List B3 Flashcards
embellish
v. to decorate; to add ornamental or fictitious details to
convalesce
v. to recover from illness; to recuperate
adj. covalescent
truckle
v. to submit in a subservient manner to a superior; fawn
acerbic
adj. sharp in smell and taste; harsh in a tone
n. acerbity
avarice
n. excessive desire for wealth
adj. avaricious
waver
v. to be uncertain of something; to sway
rationalize
v. to come up with self-satisfying but incorrect excuses
garner
v. to get or earn; to collect or gather
vindictive
adj. seeking revenge; marked by a desire to hurt
cantakerous
adj. bad-tempered; quarrelsome
dissuade
v. to discourage from a course of action
troupe
n. a group of touring actors, singers or performers
careen
v. to lean to one side or serve while in motion (of a vehicle)
imposing
adj. impressive by virtue of size, power, or manner
boisterous
adj. noisy and wild; unruly
ostensible
adj. outwardly appearing as such
abse
v. to lower in rank or prestige
immerse
v. to cover completely in a liquid; to engage wholly
n. immersion
tenet
n. a belief
revel
v. to delight, to enjoy (used with “in”)
n. revelry
quirk
n. a rapid twist and turn; an individual mannerism
trove
n. a collection of valuable items
holistic
adj. dealing with something as a whole rather than by its individual parts
calamity
n. an event causing extreme trouble and misery
adj. calamitous
partisan
n. a strong, often militant, supporter
prototype
n. the original model, someone or something that serves to illustrate the typical qualities of a class
transcend
v. to exceed; to go beyond or above the limits
disarming
adj. reducing or preventing criticism with charm
vigilant
adj. alert and watchful, esp. for what is dangerous
n. vigilance
brevity
n. briefness
bereaved
adj. suffering the loss of a loved one
v. bereave
perennial
adj. lasting through the years
carous
n. to participate in a loud, drunken party
n. carousal
underscore
v. to emphasize
dubious
adj. causing doubt; questionable
delve
v. to look for; to search; to investigate
accost
v. to approach and speak to, usually aggressively
arrogate
v. to claim for one’s self unjustly
engross
v. to occupy completely
vitiate
v. to make faulty or impure; to spoil
undermine
v. to weaken
adamant
adj. stubbornly unyielding; impervious to pleas, appeals, or reason
encomium
n. high praise
posit
v. to assume as a fact or principle
euphoria
n. a feeling of great happiness
adj. euphoric
vacuous
adj. lacking substance or intelligence
n. vacuity
dogma
n. a specific set of ideas or beliefs, esp. religious or asserted to be absolutely true
adj. dogmatic
turpitude
n. immoral behavior
venturesome
adj. adventurous, risky, daring
cultivate
v. to promote growth, to nurture
corrborate
v. to strengthen; to confirm; to support
n. corroboration
expound
v. to explain in detail
bivouac
n. temporary encampment, often in an unsheltered area
hapless
adj. unfortunate; unlucky
wallow
v. to roll about lazily, in or as if in water, snow or mud; to revek
corps
n. a group of persons working together or related by a common association
elated
adj. in high spirits; joyful
n. elation
catastrophe
n. disaster; sudden misfortune
adj. catastrophic
unwieldy
adj. hard to handle or manage, esp. because of size or weight
realm
n. a region; a kingdom
gargantuan
adj. of huge size or capacity
watershed
n. a critical point that marks a diversion
impending
adj. about to happen
defunct
adj. having ceased to exist or live
fabricate
v. to make, build; to lie
finite
adj. measurable; having an end
captivate
v. to capture the attention or affection of, as by beauty, excellence, etc.
livitate
v. to rise or cause to rise and float in the air
n. levitation
allure
n. the power to attract with something desirable
adj. alluring
coterie
n. a small, often exclusive group of people who associate with one another frequently
debunk
v. to expose the falsehood of
vignette
n. a small design or portrait; a brief scene (as from a movie) or literary sketch
tumult
n. a great commotion or uproar
adj. tumultous
exculoate
v. to clear from blame or guilt
allude
v. to refer to indirectly
n. allusion
predilection
n. a preference
epitome
n. a representative example of a type
v. epitomize
conceit
n. a fanciful idea of image, esp. an exaggerated poetic comparison; an extravagant construction
baleful
adj. harmful or threatening harm or evil
ameliorate
v. to improve; to become better
orient
v. to establish one’s location; n. the east
vex
v. to disturb; to distress
n. vexation
adj. vexatious
variegated
adj. distinctly marked with different colors; diverse
vertiginous
adj. causing dizziness, as from spinning or heights
anesthesia
n. unawareness of pain or other sensation; drugs that cause this state
upshot
n. the decisive or final result
effervescent
adj. giving off gas bubbles; showing high spirits or excitement
v. effervesce
n. effervescence
retrospect
n. the consideration of past events
adj. retrospective
laity
n. all the people not belonging to a given profession, esp. the clergy
benediction
n. blessing
bifurcate
v. to divide into two parts
n. bifurcation
affable
adj. friendly; easy to talk to
n. affability
verity
n. a widely-accepted truth
verbatim
adj. word for word
abrogate
v. to cancel or repeal by authority
n. abrogation
discreet
adj. careful about what one says or does; prudent
n. discretion
altercation
n. a heated or noisy argument
outmoded
adj. no longer in fashin
feud
n. a bitter, prolonged quarrel
delude
v. to make someone believe something that is untrue; to deceive
adj. deluded
n. delusion
metaphysical
adj. highly abstract or theoretical; lacking physical form
n. metaphysics
kudos
n. glory; fame
implacable
adj. unable to be pacified; relentless
