Hit Parade 3 & 4 Flashcards
1
Q
acumen
A
“Her political acumen won her the election.”
keen, accurate judgement or insight
2
Q
adulterate
A
“The company is accused of adulterating its products with cheap additives.”
to reduce purity by combing with inferior ingredients
3
Q
amalgamate/amalgamation
A
“They amalgamated the hospital and the university together to form a teaching hospital”
to combine several elements into a whole
4
Q
archaic
A
“The company needs to update its archaic computer systems.”
outdated, associated with an earlier, perhaps more primitive time
5
Q
aver
A
“He averred that he was innocent by showing the evidence”
to state as fact, to declare or assert
6
Q
bolster
A
“he bolstered his claims by providing proof”
to provide support or reinforcement
7
Q
bombastic/bombast
A
“a bombastic speech intended to impress the voters in her congressional district was just inflated and insincere”
pompous, grandiloquent
8
Q
diatribe
A
“a harsh denunciationa bitter diatribe about how unfair the tax system is”
9
Q
dissemble
A
“children learn to dissemble at a surprisingly early age and hide their feelings about how they feel about disassembling the Avengers”
to disguise or conceal, to mislead
10
Q
eccentric
A
“He was a kind but eccentric man that never followed social norms”
departing from norms or conventions
11
Q
endemic
A
“the fish is not an endemic species of the lake, and it is rapidly devouring the native trout population”
characteristic of or often found in a particular locality, region, or people
12
Q
evanescent
A
“beauty that is as evanescent as a rainbow that disappears quickly”
tending to disappear like vapor, vanishing
13
Q
exacerbate
A
“by poking his brother he only exacerbated the car ride and made it worse”
to make worse or move severe
14
Q
fervor/fervent
A
“the fervent speech was a passionate call for tolerance and compassion for those who are different”
greatly emotional or zealous
15
Q
fortuitous
A
“You could not have arrived at a more fortuitous time. We are lucky you got here when you did”
happening by accident or chance
16
Q
germane
A
“my personal opinion isn’t really relevant or germane to our discussion of the facts of the case
relevant to the subject at hand, appropriate in subject matter
17
Q
grandiloquence/grandiloquent
A
“a heavyweight champion who was famous for his entertaining grandiloquence prior to every match which said he was better than everyone”
pompous speech or expression
18
Q
hackneyed
A
“the hackneyed old sayings are so old because they are overused”
rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage
19
Q
halcyon
A
“a halcyon era following the American Civil War was calm and peaceful”
calm and peaceful
20
Q
hedonism/hedonist
A
“their spring break trip to Mexico became an exercise in heedless hedonism pursuing pleasure in unsafe ways”
devotion to pleasurable pursuits, esp. pleasures of the senses
21
Q
hegemony
A
”
“They discussed the national government’s hegemony over their tribal community.”
the consistent dominance of one state or group over others
22
Q
iconoclast
A
“they are such iconoclasts - they hate traditional religion”
one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions
23
Q
idolatrous/idolatry
A
“anything you pursue with all of your heart is idolatry”
given to intense or excessive devotion to something
24
Q
impassive
A
“her face remained impassive throughout the trial and she showed no emotion”
revealing no emotion
25
imperturbable
"Although he seems outwardly imperturbable, he can get very angry at times"
marked by extreme calm, impassivity, steadiness
26
implacable
"He has an implacable hatred for his political opponents."
| not capable of being appeased or significantly changed
27
impunity
"laws were flouted with impunity - people could do anything and get away with it"
immunity from punishment or penalty
28
inchoate
"inchoate feelings of affection for a man whom she had, up till now, thought of as only a friend"
in an initial stage, not fully formed
29
infelicitous
"an infelicitous comment on the weight of the guest of honor at the banquet was really awkward"
unfortunate, inappropriate
30
insipid
"an apple pie with a mushy, insipid filling that strongly resembled soggy cardboard"
lacking in qualities that interest, stimulate or challenge
31
loquacious/loquacity
"the loquacious host of a radio talk show talks too long"
| extremely talkative
32
luminous
"the sun provided a very luminous effect on the valley"
| characterized by brightness and the emission of light
33
malevolent/malevolence
"she is very evil and malevolent"
| having or showing vicious ill will, spite or hatred
34
malleable
"the cult leader took advantage of the malleable, compliant personalities of his followers"
capable of being shaped or formed, tractable, pliable
35
mendacity/mendacious
"highly fictionalized “memoirs” in which the facts were few and the mendacities many"
the condition of being untruthful, dishonesty
36
meticulous
"he meticulously poured over every single detail"
| characterized by extreme care and precision, attentive to detail
37
misanthrope/misanthropic
"a former misanthrope who now professes a newly discovered love of mankind"
one who hates all other humans
38
mitigate
"Emergency funds are being provided to help mitigate the effects of the disaster."
