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Self-Study > Vocab > Flashcards

Vocab Flashcards

1
Q

Parsimonious

A

unwilling to spend money or use resources; stingy or frugal.

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2
Q

Soubriquet

A

a person’s nickname.

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3
Q

Latent

A

present and capable of emerging or developing but not now visible, obvious, active, or symptomatic a latent infection

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4
Q

Probity

A

adherence to the highest principles and ideals : uprightness

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5
Q

Conceit

A

a (1) : a result of mental activity : thought (2) : individual opinion b : favorable opinion; especially : excessive appreciation of one’s own worth or virtue … the landlord’s conceit of his own superior knowledge … —Adam Smith 2 : a fancy item or trifle Conceits were fancy desserts, made either of sugar … or pastry. —Francie Owen 3 a : a fanciful idea b : an elaborate or strained metaphor The poem abounds in metaphysical conceits. c : use or presence of such conceits in poetry d : an organizing theme or concept

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6
Q

Plenipotentiary

A

: invested with full power

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7
Q

Sordid

A

marked by baseness or grossness

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8
Q

Enfilade

A

a volley of gunfire directed along a line from end to end.

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9
Q

Insouciance

A

casual lack of concern; indifference. “an impression of boyish insouciance”

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10
Q

Rhapsodic

A

extravagantly emotional : rapturous 2 : resembling or characteristic of a rhapsody

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11
Q

Prurient

A

having or encouraging an excessive interest in sexual matters. “she’d been the subject of much prurient curiosity”

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12
Q

Opprobrium

A

harsh criticism or censure.

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13
Q

Sepulchral

A

relating to a tomb gloomy dismal

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14
Q

Rectitude

A

the quality or state of being straight 2 : moral integrity : righteousness 3 : the quality or state of being correct in judgment or procedure

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15
Q

Trenchant

A

vigorous or incisive in expression or style. “she heard angry voices, not loud, yet certainly trenchant”

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16
Q

Uncouth

A

strange or clumsy in shape or appearance : outlandish b : lacking in polish and grace : rugged uncouth verse c : awkward and uncultivated in appearance, manner, or behavior : rude

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17
Q

Inure

A

transitive verb : to accustom to accept something undesirable children inured to violence intransitive verb : to become of advantage policies that inure to the benefit of employees

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18
Q

agitprop

A

political (originally communist) propaganda, especially in art or literature. “agitprop painters”

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19
Q

Wan

A

: suggestive of poor health : sickly, pallid b : lacking vitality : feeble

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20
Q

Dilatory

A

slow to act. “he had been dilatory in appointing a solicitor” synonyms: slow, tardy, unhurried, sluggish, sluggardly, snaillike, lazy “he had been dilatory in appointing an executor” intended to cause delay. “they resorted to dilatory procedural tactics, forcing a postponement of peace talks” synonyms: delaying, stalling, temporizing, procrastinating, time-wasting, filibustering “dilatory procedural tactics”

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21
Q

Surreptitious

A

done, made, or acquired by stealth : clandestine 2 : acting or doing something clandestinely : stealthy a surreptitious glance

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22
Q

Ebullient

A

boiling, agitated 2 : characterized by ebullience : having or showing liveliness and enthusiasm ebullient performers

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23
Q

Sanguine

A

marked by eager hopefulness : confidently optimistic Relating to blood

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24
Q

Peroration

A

the concluding part of a discourse and especially an oration 2 : a highly rhetorical speech

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25
Q

Laconic

A

of a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words. “his laconic reply suggested a lack of interest in the topic”

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26
Q

Maudlin

A

self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness.

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27
Q

byzantine

A

often not capitalized a : of, relating to, or characterized by a devious and usually surreptitious manner of operation a Byzantine power struggle b : intricately involved : labyrinthine rules of Byzantine complexity

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28
Q

August

A

marked by majestic dignity or grandeur

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29
Q

Torpor

A

: a state of mental and motor inactivity with partial or total insensibility

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30
Q

Ancillary

A

providing necessary support to the primary activities or operation of an organization, institution, industry, or system. “the development of ancillary services to support its products”

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31
Q

Interpolate

A

to alter or corrupt (something, such as a text) by inserting new or foreign matter b : to insert (words) into a text or into a conversation

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32
Q

Temerity

A

excessive confidence or boldness; audacity. “no one had the temerity to question his conclusions”

33
Q

Abatis

A

a defensive obstacle formed by felled trees with sharpened branches facing the enemy

34
Q

Desultory

A

lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm. “a few people were left, dancing in a desultory fashion”

35
Q

fête

A

fāt/ honor or entertain (someone) lavishly.

36
Q

Gauche

A

lacking ease or grace; unsophisticated and socially awkward. synonyms: awkward, gawky, inelegant, graceless, ungraceful, ungainly, maladroit, klutzy, inept; More

37
Q

Tacit

A

understood or implied without being stated. “your silence may be taken to mean tacit agreement”

38
Q

Denouement

A

the final outcome of the main dramatic complication in a literary work In the denouement, the two lovers commit suicide. 2 : the outcome of a complex sequence of events

39
Q

Quixotic

A

exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical. “a vast and perhaps quixotic project”

40
Q

Lucre

A

monetary gain : profit

41
Q

Doyen

A

a : the senior member of a body or group b : a person considered to be knowledgeable or uniquely skilled as a result of long experience in some field of endeavor

42
Q

Craven

A

contemptibly lacking in courage; cowardly.

