List 6 Flashcards
abase
to lower; to humble
abolitionist
one who opposes slavery
acclimatization
becoming used to something; getting comfortable
acquiesce
to agree; to give in
air
to bring out into the open
allegory
symbolic story
altruism
goodness; selflessness; generosity
amorphous
without shape
anecdote
a short and amusing story
annulment
cancellation
anterior
placed in front; earlier
aperture
opening; hole
apprehensive
worried
arcane
mysterious; secret
aristocratic
high-class, as in the qualities of nobility
ascetic
- a person who refuses bodily pleasures
2. without luxuries
assuage
to calm down; to soothe
audacity
nerve; boldness; gall
autocratic
favoring complete rule by one person
avow
to swear by
balk
to hesitate suddenly
barracks
housing for soldiers
becalmed
made peaceful or still
bellicose
warlike in manner
berate
to scold; to criticize
bicker
to argue about unimportant things
bland
without any taste
blunderbuss
old-fashioned shotgun
bourgeois
middle-class; conformist and materialistic
browbeat
to intimidate; to bully
burnish
to polish; to shine
cacophonous
harsh-sounding; not harmonious
callow
immature; inexperienced
castigate
to punish or criticize harshly
catharsis
sudden emotional relief
caustic
unkind; bitter; sarcastic
ceremonious
formal
charted
planned; plotted; mapped
cherubic
angelic; like a baby
circuitous
roundabout; not straightfoward
cite
to quote
clemency
mercy
coerce
to force someone to do something
coherent
logical; clear
colloquial
informal but common speech
commend
to praise
compliant
giving in to others; obedient
condescend
to talk down to; to patronize
confiscate
to take away; to seize
congenial
pleasant; friendly
conscript
to force into service (usually military)
contentious
argumentative
contusion
bruise
corpulent
fat
cosmopolitan
- sophisticated
2. from the city
crest
peak; top
cupidity
greed
dart
to move quickly
debauchery
corruption; physical self-indulgence
decorum
proper behavior
defector
one who leaves his or her side to join the enemy
defy
to resist openly
demographer
an expert on population statistics
deprecate
to criticize
despise
to hate
determinate
definite; limited
dialect
regional variety of a language
didactic
intended to teach; preachy
dilapidated
run-down; needing repairs
dirge
funeral song
disbursement
spending
disenfranchise
to take away someone’s right to vote
dispassionate
neutral; objective
dissent
disagreement; difference in opinion
dither
to be indecisive
doctrine
something taught (as in the principles of a religion)
dormant
- asleep
2. inactive
drape
to cover lossely
drudgery
boring work
ebullient
bubbly; high-spirited
edifying
enlightening; uplifting
elicit
to bring out
emaciated
very thin
embody
to express; to give concrete form to
emulate
to imitate someone who is admired
endemic
limited to; but widespread in, a particular place
enthrall
to facsinate
enunciate
to pronounce clearly
equanimity
calmness
eschew
to avoid
ethos
values of a culture
exacerbate
to make worse
exemplary
praiseworthy; serving as an excellent example
expatriate
to remove one from his/her homeland
extemporize
to perform without rehearsal
extricate
to remove
facade
- the front of a building
2. surface appearance
fallow
unplowed; not fertile
feint
an action intended to mislead an opponent
fetter
- a chain
2. to prevent from moving
finesse
skill; gracefulness
flippant
joking disrespectfully
fluster
to embarrass; to upset
forswear
to reject
fraught
filled with
furrow
- ditch or hole in the ground
2. to wrinkle (as in one’s brow)
gag
- joke
2. to prevent from speaking
gambol
to jump or dance playfully
gargantuan
huge