Word List 36 Flashcards
tact
sensitive mental or aesthetic perception
a keen sense of what to do or say in order to maintain good relations with others to avoid offense
e.g. converted the novel into a play with remarkable skill and tact
The peace talks required great tact on the part of both leaders.
tactic
a device for accomplishing an end
a method of employing forces in combat
e.g. an effective tactic for solving crimes
a specialist in naval tactics
taking
captivating, winning, or pleasing
e.g. a taking smile
talisman
an object held to act as a charm to avert evil and bring good fortune
something producing apparently magical or miraculous effects
tally
to record on or as if on tally; tabulate
to make a count of
correspond
e.g. tally expenses every day
The numbers on the old list and the new list don’t tally.
talon
the claw of an animal
tambourine
a small drum
tamp
to drive in or down by a succession of light or medium blows
to put a check on; reduce, lessen
e.g. tamp the earth around the base of the seedlings
tamp down rumors
tantalize
to please or torment by or as if by presenting something desirable to the view but continually keeping it out of reach
e.g. tantalized by the possibility of earning a lot of money quickly
tantamount
equivalent in value, significance, or effect
e.g. His statement was tantamount to an admission of guilt.
a relationship tantamount to marriage
tapestry
a heavy handwoven reversible textile used for hangings, curtains, and upholstery and characterized by complicated pictorial designs
something resembling tapestry (as in complexity or richness of design)
e.g. nature’s rich tapestry
tardy
moving slowly; sluggish
delayed beyond the expected or proper time; late
e.g. tardy in filling out the application
tare
a plant that has small flowers and is used to feed farm animals
tarnish
to dull or destroy the luster of by or as if by air, dust, or dirt; soil, stain
to detract from the good quality of; vitiate
e.g. reputation tarnished by the scandal
tarpaulin
waterproofed canvas
tatty
rather worn, frayed, or dilapidated; shabby
e.g. The owner has let the place become increasingly fatty over the years.
tawdry
cheap and gaudy in appearance or quality; also, ignoble
e.g. a tawdry attempt to smear his opponent
taxonomy
the study of the general principles of scientific classification; systematics
classification
e.g. the taxonomies of various plant groups
technocrat
a technical expert; especially, one exercising managerial authority
tedium
the quality or state of being tedious; tediousness; also, boredom
e.g. The movie was three hours of tedium.
relieve the tedium of work
teeter
to movie unsteadily; wobble
waver, vacillate
e.g. teetered on the brink of bankruptcy
telling
carrying great weight and producing a marked effect; effective, expressive
e.g. the most telling evidence
temerity
unreasonable or foolhardy contempt of danger or opposition; rashness, recklessness
a rash or reckless act
e.g. She had the temerity to ask him…
temper
to dilute, qualify, or soften by the addition or influence of something else; moderate
to make stronger and more resilient through hardship; toughen
e.g. temper justice with mercy
troops tempered in battle
tempest
a violent storm
tumult, uproar
e.g. The town council handled the tempest over cuts to the school budget as well as could be expected.
temporal
of or relating to time as opposed to eternity
of or relating to earthly life
e.g. Each of those revolutions has its own political, cultural, and temporal context which made it distinct.
temporal joy
temporize
to act to suit the time or occasion; yield to current or dominant opinion
to draw out discussions or negotiations so as to gain time
e.g. Courtiers are made of chameleons, because they are inconstant and know how to temporize.
You’d have to temporize until you found out how she wanted to be advised.
tenable
capable of being held, maintained, or defended; defensible, reasonable
e.g. The soldier’s encampment on the open plain was not tenable, so they retreated to high ground.
The tenable theory that a giant meteor strike set off a chain of events resulting in the demise of the dinosaurs.
tenacious
not easily pulled apart; cohesive
persistent in maintaining, adhering to, or seeking something valued or desired
retentive
e.g. a tenacious advocate of civil rights
tenacious negotiators
a tenacious memory
tendentious
marked by a tendency in favor of a particular point of view; biased
tender
to present for acceptance; offer
e.g. tender my resignation
tenor
the general of basic quality or meaning of something; purport
e.g. The tenor of his remarks is clear.
