List B5 Flashcards
incarnate
adj. in human form and shape
pallid
adj. faint in color; pale
adhere
v. to stick to; to be a firm follower
n. adhesion
adj. adherent
subsume
v. to include as part of a larger group
cachet
n. a mark of distinction
forestall
v. to prevent or delay beforehand
oxymoron
n. a figure of speech combining apparently contradictory terms, e.g., “darkness visible.”
adj. oxymoronic
quintessence
n. a pure substance or essence of something
adj. quintessential
perfidious
adj. marked by extreme treachery
n. perfidy
eccentric
adj. unconventional; odd
n. eccentricity
emphatic
adj. done or expressed with force
erstwhile
adj. former; of an earlier time
nonplus
v. to put at a loss what to do or think
dissociate
v. to break ties
n. dissociation
distraught
adj. anxious or agitated
deprecate
v. to express disapproval of
n. deprecation
perplex
v. to puzzle, confuse, or bewilder
n. perplexity
proverbial
adj. well-known because widely repeated
n. proverb
ire
n. anger
adj. irate
excoriate
v. to denounce sharply; to tear or wear the skin off
n. excoriation
accolade
n. an award or honor; a sign of great respect
ductile
adj. easily shaped; capable of being persuaded easily
n. ductility
apotheosis
n. the ideal example; the elevation of person to the rank of a god
invidious
adj. tending to arouse hostility or resentment
flabbergast
v. to overcome with astonishment
mordant
adj. bitingly sarcastic
obdurate
adj. not easily moved to pity or sympathy
disaffected
adj. resentful and rebellious, esp. against authority
immune
adj. not subject to an obligation imposed on others; not affected by an influence
n. immunity
fraught
adj. full of a particular quality
faux pas
n. a social blunder
beget
v. to produce; to father offspring
epicure
n. one with refined tastes, esp. in food and wine
adj. epicurean
fulsome
adj. disgusting because excessive or insincere; repulsive
appellation
n. name; title
loath
adj. unwilling, reluctant
craven
adj. cowardly; contemptibly timid
deadpan
adj. showing no expression
contravene
v. to act counter to; violate
n. contravention
insouciant
adj. calm and untroubled; carefree; indifferent
n. insouciance
indelible
adj. incapable of being removed or erased
eminent
adj. outstanding, distinguished, towering above others
n. eminence
enclave
n. a country or other distinctly bounded area wholly surrounded by another area
flout
v. to intentionally and obviously disobey
lapse
v. to decline from a previous level or standard; to come to an end
n. lapse
synergy
n. the interaction of two more more things where the combined effect is greater than the sum of the the individual effects
adj. synergistic
consign
v. to give to the care of another; to set apart
n. consignment
incisive
adj. keen or penetrating in thought or expression
attenuate
v. to make thin; to reduce in force
n. attenuation
extol
v. to praise highly and lavishly
linchpin
n. a central element that holds other parts together
assess
v. to estimate
esoteric
adj. known by or confined to a small number of people
obviate
v. to stop from occurring; to prevent or make unnecessary
iniquity
n. extreme immorality or injustice; wickedness
adj. iniquitous
comprise
v. to include; to contain; to be composed of
odious
adj. arousing strong dislike or disgust
n. odium
qualify
v. to modify, limit, or restrict, as by giving exceptions
n. qualification
matriculate
v. to admit or be admitted into a group, esp. a college or university
juncture
n. a point of time; a concurrence of events
impromptu
adj. without preparation
educe
v. to draw out; elicit
omniscient
adj. all-knowing
n. omniscience
hamper
v. to keep from moving or acting freely
enigma
n. a perplexing, usually ambiguous puzzle
adj. enigmatic
cupidity
n. strong desire for wealth; greed
adj. cupidinous
estrange
v. to make hostile or indifferent, usually between two persons
mollify
v. to soothe the temper; to pacify; to appease
precarious
adj. dangerously insecure or unstable
nettle
v. to bother; to irritate
iconoclast
n. one who attacks and seeks to destroy widely accepted ideas
adj. iconoclastic
genial
adj. cheerful, friendly
n. geniality
dilatory
adj. characterized by delay; tardy
maul
v. to injure; mangle
untimely
adj. occurring at an unfortunate or premature time
axiom
n. premise; true statement; a saying
adj. axiomatic
seminal
adj. original and inspiring further similar efforts
lexicographer
n. a person who writes or compiles dictionaries
n. lexicography
adj. lexicographical
rhetoric
n. persuasive or artful use of language
adj. rhetorical
eke out
v. to add to with difficulty; to make just enough to continue
bask
v. to enjoy a warm or pleasant feeling
marshal
v. to arrange in order
condescend
v. to lower oneself to a less formal or less dignified level
adj. condescending
n. condescension
sedate
adj. calm; quiet
v. sedate
allay
v. to reduce the intensity of; to calm
salacious
adj. lustful; obscene
detract
v. to take away a desirable part; to diminish
n. detractor
secular
adj. not religious; worldly
thespian
adj. relating to drama; n. an actor
complicity
n. association or participation in a wrongful act
adj. complicitous
dross
n. impurities formed on the surface of metals during melting; worthless, commonplace or trivial material
cavil
v. to argue in a petty fashion; make trifling objections
verbose
adj. wordy
philistine
n. a narrow-minded person with no interest in the arts
retrench
v. to reduce, esp. expenses
discord
n. conflict or disagreement
adj. discordant
dormant
adj. inactive, but capable of being active
n. dormancy
venomous
