Set 1 Flashcards
Inter
verb
(ihn tuhr)
To bury
After giving the masses one last chance to pay their respects, the leader’s body was INTERRED.
Synonyms: entomb; inhume; sepulcher; sepulture; tomb
Prodigal
adj
(prah dih guhl)
Lavish; wasteful
The PRODIGAL son quickly wasted all of his inheritance on a lavish lifestyle devoted to pleasure.
Synonyms: extravagant; lavish; profligate; spendthrift; wasteful
Seraphic
adj
(seh rah fihk)
Angelic; sweet
Selena’s SERAPHIC appearance belied her nasty, bitter personality.
Synonyms: cherubic; heavenly
Proclivity
noun
(pro clih vuh tee)
A natural inclination or predisposition
Her childhood love of acting, singing, and adoration indicated a PROCLIVITY for the theater in later life.
Synonyms: bias; leaning; partiality; penchant; predilection; predisposition; prejudice; propensity
Abscond
verb
(aab skahnd)
To leave secretly
The patron ABSCONDED from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door.
Synonyms: decamp; escape; flee
Glib
adj
(glihb)
Fluent in an insincere manner; offhand; casual
The slimy politician managed to continue gaining supporters because he was a GLIB speaker.
Synonyms: easy; superficial
Juncture
noun
(juhnk chuhr)
A point of time, especially one where two things are joined
At this JUNCTURE, I think it would be a good idea for us to take a coffee break.
Synonyms: confluence; convergence; crisis; crossroads; moment
Veracity
noun
(vuhr aa sih tee)
Filled with truth and accuracy
She had a reputation for VERACITY, so everyone trusted her description of events.
Synonyms: candor; exactitude; fidelity; probity
Judicious
adj
(joo dih shuhs)
Sensible; showing good judgment
The wise and distinguished judge was well known for having a JUDICIOUS temperament.
Synonyms: circumspect; prudent; sagacious; sapient
Engender
verb
(ehn gehn duhr)
To produce, cause, or bring about
His fear and hatred of clowns was ENGENDERED when he witnessed a bank robbery carried out by five men wearing clown suits and make-up.
Synonyms: beget; generate; spawn
Insurrection
noun
(ihn suh rehk shuhn)
Rebellion
After the emperor’s troops crushed the INSURRECTION, its leaders fled the country.
Synonyms: mutiny; revolt; revolution; uprising
Nascent
adj
(nay sehnt)
Starting to develop; coming into existence
The advertising campaign was still in a NASCENT stage, and nothing had been finalized yet.
Synonyms: embryonic; emerging; inchoate; incipient
Dissonance
noun
(dihs uh nuhns)
A harsh and disagreeable combination, especially of sounds
Cognitive DISSONANCE is the inner conflict produced when long-standing beliefs are contradicted by new evidence.
Synonyms: clash; contention; discord; dissension; dissent; dissidence; friction; strife; variance
Anodyne
noun
(aah nuh dien)
Something that calms or soothes pain
The massage was an ANODYNE that helped remove the knots from the lawyer’s tense shoulders.
Synonyms: narcotic; nepenthe; opiate
Corroborate
verb
(kuh rahb uhr ayt)
To support with evidence
All the DA needed were fingerprints to CORROBORATE the witness’s testimony that he saw the defendant in the victim’s apartment.
Synonyms: authenticate; back; buttress; confirm; substantiate; validate; verify
Polemic
noun
(puh leh mihk)
Controversy; argument; verbal attack
The candidate’s POLEMIC against his opponent was vicious and small-minded rather than convincing and well-reasoned.
Synonyms: denunciation; refutation
Sanguine
adj
(saan gwuhn)
Ruddy; cheerfully optimistic
A SANGUINE person thinks the glass is half full, whereas a depressed person thinks it’s half empty.
Synonyms: confident; hopeful; positive; rosy; rubicund
Blithe
adj
(blieth)
Joyful, cheerful, or without appropriate thought
Summer finally came, and the BLITHE students spent their days at the beach.
Synonyms: carefree; lighthearted; merry
Dilettante
noun
(dih luh tahnt)
Someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic.
Jerry’s friends were such DILETTANTES they seemed to have new jobs and hobbies every week.
Synonyms: amateur; dabbler; superficial; tyro
Missive
noun
(mihs ihv)
A written note or letter
Priscilla spent hours composing a romantic MISSIVE for Elvis.
Synonym: message
Latent
adj
(lay tehnt)
Potentially available, but not readily apparent
LATENT testing seeks to identify skills that the test takers may have but are not aware of.
Synonyms: concealed; dormant; inert; potential; quiescent
Abase
verb
(uh bays)
To humble; to disgrace
My intention was not to ABASE the comedian.
Synonyms: demean; humiliate
Efficacy
noun
(eh fih kuh see)
Effectiveness
The EFFICACY of penicillin was unsurpassed when it was first introduced; the drug completely eliminated almost all bacterial infections.
Synonyms: dynamism; effectiveness; efficiency; force; power; productiveness; proficiency; strength; vigor
Homogeneous
adj
(huh mah juhn uhs)
Of a similar kind
The class was fairly HOMOGENEOUS since almost all of the students were journalism majors.
Synonyms: consistent; standardized; uniform; unvarying
Gregarious
adj
(greh gayr ee uhs)
Outgoing; sociable
She was so GREGARIOUS that when she found herself alone she felt quite sad.
Synonyms: affable; communicative; congenial; sociable
Upbraid
verb
(uhp brayd)
To scold sharply
The teacher UPBRAIDED the student for scrawling graffiti all over the walls of the school.
Synonyms: berate; chide; rebuke; reproach; tax
Euphemism
noun
(too fum ih zuhm)
Use of an offensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one
The funeral direction preferred to use the EUPHEMISM “sleeping” instead of the word “dead”.
Synonyms: circumlocution; delicacy
Sacrosanct
adj
(saa kroh saankt)
Extremely sacred; beyond criticism
Many people considered Mother Teresa to be SACROSANCT and would not tolerate any criticism of her.
Synonyms: holy; inviolable; off-limits
Intractable
adj
(ihn traak tuh buhl)
Not easily managed or manipulated
INTRACTABLE for hours, the wild horse eventually allowed the rider to mount.
Synonyms: stubborn; unruly
Dogmatic
adj
(dawg maat ihk)
Dictatorial in one’s opinions
The dictator was DOGMATIC, claiming he, and only he, was right.
Synonyms: authoritarian; bossy; dictatorial; doctrinaire; domineering; imperious; magisterial; masterful; overbearing; peremptory
