New Words 3 Flashcards
Myopic
**Ophthalmology . pertaining to or having myopia; nearsighted.
unable or unwilling to act prudently; shortsighted.**
.
lacking tolerance or understanding; narrow-minded.
Semaphore
**: an apparatus for visual signaling (as by the position of one or more movable arms) 2
: a system of visual signaling by two flags held one in each hand**
Pedant
** a person who annoys other people by correcting small errors and giving too much attention to minor details**
Imbroglio
a complex dispute or argument
Factotum
a person whose job involves doing many different types of work
Undergird
to strengthen or support (something) from below
Bloviate
to speak or write verbosely and windily
Pidgin
: a language that is formed from a mixture of several languages when speakers of different languages need to talk to each other
Asunder
InIinnho
Frisson
A sudden strong feeling or emotion
Shrewish
of a woman : unpleasant and bad-tempered
Kludgy
an awkward or inferior computer system or program that is created quickly to solve a problem
Carbuncle
: a large painful swelling under the skin
: a jewel (such as a garnet) that is cut into a rounded shape
Fervid
: having or showing feelings that are very strong or too strong
Capricious
: changing often and quickly; especially : often changing suddenly in mood or behavior
: not logical or reasonable : based on an idea, desire, etc., that is not possible to predict
Palimpsest
: a very old document on which the original writing has been erased and replaced with new writing
: something that has changed over time and shows evidence of that change
Iconoclast
: a person who criticizes or opposes beliefs and practices that are widely accepted
Atavism
a : recurrence in an organism of a trait or character typical of an ancestral form and usually due to genetic recombination
b : recurrence of or reversion to a past style, manner, outlook, approach, or activity <architectural></architectural>
Milquetoast
: a timid, meek, or unassertive person
Gauche
: having or showing a lack of awareness about the proper way to behave : socially awkward
Sultry
: very hot and humid
: attractive in a way that suggests or causes feelings of sexual desire
Surfeit
: an amount that is too much or more than you need
Doppleganger
: someone who looks like someone else
: a ghost that looks like a living person
Apothecary
: a person who prepared and sold medicines in past times
Commodious
comfortably or conveniently spacious
Corrugated
to form or shape into wrinkles or folds or into alternating ridges and grooves
Denature
**: dehumanize
: to deprive of natural qualities : change the nature of: as**
Gracile
**: slender, slight
: graceful
: of, relating to, resembling, or being a relatively small slender**
Incandescent
: white or glowing because of great heat
: producing bright light when heated
: very impressive, successful, or intelligent
Ignominious
: marked with or characterized by disgrace or shame : dishonorable
: deserving of shame or infamy : despicable
Zeitgeist
: the general beliefs, ideas, and spirit of a time and place
Aplomb
: confidence and skill shown especially in a difficult situation
He showed great aplomb in dealing with the reporters.
Verisimilitude
: the quality of seeming real
the novel’s degree of verisimilitude is compromised by 18th-century characters who speak in very 21st-century English
Porcine
: of, relating to, or like a pig
Faustian
made or done for present gain without regard for future cost or consequences
Fugue
a disturbed state of consciousness in which the one affected seems to perform acts in full awareness but upon recovery cannot recollect the acts performed
Consanguineous
of the same blood or origin; specifically : descended from the same ancestor
Dissolute
—used to describe someone (such as a person who often gets drunk) whose way of living is considered morally wrong
Macabre
: involving death or violence in a way that is strange, frightening, or unpleasant
Trope
: a word, phrase, or image used in a new and different way in order to create an artistic effect
Diaspora
: a group of people who live outside the area in which they had lived for a long time or in which their ancestors lived
Decamp
: to leave a place suddenly and secretly
She took the papers and decamped.
He decamped to Europe soon after news of the scandal broke.
Precis
a brief summary of the main points and ideas of a piece of writing or speech
Dowdy
** having a dull or uninteresting appearance : not attractive or stylish**
Canard
: a false report or story : a belief or rumor that is not true
Machination
: to plan or plot especially to do harm
transitive verb
: to scheme or contrive to bring about : plot
Portentous
: giving a sign or warning that something usually bad or unpleasant is going to happen
: trying to seem important, serious, or impressive
Glib
: said or done too easily or carelessly : showing little preparation or thought
: speaking in a smooth, easy way that is not sincere
Garish
Too bright or colorful
Primacy
: the state of being most important or strongest
Tempestuous
: full of strong emotions (such as anger or excitement)
Putative
generally considered, or reputed to be
the putative father of a boy of two
Bucolic
of relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life
the church is lovely for its bucolic setting
Argot
the jargon or slang of a particular group or class.
Pastiche
An artistic work in a style that imitates that of another work, artist or period.
- the operetta is a pastiche of 18th century syles;*
- the songs amount to much more than blatant pastiche*
**Nugatory **
trifling or inworthless, unimportant, inconsequential, valueless, trifling, trivial, insignificant, meaninglesseffective;
Scotch
To put an end to; to stamp out
Mephitic
foul or offensive smelling
**Eulogistically **
in a praising or laudatory way;
**attenuated **
made thin. slender, or small
**Politic **
practical or diplomatic
Inveighing
writing with hostility;
**Ecumenical **
“Friendly relations but different religions”
“Unification of seemingly divergent religions”
**Capriciously **
randomly; impulsively
**Exiguous **
small, scanty, or indadequate
bonhomie
good natured. pleasant, affable
**Flagitious **
wicked or evil
**Pleonastic **
Using more words than necessary
**Flippant **
disrespectful and not serious
**Lyrical **
(of literature, art, or music) expressing the writer’s emotions in an imaginative and beautiful way.
Fractious
(typically of children) irritable and quarrelsome.
Afflatus
A divine creative impulse or inspiration
Insuperable
(of a difficulty or obstacle) impossible to overcome.
“insuperable financial problems”
**Phantasmagoric **
having a fantastic or deceptive appearance, as something in a dream or created by the imagination.
2.
having the appearance of an optical illusion, especially one produced by a magic lantern.
3.
changing or shifting, as a scene made up of many elements.
Ecumenical
worldwide or general in extent, influence, or application
2
a : of, relating to, or representing the whole of a body of churches
b : promoting or tending toward worldwide Christian unity or cooperation
Juvenescence
Youthfulness
Non-sequitur
: a statement that is not connected in a logical or clear way to anything said before it
