Purple Flashcards
ascribe
to refer to a supposed cause, source, or author
attribute, credit, assign
If you ascribe a quality to someone, you consider that they possess it.
“The politician ascribed his success to all his loyal voters who backed him.”
assimiliate
to take in and utilize as nourishment: absorb into the system; to take into the mind and thoroughly comprehend
absorb, incorporate, digest
When people assimilate into a community or when that community assimilates them, they become an accepted part of it.
“We had only one period to assimilate all the facts for the biology exam.”
augment
to make greater, more numerous, larger, or more intense
increase, enhance, supplement
To augment something means to make it larger, stronger, or more effective by adding something to it.
“Independent reading will augment your vocabulary.”
extol
to praise highly
praise, exalt, commend
If you extol something or someone, you praise them enthusiastically.
“Romeo liked to extol the beauty of sweet Juliet.”
orthodox
of, pertaining to, or conforming to beliefs, attitudes, or modes of conduct that are generally approved
conventional, accepted, traditional
If you describe someone as orthodox, you mean that he holds the older and more traditional ideas of his religion or party.
“The orthodox wedding took place in a lovely temple downtown.”
promenade
a stroll or walk, esp. in a public place, as for pleasure or display; to conduct or display in or as if in a promenade; parade
walk, stroll, parade
A promenade is an area that is used for walking, for example a wide road or a deck on a ship.
“Watching the couple’s promenade up to the doors of the ballroom brought tears of happiness to the parent chaperone’s eyes.”
ostracize
to banish or expel; abolish
exclude, banish, ignore
If someone is ostracized, people deliberately behave in an unfriendly way towards him and do not allow him to take part in any of their social activities.
“Imprisonment is an extreme way to ostracize people who cannot live within the laws of society.”
requisite
required, necessary; indispensable
A requisite is something which is necessary for a particular purpose.
“Paper, pencils, pens, and books are requisite for classroom work.”
subsequent
occurring or coming later or after
following, successive, ensuing
You use subsequent to describe something that happened or existed after the time or event that has just been referred to.
“The interviews in the locker room were subsequent to the end of the big game.”
supercilious
coolly and patronizingly haughty or full of oneself
arrogant, condescending, pompous
If you say that someone is supercilious, you disapprove of her because she behaves in a way that shows that she thinks she is better than other people.
“That supercilious football player thinks every girl in the school adores him.”
rudiments
a basic principle or element or a fundamental skill; something unformed or undeveloped, beginning
basics, essentials, fundamentals
When you learn the rudiments of something, you learn the simplest or most essential things about it.
“Before playing your first game, you should learn the rudiments of chess.”
sever
to separate (a part) from the whole, as by cutting or the like.
cut, separate, dissolve
To sever something means to cut completely through it or to cut it completely off; if you sever a relationship with someone, you end it suddenly and completely.
“It is important for people in the witness-protection plan to sever all ties with people from their former lives.”
sinuous
having many curves, bends, or turns; indirect
twisting, meandering, flowing
Something sinuous moves with smooth twists and turns.
“The winding, sinuous path took me twenty minutes out of my way.”
somber
of a dismal or depressing character
melancholy, serious, solemn
If someone is somber, she is serious or sad.
“It was a somber occasion, as was evident by the serious, sad expressions on the faces of those who attended the funeral.”
symptom
something that indicates the existence of something else
indication, sign, trace
A symptom of an illness is something wrong with your body or mind that is a sign of the illness; a symptom of a bad situation is something that happens which is considered to be a sign of this situation.
“The main symptom of my cold was a harsh, hacking cough. “
“Your problem with keeping boyfriends is just a symptom of a larger problem: making and keeping friends.”
variegated
having discrete markings of different colors
varied, multicolored, flecked
A variegated leaf or plant has different colors on it; something that is variegated consists of many different parts or types.
“Granite is a type of rock that appears to be made out of variegated colored stones.”
vernacular
using a language or dialect native to a region rather than a literary, cultured language; plain, everyday language
dialect ,language, colloquial
The vernacular is the language or dialect that is most widely spoken by ordinary people in a region or country.
“Most vernacular in West Side Story is surprisingly similar to words used by teens fifty years later: “kick it,” “hot,” and “punks” are just a few.”
affected
assumed artificially or falsely; having taken on an attitude or mode of behavior not natural to oneself or not genuinely felt
pretended, artificial, exaggerated
If you describe someone’s behavior as affected, you disapprove of the fact that he/she behaves in an unnatural way that is intended to impress other people.
Her affected way of speaking with a phony French accent was annoying.
figurative
of the nature of or involving a figure of speech, esp. a metaphor; metaphorical; not literal
symbolic, metaphorical, emblematic
If you use a word or expression in a figurative sense, you use it with a more abstract or imaginative meaning than its ordinary literal one.
Figurative phrases like “I’m going to punch your lights out” are very difficult for new learners of English to understand.
aver
to verify or prove to be true in pleading a cause; to declare positively
avow, state, claim
If you aver that something is the case, you say very firmly that it is true.
The witness was asked to aver she was telling the truth.
somber (related to color)
dark or dull in color or tone
gloomy
the night skies were comber and starless
resilient
able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions.
“babies are generally far more resilient than new parents realize”
able to recoil or spring back into shape after bending, stretching, or being compressed.
“a shoe with resilient cushioning”
