Words Flashcards
ADROIT
dexterous, skillful
ACRONYM
An abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word (e.g. ASCII, NASA). Compare with initialism.
EXAMPLE SENTENCES
AEGIS
shield of Zeus, patronage, protection
AGGREGATION
forming into a dense cluster, act of collecting into a total
ANATHEMA
something highly distasteful, an accursed thing (RC church)
ANODYNE
mentally soothing, bland or meaningless, ‘anodyne platitudes’
ANOMALOUS
irregular, abnormal
ANTIPATHY
antipathy
a deep-seated feeling of aversion.
“his fundamental antipathy to capitalism”
synonyms: hostility, antagonism, animosity, aversion, animus, opposition, enmity, dislike, distaste, ill will, ill feeling, hatred, hate, abhorrence, loathing, repugnance, odium; More
ANTITHESIS
- a person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else.
“love is the antithesis of selfishness”
synonyms: (direct) opposite, converse, reverse, reversal, inverse, obverse; More
a contrast or opposition between two things.
“the antithesis between occult and rational mentalities”
synonyms: contrast, opposition
“the antithesis between sin and grace”
a rhetorical or literary device in which an opposition or contrast of ideas is expressed.
APHORISM
A tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion; and adage. A brief statement of principle.
APOCRYPHAL
sham, doubtful, not authentic
APOPLEXY
old fashioned medical term for ‘bleeding’. state of extreme rage. Derives from Greek word for ‘seizure’ apoplixia
Apotheosis
the highest point in the development of something; a culmination or climax.
“his appearance as Hamlet was the apotheosis of his career”
synonyms: culmination, climax, crowning moment, peak, pinnacle, summit, zenith, apex, acme, apogee, high point, highest point, height, high water mark
“his appearance as Hamlet was the apotheosis of his career”
the elevation of someone to divine status.
“death spared Pompey the task of having to account for the apotheosis oCulmination, climax, highest point in the development of something
…after substance abuse by fellow members reached an apotheosis…
APPOSITE
Appropriate or relevant: chose an apposite name for the dog; felt the comments were not apposite to the discussion.
ARCANE
secret
ARGOT
list know to a specialist team
ASININE
extremely stupid or foolish.
“Lydia ignored his asinine remark”
synonyms: stupid, foolish, pointless, brainless, mindless, senseless, doltish, idiotic, imbecilic, imbecile, insane, lunatic, ridiculous, ludicrous, absurd, preposterous, nonsensical, fatuous, silly, childish, infantile, puerile, immature, juvenile, inane, witless, half-baked, empty-headed, unintelligent, half-witted, slow-witted, weak-minded; More
ASSIDUOUS
constant in the application or attention; diligent, an assiduous worker who strove for perfection
ATROPHIED
wasting away through lack of nutrients, emaciated
AVARICIOUS
greedy
Avuncular
Resembling an uncle, friendly
AXIOMATIC
self evident
Bien pensant
Right-thinking, orthodox, conformist.
BODACIOUS
bodacious is probably a blend of the words bold and audacious; remarkable prodigious, audacious, gutsy
BOURGEOISIE
middle class, grossly respectable, conventional, humdrum
BROUHAHA
An uproar, a hubhub
Bucolic
relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life.
“the church is lovely for its bucolic setting”
synonyms: rustic, rural, pastoral, country, countryside, agricultural, agrarian, outdoor, idyllic, unspoilt
BURGEON
to sprout, bud, to put forth branches
CANDID
unprejudiced, blunt
CAPACIOUS
large, roomy
CAPRICIOUS
incalculable, liable to change of mind/conduct
Carpe Deim
To “seize the day” and/or a certain moment in time. To put aside all differences, all fears, all worries, and just go for it.
Cassoulet
French stew made with meat (typically pork, goose, and duck) and beans.
CASTIGATE
criticise severely
CAVEAT
warning, look out, beware
CHAGRIN
acute disappointment, mortification
CHARNEL
containing dead bodies - charnel house
CHASTISE
punish
COGENT
having great force, powerful, convincing
Cognitive Dissonance
The state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, especially as relating to behavioural decisions and attitude change.
COGNISANT
knowledge, perception, observation
CONCOMITANT
accompanying
CONDUIT
a pipe or channel for conveying water, a passage, a route
CONTENTIOUS
quarrelsome, perverse wrangling, argument, discussion, dispute, difficulty
CONTRITE
broken with sorrow, & repentance, full of remorse
CORNUCOPIA
the horn of plenty, abundance
COROLLARY
consequence of
Coruscating
flashing; sparkling.