autocracy
n. rule by one person with unlimited power
n. autocrat
adj. autocratic
pinnacle
n. the highest point; summit
succulent
adj. full of juice; highly enjoyable
vain
adj. not producing the desired outcome; worthless’ proud or conceited
n. vanity
obeisance
n. a gesture, such as a curtsy, that expresses respect or obedience
havoc
n. great destruction and devastation
infatuated
adj. experiencing an unreasonable passion or attraction
n. infatuation
maudlin
adj. excessively sentimental
discrete
adj. individually distinct or separate
foreboding
n. a sense of impending evil, esp. one without definite cause
attrition
n. gradual reduction
devour
v. to eat up greedily
impetuous
adj. characterized by sudden emotion, energy, etc.; impulsive and passionate
n. impetuousity
imminent
adj. impending; threatening; likely to happen
ephemeral
adj. lasting for a short time; fleeting
fledgling
n. a young inexperienced person; a young bird just growing feathers
dispatch
v. to send off promptly; n. efficient speed; a message, esp. official or from a journalist
firebrand
n. one who stirs up trouble or revolt
privation
n. lack of basic necessities
garish
adj. marked by unpleasantly bright colors or excessive ornamentation
feral
adj. existing in a wild or untamed state
compendium
n. a short, complete summary
adj. compendious
disheveled
adj. disarranged; untidy; rumpled
dispense
v. to administer; to distribute; (with prep. “with) to do without
dispirited
adj. sad
v. dispirit
icon
n. an image; a symbol; a representation of a holy person, esp. in the Orthodox Christian churches
adj. iconic
malleable
adj. able to be pounded; capable of being molded; adaptable
heyday
n. a time of success or popularity
meander
v. to follow a winding course; to wander without any fixed destination
sanctuary
n. a holy place; a place of refuge
patina
n. a thin greenish layer that forms on copper as a result of corrosion; the sheen on any surface produced by age or use
cherish
v. to hold in great affection
sparse
adj. thinly spread or distributed; not dense or crowded
narcissistic
adj. excessively interested in one’s own appearance, comfort, importance, etc.
n. narcissism
persevere
v. to remain constant despite obstacles
fiat
n. an authoritative order; an arbitrary decree
inscutable
adj. hard to understand; enigmatic
palliate
v. to lessen the pain or severity
adj. palliative
haggard
adj. appearing tired and thin, as from anxiety, disease, hunger, etc,
pandemonium
n. a situation of great confusion, esp. because of fear or anger
benign
adj. kindly; creating a favorable influence; (in medicine) not dangerous to one’s health
n. benignity
flaccid
adj. lacking firmness
gesticulate
v. to make gestures, esp. while speaking
n. gesticulation
myopic
adj. near-sighted
n. myopia
chic
adj. smartly elegant in style and manner
melancholy
adj. sad, esp. a lingering or habitual state of mind; n. persistent sadness
berate
v. to scold severely and at length
quaint
adj. odd, esp, in an old-fashioned way
mores
n. accepted rules of behavior
perfunctory
adj. done without care or interest merely as a form or routine
civic
adj. pertaining to a city or citizen
fraternize
v. to associate in a friendly manner
deprive
v. to take or keep something away from someone
n. deprivation
manifold
adj. of many kinds; numerous and varied
redolent
adj. aromatic; fragrant; suggestive
n. redolence
prescribe
v. to set down as a rule
n. prescription
obstruse
adj. slow in understanding; dull; stupid
n. obstruseness
ignominy
n. shame; dishonor
adj. ignominious
erratic
adj. inconsistent, unpredicatble
convivial
adj. sociable; festive
n. conviviality
mercurial
adj. easily changeable; erratic
disspate
v. to scatter; to spend wastefully
shear
v. to cut hair or wool from
largess
n. generosity in giving gifts
invective
n. language that abuses or denounches
dote
v. to show excessive love or fondness
cornucopia
n. an abundance
mellifluous
adj. smooth and sweet; flowing with sweetness
innuendo
n. an indirect suggestion about someone or something, esp. of a negative nature
penitent
adj. feeling regret
n. penitence
malediction
n. evil talk about someone; slander; a curse
toady
n. a person who flatters others for self-serving reasons; a sycophant
expedite
v. to speed up
adj. expeditious
unruly
adj. difficult to control; disobedient
caliber
n. degree of worth or value
solicitous
adj. showing anxious concern
oppugn
v. to oppose with argument; to contradict or call into question
hidebound
adj. narrow-minded
inchoate
adj. at an early stage of development; not well developed
monolithic
adj. massive, solid and uniform in appearance
n. monolith
nonchalant
adj. seemingly unconcerned or indifferent
n. nonchalance
reproach
v. to express disapproval for a fault, usually out of a sense of disappointment
n. reproach
adj. reproachful
haven
n. a safe place
placate
v. to make less angry
gamut
n. an entire range or series
feign
v. to pretend; to fake
decor
n. a decorative style or scheme, as of a room
tentative
adj. experimental; not sure
poignant
adj. sharply painful to the feelings
n. poignancy
memento
n. a reminder or a souvenir
patronize
v. to sponsor or support; to be ind or helpful in a snobbish way, as if dealing with an inferior
adj. patronizing
sumptuous
adj. of a size or splendor suggesting great expense; lavish
filibuster
v. to use a prolonged speech to delay legislative action; n. a speech that delays legislative action
hysteria
n. a sudden outburst of uncontrolled emotion such as fear, excitement, etc.
adj. hysterical
imbecile
n. a stupid or silly person
adj. imbecilic
dwindle
v. to decrease gradually until little remains
purvey
v. to supply
n. purveyor
