Vocab 3 Flashcards

1
Q

dogmatic

A

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

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2
Q

dyspeptic

A

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

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3
Q

ebullient

A

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

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4
Q

eclectic

A

selecting from or made up from a variety of sources

Budapest’s architecture is an eclectic mix of eastern and western styles.

broad, catholic

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5
Q

edify

A

to instruct morally and spiritually

The guru was paid to edify the actress in the ways of Buddhism.

educate, enlighten, guide, teach

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6
Q

efficacy

A

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

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7
Q

effigy

A

a stuffed doll; a likeness of a person

Protesters burned effigies of the unpopular leader.

dummy, figure, image

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8
Q

effrontery

A

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

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9
Q

elegy

A

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

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10
Q

eloquent

A

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

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11
Q

embellish

A

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

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12
Q

repudiate

A

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

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13
Q

onerous

A

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

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14
Q

opaque

A

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

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15
Q

opine

A

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

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16
Q

opprobrium

A

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

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17
Q

emulate

A

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

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18
Q

encomium

A

warm praise

She wrote an encomium in praise of the outgoing president.

citation, eulogy, panegyric, salutation, tribute

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19
Q

philistine

A

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

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20
Q

phlegmatic

A

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

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21
Q

pithy

A

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

22
Q

corroborate

A

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

23
Q

cosset

A

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

24
Q

coterie

A

an intimate group of persons with a similar purpose

Angel invited a coterie of fellow stamp enthusiasts to a stamp-trading party.

clique, set

25
craven
lacking courage The craven lion cringed in the corner of his cage, terrified of the mouse. fainthearted, spineless, timid
26
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
27
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
28
cupidity
greed; strong desire The thief stared at the shining jewels with cupidity in his gleaming eyes. avarice, covetousness, rapacity
29
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
30
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
31
plucky
courageous; spunky The plucky young nurse dove into the foxhole, determined to help the wounded solider. brave, bold, gutsy
32
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
33
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
34
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
35
misanthrope
a person who dislikes others The Grinch was such a misanthrope that even the sigh of children singing made him angry. curmudgeon
36
missive
a written note or letter Priscilla spent hours composing a romantic missive for Elvis. message
37
mitigate
to soften; to lessen A judge may mitigate a sentence if she decides that a person committed a crime out of need.
38
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
39
molt
to shed their skin, hair or an outer layer periodically The snake molted its skin and left it behind in a crumpled mass.
40
palliate
to make less serious; to ease The alleged crime was so vicious that the defense lawyer could not palliate it for the jury.
41
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.
42
pathogenic
causing disease Bina's research on the origins of pathogenic microorganisms should help stop the spread of disease.
43
peccadillo
a minor sin or offense Gabe tends to harp on his brother's peccadilloes and never lets him live them down.
44
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.
45
pejorative
having bad connotations; disparaging The teacher scolded Mark for his unduly pejorative comments about his classmate's presentation.
46
penury
an oppressive lack of resources (as money); severe poverty Once a famous actor, he eventually died in penury and anonymity.
47
peregrinate
to wander from place to place; to travel, especially on foot Shivani enjoyed peregrinating the expansive grounds of Central Park.
48
perfidious
willing to betray someone's trust The actress's perfidious companion revealed all of her intimate secrets to the gossip columnist.
49
perfunctory
done in a routine way; indifferent The machine-like teller processed the transaction and gave the waiting customer a perfunctory smile.
50
peripatetic
wandering from place to place, especially on foot Eleana's peripatetic meanderings took her all over the countryside in the summer months.