M Flashcards
macabre
adj. grim and horrible
The film was too macabre for my taste.
Machiavellian
adj. crafty; double-dealing
The country’s leader proceeds on the assumption that other leaders are as Machiavellian as he is.
machinations
n. plots or schemes
The novel describes the machinations behind the merger of the two companies.
macrocosm
n. the universe
Both the hexagram and the Rose Cross are traditional symbols of the macrocosm.
maelstrom
n. whirlpool; turmoil
The civilians were sucked into the maelstrom of war.
magisterial
adj. authoritative
The book is a magisterial analysis of Hamlet.
magnanimous
adj. generous, noble
Our team was magnanimous in victory.
magnate
n. powerful person
The business magnate owns his own airplane.
magnitude
n. extent, greatness of size
We didn’t realize the magnitude of the problem until it was too late to do anything about it.
magnum opus
n. the greatest single work of a writer, composer, or artist
The professor’s magnum opus is the five-volume An Economic History of Europe.
maladroit
adj. clumsy, tactless
The maladroit play of the basketball team means it’s headed for a losing season.
malady
n. illness
A cure for the malady has not been found.
malaise
n. feeling of discomfort; general sense of depression
A malaise has descended on the country.
malapropism
n. humorous misuse of a word
The audience burst into laughter on hearing the speaker’s malapropism.
malcontent
n. discontented person
The principal appealed to the malcontents among the students to improve their attitude.
malediction
n. curse
The witch uttered a malediction.
malefactor
n. doer of evil
We identified the malefactor by his guilty look.
malevolent
adj. causing evil
Early humans seemed to have believed in the existence of malevolent spirits.
malfeasance
n. misconduct
Several incidents of malfeasance are being investigated by the police.
malice
n. animosity, hatred
The soldier feels no malice for his enemy.
malicious
ad. full of animosity and hatred
The malicious soldiers tortured their captives.
malgin
adj. evil
The church teaches that there are malign supernatural forces at work in the world.
malign
v. to speak evil of
Don’t malign him behind his back.
malinger
v. to feign illness to escape duty
The soldier was accused of malingering.
malleable
adj. capable of being shaped; impressionable
Confucius believed that human nature is fairly malleable.
mandate
n. authoritative command
The election is a mandate for change.
mandatory
adj. required, necessary
Voting is mandatory in some countries.
Manichaeism
n. a dualistic religious philosophy taught by the Persian prophet Manes
Manichaeism was one of the major Iranian Gnostic religions.
manifest (adj.)
adj. obvious
The reasons for his choice are manifest.
manifest (v.)
v. to occur in reality; make evident
The unusual symptoms manifested early in her pregnancy.
manifestation
n. occurrence in reality
The symptoms are the first manifestation of the illness.
manifold
adj. diverse, comprised of many parts
The newly proposed bill would benefit citizens in manifold ways.
manna
n. spiritual nourishment
The holy man’s writings are manna for his followers.
manumission
n. freedom from slavery
The manumission of the slaves was slow in that state.
martial
adj. warlike
The army trains recruits in the martial arts.
martinet
n. strict disciplinarian
The teacher was considered a martinet.
masochist
n. one who enjoys pain
Herb is not enough of a masochist to take a job teaching incorrigible criminals.
matriarchy
n. a family or community governed by women
Few societies in history have been matriarchies.
matriculate
v. to enroll in a college
Which university do you plan to matriculate at?
matrilineal
ad. tracing ancestry through the mother’s line
Susan is researching matrilineal societies for her sociology paper.
maudlin
adj. overly sentimental
The maudlin movie brought tears to many eyes.
maven
n. an expert
The newspaper’s editor-in-chief is considered a language maven.
maverick
n. dissenter
We tried to persuade the maverick that his view was mistaken.
mawkish
adj. very sentimental
The story is a bit mawkish for my taste.
maxim
n. a concise statement of a fundamental principle
“Never do to others what you would not like them to do to you” is a well-known maxim.
mea culpa
n. an admission of a personal fault or mistake
The CEO’s mea culpa included an apology to customers who had been adversely affected by the company’s mistake.
meager
adj. scanty; inadequate
We can’t survive on such meager rations.
