Midnight Library Flashcards
Retaliate
to hurt someone or do something harmful to someone because they have done or said something harmful to you:
If someone insults you, don’t retaliate as it only makes the situation worse.
The demonstrators threw rocks at the police, who retaliated by firing blanks into the crowd.
The terrorists retaliated against the government with a bomb attack.
Bafflement
the condition of being completely unable to understand or explain something:
Several companies expressed bafflement at sudden scrutiny by the government.
Many people prefer to live in the suburbs, to the bafflement of confirmed city dwellers.
Squander
to waste money or supplies, or to waste opportunities by not using them to your advantage:
They’ll quite happily squander a whole year’s savings on two weeks in the sun.
Ireland squandered several chances, including a penalty that cost them the game.
Brusque
quick and rude in manner or speech:
His secretary was a little brusque with
Subtle
not loud, bright, noticeable, or obvious in any way:
The room was painted a subtle shade of pink.
The play’s message is perhaps too subtle to be understood by young children.
Bespectacled
wearing glasses:
a small, bespectacled man in a drab suit
Atonement
something that you do to show that you are sorry for something bad that you did:
He said that young hooligans should do community service as atonement for their crimes.
Blandness
the quality of not having a strong taste or character or not showing any interest or energy:
He made a joke about the blandness of the food.
The characters are familiar to the point of blandness.
Brittle
delicate and easily broken:
As you get older your bones become increasingly brittle.
The pond was covered in a brittle layer of ice.
Precarious
in a dangerous state because of not being safe or not being held in place firmly:
The lorry was lodged in a very precarious way, with its front wheels hanging over the cliff. I
Exude
If you exude love, confidence, pain, etc., you show that you have a lot of that feeling:
She just exudes confidence.
Gullible
easily deceived or tricked, and too willing to believe everything that other people say:
There are any number of miracle cures on the market for people gullible enough to buy them.
