Set 10 Flashcards
Nuance
noun
(noo ahns)
A subtle expression of meaning or quality
The scholars argued for hours over tiny NUANCES in the interpretation of the last line of the poem.
Synonyms: gradation; subtlety; tone
Mar
verb
(mahr)
To damage or deface; to spoil
Telephone poles MAR the natural beauty of the countryside.
Synonyms: blemish; disfigure; impair; injure; scar
Garrulous
adj
(gaar uh luhs)
Tending to talk a lot
The GARRULOUS parakeet distracted its owner with its continuous talking.
Synonyms: effusive; loquacious
Transitory
adj
(trahn sih tohr ee)
Temporary; lasting a brief time
The reporter’s homes were TRANSITORY; she stayed in one place only
long enough to cover the current story.
Synonyms: ephemeral; evanescent; fleeting; impermanent; momentary
Surfeit
noun
(suhr fiht)
Excessive amount
Because of the SURFEIT of pigs, pork prices have never been lower.
Synonyms: glut; plethora; repletion; superfluity; surplus
Pervade
verb
(puhr vayd)
To be present throughout; to permeate
Four spices- cumin, turmeric, coriander, and cayenne- PERVADE almost every Indian dish, and give the cuisine its distinctive flavor.
Synonyms: imbue; infuse; penetrate; permeate; suffuse
Sully
verb
(suh lee)
To tarnish; to taint
With the help of a public relations firms, he was able to restore his SULLIED reputation.
Synonyms: besmirch; defile
Cartography
noun
(kahr tahg ruh fee)
The science or art of making maps
Gail’s interest in CARTOGRAPHY may stem from the extensive traveling she did as a child.
Synonyms: charting; surveying; topography
Impugn
verb
(ihm pyoon)
To call into question; to attack verbally
“How dare you IMPUGN my motives?” Protested the lawyer, on vein accused of ambulance chasing.
Synonyms: challenge; dispute
Florid
adj
(flohr ihd)
Excessively decorated or embellished
The palace had been decorated in an excessively FLORID style; every surface had been carved and gilded.
Synonyms: baroque; elaborate; flamboyant; ornate; ostentatious; rococo
Declivity
noun
(dih klih vih tee)
A downward slope
Because the violet was situated on the DECLIVITY of a hill, it never flooded.
Synonyms: decline; descent; grade; slant; tilt
Bevy
noun
(beh vee)
A group
As predicted, a BEVY of teenagers surrounded the rock star’s limousine.
Synonyms: band; bunch; gang; pack; troop
Tawdry
adj
(taw dree)
Gaudy, cheap, or showy
The performer changed into her TAWDRY, spangled costume and stepped out onto the stage to do her show.
Synonyms: flashy; loud; meretricious
Pathogenic
adj
(paa thoh jehn ihk)
Causing disease
Bina’s research on the origins of PATHOGENIC microorganisms should help stop the spread of disease.
Synonyms: infecting; noxious
Apathy
noun
(aa pah thee)
Lack of interest or emotion
The APATHY of voters is so great that less than half the people who are eligible to vote actually bother to do so.
Synonyms: coolness; disinterest; disregard; impassivity; indifference; insensibility; lassitude; lethargy; listlessness; phlegm; stolidity; unconcern; unresponsiveness
Mirth
noun
(muhrth)
Frivolity; gaiety; laughter
Vera’s hilarious jokes contributed to the general MIRTH at the dinner party.
Synonyms: glee; hilarity; jollity; merriment
Nadir
noun
(nay dihr)
Lowest point
As Joey waited in line to audition for the diaper commercial, he realized he had reached the NADIR of his acting career.
Synonyms: bottom; depth; pit
Sentient
adj
(sehn shuhnt)
Aware; consciousness; able to perceive
The anesthetic didn’t work, and I was still SENTIENT when the dentist started drilling!
Synonyms: feeling; intelligent; thinking
Tirade
noun
(tie rayd)
A long, harsh speech or verbal attack
Observers were shocked at the manager’s TIRADE over such a minor mistake.
Synonyms: diatribe; fulmination; harangue; obloquy; revilement; vilification
Perfidious
adj
(puhr fih dee uhs)
Willing to betray someone’s trust
The actress’s PERFIDIOUS companion revealed all of her intimate secrets to the gossip columnist.
Synonyms: disloyal; faithless; traitorous; treacherous
Sublime
adj
(suh bliem)
Lofty or grand
The music was so SUBLIME that it transformed he rude surroundings into a special place.
Synonyms: august; exalted; glorious; grand; magnificent; majestic; noble; resplendent; superb
Cogent
adj
(koh juhnt)
Convincing and well-reasoned
Swayed by the COGENT argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant.
Synonyms: convincing; persuasive; solid; sound; telling; valid
Livid
adj
(lih vihd)
Discolored from a bruise; pale; reddened with anger
Andre was LIVID when he discovered that someone had spilled grape juice all over his cashmere coat.
Synonyms: ashen; black-and-blue; furious; pallid
Inchoate
adj
(ihn koh uht)
Not fully formed; disorganized
The ideas expressed in Nietzsche’s mature work also appear in an INCHOATE from in his earliest writing.
Synonyms: amorphous; incoherent; incomplete; unorganized
Distaff
noun
(dis taf)
The female branch of a family
The lazy husband refused to cook dinner for his wife, joking that the duty belongs to the DISTAFF’S side.
Synonyms: maternal
Audacious
adj
(aw day shuhs)
Fearless and daring
The AUDACIOUS peasant dared to insult he king’s mother.
Synonyms: adventuresome; aggressive; assertive; bold; brave; courageous; daring; dauntless; doughty; fearless; gallant; game; heroic; intrepid; mettlesome; plucky; stout; stouthearted; unafraid; undaunted; valiant; valorous; venturesome; venturous
Terrestrial
adj
(tuh reh stree uhl)
Earthly; down-to-earth; commonplace
Many “extraterrestrial” objects turn out to be TERRESTRIAL in origin, as when flying saucers turn out to be normal airplanes.
Synonyms: earthbound; mundane; sublunary; tellurium; terrene
Endemic
adj
(ehn deh mihk)
Belonging to a particular area; inherent
The health department determined that the outbreak was ENDEMIC to the small village, so they quarantined the inhabitants before the virus could spread.
Synonyms: indigenous; local; native
Attenuate
verb
(uh tehn yoo ayt)
To reduce in force or degree; to weaken
The Bill of Rights ATTENUATED the traditional power of government to change laws at will.
Synonyms: debilitate; devitalize; dilute; enervate; enfeeble; rarely; sap; thin; undermine; undo; unnerve; weaken
Iniquity
noun
(ih nihk wih tee)
A sin; an evil act
“I promise to close every den of INIQUITY in this town!” Thundered the conservative new mayor.
Synonyms: enormity; immortality; injustice; vice; wickedness