tenuous
not dense; rare
not thick; slender
having little substance or strength; flimsy, weak
shaky
e.g. a tenuous fluid/rope
tenuous influences/reasons
a tenuous grasp on reality
tepid
moderately warm; lukewarm
lacking in passion, force, or zest
marked by an absence of enthusiasm or conviction
e.g. a tepid bath
tepid poetry
a tepid interest/response
termite
a kind of soft, white insect that lives in groups, eats food, and causes a lot of damage to wooden structures
terse
smoothly elegant; polished
using few words; devoid of superfluity; also, short, brusque
e.g. a terse summary
dismissed me with a terse “no”
testator
a person who dies leaving a will or testament in force
testy
easily annoyed; irritable
marked by impatience or ill humor
e.g. testy remarks
tether
something (as a rope or chain) by which an animal is fastened so that it can range only within a set radius
the limit of one’s strength or resources
to fasten or restrain by or as if by tether
e.g. at the end of my tether
felt tethered to her desk until the work is done
thatch
a plant material (as straw) used as a sheltering cover especially of a house
to cover with or as if with thatch
thematic
- theme
e. g. the thematic development in the story
theocracy
government of a state by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided
thicket
a dense growth of shrubbery or small trees; coppice
something resembling a thicket in density or impenetrability; tangle
e.g. a dense thicket of rosebushes
a political thicket / a thicket of reporters
threadbare
shabby
barely adequate because of cheapness or shabbiness
exhausted of interest or freshness
e.g. threadbare clothes / a threadbare production
threadbare cliches
throng
a multitude of assembled persons; a large number
a pressing increase of activity
e.g. grabbed a megaphone and addressed the vast throng
a throng of memories
thwart
to run counter to so as to effectively oppose or baffle; contravene
e.g. thwart the progress
tiff
a petty quarrel
also
e.g. a little tiff about what color sheets to buy
tightfisted
reluctant to part with money
e.g. tightfisted owner
timber
material, stuff; especially, a person or type of person qualified for a particular position or status
e.g. managerial timber
timbre
the quality of the sound made by a particular voice or musical instrument
timorous
of a timid disposition; fearful
expressing or suggesting timidity
e.g. a shy and timorous teenager
proceed with doubtful and timorous steps
tinder
a very flammable substance adaptable for use as kindling
something that serves to incite or inflame
e.g. The rhetoric was ready tinder for revolution.
tine
a slender pointed projecting part; prong
a point branch of an antler
tinker
a usually itinerant mender of household utensils
an unskillful mender; bungler
to repair, adjust, or work with something in an unskilled or experimental manner; fiddle
e.g. tinkering with his car in the garage
tint
a usually slight or pale coloration; hue
a usually slight modifying quality or characteristic; touch
to impart or apply a tint to; color
e.g. a photo with a sepia tint
tirade
a protracted speech usually marked by intemperate, vituperative, or harshly censorious language
e.g. a tirade about the failures of the government
titular
existing in title only
e.g. Although retired, he remains the titular chairman of the company.
toady
one who flatters in the hope of gaining favors; sycophant
tonsorial
of or relating to a barber or the work of a barber
topple
overthrow
defeat
e.g. The strong winds toppled many trees.
torpid
having lost motion or the power of exertion or feeling; dormant, numb
sluggish in functioning or acting
lacking in energy or vigor; apathetic, dull
e.g. a torpid sloth that refused to budge off its tree branch
My tongue and throat remained torpid for a time following the endoscopy.
torpor
a state of mental and motor activity with partial or total insensibility
apathy, dullness
e.g. The news aroused him from his torpor.
After a lifetime of setbacks, defeats, and failures, he could only greet the latest bad news with a resigned fatalism and dull torpor.
totalitarianism
centralized control by an autocratic authority
the political concept that the citizen could be totally subject to an absolute state authority
totter
to tremble or rock as if about to fall; sway
to become unstable; threaten to collapse
toupee
a small wig that is worn by a man to cover a bald spot on his head
tourniquet
a device (as a band of rubber) that checks bleeding or blood flow by compressing blood vessels
tout
to solicit, peddle, or persuade importunately
to make much of; promote, talk up
e.g. touting tickets outside the stadium
advertisements touting the drug’s effectiveness
tractable
capable of being easily led, taught, or controlled; docile
easily handled, managed, or wrought; malleable
e.g. a tractable horse/problem
trance
stupor, daze
a sleeplike state (as of hypnosis) usually characterized by partly suspended animation with diminished or absent sensory and motor activity
a state of profound abstraction or absorption
e.g. staring out the window in a trance
transcend
to rise above or go beyond the limits of
overcome
e.g. music that transcends cultural boundaries
transcend her own sufferings
transcendent
exceeding usual limits; surpassing
transcending the universe or material existence
universally applicable or significant
e.g. angels, demons, and other transcendent beings
The star play’s transcendent performance helped the team to a surprise victory.
the transcendent importance of liberty
transcendental
transcendent
e.g. the concept of the soul as a transcendental entity
He manifests a transcendental ability to inspire people.
transfigure
to give a new and typically exalted or spiritual appearance to; transform outwardly and usually for the better
transgress
to violate a command or law; sin
to go beyond a boundary or limit
e.g. He who transgresses must seek forgiveness.
There are legal consequences for companies that transgress rules.
transitory
tending to pass away; not persistent
of brief duration; temporary
e.g. the transitory nature of earthly pleasures
a transitory panic
translucent
permitting the passage of light
free from disguise or falseness
e.g. translucent water
Captain America’s translucent patriotism
