MC #2 Flashcards
Sacreligious
The violation or profanation of anything sacred or held sacred.
Usurped
To use without authority or right; employ wrongfully: The magazine usurped copyrighted material.
Viable
Capable of living
Altruism
The principle or practice of unselfish concern for or devotion to the welfare of others (opposed to egoism ).
Dissipate
To scatter in various directions; disperse; dispel.
Predilection
A tendency to think favorably of something in particular; partiality; preference
Obstinate
Firmly or stubbornly adhering to one’s purpose, opinion, etc.; not yielding to argument, persuasion, or entreaty.
Descry
To see (something unclear or distant) by looking carefully; discern; espy
Subjectivity
Existing in the mind; belonging to the thinking subject rather than to the object of thought (opposed to objective ).
Apprehend
To grasp the meaning of; understand, especially intuitively; perceive; to take into legal custody
Didactic
Intended for instruction; instructive: didactic poetry
Kinsmen
A blood relative, especially a male; a relative by marriage; a person of the same nationality or ethnic group
Tenuous
Thin in consistency; rare or rarefied
Reverence
A feeling or attitude of deep respect tinged with awe; veneration
Inherently
Existing in someone or something as a permanent and inseparable element, quality, or attribute
Barren
Unproductive; unfruitful
Elegiac
Expressing sorrow or lamentation
Apathetic
Having or showing little or no emotion
Despair
Loss of hope; hopelessness
Brusque
Abrupt in manner; blunt; rough
Calamity
A great misfortune or disaster, as a flood or serious injury
Idiom
An expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements, as kick the bucket or hang one’s head, or from the general grammatical rules of a language, as the table round for the round table, and that is not a constituent of a larger expression of like characteristics
Licentious
Unrestrained by law or general morality; lawless; immoral
Venerable
Commanding respect because of great age or impressive dignity
Hegemony
Leadership or predominant influence exercised by one nation over others, as in a confederation
Underscore
To stress; emphasize
Subsidize
To furnish or aid with a subsidy
Piecemeal
Piece by piece; one piece at a time; gradually
Unassailable
Not open to attack or assault, as by military force or argument
Treatise
A formal and systematic exposition in writing of the principles of a subject, generally longer and more detailed than an essay
Sardonic
Characterized by bitter or scornful derision; mocking; cynical; sneering
Oblique
Diverging from a given straight line or course
Faculty
An ability, natural or acquired, for a particular kind of action
Languid
Lacking in vigor or vitality; slack or slow
Homage
Respect or reverence paid or rendered
Congenial
Agreeable, suitable, or pleasing in nature or character
Imperious
Dictatorial; overbearing
