Unit 5 Vocabulary Flashcards
Fervent
☺ (fuhr vehnt) adj. - passionate, intense, zealous; characterized by intense emotion.
Synonyms: vehement, eager, enthusiastic, avid
Example: “In spite of my fervent hope that winter will last forever, I know in my heart, one day it will end.”
(This is not at all true, but fervent fits nicely!)
Callous
☹ (kal-uhs) adj. insensitive; having no feeling
Synonyms: insensitive, emotionally hardened, indurate; thickened, tough
Example: “The callous remark upset the entire family.”
Depredate
☹(dep-rih-deyt) v. to lay waste to; to plunder, pillage, destroy, ravage; to exploit
Synonyms: plunder, ravage
Example: “The vikings depredated every village and farm in the valley.”
Temerity
☹ (təˈmerədē) noun - excessive confidence or boldness; audacity; fearless daring
Synonyms: audacity, nerve, effrontery, impudence, impertinence, cheek, gall, presumption Example: “Founded on faulty experiments and reasoning, the views he expressed were either ignored or ridiculed; and it was long before he bitterly regretted the temerity with which he had published his hasty generalizations.”
Pelagic
± [puh-laj-ik] adj. - relating to open seas rather than waters adjacent to land; living or growing at or near the surface of the ocean, far from land, as certain organisms.
Synonyms: oceanic
Example: “The pelagic organism was only found in the deepest part of the ocean.”
Punctilious
± (pəNG(k)ˈtilēəs) adj. - precise, paying attention to trivialities of etiquette; marked by precise accordance with details
Synonyms: meticulous, fastidious
Example: “Sebastian was punctilious in providing every amenity for his guests.”
Aphorism
± (ˈafəˌrizəm) n. - a tersely phrased truth or opinion; adage; epigram; a brief statement of principle; or general truth
Synonyms: apothegm
Example: “The Book of Proverbs in the Old Testament includes a chapter for every day of the month filled with aphorisms and wise counsel.”
Succor
☺ (ˈsəkər) n. - relief during a time of struggle Synonyms: relief, ministration
Example: “The Red Cross provides succor to refugees in emergency shelters.”
Denouement
☺ (dey-noo-mahn) n. an outcome or solution to a complex series of events
Synonyms: termination, resolution, result
Example: “Though public interest slackened after the arsonist was caught, the denouement of the case was just as interesting as the manhunt that had preceded it.”
Supercilious
☹ (soo-per-sill-ee-uhs) adj. arrogant, overbearing; displaying condescending superiority over someone else
Synonyms: haughty, imperious, disdainful, sneering, lordly Example: “His supercilious behavior drove away many of his peers.”
Parley
± (pahr-lee) n. discussion between enemies, often to prepare terms of surrender
Synonyms: negotiate, deliberate, powwow, summit
Example: “The longtime enemies held a parley to work on peace negotiations.”
Supplicate
☺ (sup-lih-kate) v. - to humbly ask; to write a petition for something to somebody
Synonyms: implore, beg, pray
Example: “The churchgoers then bowed their heads and supplicated God to answer their prayers.”
Surreptitious
☹ (ser-up-tish-us) adj. - secretive; marked by hidden aims or methods
Synonyms: sneaky, clandestine, stealthy
Example: “Since they were not allowed to speak, the couple exchanged surreptitious glances from across the room.”
Tacit
± (tass-it) adj. - implied or unspoken; inferred from actions or statements
Synonyms: silent, understood, implicit
Example: “There was a tacit agreement between the two companies that neither would expand into the other’s city.”
Officious
☹ (uh-fish-us) adj. prone to giving unwanted advice; intrusive in a meddling or offensive way
Synonyms: meddlesome, meddling, interfering, self-important, overbearing
Example: “I make a habit of giving honest opinions, but I try to avoid being officious with my friends.”
Symbiotic
± (sim-bee-ott-ik) adj. - related to a relationship that is beneficial for all involved
Synonym: dependent
Example: “The whale and the small fish that cling to its body have a symbiotic relationship.”
Synapse
± (sin-apse) n. – the small gap between the cells of nerves; the state of being joined together
Synonym: junction, conjugation, colligation, conjunction
Example: “Neurotransmitters travel across the synapse between brain cells.”
Paragon
☺ (par-uh-gon) n. – a model of excellence; one having no equal
Synonym: perfection, ideal, apotheosis
Example: “The man was a paragon of virtue who had never stolen so much as a loaf of bread in his life.”
Mawkish
☹ (maw-kish) adj. – very sentimental; insincerely emotional
Synonym: schmaltzy, soppy, drippy, kitschy, maudlin
Example: “The group of graduating seniors was a mawkish sight—crying and taking hundreds of pictures.”
Cacophony
☹ (kuh-kof-uh-nee) n. – unpleasant, discordant sounds; a loud harsh or strident noise
Synonym: dissonance, clamor, din, blare
Example: “The orchestra’s first attempt to play together was a cacophony of jarring notes.”