adj. malignant; spiteful; secreting poison
facsimile
n. an exact copy
pungent
adj. sharp to the smell or taste
encompass
v. to surround; to include
rectify
v. to set right; to correct
fop
n. a man who is preoccupied with his clothes and manners
adj. foppish
propound
v. to suggest for consideration; to propose
scrupulous
adj. conscientious and exact; having principles
keen
adj. having a sharp edge; perceptive
hodgepodge
n. mixture; combination
quaff
v. to drink quickly or with enthusiasm
accelerate
v. to increase speed
evince
v. to give outward evidence of; to display clearly
admonish
v. to warm so a fault can be corrected or a danger avoided
n. admonition
augment
v. to make greater, in size, extent, or quantity
n. augmentation
aggravate
to worsen
modicum
n. a small quantity
bombast
n. pompous speech, adj. bombastic
encore
n. again, once more; a second performance; an audience’s call for a second performance
veneer
n. an attractive, ultimately misleading outward show; thin layer
sacrosanct
adj. very sacred, holy, or inviolable
prolix
adj. wordy and tedious
balm
n. anything healing or soothing
hymn
n. a religious song; a song of praise
impetus
n. an impelling or originating force
eponym
n. a person after whom a place, people, disease, etc. is named
adj. eponymous
ravenous
adj. very hungry
trivial
adj. of little worth or importance
n. triviality
suave
adj. effortlessly smooth and courteous in social situations
tenure
n. holding or possession of an office or property; guaranteed permanent employment, esp. as a teacher
traverse
v. to travel over or through
supplicate
v. to request with great humility, as though by praying
n. supplication
tendentious
adj. having a bias; favoring a cause (usually in print)
felicitous
adj. well chosen; appropriate
n. felicity
philology
n. literary study, esp. as it involves the editing of texts and history of languages
n. philologist
propriety
n. good manners; proper behavior
whet
v. to sharpen; to make keen
prognosis
n. the anticipated progress of recovery
cursory
adj. superficially done; performed rapidly
miasma
n. a noxious or poisonous atmosphere
mot juste
n. exactly the right word or expression
unconscionable
adj. beyond reason; not restrained by sonscience
welter
n. a confused mass or jumble
quizzical
adj. puzzled, questioning
appall
v. to horrify
adj. appalling
flounder
v. to proceed with clumsiness and confusion
procrustean
adj. showing merciless disregard for individual differences or special circumstances
cacophony
n. a harsh, jarring sound
adj. cacophonous
transient
adj. passing with time; remaining only briefly
n. transience
carp
v. to complain; to seek fault, esp. over unimportant matters
synopsis
n. a short summary that outlines the main points of something
pl. synopses
brandish
v. to shake or wave, as of a weapon; to show threateningly
ample
adj. enough, or more than enough; plentiful
escapade
n. a reckless adventure
chicanery
n. deception by trickery
miser
n. a greedy person who hoards money, even at the expense of personal discomfort
adj. miserly
assuage
v. to lessen pain or distress
prim
adj. overly proper; precise to the point of affectation; prudish
valro
n. marked courage or bravery
adj. valorous
serendipity
n. unexpected gift or discovery
adj. serendipitous
prostrate
adj. lying face down, esp. as a sign of humility or worship; physically or emotional exhausted
n. prostration
volition
n. a conscious choice or decision
abstemious
adj. moderate, esp. in eating and drinking
meretricious
adj. attracting attention in a vulgar way
tortuous
adj. winding, twisted
subsist
v. to maintain life
n. subsistence
timbre
n. the distinguishing quality of a soundf
cavalcade
n. an order of events; a procession
virtuoso
n. one with great skill, esp. in music or the arts
vehement
adj. forceful; furious
n. vehemence
compunction
n. a feeling of uneasiness caused by a sense of guilt
stymie
v. to obstruct; to stump
derogatory
adj. belittling; tending to diminish
tarry
v. to delay; to linger
repast
n. a meal
impeccable
adj. flawless
sprightly
adj. lively; animated; energetic
bustle
n. energetic, often noisy, activity; a stir; v. to move about energetically
medium
n. a method or way of expressing something
dexterous
adj. skillful with the hands or mind
n. dexterity
wry
adj. dryly humorous, with a touch of irony
anterior
adj. placed before or in front; earlier
glower
v. to frown; to glare with anger
consternation
n. a sudden feeling of anxiety, shock, or confusion
rescind
v. to take back or cancel
callow
adj. inexperienced; not developed; immature
apocryphal
adj. probably untrue or fake; of questionable authorship
abject
adj. of the lowest degree; brought low in condition
soporific
adj. promoting sleep
malapropism
n. a ridiculous misuse of words
adj. malapropos
pretext
n. an excuse; a strategy intended to conceal something
enunciation
n. clear pronunciation; articulation
v. enunciate
steadfast
adj. loyal; faitthful
winsome
adj. charming, esp. in a childlike or innocent way
sequester
v. to move or set apart; to quarantine
n. sequestration
exhort
v. to urge strongly
n. exhortation
baroque
adj. fantastically over-decorated; gaudily ornate
plucky
adj. showing courage in unfavorable circumstances
nemesis
n. one who inflicts justified or great punishment; a source of harm or ruin
uproarious
adj.. extremely funny
decipher
v. to read or interpret something confusing or illegible; to convert from a code
seemly
adj. proper or fitting with respect to established customs
trepidation
n. strong fear of dread marked by trembling or hesitancy
