Words On Wednesday Flashcards
Sycophant (noun)
Definition: Someone who uses flattery to get what they want from an authority figure.
Synonym: flatterer/schmooze
Antonym: rebel
Sentence: The professor recognized the overly attentive student as nothing more than a sycophant.
Pernicious (adjective)
Definition: Intending to cause harm
Synonym: harmful/dangerous
Antonym: kind/benevolent
Sentence: The pernicious ice storm attacked the small coastal town.
Ubiquitous (adjective)
Definition: Appearing everywhere
Synonym: omnipresent/pervasive
Antonym: scarce/rare
Sentence: Baseball caps are ubiquitous among our male student population.
Non sequitur (noun)
Definition: A statement that doesn’t follow a conversation flow
Synonym: interruption
Antonym: support
Sentence: One of the kids in my group of friends is so random; he constantly non sequiturs into our conversation
Diatribe (noun)
Definition: A forceful and bitter verbal attack
Synonym: rant
Antonym: conversation
Sentence: The candidate for governor lost approval when her diatribe about immigration was posted on youtube.
Slipshod (adjective)
Definition: Showing a lack of care or thought
Synonym: botched/sloppy
Antonym: exact/perfect
Sentence: Greed contractors ruined my aunts house with slipshod work.
Nefarious (adjective)
Definition: Wicked or criminal
Synonym: evil
Antonym: angelic
Sentence: The nefarious activities of the mafia family were caught on tape.
Precursor (adjective)
Definition: A person or thing that comes before another of a similar kind.
Synonym: forerunner
Antonym: result
Sentence: Seedless watermelons were a precursor to a slew of new bioengineered foods.
Impregnable (adjective)
Definition: Unable to be captured or broken into
Synonym: secure
Antonym: vulnerable
Sentence: The castle was surrounded by an impregnable stone wall.
Demure (adjective)
Definition: shy or modest
Synonym: reserved
Antonym: obnoxious
Sentence: The demure girl blushed during the health teachers lecture.
Jingoistic ( adjective)
Definition: overly patriotic
Synonym: nationalistic
Antonym: unbiased
Sentence: The jingoistic tone of the politician’s speech made the audience squirm
implacable (adjective)
Definition: unable to be soothed
Synonym: relentless/unyielding
Antonym: merciful/yielding
Sentence: After the dry cleaner ruined her wedding dress, my sister was filled with implacable rage
Affinity (noun)
Definition: a natural skill
Synonym: talent
Antonym: weakness
Sentence: With her affinity for performing, it was no surprise that Julia won the lead in the school musical
Coquette (noun)
Definition: a woman who flirts to get what she wants.
Synonym: tease/vamp
Antonym: prude
Sentence: The girl coquettishly batted her eyelashes and giggled as the boy told a lame story
Harangue (verb)
Definition: lecture at length in an aggressive way
Synonym: accost/rant
Antonym: discuss
Sentence: My cousin is the type of guy who will harangue strangers about smoking in public
