practicetest3 Flashcards
1
Q
brooding
A
engaged in or showing deep thought about something that makes one sad, angry, or worried.
“he stared with brooding eyes”
appearing darkly menacing.
“the brooding moorland”
2
Q
ogling
A
stare at in a lecherous manner.
“he was ogling her breasts”
3
Q
groveling
A
lie or crawl abjectly on the ground with one’s face downwards.
“he grovelled at George’s feet”
4
Q
congregated
A
gather into a crowd or mass.
“some 4,000 demonstrators had congregated at a border point”
5
Q
emulated
A
match or surpass (a person or achievement), typically by imitation.
“most rulers wished to emulate Alexander the Great”
6
Q
riddled
A
speak in or pose riddles.
“he who knows not how to riddle”
solve or explain (a riddle) to (someone).
“riddle me this then”
7
Q
derogatory
A
showing a critical or disrespectful attitude.
“she tells me I’m fat and is always making derogatory remarks”
8
Q
objurgating
A
rebuke severely; scold.
“the old man objurgated his son”
9
Q
variegate
A
alter in appearance, especially by adding different colours.
“the designer can variegate the object’s colour and physical character as needed”
make more diverse or varied.
“the route to success lies in variegating the offerings presented”
10
Q
capitulate
A
cease to resist an opponent or an unwelcome demand; yield.
“the patriots had to capitulate to the enemy forces”
11
Q
parietal
A
relating to residence in a college or university dormitory and especially to visits from members of the opposite sex.
“parietal rules”
12
Q
peremptory
A
insisting on immediate attention or obedience, especially in a brusquely imperious way.
“‘Just do it!’ came the peremptory reply”
13
Q
recusant
A
a person who refuses to submit to an authority or to comply with a regulation.
14
Q
redolent
A
.
strongly reminiscent or suggestive of.
“names redolent of history and tradition”
15
Q
frolicsome
A
lively and playful.
16
Q
wiry
A
resembling wire in form and texture.
“his wiry black hair”
17
Q
interred
A
place (a corpse) in a grave or tomb, typically with funeral rites.
“he was interred with the military honours due to him”
18
Q
wraith
A
used in reference to a pale, thin, or insubstantial person or thing.
“heart attacks had reduced his mother to a wraith”
19
Q
osteopathic
A
pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine that emphasizes physical manipulation of the body’s muscle tissue and bones.
20
Q
surreptitious
A
kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of.
“low wages were supplemented by surreptitious payments from tradesmen”
21
Q
flamboyant
A
(of a person or their behaviour) tending to attract attention because of their exuberance, confidence, and stylishness.
“the band’s flamboyant lead singer”
22
Q
fanatical
A
filled with excessive and single-minded zeal.
“fanatical revolutionaries”
23
Q
penitent
A
feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong; repentant.
“a penitent expression”
24
Q
litigious
A
tending or too ready to take legal action to settle disputes.
“our increasingly litigious society”
25
infallible
incapable of making mistakes or being wrong.
"doctors are not infallible"
26
mawkish
sentimental in an exaggerated or false way.
"a mawkish ode to parenthood"
27
sardonic
grimly mocking or cynical.
"Starkey attempted a sardonic smile"
28
reticent
not revealing one's thoughts or feelings readily.
"she was extremely reticent about her personal affairs"
29
callow
(of a young person) inexperienced and immature.
"earnest and callow undergraduates"
30
loquacious
tending to talk a great deal; talkative.
"never loquacious, Sarah was now totally lost for words"
31
oafish
rough or clumsy and unintelligent.
"oafish behaviour"
32
poignant
evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret.
"a poignant reminder of the passing of time"
33
obdurate
stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or course of action.
"I argued this point with him, but he was obdurate"
34
deleterious
causing harm or damage.
"divorce is assumed to have deleterious effects on children"
35
punctilious
showing great attention to detail or correct behaviour.
"he was punctilious in providing every amenity for his guests"
36
parsimonious
very unwilling to spend money or use resources.
"even the parsimonious Joe paid for drinks all round"
37
unctuous
1.
excessively flattering or ingratiating; oily.
"he seemed anxious to please but not in an unctuous way"
38
frowsy
scruffy and neglected in appearance.
"seedy-looking doormen in frowzy uniforms"
39
necrotic
affected with, characterized by, or producing death of a usually localized area of living tissue
40
malodorous
smelling very unpleasant.
