p9 Flashcards
grovel
Creep or crawl with one’s face to the ground, prostrate oneself as a token of subservience, degrade or abase oneself
He made a groveling apology to his girlfriend after being caught dating another woman
guile
Clever deceit, cunning, craftiness
hackneyed
so commonplace as to be stale; not fresh or original
The obligatory voiceovers before each episode can get annoying, and the dialogue is a bit hackneyed in places
halcyon
Calm and peaceful, carefree; prosperous, successful, happy
During those halcyon years, the company’s potential for growth seemed unlimited
hand-wringing
an overwrought expression of concern or guilt
hapless
Unlucky, unfortunate
As the no.1 overall pick, the rookie’s ability turned the hapless team into a title-contender
harangue
Long, intense verbal attack, esp. when delivered publicly
Sixteen months into the Biden administration, the number remains stuck on zero, even as the administration continues to harangue the industry for failing to produce more oil and gas.
hardy
Bold, brave, capable of withstanding hardship, fatigue, cold, etc.
Only the hardy pilgrims could survive the journey across the ocean
harrow
painfully disturb or distress (verb)
haven
Harbor or port; refuge, safe place
The shelter provides haven for the homeless immigrants
hearken
Listen, pay attention to; to bring to mind something in the past
the humble folk who hearkened to these evangelists
Portrayals of dinosaurs with lizard-like tongues hearken to early interpretations of the beasts as oversized lizards.
hedge
to protect oneself financially
… tried to hedge against the inflation
hedonist
Person devoted to pleasure
hermetic
relating to or characterized by subjects that are mysterious and difficult to understand; pertaining to alchemy, occult; isolated
He wrote hermetic poetry whose sole intended readership was himself
The hermetic North Korea has been test-firing ballistic missiles amid a coronavirus outbreak
hew
Strike, chop, or hack (as with an axe, sword. etc.); make or shape something (such as a statue) with a cutting tool; conform, adhere
The state court said the new maps should hew as closely as possible to the prior districts while complying with legal requirements.
hoary
Very old, gray or white as from old age
What at one point in Allen’s long career may have felt clever and innovative simply comes off like a hoary device to pad an undernourished story.
hodgepodge
Mixture of different kinds of things, jumble
the exhibit was a hodgepodge of mediocre art, bad art, and really bad art
husband
Manage prudently, sparingly, or economically; conserve
a country that has husbanded its natural resources well
hyberbole
Deliberate exaggeration for effect
Various media outlets described her testimony as shocking, bombshell and blockbuster — words typically associated with hyperbole, but not this time.
iconoclast
Attacker of cherished beliefs or institutions
notorious as an iconoclast, that music critic isn’t afraid to go after sacred cows
idiosyncrasy
Characteristic or habit peculiar to an individual; peculiar quality, quirk, eccentricity
Owing to an idiosyncrasy of Texas legal procedure, the defendant has 10 days to prepare a trial
idolatry
Idol worship; excessive or unthinking devotion or adoration
fans of the team are well known for their idolatry of the quarterback
idyllic
Presenting a positive, peaceful view of rural life (as poetry or prose); pleasant in a natural, simple way
As cracks begin to surface in their idyllic community, Alice becomes obsessed with the nature of her husband’s work.
ignoble
Not noble; having mean, base, low motives; low quality
After the financial crisis, his American dream was about to suffer an ignoble death
illiberality
Narrow-mindedness, bigotry; strictness or lack of generosity
An illiberal society that viewed artistic depiction of the nude as inherently indecent
imbue
Permeate or saturate, as dye in a fabric; influence throughout
Her training at the school for the deaf imbued her with a sense of purpose that she had never known before
impartial
Unbiased, fair
an impartial evaluation of the job applicant’s qualifications that does not consider age, gender, or race
impasse
Position or road from which there is no escape; deadlock
Musk and Twitter could not come to an agreement to settle the dispute, leading to the current impasse.
impassive
Not having or not showing physical feeling or emotion
She remained impassive as the officers informed her of her son’s death, which made the police to believe she was involved in the incident.
impecunious
Poor, without money
they were so impecunious that they couldn’t afford to give one another even token Christmas gifts
impede
Hold back, obstruct the progress of
He claims that economic growth is being impeded by government regulations.
imperious
Commanding, domineering; acting like a high-ranking person; urgent
an imperious little boy who liked to tell the other scouts what to do
imperturbable
Calm, not able to be upset or agitated
Although he seems outwardly imperturbable, he can get very angry at times.
impervious
Impenetrable, not able to be harmed or emotionally disturbed
Covid-19 vaccines, despite their ability to drastically reduce hospitalization and death, are not impervious to the threat of variations
impetuous
Passionately impulsive, marked by sudden, hasty emotion; forceful, violent
When he promised to put an American on the moon by the end of the decade, JF Kennedy’s impetuous science-fiction PR really put the pressure on NASA.
impious
Not religious, lacking reverence, ungodly (opposite of pious)
Once secular policies are interpreted by their opponents as impious challenges to God’s rule, compromise becomes apostasy.
implacable
Not able to be appeased, calmed, or satisfied (opposite of placable)
Sadly for the White House, he was an implacable judge who knew in his bones that the cover-up extended to the highest levels of government
implode
Burst inward (opposite of explode)
Lunacoin, an algorithmic stablecoin, saw its market capitalization implode from $18 million one week to nearly nothing.
imprecation
Curse; prayer for harm to come to someone
the defiant prisoner continued to hurl imprecations and insults at the guards