meandering
adj. winding back and forth, rambling
We rode down a meandering stream.
medieval
adj. pertaining to the middle ages
Sarah is majoring in medieval studies at the university.
meditation
n. reflection; thought
After some meditation on the issue, I realized that my view was mistaken.
medley
n. mixture
The concert featured a medley of popular songs from the 1960s.
megalith
n. huge stone used in prehistoric structures
Ten megaliths were discovered on the island.
megalomania
n. delusions of power or importance
In the grip of megalomania, the country’s leader ordered the invasion of the much more powerful neighboring country.
melancholy
adj. sad, depressed
The mood was melancholy after the tragedy was announced.
mélange
n. mixture
The soup is a mélange of ingredients.
menagerie
n. a variety of animals kept together
Mr. Smith has a menagerie in his backyard.
mendacious
adj. dishonest
The mendacious shop keeper was reported in the newspaper.
mendicant
n. beggar
The mendicants went from house to house asking for food.
mentor
n. wise advisor
The president listened closely to his mentor’s advice.
mercenary (n.)
n. soldier hired for battle
The army was composed mainly of mercenaries.
mercenary (adj.)
adj. greedy
I suspect that his motives are largely mercenary.
mercurial
adj. quick, unpredictable
Jim’s moods are mercurial.
meretricious
adj. gaudy; plausible but false; specious
We rejected the argument as meretricious.
meridian
n. imaginary circle that passes through the North and South Pole
The meridian passes through the poles at right angles to the equator.
meritocratic
adj. relating to a system in which advancement is based on achievement
Free market economies tend to be meritocratic.
meritorious
adj. deserving praise
The nurse’s dedication to her patients is meritorious.
mesmerize
v. hypnotize
The continuous movement of the windshield wipers nearly mesmerized the driver.
metamorphose
v. to change, transform
The small town has metamorphosed into a city over the past fifty years.
metamorphosis
n. change, transformation
Our town has undergone a metamorphosis over the last fifty years.
metaphor
n. figure of speech that compares two different things
The English teacher pointed out the metaphor in the first paragraph of the story.
metaphysic
n. an underlying philosophical or theoretical principle
The book proposes a new metaphysic of literary criticism.
metaphysical
adj. pertaining to speculative philosophy
Metaphysical issues lie outside the field of science.
metaphysics
n. speculative philosophy about the nature of reality
The conclusion in the area of metaphysics reached by the British philosopher John McTaggart is that the world is composed of nothing but souls, each soul related to one or more of the others by love.
meteorological
adj. concerned with the weather
Tim wants to pursue a career in meteorological science.
methodology
n. a particular procedure or set of procedures
Perhaps you used the wrong methodology to try to solve the problem.
meticulous
adj. very careful; fastidious
Meticulous planning went into the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
mettle
n. courage, endurance
The battle tested the soldiers’ mettle.
mettlesome
adj. full of courage and fortitude; spirited
The general is proud of his mettlesome soldiers.
microcosm
n., a small system having analogies to a larger system; small world
The principal told the students that the school was a microcosm of the larger world.
milieu
n. environment; surroundings
Social realist novelists describe the milieu of a society.
militant
adj. combative; bellicose
Militant members of the party argued for stronger measure.
militate
v. to work against
Several unlucky events militated against his rising to stardom.
millennium
n. a span of one thousand years; a hoped for period of joy, justice, and prosperity
Let’s hope that his millennium is more peaceful that the last one.
minatory
adj. threatening; menacing
The stranger’s minatory gestures alarmed the woman.
minuscule
adj. very small
The critic described the film as “artless comedy shot on a minuscule budget.”
minute
adj. very small
Elementary particles are minute.
minutia
n. petty details
Sally enjoys the minutia of office work.
mirth
n. gaiety
The party was an occasion of great mirth.
misanthropy
n. hatred of humanity
The travelers avoided visiting the village because its inhabitants had a reputation for misanthropy.
misapprehension
n. a misunderstanding
Laura is under the misapprehension that she’s one of the world’s great poets.
miscellany
n. mixture of writings on various subjects
The volume is a miscellany of sports writing.
misconstrue
v. to misunderstand
The student deliberately misconstrued what the teacher said.
