Hit Parade #3 Flashcards
Acumen
keen, accurate judgement or insight
Adulterate
to reduce purity by adding inferior ingredients
Amalgamate
to combine several elements into a whole
Archaic
outdated
Aver
to state as a fact; to declare or assert
Bolster
to provide support or reinforcement
Bombastic
pompous
Diatribe
a harsh denounciation
Dissemble
to disguise or conceal; to mislead
Eccentric
departing from norms or conventions
Endemic
characteristic of or often found in a particular locality, region or people
Evanescent
tending to disappear like vapor; vanishing
Exacerbate
to make worse or more severe
Fervent
greatly emotional or zealous
Fortuitous
happening by accident or chance
Germane
relevant to the subject at hand; appropriate in subject
Grandiloquence
pompous speech or expression
Hackneyed
rendered trite; commonplace by frequent usage
Halcyon
calm and peaceful
Hedonism
devoted to pleasurable pursuits; self-indulgence
Hegemony
the consistent dominance of one state or ideology over others
Iconoclast
one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions
Idolatrous
given to excessive devotion to something
Impassive
revealing no emotion
Impurturbable
marked by extreme calm, impassivity, and steadiness
Implacable
not capable of being appeased or significantly changed
Impunity
immunity from punishment or penalty
Inchoate
not fully formed; in the initial stages
Infelicitous
unfortunate; inappropriate
Insipid
without taste or flavor; lacking spirit; bland
Loquacious
extremely talkative
Luminous
characterized by brightness and the emission of light
Malevolent
having or showing vicious ill-will, spite or hatred
Malleable
capable of being shaped or formed
Mendacity
the condition of being untruthful; dishonesty
Meticulous
characterized by extreme care and precision; attention to detail
Misanthrope
one who hates all other humans
Mitigate
to make less severe or intense
Obdurate
unyielding; hardhearted; intractable
Obsequious
exhibiting a fawning attentiveness; servile; submissive
Occlude
to obstruct or block
Opprobrium
disgrace; contempt; scorn
Pedagogy
the profession or principles of teaching or instructing
Pedantic
overly concerned with trivial details; showoff of one’s knowledge
Penury
poverty; destitution
Pervasive
having the tendency to permeate or spread throughout
Pine
to yearn intently; to languish; to lose vigor
Pirate
to illegally use or reproduce
Pith
the essential or central part
Pithy
precise and brief
Placate
to appease
Platitude
a superficial remark offered as meaningful
Plummet
to plunge or drop straight down
Polemical
controversial; argumentaive
Prodigal
reckless wasteful; extravagant; profuse
Proliferate
to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly
Queries
questions; inquiries
Querulous
prone to complaining or grumbling
Rancorous
Characterized by bitter, long-lasting resentment
Recalcitrant
defiant of authority; difficult to manage
Repudiate
to refuse to have anything to do with; to disown
Rescind
to retract; to invalidate
Reverent
a feeling of profound awe and respect
Rhetoric
the art or study of effective use of language for communication and persuasian
Salubrious
promoting health and well-being
Solvent
able to meet financial obligations; able to dissolve another substance
Specious
seeming true, but actually fallacious; plausible but false
Spurious
lacking authenticity or validity; false
Subpoena
a court order requiring appearance
Succinct
brief; concise
Superfluous
more than necessary
Surfeit
excess; an overabundant supply
Tenacity
persistent determination
Tenuous
flimsy; weak
Tirade
a long and extremely critical speech
Transient
fleeting; passing quickly; brief
Zealous
fervent; ardent; impassioned, devoted to a cause
