set 1 Flashcards
abjure
reject
abject
miserable
After the death of his wife, he was an abject man
abscond
depart secretly
abeyance
temporary suspension
abstemious
moderate use of sth
Bcoz i was abstemious with alcohol in my youth, now i am quite healthy
accretion
growth in size
accretion of terror -1000s wounded
accrue
increase
john’s goal in life is to accrue as much money
abysmal
very bad
the movie’s plot was so abyssmal the critic left the theater after five mins
aberrant
diverging from normal
abate
reduce
admonish
to warn someone not to do something, in a kind way, or to tell someone to do something
adulterate
to make sth weaker or worse by adding sth else
advocate
to support/reccommend
aesthetic
concerned with beauty
would you mind giving me your aesthetic opinion of my new handbag?
affected
fake/not sincere
aggrandize
enlarge/increase
alacrity
speed and eagerness
She accepted the money with alacrity.
alchemy
a type of chemistry that would change ordinary metals into gold and with trying to find a medicine that would cure any disease
allay
to make a negative emotion less strong or a problem less difficult
seeing her, allayed my fears
alleviate
to make sth bad like problems or pain less severe
alloy
to spoil something or reduce it in value
My pleasure in receiving the letter was somewhat alloyed by its contents.
amalgamate
to join together or unite, or to cause to join together
ambiguous
having more than one possible meaning, and therefore likely to cause confusion
ambivalence
state of having two opposing feelings at the same time, or being uncertain about how you feel
The young people discussed their ambivalence about ambition
ambrosia
food eated by Greek gods/ pleasant food
ameliorate
to make a bad situation better
Drinking didn’t ameliorate the man’s problems
amenable
willing to accept or be influenced by a suggestion
is this contract amenable to change?
amulet
an object worn because it is believed to protect against evil, disease, or unhappiness
anachronism
someone or something placed in the wrong period in history, or something that belongs to the past rather than the present
He uses only e-mail, never anachronistic regular mail.
analogous
having similar features to another thing and therefore able to be compared with it
anarchy
a situation in which there is no organization and control, especially in society, because there is no effective government
anodyne
not likely to cause offence or disagreement and somewhat dull
He would say anodyne things that didn’t offend people
anomalous
different from what is usual, or not in agreement with something else and therefore not satisfactory
antecedent
previous
antediluvian
extremely old fashioned
antipathy
strong dislike/opposition
apathy
lack of interest, or the attitude of not caring resulting from it
apogee
most successful, popular, or powerful point
Just when his power reached its apogee, he began losing his grip
apothegm
short clever saying that is intended to express a general truth
Time heals, according to the ever-popular apothegm.
appease
to prevent further disagreement by giving to the other side something that they have demanded
the government had changed the law in order to appease their critics
appellation
a name/title
As a child, he received the appellation “Mouse”
apposite
suitable and right for the occasion
apprise
to tell someone sth
approbation
approval or agreement
Kids need their fathers’ approbation
appropriate
TAKE:to take something for your own use, usually without permission
KEEP MONEY:to keep an amount of money to use for a particular purpose
apropos
1) suitable in a particular situation or at a particular time
eg. clothes that are apropos to the occasion
2) used to introduce something that is related to or connected with something that has just been said
eg. Apropos what you said yesterday, …..
arabesque
ballet/ art (leaves,flowers together)
ardor
enthusiasm
arduous
difficult, needing a lot of effort
argot
words and expressions that are used by small groups of people and that are not easily understood by other people eg: thieves argot
artless
simple and not wanting to deceive
ascetic
avoiding physical pleasures and living a simple life, often for religious reasons
asperity
the quality of being severe (harsh) in the way that you speak and behave
aspersion
An attack on the reputation or integrity of someone or something
assiduous
showing hard work, care, and attention to detail
assuage
to make unpleasant feelings less strong
the government has tried to assuage the public’s fears
astringent
- Astringent remarks are clever but unkind or criticize someone
- Having a dry, sour, slightly bitter taste or smell
- An astringent substance causes the skin or other tissue to tighten
atavism
a feeling or reaction that comes from long ago in human history, rather than being necessary or appropriate in modern times
Ruby’s red locks were viewed as atavism since her great-grandmother had the red hue
audacious
showing a willingness to take risks or offend people
austere
1) very simple, with only the things that are absolutely necessary
2) plain and without decoration or unnecessary details
3) severe and unfriendly
avarice
greed
altruism
practice of selfless concern for the well-being of others
agog
very eager/curious to hear or see sth
arbiter
person who settles a dispute
aver
to say that sth is definitely true
avocation
work you do in addition to your main job or profession, especially for enjoyment
Trisha excelled at the avocation of sewing and ultimately turned it into a career.
