Vocab 3 Flashcards
dogmatic
dictatorial in one’s opinions
The dictator was dogmatic, claiming he, and only he, was right.
authoritarian, bossy, dictatorial, doctrinaire, domineering, imperious, magisterial, masterful, overbearing, peremptory
dyspeptic
suffering from indigestion; gloomy and irritable
The dyspeptic young man cast a gloom over the party the minute he walked in.
acerbic, melancholy, morose, solemn, sour
ebullient
exhilarated; full of enthusiasm and high spirits
The ebullient child exhausted the baby-sitter, who lacked the energy to keep up with her.
ardent, avid, bubbly, zestful
eclectic
selecting from or made up from a variety of sources
Budapest’s architecture is an eclectic mix of eastern and western styles.
broad, catholic
edify
to instruct morally and spiritually
The guru was paid to edify the actress in the ways of Buddhism.
educate, enlighten, guide, teach
efficacy
effectiveness
The efficacy of penicillin was unsurpassed when it was first introduced; the drug completely eliminated almost all bacterial infections.
dynamism, effectiveness, efficiency, force, power, productiveness, proficiency, strength, vigor
effigy
a stuffed doll; a likeness of a person
Protesters burned effigies of the unpopular leader.
dummy, figure, image
effrontery
impudent boldness; audacity
The receptionist had the effrontery to laugh out loud when the CEO tripped over a computer wire and fell flat on his face.
brashness, gall, nerve, presumption, temerity
elegy
a sorrowful poem or speech
Though the beautiful elegy is about death and loss, it urges its readers to endure this life, and to trust in spirituality.
dirge, lament to add
eloquent
persuasive and moving, especially in speech
The Gettysburg Address is moving not only because of its lofty sentiments but because of its eloquent words.
articulate, expressive, fluent, meaningful, significant, smooth-spoken
embellish
to add ornamental or fictitious details
Britt embellished her resume, hoping to make the lowly positions she had held seem more important.
adorn, bedeck, elaborate, embroider, enhance, exaggerate
repudiate
to reject the validity of
The old woman’s claim that she was Russian royalty was repudiated by other known relatives.
deny, disavow, disclaim, disown, renounce
onerous
troublesome and oppressive; burdensome
The assignment was so extensive and difficult to manage that it proved onerous to the team in charge of it.
arduous, backbreaking, burdensome, cumbersome, difficult, exacting, formidable, hard, laborious, oppressive, rigorous, taxing, trying
opaque
impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light
The heavy build-up of dirt and grime on the windows made them almost opaque.
blurred, cloudy, nontransparent
opine
to express an opinion
At the Let’s Chat Talk Show, the audience member opined that the guest was in the wrong.
point out, voice
opprobrium
public disgrace
After the scheme to defraud the elderly was made public, the treasurer resigned in utter opprobrium.
discredit, disgrace, dishonor, disrepute, ignominy, infamy, obloquy, shame
emulate
to copy; to try to equal or excel
The graduate student sought to emulate his professor in every way, copying not only how she taught but also how she conducted herself outside of class.
ape, imitate, simulate
encomium
warm praise
She wrote an encomium in praise of the outgoing president.
citation, eulogy, panegyric, salutation, tribute
philistine
a person who is guided by materialism and is disdainful of intellectual or artistic values
The philistine never even glanced at the rare violin in his collection but instead kept an eye on its value and sold it at a profit.
boor, bourgeois, capitalist, materialist, vulgarian
phlegmatic
calm and unemotional in temperament
Although the bomb could go off at any moment, the phlegmatic demolition expert remained calm and unafraid.
apathetic, calm, emotionless, impassive, indifferent, passionless, unemotional
pithy
profound or substantial yet concise, succinct, or to the point
Martha’s pithy comments during the interview must have been impressive because she got the job.
brief, compact, laconic, terse
corroborate
to support with evidence
All the DA needed were fingerprints to corroborate the witness’s testimony that he saw the defendant in the victim’s apartment.
