Week Eighteen Flashcards
Splendid
Adj: excellent, or beautiful and impressive
Example:
-We had splendid food/a splendid holiday/splendid weather.
-You look splendid in that outfit.
Abortive
Adj: An abortive attempt or plan has to be stopped because it has failed; fruitless; useless; failing
Example:
He made two abortive attempts on the French throne.
Persevere
V: to continue making an effort to do or achieve something, even when this is difficult or takes a long time; persist
Example:
If you persevere long enough and work hard enough, you’ll eventually succeed.
Modify
V: to change something slightly, esp. to improve it or make it more acceptable or less extreme; to change; to alter; to adapt
Example:
The school board decided to modify its existing employment policy.
Accommodate
V: to provide with a place to live or to be stored in; to make fit; adjust to
Example:
-New students may be accommodated in halls of residence.
-There wasn’t enough space to accommodate the files
Spontenous
Adj: happening or done in a natural, often sudden way, without any planning or without being forced; without preparation; unrehearsed
Example:
-His jokes seemed spontaneous, but were in fact carefully prepared beforehand.
-She’s such a spontaneous, lively woman.
Innate
Adj: An innate quality or ability is one that you were born with, not one you have learned;natural
Example:
Cyril’s most impressive quality was his innate goodness.
Cunning
Adj: Cunning people are clever at planning something so that they get what they want, especially by tricking other people, or things that are cleverly made for a particular purpose
Example: he is a very cunning man
Admonish
V: to advise someone to do something
Example:
Her teacher admonished her to work harder for her exams.
Precipitate
V: to make something happen suddenly or sooner than expected; cause; lead to
Example:
-An invasion would certainly precipitate a political crisis.
-Fear of losing her job precipitated (= suddenly forced) her into action.
Veneer
N: a thin layer of decorative wood or plastic used to cover a cheaper material; thin covering
Example:
The wardrobe is made of chipboard with a pine veneer.
Myriad
N: a very large number of something; countless number
Example:
-a myriad of choices
-And now myriads of bars and hotels are opening up along the coast.
Urbane
Adj: (especially of a man) confident, comfortable, and polite in social situations; polished; witty
Example:
Herschel was an urbane, kindly, and generous man.
Crave
V: to have a very strong feeling of wanting something; to desire
Example:
crave attention Many young children crave attention.
Irrelevant
Adj: not related to what is being discussed or considered and therefore not important
Example:
-These documents are largely irrelevant to the present investigation.
-Making a large profit is irrelevant to us - the important thing is to make the book available to the largest possible audience.
Lieutenant
N: (the title of) an officer of middle rank in the armed forces
Example:
-first/second lieutenant
-He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant.
Corporal
N: a person of low rank in the army or the Air Force
Deem
V: to consider or judge; believe
Example:
The president asked Congress for authority to take whatever steps he deemed necessary, including the use of force.
Embark
V: begin; start
Rear
V: to raise; to care for young animals or children until they are able to care for themselves
Example:
-Some women make a deliberate choice to rear a child alone.
-He describes how these birds rear their young.
Inherent
Adj: existing as a natural or basic part of something; inborn
Example:
-danger/risk inherent in: There are dangers/risks inherent in almost every sport.
-I have an inherent distrust of lawyers.
Buff
N: a person who knows a lot about and is very interested in a particular subject; a fan; follower
Example:
a computer/opera/film buff
Romp
V: to play in a rough, excited, and noisy way; to move in a lively manner
Example:
The children romped happily around/about in the garden.
Latent
Adj: present, but not yet active, developed, or obvious; lying hidden
Example:
latent capability/talent/skill
Cajole
V: to persuade someone to do something they might not want to do, by pleasant talk and promises, sometimes ones which are false
Example:
cajole someone into something/doing something: He really knows how to cajole people into doing what he wants.
