Vocabulary 73-146 Flashcards
Catholic(adj)
Universal; broad and comprehensive
-his catholic musical tastes included everything from opera to rap
Catalyst(n)
Something that brings about a change in something else
-the imposition of harsh taxes was the catalyst that finally bought on the revolution
Caustic(adj)
Biting in wit
-She gained her caustic reputation from her cutting, yet witty, insults
Chaos(n)
Great disorder; a confused situation
-in most religious traditions, god created an ordered universe from chaos
Chauvinist(n)
Someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs
-the attitude that men must be obeyed since they are inherently superior to women is common among male chauvinists
Chicanery(n)
Deception by means of craft or guile
-dishonest used-car salesmen often use chicanery to sell their beat-up old cars
Circumspect(adj)
Cautious; aware of potential consequences
-she was very circumspect in her language and behavior when first introduced to her fiances parents
Cloying(adj)
Sickly sweet; excessive
-when Enid and Jay first started dating, their cloying affection toward one another often made their friends ill
Coalesce(v)
To grow together to form a single whole
-the sun and planets eventually coalesced out of vast cloud gas and dust
Coffer(n)
A strongbox; a large chest for money
-the bulletproof glass of the coffee is what keeps the Crown Jewels secure
Cogent(adj)
Convincing and well-reasoned
-swayed by the cogent argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant
Collusion(n)
A collaboration; complicity; conspiracy
-it came to light that the police chief and the mafia had a collusion in running the numbers racket
Condone(v)
To overlook, pardon, or disregard
-some theorists believe that failing prosecute minor crimes is the same as condoning and air of lawlessness
Connoisseur(n)
A person with expert knowledge or discriminating tastes
-dr. Crane was a connoisseur of fine food and wine, drinking and eating only the best
Contrite(adj)
Deeply sorrowful and repentant for a wrong
-after three residents were mugged in the lobby while the watchman was away from his post, he felt very contrite
Contumacious(adj)
Rebellious
-the contumacious teenager ran away from home when her parents told her she was grounded
Convoluted(adj)
Intricate and complicate
-although many people bought the proffesors book, few people could follow it’s convoluted ideas and theories
Corroborate(v)
To support with evidence
-all the DA needed were fingerprints to corroborate the witness’s testimony that he saw the defendant in the victim’s apartment
Cosset(v)
To pamper; to treat with great care
-Marta just loves cosset her first and only grandchild
Coterie(n)
An intimate group of persons with a similar purpose
-angel invited a coterie of fellow stamp enthusiasts to a stamp-trading party
Craven(adj)
Lacking courage
-the craven lion cringed in the corner if his cage, terrified of the mouse
Credulous(adj)
Too trusting; gullible
-although some four-year-olds believe in the tooth fairy, only the most credulous 9 year old believe in her
Crescendo(n)
Steady increase in volume or force
-the crescendo of the tension became unbearable as she prepared to jump his motorcycle over the school buses
Cupidity(n)
Greed; strong desire
-the thief stared at the shining jewels with cupidity in his gleaming eyes
Curmudgeon(n)
A cranky person, usually an old one
-Ernesto was a notorious curmudgeon who snapped at anyone who disturbed him for any reason
Debutant(n)
A young woman making debut in high society
-the debutante spent hours dressing from her very first ball, hoping to catch the eye of an eligible bachelor
Declivity(n)
A downward slope
-because the village was situated on the deck ivory of a hill, it never flooded
Decorous(adj)
Proper; tasteful; socially correct
-the countess trained her daughters in the finer points of decorous behavior, hoping they would make a good impression when she presented them at court
Decorum(n)
Appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety
-the countess complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the decorum appropriate for a visit to the palace
Deface(v)
To mar the appearance of; to vandalize
-after the wall was torn down, the students began to deface the statues of communist leaders of the former eastern bloc
Deference(n)
Respect; courtesy
- the respectful young law clerk treated the Supreme Court justice with the utmost deference
Deleterious(adj)
Subtly or unexpected harmful
-if only we had known the clocks were defective before putting them on the market, it wouldn’t have been quite so deleterious to our reputation
Demagogue(n)
A leader or rabble-rouser, usually one appealing to emotion or prejudice
-he began his career as a demagogue, giving fiery speeches at political rallies
Demur(v)
To express doubts or objections
-when scientific authorities claimed that all the planets revolved around the Earth, Galileo, with his superior understanding of the situation, was forces to demur.
