List 8 Flashcards
Censure (v.)
to criticize sharply
The judge censured the repeat offender for his criminal behavior.
Syn: condemn; reproach
Ant: praise, applaud
Deride (v.)
To ridicule; to mock
The unpopular professor derided students who made mistakes.
Syn: scorn
Ant: praise
Gambol (v.)
to frolic; to romp about playfully
The pre-schoolers liked to gambol about the playground.
Syn: play; caper; rollick
Immolate (v.)
to kill someone as a sacrificial victim, usually by fire
Some Buddhist monks immolated themselves in protest of the government’s policies.
Recondite (adj.)
difficult to understand; profound
Only a few students understood the recondite explanation of the theory.
Martinet (n.)
A strict disciplinarian; taskmaster
The teacher was a martinet who never made exceptions to the rules.
Quagmire (n.)
a swamp; a difficult or inextricable situation
The war was a political quagmire for three U.S. Presidents.
Gibe (v.)
to scoff; to ridicule
His favorite pastime was to gibe at everything his wife said.
Syn: jeer, taunt, sneer
Ant: compliment; praise
Agape (adj.)
open-mouthed; surprised; agog
Even the judge was agape when the witness told the ridiculous story in court.
Syn: astonished
Carcinogen (n.)
causing cancer
Benzene, a component of gasoline, is a carcinogen.
Olfactory (n.)
pertaining to smell
If you have a cold, then your olfactory senses will not detect the gas leak.
Imperious (adj.)
domineering; haughty
The judge pronounced his finding in an imperious voice.
Syn: overbearing, arrogant, masterful
Ant: servile; submissive
Grotesque (adj.)
absurd; distorted
The boy made a grotesque face behind the teacher’s back.
Neologism (n.)
A new word or expression
Some writers coin neologisms to confuse and impress their readers.
Syn: coinage
Hackneyed (adj.)
commonplace; overused
“Good as gold” is a hackneyed expression.
Syn: trite, banal
Ant: fresh; imaginative
