M Flashcards
Macabre
gruesome; suggesting death
Mace
a ceremonial staff carried as a symbol of office
Macerate
make or become soft by soaking in water
Machination
plot; scheme (esp. evil)
Magnanimity
generosity or willingness to forgive.
Makeshift
a temporary or improvised arrangement.
Maladroit
not skillful; clumsy; tactless.
Malady
any unwholesome or desperate condition; impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism
Malapropism
misuse of a word (for one that resembles it)
Malevolent (n. Malevolence)
malicious; evil; having or showing ill will
Malign
to speak badly of; defame; slander.
Malignant
evil or injurious in intent, effect, or character
Malinger
to fake illness or injury in order to shirk a duty
Stanford failed tests designed to expose malingerers, a psychologist testified yesterday in Houston.
Malleable
easily influenced; pliable
Manacle
restrain, hinder
Manifest
- clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment;
- noun: a customs document listing the contents put on a ship or plane;
- verb: reveal its presence or make an appearance; record in a ship’s manifest; provide evidence for; stand as proof of; show by one’s behavior, attitude, or external attributes
Manipulate
control or influence (a person or situation) cleverly, unfairly, or unscrupulously
Marginalize
to exclude or treat as being of no importance, especially so as to divert attention from
Marketable
capable of being marketed; being in demand by especially employers; fit to be offered for sale
Martial
suggesting war or military life
Martinet
someone who demands exact conformity to rules and forms
Mask
conceal (something) from view
Massacre
cruel killing of a large number of people
Materialize
become actual fact; happen
Matriculation
be admitted enter a university as a student
Maudlin
sentimental in a silly or tearful way
Maul
hurt by rough handling
Maunder
- wander aimlessly;
- speak (about unimportant matters) rapidly and incessantly; talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
Maverick
rebel; nonconformist
Meager
low in quantity, extent, strength, or richness; scanty or feeble
Meddle
intrude in other people’s affairs or business
Mediocre
moderate to inferior in quality
Megalomaniac
a pathological egotist
Melding
blend; combine
Meliorate
better, to make better
Mellifluous
(of a voice or words) sweet or musical; pleasant to hear
Mellow
- having attained to kindliness or gentleness through age and experience; having a full and pleasing flavor through proper aging;
- slightly and pleasantly intoxicated from alcohol or a drug (especially marijuana); unhurried and relaxed;
- verb: make or grow (more) mellow; become more relaxed, easygoing, or genial; soften, make mellow
Menace
that which poses a danger or threatens injury or harm; threat
Mend
restore by putting together what is torn or broken
Mendacious (n. Mendacity)
lying; habitually dishonest
Mendicant
a beggar
Mephitic
Poisonous; noxious
Mercenary
a person hired to fight for another country than their own
Mercurial
volatile in temper; changeable; fickle
Meretricious
like or relating to a prostitute; based on pretense; deceptively pleasing; tastelessly showy
Mesmerize
hypnotize
Metaphysics
the philosophical study of being and knowing
Meticulous
carefully attentive to every small detail; painstaking
Metonym
a word, name, expression used as a substitute for something else with which it is closely associated
Mettle (adj. Mettlesome)
quality of endurance or courage
Middling
fairly good but not very good
Mien
demeanor
Mimic
to copy or imitate, often playfully or as part of a learning process
Minatory
menacing; threatening
Mince
pronounce or speak affectedly; euphemize
Minuscule
very small
Mirth
great merriment
Misanthrope
person who hates mankind
Mischievous
harmful; causing mischief
Misconstrue
interpret in the wrong way
Miseenscene
the stage setting or scenery of a play
Miser
person who loves wealth and spends little
Misnomer
an incorrect or inappropriate name
Misogynist
one who hates women/females
Mistrust
regard with suspicion
Mite
A very small amount, portion, or particle
Mitigate
to lessen the force, severity, or impact of
Moat
ditch dug as a fortification and usually filled with water
Moderation
quality of being limited; not extreme
Modish
being in or according to current fashion of style; fashionable
Mollify
- make less rigid or softer; make more temperate, acceptable, or suitable by adding something else; moderate;
- cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of
Mollycoddle
treat with excessive indulgence
The behaviorist John B. Watson argued that mollycoddled toddlers grew into weak and whiny adults.
Molt
lose hair/feathers before new growing
The challenging crabs had recently molted, so perhaps it wanted a good position to regain its bacterial covering.
Momentary
lasting for a markedly brief time
Monocoque
A metal structure, such as an aircraft, in which the skin absorbs all or most of the stresses to which the body is subjected
Monologue
a (usually long) dramatic speech by a single actor; a long utterance by one person (especially one that prevents others from participating in the conversation); speech you make to yourself
Monotomy
lack of variety and interest; tedious repetition and routine
Moot
1.subject to debate, dispute, or uncertainty.
- having little or no practical relevance, typically because the subject is too uncertain to allow a decision
Morbid
in an unhealthy, gloomy mental state; preoccupied with sickness, abnormality, or death
Moribund
in a dying state; near death
Morose
ill-tempered; unsocial
Mortify
to subject (someone) to extreme embarrassment, shame, or humiliation
Mosaic
design made of small pieces of colored stone or glass
Mounting
grow larger or more numerous
Muffler
cloth worn round the neck; silencer
Mulct
to deprive (someone) of something, as by fraud, extortion, etc.
Multifaceted
having several aspects or stages; complex or various
Multifarious
varied; motley; greatly diversified
Multitudinous
too numerous to be counted
Mundane
of or pertaining to what is common and everyday; ordinary; commonplace
Munificent
very generous
Murky
not fully explained or understood, especially with concealed dishonesty or immorality
Myriad
- too numerous to be counted;
- noun: a large indefinite number
Mystification
the activity of obscuring people’s understanding, leaving them baffled or bewildered; something designed to mystify or bewilder; confusion resulting from failure to understand