Deride(v)
To speak of or treat with contempt; to mock
-the awkward child was often deride by his cooler peers
Desiccate(v)
To dry out thoroughly
-after a few week lying on the deserts baking sands, the cows carcass became come rely desiccated
Desultory(adj)
Jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
-she had a desultory academic record; she had changed majors 12 times
Diaphanous(adj)
Allowing light to show through; delicate
-the diaphanous curtains do nothing to block out the sunlight
Diatribe(n)
An abusive, condemnatory speech
-the trucker bellowed a diatribe at the driver who had cut him off
Dictum(n)
An authoritative statement
-“you have time to lean, you have time to clean” was the dictum our boss made us follow
Diffident(adj)
Lacking self-confidence
-Steve was diffident during the job interview
Dilate(v)
To make larger; to expand
-when you enter a darkened room, the pupils of your eyes dilate
Dilatory(adj)
Intended to delay
-the congressman used dilatory measures to delay the passage of the bill
Dilettante(n)
Someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
-his friends were such dilettantes they seemed to hobbies every week
Dirge(n)
A funeral hymn or mournful speech
-he write a dirge for the funeral
Disabuse(v)
To set right; to free from error
-his observations disabused scholars of the notion that the sun revolved around the earth
Discern(v)
To perceive or recognize
-it is easy to discern the difference between butter and butter-flavored topping
Disparate(adj)
Fundamentally different; entirely unlike
-although the twins are physically identical, their personalities are disparate
Dissemble(v)
To present a false appearance; to disguise one’a real intentions or character
-the villain could dissemble to the police no longer—he admitted to his crime
Dissonance(n)
A harsh and disagreeable combination; especially of sounds
-cognitive dissonance is the inner conflict produced when beliefs are contradictory
Distaff(n)
The female branch of a family
-The lazy husband refused to cook, joking that the duty belongs to the distaff’s side
Distend (v)
To swell, inflate, or bloat
- her stomach was distended after she gorged on that meal
Dither(v)
To act confusedly or without clear purpose
-Ellen dithered around the room, uncertain how to clean it up
Diurnal(adj)
Active or occurring during the day
-diurnal creatures tend to become inactive during the night
Divine(v)
To foretell or know by inspiration
-the teller divined from the pattern of the leaves that she would marry 5 times
Doctrinaire(adj)
Rigidly devoted to theories without regard for practicality; dogmatic
-his manner if teaching was considered doctrinaire for such a liberal school
Dogma(n)
A firmly held opinion, especially a religious belief
-his central dogma was that children who believed in the Santa would be rewarded
Dogmatic(adj)
Dictatorial in ones opinion
-the dictation was dogmatic, claiming he, and only he, was right
Droll(adj)
Amusing in a wry, subtle way
Dupe(v)
To deceive
-bugs bunny was able to dupe Elmer Fudd
Dyspeptic(adj)
Suffering from indigestion; gloomy and irritable
-the dyspeptic young man cast a gloom over the party the minute he walked in
Ebullient(adj)
Exhilarated; full if enthusiasm and high spirits
-the ebullient child exhausted the babysitter
Eclectic(adj)
Selecting from or made up from a
variety of sources
-the architecture is an eclectic mix of Easter and western styles
Edify(v)
To instruct morally and spiritual
-the guru was paid to edifying the actress in the ways of Buddhism
Efficacy(n)
Effectiveness
-the efficacy of penicillin was unsurpassed when it was first introduced
Effigy(n)
A stuffed doll; a likeness if a person
-protestors binned effigies of the unpopular leader
Effrontery (n)
Impudent boldness; audacity
-the receptionist had the effrontery to laugh when the CEO tripped
Elegy(n)
A sorrowful poem or speech
-the elegy is about death and loss
Eloquent(adj)
Persuasive and moving; especially in speech
-the speech is moving not only because of its lofty sentiments but because of its eloquent words
Embellish(v)
To add ornamental or fictitious details
-Britt embellished her resume, hoping to make herself more important
Emulate(v)
To copy; to try to equal or excel
-the grad student sought to emulate his professor
Encomium(n)
Warm praise
-she wrote an encomium in praise of the outgoing president
Endemic(adj)
Belonging to a particular area; inherent
-the health department determined that the outbreak was endemic to the small village
Enervate(v)
To reduce in strength
-the guerrillas hoped that a series of surprise attacks would enervate the regular army
