mat 2 Flashcards
Calumny
the making of false and defamatory statements about someone in order to damage their reputation; slander.
“a bitter struggle marked by calumny and litigation”
Similar:
slander
defamation (of character)
Candid
truthful and straightforward; frank.
“his responses were remarkably candid”
frank
outspoken
forthright
blunt
Castigate
to criticize someone or something severely
“he was castigated for not setting a good example”
Similar:
reprimand
rebuke
admonish
chastise
Reprimand
a formal expression of disapproval.
“the golfer received a reprimand for a breach of rules”
rebuke
reproof
admonishment
castigate
Caustic
- sarcastic in a scathing and bitter way.
sarcastic
cutting
biting
mordant
stinging
- able to burn or corrode organic tissue by chemical action.
Scornful
feeling or expressing contempt or derision.
“scornful laughter”
contemptuous
full of contempt
derisive
derisory
Contempt
the feeling that a person or a thing is worthless or beneath consideration.
“Pam stared at the girl with total contempt”
scorn
disdain
disrespect
deprecation
Scathing
criticizing someone or something in a severe and unkind way
critica feroce
“he unleashed a scathing attack on his former boss”
Similar:
devastating
withering
blistering
Construe
interpret (a word or action) in a particular way.
“his words could hardly be construed as an apology”
interpret
understand
read
Contrite
feeling or expressing remorse at the recognition that one has done wrong.
provare rimorso
remorseful
repentant
penitent
Convoluted
- (especially of an argument, story, or sentence) extremely complex and difficult to follow.
- intricately folded, twisted, or coiled.
Covet
yearn to possess (something, especially something belonging to another).
“I covet one of their smart bags”
desire
be consumed with desire for
crave
Yearn
have an intense feeling of longing for something, typically something that one has lost or been separated from.
“she yearned for a glimpse of him”
long
pine
crave
desire
Longing
a yearning desire.
“Miranda felt a wistful longing for the old days”
Craven
contemptibly lacking in courage; cowardly.
“a craven abdication of his moral duty”
Similar:
cowardly
lily-livered
faint-hearted
Contemptibly
in a way that deserves no respect: Sometimes he was contemptibly childish.
Decorum
behaviour in keeping with good taste and propriety.
Deft
neatly skilful and quick in one’s movements.
agile
skilful
adept
adroit
dexterous
Demur
raise objections or show reluctance.
“normally she would have accepted the challenge, but she demurred”
Similar:
raise objections
object
take exception
Diatribe
a forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something.
“a diatribe against consumerism”
Similar:
tirade
harangue
verbal onslaught
verbal attack
Exacting
making great demands on one’s skill, attention, or other resources.
“the exacting standards laid down by the organic food industry”
Warrant
a document issued by a legal or government official authorizing the police or another body to make an arrest, search premises, or carry out some other action relating to the administration of justice.
“magistrates issued a warrant for his arrest”
justify or necessitate (a course of action).
“the employees feel that industrial action is warranted”
Rife
(especially of something undesirable) of common occurrence; widespread.
“male chauvinism was rife in medicine”
widespread
general
common
universal
Affability
the quality of having a friendly and good-natured manner.
“an air of benign affability”
friendliness
amiability
geniality
congeniality
Good-natured
kind, friendly, and patient.
“everyone was very good-natured about it”
warm-hearted
friendly
amiable
neighbourly
Incongruous
not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings or other aspects of something.
“the duffel coat looked incongruous with the black dress she wore underneath”
out of place
out of keeping
inappropriate
Equitable
fair and impartial.
“the equitable distribution of resources”
fair
just
impartial
even-handed
fair-minded
Fortuitous
happening by chance rather than intention.
“the similarity between the paintings may not be simply fortuitous”
chance
unexpected
unanticipated
unpredictable
Unprincipled
(of a person or their behaviour) not acting in accordance with moral principles.
“an unprincipled womanizer”
immoral
unethical
unscrupulous
amoral
Miserliness
excessive desire to save money; extreme meanness.
“the party earned a damaging reputation for miserliness by cutting pensions”
avarice
acquisitiveness
parsimony
the quality of being small or inadequate; meagreness.
“the relative miserliness of the prizes involved”
Long
verb have a strong wish or desire.
“she longed for a little more excitement”
Similar:
yearn
pine
ache
Long
verb have a strong wish or desire.
“she longed for a little more excitement”
Similar:
yearn
pine
ache
Tirade
a long, angry speech of criticism or accusation.
“a tirade of abuse”
Similar:
diatribe
invective
polemic
Harangue
a lengthy and aggressive speech.
“they were subjected to a ten-minute harangue by two border guards”
Similar:
tirade
lecture
diatribe
Profligate
recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources.
“profligate consumers of energy”
Similar:
wasteful
extravagant
spendthrift
Ingratiating
intended to gain approval or favour; sycophantic.
“an ingratiating manner”
Similar:
sycophantic
toadying
fawning
crawling
creeping
Sycophantic
behaving or done in an obsequious way in order to gain advantage.
“a sycophantic interview”
obsequious
servile
subservient
deferential
Dreary
depressingly dull and bleak or repetitive.
“the dreary round of working, eating, and trying to sleep”
Similar:
dull
drab
uninteresting
