Random (& SAT UP) Flashcards
harry
v. to pressure
sagacious
adj. wise, discerning, perceptive
meritorious
adj. deserving praise
ignoble
adj. lowly, unworthy
detrimental
adj. damaging
incessant
adj. ceaseless
decimation
n. harm done to
despondent
adj. depressed
clairvoyant
adj. psychic
fatuous
adj. complacently foolish
impetuous
adj. rash
gravitas
n. seriousness
redoubtable
adj. inspires fear
auxiliary
adj. additional, reserve
nonentity
n. person of little consequence or significance
callow
adj. immature
castigate
v. reprimand
upbraid
v. scold
assiduous
adj. careful and persistent
presumptuous
adj. self-confident
elicit
v. to draw or bring out or forth, evoke
garish
adj. vulgar and offensive; crudely or tastelessly colorful, showy, or elaborate, as clothes or decoration
belligerent
adj. warlike
disavow
v. reject
unscrupulous
adj. immoral
cajolery
n. flattery
tangential
adj. divergent, digressive
disconsolate
adj. cheerless, dejected
advent
n. arrival, coming into being
paltry
adj. worthless
pristine
adj. uncorrupted, primitive
magnate
n. important person, usually in business
enervate
v. to deprive of force or strength, weaken
peripheral
adj. minor, outside
insouciance
n. lack of care or concern, indifference
virile
adj. masculine, manly
heedless
adj. careless, thoughtless, unmindful
conspicuous
adj. easily seen or noticed, readily visible or observable
subsidiary
adj. serving to assist or supplement, auxiliary
contrivance
n. a thing that is created skillfully and inventively to serve a particular purpose
ex: an assortment of electronic equipment and mechanical contrivances
eschew
v. to avoid
sumptuous
adj. splendid and expensive-looking
brazen
adj. bold and without shame
collude
v. to conspire
expurgate
v. to censor
deluge
n. inundation
vitriolic
adj. very caustic, scathing
legion
n. multitude, adj. great in number
leviathan
n. anything of immense size and power
sybarite
n. a person devoted to luxury and pleasure, hedonist
untenable
adj. incapable of being defended, as an argument, thesis, etc.; not fit to be occupied, as an apartment, house, etc.
deprecatory
adj. of the nature of or expressing disapproval, protest, or depreciation; apologetic
goad
n. a stimulus, v. prod, incite
bemuse
v. to bewilder or confuse
commodious
adj. spacious
slipshod
adj. careless, untidy, or slovenly
complacent
adj. contented
predilection
n. inclination, preference for something
jaded
adj. dulled or satiated by overindulgence; worn out or wearied, as by overwork or overuse
enigmatic
adj. resembling an enigma, perplexing, mysterious
quotidian
adj. ordinary, daily, commonplace
enervate
v. to deprive of force or strength
slovenly
adj. untidy or unclean in appearance or habits, slipshod
rebuff
n. a blunt or abrupt rejection, as of a person making advances
efface
v. to rub out, erase, or obliterate
inconspicuous
adj. not conspicuous, noticeable, or prominent
inane
adj. lacking sense, significance, or ideas; silly; n. something that is empty or void
ingratiating
adj. charming, agreeable, pleasing; deliberately meant to gain favor
unctuous
adj. oily or greasy
execrate
v. loathe or detest
finagle
v. to trick, swindle, or cheat (a person) (often followed by out of)
tortuous
adj. twisting, winding, or crooked
Byzantine
adj. very complex, labyrinthine
quagmire
n. swamp
circumscribe
v. mark off, delimit
beseem
v. to be fit for or worthy of
sundry
adj. various or diverse
preclude
v. prevent
edifying
adj. instructive
indiscriminate
adj. random
impertinent
adj. intrusive or presumptuous, as persons or their actions; insolently rude; uncivil
tome
n. a big book or volume
conjecture
n. a guess; the formation or expression of an opinion or theory without sufficient evidence for proof, v. to conclude or suppose from grounds or evidence insufficient to ensure reliability
glean
v. to gather slowly and laboriously, bit by bit
affectation
n. an effort to appear to have a quality not really or fully possessed
ordain
v. appoint to a religious order, establish by law
cursory
adj. going rapidly over something, without noticing details; hasty; superficial
superficial
adj. relating to the surface
caveat
n. a warning or caution
innocuous
adj. harmless
indignant
adj. feeling, characterized by, or expressing strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, insulting, or base; righteously angry
scruple
n. a moral or ethical consideration or standard that acts as a restraining force or inhibits certain actions; a very small portion or amount
pernicious
adj. causing insidious harm or ruin; ruinous; injurious; hurtful
portent
n. an indication or omen of something about to happen
respite
n, v. a delay or cessation for a time, especially of anything distressing or trying; an interval of relief
censorious
adj. severely critical; faultfinding; carping
carping
adj, n. characterized by fussy or petulant faultfinding; querulous
querulous
adj. full of complaints; complaining
erudition
n. knowledge acquired by study, research, etc.; learning; scholarship
verdant
adj. green with vegetation; inexperienced; unsophisticated
plume
n. feather; v. to feel complacent satisfaction with (oneself); pride (oneself) (often followed by on or upon)
scant
adj. limited; meager; not large
insinuate
v. to suggest or hint slyly
underscore
v. to stress; emphasize
compartmentalize
v. to divide into categories or compartments
entail
v. to cause or involve by necessity or as a consequence
visionary
adj. given to or characterized by fanciful, not presently workable, or unpractical ideas, views, or schemes; idealized
solicitous
adj. showing concern for others
pernicious
adj. very harmful
vociferous
adj. loud
ludicrous
adj. causing laughter because of absurdity; ridiculous, silly
espouse
v. to adopt or support
fiasco
n. a total disaster
obtuseness
n. vacuity, stupidity
hearsay
n., adj. rumor
pedantic
