Hit Parade Group 2 Flashcards
Ablate (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 (noun)
greed, esp. for wealth
adj. form: avaricious
Axiom (noun)
a universally recognized principle
adj. form: axiomatic
Burgeon (verb)
to grow rapidly or flourish
Bucolic (adj.)
rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
Cacophony (noun)
harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance
adj. form: cacophonous
Canon (noun)
an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature
(adj. form: canonical)
Castigation (noun)
severe criticism or punishment
verb form: castigate
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 (noun)
the willingness to comply with the wishes of others
adj. form: complaisant
Contentious (adj.)
argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement
Contrite (adj.)
regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness
noun form:contrition
Culpable (adj.)
deserving blame
noun form: culpability
Dearth (noun)
smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack
Demur (verb)
to question or oppose
Didactic (adj.)
intended to teach or instruct
Discretion (noun)
cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions
(adj. form: discrete)
Disinterested (adj.)
free of bias or self-interest; impartial
Dogmatic (adj.)
expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles
(noun form: dogma)
Ebullience (noun)
the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings
(adj. form: ebullient)
Eclectic (adj.)
composed of elements drawn from various sources
Elegy (noun)
a mournful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead
adj. form: elegiac
Emollient (adj.)/(noun)
soothing, esp. to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying; an agent that softens or smoothes the skin
Empirical (adj.)
based on observation or experiment
Enigmatic (adj.)
mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand
noun form: enigma
Ephemeral (adj.)
brief; fleeting
Esoteric (adj.)
intended for or understood by a small, specific group
Eulogy (noun)
a speech honoring the dead
verb form: eulogize
Exonerate (verb)
to remove blame
Facetious (adj.)
playful; humorous
Fallacy (noun)
an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief
adj. form: fallacious
Furtive (adj.)
marked by stealth; cover; surreptitious
Gregarious (adj.)
sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people
Harangue (verb)/ (noun)
to deliver a pompous speech or tirade; a long, pompous speech
Heretical (adj.)
violating accepted dogma or convention
noun form: heresy
Hyperbole (noun)
an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech
adj. form: hyperbolic
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 (adj.)
refusing to compromise
noun form: intransigence
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 (noun)
the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm
(ver form: oscillate)
Penurious (adj.)
penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
Pernicious (adj.)
extremely harmful; potentially causing death
Peruse (verb)
to examine with great care
noun form: perusal
Pious (adj.)
extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion
(noun form: piety)
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 (verb)
to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor
adj. form: putrid
Quaff (verb)
to drink deeply
Quiescence (noun)
stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest
adj. form: quiescent
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 to
Satire (noun)
a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision
(adj. form: satirical)
Squalid (adj.)
sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect
noun form:squalor
Stoic (adj.)
indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast
noun form: stoicism
Supplant (verb)
to take the place of; to supersede
Torpid (adj.)
lethargic; sluggish; dormant
noun form: torpor
Ubiquitous (adj.)
existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread
Urbane (adj.)
sophisticated; refined; elegant
noun form: urbanity
Vilify (verb)
to defame; to characterize harshly
Viscous (adj.)
thick; sticky (noun form:viscosity)
