Vocabulary Flashcards
Genuflect
gen·u·flect v. [intrans.] lower one’s body briefly by bending one knee to the ground, typically in worship or as a sign of respect: she genuflected and crossed herself.
adverbial] FIGURATIVE show deference or servility: politicians had to genuflect to the far left to advance their careers.
Balkanization
Balkanization, or Balkanisation, is a geopolitical term, originally used to describe the violent process of fragmentation or division of a region or state into smaller regions or states that are often hostile or non-cooperative with one another.[1] It is considered pejoratively by some.[2]
Pejorative
pe·jo·ra·tive
pəˈjôrədiv/
adjective
1.
expressing contempt or disapproval.
““permissiveness” is used almost universally as a pejorative term”
synonyms: disparaging, derogatory, denigratory, deprecatory, defamatory, slanderous, libelous, abusive, insulting, slighting; informalbitchy
“his remarks were considered too pejorative for daytime radio”
antonyms: complimentary
noun
noun: pejorative; plural noun: pejoratives
1.
a word expressing contempt or disapproval.
Acolyte
1 :one who assists a member of the clergy in a liturgical service by performing minor duties
2 :one who attends or assists :follower
in·su·per·a·ble
inˈso͞op(ə)rəb(ə)l/
adjective
(of a difficulty or obstacle) impossible to overcome.
“insuperable financial problems”
Suzerainty (/ˈsjuːzərənti/ or /ˈsjuːzərɛnti/)
a situation in which a powerful region or people controls the foreign affairs of a tributary vassal state while allowing the subservient nation internal autonomy
dem·a·gogue
ˈdeməˌɡäɡ/
noun
a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument.
synonyms: rabble-rouser, agitator, political agitator, soapbox orator, firebrand, fomenter, provocateur
“he was drawn into a circle of campus demagogues”
i·ras·ci·ble
iˈrasəb(ə)l/
adjective
having or showing a tendency to be easily angered.
“an irascible man”
synonyms: irritable, quick-tempered, short-tempered, hot-tempered, testy, touchy, tetchy, edgy, crabby, petulant, waspish, dyspeptic, snappish; More
antonyms: even-tempered, good-natured
Origin
late Middle English: via French from late Latin irascibilis, from Latin irasci ‘grow angry,’ from ira ‘anger.’
per·fid·i·ous
pərˈfidēəs/
deceitful and untrustworthy. "a perfidious lover" synonyms: treacherous, duplicitous, deceitful, disloyal, faithless, unfaithful, traitorous, treasonous, false, false-hearted, double-dealing, two-faced, Janus-faced, untrustworthy "a perfidious lover" antonyms: faithful Origin
late 16th century: from Latin perfidiosus, from perfidia ‘treachery.’
Translate perfidious to
Use over time for: perfidious
sar·don·ic
särˈdänik/
adjective grimly mocking or cynical. "Starkey attempted a sardonic smile" synonyms: mocking, satirical, sarcastic, ironical, ironic; More Origin mid 17th century: from French sardonique, earlier sardonien, via Latin from Greek sardonios ‘of Sardinia,’ alteration of sardanios, used by Homer to describe bitter or scornful laughter. Translate sardonic to Use over time for: sardonic
par·si·mo·ni·ous
ˌpärsəˈmōnēəs/
adjective
unwilling to spend money or use resources; stingy or frugal.
“parsimonious New Hampshire voters, who have a phobia about taxes”
synonyms: cheap, miserly, mean, niggardly, close-fisted, close, penny-pinching, ungenerous, Scroogelike
po·lem·ic
pəˈlemik/
noun
1.
a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something.
“his polemic against the cultural relativism of the sixties”
synonyms: diatribe, invective, rant, tirade, broadside, attack, harangue, condemnation, criticism, stricture, admonition, rebuke
ob·se·qui·ous
əbˈsēkwēəs/
adjective
obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree.
“they were served by obsequious waiters”
synonyms: servile, ingratiating, sycophantic, fawning, unctuous, oily, oleaginous, groveling, cringing, subservient, submissive, slavish;
syc·o·phant
ˈsikəˌfant,ˈsikəfənt/
noun
a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage.
synonyms: yes-man, bootlicker, brown-noser, toady, lickspittle, flatterer, flunky, lackey, spaniel, doormat, stooge, cringer, suck, suck-up
ris·i·ble
ˈrizəbəl/
adjective
such as to provoke laughter.
