Units 3-5 - Pd 1 Flashcards
pedestrian
Ordinary or dull
The diners were less than impressed with the pedestrian meal – hot dogs and chips.
bona fide
Genuine; real
The antiques dealer confirmed that our coins were bona fide colonial era currency.
Sadistic
deriving pleasure from causing pain
The serial killer was called sadistic by the news after it was found that he murdered several women without a motive.
deviate
to stray
The boy deviated from the path and got lost in the woods.
ambiguous
vague; open to more than one interpretation
The spectators at the art exhibit each saw a different image in the ambiguous painting.
rakish
dashingly stylish and confident
The rakish businessman walked into the interview with high hopes of getting hired for his affluence could already afford him a chic suit.
debacle
a complete failure or disaster
Joe’s party turned out to be a debacle when no one showed up.
Impair
To weaken
The doctor was impaired by the sickness.
Quasi-
Somewhat
I was quasi-happy with my performance; I did not do my best, but I did not do my worst either.
non sequitur
does not follow / argument that doesn’t make sense
The Cadbury commercial with two kids was very non sequitur because it had nothing to do with the product.
Obloquy
Strong disapproval.
It was obvious to the mother that the dancing purple dinosaur on tv had become the victim of her stubborn 5-year old son’s obloquy. After all, the boy threw the remote at the television every time the show came on.
Impale
To be pierced with a sharp object
Yuki impaled his finger on a shard from a broken stirring rod while cleaning a beaker.
nebulous
hazy; unclear
The idea was nebulous to the students who were not familiar with passive voice.
besmirch
to dirty; to stain
After the boy cheated on the test, he besmirched his sense of trust with the teacher.
Fop
a person with fashion conscious
The fashion-forward Russell Westbrook is a fop.
cataclysm
A violent change
The volcano’s explosion caused cataclysmic changes in the atmosphere.
demeanor
behavior or manner
The girl who had just failed the test had a sad demeanor the rest of the day.
imprecation
a curse
The wizard cast an imprecation on the prince, turning him into a frog.
glower
to glare
The librarian glowered at the loud kids who weren’t getting their work done.
fortuitous
happening by accident
Bob Ross would agree that any paint strokes he does not make on purpose are simply fortuitous.
importune
to beg
Those who raise funds for charity will appeal to your emotions to importune you for donations.
elegy
sad, mournful poem
The elegy was conveyed so passionately that the entire audience cried.
fecund
fertile
The farmer was more than happy that his fields were fecund and beautiful this year.
ebullient
bubbly, enthusiastic
The ebullient cheerleader isn’t only peppy on the field but off the field too.
panegyric
speech of strong praise
The ancient Greeks delivered many long panegyrics to rouse the citizens to glorify their ancestors.
extenuate
to lessen the seriousness by providing some plausible excuses
Jenny attempted to extenuate the problem by cracking a joke.
pedantic
showing off one’s intelligence
The college professor is so pedantic, as he uses words we do not understand.
Bowdlerize
To remove material that is considered improper or offensive
If 50 Shades of Grey got bowdlerized, there would be no movie.
sanguine
happy-go-lucky, optimistic, bullish
Despite economic hardship, many people still had a sanguine attitude that made them still have hope of a return to prosperity.
Celibate
A person who abstains from sexual activity or marriage.
Yesterday he had seriously believed himself to be a celibate for life; he had dismissed forever the hope of happiness.
Edify
to instruct or improve someone’s morality or intelect
The boy edified his younger brother after he broke his mother’s vase and lied.
parochial
narrow or limited
Conservatives have a parochial view on marriage as they only believe in the communion between a man and a woman.
adventitious
a happy accident
It was adventitious when the man tripped and fell, but found a 20 dollar bill where he landed.
Obfuscate
To confuse
I hate to create obfuscation, but I must point out that the pronunciation of the word “obfuscate” is itself confusing!
Baroque
Overly decorated
The baroque architecture gave the building a medieval look.
Hedonism
pursuit of pleasure (especially in a bodily sense)
The hedonism of the ancient civilization lead to its demise because they chose to drink and be merry rather than defend their city.
Quandary
A state of perplexity or doubt
iheartmemphis was in a quandary about whether or not he should “throw a flag on the play.”
Sacrosanct
Extremely holy.
The sacrosanct priest focused primarily on religion and refused to sway his beliefs.
carnal
of or having to do with the body
After spending endless months serving in the military, the man looks forward to receiving carnal pleasure from his wife in the bedroom.
Recapitulate
To summarize
Ms. Kenee made the student recapitulate the major points of the story.
Perfunctory
Done without care; haphazard.
The building is on the verge of collapse due to its perfunctory construction.
Optimum
ideal; most favorable (as pertaining to conditions, for example)
We had hoped for optimum results from the surgery, and the doctor confirmed that we had gotten what we wished for. Dana was going to fully recover!
Imperative
of vital importance; crucial
It is imperative that you file your taxes by April 15 if you want to avoid penalty with the IRS.
Facetious
treating serious issues with inappropriate humor; flippant
My boss kept telling me that I had to come in on Saturday to work on an enormous project. I kept waiting for him to say, “I’m just being facetious!” He never did. I worked on Saturday. I hate my boss.
