Set 11 Flashcards
Zealot
noun
(zeh luht)
Someone passionately devoted to a cause
The religious ZEALOT had no time for those who failed to share his strong beliefs.
Synonyms: enthusiast; fanatic; militant; radical
Maudlin
adj
(mawd lihn)
Overly sentimental
The movie’s treatment of the mother’s death was so MAUDLIN that, instead of making the audience cry, it made them cringe.
Synonyms: bathetic; mawkish; saccharine; weepy
Acme
noun
(aak mee)
The highest point; the summit; the highest level or degree attainable
Just when he reached the ACME of his power, the dictator was overthrown.
Synonyms: apex; peak; summit
Dictum
noun
(dihk tuhm)
An authoritative statement
“You have time to lean, you have time to clean,” was the DICTUM our boss made us live by.
Synonyms: adage; aphorism; apothegm; decree; edict
Stigma
noun
(stihg mah)
A mark of shame or discredit
In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne was required to wear the letter A on her clothes as a public STIGMA for her adultery.
Synonyms: blemish; blot; opprobrium; stain; taint
Inimical
adj
(ih nihm ih kuhl)
Hostile; unfriendly
Even though a cease-fire had been in place for months, the two sides were still INIMICAL to each other.
Synonyms: adverse; antagonistic; dissident; recalcitrant
Sedition
noun
(sih dih shuhn)
Behavior that promotes rebellion or civil disorder against the state
Li was arrested for SEDATION after he gave a fiery speech in the main square.
Synonyms: conspiracy; insurrection
Effigy
noun
(eh fuh jee)
A stuffed doll; a likeness of a person
Protesters burned EFFIGIES of the unpopular leader.
Synonyms: dummy; figure; image
Distend
verb
(dih stehnd)
To swell, inflate, or bloat
Her stomach was DISTENDED after she gorged on the six-course meal.
Synonyms: broaden; bulge
Onerous
adj
(oh neh ruhs)
Troublesome and oppressive; burdensome
The assignment was so extensive and difficult to manage that it proved ONEROUS to the team in charge of it.
Synonyms: arduous; backbreaking; burdensome; cumbersome; difficult; exacting; formidable; hard; laborious; oppressive; rigorous; taxing; trying
Abate
verb
(uh bayt)
To reduce in amount, degree, or severity
As the hurricane’s force ABATED, the winds dropped and the sea became calm.
Synonyms: ebb; lapse; let up; moderate; relent; slacken; subside; wane
Implacable
adj
(ihm play kuh buhl)
Unable to be calmed down or made peaceful
His rage at the betrayal was so great that he remained IMPLACABLE for weeks.
Synonyms: inexorable; intransigent; irreconcilable; relentless; remorseless; unforgiving; unrelenting
Lugubrious
adj
(loo goo bree uhs)
Sorrowful; mournful; dismal
Irish wakes are a rousing departure from the LUGUBRIOUS funeral services to which most people are accustomed.
Synonyms: funereal; gloomy; melancholy; somber; woeful
Panoply
noun
(paa nuh plee)
Impressive array
Her resume indicates a PANOPLY of skills and accomplishments.
Synonyms: array; display; fanfare; parade; pomp; shine; show
Sybarite
noun
(sih buh riet)
A person devoted to pleasure and luxury
A confirmed SYBARITE, the nobleman fainted at the thought of having to leave his palace and live in a small cottage.
Synonyms: hedonist; sensualist
Mercurial
adj
(muhr kyoor ee uhl)
Quick, shrewd, and unpredictable
Her MERCURIAL personality made it difficult to guess how she would react to the bad news.
Synonyms: clever; crafty; volatile; whimsical
Satiate
verb
(say shee ayt)
To satisfy fully or overindulge
His desire for power was so great that nothing less than complete control of the country could SATIATE it.
Synonyms: cloy; glut; gorge; surfeit
Largess
noun
(laar jehs)
Generous giving (as of money) to others who may seem inferior
She’d always relied on her parents’ LARGESS, but after graduation she had to get a job.
Synonyms: benevolence; boom; compliment; favor; present
Venerate
verb
(vehn uhr ayt)
To respect deeply
In a traditional Confucian society, the young VENERATE their elders, deferring to the elders’ wisdom and experience.
Synonyms: adore; honor; idolize; revere
Intrepid
adj
(ihn treh pihd)
Fearless; resolutely courageous
Despite freezing winds, the INTREPID hiker completed his ascent.
Synonym: brave
Diffident
adj
(dih fih dint)
Lacking self confidence
Steve was DIFFIDENT during the job interview because of his nervous nature and lack of experience in the field.
Synonyms: backward; bashful; coy; demur; modest; retiring; self-effacing; shy; timid
Surly
adj
(suhr lee)
Rude and bad-tempered
When asked to clean the windshield, the SURLY gas station attendant tossed a dirty rag at the customer and walked away.
Synonyms: gruff; grumpy; testy
Encomium
noun
(ehn koh me uhm)
Warm praise
She wrote an ENCOMIUM in praise of the outgoing president.
Synonyms: citation; eulogy; panegyric; salutation; tribute
Inculcate
verb
(ihn kuhl kayt)
To teach; to impress in the mind
Most parents INCULCATE their children with their beliefs and ideas instead of allowing their children to develop their own values.
Synonyms: implant; indoctrinate; instill; preach
Accretion
noun
(uh kree shuhn)
A gradual growth in size; an increase in amount
The committee’s strong fund-raising efforts resulted in an ACCRETION in scholarship money.
Synonyms: accumulation; buildup
Idiosyncrasy
noun
(ih dee uh sihn kruh see)
Peculiarity of temperament; eccentricity
His numerous IDIOSYNCRASIES included a fondness for wearing bright green shoes with mauve socks.
Synonyms: humor; oddity; quirk
Obdurate
adj
(ahb duhr uht)
Hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion
The. President was completely OBDURATE on the issue, and no amount of persuasion would change his mind.
Synonyms: inflexible; intransigent; recalcitrant; tenacious; unyielding
Tangential
adj
(taan jehn shuhl)
Digressing; diverting
Your argument is interesting, but it’s TANGENTIAL to the matter at hand, so I suggest we get back to the point.
Synonyms: digressive; extraneous; inconsequential; irrelevant; peripheral
Imprecation
noun
(ihm prih kay shuhn)
A curse
Spouting violent IMPRECATIONS, Hank searched for the person who had vandalized his truck.
Synonym: damnation
Wan
adj
(wahn)
Sickly pale
The sick child had a WAN face, in contrast to her rosy-cheeked sister.
Synonyms: ashen; sickly