“a coruscating kaleidoscope of colours”
synonyms: sparkling, shining, bright, brilliant, gleaming, glittering, twinkling, scintillating, flashing, shimmering, shimmery; rarescintillant
“a coruscating kaleidoscope of colours”
antonyms: dull, matte
brilliant or striking in content or style.
“the play’s coruscating wit”
synonyms: brilliant, dazzling, scintillating, exhilarating, stimulating, invigorating; More
COTERIE
a clique, circle of people with a common interest
Coterminous
having the same boundaries or extent in space, time, or meaning.
“the coterminous Borough and Parliamentary Constituency of Blyth Valle
DEBACLE
a rout, collapse, reverse, disaster
DEPRECATE
disparage, underrate, lower in value
DESULTORY
off and on
DETRITUS
waste or debris of any kind.
“the streets were foul with detritus”
synonyms: debris, waste, waste matter, discarded matter, refuse, rubbish, litter, scrap, flotsam and jetsam, lumber, rubble, wreckage; More
DICHOTOMY
division of ideas into two classes
DIDACTIC
opinionative, rather dictatorial
DIFFIDENT
modest, timid, shy, wanting confidence
DILETTANTE
amateur, dabbler
Dystopia
an imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one.
EBULLIENT
exuberant, enthusiastic, boiling over, over flowing
ECSTATIC
enthusiastic frenzy
Egregious
Outstandingly bad; shocking:
egregious abuses of copyright
ENIGMATIC
puzzling, riddle
Ennui
a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement.
“he succumbed to ennui and despair”
synonyms: boredom, tedium, listlessness, lethargy, lassitude, languor, restlessness, weariness, sluggishness, enervation
EPHEMERAL
fleeting, transitory, momentary
Epiphany
- the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi (Matthew 2:1–12).
- a moment of sudden and great revelation or realization.
EPISTLE
letter written for effect or instruction
EPITHET
phrase or word used adjectively
EQUIVOCAL
double/doubtful meaning, questionable, ambiguous, dubious, uncertain
ERUDITE
learned
ESCHEW
shun, avoid
ESCUTCHEON
heraldry, family shield - a blot on the escutcheon, a stain on the good family name
ESOTERIC
intended of an inner circle, secret, mysterious, private, select few
EVANESCENT
to vanish
EXCORIATING
to strip, wear or rub the skin off
FACTOTUM
servant managing his masters affairs
FARRAGO
miscellaneous collection, medley
Febrile
- having or showing the symptoms of a fever.
“a febrile illness”
synonyms: feverish, fevered, hot, burning, burning up, fiery, flushed, sweating, in a cold sweat; More - characterized by a great deal of nervous excitement or energy.
“the febrile atmosphere of the city”
FUROR (e)
excitement
GERMANE
appropriate, relevant
GRAVITAS
importance, solemnity, soberness
HALCYON
peaceful, tranquil
HEDONISTIC
the doctrine that pleasure is the chief good, doctrine of pleasure
HEGEMONY
leadership or dominance, especially by one state or social group over others.
“Germany was united under Prussian hegemony after 1871”
synonyms: leadership, dominance, dominion, supremacy, ascendancy, predominance, primacy, authority, mastery, control, power, sway, rule, sovereignty
HIATUS
gap in a series
HIGH DUDGEON
anger or resentment
HUBRIS
Extreme pride or confidence
Hubristic
An ancient Greek word meaning pride or arrogance.
The definition of hubristic is extremely arrogant behavior resulting from pride or passion.
Someone who worked very hard to achieve a skill and thinks he is better than everyone else is an example of a person who is hubristic.
HYPERBOLE
figure of speech, exaggeration
ICONOCLASTIC
breaking of images, questioning accepted ideas/theories
INCIPIENT
beginning, originating, inception
INCONGRUOUS
odd, out of character
INCULCATE
urge forcibly & repeatedly, to implant, to impress be admonition, foster
INEXORABLE
not to be persuaded
INFRADIG
beneath ones dignity
IRASCIBLE
easily provoked, hot tempered, irritable
INSIPID
flavourless, lifeless
INSOUCIANT
careless, indifferent, heedless
Internecine
destructive to both sides in a conflict.
“the region’s history of savage internecine warfare”
synonyms: deadly, bloody, violent, fierce, destructive, ruinous; More
relating to conflict within a group.
“the party shrank from the trauma of more internecine strife”
JUDICIOUS
wise, prudent, showing discrimination
KUDOS
glory
LACONIC
brief concise, maximum meaning in minimum words
LAGGARDS
slowcoach, listless person
Leitmotif
a recurrent theme throughout a musical or literary composition, associated with a particular person, idea, or situation.
