Vocabulary 14 Flashcards
civility
n. formal politeness and courtesy in behavior or speech
synthesis
n. combination or composition
cupidity
n. greed for money or possessions
lugubrious
adj. looking or sounding sad and dismal
effable
adj. able to be described in words
dismal
adj. depressing; dreary
adj. (of a person or a mood) gloomy
adj. informal pitifully or disgracefully bad
dreary
adj. dull, bleak, and lifeless; depressing
supplant
v. supersede and replace
soporific
adj. tending to induce drowsiness or sleep
adj. tediously boring or monotonous
pantheon
n. all the gods of a people or religion collectively
n. a building in which the illustrious dead of a nation are buried or honored.
n. a group of particularly respected, famous, or important people
illustrious
adj. well known, respected, and admired for past achievements
mortify
v. cause (someone) to feel embarrassed, ashamed, or humiliated
inimical
adj. tending to obstruct or harm
adj. unfriendly; hostile
iterate
v. perform or utter repeatedly
auspicious
adj. conducive to success; favorable
instate
v. set up in position; install or establish
conduce
v. help to bring about (a particular situation or outcome)
evoke
v. bring or recall to the conscious mind
superficial
adj. existing or occurring at or on the surface
adj. not through, deep, or complete; cursory
precarious
adj. not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse
adj. dependent on chance; uncertain
stigmatize
v. describe or regard as worthy of disgrace or great disapproval
v. mark with stigmata
stigmata
n. a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person
manifest
adj. clear or obvious to the eye or mind
v. display or show (a quality or feeling) by one’s acts or appearance; demonstrate
manifesto
n. a public declaration of policy and aims, esp. one issued before an election by a political party or candidate
infinitesimal
adj. extremely small
vitriolic
adj. filled with bitter criticism or malice
proliferate
v. increase rapidly in numbers; multiply
resplendent
adj. attractive and impressive through being richly colorful or sumptuous
lucrative
adj. producing a great deal of profit
symposium
n. a conference or meeting to discuss a particular subject
n. a collection of essays or papers on a particular subject by a number of contributors
n. a drinking party or convivial discussion, esp. as held in ancient Greece after a banquet (and notable as the title of a work by Plato)
convivial
adj. (of an atmosphere or event) friendly, lively, and enjoyable
adj. (of a person) cheerful and friendly; jovial
ravenous
adj. extremely hungry
adj. (of hunger or need) very great; voracious
spike
v. stop the progress of (a plan or undertaking); put an end to
v. increase and then decrease sharply; reach a peak
v. impale on or pierce with a sharp point
impale
v. pierce or transfix with a sharp instrument
transfix
v. cause (someone) to become motionless with horror, wonder, or astonishment
v. pierce with a sharp implement or weapon
circumspect
adj. wary and unwilling to take risks
zest
n. great enthusiasm and energy
transient
adj. lasting only for a short time; impermanent
duplicitous
adj. deceitful
sublime
adj. of such excellence, grandeur, or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe
sublimate
v. (esp. in psychoanalytic theory) divert or modify (an instinctual impulse) into a culturally higher or socially more acceptable activity [INTO]
subliminal
adj. (of a stimulus or mental process) below the threshold of sensation or consciousness; perceived by or affecting someone’s mind without their being aware of it
hunker
v. squat or crouch down low
v. hunch; bend
v. take shelter in a defensive position
v. (hunker down) apply oneself seriously to a task
surplus
n. an amount of something left over when requirements have been met; an excess of production or supply over demand
n. an excess of income or assets over expenditure or liabilities in a given period, typically a fiscal year
n. the excess value of a company’s assets over the face value of its stock
ramification
n. a consequence of an action or event, esp. when complex or unwelcome
autocrat
n. a ruler who has absolute power
n. someone who insists on complete obedience from others; an imperious or domineering person
imperious
adj. assuming power or authority without justification; arrogant and domineering