Vocab 2e-f Flashcards
Obstinate
(adj.) Stubbornly sticking to an attitude, opinion, purpose, or course against argument or persuasion; difficult to control, subdue, or remedy
Prodigious
(adj. ) Impressive or extraordinary in bulk, amount, or degree; enormous
(adj. ) Marvelous; eliciting amazement
“He had a prodigious appetite, being able to consume nine pounds of steak at a meal.”
Stolid
(adj.) Unemotional or impassive
Alleviate
(v) To mitigate, lessen, or make bearable
Levy
(v) 1. To impose and collect (such as a tax)
2. To draft troops into military service
3. To declare and wage war
Exacerbate
(v) To make more severe, violent, or bitter; to aggravate, intensify, or inflame
Covert
(adj. ) Not openly done, acknowledged, or avowed; veiled
(adj. ) Sheltered or covered
Apprise
(v) To inform, tell, or give notice to
“I scheduled a meeting for this afternoon to apprise my boss of the project status.”
Recalcitrant
(adj.) Stubbornly resisting or defying authority or guidance
“A relapse of the city led to a new ban of the emperor Matthias in 1613, and in the following year Spinola’s Spanish troops brought back the recalcitrant city to the Catholic fold.”
Derision
(n) Ridicule, mockery, or scorn
Taciturn
(adj.) Disinclined to speak by temperament
“He was without question a reactionary, morose and taciturn, and spent nearly all his time shut up in his palace.”
Blithe
(adj. ) Lighthearted, carefree, joyous, or gaily cheerful
(adj. ) Thoughtless, heedless, or without regard or consideration
“Europeans are not quite so blithe on these matters, having seen the continent decimated twice in the past century by war.”
Convoke
(v) To call (as a group of people) to a meeting
Catholic
(adj.) Universal, broad-minded
Martinet
(n) Person who adheres to rules extremely closely; a disciplinarian
