Hit Parade Group 2 Flashcards
Abate
(verb) to lessen in intensity or degree
Accolade
(noun) an expression of praise
Adulation
(noun) excessive praise; intense adoration
Aesthetic
(adj.) dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful
Ameliorate
(verb) to make better or more tolerable
Ascetic
(noun) one who practices rigid self-denial, esp. as an act of religious devotion
Avarice (adj. form: avaricious)
(noun) greed, esp. for wealth
Axiom (adj. form: axiomatic)
(noun) a universally recognized principle
Burgeon
(verb) to grow rapidly or flourish
Bucolic
(adj.) rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
Cacophony (adj. form: cacophonous)
(noun) harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance
Canon (adj. form: canonical)
(noun) an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature
Castigation (verb form: castigate)
(noun) severe criticism or punishment
Catalyst
(noun) a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing; a person or thing that causes change
Caustic
(adj.) burning or stinging; causing corrosion
Chary
(adj.) wary; cautious; sparing
Cogent
(adj.) appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing
Complaisance (adj. form: complaisant)
(noun) the willingness to comply with the wishes of others
Contentious
(adj.) argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement
Contrite (noun form: contrition)
(adj.) regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness
Culpable (noun form: culpability)
(adj.) deserving blame
Dearth
(noun) smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack
Demur
(verb) to question or oppose
Dyadic
(adj.) intended to teach or instruct
Discretion (adj. form: discreet)
(noun) cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions
Disinterested
(adj.) free of bias or self-interest; impartial
Dogmatic (noun form: dogma)
(adj.) expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles
Ebullience (adj. form: ebullient)
(noun) the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings
Eclectic
(adj.) composed of elements drawn from various sources
Elegy (adj. form: elegiac)
(noun) a mournful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead
Emollient
(adj.)/(noun) soothing, esp. to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying; an agent that softens or smooths the skin
Empirical
(adj.) based on observation
Enigmatic (noun form: enigma)
(adj.) mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand
Ephemeral
(adj.) brief; fleeting
Esoteric
(adj.) intended for or understood by a small, specific group
Eulogy (verb form: eulogize)
(noun) a speech honoring the dead
Exonerate
(verb) to remove blame
Facetious
(adj.) playful; humorous
Fallacy (adj. form: fallacious)
(noun) an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief
Furtive
(adj.) marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
Gregarious
(adj.) sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people
Harangue
(verb)/(noun) to deliver a forceful or angry speech; ranting speech or writing
Heretical (noun form: heresy)
(adj.) violating accepted dogma or convention
Hyperbole (adj. form: hyperbolic)
(noun) an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech
Impecunious
(adj.) lacking funds; without money
Incipient
(adj.) beginning to come into being or to become apparent
Inert
(adj.) unmoving; lethargic; sluggish
Innocuous
(adj.) harmless; causing no damage
Intransigent (noun form: intransigence)
(adj.) refusing to compromise
Inveigle
(verb) to obtain by deception or flattery
Morose
(adj.) sad; sullen; melancholy
Odious
(adj.) evoking intense aversion or dislike
Opaque
(adj.) impenetrable by light; not reflecting light
Oscillation (verb form: oscillate)
(noun) the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm
Penurious
(adj.) penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
Pernicious
(adj.) extremely harmful in a way that is not easily seen or noticed
Peruse (verb form: perusal)
(verb) to examine with great care
Pious (noun form: piety)
(adj.) extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion
Precursor
(noun) one that precedes and indicates or announces another
Preen
(verb) to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care
Prodigious
(adj.) abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary
Prolific
(adj.) producing large volumes or amounts; productive
Putrefy (adj. form: putrid)
(verb) to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor
Quaff
(verb) to drink deeply
Quiescence (adj. form: quiescent)
(noun) stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest
Redoubtable
(adj.) awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
Sanction
(noun)/(verb) authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority
Satire (adj. form: satirical)
(noun) a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision
Squalid (noun form: squalor)
(adj.) sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect
Stoic (noun form: stoicism)
(adj.) indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast
Supplant
(verb) to take the place of; to supersede
Torpid (noun form: torpor)
(adj.) lethargic; sluggishly dormant (noun form: torpor)
Ubiquitous
(adj.) existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread
Urbane (noun form: urbanity)
(adj.) sophisticated; refined; elegant
Vilify
(verb) to defame; to characterize harshly
Viscous (noun form: viscosity)
(adj.) thick; sticky
