Define:
aseptic
(uh-sep-tik)
adj. free of pathogens or germs
adj. with little or no emotion
Doctors are always careful to use aseptic surgical equipment to prevent infection.
Define:
prolix
(proh-liks)
adj. wordy or prolonged; tedious in length
The prolix manuscript took days to read.
Define:
foolhardy
(fool-hahr-dee)
adj. reckless, unwisely bold; thoughtlessly rash
It was a foolhardy attempt to climb the Sears Tower that went very wrong.
Define:
picaresque
(pik-uh-resk)
adj. involving clever rogues in episodes of comedy or adventure
Huck Finn is a picaresque hero.
Define:
raucous
(raw-kuhs)
adj. rough sounding, harsh
adj. boisterous, rowdy, disorderly
The raucous laughter went on long into the night.
Define:
providential
(prov-ih-den-shuhl)
adj. to occur as if from divine intervention
His providential recovery, when it seemed that he would surely succumb, brought hope to many.
Define:
antipodal
(an-tip-uh-dl)
adj. diametrically opposed to, polar opposite
adj. on the opposite side of the earth
The couple had totally antipodal personalities, but they enjoyed each other’s company.
Define:
pillory
(pill-uh-ree)
v. to punish; to hold up for public scorning
n. a wooden framework with holes for head and hands, in which criminal offenders are held
Dan was pilloried in class for his inability to spell “potato”.
Define:
infelicitous
(in-fuh-liss-ih-tuss)
adj. unfortunate, awkward, inappropriate
In Thailand, it is considered infelicitous to touch someone’s head.
Define:
dilatory
(dil-uh-tawr-ee)
adj. tending to delay, put off, or procrastinate
adj. intended to slow progress
Courtney employed dilatory tactics in the debate in order to collect her thoughts, but the judges noticed and she was docked a point.
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. free of pathogens or germs
adj. with little or no emotion
aseptic
(uh-sep-tik)
synonyms: barren, clean; withdrawn, introverted
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. wordy or prolonged; tedious in length
prolix
(proh-liks)
synonyms: lengthy, rambling
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. reckless, unwisely bold; thoughtlessly rash
foolhardy
(fool-hahr-dee)
synonyms: daredevil, venturous, risky
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. involving clever rogues in episodes of comedy or adventure
picaresque
(pik-uh-resk)
synonyms: roguish, satirical
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. rough sounding, harsh
adj. boisterous, rowdy, disorderly
raucous
(raw-kuhs)
synonyms: noisy, chaotic
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. to occur as if from divine intervention
providential
(prov-ih-den-shuhl)
synonyms: accidental, convenient, fortunate
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. diametrically opposed to, polar opposite
adj. on the opposite side of the earth
antipodal
(an-tip-uh-dl)
synonyms: opposed, contrary, counter
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to punish; to hold up for public scorning
n. a wooden framework with holes for head and hands, in which criminal offenders are held
pillory
(pill-uh-ree)
synonyms: ridicule, abuse
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. unfortunate, awkward, inappropriate
infelicitous
(in-fuh-liss-ih-tuss)
synonyms: improper, ill suited
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. tending to delay, put off, or procrastinate
adj. intended to slow progress
dilatory
(dil-uh-tawr-ee)
synonyms: dallying, sluggish, tardy
Define:
overweening
(oh-ver-wee-ning)
adj. presumptuously arrogant or conceited; overconfident, overbearing
Ian made the overweening assumption that people would rush to help him.
Define:
neologism
(nee-awl-uh-djiz-uhm)
n. the creation of new words, expressions, or usages for words
“Technophile” is a neologism, just as “UFO” once was.
Define:
lassitude
(lass-ih-tood)
n. a state of listless exhaustion, weakness, or weariness of the mind or body
The extreme heat led to a general lassitude that settled on the village from May to October.
Define:
locution
(loh-kyoo-shuhn)
n. a particular word, phrase, or style used by a person or group
n. style of speaking, phraseology
The newcomers were fascinated by the Aussie’s locution.
Define:
jocose
(joh-kohss)
adj. characterized by a joking or humorous manner
The jocose innkeeper could always be counted on for a bit of levity.
Define:
rend
(rend)
v. to forcibly take
v. to tear apart
The three-year-old decided she wanted to play with the teddy bear, so she rent it from her infant sister’s hands.
Define:
stanch
(stawnch)
v. to cease the flow of a liquid (esp. blood)
The doctor’s attempt to stanch the flow of blood eventually succeeded, and the patient’s blood pressure stabilized.
Define:
solder
(sod-er)
v. to weld, fuse, or join (esp. metals)
Harry soldered the bits of scrap metal together to make a pet door.
Define:
demure
(duh-myoor)
adj. modest, shy
Lindsay was demure and had a tough time opening up to new people.
Define:
insensible
(in-sen-suh-buhl)
adj. unconscious, unresponsive
The boxer lay insensible on the floor of the ring.
