Vocab 5 Flashcards
Alloy
To commingle, to debase by mixing with something inferior
Appropriate
To take for one’s own use, to confiscate
Arrest/arresting
To suspend, to engage, holding one’s attention- as in an arresting portrait
August
Majestic, venerable, respected and impressive
“She was in august company”
Bent
Leaning, inclination, proclivity, tendency
Broach
To bring up, to announce, to begin to talk about
Brook
To tolerate, to endure, to countenance
“Jenny would brook no criticism of Matthew”
Cardinal
Major, as in cardinal sin
Chauvinist
A blindly devoted patriot
Color
To change as if by dyeing, to distort, gloss, or affect
Consequential
Pompous, self important
Damp
To diminish the intensity or check the vibration of a sound
Die
A tool used for shaping, as in a tool-and-die shop
Essay
To test or try, to attempt, to experiment
Exact
To demand, to call for, to require, to take
Fell (verb)
To cause to fall by striking
Fell (adjective)
Inhumanly cruel
Flag
To sag or droop, to become spiritless, to decline
Flip
Sarcastic, impertinent, as in flippant- a flip remark
Ford
To wade across the shallow part of a river or stream
Grouse
To complain or grumble
Guy
A rope, cord, or cable attached to something as a brace or guide, to steadying or reinforce using a guy
Intimate
To imply, suggest, or insinuate
List
To tilt or lean to one side
Lumber
To move heavily and clumsily
Meet
Fitting, proper
“It is a theater meet for great events”
Milk
To exploit, to squeeze every last ounce of
Mince
To pronounce or speak affectedly, to euphemize, to speak too carefully, to take tiny steps, to tiptoe
Nice
Exacting, fastidious, extremely precise
“A nice distinction”
Occult
Hidden, concealed, beyond comprehension
“A weird occult sensation of having experienced this situation before”
Pedestrian
Commonplace, trite, unremarkable
Pied
Multicolored, usually in blotches
Pine
To lose vigor (as through grief), to yearn
Plastic
Moldable, pliable, not rigid
Pluck
Courage, spunk, fortitude
Prize
To pry, to press or force with a lever, something taken by force, spoils
Rail
To complain about bitterly
Rent
Torn, an opening or tear caused by tearing
Quail
To lose courage, to turn frightened
“She quailed at his heartless words”
Qualify
To limit
Sap
To enervate or weaken the vitality of
Scurvy
Contemptible, despicable
Singular
Exceptional, unusual, odd
Stand
A group of trees
Steep
To saturate or completely soak, as in to let a tea bag steep
Table
To remove (as in a parliamentary motion) from consideration
Tender
To proffer or offer
Waffle
To equivocate, to change one’s position
Wag
Wit, joker
Vituperative
Bitter and abusive.
“the criticism soon turned into a vituperative attack”
Venal
Showing or motivated by susceptibility to bribery.
“their generosity had been at least partly venal
Obloquy
strong public criticism or verbal abuse.
“he endured years of contempt and obloquy”
Obfuscation
The action of making something obscure, unclear, or unintelligible. “when confronted with sharp questions they resort to obfuscation”
Ossification
The process of bone formation
Redolent
strongly reminiscent or suggestive of.
“names redolent of history and tradition”
fragrant or sweet-smelling.
“a rich, inky, redolent wine”
Recondite
(of a subject or knowledge) little known; abstruse.
“the book is full of recondite information”
Recreant
cowardly. “what a recreant figure must he make”
unfaithful to a belief; apostate
Arcane
understood by few; mysterious or secret.
“modern math and its arcane notation”
Limpid
(of a liquid) free of anything that darkens; completely clear.
“the limpid waters of the Caribbean”
(of a person’s eyes) unclouded; clear.
“the limpid gray eyes gazed trustfully at her”
(especially of writing or music) clear and accessible or melodious.
“the limpid notes of a recorder”
Droll
curious or unusual in a way that provokes dry amusement.
“his unique brand of droll self-mockery”
A jester or entertainer
Rarefied
- (of air, especially that at high altitudes) of lower pressure than usual; thin. “every ounce carried counts triple when you’re trudging uphill in rarefied air”
- distant from the lives and concerns of ordinary people.
Estimable
worthy of great respect.
“she was shown into that estimable woman’s presence”
Tribulation
a cause or state of great trouble or suffering.
“the tribulations of being a megastar
Reticent
not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings readily.
“she was extremely reticent about her personal affairs”
Quiescence
inactivity or dormancy.
“this method has been shown to induce sleep-like quiescence in adult animals”
Verisimilitude
the appearance of being true or real. “the detail gives the novel some verisimilitude”
Specious
- superficially plausible, but actually wrong. “a specious argument”
- misleading in appearance, especially misleadingly attractive. “the music trade gives Golden Oldies a specious appearance of novelty”
Venerable
accorded a great deal of respect, especially because of age, wisdom, or character.
“a venerable statesman”
Prosaic
- having the style or diction of prose; lacking poetic beauty.
“prosaic language can’t convey the experience” - commonplace; unromantic.
“the masses were too preoccupied by prosaic day-to-day concerns”
Pastoral
- (especially of land or a farm) used for or related to the keeping or grazing of sheep or cattle. “scattered pastoral farms”
- (in the Christian Church) concerning or appropriate to the giving of spiritual guidance.
“pastoral and doctrinal issues” - a work of literature portraying an idealized version of country life.
Noisome
- having an extremely offensive smell. “noisome vapors from the smoldering waste”
- disagreeable; unpleasant.
“noisome scandals”
Atavistic
relating to or characterized by reversion to something ancient or ancestral.
“atavistic fears and instincts”
Olfactory
relating to the sense of smell.
“the olfactory organs”
Mephitic
(especially of a gas or vapor) foul-smelling; noxious.
“the cloud of mephitic vapors lingered above our heads”
Disbursed
pay out (money from a fund).
“$67 million of the pledged aid had already been disbursed”
Morose
sullen and ill-tempered.
“she was morose and silent when she got home”
Equanimity
mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.
“she accepted both the good and the bad with equanimity
Byzantine
(of a system or situation) excessively complicated, and typically involving a great deal of administrative detail. “Byzantine insurance regulations”
Bovine
relating to or affecting cattle.
“bovine tuberculosis”
