cacophony
harsh, jarring, discordant sound
Canon
an established set of principles or rules
Castigation
severe criticism or punishment
Catalyst
a person or thing that causes change;
a substance that accelerates the rate of chemical reaction without itself changing
Caustic
burning or stinging; causing corrosion
Chary
Wary; cautious
Cogent
convincing;
appealing forcibly to the mind or reason
Complaisance
the willingness to comply with the wishes of others
Contentious
argumentative;
quarrelsome;
causing controversy
Contrite
regretful;
penitent;
seeking forgiveness
Culpable
deserving blame
Dearth
smallness of quantity or number;
scarcity
Demur
to question or oppose
Didactic
intended to teach or instruct
Discretion
cautious reserve in speech;
ability to make responsible decisions
Disinterested
free of bias or self-interest;
impartial
Dogmatic
expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles
Ebullience
the quality of lively enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings
Eclectic
composed of elements drawn from various sources
Elegy
a mournful poem especially one lamenting the dead