Wordly Wise 4-6 Flashcards
Benighted
Existing in a state of moral, cultural, or intellectual darkness; unenlightened
Approbation
Expression of approval; praise
Bourgeois
The middle class or member of the middle class
Very concerned with middle-class values, such as respectability and material well being, with an inclination toward mediocrity
Reflecting mediocrity
Credo
A strongly held belief; a guide to one’s action
Empirical
Based on experience or observation as opposed to theory; capable of being confirmed by observation
Eschew
To stay away from; to shun, especially on practical or moral grounds
Expatiate
To speak or write about in great detail; to elaborate, usually used with on or upon
Iconoclast
One who attacks established beliefs, customs, or institutions
Indigence
An extreme level of poverty
Without means of support
Laudable
Praiseworthy
Mandate
A clear command or instruction
To require or order
Ostensible
Only seemingly so; apparent
Recalcitrant
Unwilling to except another’s authority; stubbornly defiant
Regurgitate
To expel (partially digested food) from the stomach
Do you repeat mindlessly what one has learned
Risible
Provoking or causing laughter
Archaic
Related or belonging to an earlier time
Carouse
To take apart and wild, noisy merrymaking
Chicanery
Clever deception through the use of misleading or confusing words or acts
Contentious
Causing or marked by argument or conflict
Dissemble
To conceal with an intent to deceive
Egregious
Conspicuously bad; flagrant
Execrate
To utterly abhor; to denounce as detestable
Fealty
Faithfulness; allegiance
Microcosm
A small system that operates or develops like a larger system; a miniature world
Paroxysm
A sudden, violent, and uncontrollable action or occurrence
Pecuniary
Having to do with money
Rectitude
High moral character
Stratagem
A clever scheme for gaining an end
Stultify
To render useless or ineffectual; to weaken
Vendetta
A blood feud; a prolonged and bitter feud
Actuate
To cause to put into mechanical motion
To cause to take action
Brackish
Made up of a mixture of freshwater and seawater
Having an unpleasant taste
Cognitive
Relating to mental processes such as awareness, remembering, and reasoning
Dissertation
A lengthy, usually written discussion of a topic, often for a college or university degree
Dolorous
Causing or marked by pain, misery, or sorrow
Endemic
Widespread or peculiar to a certain place or among certain people
Fecund
Producing or capable of producing many offspring
Intellectually or artistically productive; creative
Genealogy
The history of a family and how its members are related to one another; also the study of such family histories
Inebriated
Deprived of good sense and judgment, especially as the result of imbibing alcohol
Insidious
Seemingly harmless well actually being dangerous; treacherous or deceptive
Spreading harmfully in a subtle or gradual way
Interloper
One who intrudes on or interferes in the affairs of others
Precursor
A person or thing that comes before and indicates the approach of another; a forerunner
Presentiment
A feeling that something is about to occur
Ramification
An outgrowth of a simple idea or plan; a resulting development or consequence
Torpor
A state of mental or physical sluggishness or inactivity
