M Flashcards
Myriad
Adj
Countless or extremely great in numbers:
The myriad lights of the city brighten the night.
Synonym: infinite; boundless
Mercurial
Adj
(Of a person) subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind:
His mercurial temperament caused him to lose yet another job.
Synonym: capricious; volatile
Mien
Noun
A person’s look or manner, especially one of particular kind indicating their character or mood:
He had a cautious, academic mien.
Synonym: aura, demeanor
Mollify
Verb
Appease the anger or anxiety of someone:
Regulator often force government backed firms to shrink to mollify rivals.
Synonym: placate; conciliate
Machination
Noun
Plot or scheme:
Tired of his enemies’ endless machinations to remove him from the throne, the king had them executed.
Synonym: collusion; conspiracy
Maelstrom
Noun
Whirlpool; turmoil; agitated state of mind:
The transportation system of the city had collapsed on the maelstrom of war.
Synonym: turbulence
Magnate
Noun
Powerful or influential person:
The entertainment magnate bought two cable TV stations to add to his collection of magazine and publishing houses.
Synonym: potentate; tycoon; luminary
Malediction
Noun
A curse, a wish of evil upon another:
The frog prince looked for a princess to kiss him and put an end to the witch’s malediction.
Synonym: anathema; imprecation
Malinger
Verb
To evade responsibility by pretending to be ill:
A common way to avoid the draft was by malingering.
Malleable
Adj
Capable of being shaped:
Gold is the most malleable of precious metals; it can easily be formed into most any shape.
Synonym: plastic; pliant
Mannered
Adj
Artificial or stilled in character:
The portrait is an example of the mannered style that was favored in that era.
Synonym: affected; ersatz; unnatural
Mar
Verb
To damage, deface; spoil:
Telephone poles mar the natural beauty of the countryside.
Synonym: blemish; disfigure; impair; injure; scar
Martinet
Noun
Strict disciplinarian; one who rigidly follows rules:
A complete martinet, the official insisted that Pete fill out all the forms again even though he was already familiar with his case.
Synonym: stickler
Maudlin
Adj
Overly sentimental:
The mother’s death should have been a touching scene, but the movie’s treatment of it was so maudlin that it made audience cringe.
Synonym: bathetic
Mendacious
Adj
Dishonest:
So many or her stories were mendacious that I decided she must be pathological liar.
Synonym: deceitful
Mendicant
Noun
Beggar:
“Can you spare a dime?”begged the mendicant as the businessman walked past.
Synonym: panhandler; pauper
Meretricious
Adj
Gaudy; falsely attractive:
The casino’s meretricious decor horrified the cultivated interior designer.
Synonym: flashy; specious; tawdry
Metaphor
Noun
Figure of speech comparing two different things
Meticulous
Adj
Extremely careful, fastidious, painstaking
Militate
Verb
To operate against, work against:
Lenin militated against tsar for years before he overthrew him and established the Soviet Union.
Synonym: influence
Mirth
Noun
Frivolity, gaiety, laughter:
Lisa’s hilarious joke contributed to the general mirth at the dinner party.
Synonym: glee
Misanthrope
Noun
A person who dislikes others:
The grinch was such a misanthrope that even the sight of children singing made him angry.
Synonym: curmudgeon
Missive
Noun
A written note or letter:
Priscilla spent hours composing a romantic missive for Elvis.
Synonym: message
Mitigate
Verb
To soften, to lessen:
A judge may mitigate a sentence if she decides that a person committed a crime out of need.
Synonym: alleviate; assuage; mollify; palliate; placate
Mollify
Verb
To calm or make less severe:
Their argument was so intense that it was difficult to believe any compromise would mollify them.
Synonym: assuage; palliate; mitigate
Molt
Verb
To shed hair, skin, or an outer layer periodically:
The snake molted its skin and left it behind in a crumpled mass.
Synonym: cast; defoliate; desquamate
Monastic
Adj
Extremely plain or secluded, as in monastery:
The philosopher retired to his monastic lodgings to contemplate life free from any worldly distraction.
Synonym: austere
Monotony
Noun
No variation, tediously the same:
The monotony of the sound of the dripping faucet almost drove the research assistant crazy.
Synonym: drone; tedium
Mores
Noun
Fixed customs or manners; moral attitude:
In keeping with the mores of ancient roman society, Nero held a celebration every weekend.
Synonym: conventions; practices
Multifarious
Adj
Diverse:
Ken opened the hotel room window, letting in the multifarious noises of the great city.
Synonym: assorted; heterogenous
Myopic
Adj
Lacking foresight, having a narrow view or long-ranged perspective:
Not wanting to spend a lot of money up front, the myopic business owner would likely suffer the consequences later.
Synonym: short-sighted
Milieu
Noun
surroundings, especially of a social or cultural nature:
His natural milieu is that of the arts.
Synonym: environment
Malign
Adj
evil in nature or effect; malevolent:
She had a strong and malign influence.
Synonym: harmful; inimical; malignant
