Set 4 Flashcards
Obstinate
adj
(ahb stih nuht)
Stubborn; unyielding
The OBSTINATE child could not be made to eat any food that he perceived to be “yucky.”
Synonyms: intransigent; mulish; persistent; pertinacious; stubborn
August
adj
(aw guhst)
Dignified; grandiose
The AUGUST view of the Grand Teton summit took my breath away.
Synonyms: admirable; awesome; grand; majestic
Lament
verb
(luh mehnt)
To express sorrow; to grieve
The children continued to LAMENT the death of the goldfish weeks after its demise.
Synonyms: bewail; deplore; grieve; mourn
Exculpate
verb
(ehk skuhl payt)
To clear from blame; to prove innocent
The legal system is intended to convict those who are guilty and EXCULPATE those who are innocent.
Synonyms: absolve; acquit; clear; exonerate; vindicate
Divine
verb
(dih vien)
To foretell or know by inspiration
The fortune teller DIVINED from the pattern of the tea leaves that her customer would marry five times.
Synonyms: auger; foresee; intuit; predict; presage
Rococo
adj
(ruh koh koh)
Very highly ornamented; relating to an 18th century artistic style of elaborate ornamentation
The ornate furniture in the house reminded Tatiana of the ROCOCO style.
Synonyms: intricate; ornate
Lucid
adj
(loo sihd)
Clear and easily understood
The explanations were written in a simple and LUCID manner so that students were immediately able to apply what they learned.
Synonyms: clear; coherent; explicit; intelligible; limpid
Fanatical
adj
(fuh nah tih kuhl)
Acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion
The storm troopers were FANATICAL in their devotion to the emperor, readily sacrificing their lives for him.
Synonyms: extremist; fiery; frenzied; zealous
Aggrandize
verb
(uh graan diez)
To increase in power, influence, and reputation
The supervisor sought to AGGRANDIZE himself by claiming that the achievements of his staff were actually his own.
Synonyms: amplify; apotheosize; augment; dignify; elevate; enlarge
Polyglot
noun
(pah lee glaht)
A speaker of many languages
Ling’s extensive travels have helped her to become a true POLYGLOT.
Deference
noun
(deh fuh ruhn(t)s)
Respect; courtesy
The respectful young law clerk treated the Supreme Court justice with the utmost DEFERENCE.
Synonyms: courtesy; homage; honor; obeisance; respect; reverence
Caustic
adj
(kaw stihk)
Biting in wit
Dorothy Parker gained her CAUSTIC reputation from her cutting, yet witty, insults.
Synonyms: acerbic; biting; mordant; trenchant
Bonhomie
noun
(bah nuh mee)
Good-natured geniality; an atmosphere of good cheer
The aspects of her job that Dana loved the most were eye flexible hours and the pleasant BONHOMIE in the office.
Synonyms: affability; amiability; cordiality; geniality
Enigma
noun
(ih nig muh)
A puzzle; a mystery
Speaking in riddles and dressed in old robes, the artist gained a reputation as something of an ENIGMA.
Synonyms: conundrum; perplexity
Hegemony
noun
(hih jeh muh nee)
The domination of one state or group over its allies
When Germany claimed HEGEMONY over Russia, Stalin was outraged.
Synonyms: authority; power
Frugality
noun
(fru gaa luh tee)
Tending to be thrifty or cheap
Scrooge McDuck’s FRUGALITY was so great that he accumulated enough wealth to fill a giant storehouse with money.
Synonyms: economy; parsimony; prudence; sparingness
Imperturbable
adj
(im puhr tuhr buh buhl)
Not capable of being disturbed
The counselor had so much experience dealing with distraught children that she was IMPERTURBABLE, even when faced with the wildest tantrums.
Synonyms: composed; dispassionate; impassive; serene; stoical
Glower
verb
(glow uhr)
To glare or stare angrily and intensely
The cranky waiter GLOWERED at the indecisive customer.
Synonyms: frown; lower; scowl
Slake
verb
(slayk)
To calm down or moderate
In order to SLAKE his curiosity, Bryan finally took a tour backstage at the theater.
Synonyms: moderate; quench; satisfy
Posit
verb
(pah siht)
To assume as real or conceded; to propose as an explanation
Before probing the math formula, we needed to POSIT that x and y were real numbers.
Synonyms: suggest
Mannered
adj
(maan uhrd)
Artificial or stilted in character
The portrait is an example of the MANNERED style that was favored in that era.
Synonyms: affected; unnatural
Alacrity
noun
(uh laak crih tee)
Speed or quickness
The restaurant won a reputation for fine service since the wait staff responded to their clients’ requests with ALACRITY.
Synonyms: celerity; dispatch; haste; swiftness
Potentate
noun
(poh tehn tayt)
A monarch or ruler with great power
Alex was much kinder before he assumed the role of POTENTATE.
Synonyms: dominator; leader
Myopic
adj
(mie oh pihk)
Lacking foresight; having a narrow view or short-range perspective
Not wanting to spend a lot of money up front, the MYOPIC business owner would likely suffer the consequences later.
Synonyms: short-sighted; unthinking
Deface
verb
(dih fays)
To mar the appearance of; to vandalize
After the wall was torn down, the students began to DEFACE the statues of Communist leaders of the former a Eastern Bloc.
Synonyms: disfigure; impair; spoil
Indolent
adj
(ihn duh luhnt)
Habitually lazy or idle
Her INDOLENT ways got her fired from many jobs.
Synonyms: faineant; languid; lethargic; slothful; sluggish
Aerie
noun
(ayr ee)
A nest built high in the air; an elevated, often secluded, dwelling
Perched high among the trees, the eagle’s AERIE was filled with eggs.
Synonyms: perch; stronghold
Pithy
adj
(pih thee)
Profound or substantial yet concise, succinct, and to the point
Martha’s PITHY comments during the interview must have been impressive because she got the job.
Synonyms: brief; compact; laconic; terse
Neologism
noun
(nee ah luh ji zuhm)
New word or expression
Aunt Mabel simply does not understand today’s youth; she is perplexed by their clothing, music, and NEOLOGISMS.
Synonyms: slang; coinage
Repast
noun
(rih paast)
Meal or mealtime
Ravi prepared a delicious REPAST of chicken tikka an naan.
Synonyms: banquet; feast