to make or become less severe, intense, to moderate
39
obdurate
"He is known for his obdurate determination to do wrong in which no one can talk him out of"
unyielding, hardhearted, intractable
40
obsequious
"She's constantly followed by obsequious assistants who will do anything she tells them to."
exhibiting a fawning attentiveness
41
occlude
"the truck was occluding the road"
| to obstruct or block
42
opprobrium
"They're going ahead with the plan despite public opprobrium. that scorns the project"
disgrace, contempt, scorn
43
pedagogy
"modern pedagogy is not very effective at teaching children"
| the profession or principles of teaching, or instructing
44
tractable
"he is a very tractable child, doing whatever his parents ask"
capable of being easily led, taught, or controlled
45
pedantic
"It may seem pedantic to harp on what looks like mere procedure, but this is one case where the process is the forest"
overly concerned with the trivial details of learning or education, show-offish about one's knowledge
46
penury
"lived in a time when single women like herself faced a lifetime of genteel penury"
poverty, destitution
47
pervasive
"television's pervasive influence on our culture affects everyone"
having the tendency to permeate or spread throughout
48
pine
"they still pined for their lost wealth wanting it back"
| to yearn intensely, to languish, to lose vigor
49
pirate
"it is illegal to pirate movies"
| to illegally use or reproduce
50
pith
"finally got to the pith of the discussion which was the most important part"
the essential or central part
51
pithy
"The critic gave the film a pithy review which was very short"
precise and brief
52
placate
"The administration placated protesters by agreeing to consider their demands which calmed them down"
to appease, to calm by making concessions
53
platitude
"His speech was filled with familiar platitudes about the value of hard work and dedication."
a superficial remark, esp. one offered as meaningful
54
plummet
"The acrobat plummeted into the net."
| to plunge or drop straight down
55
polemical
"an polemical look at the supposed incompatibility between science and religion"
controversial, argumentative
56
prodigal
"he was prodigal with his money and wasted it all"
| recklessly wasteful, extravagant, profuse, lavish
57
profuse
"He offered profuse apologies for being late. over and over again"
given or coming forth abundantly, extravagant
58
proliferate
"rumors about the incident proliferated on the Internet"
| to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly
59
queries
"he made more queries and questions about it"
| questions, inquiries, doubts in the mind, reservation
60
querulous
"car trips that were frequently spoiled by a couple of querulous passengers in the back because they complained the whole time"
prone to complaining or grumbling, peevish
61
rancorous/rancor
"a rancorous autobiography in which the author heaps blame on just about everyone who had the misfortune of knowing him"
characterized by bitter, long-lasting resentment
62
recalcitrant
"the manager worried that the recalcitrant employee would try to undermine his authority"
obstinately defiant of authority, difficult to manage
63
repudiate
"a generation that has repudiated the values of the past by ignoring them"
to refuse to have anything to do with, to disown
64
rescind
"The navy rescinded its ban on women sailors and then allowed women to join the navy"
to invalidate, to repeal, to retract
65
reverent/reverence
"a reverent crowd of worshipers loved Jesus"
| marked by, feeling, or expressing a feeling of profound awe and respect
66
rhetoric
"the mayor's promise to fight drugs was just rhetoric, since there was no money in the city budget for a drug program"
the art or study of effective use of language for communication and persuasion
67
salubrious
"fresh air and exercise are always salubrious and good for you"
promoting health or well-being
68
solvent
""
| able to meet financial obligations, able to dissolve another substance
69
specious
"the specious argument of evolution"
| seeming true, but actually being fallacious, misleadingly attractive, plausible but false
70
spurious
"a spurious Picasso painting that wouldn't have fooled an art expert for a second"
lacking authenticity or validity, false, counterfeit
71
subpoena
"received a subpoena to appear as a witness for the prosecution"
a court order requiring appearance or testimony
72
succinct
"a pocket guide that provides succinct explanations for rules of grammar and punctuation"
brief, concise
73
superfluous
"cleared off all the superfluous stuff on his desk to make room for the necessary computer"
exceeding what is sufficient or necessary
74
surfeit
"ended up with a surfeit of volunteers who simply got in each other's way"
an overabundant supply, excess, to feed or supply to excess
75
tenacity/tenacious
"If there is a particular tenacity in Islamist forms of terrorism today"
the quality of adherence or persistence to something valued, persistent determination
76
genteel
"a person of genteel upbringing looks good on the outside"
of or relating to people who have high social status, pretending or trying to have the qualities and manners of people who have high social status
77
tenuous
"the delusional person has a tenuous grasp on reality."