“there are two leitmotifs in his score marking the heroine and her Fairy Godmother”
1. Classical Music; music a recurring short melodic phrase or theme used, esp in Wagnerian music dramas, to suggest a character, thing, etc
2. Literary; an often repeated word, phrase, image, or theme in a literary work.
LEVIATHAN
monstrous beast, sea monster (bible), any huge or powerful thing
LITANY
earnest prayer, recital
LURID
ghastly, startling
MALADROIT
clumsy, awkward
MELLIFLUOUS
soft, rich, flowing
MENDACITY
The condition of being mendacious, untruthfulness, a lie, falsehood.
MIASMA
a noxious atmosphere or infuence. a poisonius atmosphere. “The novel spun a miasma of death and decay”. Formerly thought to rise from swamps and putrid matter and cause disease.
Militate
to have a substantial effect; weigh heavily:
His prison record militated against him.
MISANTHROPIC
marked by hatred or contempt for humankind
MISOGAMY
hatred of marriage
MISOGYNIST
hatred of women
MORDENT (wit)
biting
Narcissist
Narcissism is a less extreme version of Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Narcissism involves cockiness, manipulativeness, selfishness, power motives, and vanity-a love of mirrors. Related personality traits include: Psychopathy, Machiavellianism. Narcissists tend to have high self-esteem.
NASCENT
birth
Neologisms
a newly coined word or expression.
synonyms: new word, new expression, new term, new phrase, coinage, newly coined word, made-up word, invented word, invention, nonce word; portmanteau word
the coining or use of new words.
NEOPHYTES
beginners
NON SEQUITORS
“it does not follow” The term usually means that a conclusion does not logically follow from the facts or law. “That’s a non sequitor”.
OBFUSCATE
To make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand
Obdurate
stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action.
“I argued this point with him, but he was obdurate”
OBSEQUIOUS
servile, cringing, subservient
Oleaginous
- rich in, covered with, or producing oil; oily.
“fabrics would quickly become filthy in this oleaginous kingdom” - exaggeratedly and distastefully complimentary; obsequious.
“candidates made oleaginous speeches praising government policies”
Omphaloskepsis
navel-gazing, contemplation of one’s navel as an aid to meditation. The word comes from Greek omphalos (navel) + skepsis (act of looking, examination).
OMNIPRESENT
present in all places at the same time
OPPROBRIUM
Harsh criticism or censure
OSSARIUM
charnel house, memorial place holding bones of the deceased
Otiose
1.serving no practical purpose or result.
“there were occasions when I felt my efforts were rather otiose”
2.archaic, indolent or idle.
OTIOSENESS
serving no useful purpose, otiose language, indolent, lazy
Panglossian
characterized by or given to extreme optimism, especially in the face of unrelieved hardship or adversity.
PARADIGM
A typical example or pattern of something; a pattern or model.
“society’s paradigm of the ‘ideal woman’”
PARANDIAL
pertaining to dinner
PARIAH
social outcast
PAROCHIAL
provincial, narrow minded, petty
PEJORATIVE
deprecating, detracting
Patrician
- a person of noble or high rank; aristocrat.
2. a person of very good background, education, and refinement.
PER SE
by itself, of itself
PERIPATETIC
traveling, circuitous, wanderer
PERSIFLAGE
light frivolous conversation, friendly teasing
PLETHORA
over supply, super abundant
POIGNANT
acutely painful, stinging, sharp
POLEMIC
controversial, an argument, controversy
PORTENT
an omen (of evil), a warning
PRAGMATIC
Dealing with or concerned with facts or actual occurrences, practical
PREDICATE
to affirm, assert, declare
Prescient
having or showing knowledge of events before they take place.
“a prescient warning”
synonyms: prophetic, predictive, visionary; More
PRESPICACITY
quick mental insight, keen understanding, acute discernment, insight
Priapic
relating to or resembling a phallus.
“priapic carvings”
PROGNOSTICATION
predicting the future by reading present signs
PROSAIC
commonplace or dull; matter-of-fact or unimaginative: a prosaic mind.
of or having the character or form of prose, the ordinary form of spoken or written language, rather than of poetry.
PROPRIETY
properness, correct conduct
Proselytising
- To attempt to convert someone to one’s own religious faith.
- To attempt to persuade someone to join one’s own political party or to espouse one’s doctrine.
To convert (a person) from one belief, doctrine, cause, or faith to another.
