Hit Parade #4 Flashcards
Acerbic
having a sour or bitter taste or character; sharp; biting
Aggrandize
to increase in intensity, power, prestige or influence
Alchemy
medieval science of turning metal into gold
Amenable
agreeable; responsive to suggestion
Anachronism
something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context
Astringent
having a tightening affect on skin; harsh; severe
Contigious
sharing a border; touching; adjacent
Convention
a generally agreed upon practice or attitude
Credulous
gullible; tending to believe too readily
Cynicism
attitude or belief that people are motivated by selfishness
Decorum
polite or appropriate conduct or behavior
Derision
scorn, ridicule, contemptuous treatment
Desiccate
to dry out or dehydrate
Dilettante
one with a superficial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge
Disparage
to slight or belittle
Divulge
to disclose something secret
Fawn
to flatter or praise excessively
Flout
to show contempt for, as in a rule or convention
Garrulous
pointlessly talkative; talking too much
Glib
marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; superficial
Hubris
arrogance
Imminent
about to happen; impending
Immutable
not capable of change; permanent
Impetuous
hastily and rashly energetic; impulsive and vehement
Indifferent
having no interest or concern; showing no bias or prejudice
Inimical
damaging; harmful; injurious
Intractable
not easily managed or directed; stubborn; obstinate
Intrepid
steadfast and couragous
Laconic
using few words; terse
Maverick
an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party
Mercurial
characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood
Mollify
to calm or soothe; to reduce in emotional intensity
Neophyte
a recent convert; a beginner; a novice
Obfuscate
to deliberately obscure; to make confusing
Obstinate
stubborn; hard-headed
Ostentatious
characterized by pretentious display; showy
Pervade
to permeate throughout
Phlegmatic
calm; sluggish; unemotional
Plethora
an overabundance; a surplus
Pragmatic
practical rather than idealistic
Presumptuous
overstepping due bounds
Pristine
pure; uncorrupted; clean
Probity
completed and confirmed integrity; adherence to highest principles
Proclivity
a natural predisposition or inclination
Profligate
excessively wasteful; recklessly extravagant
Propensity
a natural inclination or tendency; penchant
Prosaic
dull; lacing in spirit or imagination
Pungent
characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste
Quixotic
foolishly impractical; marked by lofty romantic ideals
Quotidian
occurring or recurring daily; commonplace
Rarefy
to make or become thin, less dense; to refine
Recondite
hidden; concealed; difficult to understand; obscure
Refulgent
radiant; shiny; brilliant
Renege
to fail to honor a commitment; to go back on a promise
Sedulous
diligent; persistent; hard-working
Shard
a piece of broken pottery or glass
Soporific
causing drowsiness; tending to induce sleep
Sparse
thin; not dense; arranged at widely spaced intervals
Spendthrift
one who spends money wastefully
Subtle
not obvious; elusive; difficult to discern
Tacit
implied; not explicitly stated
Terse
brief and concise in wording
Tout
publicly praise or promote
Trenchant
sharply perceptive; keen; penetrating
Unfeigned
genuine; not false or hypocritical
Untenable
indefensible; not viable; uninhabitable
Vacilliate
to waver indecisively between one thing and another
Variegated
multicolored; characterized by variety of colored patches
Vexation
annoyance; irritation
Vigilant
alertly watchful
Vituperate
to scold; to abuse or censure severely
Volatile
readily changing to a vapor; changeable; fickle; explosive