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. presumptuously arrogant or conceited, overconfident, overbearing
overweening
(oh-ver-wee-ning)
synonyms: brash, conceited, pompous
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. the creation of new words, expressions, or usages for words
neologism
(nee-awl-uh-djiz-uhm)
synonyms: synthetic word, new phrase
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. a state of listless exhaustion, weakness, or weariness of the mind or body
lassitude
(lass-ih-tood)
synonyms: lethargy, weariness, inaction
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. a particular word, phrase, or style used by a person or group
n. style of speaking, phraseology
locution
(loh-kyoo-shuhn)
synonyms: phrasing, expression, lingo
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. characterized by a joking or humorous manner
jocose
(joh-kohss)
synonyms: facetious, humorous, funny
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to forcibly take
v. to tear apart
rend
(rend)
synonyms: break, divide, rip
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to cease the flow of a liquid (esp. blood)
stanch
(stawnch)
synonyms: to cease the flow of a liquid
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to weld, fuse, or join (esp. metals)
solder
(sod-er)
synonyms: fasten, braze
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. modest, shy
demure
(duh-myoor)
synonyms: reserved, bashful, coy
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. unconscious, unresponsive
insensible
(in-sen-suh-buhl)
synonyms: cold, numb, inanimate
Define:
rail
(reyl)
v. to complain bitterly
The citizens railed against the injustice of the federal land grab in tersely-worded editorials and letters to the editor.
Define:
noisome
(noy-suhm)
adj. having an extremely foul scent, offensive or harmful
The noisome odor of the garbage nauseated Audrey.
Define:
mellifluous
(muh-lif-loo-uhs)
adj. sweetly flowing (esp. of words or sounds)
Lucy’s mellifluous voice was noted by her interviewer.
Define:
inveterate
(in-vet-er-it)
adj. established, habitual, deep-rooted
It was Tony’s inveterate preference to drink orange juice every morning.
Define:
coterie
(koh-tuh-ree)
n. a small or exclusive group of people with common interests
The coterie of musicians began to meet on Tuesday nights and eventually established a weekly concert series.
Define:
impugn
(im-pyoon)
v. to challenge or attack one’s beliefs or motives as false
The candidate went too far when he began to impugn the character of his opponent’s husband.
Define:
voluble
(vol-yuh-buhl)
adj. able to speak easily and in quantity, glib, talkative
The voluble speaker talked late into the night.
Define:
misogynist
(mih-sodj-uh-nist)
n. one who hates women
The song contained several lyrics that were so offensive to women that the singer was immediately labeled a misogynist.
Define:
pedagogy
(ped-uh-goh-djee)
n. the art or profession of training, teaching, or instructing
Training in pedagogy can’t prepare you for manic third graders.
Define:
ambient
(am-bee-uhnt)
adj. relating to the immediate surroundings; surrounding environment
The low ambient lighting made for a romantic dinner setting.
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to complain bitterly
rail
(reyl)
synonyms: berate, abuse, complain
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. offensive or harmful
noisome
(noy-suhm)
synonyms: repulsive, dangerous
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. sweetly flowing (esp. of words or sounds)
mellifluous
(muh-lif-loo-uhs)
synonyms: euphonic, harmonic, mellow, pleasing
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. established, habitual, deep-rooted
inveterate
(in-vet-er-it)
synonyms: chronic, habitual, ingrained
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. a small or exclusive group of people with common interests
coterie
(koh-tuh-ree)
synonyms: clique, crowd, collective
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to challenge or attack one’s beliefs or motives as false
impugn
(im-pyoon)
synonyms: criticize, challenge
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. able to speak easily and in quantity, glib, talkative
voluble
(vol-yuh-buhl)
synonyms: articulate, chatty, conversational
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. one who hates women
misogynist
(mih-sodj-uh-nist)
synonyms: sexist, chauvinist
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. the art or profession of training, teaching, or instructing
pedagogy
(ped-uh-goh-djee)
synonyms: education, apprenticeship, discipline
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. relating to the immediate surroundings; surrounding environment
ambient
(am-bee-uhnt)
synonyms: environment, atmosphere
Define:
inquest
(in-kwest)
n. a judicial inquiry of some matter held before a jury
n. an investigation, inquiry
The police opened an inquest into the cause of death.
Define:
preen
(preen)
v. to primp, to dress up
v. to clean fur or feathers of an animal
The bird preened its feathers with its beak for a few moments before taking flight.
Define:
parry
(pear-ee)
v. to block, evade, or ward off
The politician parried the reporter’s questions with a few of her own.
Define:
guy
(gahy)
n. rope or cord attached to something as a brace
I was nervous that the guy for the pully would snap.
Define:
sallow
(sal-oh)
adj. of a sickly yellowish hue or complexion
There was a large number of sallow-looking patients in the doctor’s office.