avuncular
friendly, kind, or helpful, like the expected behaviour of an uncle
axiomatic
obviously true and therefore not needing to be proved
bacchanalian
boring, ordinary, and not original > movie
banter
conversation that is funny and not serious
bard
poet
bawdy
containing humorous remarks about sex
beatify
to describe or think of someone as if they are extremely good and have no fault
behemoth
something that is extremely large and often extremely powerful
belie
to show something to be false, or to hide something
His gruff manner belied a gentle personality
beneficent
helping people and doing good acts
blandishment
pleasant words or actions to persuade someone to do sth
blase
bored
bombastic
using long and difficult words to make people think you know more than you do
boorish
rude and not considering other people’s feelings
brazen
obvious, without any attempt to be hidden
brazen lie
broach
- OPEN : a bottle/ barrel
2. BEGIN : a discussion of sth difficult
bucolic
relating to the countryside
burgeoned
to develop
burnish
to polish
to improve sth like your public image
buttress
to make support for an idea or argument stronger by providing a good reason for it
cacophonous
unpleasant mixture of sounds
cadge
to (try to) get something from someone else without paying for it
Can I cadge a lift home?
callous
unkind, cruel,
calumny
(the act of making) a statement about someone that is false and intended to damage the reputation of that person
He was subjected to the most vicious calumny, but he never complained and never sued
canard
unfounded rumour
I hope that the canard will not spread.
canon
all the writings or other works known to be by a particular person
cant
hypocritical and sanctimonious talk, typically of a moral, religious, or political nature.
“he had no time for the cant of the priests about sin”
cantankerous
arguing a lot
cantankerous at old age
capricious
changing mood or behaviour suddenly
capricious child
captious
tending to find faults/ petty objections
captious teacher
cardinal
main
carnal
relating to the physical desires of the body
A priest is supposed to ignore carnal temptations and devote his life to the church.
carping
to complain abt unimportant matters
However much people carp about junk mail, many of them read it
cartography
science or art of making maps
castigation
criticise
cataclysm
an extremely destructive event or violent change
catclysmic flood
categorical
without any doubt or possibility of being changed
When Jill asked her father to borrow his new car, she received a categorical no in response.
caucus
meeting of a group of people with influence or an interest in something to consider a particular issue or problem
causal
relating to or acting as a cause.
the causal factors associated with illness
caustic
A caustic remark or way of speaking is hurtful, critical, or intentionally unkind
caustic comments
celestial
from the sky or out of this world
centrifugal
moving away from the point around which it is turning
centripetal
moving towards the point around which it is turning
champion
- Winner
2. Supporter
chasten
to make somebody feel sorry for something they have done
chicanery
clever, dishonest talk or behaviour that is used to deceive people
You can smell the chicanery from a dishonest politician
chivalry
very polite behaviour esp. men towards women
churlish
rude, unfriendly, and unpleasant
They invited me to dinner and I thought it would be churlish to refuse.
circuitous
roundabout/indirect path
clamor
to make a loud complaint or demand
The children were all clamoring for attention
clique
a small group of people who spend their time together and do not welcome other people into that group
cloister
a covered stone passage around the four sides of a courtyard
coalesce
to combine into a single group or thing
codify
to arrange something, such as laws or rules, into a system
cognizant
understanding or realizing sth
Dean, cognizant of this, suggested they take the afternoon off.
commensurate
in a correct and suitable amount compared to something else
a salary that is commensurate with skills and experience
compendium
a short but complete account of a particular subject, especially in the form of a book:
complacent
feeling so satisfied with your own abilities or situation that you feel you do not need to try any harder
complaisant
willing to satisfy others by being polite and fitting in with their plans
compliant
willing to do what other people want you to do
compunction
a slight guilty feeling about something you have done or might do
conciliatory
showing willingness to end a disagreement, or trying to make someone less angry
I had intended to adopt a more conciliatory approach, but his whole manner made me angry
concoct
1) to invent a story or excuse, esp. to deceive others
He concocted the story because he did not want to do his chores.
2)to make something, usually food, by adding several different parts together, often in a way that is original or not planned
concomitant
something that happens with something else and is connected with it
she loved travel, with all its concomitant worries
condone
to accept or allow behaviour that is wrong
confound
to mix up/confuse someone by being difficult to explain or deal with
The purpose of the article is not to confound the readers but to inform them.
congenial
friendly and pleasant
conjugal
connected with the relationship between married people
connoiseur
a person who has expert knowledge of something, esp. an art, food, or drink, and is qualified to judge and appreciate its quality
concript
enlist (someone) compulsorily, typically into the armed services
consecrate
to officially make something holy and suitable to be used for religious ceremonies
contend
1) COMPETE
2) CLAIM
contend with: to try to deal with a difficult situation or person
contentious
causing or likely to cause disagreement
contiguous
- next or touching each other
2. next in sequence
continence
- ability to control movements of the bowels and bladder.
2. self restraint especially with regard to sex.
contrite
feeling very sorry and guilty for something bad that you have done
contumacious
refusing to obey or show respect
conundrum
a problem that is difficult to deal with
convention
- Norm
- Meeting
- Agreement
convivial
pleasant and friendly
convoluted
- (especially of an argument, story, or sentence) extremely complex and difficult to follow.
- very twisted
copious
in large amounts; more than enough
coquette
a woman who likes to attract attention by behaving as if she is sexually interested in people, in a pleasant but not serious way
cornucopia
a large amount or supply of something