Extinguish
V:
1. to stop a fire or a light burning
Example:
It took the firefighters several hours to extinguish the flames.
to extinguish a cigarette
- to stop or get rid of an idea or feeling
Example:
Nothing could extinguish his love for her.
Blaze
N: a large, strong fire
Example:
Firefighters took two hours to control the blaze.
Cognizant
Adj: understanding or realizing something; aware
Example:
We should be cognizant of the fact that every complaint is not a justified complaint.
Tortuous
Adj: with many turns and changes of direction; not direct or simple; winding
Example:
-He took a tortuous route through back streets.
-The path to peace seems at last to be clear, although it may be a long and tortuous one.
Maze
N: labyrinth
Itinerant
Adj: (of a person) traveling from one place to another, usually to work for a short period; wandering
Example:
itinerant farm workers
Nomadic
Adj: moving from one place to another rather than living in one place all of the time
Example:
-nomadic people/herdsmen
-a nomadic life/existence
Pregrenation
N: a long journey in which you travel to various different places, especially on foot; travel
Conjugal
Adj: connected with marriage or the relationship between two married people, especially their sexual relationship
Example:
conjugal happiness
Some prisoners who want to start a family are to be permitted conjugal visits.
Barometer
N: instrument for measuring change
Plethora
N: a very large amount of something, esp. a larger amount than you need, want, or can deal with
Example:
a plethora of excuses/agencies/diet books
Shipment
N: cargo; a large amount of goods sent together to a place, or the act of sending them
Example:
A shipment of urgent medical supplies is expected to arrive very soon.
Nettle
V: to make someone annoyed or slightly angry
Example:
She looked up at me sharply, clearly nettled by the interruption.
Havoc
N: chaos; confusion; disorder; confusion and lack of order that result in damage or trouble
Example:
The storm created complete havoc in the park.
Content
Adj: pleased with your situation and not hoping for change or improvement
Example:
-content with: He seems fairly content with (his) life.
-They’re content to socialize with a very small circle of people.
Construe
V: interpret
construe something as something:
to understand the meaning, especially of other people’s actions and statements, in a particular way
Example:
Any changes to the plan would be construed as indecision.
Connubial
Adj: connected with marriage
Example:
connubial bliss
Toil
V: to work hard
Example:
-Farm workers have been toiling in the 100-degree heat over the past week.
-After toiling away at work all week, it’s good to relax.
Ramshackle
Adj: broken-down; badly or untidily made and likely to break or fall down easily
Example:
There’s a ramshackle old shed at the bottom of the garden
Unscrupulous
Adj: dishonest; behaving in a way that is dishonest or unfair in order to get what you want
Example:
an unscrupulous financial adviser
Scour
V: to search a place or thing very carefully in order to try to find something
Example:
-The police are scouring the area for the missing child.
-I scoured the shops for a blue and white shirt, but I couldn’t find one anywhere.
Revoke
V: to say officially that an agreement, permission, a law, etc. is no longer in effect; repeal
Example:
The authorities have revoked their original decision to allow development of this rural area.
Shady
Adj:
1. sheltered from direct light from the sun
Example:
We sat on the shady grass for our picnic.
- dishonest or illegal
Example:
-They know some very shady characters.
-He was involved in shady deals in the past.
Subjugate
V: to defeat people or a country and rule them in a way that allows them no freedom
Paltry
Adj: (of an amount of money) very small and of little or no value
Example:
-Student grants these days are paltry.
-paltry sum: The company offered Frazer a paltry sum, which he refused.
Shabbily
Adv:
1. in a way that looks old and in bad condition because of being used for a long time or not being cared for
Example:
-shabbily dressed
-It was a mean, shabbily furnished room, with a bed in it.
- in a way that is withouthonour, unfair, or unacceptable
Example:
-The hostages were shabbily treated when they came home.
-They treated strangers shabbily in order to feel better about themselves
Corrupt
Adj: dishonestly using your position or power to get an advantage, especially for money
Example:
Both companies are under investigation for corrupt practices.