authenticate, back. buttress, confirm, substantiate, validate, verify
cosset
to pamper; to treat with great care
Marta just loves to cosset her first and only grandchild.
cater to, cuddle, dandle, fondle, love, pet, spoil
coterie
an intimate group of persons with a similar purpose
Angel invited a coterie of fellow stamp enthusiasts to a stamp-trading party.
clique, set
craven
lacking courage
The craven lion cringed in the corner of his cage, terrified of the mouse.
fainthearted, spineless, timid
credulous
too trusting; gullible
Although some four-year-olds believe in the Tooth Fairy, only the most credulous nine-year-olds also believe in her.
naive, susceptible
crescendo
steady increase in volume or force
The crescendo of tension became unbearable as Evel Knievel prepared to jump his motorcycle over the school buses.
acme, capstone, climax, crest, culmination, meridian, peak
cupidity
greed; strong desire
The thief stared at the shining jewels with cupidity in his gleaming eyes.
avarice, covetousness, rapacity
curmudgeon
a cranky person, usually an old one
Ernesto was a notorious curmudgeon who snapped at anyone who disturbed him for any reason.
coot, crab, grouch
debutante
a young woman making debut in high society
The debutante spent hours dressing for her very first ball, hoping to catch the eye of an eligible bachelor.
lady, maiden
plucky
courageous; spunky
The plucky young nurse dove into the foxhole, determined to help the wounded solider.
brave, bold, gutsy
salubrious
healthful
Run-down and sickly, Rita hoped that the fresh mountain air would have a salubrious effect on her health.
bracing, curative, medicinal, therapeutic, tonic
sanguine
ruddy; cheerfully optimistic
A sanguine person thinks the glass is half full, whereas a depressed person thinks its half empty.
confident, hopeful, positive, rosy, rubicund
sardonic
cynical; scornfully mocking
Isabella was offended by the sardonic way in which her date made fun of her ideas and opinions.
acerbic, caustic, sarcastic, satirical, snide
misanthrope
a person who dislikes others
The Grinch was such a misanthrope that even the sigh of children singing made him angry.
curmudgeon
missive
a written note or letter
Priscilla spent hours composing a romantic missive for Elvis.
message
mitigate
to soften; to lessen
A judge may mitigate a sentence if she decides that a person committed a crime out of need.
mollify
to calm or make less severe
Their argument was so intense that it was difficult to believe any compromise would mollify them.
appease, assuage, conciliate, pacify
molt
to shed their skin, hair or an outer layer periodically
The snake molted its skin and left it behind in a crumpled mass.
palliate
to make less serious; to ease
The alleged crime was so vicious that the defense lawyer could not palliate it for the jury.
parry
to ward off or deflect, especially by a quick-witted answer
Kari parried every question the army officers fired at her, much to their frustration.
pathogenic
causing disease
Bina’s research on the origins of pathogenic microorganisms should help stop the spread of disease.
peccadillo
a minor sin or offense
Gabe tends to harp on his brother’s peccadilloes and never lets him live them down.
pedant
someone who shows off learning
The graduate instructor’s tedious and excessive commentary on the subject soon gained her a reputation as a pedant.
pejorative
having bad connotations; disparaging
The teacher scolded Mark for his unduly pejorative comments about his classmate’s presentation.
penury
an oppressive lack of resources (as money); severe poverty
Once a famous actor, he eventually died in penury and anonymity.
peregrinate
to wander from place to place; to travel, especially on foot
Shivani enjoyed peregrinating the expansive grounds of Central Park.
perfidious
willing to betray someone’s trust
The actress’s perfidious companion revealed all of her intimate secrets to the gossip columnist.
perfunctory
done in a routine way; indifferent
The machine-like teller processed the transaction and gave the waiting customer a perfunctory smile.
peripatetic
wandering from place to place, especially on foot
Eleana’s peripatetic meanderings took her all over the countryside in the summer months.
