Week 5 Flashcards
brevity
the quality or state of being brief in duration
Brevity = briefness (you can’t get any shorter than that)
expedient
appropriate to a purpose; convenient; speedy
It was more expedient to use FedEx than to use the post office
transient
passing quickly in time or space
Jack Dawson enjoyed his transient lifestyle; with nothing but the clothes on his back and the air in his lungs, he was free to travel wherever he wanted
augment
to make greater, as in size, extent, or quantity; to supplement
The model Angele Franju is rumored to have augmented her studies in chemistry with a minor in German literature
bolster
to hearten, support, or prop up
The class bolstered Amerlia’s confidence; she had no idea she already knew so much.
burgeon
to grow and flourish
The burgeoning Burgess family required a new house because its old one only had one bedroom
copious
plentiful; having a large quantity
She took copious notes during class, using up five large notebooks.
distend
to sweel out or expand from internal pressure, as when overly full
The ballon distended as it was filled with helium, much like Mike’s stomach after Mike ate an entire turkey on Thanksgiving.
grandiose
great in scope or intent; grand
The party was grandiose affair; hundreds of richly dressed guests danced the night away.
prodigious
enormous
Steven Spielberg’s prodigious talent has made Spielberg the most successful film producer and director of our time.
profundity
great depth of intellect, feeling, or meaning
The actor’s profundity surprised the director, who had heard that he was a bit of an airhead.
redouble
to make twice as great; to double
Rita redoubled her efforts to become president of her class by campaigning twice as hard as before.
scintillating
brilliant
The writer’s scintillating narrative diverted Isabel’s attention away from her other guests.
averse
strongly disinclined
Ava proved so averse to homework that she would break out in hives at the mere mention of it
conspicuous
easy to notice; obvious
The red tuxedo was conspicuous among all the classic black ones. What was he thinking?
demure
modest and reserved
Muriel was the most demure girl in the class, always sitting quietly in the back of the room and downplaying any compliments she received.
diffidence
timidity or shyness
Lea’s diffident nature often prevented her from speaking out in class
docile
submissive to instruction; willing to be taught
The SAT class was so docile that the teacher wondered if she was in the right room.
innocuous
having no adverse effect; harmless
The plants were as innocuous as they looked; we suffered no ill effects from eating their leaves.
placid
calm or quiet; undisturbed
Lake Placid was the place to go for those in need of a quiet vacation
quiescent
quiet, still, or at rest; inactive
Quinn’s quiescent behavior made him an ideal roommate
concord
agreement
The class was in concord about the necessity to perform Hamlet, rather than King Lear, in the spring show.
concur
to agree
The board concurred that the con artist who had stolen their money had to be convicted
dogmatic
stubbornly attached to insufficiently proven beliefs
Avik was dogmatic in his belief that the power lines were giving his dog headaches
fastidious
carefully attentive to detail; difficult to please
Kelly, always so fastidious, dramatically edited our group’s report.
intransigence
refusal to moderate a position or to compromise
Jeff was so intransigent in his views that it was impossible to have a rational debate with him
jocular
characterized by or given to joking
Yung-Ji’s jocular disposition helped him gain popularity
meticulous
extremely careful and precise
Since Kelly was so meticulous, we asked her to proofread our group’s report
affable
easygoing; friendly
My mom always said that the key to being affable is the ability to make others laugh
alacrity
promptness in response; cheerful readiness; eagerness
I was so happy when I got the acceptance letter from the University of Alaska that I sprinted home with great alacrity to share the good news.
amiable
friendly; agreeable; good-natured
Mr. Amis was so amiable that he let us call him Big A
benign
kind and gentle
Uncle Ben is a benign and friendly man who is always wiling to help
sanguine
cheerfully confident; optimistic
Harold’s sanguine temperament kept him cheeful, even through somber times.
belligerent
eager to fight; hostile or aggressive
The prosecutor was reprimanded for his belligerent cross-examination of the witness, who had dissolved into tears.
cantankerous
ill-tempered and quearrelsome; disagreeable
The dog hid under the tank as a result of the cat’s cantankerous disposition
contentious
quarrelsome
The contentious debate over science class content is increasingly making the news.
deleterious
having a harmful effect
It was only once he started his test that Murray realized the deleterious effects of one too many Red Bulls; he couldn’t concentrate and his hands were shaking so much he could barely write.
exacerbate
to increase the severity, violence, or bitterness of; aggravate
Alan’s procrastination problems were exacerbated by the monekys who kept throwing bananas at him while he tried to concentrate.
flippant
disrespectfully humorous or casual
Flap’s flippant remarks to the teacher got him sent to the principal’s office.
insolent
insulting in manner or speech
The insolent prim minister stuck her tongue out at the queen.
nefarious
flagrantly wicked; vicious
Dorothy’s kindess and bravery triumphed over the nefarious antics of the Wicked Witch of the West
pernicious
extremely harmful; deadly
The fertilizer’s pernicious effects were not immediately obvious, but researchesrs became suspicious when all their petunias died.
rancorous
marked by bitter, deep-seated ill-will
They had such a rancorous relationship that no one could believe that they had ever gotten along
repugant
arousing disgust or aversion; offensive or repulsive
The pug’s behavior at the dog park was repugnant, causing other dogs to aviod him altogether
supercilious
disdainful; haught; arrogant
The supercilious nobleman traveled through the town witha haughty expression, sneering at the peasants as he was carried past them.
arboreal
relating to or resembling a tree or trees
The National Forest will celebrate its arboreal splendor with an Arbor Day concert.
invocation
a call for assistance, support, or inspiration
The group invoked the god of war as their protector on the field of battle
stratify
to layer or separate into layers
Jonas studied the stratified bedrock and was able to see which time periods went with which layers
variegated
having steaks, marks, or patches of a different coloro or colors; varicolored
The wood’s markings were so varigated that Mr. Vargas assumed they had been painted on
verdant
green with vegetation
The garden was verdant after the rain.
