Set 3 Flashcards
Hapless
adj
(haap luhs)
Unfortunate; having bad luck
I wish someone would give that poor, HAPLESS soul some food and shelter.
Synonyms: ill-fated; ill-starred; jinxed; luckless; unlucky
Inexorable
adj
(ihn ehk suhr uh buhl)
Inflexible; unyielding
The INEXORABLE force of the twister swept away their house.
Synonyms: adamant; obdurate; relentless
Whimsical
adj
(wihm sih cuhl)
Lightly acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredictable
The ballet was WHIMSICAL, delighting the children with its imaginative characters and unpredictable sets.
Synonyms: capricious; erratic; flippant; frivolous
Gambol
verb
(gaam buhl)
To dance or skip around playfully
From her office, Amy enviously watched the playful puppies GAMBOL around Central Park.
Synonyms: caper; cavort; frisk; frolic; rollick; romp
Legerdemain
noun
(lehj uhr duh mayn)
Trickery
The little boy thought his LEGERDEMAIN was working on his mother.
Synonyms: chicanery; conjuring
Eloquent
adj
(ehl uh kwunt)
Persuasive and moving, especially in speech
The Gettysburg Address is moving not only because of its lofty sentiments but because of its ELOQUENT words.
Synonyms: articulate; expressive; fluent; meaningful; significant
Prevaricate
verb
(prih vaar uh cayt)
To lie or deviate from the truth
Rather than admit that he had overslept again, the employee PREVARICATED and claimed hat heavy traffic had prevented him from arriving at work on time.
Synonyms: equivocate; lie; perjure
Condone verb (kuhn dohn)
To overlook, pardon, or disregard
Some theorists believe that failing to prosecute minor crimes is the same as CONDONING an air of lawlessness.
Synonyms: exculpatory; excuse; pardon; remit
Pristine
adj
(prih steen)
Fresh and clean; uncorrupted
Since concerted measures had been taken to prevent looting, the archeological site was still PRISTINE when researchers arrived.
Synonyms: innocent; undamaged
Fractious
adj
(fraak shuhs)
Unruly; rebellious
The general had a hard time maintaining discipline among his FRACTIOUS troops.
Synonyms: contentious; cranky; peevish; quarrelsome
Connoisseur
noun
(kah nuh suhr)
A person with expert knowledge or discriminating tastes
Dr. Crane was a CONNOISSEUR of fine food and wine, drinking and eating only the best.
Synonyms: authority; epicure; expert; gastronome; gourmet
Stolid
adj
(stah lihd)
Unemotional; lacking sensitivity
The prisoner appeared STOLID and unaffected by the judge’s harsh sentence.
Synonyms: apathetic; impassive; indifferent; phlegmatic; stoic
Rustic
adj
(ruh stihk)
Rural
The RUSTIC cabin was an ideal setting for a vacation in the country.
Synonyms: bucolic; pastoral
Pejorative
noun
(peh jaw ruh tihv)
Having bad connotations, disparaging
The teacher scolded Mark for his unduly PEJORATIVE comments about his classmate’s presentation.
Synonyms: belittling; dismissive; insulting
Pedant
noun
(peh daant)
Someone who shows off learning
The graduate instructor’s tedious and excessive commentary on the subject soon gained her a reputation as a PEDANT.
Synonyms: doctrinaire; nit-picker; pedagogue; scholar; schoolmaster
Demagogue
noun
(deh muh gawg)
A leader or rabble-rouser, usually one appealing to emotion or prejudice
He began his career as a DEMAGOGUE, giving fiery speeches at political rallies.
Synonyms: agitator; inviter; instigator
Deleterious
adj
(dehl ih teer ee uhs)
Subtly or unexpectedly harmful
If only we had known the clocks were defective before putting them on the market, it wouldn’t have been quite so DELETERIOUS to our reputation.
Synonyms: adverse; hurtful; inimical; injurious
Officious
adj
(uh fihsh uhs)
Too helpful; meddlesome
While planning her wedding, Maya discovered just how OFFICIOUS her future mother-in-law could be.
Synonyms: eager; intrusive; unwanted
Pare
verb
(payr)
To trim off excess; to reduce
The cook’s hands were sore after she PARED hundreds of potatoes for the banquet.
Synonyms: clip; peel
Pugilism
noun
(pyoo juhl ih suhm)
Boxing
PUGILISM has been defended as a positive outlet for aggressive impulses.
Synonyms: fighting; sparring
Verbose
adj
(vuhr bohs)
Wordy
The professor’s answer was so VERBOSE that his student forgot what the original question had been.
Synonyms: long-winded; loquacious; prolix; superfluous
Limpid
adj
(lim pihd)
Clear; transparent
Fernando could see all the way to the bottom through the pond’s LIMPID water.
Synonyms: lucid; pellucid; serene
Quixotic
adj
(kwihk sah tihk)
Overly idealistic; impractical
The practical Danuta was skeptical of her roommate’s QUIXOTIC plans to build a roller coaster in their yard.
Synonyms: capricious; impulsive; romantic; unrealistic
Austere
adj
(aw steer)
Severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
The lack of decoration makes Zen seem AUSTERE to the untrained eye.
Synonyms: bleak; dour; grim; hard; harsh; severe
Iconoclast
noun
(ie kahn uh klaast)
One who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
His lack of regard for traditional beliefs soon established him as an ICONOCLAST.
Synonyms: maverick; nonconformist; rebel; revolutionary
Ford
verb
(fohrd)
To cross a body of water by wading
Because of the recent torrential rains, the cowboys were unable to FORD the swollen river.
Synonyms: traverse; wade
Machination
noun
(mahk uh nay shuhn)
Plot or scheme
Tired of his enemies’ endless MACHINATIONS to remove him from the throne, the king had them executed.
Synonyms: cabal; conspiracy; design; intrigue
Exonerate
verb
(ihg zahn uh rayt)
To clear of blame
The fugitive was EXONERATED when another criminal confessed to committing the crime.
Synonyms: absolve; acquit; clear; exculpate; vindicate
Ameliorate
verb
(uh meel yuhr ayt)
To make better; to improve
The doctor was able to AMELIORATE the patient’s suffering using painkillers.
Synonyms: amend; better; improve; pacify; upgrade
Wily
adj
(wie lee)
Clever; deceptive
Yet again, the WILY coyote manga aged to elude the ranchers who wanted to capture it.
Synonyms: crafty; cunning; tricky
