Word List 2 Flashcards
boorish
ill-mannered; The mountain boy is a boorish savage.
epistle
letter; The poet wrote a dedicatory epistle.
heresy
against orthodox opinion; That is heresy.
poignant
deeply moving; She painted a poignant portrait of the countryside.
respite
a break; He took a respite from the outside world.
terse
concise; She spoke in a terse manner.
obscure
difficult to understand; The directions were in an obscure language.
acrophobia
fear of heights; He can’t go rock climbing due to his acrophobia.
bourgeois
middle class; The bourgeois citizens’ opinions were conventional.
debility
weakness; incapacity; The debility of a medical condition prevents him from learning.
epistolary
concerned with letters; We had an epistolary friendship.
languid
slow; His fatigue caused a languid manner.
obscured
hidden; The murkiness obscured the view.
resplendent
glowing; The gems sparkled resplendently.
debunking
exposing false claims or myths; She debunked the ad campaign.
epitomized
typified; He epitomizes the highest principles of morality.
hidebound
rigid in opinions; The hidebound philosopher will not listen to anyone but himself.
languish
decay; get weaker; His body languished in prison.
obsequious
servile, submissive; She gave an obsequious bow.
polemical
controversial; They entered into a polemical argument.
decathlon
an athletic competition with 10 events; He was a high jumper in the decathlon.
equivocate
speak ambiguously; avoid telling the truth; The candidate equivocated in the debate.
larceny
theft; They committed grand larceny.
timorous
cowardly; The noise made them timorous.
adroit
skillful; He is an adroit debater.
decorum
dignified, correct behavior; Conduct yourselves with decorum.
largess
generosity; The largess of the sponsors provided enough funds for the cause.
pontificate
speak pompously or dogmatically; He spoke with pontification.
reticent
restrained; He spoke reticently about his recent divorce.
tirade
stream of verbal abuse; She offered a tirade against abortion.
adulation
servile admiration; The teen girls’ adulation for the rock star was revolting.
bristle
to show irritation; The dog bristled when woken up.
histrionic
theatrical; Calm down, there is no need for the histrionics.
laud
praise; I laud your decision.
obstreperous
noisy and boisterous; The children’s obstreperous conduct is unacceptable.
portend
foretell; The clouds portend a storm.
titter
giggle quietly; The children are tittering in the background.
adversity
hardship; She overcame great adversity.
broach
start to discuss; He broached the topic carefully.
deference
respect; Out of deference for our friendship, I will relent.
esoteric
obscure; The song provides many esoteric allusions.
hoary
old; He told his grandchildren many hoary myths.
lavish
on a grand scale; wasteful; She spends lavishly.
obtuse
mentally dull; Don’t be obtuse.
portent
a warning sign; This is a portent of things to come.
tome
large book; That tome contains many stories.
brusque
blunt, abrupt; She was given only a brusque welcome.
defoliate
cause leaves to fall off; The trees defoliate.
espouse
take up; support; I espouse the cause.
obviate
avoid; This obviates the risk of unnecessary injuries.
poseur
someone who puts on an act; High school is full of poseurs.
riddled
full of (usually full of holes); This story is riddled with errors.
torpid
inactive, stagnant; The creature is torpid and slow.
bulwark
fortification; The dam serves as a bulwark against the lake.
defunct
no longer in existence; The tribe is defunct.
odious
hateful; The odious leader sneered.
posterity
future generations; The posterity of this family depends on you.
rife
common; Crime is rife in these areas.
torpor
sluggishness; She awakens from a long torpor.
affable
friendly, social, easygoing; He is an affable and courteous gentleman.
degradation
poverty; debasement; The degradation of the ghetto is disheartening.
eulogy
praise; He gave a eulogy.
legion
in large numbers; The legion of soldiers stood still.
officious
domineering, intrusive; She interrupted officiously.
rigor
thoroughness; The logical rigor of mathematics is not for everyone.
totter
walk unsteadily; The baby tottered to his parents.
