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Vocabulary > Peter May > Flashcards

Peter May Flashcards

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1
Q

Protuberant

A

Adjective) protruding; bulging; curving outwards

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2
Q

Despondency

A

Noun) in low spirits from loss of hope or courage.

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3
Q

Undulate

A

Verb) means to move in a wave-like pattern

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4
Q

Sardonic

A

Adjective) disdainfully humorous; scornful and mocking

If someone is being scornful and mocking in a humorous way, call her sardonic.

Synonyms) Sarcastic; Satirical; Mocking…

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5
Q

Noun) Assiduity
Adjective) Assiduous
Adverb) Assiduously

A

Constant or close attention to what one is doing.

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6
Q

Adjective) Curt

Adverb) Curtly

A

rudely brief.

Synonyms) Terse; Brief

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7
Q

Noun & Adjective) Dissident

A

in opposition to official policy.

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8
Q

Verb) Coruscate

A

Coruscate is a verb that means to sparkle or give off reflected flashes of light.

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9
Q

Adjective) arcane

A

understood by few; mysterious or secret.

Synonym) esoteric; recondite

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10
Q

Adjective) Furtive

A

attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt or a belief that discovery would lead to trouble; secretive.

Synonym) Covert

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11
Q

Malevolence

A

Noun) wishing evil to others

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12
Q

Phalanx

A

Noun) a body of troops or police officers standing or moving in close formation.

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13
Q

Verb) Exorcise

A

drive out or attempt to drive out something from a person or place.

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14
Q

Adjective) mesmeric

A

causing a person to become completely transfixed and unaware of their surroundings.

attracting and holding interest as if by a spell

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15
Q

Noun) fledgling

A

a person or organization that is immature, inexperienced, or underdeveloped.

S) nascent

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16
Q

Adjective) Stout(ly)

A

euphemisms for `fat’

and…

courageous and dependable

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17
Q

Adjective) Vernacular

A

being or characteristic of or appropriate to everyday language

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18
Q

Adjective) Scornful

A

expressing extreme contempt

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19
Q

Adjective) Mawkish

A

Mawkish means excessively sentimental or so sappy it’s sickening

S - saccharine

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20
Q

Noun) Litany

A

a tedious recital or repetitive series.

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21
Q

Adjective) Frumpy

A

drab, old-fashioned, and unattractive

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22
Q

Noun) Sabbath

A

a day of religious observance and abstinence from work, kept by Jews from Friday evening to Saturday evening, and by most Christians on Sunday.

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23
Q

Noun) Frission

A

an almost pleasurable sensation of fright

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24
Q

Noun) Wrath

A

intense anger

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25
Q

Noun) syndicate

A

a group of individuals or organizations combined to promote a common interest.

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26
Q

Adjective) celestial

A
  1. positioned in or relating to the sky, or outer space as observed in astronomy.
  2. Heavenly; Supremely Good
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27
Q

Verb) Mollify

A

appease the anger or anxiety of (someone).

S) Placate; Soothe; Calm

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28
Q

Verb) Blight

A

have a severely detrimental effect on.

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29
Q

crenellate

A

provide (a wall of a building) with battlements.

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30
Q

Noun) acquiescence

A

the reluctant acceptance of something without protest.

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31
Q

Noun) animus

A

hostility or ill feeling.

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32
Q

Noun) Vista

A

a pleasing view.

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33
Q

Adjective) lugubrious

A

excessively mournful

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34
Q

Noun) corpulence

A

Excessive Fatness; Obesity

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35
Q

Noun) kaleidoscope

A

a constantly changing pattern or sequence of elements.

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36
Q

Adjective) Fusty

A

stale and unclean smelling

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37
Q

Adjective) ephemeral

A

lasting for a very short time.

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38
Q

Adjective) Capricious

A

changing according to no discernible rules; unpredictable.

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39
Q

Adjective) Mercurial

A

subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind.

S) - Capricious

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40
Q

Adjective) punctilious

A

showing great attention to detail or correct behaviour.

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41
Q

Adjective) Sordid

A

involving immoral or dishonourable actions and motives; arousing moral distaste and contempt.

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42
Q

Adj) Sultry

A

oppressively hot and humid.

Also can be used figuratively: exciting in a sensual way; attractive and suggesting hidden passion

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43
Q

Adj) ersatz

A

(to describe a product) not real or genuine.

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44
Q

Adj) caustic

A

Use the adjective caustic to describe any chemical that is able to burn living tissue or other substances, or, figuratively, a statement that has a similarly burning effect. Caustic in this sense means harshly critical.

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45
Q

Adj) blasé

A

unimpressed with or indifferent to something because one has experienced or seen it so often before.

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46
Q

Noun) acolyte

A

a person assisting a priest in a religious service or procession.

more generally: a devoted follower or assistant

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47
Q

Adj) Cretinous

A

Retarded

48
Q

Adj) obdurate

A

Obdurate is a formal word meaning stubborn.

49
Q

Noun) Indignation

A

Call your anger at an unjust situation indignation.

… a feeling of righteous anger

50
Q

Adj) frivolous

A

Frivolous things are silly or unnecessary. If something is frivolous, then you don’t need it.

51
Q

Adj) austere

A

severe or strict in manner or attitude.

52
Q

Adj) lewd

A

crude and offensive in a sexual way.

53
Q

Adj) Sullen

A

bad-tempered and sulky.

54
Q

Adj) insolent

A

showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect.

55
Q

Verb) elucidate

A

make (something) clear; explain.

