WordWright IV Flashcards
funereal
(adj.) of or suitable for a funeral; mournful, gloomy
trivial
(adj.) of very little importance or value, insignificant; commonplace, ordinary
eddy
(v.) to move or whirl in
scintillating
(adj.) animated; vivacious; witty; brilliantly clever
indifference
(n.) lack of interest or concern
furrow
(n.) a narrow groove made in the ground, especially by a plow
concord
(n.) agreement b/w persons, groups, nations, etc.; concurrence in attitudes, feelings, etc.; unanimity; accord
serenity
(n.) the state or quality of being serene, calm, or tranquil; sereness
sullenly
(adv.) showing irritation or ill humor by a gloomy silence or reserve
brace
(v.) to fix firmly; make steady; secure against pressure or impact
disheartened
(adj.) depressed of hope, courage, or spirits of; discouraged
cant
(v.) to talk hypocritically
greensward
(n.) green, grassy turf
flare
(v.) to burn with an unsteady, swaying flame, as a torch or candle in the wind
hostility
(n.) a hostile state, condition, or attitude; enmity; antagonism; unfriendliness
gothic
(adj.) noting or pertaining to a style of architecture, originating in France in the middle of the 12th century and existing in the western half of Europe through the middle of the 16th century, characterized by the use of the pointed arch and the ribbed vault, by the use of fine woodwork and stonework, by a progressive lightening of structure, and by the use of such features as flying buttresses, ornamental gables, crockets, and foils
torpid
(adj.) inactive or sluggish
tenure
(n.) the holding or possessing of anything
greenhorn
(n.) an untrained or inexperienced person
rack
(v.) to torture; distress acutely; torment
discriminate
(v.) to make a distinction in favor of or against a person or thing on the basis of the group, class, or category to which the person or thing belongs rather than according to actual merit; show partiality
complicity
(n.) the state of being an accomplice; partnership or involvement in wrongdoing
rotund
(adj.) round in shape; rounded
pensive
(adj.) dreamily or wistfully thoughtful
humbug
(n.) something intended to delude or deceive
cadence
(n.) rhythmic flow of a sequence of sounds or words
heretic
(n.) a professed believer who maintains religious opinions contrary to those accepted by his or her church or rejects doctrines prescribed by that church
reverent
(adj.) feeling, exhibiting, or characterized by reverence; deeply respectful
earnest
(adj.) serious in intention, purpose, or effort; sincerely zealous
abhorrent
(adj.) causing repugnance; detestable; loathsome
idyll
(n.) a poem or prose composition, usually describing pastoral scenes or events or any charmingly simple episode, appealing incident, or the like
confessional
(adj.) of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or based on confession
eccentricity
(n.) an oddity or peculiarity, as of conduct
discord
(n.) lack of concord or harmony b/w persons or things
unsentimental
(adj.) not expressive of or appealing to sentiment
shortcoming
(n.) a failure, defect, or deficiency in conduct, condition, thought, ability, etc.
infer
(v.) to derive by reasoning; conclude or judge from premises or evidence
diction
(n.) style of speaking or writing as dependent upon choice of words
irony
(n.) the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning
evanescence
(n.) the act of disappearing gradually; vanishing; fade away
tone
(n.) any sound considered w/ reference to its quality, pitch, strength, source
domestic
(adj.) of or pertaining to the home, the household, household affairs, or the family
cautionary
(adj.) of the nature of or containing a warning
figurative language
(n.) language that contains or uses figures of speech, especially metaphors
unconventional
(adj.) not conventional; not bound by or conforming to convention, rule, or precedent; free from conventionality
hearth
(n.) the floor of a fireplace, usually of stone, brick, etc.; often extending a short distance into a room
grandiloquent
(adj.) speaking or expressed in a lofty style, often to the point of being pompous or bombastic