Define:
plangent
(plan-djuhnt)
adj. pounding, thundering, resounding
The plangent honking of geese flying overhead jolted me awake.
Define:
peripatetic
(per-uh-puh-tet-ik)
adj. itinerant, nomadic
A peripatetic existence can take its toll on your relationships with the ones you love.
Define:
rue
(roo)
v. to regret; to feel or experience remorse
I rued the day I ever let her go.
Define:
macerate
(mass-uh-reyt)
v. to soften by steeping in a liquid, or decompose
v. to emaciate; to starve
Now, we will macerate the rest of the melon in hot water so we can use it to flavor the cream.
Define:
callow
(kal-oh)
adj. lacking maturity or experience
A callow young man was tormenting the elderly in the park.
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. a judicial inquiry of some matter held before a jury.
n. an investigation, inquiry
inquest
(in-kwest)
synonyms: a judicial inquiry, an official review before a panel
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to primp, to dress up
v. to clean fur or feathers of an animal
preen
(preen)
synonyms: beautify, groom, brush, doll up
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to block, evade, or ward off
parry
(pear-ee)
synonyms: block, dodge, circumvent
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. rope or cord attached to something as a brace
guy
(gahy)
synonyms: cable, wire, rope
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. of a sickly yellowish hue or complexion
sallow
(sal-oh)
synonyms: pale, unhealthy-looking, jaundiced
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. pounding, thundering, resounding
plangent
(plan-djuhnt)
synonyms: booming, loud, roaring
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. itinerant, nomadic
peripatetic
(per-uh-puh-tet-ik)
synonyms: migrant, vagrant, wandering
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to regret; to feel or experience remorse
rue
(roo)
synonyms: feel remorse, grieve for
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to soften by steeping in a liquid, or decompose
v. to emaciate; to starve
macerate
(mass-uh-reyt)
synonyms: soak, dissolve
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. lacking maturity or experience
callow
(kal-oh)
synonyms: immature, foolish
Define:
wistful
(wist-fuhl)
adj. yearning, longing, or melancholy
The child stared wistfully out the window for days, waiting for her dog to return.
Define:
corroborate
(kuh-rob-uh-rehyt)
v. to confirm or validate
The mailman corroborated the alleged thief’s story, confirming that he had merely been passing by when the robbery occurred.
Define:
couch
(couch)
v. to express in indirect terms; to frame in a certain way
Her criticism was couched in flattering terms so that her coworker wouldn’t take offense.
Define:
innervate
(ih-nur-veyt)
v. to give nervous energy to; to supply with nerves
The team was innervated by the coach’s pep talk and approached the second half with renewed energy.
Define:
impecunious
(im-puh-kyoo-nee-us)
adj. poor; without any money
A graduate student generally leads an impecunious existence.
Define:
grovel
(gruhv-uhl)
v. to behave in a servile manner
v. to indulge in unworthy pursuits
The servants groveled at the king’s throne.
Define:
epicurean
(ep-ih-kyoo-ree-uhn)
adj. characterized by luxury (esp. in terms of food and drink) or by a propensity for indulging in luxury
The cruise was marketed as an epicurean adventure through the cuisines of four Caribbean nations.
Define:
hirsute
(hur-soot)
adj. hairy, shaggy
A hirsute sheepdog won the Dog Showing Contest.
Define:
countenance
(koun-tuh-nunce)
n. appearance of a person’s face
v. to permit, to allow
Many people thought she was friendly because of her kindly countenance.
Define:
scurvy
(skur-vee)
adj. not admirable, despicable
The scurvy pirate secured his escape by throwing gun powder into the eyes of his pursuers.
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. yearning, longing, or melancholy
wistful
(wist-fuhl)
synonyms: forlorn, reflective
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to confirm or validate
corroborate
(kuh-rob-uh-rehyt)
synonyms: affirm, validate, give further supporting evidence
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to express in indirect terms; to frame in a certain way
couch
(couch)
synonyms: formulate, phrase, surround
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to give nervous energy to; to supply with nerves
innervate
(ih-nur-veyt)
synonyms: invigorate, evoke, stimulate
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. poor; without any money
impecunious
(im-puh-kyoo-nee-us)
synonyms: destitute, impoverished
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
v. to behave in a servile manner
v. to indulge in unworthy pursuits
grovel
(gruhv-uhl)
synonyms: beg, serve
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. characterized by luxury (esp. in terms of food and drink) or by a propensity for indulging in luxury
epicurean
(ep-ih-kyoo-ree-uhn)
synonyms: gluttonous, libertine
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. hairy, shaggy
hirsute
(hur-soot)
synonyms: furry, wooly
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
n. appearance of a person’s face
v. to permit, to allow
countenance
(koun-tuh-nunce)
synonyms: aspect, demeanor, expression, face
Which of your vocabulary words means the following?
adj. not admirable, despicable
scurvy
(skur-vee)
synonyms: abominable, low-down