vocab unit 7 Flashcards
During the “summit meeting” held in Iceland, the President of the United States met with his Soviet ___________.
counterpart
Jonathan Swift so came to loathe human folly, vice, and hypocrisy that he died a virtual ___________.
misanthrope
“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” seems to be the motto of ____________ young women.
pertinacious
The _______ manner in which he sidled into the room and tried to avoid being noticed actually drew attention to his presence.
furtive
In the Victorian era, designers ___________ women’s’ dresses with all sorts of elaborate frills and flounces.
embellished
Recent developments in that part of the world have intensified rather than _______ our fears of a renewed conflict.
allayed
A busy executive in today’s high-pressure business world just doesn’t have time to deal with such ________ concerns as making coffee.
picayune
The ______ movie palaces of an earlier era have given way to smaller theatres, decorated in a simpler, more austere style.
garish
Many a now-forgotten “movie great” has discovered to his or her chagrin that fame may indeed be as _________ as a passing shower.
ephemeral
He had the __________ to come into my own home to tell me what I should do to help him.
effrontery
When Charles V retired to a Spanish monastery, he exchanged the costly_______ of a king for the simple habit of a monk.
raiment
Often the antonym of a given English word is not so much its opposite as its (embellishment/counterpart) - for example, actor and actress.
counterpart
The “Old 400” was a very small and exclusive _______ of prominent families that dominated East Coast society for decades.
coterie
She has neither the starry-eyed optimism of the idealist nor the mordant cynicism of the (misanthrope/coterie).
misanthrope
Though the federal government does much to help the (indigent/illusory), private charities play no small part in their welfare.
indigent
The famous sleuth pursued his investigation with all the (pertinacity, conviviality) of a lion stalking its dinner.
pertinacity
Every dynamic and successful society must be able to (allay, jettison) ideas and institutions that have outlived their usefulness.
jettison
As the rock star’s popularity began to skyrocket, what had been a small (coterie, raiment) of admirers became an unruly mob.
coterie
The atrocities committed by the (garish, bestial) commanders of such concentration camps as Auschwitz appalled the civilized world.
bestial
When I returned to the office earlier than expected, I caught the little snoop (felicitously, furtively) going through papers on my desk.
furtively
aggravate, exacerbate
allay
diffidence, timidty
effrontery
affluent, prosperous
indigent
retain, keep
jettison
understated, subdued
garish
