To go over Advanced 3/4 Flashcards
Grandiloquent
Grandiloquent
pompous or extravagant in language, style, or manner, especially in a way that is intended to impress.
Litany
Litany
a long and tedious account of something
Probity
Probity
integrity, strong moral principles
Pecuniary
Pecuniary
relating to or involving money
Perspicacious
Perspicacious
acutely insightful and wise
cosseted
cosseted
treat with excessive indulgence
magisterial
magisterial
offensively self assured or given to exercising unwanted power
impetuous
impetuous
characterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation
stalwart
stalwart
dependable, inured to fatigue ot hardships
prolixity
prolixity
noun: boring verbosity (using more words then needed)
I loved my grandfather dearly, but his prolixity would put me to sleep, regardless of the topic.
sagacious
sagacious
adjective: having good judgement and acute insight
Steve Jobs is surely one of the most sagacious CEOs, making Apple one of the most recognizable and valuable companies in the world.
portentous
portentous
adjective: ominously prophetic.
When the captain and more than half the officers were sick on the very first night of the voyage, many of the passengers felt this was portentous, but the rest of the voyage continued without any problems.
raconteur
raconteur
noun: a person skilled in telling anecdotes
Jude is entertaining, but he is no raconteur: beyond the handful of amusing stories he has memorized, he has absolutely no spontaneous story-telling ability.
lampoon
lampoon
verb: ridicule with satire
Mark Twain understood that lampooning a bad idea with humor was the most effective criticism.
enjoin
enjoin
verb: give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority
The government agency enjoined the chemical company to clean up the hazardous dump it had created over the years.
anodyne
anodyne
noun: something that soothes or relieves pain
Muzak, which is played in department stores, is intended to be an anodyne, but is often so cheesy and over-the-top that customers become irritated.
adjective: inoffensive
Wilbur enjoyed a spicy Mexican breakfast, but Jill preferred a far more anodyne meal in the mornings.
sinecure
sinecure
noun: an office that involves minimal duties
The position of Research Director is a sinecure: the job entails almost no responsibilities, nor does the person in that position have to answer to anyone.
approbatory
approbatory
adjective: expressing praise or approval
Although it might not be her best work, Hunter’s new novel has received generally approbatory reviews.
provident
provident
adjective: careful in regard to your own interests; providing carefully for the future
In a move that hardly could be described as provident, Bert spent his entire savings on a luxurious cruise, knowing that other bills would come due a couple months later.
derelict
derelict
adjective: (of a person) not doing one’s duties
The teacher was derelict in her duties because she hadn’t graded a single student paper in three weeks.
noun: (of a building) abandoned
At one time the waterfront factories were busy and productive, but now that the economy has collapsed and the factories are all closed, these derelicts will be torn down.
hagiographic
hagiographic
adjective: excessively flattering toward someone’s life or work
Most accounts of Tiger Woods’s life were hagiographic, until, that is, his affairs made headlines.
importune
importune
verb: beg persistently and urgently
After weeks of importuning the star to meet for a five-minute interview, the journalist finally got what she wanted.
mordant
mordant
adjective: biting and caustic in thought, manner, or style
While Phil frequently made mordant remarks about company policy overall, he always was considerably gentler in discussing any person in particular.
prognostication
prognostication
noun: a statement made about the future
When the Senator was asked about where the negotiations would lead, he said that any guess he could make would be an unreliable prognostication.
insouciance
insouciance
noun: lack of concern
Surprisingly, Hank had become a high-powered CEO; his high school friends remembered him as “Hanky Panky”, who shrugged off each failed class with insouciance.
redoubtable
redoubtable
adjective: inspiring fear or awe
On television basketball players don’t look that tall, but when you stand in front of a seven-foot tall NBA player, he is truly redoubtable.
obstreperous
obstreperous
adjective: noisily and stubbornly defiant; willfully difficult to control
When the teacher asked the obstreperous student simply to bus his tray, the student threw the entire tray on the floor, shouted an epithet, and walked out.
dispensation
dispensation
noun: an exemption from a rule or obligation
Since her father is a billionaire, she is given dispensation from many of the school’s policies.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
decry
decry
verb: express strong disapproval of
The entire audience erupted in shouts and curses, decrying the penalty card issued by the referee.
recrimination
recrimination
noun: mutual accusations
The two brothers sat and cried, pointing fingers and making elaborate recriminations of the other’s guilt
inviolate
inviolate
adjective: must be kept sacred
While the literary critic subjected most of the classics to the harshest reviews, he regarded Cervantes as inviolate, and had nothing but praise for him.
unpropitious
unpropitious
adjective: (of a circumstance) with little chance of success
With only a bottle of water and a sandwich, the hikers faced an unpropitious task: ascending a huge mountain that took most two days to climb.
machinate
machinate
verb: engage in plotting or enter into a conspiracy, swear together
The rebels met at night in an abandoned barn to machinate.
rarefied
rarefied
adjective: made more subtle or refined
Jack’s vulgar jokes were not so successful in the rarefied environment of college professors.
invidious
invidious
adjective: likely to cause resentment
At a time when many others in the office were about to be laid off, many considered Cheryl’s fine clothes that day an invidious display.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
immune
immure
verb: to enclose, usually in walls
The modern supermarket experience makes many feel claustrophobic, as they are immured in walls upon walls of products.
apposite
apposite
adjective: remarkably appropriate
For a writer with such quick wit, Jonathan Swift has a rather apposite name.
denouncement
denouement
noun: the final resolution of the many strands of a literary or dramatic work; the outcome of a complex sequence of events
At the denouement of the movie, all questions were answered, and the true identity of the robber was revealed.
imperious
imperious
adjective: having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy
Children are imperious with each other before they learn that earning someone’s respect is better than demanding.
patent
patent
adjective: glaringly obvious
Since the book had been through no fewer than six proof runs, the staff was shocked to see such a patent spelling mistake remaining, right in the middle of the front cover!
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
inure
inure
verb: to make accustomed to something unpleasant
Three years of Manhattan living has inured her to the sound of wailing sirens; she could probably sleep through the apocalypse.
untenable
untenable
adjective: (of theories etc) incapable of being defended or justified
With the combination of Kepler’s brilliant theories and Galileo’s telescopic observations, the old geocentric theory became untenable to most of the educated people in Europe.
surreptitious
surreptitious
adjective: stealthy, taking pains not to be caught or detected
Since his mom was a light sleeper, Timmy had to tiptoe surreptitiously through the entire house, careful to not make the floors creak, until he at last was able to enjoy his plunder: a box of chocolate chip cookies.
corollary
corollary
noun: a practical consequence that follows naturally
A corollary of Hurricane Sandy, which ravaged the east coast of the U.S., is a push to build higher sea walls to protect against future hurricanes.
tempestuous
tempestuous
adjective: as if driven by turbulent or conflicting emotions; highly energetic and wildly changing or fluctuating
Chuck and Kathy had always been stable and agreeable people on their own, but when they got involved, it was a tempestuous relationship.