"leaking taps and malodorous drains"
41
pavid
showing fear : timid. he was infinitely pavid and stingy Antonio Barolini. pavidly adverb
42
servile
having or showing an excessive willingness to serve or please others.
"he bowed his head in a servile manner"
43
malediction
a magical word or phrase uttered with the intention of bringing about evil; a curse.
"he muttered maledictions to himself as he trod the stone passages"
44
precession
the slow movement of the axis of a spinning body around another axis due to a torque (such as gravitational influence) acting to change the direction of the first axis. It is seen in the circle slowly traced out by the pole of a spinning gyroscope.
45
fictitious
not real or true; imaginary or fabricated.
"reports of a deal were dismissed as fictitious by the Minister"
46
contemptuous
in a scornful way that shows disdain.
"he contemptuously dismisses his son's work"
47
parlous
full of danger or uncertainty; precarious.
"the parlous state of the economy"
48
Supine
(of a person) lying face upwards.
failing to act or protest as a result of moral weakness or indolence.
"they remained supine in the face of terrible wrongdoing"
49
Fraught
(of a situation or course of action) filled with or likely to result in (something undesirable).
"marketing any new product is fraught with danger"
50
Renegade
a person who deserts and betrays an organization, country, or set of principles.
"an agent who later turns out to be a renegade"
51
conjugated
relating to or denoting double or triple bonds in a molecule which are separated by a single bond, across which some sharing of electrons occurs
52
purported
appearing or stated to be true, though not necessarily so; alleged.
"the purported marriage was void"
53
improvident
not having or showing foresight; spendthrift or thoughtless.
"improvident and undisciplined behaviour"
54
mendacious
not telling the truth; lying.
"mendacious propaganda"
55
concomitant
naturally accompanying or associated.
"she loved travel, with all its concomitant worries"
56
surreptitious
kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of.
"low wages were supplemented by surreptitious payments from tradesmen"
57
burnish
polish (something, especially metal) by rubbing.
"to burnish copper, I would probably use a drill with a pad attached to the end"
58
pilfer
steal (things of little value).
"she produced the handful of coins she had managed to pilfer"
59
episodic
.
containing or consisting of a series of separate parts or events.
"an episodic narrative"
60
defames
damage the good reputation of (someone); slander or libel.
"he claimed that the article defamed his family"
61
flaccid
lacking vigour or effectiveness.
"the flaccid leadership campaign was causing concern"
62
winsome
attractive or appealing in a fresh, innocent way.
"a winsome smile"
63
salient
most noticeable or important.
"it succinctly covered all the salient points of the case"
64
poignant
evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret.
"a poignant reminder of the passing of time"
65
precipitous
dangerously high or steep.
"the track skirted a precipitous drop"
66
superannuated
(of a post or employee) belonging to a superannuation scheme.
"she is not superannuated and has no paid holiday"
67
ramification
a complex or unwelcome consequence of an action or event.
"any change is bound to have legal ramifications"
68
staunch
very loyal and committed in attitude.
"a staunch supporter of the anti-nuclear lobby"
69
foibles
a minor weakness or eccentricity in someone's character.
"they have to tolerate each other's little foibles"
70
mendacity
the quality of being mendacious; untruthfulness; tendency to lie. 2. an instance of lying; falsehood. SYNONYMS 1, 2. deception, lie, untruth, deceit.
71
sanctified
set apart as or declare holy; consecrate.
"a small shrine was built to sanctify the site"
72
perfidy
the state of being deceitful and untrustworthy.
"it was an example of his perfidy"
73
waif
a homeless, neglected, or abandoned person, especially a child.
"she is foster mother to various waifs and strays
74
oscillate
move or swing back and forth in a regular rhythm.
"the grain pan near the front of the combine oscillates back and forth"
75
grovel
lie or crawl abjectly on the ground with one's face downwards.
"he grovelled at George's feet"
76
quake
(especially of the earth) shake or tremble.
"the rumbling vibrations set the whole valley quaking"
77
slather
spread or smear (a substance) thickly or liberally.
"slather on some tanning lotion"
78
undulate
move or go with a smooth up-and-down motion.
"the surface of the liquid undulated gently"
79
truculent
eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant.
"the truculent attitude of farmers to cheaper imports"
80
esoteric
intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest.
"esoteric philosophical debates"
81
pugnacious
eager or quick to argue, quarrel, or fight.
"his public statements became increasingly pugnacious"
82
indemnity
security or protection against a loss or other financial burden.
"no indemnity will be given for loss of cash"
83
obtuse
annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand.
