Vocab 9 Flashcards
Contentious
A - Controversial
Altruism
N - the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others
Baroque
A - Difficult to understand. Marked by rich and bizarre ornamentations, irregular in shape. N - denoting a style of European architecture, music, and art of the 17th and 18th centuries that followed mannerism and is characterized by ornate detail.
Obsequious
A - obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree
Traduce
V - speak badly of or tell lies about (someone) so as to damage their reputation.
Surfeit
N - an excessive amount of something. V - cause (someone) to desire no more of something as a result of having consumed or done it to excess
Bucolic
A - relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life. Rural N - a pastoral poem
Exacerbate
V - make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse
Tenebrous
A - dark; shadowy or obscure
Superannuated
A - obsolete through age or new technological or intellectual developments. belonging to a superannuation plan. V - retire (someone) with a pension
Imprecations
N - a spoken curse
Mitigate
V - make less severe, serious, or painful
Solecism
N - a grammatical mistake in speech or writing
Enervate
V - cause (someone) to feel drained of energy or vitality; weaken. A - lacking in energy or vitality
Feckless
A - lacking initiative or strength of character; irresponsible
Saccharine
A - excessively sweet or sentimental. N - artificial sweetener
Tortuous
A - full of twists and turns
Abstruse
A - difficult to understand; obscure
Penchant
N - a strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to do something
Vagaries
N - an unexpected and inexplicable change in a situation or in someone’s behavior