| having little substance or strength, flimsy, weak
78
tirade
"the angry coach directed a tirade at the team after the loss."
a long and extremely critical speech, a harsh denunciation
79
transient
"had transient thoughts of suicide but never acted upon them because they never lasted very long"
fleeting, passing quickly, brief
80
zealous/zealot
"The detective was zealous in her pursuit of the kidnappers. She would not give up until she found them"
fervent, ardent, impassioned, devoted to a cause
81
acerbic
"whispered a steady stream of acerbic comments as the lecturer droned on on the sharp, bitter taste of acid"
having a sour or bitter taste or character, sharp, biting
82
aggrandize
"a movie that aggrandizes the bad guys by increasing their power and prestige and makes the cops look like dopes by decreasing their influence"
to increase in intensity, power, influence or prestige
83
alchemy
"the study of alchemy is all about turning metal into gold"
| medieval science focusing on transmutation of metals and gold
84
amenable
"whatever you decide to do, I'm amenable- I'll agree to whatever"
agreeable, responsive to suggestion
85
anachronism
"the new clock was an anachronism in the old room"
| out of place in terms of historical or chronological order
86
astringent
"he is a harsh, astringent critic of modern movies"
"the drug has an astringent effect on tissue by tightening the blood vessels"
having a tightening affect on living tissue, harsh, severe, something with a tightening effect on tissue
87
contiguous
"Texas and Mexico are contiguous states."
| sharing a border, touching, adjacent
88
convention
"the traditional modes of treatment are conventional"
| a generally agreed-upon practice or attitude
89
credulous/credulity
"they are too credulous because they never check the credentials before they believe someone"
tending to believe too readily, gullible
90
cynicism/cynical
"he is so cynical towards good people"
| an attitude of quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness
91
decorum/decorous
"the young boy was praised for his decorous behavior"
| polite or appropriate conduct or behavior
92
derision/deride/derisive
"The team's awful record has made it an object of derision in the league. Everyone makes fun of them"
scorn, ridicule, contemptuous treatment
93
desiccate
"add a cup of desiccated coconut powder to the mix"
| to dry out or dehydrate, to make dry or dull
94
dilettante
"he writes about art not from the point of view of an artist but from that of a committed dilettante"
one with an amateurish or superficial interest in something
95
disparage
"Voters don't like political advertisements in which opponents disparage one another. by putting each other down"
to slight or belittle
96
divulge
"I would like to divulge a secret to you"
| to disclose something secret
97
fawn
"a student who could not wait to fawn over the new teacher by sucking up"
to flatter or praise excessively
98
flout
"Despite repeated warnings, they have continued to flout the law. and not care"
to show contempt for, as in a rule or convention
99
garrulous
"the garrulous pirate talked to much"
| pointlessly talkative, talking too much
100
glib
"Politicians need to do more than provide glib answers to difficult questions by glossing over them"
marked by ease or informality, nonchalant, lacking in depth, superficial
101
hubris
"His failure was brought on by his hubris; he always thought it was better than everyone else"
overbearing presumption or pride, arrogance
102
imminent
"the imminent attack will com tomorrow"
| about to happen, impending
103
immutable
"one of the immutable laws of television is that low ratings inevitably lead to cancellation - that ever changes"
not capable of change
104
impetuous
"He's always been an impetuous young man, doing things without thinking"
hastily or rashly energetic, impulsive and vehement
105
indifferent
"The movie was poorly received by an indifferent public who had no interest in the subject"
having no interest or concern, showing no bias or prejudice
106
inimical
"received an inimical response rather than the anticipated support"
damaging, harmful, injurious
107
intractable
"an intractable child who deliberately does the opposite of whatever he is told"
not easily managed or directed, stubborn, obstinate
108
intrepid
"an intrepid explorer who probed parts of the rain forest never previously attempted by never giving up"
steadfast and courageous
109
laconic
"He had a reputation for being laconic because he never talked"
using few words
110
maverick
"there's always one maverick who has to go his own way"
| an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party
111
mercurial
""
"the man on mercury had a mercurial mood that changed all the time"
characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood
112
mollify
