Set 15 Flashcards
Penury
noun
(pehn yuh ree)
An oppressive lack of resources (as money); severe poverty
Once a famous actor, he eventually died in PENURY and annonymity.
Synonyms: destitution; impoverishment
Waver
verb
(way vuhr)
To fluctuate between choices
If you WAVER too long between making. A decision about which testing site to register for, you may not get your first choice.
Synonyms: dither; falter; fluctuate; oscillate; vacillate
Pastiche
noun
(pah steesh)
A piece of literature or music imitating other works.
The playwright’s clever PASTICHE of the well-known children’s story had the audience rolling in the aisles.
Synonyms: medley; spoof
Canard
noun
(kuh nard)
A lie
That tabloid’s feature story about a goat giving birth to a human child was clearly a CANARD.
Synonyms: falsehood; falsity; fib; misreprentation; prevarication; tale; untruth
Ephemeral
adj
(ih fehm uhr uhl)
Lasting a short time
The lives of mayflies seem EPHEMERAL to us, since the flies’ average life span is a matter of hours.
Synonyms: evanescent; fleeting; momentary; transient
Exigent
adj
(ehk suh juhnt)
Urgent; requiring immediate action
The patient was losing blood so rapidly that it was EXIGENT to stop the bleeding.
Synonyms: critical; imperative; needed; urgent
Garner
verb
(gahr nuhr)
To gather and stor
The director managed to GARNER financial backing from several different sources for his next project.
Synonyms: acquire; amass; gleam; harvest; reap
Quotidian
adj
(kwo tih dee uhn)
Occurring daily; commonplace
The sight of people singing on the street is so QUOTIDIAN in New York that passersby rarely react to it.
Synonyms: everyday; normal; usual
Fortuitous
adj
(fohr too ih tuhs)
Happening by chance; fortunate
It was FORTUITOUS that he won the lotto just before he had to pay back his loans.
Synonyms: chance; fortunate; haphazard; lucky; propitious; prosperous
Convoluted
adj
(kahn vuh loo tehd)
Intricate and complicated
Although many people bought the professor’s book, few people could follow its CONVOLUTED ideas and theories.
Synonyms: Byzantine; complex; elaborate; intricate; knotty; labyrinthine; perplexing; tangled
Lethargic
adj
(luh thar jik)
Acting in an indifferent or slow, sluggish manner
The clerk was so LETHARGIC that, even when business was slow, he always had a long line in front of him.
Synonyms: apathetic; lackadaisical; languid; listless; torpid
Amalgamate
verb
(uh maal guh mayt)
To continue; to mix together
Giant Industries AMALGAMATED with Mega Products to form Giant-Mega Products Incorporated.
Synonyms: admix; blend; coalesce; combine; commingle; commix; compound; fuse; intermingle; intermix; merge; mingle; mix; unite
Peregrinate
verb
(peh ruh gruh nayt)
To wander from place to place; to travel, especially on foot
Shivani enjoyed PEREGRINATING the expansive grounds of Central Park.
Synonyms: journey; traverse; trek
Equivocate
verb
(ih kwihv uh kayt)
To use expressions of double meaning in order to be mislead
When faced with criticism of his policies, the politician EQUIVOCATED and left all parties thinking he agreed its them.
Synonyms: ambiguous; evasive; waffling
Volatile
adj
(vah luh tuhl)
Easily aroused or changeable; lively or explosive
His VOLATILE personality made it difficult to predict his reaction to anything.
Synonyms: capricious; erratic; fickle; inconsistent; inconstant; mercurial; temperamental
