Set 12 Flashcards
Variegated
adj
(vaar ee uh gayt ehd)
Varied; marked with different colors
The VARIEGATED foliage of the jungle allows it to support thousands of different animal species.
Synonyms: diversified
Parley
noun
(par lee)
Discussion, usually between enemies
The PARLEY between the rival cheerleading teams resulted in neither side admitting that they copied the other’s dance moves.
Synonyms: debate; dialogue; negotiations; talks
Specious
adj
(spee shuhs)
Deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious
The student’s SPECIOUS excuse for being late sounded legitimate, but was proved otherwise when his teacher called his home.
Synonyms: illusory; ostensible; plausible; sophistic; spurious
Aesthetic
adj
(ehs theh tihk)
Concerning the appreciation of beauty
The AESTHETIC movement regarded the pursuit of beauty as the only true purpose of art.
Synonyms: artistic; tasteful
Parry
verb
(paar ree)
To ward off or deflect, especially by a quick-witted answer
Kari PARRIED every question the army officers fired at her, much to their frustration.
Synonyms: avoid; evade; repel
Intransigent
adj
(ihn traan suh juhnt)
Uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled
The professor was INTRANSIGENT on the deadline, insisting that everyone turn the assignment in at the same time.
Synonyms: implacable; inexorable; irreconcilable; obdurate; obstinate;remorseless; rigid; unbending; unrelenting; unyielding
Venerable
adj
(veh nehr uh buhl)
Respected because of age
All of the villagers sought the VENERABLE old woman’s advice whenever they had a problem.
Synonyms: distinguished; elderly; respectable
Martinet
noun
(mahr tihn eht)
Strict disciplinarian; one who rigidly follows rules
A complete MARTINET, the official insists that Pete fill out. All the forms again even though he was already familiar with his case.
Synonyms: dictator; stickler; tyrant
Assuage
verb
(uh swayj)
To make something unpleasant less severe
Like many people, Philip Larkin used alcohol to ASSUAGE his sense of meaninglessness and despair.
Synonyms: allay; alleviate; appease; comfort; conciliate; ease; lighten; mitigate; mollify; pacify; palliate; placate; propitiate; relieve; soothe; sweeten
Meticulous
adj
(mih tihk yuh luhs)
Extremely careful; fastidious; painstaking
To find all the clues at the crime scene, the METICULOUS investigators examined every inch of the area.
Synonyms: finicky; fussy; picky; precise; punctilious; scrupulous
Wraith
noun
(rayth)
A ghost of specter; a ghost of a living person seen just before his or her death
Gideon thought he saw a WRAITH late one night as he sat vigil outside his great uncle’s bedroom door.
Synonyms: apparition; bogeyman; phantasm; shade; spirit
Sobriquet
noun
(soh brih keht)
Nickname
One of Ronald Reagan’s SOBRIQUETS was “The Gripper.”
Synonyms: alias; pseudonym
Ostentation
noun
(ah stehn tay shuhn)
Excessive showiness
The OSTENTATION of the Sun King’s court is evident in the lavish decoration and luxurious news of his palace at Versailles.
Synonyms: conspicuousness; flashiness; pretentiousness; showiness
Lissome
adj
(lihs uhm)
Easily flexed; limber; agile
The LISSOME yoga instructor twisted herself into shapes that her students could only dream of.
Synonyms: graceful; lithe; supple
Scintilla
noun
(sihn tihl uh)
Trace amount
This poison is so powerful that no more than a SCINTILLA of it is needed to kill a horse.
Synonyms: atom; iota; mote; spark; speck
Ingratiate
verb
(ihn gray shee ayt)
Ito gain favor with another by deliberate effort; to seek to please somebody so as to gain an advantage
The new intern tired to INGRATIATE herself with the managers so that they might consider her for a future job.
Synonyms: curry; favor; flatter
Loquacious
adj
(loh kway shuhs)
Talkative
She is naturally LOQUACIOUS, which is a problem in situation where listening is more important than talking.
Synonyms: effusive; garrulous; verbose
Diatribe
noun
(die uh trieb)
An abusive, condemnatory speech
The trucker bellied a DIATRIBE at the driver who had cut him off.
Synonyms: fulmination; harangue; invective; jeremiad; malediction; obloquy; tirade
Taciturn
adj
(taa sih tuhrn)
Silent; not talkative
The clerk’s TACITURN nature earned him the nickname Silent Bob.
Synonyms: laconic; reticent
Syncophant
noun
(sih kuh fuhnt)
A self-serving flatterer; a yes-man
Dreading criticism, the actor surrounded himself with admirers and SYCOPHANTS.
Synonyms: bootlicker; fawner; lickspittle; toady
Panache
noun
(puh nahsh)
Flamboyance or dash in style and action; verve
Pah has such a PANACHE when planning parties, even when they’re last minute affairs.
Synonyms: flair
Acidulous
adj
(uh si juh luhs)
Sour in taste or manner
The ACIDULOUS taste of the spoiled milk made the young boy’s lips pucker.
Synonyms: acerbic; acetous; biting; piquant; pungent; tart
Hyperbole
noun
(hie puhr boh lee)
Purposeful exaggeration for effect
When the mayor claimed his town was one of the seven wonders of the world, outsiders classified his statement as a HYPERBOLE.
Synonyms: embellishment; inflation; magnification
Ignoble
adj
(ihg noh buhl)
Having low moral standards; not noble in character; mean
The photographer was paid a princely sum for the picture of the self-proclaimed ethicist in the IGNOBLE act of pick-pocketing.
Synonyms: lowly; vulgar
Burgeon
verb
(buhr juhn)
To grow and flourish
Faulkner neither confirmed nor denied stories about himself, allowing tumor to BURGEON where it would.
Synonyms: bloom; flourish; prosper; thrive
Laud
verb
(lawd)
To give praise; to glorify
Parades and fireworks were staged to LAUD the success of the rebels.
Synonyms: acclaim; applaud; commend; compliment; exalt; extol; hail; praise
Opine
verb
(oh pien)
To express an opinion
At the “Let’s Chat Talk Show,” the audience member OPINED that the guest was in the wrong.
Synonyms: point out; voice
Zeal
noun
(zeehl)
Passion; excitement
She brought her typical ZEAL to the project, sparking enthusiasm in the other team members.
Synonyms: ardency; fervor; fire; passion
Enumerate
verb
(ih noo muhr ayt)
To count, list, or itemize
Before making his decision, Jacob asked the waiter to ENUMERATE the different varieties of ice cram that the restaurant carried.
Synonyms: catalog; index; tabulate
Dilatory
adj
(dihl uh tohr ee)
Intended to delay
The congressman used DILATORY measures to delay the passage of the bill.
Synonyms: dragging; flagging; laggard; lagging; slow; slow-footed; slow-going; slow-paced; tardy
