Word Smart (61-70) Flashcards
1
Q
neologism
A
n a new word or phrase ; a new usage of a word
2
Q
nepotism
A
n showing favoritism to friends of family in business or politics
3
Q
nihilism
A
n the belief that there are no values or morals in the universe
4
Q
nominal
A
a in name only ; insignificant ; A-OK during rocket launches
5
Q
nostalgia
A
n sentimental longing for the past ; homesickness; homesickness
6
Q
notorious
A
a famous for something bad
7
Q
novel
A
a new ; original ;
8
Q
noxious
A
a harmful ; offensive ;
9
Q
nuance
A
n a subtle difference or distinction
10
Q
obdurate
A
a stubborn and insensitive
11
Q
obfuscate
A
v to darken ; to confuse ; to make confusing
12
Q
oblique
A
a indirect ; at an angle ;
13
Q
oblivion
A
n total forgetfulness ; the state of being forgotten ;
14
Q
obscure
A
a unknown ; hard to understand ; dark
15
Q
obsequious
A
a fawning ; subservient ; sucking up to
16
Q
obtuse
A
a insensitive ; blockheaded
17
Q
officious
A
a annoyingly eager to help or advise
18
Q
onerous
A
a burdensome ; oppressive
19
Q
opaque
A
a impossible to see through ; impossible to understand
20
Q
opulent
A
a luxurious
21
Q
orthodox
A
a conventional ; adhering to established principles or doctrines especially in religion ; by the book
22
Q
ostensible
A
a apparent but misleading ; professed
23
Q
ostentatious
A
a excessively conspicuous ; showing off
24
Q
pacify
A
v to calm someone down ; to placate
25
painstaking
extremely careful ; taking pains =pains-taking = taking pains
26
palliate
v to relieve or alleviate something without getting rid of the problem ; to assuage ; to mitigate
27
palpable
a capable of being touched ; obvious ; tangible
28
paltry
a insignificant ; worthless
29
panacea
n something that cures everything
30
paradigm
n a model or example ;
31
paradox
n a true statement or phenomenon that nonetheless seems to contradict itself ; an untrue statement or phenomenon that nonetheless seems logical
32
parochial
a narrow or confined in point of view ; provincial
33
parody
n a satirical imitation
34
parsimonious
a stingy =stingy
35
partisan
n one who supports a particular person cause or idea
36
patent
a obvious =obvious
37
paternal
a fatherly ; fatherlike
38
pathology
n the science of diseases
39
patriarch
n the male head of a family or tribe
40
patrician
n a person of noble birth ; an aristocrat ;
41
patronize
v to treat as an inferior ; to condescend to
42
paucity
n scarcity =scarcity
43
peccadillo
n a minor offense
44
pedantic
a boringly scholarly or academic
45
pedestrian
a unimaginative ; banal unimaginative banal
46
pejorative
a negative ; disparaging negative disparaging
47
penchant
n a strong taste or liking for something ; a predilection
48
penitent
a sorry ; repentant ; contrite sorry repentant contrite
49
pensive
a thoughtful and sad
50
peremptory
a final ; categorical ; dictatorial categorical
51
perennial
a continual ; happening again and again or year after year continual
52
perfidy
n treachery treachery
53
perfunctory
a unenthusiastic ; careless careless; unenthusiastic
54
peripatetic
a wandering ; traveling continually ; itinerant
55
periphery
n the outside edge of something ;
56
perjury
n lying under oath
57
permeate
v to spread or seep through ; to penetrate
58
pernicious
a deadly ; extremely evil ; deadly
59
perquisite
n a privilege that goes along with a job ; a perk =perk
60
pertinent
a relevant ; dealing with the matter at hand ... relevant
61
perturb
v to disturb greatly
62
peruse
v to read carefully
63
pervade
v to spread throughout
64
petulant
a rude ; cranky ; ill-tempered cranky rude
65
philanthropy
n love of mankind especially by doing good deeds
66
philistine
n a smugly ignorant person with no appreciation of intellectual or artistic matters
67
pious
a reverent or devout ; outwardly and sometimes falsely reverent or devout ; hypocritical
68
pivotal
a crucial crucial
69
placate