"he wondered if the doctor was being deliberately obtuse"
84
rapturous
characterized by, feeling, or expressing great pleasure or enthusiasm.
"he was greeted with rapturous applause"
85
torrential
of rain) falling rapidly and in copious quantities.
"a torrential downpour"
86
subservient
prepared to obey others unquestioningly.
"she was subservient to her parents"
87
sundry
of various kinds; several.
"prawn and garlic vol-au-vents and sundry other delicacies"
88
encomium
a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly.
89
oeuvre
the body of work of a painter, composer, or author.
"the complete oeuvre of Mozart"
90
cabal
a secret political clique or faction.
"a cabal of dissidents"
91
imprecation
a spoken curse.
"I pushed my way through, screaming imprecations"
92
juggernaut
a huge, powerful, and overwhelming force.
"the juggernaut of public expenditure"
93
mercurial
subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind.
"his mercurial temperament"
94
circuitous
(of a route or journey) longer than the most direct way.
"the canal followed a circuitous route"
95
craven
contemptibly lacking in courage; cowardly.
"a craven abdication of his moral duty"
96
brawn
physical strength in contrast to intelligence.
"commando work required as much brain as brawn"
97
disembodied
separated from or existing without the body.
"a disembodied ghost"
98
vitriolic
filled with bitter criticism or malice.
"vitriolic attacks on the politicians"
99
truncated
shortened in duration or extent.
"his truncated career"
100
peremptory
insisting on immediate attention or obedience, especially in a brusquely imperious way.
"‘Just do it!’ came the peremptory reply"
101
paradigm
a typical example or pattern of something; a pattern or model.
"society's paradigm of the ‘ideal woman’"
102
oleander
a poisonous evergreen Old World shrub grown in warm countries for its clusters of white, pink, or red flowers.
103
patagium
a membrane or fold of skin between the forelimbs and hindlimbs on each side of a bat or gliding mammal.
104
compost
mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties
105
caveat
a warning or proviso of specific stipulations, conditions, or limitations.
"there are a number of caveats which concern the validity of the assessment results"
106
abstemious
indulging only very moderately in something, especially food and drink.
"‘We only had a bottle.’ ‘Very abstemious of you.’"
107
fickle
changing frequently, especially as regards one's loyalties or affections.
"celebs trying to appeal to an increasingly fickle public"
108
preponderance
the quality or fact of being greater in number, quantity, or importance.
"the preponderance of women among older people"
109
imposition
the action or process of imposing something or of being imposed.
"the imposition of martial law"
110
ogre
a cruel or terrifying person.
"it is clear that I am no ogre"
111
impost
a tax or similar compulsory payment.
"some of the labels are used for the purpose of collecting Customs duty or other imposts"
112
alcove
a recess in the wall of a room or garden.
"the rest of the tables were in little alcoves around the bar"
113
anathema
something or someone that one vehemently dislikes.
"racial hatred was anathema to her"
114
perdition
a state of eternal punishment and damnation into which a sinful and unrepentant person passes after death.
115
demented
behaving wildly and irrationally on account of anger, distress, or excitement.
"she was demented with worry"
116
discomfited
make (someone) feel uneasy or embarrassed.
"he was not noticeably discomfited by her tone"
117
nascent
(especially of a process or organization) just coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential.
"the nascent space industry"
118
histrionic
dramatic or theatrical
119
bucolic
relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life.
"the church is lovely for its bucolic setting"
120
emollient
having the quality of softening or soothing the skin.
"a rich emollient shampoo"
121
eloquent
having or exercising the power of fluent, forceful, and appropriate speech
122
pliancy
willingness to change because of what other people want, or to do what other people want
123
diminutive
extremely or unusually small.
"a diminutive figure dressed in black"
124
posh
elegant or stylishly luxurious.
"a posh hotel"
125
winnowed
blow a current of air through (grain) in order to remove the chaff.
"a combine cuts, threshes, and winnows the grain in one operation"
126
beleaguered
in a very difficult situation.
"the board is supporting the beleaguered director amid calls for his resignation"
127
penury
the state of being very poor; extreme poverty.
"he couldn't face another year of penury"
128
miscreant
a person who has done something wrong or unlawful.
"the police are straining every nerve to bring the miscreants to justice"
129
emissary
a person sent as a diplomatic representative on a special mission.
130
beleaguered
in a very difficult situation.
"the board is supporting the beleaguered director amid calls for his resignation"
131