“a risible scene of lovemaking in a tent”
synonyms: laughable, ridiculous, absurd, comical, comic, amusing, funny, hilarious, humorous, droll, farcical, silly, ludicrous, hysterical;
in·ter·ne·cine
ˌintərˈnesēn,-ˈnēsēn,-sin/
adjective
destructive to both sides in a conflict.
“the region’s history of savage internecine warfare”
of or relating to conflict within a group or organization.
“the party shrank from the trauma of more internecine strife”
Origin
mid 17th century (in the sense ‘deadly, characterized by great slaughter’): from Latin internecinus, based on inter- ‘among’ + necare ‘to kill.’
vi·tu·per·a·tion
vəˌt(y)o͞opəˈrāSHən,vī-/
noun
bitter and abusive language.
“no one else attracted such vituperation from him”
synonyms: invective, condemnation, opprobrium, scolding, criticism, disapprobation, fault-finding;
antonyms: praise
des·ul·to·ry
ˈdesəlˌtôrē/
adjective
lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm.
“a few people were left, dancing in a desultory fashion”
synonyms: casual, cursory, superficial, token, perfunctory, half-hearted, lukewarm; More
antonyms: keen
(of conversation or speech) going constantly from one subject to another in a halfhearted way; unfocused.
“the desultory conversation faded”
occurring randomly or occasionally.
“desultory passengers were appearing”
ob·strep·er·ous
əbˈstrepərəs/
adjective
noisy and difficult to control.
“the boy is cocky and obstreperous”
synonyms: unruly, unmanageable, disorderly, undisciplined, uncontrollable, rowdy, disruptive, truculent, difficult, refractory, rebellious, mutinous, riotous, out of control, wild, turbulent, uproarious, boisterous; More
dis·si·dence
ˈdisidəns/
noun
protest against official policy; dissent.
synonyms: disagreement, dissent, discord, discontent; More
Origin
mid 17th century: from Latin dissidentia, from dissident- ‘sitting apart’ (see dissident).
curmudgeon
noun cur·mud·geon (ˌ)kər-ˈmə-jən\
: a person (especially an old man) who is easily annoyed or angered and who often complains
mis·an·thrope
ˈmis(ə)nˌTHrōp,ˈmiz(ə)nˌTHrōp/
noun
a person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society.
co·pi·ous
ˈkōpēəs/ adjective abundant in supply or quantity. "she took copious notes" synonyms: abundant, superabundant, plentiful, ample, profuse, full, extensive, generous, bumper, lavish, fulsome, liberal, overflowing, in abundance, many, numerous;
men·dac·i·ty
menˈdasədē/ noun noun: mendacity untruthfulness. "people publicly castigated for past mendacity"
scle·rot·ic
skləˈrätik/
adjective 1. MEDICINE of or having sclerosis. 2. becoming rigid and unresponsive; losing the ability to adapt. "sclerotic management"
in·ex·o·ra·ble
ˌinˈeksərəb(ə)l/
adjective
impossible to stop or prevent.
“the seemingly inexorable march of new technology”
synonyms: relentless, unstoppable, inescapable, inevitable, unavoidable, irrevocable, unalterable; More
(of a person) impossible to persuade by request or entreaty.
“the doctors were inexorable, and there was nothing to be done”
synonyms: intransigent, unbending, unyielding, inflexible, adamant, obdurate, immovable, unshakable;
te·mer·i·ty
təˈmerədē/
noun
excessive confidence or boldness; audacity.
“no one had the temerity to question his conclusions”
synonyms: audacity, nerve, effrontery, impudence, impertinence, cheek, gall, presumption;
he·gem·o·ny
həˈjemənē,ˈhejəˌmōnē/
noun
leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group over others.
“Germany was united under Prussian hegemony after 1871”
synonyms: leadership, dominance, dominion, supremacy, authority, mastery, control, power, sway, rule, sovereignty
“the Prussian hegemony of the nineteenth century”
ap·o·plec·tic
ˌapəˈplektik/
adjective
overcome with anger; extremely indignant.
“Mark was apoplectic with rage at the decision”
dated
relating to or denoting apoplexy (stroke).
“an apoplectic attack”
a·lac·ri·ty
əˈlakrədē/
noun
brisk and cheerful readiness.
“she accepted the invitation with alacrity”
synonyms: eagerness, willingness, readiness;
bu·col·ic
byo͞oˈkälik/
adjective
1.
of or relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life.
