practicetest3 Flashcards
brooding
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”
ogling
stare at in a lecherous manner.
“he was ogling her breasts”
groveling
lie or crawl abjectly on the ground with one’s face downwards.
“he grovelled at George’s feet”
congregated
gather into a crowd or mass.
“some 4,000 demonstrators had congregated at a border point”
emulated
match or surpass (a person or achievement), typically by imitation.
“most rulers wished to emulate Alexander the Great”
riddled
speak in or pose riddles.
“he who knows not how to riddle”
solve or explain (a riddle) to (someone).
“riddle me this then”
derogatory
showing a critical or disrespectful attitude.
“she tells me I’m fat and is always making derogatory remarks”
objurgating
rebuke severely; scold.
“the old man objurgated his son”
variegate
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”
capitulate
cease to resist an opponent or an unwelcome demand; yield.
“the patriots had to capitulate to the enemy forces”
parietal
relating to residence in a college or university dormitory and especially to visits from members of the opposite sex.
“parietal rules”
peremptory
insisting on immediate attention or obedience, especially in a brusquely imperious way.
“‘Just do it!’ came the peremptory reply”
recusant
a person who refuses to submit to an authority or to comply with a regulation.
redolent
.
strongly reminiscent or suggestive of.
“names redolent of history and tradition”
frolicsome
lively and playful.
wiry
resembling wire in form and texture.
“his wiry black hair”
interred
place (a corpse) in a grave or tomb, typically with funeral rites.
“he was interred with the military honours due to him”
wraith
used in reference to a pale, thin, or insubstantial person or thing.
“heart attacks had reduced his mother to a wraith”
osteopathic
pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine that emphasizes physical manipulation of the body’s muscle tissue and bones.
surreptitious
kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of.
“low wages were supplemented by surreptitious payments from tradesmen”
flamboyant
(of a person or their behaviour) tending to attract attention because of their exuberance, confidence, and stylishness.
“the band’s flamboyant lead singer”
fanatical
filled with excessive and single-minded zeal.
“fanatical revolutionaries”
penitent
feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong; repentant.
“a penitent expression”
litigious
tending or too ready to take legal action to settle disputes.
“our increasingly litigious society”
infallible
incapable of making mistakes or being wrong.
“doctors are not infallible”
mawkish
sentimental in an exaggerated or false way.
“a mawkish ode to parenthood”
sardonic
grimly mocking or cynical.
“Starkey attempted a sardonic smile”
reticent
not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings readily.
“she was extremely reticent about her personal affairs”
callow
(of a young person) inexperienced and immature.
“earnest and callow undergraduates”
loquacious
tending to talk a great deal; talkative.
“never loquacious, Sarah was now totally lost for words”
oafish
rough or clumsy and unintelligent.
“oafish behaviour”
poignant
evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret.
“a poignant reminder of the passing of time”
obdurate
stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action.
“I argued this point with him, but he was obdurate”
deleterious
causing harm or damage.
“divorce is assumed to have deleterious effects on children”
punctilious
showing great attention to detail or correct behaviour.
“he was punctilious in providing every amenity for his guests”
parsimonious
very unwilling to spend money or use resources.
“even the parsimonious Joe paid for drinks all round”
unctuous
1.
excessively flattering or ingratiating; oily.
“he seemed anxious to please but not in an unctuous way”
frowsy
scruffy and neglected in appearance.
“seedy-looking doormen in frowzy uniforms”
necrotic
affected with, characterized by, or producing death of a usually localized area of living tissue
malodorous
smelling very unpleasant.
“leaking taps and malodorous drains”
pavid
showing fear : timid. he was infinitely pavid and stingy Antonio Barolini. pavidly adverb
servile
having or showing an excessive willingness to serve or please others.
“he bowed his head in a servile manner”
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”
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.
fictitious
not real or true; imaginary or fabricated.
“reports of a deal were dismissed as fictitious by the Minister”
contemptuous
in a scornful way that shows disdain.
“he contemptuously dismisses his son’s work”
parlous
full of danger or uncertainty; precarious.
“the parlous state of the economy”
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”
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”
Renegade
a person who deserts and betrays an organization, country, or set of principles.
“an agent who later turns out to be a renegade”
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
purported
appearing or stated to be true, though not necessarily so; alleged.
“the purported marriage was void”