43
Q

Ribald

A

referring to sexual matters in an amusingly rude or irreverent way.

44
Q

Salacious

A

arousing or appealing to sexual desire or imagination salacious headlines salacious lyrics

45
Q

Sagacious

A

having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgment; shrewd.

46
Q

Demur

A

raise doubts or objections or show reluctance.

47
Q

Emolument

A

the returns arising from office or employment usually in the form of compensation or perquisites

48
Q

Surly

A

bad-tempered and unfriendly.

49
Q

Sordid

A

marked by baseness or grossness

50
Q

Screed

A

a lengthy discourse b : an informal piece of writing (such as a personal letter) c : a ranting piece of writing

51
Q

Baneful

A

productive of destruction or woe : seriously harmful a baneful influence

52
Q

Malediction

A

Curse, Execration

53
Q

Pedantic

A

one who makes a show of knowledge b : one who is unimaginative or who unduly emphasizes minutiae in the presentation or use of knowledge c : a formalist or precisionist in teaching

54
Q

Mendacity

A

given to or characterized by deception or falsehood or divergence from absolute truth mendacious tales of his adventures

55
Q

Portmanteau

A

a large trunk or suitcase, typically made of stiff leather and opening into two equal parts. 2. a word blending the sounds and combining the meanings of two others, for example motel (from ‘motor’ and ‘hotel’) or brunch (from ‘breakfast’ and ‘lunch’). “podcast is a portmanteau, a made-up word coined from a combination of the words iPod and broadcast”

56
Q

Anorak

A

British slang, which refers to a person who has a very strong interest, perhaps obsessive, in niche subjects. This interest may be unacknowledged or not understood by the general public. In 1984 the Observer newspaper used the term as an alternative term for the prototype group interested in detailed trivia, the trainspotters,[1][2] as members of this group often wore unfashionable but warm Parka called Anorak when standing for hours on station platforms or along railway tracks, noting down details of passing trains.

57
Q

Conciliatory

A

intended to gain goodwill or favor or to reduce hostility : tending or intended to conciliate speaking in a conciliatory tone

58
Q

Perquisite

A

a privilege, gain, or profit incidental to regular salary or wages; especially : one expected or promised

59
Q

Sequacious

A

(“intellectually servile”)

60
Q

Prevaricate

A

to deviate from the truth

61
Q

Sequacious

A

archaic : subservient, tractable 2 : intellectually servile

62
Q

Polemic

A

an aggressive attack on or refutation of the opinions or principles of another

63
Q

Surfeit

(serfet)

A

an excessive amount of something.

“a surfeit of food and drink”

64
Q

Bedlam

A

a scene of uproar and confusion.

“there was bedlam in the courtroom”

archaic

an institution for the care of mentally ill people.

65
Q

Canard

A

an unfounded rumor or story.

“the old canard that LA is a cultural wasteland”

66
Q

Pilaster

A

a rectangular column, especially one projecting from a wall.

pəˈlastər

67
Q

Boffin

A

a person engaged in scientific or technical research.

“a computer boffin”

a person with knowledge or a skill considered to be complex, arcane, and difficult.

“he had a reputation as a tax boffin, a learned lawyer”

68
Q

Paean

A

a song of praise or triumph.

a thing that expresses enthusiastic praise.

“his books are paeans to combat”

69
Q

Ostentatious

A

characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice.

“books that people buy and display ostentatiously but never actually finish”

70
Q

Crib

A

copy (another person’s work) illicitly or without acknowledgment.

“he was doing an exam and didn’t want anybody to crib the answers from him”

71
Q

Ignominy

A

public shame or disgrace.

“the ignominy of being imprisoned”

72
Q

Vestibule

A

an antechamber, hall, or lobby next to the outer door of a building.

73
Q

Foible

A

a minor weakness or eccentricity in someone’s character.

“they have to tolerate each other’s little foibles”

74
Q

Salient

A

most noticeable or important.

“it succinctly covered all the salient points of the case”

75
Q

Mordant

A

(especially of humor) having or showing a sharp or critical quality; biting.

76
Q

Plenary

A

unqualified; absolute.

“crusaders were offered a plenary indulgence by the Pope”

(of a meeting) to be attended by all participants at a conference or assembly, who otherwise meet in smaller groups.

“a plenary session of the European Parliament”

77
Q

Risible

A

such as to provoke laughter.

“a risible scene of lovemaking in a tent”

78
Q

Bucolic

A

refers to an ideal country life that many yearn for. If your parents wanted to raise you in a bucolic environment, you may find yourself living 45 minutes away from the nearest movie theater or person your age. Not ideal.

You wouldn’t know it to look at it, but bucolic is a distant relation of cow, and all bucolic’s meanings can be connected to the bovine creature. Bucolic ultimately comes from the Greek boukolos, cowherd or herdsman. A bucolic could be a short poem about pastoral (cow) life or a country person, who is stereotyped as a cowherd. Used as an adjective, bucolic can refer to an idealized rural life (think life with cows) or to herdsmen (more cows). And that’s no bull.

79
Q

Lacuna

A

an unfilled space or interval; a gap.

“the journal has filled a lacuna in Middle Eastern studies”

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