Unit 2 Vocabulary Flashcards
ameliorate
(v) to improve, make better, correct a flaw or shortcoming
S: amend, better
A: worsen, aggravate, exacerbate
Aplomb
(n) poise, assurance, great self-confidence; perpendicularly
S: composure, self-possession, levelheadedness
A: unadorned, simple, plain, austere
Bombastic
(adj.) pompous or over blown in language; full of high-sounding words intended to conceal a lack of ideas
S: inflated, highfalutin, high-flown, pretentious
A: unadorned, simple, plain, austere
Callow
(adj.) without experience; immature, not fully developed; lacking sophistication and poise; without feathers
S: green, raw, unfledged, inexperience
A: mature, grown-up, polished, sophisticated
Drivel
(n) saliva or mucus flowing from the mouth or nose; foolish, aimless talk or thinking; nonsense
(v) to let saliva flow from the mouth; to utter nonsense or childish twaddle; to waste or fritter away foolishly
S: (n) balderdash, hogwash, tommyrot
(v) slaver
Epitome
(n) a summary, condensed account; an instance that represents a larger reality
S: abstract, digest, model, archetype
Ex officio
(adj., adv.) by virtue of holding a certain office
Exhort
(v) to urge strongly, advise earnestly
S: entreat, implore, adjure
A: discourage, advise against, deprecate
Infringe
(v) to violate, trespass, go beyond recognized bounds
S: encroach, impinge, intrude, poach
A: stay in bounds
Ingratiate
(v) to make oneself agreeable and thus gain favor and acceptance by others (sometimes used in critical or derogatory sense)
S: cozy up to, curry favor with
A: alienate, humiliate oneself, mortify oneself
Interloper
(n) one who moves in where he or she is not wanted or has no right to me around, an intruder
S: trespasser, meddler, buttinsky
Intrinsic
(adj.) belonging to someone or something by its very nature, essential, inherent; originating in a bodily organ or part
S: immanent, organic
A: extrinsic, external, outward
Inveigh
(v) to make a violent attack in words, express strong disapproval
S: rail, harangue, fulminate, demonstrate
A: acclaim, glory, extol
Lassitude
(n) weariness of body or mind, lack of energy
S: fatigue, lethargy, torpor, languor
A: energy, vitality, animation, liveliness
Millennium
(n) a period of one thousand years; a period of great joy
S: child, golden age, prosperity, peace
A: doomsday, day of judgement
Occult
(adj.) mysterious, magical, supernatural; secret, hidden from view; not detectable by ordinary means; (v) to hide, conceal; eclipse: (n) matters involving the supernatural
S: (adj.) supernatural, esoteric, abstruse, arcane
A: (adj.) mundane, common, public, exoteric
Permeate
(v) to spread through, penetrate, soak through
Precipitate
(v) to fall as moisture; cause or bring about suddenly; to hurl down from a great height; to give distinct from to;
(adj.) characterized by excessive haste
(n) moisture; product of an action or process
S: (v) provoke, produce; (adj.) reckless, impetuous
A: (adj.) wary, cautious, circumspect
Stringent
(adj.) strict, severe; rigorously, or urgently binding or compelling; sharp or bitter to the taste
S: stern, rigorous, tough, urgent, imperative
A: lenient, mild, lax, permissive
Surmise
(v) to think or believe without certain supporting evidence; to conjecture or guess; (n) likely idea that lacks definite proof
S: (v) infer, gather; (n) inference, presumption
