week 15 vocab Flashcards
roster
list of names
rostrum n.
a raised platform on which a person stands to make a public speech, receive an award or medal, play music, or conduct an orchestra.
“speaker after speaker stepped up to the rostrum”
rotund adj.
(of a person) plump.
“her brother was slim where she was rotund”
rubicund adj.
(especially of someone’s face) having a healthy red color. complexion; high-colored.
“he was more than a little rubicund” red
rudimentary adj.
involving or limited to basic principles.
“he received a rudimentary education”
ruthless
having or showing no pity or compassion for others.
“a ruthless manipulator”
saccharine adj.
excessively sweet or sentimental.
“saccharine music”
sacrilegious n.
involving or committing violation or misuse of what is regarded as sacred.
sagacity n.
the quality of being, having, or showing good judgment.
“a man of great political sagacity”
salacious adj.
having or conveying inappropriate interest in sexual matters.
“salacious stories”
salient adj.
most noticeable or important.
“it succinctly covered all the salient points of the case”
(of an angle) pointing outward.
sanctimonious
making a show of being morally superior to other people.
“what happened to all the sanctimonious talk about putting his family first?”
sanction n.
official permission or approval for an action.
“he appealed to the bishop for his sanction”
sanctify v.
set apart as or declare holy; consecrate.
“a small shrine was built to sanctify the site”
sangfroid n.
composure or coolness, sometimes excessive, as shown in danger or under trying circumstances.
sanguinary adj.
involving or causing much bloodshed.
“they lost heavily in the sanguinary campaigns that followed”
sanguine adj.
- cheerful hopeful
“he is sanguine about prospects for the global economy” - reddish “___ sunset”
- bloody
sardonic adj.
grimly mocking or cynical.
“Starkey attempted a sardonic smile”
sartorial adj.
relating to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress.
“sartorial elegance”
satiate adj.
satisfied to the full; satiated.
“satiate with power, of fame and wealth possess’d”
saturnine adj.
solemn, gloomy, sluggish
savor
to relish
“i will savor this moment forever”
scanty adj.
small or insufficient in quantity or amount.
“scanty wages”
scintillate v.
emit flashes of light; sparkle.
“the sleek boat seemed to scintillate with a dark blue light”
scourge
extreme punishment
scrupulous v.
(of a person or process) diligent, thorough, and extremely attentive to details.
“the research has been carried out with scrupulous attention to detail”
scrutiny n.
critical observation or examination.
“the policy came under scrutiny last month”
scurrilous adj.
abusive in language, insulting, grossly obscene, foul mouthed
making or spreading scandalous claims about someone with the intention of damaging their reputation.
“a scurrilous attack on his integrity”
secular adj.
denoting attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis.
“secular buildings”
sedate adj.
calm, dignified, and unhurried.
“in the old days, business was carried on at a rather more sedate pace”
sedentary adj.
(of a person) tending to spend much time seated; somewhat inactive. doing little exercise
“we all walk a certain amount every day even if we are sedentary”
sedulous adj.
(of a person or action) showing dedication and diligence.
“he watched himself with the most sedulous care”
seemly adj.
conforming to accepted notions of whats proper.
“I felt it was not seemly to observe too closely”
senile adj.
(of a person) having or showing the weaknesses or diseases of old age, especially a loss of mental faculties.
“she couldn’t cope with her senile husband”
sententious adj.
concise and forcefully sayings.
given to moralizing in a pompous or affected manner.
“he tried to encourage his men with sententious rhetoric”
serried adj.
(of rows of people or things) packs or crowed together.
“serried ranks of soldiers”
servile adj.
overly submissive
he bowed his head in a servile manner”
sever v.
divide by cutting or slicing, especially suddenly and forcibly.
“the head was severed from the body”
simulate v.
to predent, copy
imitate the appearance or character of.
“red ocher intended to simulate blood”
sinecure n.
a position requiring little or no work but giving the holder status or financial benefit.
“political sinecures for the supporters of ministers”
sinister adj.
giving the impression that something harmful or evil is happening or will happen.
“there was something sinister about that murmuring voice”
sinuous adj.
having many curves and turns.
“the river follows a sinuous trail through the forest”
2. indirect
“sinuous question”
skeptical adj.
not easily convinced; having doubts or reservations.
“the public were deeply skeptical about some of the proposals”
slander
to defame (in law, “slander” is oral, whereas “libel” is written)
sleazy
flimsy, cheap, unsavory
“what a sleazy remark”
slovenly adj.
(especially of a person or their appearance) messy and dirty.
“he was upbraided for his slovenly appearance”
solemn adj.
serious
“a solemn procession”
solicit v.
ask for or try to obtain (something) from someone.
“he called a meeting to solicit their views”
solicitous adj.
anxious, concerned
“solicitous for the result”
“solicitous adout the escapade”
“a solicitous parent”
solitude n.
the state or situation of being alone.
“she savored her few hours of freedom and solitude”
somatic adj.
physical, pertaining to the body
“patients completed a questionnaire about their somatic and psychological symptoms”
somber adj.
dark or dull in color or tone; gloomy.
“the night skies were somber and starless”
oppressively solemn or sober in mood; grave.
“he looked at her with a somber expression”
somnolent adj.
sleepy; drowsy.
sophisticated adj.
having, revealing, or proceeding from a great deal of worldly experience and knowledge of fashion and culture.
“a chic, sophisticated woman”
soporific adj.
tending to induce drowsiness or sleep.
“the motion of the train had a somewhat soporific effect”
specious adj.
superficially plausible, but actually wrong.
“a specious argument”
misleading in appearance, especially misleadingly attractive.
“the music trade gives Golden Oldies a specious appearance of novelty”
sporadic adj.
occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated.
“sporadic fighting broke out”
spurious adj.
not being what it purports to be; false or fake.
“separating authentic and spurious claims”
“spurious and corrupt use of the policy”
squalid adj.
(of a place) extremely dirty and unpleasant, especially as a result of poverty or neglect.
“the squalid, overcrowded prison”
stagnant
not moving
“stagnant body of water”
showing no activity; dull and sluggish.
“a stagnant economy”
