Week 6 Flashcards
Affluent
Rich
Under duress* from the tax officer, the beggar admitted that he was truly affluent.
Feasible
Possible
It’s feasible to build an electric auto, but wouldn’t you need a terribly long extension cord?
Discern
Perceive*
When we could discern the city lights, we knew we were safe at last.
Sally
Suddenly rush forth
Some prisoners planned a disturbance while others would sally toword the gate.
Consternation
Dismay
To the consternation of the sergeant, there was a paucity* of volunteers for the dangerous mission.
Precocious
Reaching maturity early
The children in Shakespeare’s plays are so precosious that they all sound like grandparents.
Perfunctory
Done without care, superficial
Edith gave only perfunctory attention to the new millennium, skipping our New Year’s Eve party,
Chagrin
Feeling of disappointment, humiliation
To the chagrin of many taxpayers, some citizens seem to cheat the government with impunity*.
Perverse
Contrary, persisting in error
When I corret my kid brother’s math errors, he is perverse enough to insist that he is right.
Deride
To redicule, scoff* at
The Wright brothers didn’t become distraught* when a skeptical would deride their work.
Disparage
To discredit, bellittle*
The affluent* storeowner disparage the efforts of his small competitor, saying that he could always tolerate* that kind of rivalry.
Laudable
Praiseworthy
The paradox* is that Javert’s inexorable* pursuit of Jean Valjean was both laudable and despicable.
Fiasco
Complete failure
In an acrimonious* letter, her father described the project as a complete fiasco.
Masticate
To chew up
To aid in digestion, you must masticate each piece of meat one dozen times.
Eschew
Avoid
Once he sought the limelight, but now he eschews all interviews.
Quell
Put an end to
In order to quell the riot, the police sallied* forth with tear gas.
Voluble
Talkative
I could not doze in the chair because of the voluble barber.
Confidant
One to whom you confide your secrets
A teenage boy’s father should be his true confidant.
Obsolescence
Process of wearing out
The obsolescence built into many products could be regarded as a flagrant* insult toward the duped* consumer.
Dubious
Doubtful
When the duplicity was revealed, the jury became dubious about Ed’s innocence.