“the church is lovely for its bucolic setting”
synonyms: rustic, rural, pastoral, country, countryside;
mael·strom
ˈmālˌsträm,ˈmālˌstrəm/
noun
a powerful whirlpool in the sea or a river.
synonyms: whirlpool, vortex, eddy, swirl; literaryCharybdis
“a maelstrom in the sea”
a situation or state of confused movement or violent turmoil.
“the train station was a maelstrom of crowds”
synonyms: turbulence, tumult, turmoil, disorder, disarray, chaos, confusion, upheaval, pandemonium, bedlam, whirlwind
“the maelstrom of war”
in·ter·lop·er
ˈin(t)ərˌlōpər,ˌin(t)ərˈlōpər/
noun
a person who becomes involved in a place or situation where they are not wanted or are considered not to belong.
synonyms: intruder, encroacher, trespasser, invader, infiltrator
ab·ro·gate
ˈabrəˌɡāt/
verbformal
repeal or do away with (a law, right, or formal agreement).
“a proposal to abrogate temporarily the right to strike”
synonyms: repeal, revoke, rescind, repudiate, overturn, annul;
ex·i·gent
ˈekzəjənt/
adjectiveformal
pressing; demanding.
“the exigent demands of the music took a toll on her voice”
Avuncular
1
: of or relating to an uncle
2
: suggestive of an uncle especially in kindliness or geniality
Bespoke
(of goods, especially clothing) made to order.
“a bespoke suit”
Moribund
‘môrəˌbənd/
adjective
(of a person) at the point of death.
synonyms: dying, expiring, terminal, on one’s deathbed, near death, at death’s door, not long for this world
“the patient was moribund”
(of a thing) in terminal decline; lacking vitality or vigor.
“the moribund commercial property market”
synonyms: declining, in decline, waning, dying, stagnating, stagnant, crumbling, on its last legs
“the moribund shipbuilding industry”
Fecundity
Fertility
Perspicuous
per·spic·u·ous
/pərˈspikyo͞oəs/
clearly expressed and easily understood; lucid.
“it provides simpler and more perspicuous explanations than its rivals”
Heuristic
adjective
serving to indicate or point out; stimulating interest as a means of furthering investigation.
encouraging a person to learn, discover, understand, or solve problems on his or her own, as by experimenting, evaluating possible answers or solutions, or by trial and error:
a heuristic teaching method.
of, relating to, or based on experimentation, evaluation, or trial-and-error methods.
Computers, Mathematics. pertaining to a trial-and-error method of problem solving used when an algorithmic approach is impractical.
inscrutable
incapable of being investigated, analyzed, or scrutinized; impenetrable.
not easily understood; mysterious; unfathomable:
an inscrutable smile.
incapable of being seen through physically; physically impenetrable:
the inscrutable depths of the ocean.
iconoclastic
adjective
attacking or ignoring cherished beliefs and long-held traditions, etc., as being based on error, superstition, or lack of creativity:
an iconoclastic architect whose buildings are like monumental sculptures.
breaking or destroying images, especially those set up for religious veneration.
Precocious
unusually advanced or mature in development, especially mental development:
a precocious child.
Abstruse
Difficult to understand; obscure
What does emolument mean?
emolument /əˈmälyəmənt/ I. noun — (usu. emoluments) 1. ‹formal› a salary, fee, or profit from employment or office • the directors’ emoluments.
Define Calumny
I. noun 1. the making of false and defamatory statements in order to damage someone’s reputation; slander. 2. a false and slanderous statement. II. derivatives calumnious /kəˈləmnēəs / adjective
Define: frac·tious
frac·tious /ˈfrakSHəs/ adjective (typically of children) irritable and quarrelsome. "they fight and squabble like fractious children" Similar: grumpy grouchy crotchety in a (bad) mood cantankerous bad-tempered ill-tempered ill-natured ill-humored peevish cross disagreeable pettish irritable irascible tetchy testy curmudgeonly crabbed crabby waspish prickly peppery touchy scratchy crusty splenetic shrewish short-tempered hot-tempered quick-tempered dyspeptic choleric bilious liverish cross-grained as cross as two sticks snappish snappy chippy on a short fuse short-fused shirty stroppy narky ratty eggy like a bear with a sore head cranky ornery peckish soreheaded snaky waxy miffy Opposite: contented affable (of a group or organization) difficult to control; unruly. "the notoriously fractious resistance groups are declaring alliances to bolster their collective powe
in·sou·ci·ance
/inˈso͞osēəns,inˈso͞oSHəns/ noun casual lack of concern; indifference. "an impression of boyish insouciance"
