Vocabulary Builder Session #2 Flashcards
supercilious
adj. behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others; haughty
dogma
noun; a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true.
guile
noun; sly or cunning intelligence; he used all his guile and guts to free himself from the muddle he was in
stigma
n. a mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance, quality, or person; to be a nonreader carries a social stigma
ostentatious
adj.; characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice; ‘books that people display ostentatiously but never actually finish.”
fortnight
n. a period of two weeks.
lingustics
n. the scientific study of language and its structure
sardonic
adj. grimly mocking or cynical
churlish
adj. rude in a mean spirited and surly way
facetious
adj. treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant
terse
adj. sparing in the use of words; abrupt
impunity
n. exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action; the impunity enjoyed by military officers implicated in civilian killings
boudoir
n. a woman’s bedroom or private room
verisimilitude
n. the appearance of being true or real; the detail gives the novel some verisimilitude
misanthrope
n. a person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society
retching
verb. make a sound and movement of vomiting
colloquial
adj. used in ordinary or familiar conversation; not formal or literary
obdurate
adj. stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action; stubborn, obstinate
autodidact
n. a self-taught person
alacrity
n. brisk and cheerful readiness; she accepted the invitation with alacrity
