word list 3 Flashcards
alacrity
n. eagerness; enthusiasm; quickness
“she accepted the invitation with alacrity”
burgeon
v. grow; flourish; put forth new shoots
“manufacturers are keen to cash in on the burgeoning demand”
deleterious
adj. harmful
“divorce is assumed to have deleterious effects on children”
euphemism
n. a polite phrase to cover something unpleasant
“the jargon has given us ‘downsizing’ as a euphemism for cuts”
hypocritical
adj. insincere
“we don’t go to church and we thought it would be hypocritical to have him christened”
lethargic
adj. tired; without energy
“I felt tired and a little lethargic”
ogle
v. stare at; observe in an obvious manner
“he was ogling her breasts”
postulate
v. hypothesise; propose
“his theory postulated a rotatory movement for hurricanes”
robust
adj. strong; healthy; tough
“the Caplan family are a robust lot”
tractable
adj. obedient; dutiful; polite
“she has always been tractable and obedient, even as a child”
alchemy
n. medieval chemistry; attempt to change base metal into gold
“occult sciences, such as alchemy and astrology”
burnish
v. polish
“highly burnished armour”
deliberate
v. to think over deeply
“she deliberated over the menu”
euphony
n. pleasant sounds
“the poet put euphony before mere factuality”
iconoclast
n. person who opposes orthodoxy
“Bloomberg had a piece trying to find a small group of heroic iconoclasts who predicted the euro crisis”
levity
n. flippancy; joking about serious matters
“as an attempt to introduce a note of levity, the words were a disastrous flop”
olfactory
adj. concerned with the sense of smell
“the olfactory organs”
potable
adj. suitable for drinking
“there is no supply of potable water available”
rotund
adj. round
“her brother was slim where she was rotund”
tranquil
adj. peaceful
“her tranquil gaze”
alibi
n. an excuse that shows someone was not at a crime scene
“she has an alibi for the whole of yesterday evening”
buttress
n, v. strengthen; support
n: “the cathedral’s massive buttresses”
v: “a buttressed wall”
delineation
n. demarcation; explanation; definition; outlining
“the artist’s exquisite delineation of costume and jewellery”
evacuate
v. vacate; empty; abandon
“several families were evacuated from their homes”
idiosyncrasy
n. a personal peculiarity; something unique to an individual
libertarian
n. someone who opposes tyranny
“libertarian philosophy”
ominous
adj. threatening
“there were ominous dark clouds gathering overhead”
potent
adj. powerful; compelling; strong
“thrones were potent symbols of authority”
ruminate
v. think over something; ponder
“we sat ruminating on the nature of existence”
transcribe
v. copy
“each interview was taped and transcribed”
allay
v. to lessen
“the report attempted to educate the public and allay fears”
byline
n. the line that tells you who wrote an article
“his byline appeared in the first issue”
demur
n. v. hesitate; refuse
n: “they accepted this ruling without demur”
v: “normally she would have accepted the challenge, but she demurred”
exacerbate
v. make worse
“the exorbitant cost of land in urban areas only exacerbated the problem”
ignominious
adj. shameful
“no other party risked ignominious defeat”
liniment
n. soothing lotion
“put the liniment on her leg as I told you, and I’ll call in the morning”
omnipotent
adj. all-powerful
“God is described as omnipotent and benevolent”
pragmatic
adj. practical
“a pragmatic approach to politics”
ruse
n. trick; stratagem
“Emma tried to think of a ruse to get Paul out of the house”
transgress
v. go astray; disobey; commit a sin
“she had transgressed an unwritten social law”