Protaganist
1.the leading character or one of the major characters in a play, film, novel, etc.
“the novel’s main protagonist is an American intelligence officer”
- an advocate or champion of a particular cause or idea.
“he’s a strenuous protagonist of the new agricultural policy”
synonyms: supporter, upholder, adherent, backer, proponent, advocate, promoter, champion, exponent, standard-bearer, torch-bearer, prime mover, moving spirit, mainstay, spokesman/spokeswoman/spokesperson
“the EC is a great protagonist of deregulation”
PUERILE
boyish, childish, juvenile
PURDAH
Indian curtain to screen women, “having gone onto purdah”
PUSILLANIMOUS
lacking in courage, faint hearted
PYROTECHNICS
fireworks, figurative, brilliant, dazzling, scintillating
PYRRHIC
hollow victory, as bad as defeat
PYRRHOISM
doubting results
Quid pro quo
a favour or advantage granted in return for something.
“the pardon was a quid pro quo for their help in releasing hostages”
synonyms: exchange, trade, trade-off, swap, switch, barter, substitute, substitution, reciprocity, reciprocation, return, payment, remuneration, amends, compensation, indemnity, recompense, restitution, reparation, satisfaction; rarerequital
“a congressman’s support for the president on a particular issue may not represent a straightforward quid pro quo”
QUIESCENT
dormant, inert
REPREHENSIBLE
deserving censure, disapproval, blameworthy, despicable
RHETORIC
persuasive or effective speech
Risible
provoking laughter through being ludicrous.
“a risible scene of lovemaking in a tent”
synonyms: laughable, ridiculous, absurd, comical, comic, amusing, funny, chucklesome, hilarious, humorous, droll, entertaining, diverting, farcical, slapstick, silly, facetious, ludicrous, hysterical, uproarious, riotous, side-splitting, zany, grotesque; More
SCLEROTIC
Definition of sclerotic in English:
ADJECTIVE
- Medicine of or having sclerosis.
- Becoming rigid and unresponsive; losing the ability to adapt:
sclerotic management - Anatomy Relating to the sclera.
SCOTOMA
blind spot
SOBRIQUET
a person’s nickname.
“she was a vast and haughty person who answered to the sobriquet ‘Duchesse’”
SOLIPSISM
is the philosophical idea that “I am the only mind that exists” The theory that the self is the only thing that can be known and verified.
SOLIPSISTIC
The view or theory that the self is all that can be known to exist, or can be proved to exist.
“Spursy”
Consistently and inevitably to fail to live up to expectations
Stoicism
the endurance of pain or hardship without the display of feelings and without complaint.
synonyms: patience, forbearance, resignation, lack of protest, lack of complaint, fortitude, endurance, acceptance, acceptance of the inevitable, fatalism
STYGIAN
When you describe something as Stygian, you’re comparing it to the murky and terrible river Styx, which flows through the underworld in ancient Greek mythology. The word itself comes from the Greek word Stygios, from Styx, which literally means “the hateful.”
TABARD
short coat, sleeveless
Related; bib, vest
Terpsichorean
relating to dancing.
“‘the twist’ was a revolutionary terpsichorean innovation”
a dancer.
Traduce
speak badly of or tell lies about (someone) so as to damage their reputation.
“it was regarded as respectable political tactics to traduce him”
synonyms: defame, slander, speak ill of, speak evil of, gossip about, misrepresent, malign, vilify, calumniate, denigrate, disparage, slur, decry, sully, impugn, smear, besmirch, dishonour, back-bite, revile, run down, blacken the name of, cast aspersions on; More
TITULAR
- holding or constituting a purely formal position or title without any real authority.
“the queen is titular head of the Church of England”
synonyms: nominal, in title/name only, formal, official, ceremonial; More
(of a cleric) nominally appointed to serve a diocese, abbey, or other foundation no longer in existence, and typically in fact having authority in another capacity. - relating to or denoted by a title. “the work’s titular song”
synonyms: eponymous, identifying
UNGULATE
A hoofed mammal, such as a horse, pig, deer, buffalo, or antelope, belonging to the former order Ungulata, now divided into several orders including …
ULTRACREPIDARIANISM
the habit of giving opinions and advice on matters outside one’s knowledge or competence.
Perfidious Albion
“Perfidious Albion” is a pejorative phrase used within the context of international relations diplomacy to refer to alleged acts of diplomatic sleights, duplicity, treachery and hence infidelity (with respect to perceived promises made to or alliances formed with other nation states) by monarchs or governments of the UK (or England prior to 1707) in their pursuit of self-interest.
