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The words Flashcards

1
Q

licentious

A

promiscuous and unprincipled in sexual matters; W. lewd; dissolute; immoral

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2
Q

alacrity

A

brisk and cheerful readiness; “she accepted the invitation with alacrity”

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3
Q

avaricious

A

having or showing an extreme greed for wealth or material gain

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4
Q

avarice

A

extreme greed for wealth or material gain; W. inordinate desire for wealth; greed; covetousness

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5
Q

bluster

A

talk in a loud, aggressive, or indignant way with little effect; (of a storm, wind, or rain) blow or beat fiercely and noisily; loud, aggressive, or indignant talk with little effect

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6
Q

eloquence

A

fluent or persuasive speaking or writing

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7
Q

magniloquence

A

use of high-flown language

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8
Q

prescience

A

the fact of knowing something before it takes place; foreknowledge; “with extraordinary prescience, Jung actually predicted the Nazi eruption”

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9
Q

effrontery

A

insolent or impertinent behavior; “one juror had the effrontery to challenge the coroner’s decision”; W. barefaced impropriety; shamelessness; impudence

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10
Q

elegy

A

W. a mournful poem or song, esp. in lament for the dead

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11
Q

impudent

A

W. offensively forward in behavior; insolent; saucy

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12
Q

prodigious

A

remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree

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13
Q

ungainly

A

(of a person or movement) awkward; clumsy

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14
Q

proscription

A

the action of forbidding something; banning

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15
Q

sagacity

A

wisdom

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16
Q

vacillate

A

alternate or waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive

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17
Q

erstwhile

A

former; “his erstwhile rivals”

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18
Q

shrewd

A

having or showing sharp powers of judgment; astute

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19
Q

exultant

A

triumphantly happy

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20
Q

resplendent

A

attractive and impressive through being richly colorful or sumptuous

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21
Q

insolence

A

rude and disrespectful behavior

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22
Q

crestfallen

A

sad and disappointed; W. dejected; abashed

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23
Q

vacuous

A

mindless

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24
Q

opprobrium

A

harsh criticism or censure; the public disgrace arising from someone’s shameful conduct

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25
Q

abstemious

A

not self-indulgent, especially when eating and drinking

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26
Q

assuage

A

make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense

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27
Q

bereavement

A

the state or fact of being bereaved or deprived of something or someone

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28
Q

bereave

A

to deprive of something —usually used with “of”

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29
Q

beguile

A

charm or enchant (someone), sometimes in a deceptive way

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30
Q

salacious

A

having or conveying undue or inappropriate interest in sexual matters

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31
Q

callow

A

(of a young person) inexperienced and immature; “earnest and callow undergraduates”

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32
Q

grotesque

A

comically or repulsively ugly or distorted

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33
Q

demagogue

A

a political leader who seeks support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people rather than by using rational argument

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34
Q

turpitude

A

depravity; wickedness; “acts of moral turpitude”

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35
Q

specious

A

superficially plausible, but actually wrong; misleading in appearance, especially misleadingly attractive

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36
Q

craven

A

contemptibly lacking in courage; cowardly; “a craven abdication of his moral duty”

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37
Q

abdication

A

failure to fulfill a responsibility or duty

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38
Q

obsequious

A

obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree; “they were served by obsequious waiters”

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39
Q

sycophantic

A

behaving or done in an obsequious way in order to gain advantage; “a sycophantic interview”

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40
Q

ingratiating

A

intended to gain approval or favor; sycophantic

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41
Q

unctuous

A

(of a person) excessively or ingratiatingly flattering; oily; “he seemed anxious to please but not in an unctuous way”

42
Q

astute

A

having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to one’s advantage

43
Q

insurrection

A

a violent uprising against an authority or government

44
Q

sinuous

A

having many curves and turns; “the river follows a sinuous trail through the forest”

45
Q

beleaguer

A

cause problems or difficulties for

46
Q

pariah

A

an outcast

47
Q

recrimination

A

an accusation in response to one from someone else; “there are no tears, no recriminations”

48
Q

untrammeled

A

not deprived of freedom of action or expression; not restricted or hampered; “a mind untrammeled by convention”

49
Q

compendium

A

a collection of concise but detailed information about a particular subject, especially in a book or other publication; “an invaluable compendium of useful information about language”

50
Q

pugnacious

A

eager or quick to argue, quarrel, or fight

51
Q

pageantry

A

elaborate display or ceremony

52
Q

aloof

A

not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant

53
Q

insidious

A

proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects

54
Q

coterie

A

a small group of people with shared interests or tastes, especially one that is exclusive of other people; “a coterie of friends and advisers”

55
Q

cri de Coeur

A

a passionate appeal, complaint, or protest

56
Q

loquacious

A

tending to talk a great deal; talkative

57
Q

ebullience

A

the quality of being cheerful and full of energy; exuberance; “the ebullience of happy children”

58
Q

ambulate

A

walk; move about; “making use of crutches to ambulate”