v to pacify ; to appease ; to soothe
70
plaintive
a expressing sadness or sorrow
71
platitude
n a dull or trite remark ; a cliché
72
plebeian
n common ; vulgar ; low class ; bourgeois ; vulgar
73
plethora
n an excess
74
poignant
a painfully emotional ; extremely moving ; sharp or astute
75
polarize
v to break up into opposing factions or groupings
76
polemic
n a powerful argument often make to attack or refute a controversial issue
77
ponderous
a so large as to be clumsy ; massive ; dull massive dull
78
portent
n an omen ; a sign of something coming in the future
79
postulate
n something accepted as true without proof ; and axiom
80
pragmatic
a practical ; down to earth ; based on experience rather than theory
81
precedent
n an earlier example or model of something
82
precept
n a rule to live by ; a principle establishing a certain kind of action or behavior ; a maxim maxim;
83
precipitate
v to cause to happen abruptly
84
precipitous
a steep steep;
85
preclude
v to prevent something from ever happening
86
precursor
n forerunner ; something that goes before and anticipates or paves the way for whatever it is that follows
87
predilection
n a natural preference for something
88
preeminent
a better than anyone else ; outstanding ; supreme
89
preempt
v to seize something by prior right
90
premise
n an assumption ; the basis for a conclusion
91
prepossess
v to preoccupy ; to influence beforehand or prejudice ; to make a good impression on beforehand
92
prerogative
n a right or privilege connected exclusively with a position a person a class a nation or some other group or classification
93
prevail
v to triumph ; to overcome rivals ; with on upon or with to persuade ;
94
pristine
a original ; unspoiled ; pure
95
prodigal
a wastefully extravagant ;
96
prodigious
a extraordinary; enormous; vast ;
97
prodigy
n an extremely talented child; an extraordinary accomplishment or occurrence; wonder /
98
profane
a not having to do with religion; irreverent; blasphemous
99
profess
v to declare; to declare falsely or pretend cf professed professional a n
100
proficient
a thoroughly competent; skillful; very good at something at in n expert
101
profligate
a extravagantly wasteful and usually wildly immoral
102
profound
a deep several senses; ~sleep ~knowledge ~meaning ~thanks ~anxiety ~bow n profundity profoundness ; n
103
profuse
a flowing; extravagant
104
proletariat
n the industrial working class
105
proliferate
v to spread or grow rapidly
106
prolific
a abundantly productive; fruitful or fertile
107
promulgate
v to proclaim; to publicly or formally declare something
108
propensity
n a natural inclination or tendency; a predilection
109
propitious
a marked by favorable signs or conditions
110
proponent
n an advocate; a supporter of a position ;
111
proprietary
a characteristic of an owner of property; constituting property
112
propriety
n properness; good manners ;
113
prosaic
a dull; unimaginative; like prose as opposed to poetry
114
proscribe
v to outlaw; to prohibit ;
115
proselytize
v to convert someone from one religion or doctrine to another; to recruit converts to a religion or doctrine
116
protagonist
n the leading character in a novel play or other work; a leader or champion
117
protract
v to prolong prolong
118
provident
a preparing for the future; providing for the future; frugal
119
provincial
a limited in outlook to ones own small corner of the world; narrow
120
provisional
a conditional; temporary; tentative
121
proximity
n nearness
122
prudent
a careful; having foresight
123
purported
a rumored; claimed
124
putative
a commonly accepted; supposed; reputed
125
qualify
v to modify or restrict
126
qualitative
a having to do with the quality or qualities of something as opposed to the quantity
127
querulous
a complaining; grumbling; whining ;
128
quixotic
a romantic or idealistic to a foolish or impractical degree
