PD_31/07/20(princeton 1014 --> SE --> Drill 1-2) Flashcards
interminable
adjective
continuing for too long and therefore boring or annoying:
an interminable delay
his interminable stories
plaintive
adjective
used to describe something that sounds slightly sad:
the plaintive sound of the bagpipes
“What about me?” came a plaintive voice.
notwithstanding
preposition, adverb formal
despite the fact or thing mentioned:
Notwithstanding some members’ objections, I think we must go ahead with the plan.
Injuries notwithstanding, the team won the semifinal.
cessation
noun [ C or U ] formal
ending or stopping:
Religious leaders have called for a total cessation of the bombing campaign.
fervor
noun [ U ] US formal (UK fervour)
strong and sincere beliefs:
The country was swept by patriotic fervor.
nationalist/religious fervor
sedate
adjective
avoiding excitement or great activity and usually calm and relaxed:
The fight against a chemical storage site has transformed a normally sedate village into a battleground.
The speed limit is a sedate 55 mph.
lumber
verb [ I usually + adv/prep ]
to move slowly and awkwardly:
In the distance, we could see a herd of elephants lumbering across the plain.
abiding
An abiding feeling or memory is one that you have had for a long time:
My abiding memory is of him in the garden.
lasting for a long time:
Muir had an abiding interest in dogs.
protracted
adjective
lasting for a long time or made to last longer than necessary:
protracted negotiations
a protracted argument/discussion
tenuous
adjective
A tenuous connection, idea, or situation is weak and possibly does not exist:
The police have only found a tenuous connection between the two robberies.
tenacious
adjective
holding tightly onto something, or keeping an opinion in a determined way:
The baby took my finger in its tenacious little fist.
There has been tenacious local opposition to the new airport.
unwilling to accept defeat or stop doing or having something:
Seles is a tenacious opponent – she never gives in.
garner
verb [ T ] formal
to collect something, usually after much work or with difficulty:
Coppola garnered several Oscar awards for “The Godfather”.
aggravate
verb [ T ]
to make a bad situation worse:
Attempts to restrict parking in the city centre have further aggravated the problem of traffic congestion.
to make a disease worse:
The treatment only aggravated the condition.
to annoy someone:
Stop aggravating me, will you!
rife
adjective [ after verb ] formal
If something unpleasant is rife, it is very common or happens a lot:
Dysentery and malaria are rife in the refugee camps.
rife with sth
full of something unpleasant:
The office was rife with rumours.
replete
adjective [ after verb ] formal
full, especially with food:
After two helpings of dessert, Sergio was at last replete.
deplete
verb [ T ]
to reduce something in size or amount, especially supplies of energy, money, etc.:
If we continue to deplete the earth’s natural resources, we will cause serious damage to the environment.
The illness depletes the body of important vitamins.
humorous That last holiday seriously depleted my bank account
quirk
noun [ C ]
an unusual habit or part of someone’s personality, or something that is strange and unexpected:
You have to get used to other people’s quirks and foibles.
There is a quirk in the rules that allows you to invest money without paying tax.
By some strange quirk/By an odd quirk of fate (= unexpectedly), we ended up on the same train.
monumental
adjective
very big or very great:
Rebuilding the bridge proved to be a monumental job.
discomfit
VERB
If you are discomfited by something, it causes you to feel slightly embarrassed or confused.
[written]
He will be particularly discomfited by the minister’s dismissal of his plan. [be VERB-ed]
The opposition leader has regularly discomfited him in parliament. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: frustrate, beat, defeat, worst
incipient
adjective fml
just beginning:
signs of incipient public frustration
nascent
adjective formal
only recently formed or started, but likely to grow larger quickly:
a nascent political party
a nascent problem
in the earliest stages of development:
Everyone in this nascent business is still struggling with basic issues.
fervent
adjective formal
used to describe beliefs that are strongly and sincerely felt or people who have strong and sincere beliefs:
a fervent supporter of the communist party
It is his fervent hope that a peaceful solution will soon be found.
ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
A fervent person has or shows strong feelings about something, and is very sincere and enthusiastic about it.
…a fervent admirer of Morisot’s work.
…the fervent hope that matters will be settled promptly.
