Unit 5 (blight-charisma) Flashcards
blight
n. a disease in plants; anything that injures or destroys
blithe
adj. carefree; cheerful
bourgeois
adj. middle class, usually in a pejorative sense; boringly conventional
bovine
adj. cow related; cow like
brevity
n. briefness
broach
v. to open up a subject for discussion, often a delicate subject
bucolic
adj. charmingly rural; rustic; country like
bureaucracy
n. a system of government administration consisting of numerous bureaus or offices, especially one run according to inflexible and inefficient rules; any larger administrative system characterized by….
burgeon
v. to expand; to flourish
burlesque
n. a ludicrous, mocking, lewd imitation
cacophony
n. harsh-sounding mixture of words, voices, or sounds
cadence
n. rhythm; the rise and fall of sounds
cajole
v. to persuade someone to do something he or she doesn’t want to do
callow
adj. immature
candor
n. truthfulness; sincere honesty
capitalism
n. an economic system in which businesses are owned by private citizens (not the government)…
capitulate
v. to surrender; to give up or give in
capricious
adj. unpredictable; likely to change at any given moment
caricature
n. a portrait or description that is purposely distorted or exaggerated, often to prove a point
castigate
v. to criticize severely; to chastise
catalyst
n. in chemestry, something that changes rate of chemical reaction without the reaction itself being changed; anyone/anything that makes something happen without being directly involved in it
categorical
adj. unconditional; absolute
catharsis
n. purification that brings emotional relief or renewal
catholic
adj. universal; embracing everything
caustic
adj. like acid; corrosive
celibacy
n. abstinence from sex
censure
v. to condemn severely for doing something bad
cerebral
adj. brainy; intellectual
chagrin
n. humiliation; embarrassed disappointment
charisma
n. a magical-seeming ability to attract followers or inspire loyalty