adj. ostentatious in one’s learning; overly concerned with minute details or formalisms, especially in teaching; narrowly or pretentiously learned
sardonic
adj. sarcastic
catechize
v. to instruct orally by means of questions and answers
disillusion
v. to free from or deprive of illusion, belief, idealism, etc.; disenchant
gaffe
n. a social blunder, faux pas
expunge
v. to strike or blot out; erase; obliterate
pragmatic
adj. of or relating to a practical point of view or practical considerations
lugubrious
adj. mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially in an affected, exaggerated, or unrelieved manner
prescient
adj. having prescience, or knowledge of things or events before they exist or happen; having foresight
lackadaisical
adj. without interest, vigor, or determination; listless; lethargic
perspicacity
n. keen perceptiveness
desultory
adj. aimless, unfocused; lacking a plan or purpose
convalesce
v. to recover health and strength after illness; make progress toward recovery of health
troubleshoot
v. mechanically alter; discover and eliminate the cause of trouble in mechanical equipment
physiognomy
n. the outward appearance of anything, taken as offering some insight into its character
gossamer
adj. thin and light
partiality
n. a special fondness, preference, or liking (usually followed by to or for)
tincture
n., v. a trace; a smack or smattering
remiss
adj. negligent, careless in one’s duties
irreverent
adj. disrespectful
intemperance
n. excessive indulgence of appetite or passion, lack of moderation
indigent
adj. needy, poor, impoverished
exasperate
v. to irritate or provoke to a high degree; annoy extremely
conscientious
adj. governed by conscience; careful with all details
recant
v. to take back a statement that was made
undulate
v. to move with a sinuous or wavelike motion; display a smooth rising-and-falling or side-to-side alternation of movement
jaunty
adj. easy and sprightly in manner or bearing, lively
consternation
n. dismay, distress
litany
n. a prolonged or tedious account
dither
v. to act irresolutely, vacillate
boon
n. something to be thankful for, blessing, benefit
bode
v. to be an omen of; portend
retinue
n. a body of retainers in attendance upon an important personage, entourage
interment
n. the burial of a corpse in a grave or tomb, typically with funeral rites
injunction
n. an authoritative warning or order
qualm
n. an uneasy feeling or pang of conscience as to conduct; compunction
doubt, hesitation, uneasiness
chagrin
n. embarrassment
prodigal
adj. wastefully or recklessly extravagant
pervade
v. spread through and be perceived in every part of
insufferable
adj. unbearable; having or showing unbearable arrogance or conceit
avail (oneself of)
v. use or take advantage of (an opportunity or available resource)
mercenary
adj. working or acting merely for money or other reward; venal
wayward
adj. turned or turning away from what is right or proper; willful; disobedient
tergiversate
v. make conflicting or evasive statements; equivocate
prevaricate
v. to speak falsely or misleadingly; deliberately misstate or create an incorrect impression; lie
peroration
n. the concluding part of a speech, typically intended to inspire enthusiasm in the audience
inducement
n. a thing that persuades or influences someone to do something
exordium
n. the beginning or introductory part, esp. of a discourse or treatise
perturbation
n. anxiety, mental uneasiness
detritus
n. debris, waste
insinuate
v. introduce subtly or imperceptibly
compulsory
adj. required, mandatory, obligatory
prolepsis
n. anticipation; representation/assumption of a future act as if presently existing or accomplished
redact
v. to put into suitable literary form; revise; edit
crony
n. a close friend or companion
ablution
n. a cleansing with water or other liquid, especially as a religious ritual
poltroon
n.,adj. a wretched coward
benighted
adj. intellectually or morally ignorant, unenlightened
carrion
n. rottenness, anything vile
palisade
n.,v. a fence of stakes set firmly in the ground for enclosure/defense
agog
adj. highly excited by eagerness, curiosity, anticipation
raffish
adj. mildly or sometimes engagingly disreputable or nonconformist
battery
n. large group of unrelated things
lambast
v. to reprimand or berate harshly, attack
astringent
adj. contracting; harshly biting, caustic
torpid
adj. inactive, sluggish
doggerel
adj.,n. rude, crude, poor
specter
n. some object/source of terror/dread
bedeck
v. to deck out, adorn, esp. in showy/gaudy manner
trammel
n. a hindrance or impediment to free action
highfalutin
adj. pompous, bombastic, haughty, pretentious
morass
n. marsh
purblind
adj. slow in understanding, imagination, or vision
elocution
n. a person’s manner of speaking or reading aloud in public
skulduggery
n. dishonorable proceedings, mean dishonesty or trickery
persiflage
n. light, bantering talk or writing
peevish
adj. easily irritated esp. by unimportant things
semblance
n. the outward appearance or apparent form of something, esp. when reality is different
irrupt
v. enter forcibly or suddenly
titillate
v. to excite or arouse agreeably, to tickle
risibility
n. the ability or disposition to laugh
meretricious
adj. apparently attractive but having in reality no value or integrity
contingency
n. a future event that is possible but cannot be predicted with certainty
sentient
adj. having the power of perception by the senses, conscious
mislay
v. to lose temporarily, misplace
expostulate
v. express strong disapproval/disagreement
dejection
n. a sad and depressed state, low spirits
incorruptible
adj. not susceptible to corruption, esp. by bribery
disenthrall
v. to free from bondage
rapine
n. violent seizure and carrying off of another’s property
immure
v. to shut in, seclude
sepulchral
adj. of or relating to burial; hollow and deep
