Lesson 15 Flashcards
connive (kə nīv´) v.
to cooperate secretly in wrongdoing
The corrupt judge connived with crooked politicians in order to make himself rich.
syn: conspire
noxious (nok´ shəs) adj.
harmful to the health
We opened a window to remove the noxious fumes of the paint thinner.
syn: injurious ant: harmless
chutzpah (hoot´ spə) n.
nerve; audacity
I cannot believe Michael had the chutzpah to claim that no one could sing that song as well as he could.
syn: brazenness; effrontery ant: timidity
liege (lēj) n.
a lord, master, or sovereign
While the servants pledged their loyalty to the liege, they did not always like or respect him.
syn: king ant: commoner; servant
odium (ō´ dē əm) n.
hatred
The rebels had only odium for the ruling party.
syn: abhorrence ant: love; adoration
crass (kras) adj.
coarse; tasteless
Ben made a crass comment about the length of the waitress’s skirt.
syn: crude ant: refined”
hypercritical (hī pər krit´ i kəl) adj.
overcritical; too severe in judgment
In his inspection of the barracks, the sergeant was so hypercritical that no one passed.
syn: faultfinding ant: lax
fallacy (fal´ ə sē) n.
a mistaken notion; a misconception
My grandmother still clings to the fallacy that the world is flat.
ant: truth
complacent (kəm plā´ sənt) adj.
self-satisfied; smug
The former heavyweight champion became complacent after easily defeating several amateur boxers.
syn: assured; confident ant: humble
befuddle (bi fud´ l) v.
to confuse; to perplex
Street maps always befuddle me, so my girlfriend navigates when we take road trips.
syn: bewilder; fluster ant: clarify; elucidate
pandemonium (pan də mō´ nē əm) n.
a wild disorder, noise, or confusion
Feeding time at the zoo could be pandemonium if not done slowly and carefully.
syn: chaos; tumult; din ant: order; calm
parsimonious (pär sə mō´ nē əs) adj.
excessively thrifty; stingy
Ebenezer Scrooge was a parsimonious old man.
syn: cheap; frugal ant: extravagant”
verbose (vər bōs´) adj.
using more words than are needed; wordy
Some find Charles Dickens so verbose that they swear he must have been paid by the word.
syn: prolix ant: terse; concise; succinct
laudable (lô´ də bəl) adj.
worthy of praise; commendable
The city has made laudable efforts to reduce crime by introducing after-school programs.
syn: admirable ant: execrable
indiscreet (in di skrēt´) adj.
not wise or judicious; imprudent, as in speech or action
Ron was fired shortly after his indiscreet actions at the office party.
syn: flagrant ant: prudent”