56
Q

Adj) scrupulous

A

characterized by extreme care and great effort

57
Q

Adj) crass

A

showing no intelligence or sensitivity.

….A crass comment is very stupid and shows that the speaker doesn’t care about other people’s feelings.

58
Q

Noun) paroxysm

A

a sudden attack or outburst of a particular emotion or activity.

…. a paroxysm of weeping; laughter etc.

59
Q

Adj - diaphanous

A

so thin as to transmit light

If a dress is so see-through that light shines through it, it’s diaphanous.

60
Q

Adj - languid

Adv - languidly

A

lacking spirit or liveliness

Used in both positive and negative contexts

61
Q

N - countenance

A

a person’s face or facial expression.

62
Q

N - Impunity

A

exemption from punishment or loss

63
Q

Adj - soporific

A

tending to induce drowsiness or sleep.

64
Q

V - stultify

A

When something stultifies you, it drains you of your energy, enthusiasm, or pleasure.

65
Q

Adj - inveterate

A

Habitual; Chronic

66
Q

Adj - amorphous

A

without a clearly defined shape or form.

67
Q

Adj - truculent

A

If you are quick to argue, always looking for a fight, and hard to please, you are truculent.

S - Pugnacious

68
Q

Adj - truncate

A

Cut short

69
Q

Adj - insipid

A

Something insipid is lacking in flavor or interest.

70
Q

Adj - unabashed

A

To be unabashed is to be unembarrassed.

71
Q

V - Fibrillate

A

rapid twitching movements

72
Q

V - Contuse

A

injure without breaking the skin and forming a bruise.

73
Q

Adj - desiccated

A
  1. Dried out

2. Lacking vitality or spirit; lifeless

74
Q

N - prescience

Adj - prescient

A

the power to foresee the future

75
Q

Adj - sonorous

A

full and loud and deep

76
Q

Adj - meek

A

quiet, gentle, and easily imposed on; submissive

77
Q

Adj - evanescent

A

“fleeting” or “temporary.”

78
Q

V - burgeon

A

Use the verb burgeon to describe something that is growing, expanding, and flourishing.

79
Q

Adj - desultory

A

If you lack a definite plan or purpose and flit from one thing to another, your actions are desultory.

80
Q

Adj - disconsolate

A

inconsolable

81
Q

Adj - exalted

A

Use the adjective exalted to describe something or someone that is raised in rank, value, or power.

82
Q

V - chasten

A

correct by punishment or discipline

83
Q

Adj - incensed

A

To be incensed is to be beyond mad.

84
Q

Adj - ecumenical

A

The adjective ecumenical refers to something universal, or something that has a wide, general application.

85
Q

N - serendipity

A

the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.

86
Q

Adj - garrulous

A

excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters.

87
Q

N - rheumatism

A

Rheumatism is a medical condition of painful inflammation in muscles, joints, or connective tissue.

88
Q

Adj - visceral

A

When something’s visceral, you feel it in your guts. A visceral feeling is intuitive — there might not be a rational explanation, but you feel that you know what’s best

89
Q

Adj - celibate

A

A person who refrains from being sexually active is celibate.

90
Q

N - scullery

A

a small room (in large old British houses) next to the kitchen; where kitchen utensils are cleaned and kept and other rough household jobs are done

91
Q

Adj - florid

A

Something that’s elaborate and full of extra flourishes is florid

92
Q

Adj - impervious

A

An impervious surface is one that can’t be penetrated.

93
Q

Adj - acerbic

A

sour or bitter in taste

If you say something acerbic, or harshly bitter, to someone, it can leave a bitter taste in your own mouth that lingers, and the acerbic, or acidic, words can eat away at the person on the receiving end too.

94
Q

N - effigy

A

a representation of a person (especially in the form of sculpture)

95
Q

Adj - Imperious

A

having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy

96
Q

V - assuage

A

provide physical relief, as from pain

S- Soothe; relieve

97
Q

Adj - umpteen

A

indefinitely many; a lot of.

98
Q

Adj - azure

A

bright blue in colour like a cloudless sky.

99
Q

N - progeny

A

the immediate descendants of a person

100
Q

N - Pillion

A

a seat behind the rider of a horse or motorbike etc.

101
Q

V - suffuse

A

The verb suffuse means to spread and fill a space, like the way the smell of wildflowers might suffuse a meadow.

102
Q

Adj garish

A

obtrusively bright and showy;

S- lurid

103
Q

Meticulous Synonyms

A

Fastidious // punctilious// scrupulously // sedulous \ assiduous

104
Q

Adj) Fetid

A

smelling extremely unpleasant.

S - Fusty; Acrid

105
Q

Adj) apoplectic

A

Furious

106
Q

Noun) crusade

A

a vigorous campaign for political, social, or religious change.

107
Q

Adj) Laconic

A

Terse

108
Q

Noun) enmity

A

Hostility; animosity

109
Q

Adj) effulgence

A

the quality of being bright and sending out rays of light

110
Q

Adj) vindictive

A

Looking for revenge

111
Q

Noun) consternation

A

a feeling of anxiety or dismay, typically at something unexpected.

112
Q

Noun) lassitude

A

Mental or physical lethargy

113
Q

Adj) Apposite

A

being of striking appropriateness and pertinence

Fitting; appropriate; suitable

114
Q

Noun) Dalliance

A

1) a casual romantic or sexual relationship.

2) a period of brief or casual involvement with something

115
Q

Noun) accretion

A

Accumulation

116
Q

Adj) circumspect

A

Cautious

Vocabulary (5 decks)

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