MNOP Flashcards
machinateˈmakəˌnāt,
verb [ no obj. ]
engage in plots and intrigues; scheme.
neologism |nēˈäləˌjizəm|
noun
a newly coined word or expression.
• the coining or use of new words.
obdurate |ˈäbd(y)ərit|
adjective
(stubborn) stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action.
palatial |pəˈlāSHəl|
adjective
resembling a palace in being spacious and splendid: her palatial apartment in Chicago.a palatial estate on Long Island: luxurious, deluxe, magnificent, sumptuous, splendid, grand, opulent, lavish, stately, regal; fancy, upscale, upmarket; informal plush, swanky, posh, ritzy, swish. ANTONYMS modest.
maelstrom |ˈmālˌsträm, -strəm|
noun
a powerful whirlpool in the sea or a river.
• a situation or state of confused movement or violent turmoil: the train station was a maelstrom of crowds.
neophyte |ˈnēəˌfīt|
tyro.noun
a person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief: four-day cooking classes are offered to neophytes and experts.
• a new convert to a religion.
• a novice in a religious order, or a newly ordained priest.
oblique |əˈblēk, ōˈblēk|
slanting or sloping; misleading; • not explicit or direct in addressing a point: he issued an oblique attack on the president.
palliate |ˈpalēˌāt|
verb [ with obj. ]
make (a disease or its symptoms) less severe or unpleasant without removing the cause: treatment works by palliating symptoms.
• allay or moderate (fears or suspicions): this eliminated, or at least palliated, suspicions aroused by German unity.
• disguise the seriousness or gravity of (an offense): there is no way to excuse or palliate his dirty deed.
malediction
a curse = imprecation
nominal
trivial, unimportant 2) in name only, so-called some firms charge only a nominal fee for the service.
panache |pəˈnaSH, -ˈnäSH|
1 flamboyant confidence of style or manner: he entertained Palm Springs society with great panache .
2 historical a tuft or plume of feathers, esp. as a headdress or on a helmet.noun
the chorus line lacks panache: flamboyance, confidence, self-assurance, style, flair, elan, dash, verve, zest, spirit, brio, éclat, vivacity, gusto, liveliness, vitality, energy; informal pizzazz, oomph, zip, zing.
martinet |ˌmärtnˈet|
( doctrinaire) a strict disciplinarian, esp. in the armed forces.
orotund |ˈôrəˌtənd|
(of the voice or phrasing) full, round, and imposing.
• (of writing, style, or expression) pompous; pretentious.1 an orotund singing voice: deep, sonorous, strong, powerful, full, rich, resonant, loud, booming.
2 the orotund rhetoric of his prose: pompous, pretentious,
panoply |ˈpanəplē|
noun
a complete or impressive collection of things: a deliciously inventive panoply of insults.
• a splendid display: all the panoply of Western religious liturgy.
• historical or literary a complete set of arms or suit of armor.
maxim |ˈmaksim|
noun
a short, pithy statement expressing a general truth or rule of conduct: the maxim that actions speak louder than words.
normative |ˈnôrmətiv|
establishing, relating to, or deriving from a standard or norm, esp. of behavior: negative sanctions to enforce normative behavior.
ossify |ˈäsəˌfī|verb ( ossifies, ossifying, ossified ) [ no obj. ]
1 turn into bone or bony tissue: these tracheal cartilages may ossify.
2 (often as adj. ossified) cease developing; be stagnant or rigid: ossified political institutions.
pare |pe(ə)r|
verb [ with obj. ]
(cut off, reduce)trim (something) by cutting away its outer edges: Carlo pared his thumbnails with his knife.
• cut off the outer skin of (something): pare off the rind using a peeler.
• reduce (something) in size, extent, quantity, or number, usually in a number of small successive stages: union leaders publicly pared down their demands | we pared costs by doing our own cleaning.
meretricious |merəˈtriSHəs|
adjective
1 apparently attractive but having in reality no value or integrity: meretricious souvenirs for the tourist trade.
2 archaic of, relating to, or characteristic of a prostitute.the meretricious glitter of the whole charade: worthless, valueless, cheap, tawdry, trashy,
tawdry |ˈtôdrē|adjective ( tawdrier , tawdriest )
showy but cheap and of poor quality: tawdry jewelry.
• sordid or unpleasant: the tawdry business of politics.
overwrought |ˈōvəˈrôt|
(tense, agitated. 2) overelaborate)1 in a state of nervous excitement or anxiety: she was too overwrought to listen to reason.
2 (of a piece of writing or a work of art) too elaborate or complicated in design or construction.
parry |ˈparē|
verb ( parries, parrying, parried ) [ with obj. ]
Deflect or avoid, esp an arrow or attack 2) skillfully evade (a question)
metaphysics |ˌmetəˈfiziks| |ˌmetəˈfizikəl|
adjective
pluralnoun [ usu. treated as sing. ]
the branch of philosophy that deals with the first principles of things, including abstract concepts such as being, knowing, substance, cause, identity, time, and space.
• abstract theory or talk with no basis in reality: his concept of society as an organic entity is, for market liberals, simply metaphysics. 3) very subtle or abstruse
abstruse |abˈstro͞os|
adjective
difficult to understand; obscure: an abstruse philosophical inquiry.