Synonyms: ardent, earnest, enthusiastic, fervid
long-winded
adjective
A long-winded speech, letter, article, etc. is too long, or uses too many words.
liberal
adjective
respecting and allowing many different types of beliefs or behaviour:
a liberal society/attitude
Her parents were far more liberal than mine.
giving or given in a generous way:
Some merchants offer very liberal return policies, but others are strict.
run off
— phrasal verb with run verb
to leave somewhere or someone suddenly:
You can’t run off (home) now, just when I need you!
My wife has run off with another man.
an extra competition or election to decide the winner, because the leading competitors have finished equal:
In a run-off for the presidency of the assembly, Santos beat Gutiérrez.
a run-off race/election
conduit
noun [ C ]
a pipe or passage for water or electrical wires to go through
a way of connecting two places:
There is growth in sales to Hong Kong, the conduit for Taiwan’s exports to China.
a way of connecting two people or organizations:
conduit between sb/sth and sb/sth The proposal that a board’s senior non-executive should become a prime conduit between a company and its shareholders is causing concern.
conduit for sth The new retail bank created by the merger might provide the insurance company with a conduit for selling its products to bank customers.
inveterate
adjective usually disapproving
someone who does something very often and cannot stop doing it:
I never trust anything he says - the man’s an inveterate liar.
transfixed
adjective literary
unable to move or stop looking at something because you are so interested, surprised, or frightened:
Rabbits transfixed in the glare of car headlights are common victims on the roads.
He sat transfixed all through the film.
enigma
noun [ C ]
something that is mysterious and seems impossible to understand completely:
She is something of an enigma.
The newspapers were full of stories about the enigma of the plane’s disappearance.
dulcet
ADJECTIVE [ADJECTIVE noun]
A dulcet voice is one that is gentle and pleasant to listen to.
[literary]
Quickly, in her dulcet voice, Tamara told him what had happened.
Synonyms: sweet, pleasing, musical, charming
comely
adjective old-fashioned or literary
A comely woman is attractive in appearance.
superannuated
adjective formal
old, and almost no longer suitable for work or use
antediluvian
adjective humorous
extremely old-fashioned:
My mother has some hopelessly antediluvian ideas about the role of women.
avant-garde
SINGULAR NOUN [the NOUN]
You can refer to the artists, writers, and musicians who introduce new and very modern ideas as the avant-garde.
In Paris he made friends among the avant-garde.
recalcitrant
adjective formal
(of a person) unwilling to obey orders or to do what should be done, or (of an animal) refusing to be controlled
philippic
a bitter or impassioned speech of denunciation; invective
jeremiad
noun [ C ] formal
a long list of complaints or problems:
The critic delivers regular jeremiads against the contemporary art world.
compendium
COUNTABLE NOUN
A compendium is a short but detailed collection of information, usually in a book.
The Roman Catholic Church has issued a compendium of its teachings. [+ of]
Synonyms: collection, summary, abstract, digest
encomium
noun formal
a piece of writing, speech, etc. that praises someone or something
elegy
noun [ C ]
a sad poem or song, especially remembering someone who has died or something in the past:
Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” is a famous English poem.
perfidious
adjective literary
unable to be trusted, or showing no loyalty:
She described the new criminal bill as a perfidious attack on democracy.
quaint
adjective
attractive because of being unusual and especially old-fashioned:
a quaint old cottage
Quaint can also be used to show that you do not approve of something, especially an opinion, belief, or way of behaving, because it is strange or old-fashioned:
“What a quaint idea!” she said, laughing at him.
gentrify
verb [ T often passive ] disapproving
to change a place from being a poor area to a richer one, by people of a higher social class moving to live there: The area where I grew up has been all modernized and gentrified, and has lost all its old character.
rancorous
adjective formal
having or showing a feeling of hate and continuing anger about something in the past:
a rancorous dispute
Government leaders appear increasingly rancorous.
quiescent
adjective formal
temporarily quiet and not active:
The political situation was now relatively quiescent.
tonic
noun
a liquid medicine that has the general effect of making you feel better rather than treating a particular health problem that you might have
[ S ] informal
something that makes you feel stronger or happier:
The magazine is lively and interesting - the pictures alone are a tonic.
slick
adjective
operating or performing skilfully and effectively, without problems and without seeming to need effort:
Manilow gave the slick, polished performance that we’ve come to expect.
A slick pass from Eaves to Brinkworth set up the goal.