Vocab List 10 Flashcards
absolute
total
absolve
to forgive
adulterate
to contaminate, to corrupt
advent
arrival; coming; beginning
allusion
indirect reference
aloof
standoffish, uninvolved
antipathy
firm dislike, animosity, abhor
antipodal
exactly opposite
arbitrary
random, capricious
arcade
an arched passageway
astringent
harsh; severe; withering
astute
shrewd; keen in judgment
banal
unoriginal; boring; ordinary; trite
bandy
to toss back and forth; to exchange
blight
plant disease
bliss
perfect contentment; extreme joy
cache
a hiding place
cacophony
harsh mixture of sounds
cavalier
arrogant, haughty
cavil
to quibble; to raise trivial objections
clandestine
concealed or secret for an evil or subversive purpose
classic
top-notched
complicity
participation in wrongdoing
comply
to act or be in accordance with
conjure
to summon as if by magic
connive
to cooperate secretly
cope with
to deal with successfully
copious
abundant
curb
to restrain or control
curfew
time limit
dejected
depressed; disheartened
delapidated
broken down; fallen into ruin
desultory
without purpose
detachment
lack of interest
dismay
confusion
dismay
agitation of mind; perturbation; alarm
dotage
senility; foolish affection
dour
forbidding; severe; gloomy
elusive
hard to pin down; evasive
emaciate
to make extremely thin through starvation or illness
ephemeral
lasting a very short time
epicure
a person with refined taste in wine or food
exhaustive
thorough
exhort
to urge strongly
facile
skillful in a superficial way
faction
a group with a cause
foible
minor character flaw, weakness
folly
foolishness; insanity; imprudence
gastronomy
the art of eating well
generic
general; common
heterogeneous
varied; mixed
heyday
golden age
impervious
impenetrable
impetous
impulsive; extremely impatient
indict
to charge with an offense or crime
indifferent
not caring; mediocre
inquisition
ruthless questioning; an official investigation characterized with cruelty
insatiable
hard or impossible to satisfy
inviduous
causing envy or resentment; offensively harmful
inviolate
free from injury; pure
lethargy
sluggishness
levity
lightness
martyr
one who dies for a cause
materialistic
preoccupied with material things; greedy for possessions
mores
customary moral standards
moribund
dying
obeisance
to bow or curtsy; deep reverence
obfuscate
to confuse
painstaking
extremely careful
palatable
pleasant to the taste; delicious
paucity
scarcity
peccadillo
minor offense
placebo
a fake medication; a fake medication used as a control in tests of the effectiveness of drugs
plaintive
expressing sadness
predilection
natural preference
predispose
to make susceptible; to put in a frame of mind for; to incline towards
proletariat
industrial working class
proliferate
to spread rapidly
puritanical
very severe and strict about morals
purported
rumored; claimed
recant
to publicly deny
recidivism
the act of repeating an offense
reprehensible
worthy of blame
repress
to keep under control
rudimentary
basic
rue
to feel sorrow over
sensual
devoted to be pleasure
sensuous
delighting the senses
specter
ghost; phantom
spectrum
a broad sequence or range of different but related things or ideas
substantive
having substance
subterfuge
artifice; a trick or stratagem; a ruse
tantamount
equivalent to
tautological
redundant
transient
temporary
transitory
not lasting long
vapid
dull; boring
vehement
intense
volition
will
voluminous
large; extensive; having great volume