"All attempts to mollify the extremists have failed, they were noted calmed or soothed"
to calm or soothe, to reduce in emotional intensity
113
neophyte
"neophytes are assigned an experienced church member to guide them through their first year"
a recent convert, a beginner, novice
114
obfuscate
"politicians obfuscate things by making them unclear to the public"
to deliberately obscure, to make confusing
115
obstinate
"his obstinate refusal to obey"
| stubborn, hard-headed, uncompromising
116
ostentatious
"the ostrich is ostentatious, always showing off to the lions"
characterized by or given to pretentious display, showy
117
pervade/pervasive
"bad theology pervades the church"
| to permeate throughout
118
phlegmatic
"he showed no emotion in a strangely phlegmatic response to what should have been happy news"
calm, sluggish, unemotional
119
plethora
"a plethora of knowledge on healthcare"
| an overabundance, surplus
120
pragmatic
"I'd like to be pragmatic and not go back to school at 60"
| practical rather than idealistic
121
presumptuous
"it's a little presumptuous of you to assume that I'm your new best friend just because I invited you along"
overstepping due bounds, taking liberties
122
pristine
"My office is a mess but her office is always pristine"
| pure, uncorrupted, clean
123
probity
"a person of indisputable probity must head the disciplinary pane because he is honest"
adherence to highest principles, complete and confirmed integrity, uprightness
124
proclivity
"showed artistic proclivities at an early age"
| a natural predisposition or inclination
125
profligate/profligacy
"the prodigal son was profligate in his spending"
| excessively wasteful, recklessly extravagant
126
propensity
"He had a propensity for crime which was why he was always in jail"
a natural inclination or tendency, penchant
127
prosaic
"He has a boring, prosaic writing style"
| dull, lacking in spirit or imagination
128
pungent
"the smell of the skunk was pungent"
| characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste
129
quixotic
"They had quixotic dreams about the future that were never going to happen"
foolishly impractical, lofty romantic ideals
130
quotidian
"plagued by a quotidian coughing fit, the result of years of smoking that happened everyday"
occurring or recurring daily, commonplace
131
rarefy
"rarefy that stick of wood into a small stick"
| to make or become thin, less dense, to refine
132
recondite
"geochemistry is a recondite subject that is confusing"
| hidden, concealed, difficult to understand, obscure
133
refulgent
"the refulgence of a full moon on a clear autumn night"
| radiant, shiny, brilliant
134
renege
"They had promised to pay her tuition but later reneged"
| to fail to honor a commitment, to go back on a promise
135
sedulous
"an impressively sedulous suitor, he was constantly sending her flowers and other tokens of his affection"
diligent, persistent, hard-working
136
shard
"there are shards of glass"
| a piece of broken pottery or glass
137
soporific
"the soporific effect of the train with Sophie sleeping"
| causing drowsiness, tending to induce sleep
138
sparse
"there are is a sparse amount of crops because of the famine"
thin, not dense, arranged at widely spaced intervals
139
spendthrift
"the prodigal son was a spendthrift individual"
| one who spends money wastefully
140
subtle
"the subtle cues were hard to catch"
| not obvious, elusive, difficult to discern
141
tacit
"She felt that she had her parents' tacit approval to borrow the car even though she didn't ask"
implied, not explicitly stated
142
terse
"She gave me a few terse instructions and promptly left the room"
brief and concise in wording
143
tout
"The company is running advertisements touting the drug's effectiveness."
to publicly praise or promote
144
trenchant
"a writer with a trenchant wit"
| sharply perceptive, keen, penetrating
145
unfeigned
"She looked at him with unfeigned admiration."
| genuine, not false or hypocritical
146
untenable
"he is in an untenable condition - he can't convince either side"
indefensible, not viable, uninhabitable
147
vacillate
"he vacillated about buying the couch"
| to waver indecisively between one course of action or opinion and another
148
variegated
"the variegated costumes of the dancers in the nightclub were all different colors"
multicolored, characterized by a variety of patches of different colors
149
vexation/vex
"the road block was an annoying vexation"
| annoyance, irritation
150
vigilant/vigilance
"he watched vigilantly- staying alert for signs of the enemy"
alertly watchful
151
vituperate
"every week the minister would ascend the pulpit and vituperate the parishioners for a litany of vices"
to use harsh condemnatory language, to abuse or censure severely or abusively, to berate
152
volatile/volatile
"his volatile mood is always changing"
| readily changing to a vapor, changeable, fickle, explosive
