Vocab 11 Flashcards
avid (av´ id) adj.
enthusiastic; extremely interested
Dori was such an avid reader that I had a hard time recommending a title she had not yet read.
syn: voracious; eager ant: apathetic
epistle (i pis´ əl) n.
a letter or literary composition in letter form
Brian spent years writing lengthy, unsent epistles to his old girlfriend.
gadfly (gad´ flī) n.
an irritating and persistent person
I tried to lose Judy, an obnoxious gadfly, in the crowd, but she stuck to me with unbearable closeness.
syn: nuisance; pest
humility (hyōō mil´ i tē) n.
absence of vanity; humbleness
Even though Jo is a celebrated author, she’s the picture of humility and never brags.
syn: modesty ant: vanity; arrogance
dolorous (dō´ lə rəs) adj.
exhibiting sorrow or pain
The song was so dolorous that Dolores found it difficult not to cry.
syn: mournful ant: joyous
gargantuan (gär gan´ chōō ən) adj.
of huge or extraordinary size and power
Milltown’s players were gargantuan compared with the small guys on our team.
syn: gigantic; huge ant: tiny
arduous (är´ jōō əs) adj.
difficult; requiring much effort
Refinishing the old bookcase proved an arduous task, but the“worth it.
syn: strenuous; laborious ant: easy; unchallenging
affable (af´ ə bel) adj.
friendly; agreeable; easy to talk to
The affable old man never lacked for visitors.
syn: amiable; good-natured ant: disagreeable; irascible
grandiloquent (gran dil´ ə kwent) adj.
pompous or high-flown in speech
Marcus gets grandiloquent when speaking of the theatre, assuming no one knows as much or has as refined a taste as he.
syn: pretentious ant: plain-spoken
agrarian (ə grâr´ ē ən) adj.
concerning farms, farmers, or the use of land
The economy of the agrarian nation depended on good crop yields.
syn: agricultural ant: urban; industrial
grimace (grim´ is) n.
a facial expression of fear, disapproval, or pain
Amanda gave a grimace when Mrs. Hind assigned nine pages of algebra homework.
syn: scowl ant: smile
harangue (hə rang´) n.
a long, strongly expressed speech or lecture
My wife delivered a lengthy harangue this morning in an effort to get me to quit smoking.
syn: tirade
formidable (fôr´ mi də bəl) adj.
formidable (fôr´ mi də bəl) adj. arousing fear or awe
When the hulking, 250-lb man stepped into the ring, Oscar knew that he had to face a formidable opponent.
sycophant (sik´ ə fənt) n.
a flatterer; one who fawns on others in order to gain favor
Teri was such a sycophant that she laughed loudly at her supervisor’s awful jokes.
syn: toady ant: contrarian”
explicit (ik splis´ ît) adj.
clearly and openly stated; leaving nothing to the imagination
Mom’s instructions were explicit: Do not leave the house for any reason.
syn: exact; precise ant: ambiguous; vague”