miscreant
n. villain; criminal
The new mayor has vowed to use the full power of the law to go after the miscreants.
misdemeanor
n. a misdeed
He was fired for a misdemeanor.
miserly
adj. stingy, mean
The prisoners receive a miserly amount of food every day.
misgiving
n. doubt, sense of foreboding
We had some misgivings about taking such a difficult course.
misnomer
n. incorrect name
Korean jade is a misnomer for serpentine.
misogynist
adj. characterized by a hatred of women
To some people all-male clubs reflect misogynist sttitudes.
missive
n., letter
I’ve received your missive.
mitigating
adj. causing to become less harsh, severe, or painful; alleviating
The judge considered the mitigating circumstances in the case.
mnemonic
adj. related to memory; assisting memory
Try using mnemonic devices to remember difficult words.
modicum
n. limited quantity
There is not even a modicum of truth in his story about the lost term paper.
modus operandi
n. a method of operating or proceeding
The company’s modus operandi is to identify potential rivals early and drive them out of business.
mollify
v. to soothe
The manager mollified the angry customer.
momentous
adj. very important
July 4, 1776, is a momentous date in American history.
monarchy
n. government by a monarch; a state ruled by a monarch
The country’s monarchy was established in 1415.
monastic
adj. relating to monks or monasteries; removed from worldly concerns
Hugh led an almost monastic existence.
monism
n., philosophical belief that reality is comprised of one fundamental substance
By the term “neutral monism” modern philosophers mean the view that the physical and the mental can both be reduced to a third substance.
monochromatic
adj. having one color
This novel portrays a monochromatic view of life.
monogamy
n. marriage to one person at a time
In some cultures monogamy is considered abnormal.
monolithic
adj. solid and uniform; constituting a single, unified whole
The monolithic structure was built centuries ago by the original inhabitants of that island.
monologue
n. speech performed by one actor
The monologue lasted for five minutes.
montage
n. composite picture
The montage portrays life in different periods of history.
moot
adj. debatable, previously decided
The point is moot, so let’s not waste time debating it.
moratorium
n. an authorized delay of a specific activity
The nation agreed to a moratorium on testing biological weapons.
morbid
adj. gruesome, unhealthily gloomy
Let’s not dwell on the morbid details.
mordant
adj. bitingly sarcastic
The comedian’s mordant humor appeals to some people but not others.
mores
n. customs
Mores vary from culture to culture.
moribund
adj. dying
Scientists are studying the moribund culture.
morose
adj. ill-humored; sullen
Preparing to surrender, the general was morose.
morphology
n. the form and structure of an organism
Dr. Cutler is an expert on the morphology of ants.
mosaic
adj. relating to a design made up of small piece of various colors
Mosaic materials and techniques is the topic of today’s lecture.
mote
n. tiny particle
Tom has a mote in his eye.
motif
n. a main theme for development; a repeated figure
There are three motifs in this novel.
motley
adj. many colored, made up of many parts
The association was a motley collection.
multifaceted
adj. made up of many parts
The problem is multifaceted.
multifarious
adj. diverse
Science attempts to make sense of multifarious phenomena.
multiplicity
n. state of being numerous
There is a multiplicity of explanations for the origin of the world.
mundane
adj. worldly as opposed to spiritual; concerned with the ordinary
The priest has little interest in mundane concerns.
munificent
adj. generous
The library thanked the munificent donor for his large donation.
muse
v. to consider something at length; ponder
Amber mused about which of the men she should go out with.
mutability
n. changeability
The mutability of the weather is a common topic of conversation.
mutable
adj. changeable
The astrological sign Gemini is called “mutable” because it occurs as spring changes into summer.
mutation
n. significant genetic change
The mutation caused a birth defect.
muted
adj. silent; toned down
The atmosphere was muted.
myopic
dj. near-sighted, unable to anticipate events
The myopic adviser had no idea of the great changes to come.
myriad
adj. of a large number or multitude
The child is trying to count the myriad grains of sand on the beach.
mystic
n. a person who undergoes profound spiritual experiences
The mystic recorded his experiences in a diary.
mystical
adj. stemming from direct communion with ultimate reality or God
The psychologist is studying mystical experiences.