59
Q

magnanimous

A

generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or less powerful person; “she should be magnanimous in victory”

60
Q

glib

A

(of words or the person speaking them) fluent and voluble but insincere and shallow; “she was careful not to let the answer sound too glib”

61
Q

voluble

A

(of a person) talking fluently, readily, or incessantly; “a voluble game-show host”

62
Q

sordid

A

involving ignoble actions and motives; arousing moral distaste and contempt; “the story paints a sordid picture of bribes and scams”

63
Q

effusive

A

expressing feelings of gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner; “an effusive welcome”

64
Q

congenial

A

(of a person) pleasant because of a personality, qualities, or interests that are similar to one’s own; “his need for some congenial company”

(of a thing) pleasant or agreeable because suited to one’s taste or inclination; “he went back to a climate more congenial to his cold stony soul”

65
Q

verisimilitude

A

the appearance of being true or real; “the detail gives the novel some verisimilitude”

66
Q

pensive

A

engaged in, involving, or reflecting deep or serious thought; “a pensive mood”

67
Q

parsimonious

A

unwilling to spend money or use resources; stingy or frugal; “even the parsimonious Joe paid for drinks all round”

68
Q

maladaptive

A

not providing adequate or appropriate adjustment to the environment or situation; “maladaptive coping strategies such as increasing consumption of alcohol”

69
Q

detente

A

the easing of hostility or strained relations, especially between countries; “a serious effort at detente with the eastern bloc”

70
Q

apoplectic

A

overcome with anger; extremely indignant

71
Q

verklempt

A

overcome with emotion

72
Q

wistful

A

having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing

73
Q

invidious

A

(of an action or situation) likely to arouse or incur resentment or anger in others; “she’d put herself in an invidious position”

(of a comparison or distinction) unfairly discriminating; unjust; “it seems invidious to make special mention of one aspect of his work”

74
Q

disaffected

A

dissatisfied with the people in authority and no longer willing to support them; “a military plot by disaffected elements in the army”

75
Q

obloquy

A

strong public criticism or verbal abuse; “he endured years of contempt and obloquy”

76
Q

facile

A
  1. (especially of a theory or argument) appearing neat and comprehensive only by ignoring the true complexities of an issue; superficial; “facile generalizations”.
  2. (especially of success in sports) easily achieved; effortless; “a facile victory”
77
Q

aplomb

A

self-confidence or assurance, especially when in a demanding situation; “Diana passed the test with aplomb”

78
Q

lachrymose

A

tearful or given to weeping; “she was pink-eyed and lachrymose”

inducing tears; sad; “a lachrymose children’s classic”

79
Q

cognitive dissonance

A

the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioral decisions and attitude change

80
Q

obviate

A

remove (a need or difficulty); “the Venetian blinds obviated the need for curtains”

81
Q

plinth

A

a heavy base supporting a statue or vase; “busts of the King and Queen on marble plinths”

82
Q

oleaginous

A

rich in, covered with, or producing oil; oily or greasy; “fabrics would quickly become filthy in this oleaginous kingdom”

exaggeratedly and distastefully complimentary; obsequious; “candidates made the usual oleaginous speeches in the debate”

83
Q

puerile

A

childishly silly and trivial; “you’re making puerile excuses”

84
Q

apposite

A

apt in the circumstances or in relation to something; “an apposite quotation”

85
Q

auto-da-fé

A

the burning of a heretic by the Spanish Inquisition; “he was burned at the stake in what was arguably the biggest auto-da-fé ever in New Spain”

86
Q

casus belli

A

an act or situation provoking or justifying war

87
Q

lurid

A

very vivid in color, especially so as to create an unpleasantly harsh or unnatural effect; “lurid food colorings”

88
Q

festoon

A

and

89
Q

risible

A

and

90
Q

derision

A

and

91
Q

coy

A

and

92
Q

inchoate

A

and

93
Q

despondent

A

and

94
Q

edify

A

and

95
Q

anodyne

A

and

96
Q

temerity

A

and

97
Q

detritus

A

waste or debris of any kind

98
Q

screed

A

noun
1.
a long speech or piece of writing, typically one regarded as tedious.
“her criticism appeared in the form of screeds in a local film magazine”
2.
a leveled layer of material (e.g., cement) applied to a floor or other surface.
verb
level (a floor or layer of concrete) with a straight edge using a back and forth motion while moving across the surface.

99
Q

stultifying

A

tending to stifle enthusiasm, initiative, or freedom of action.
“the corporate environment, with its relentless emphasis on results, has become stultifying”

100
Q

canard

A

1.
an unfounded rumor or story.
“the old canard that LA is a cultural wasteland”
2.
a small winglike projection attached to an aircraft forward of the main wing to provide extra stability or control, sometimes replacing the tail.

101
Q

diadem

A

a jeweled crown or headband worn as a symbol of sovereignty

102
Q
A

Interesting words (1 decks)

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