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300 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
nebulous
|
adj.
vagues; cloudy; lacking clearly defined form |
|
cynicism
|
n.
an attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness |
|
neologism
|
n.
a new word, expression or usage; the creation or use of new words or senses |
|
elegy
|
n.
a mournful poem, especially one lamenting the dead |
|
arduous
|
adj.
strenuous, taxing, requiring significant effort |
|
recondite
|
adj.
hidden; concealed; difficult to understand; obscure |
|
ingenuous
|
adj.
artless; frank and candid; lacking in sophistication |
|
enigmatic
|
adj.
mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand |
|
abscond
|
v.
to depart clandestinely; to steal off and hide |
|
renege
|
v.
to fail to honor a commitment; to go back on a promise |
|
prattle
|
v.
to babble meaninglessly; to talk in an empty and idle manner |
|
inveigle
|
v.
to obtrain by deception or flattery |
|
ameliorate
|
v.
to make better or more tolerable |
|
sparse
|
adj.
thin; not dense; arranged at widely spaced intervals |
|
irascible
|
adj.
easily angered; prone to temperamental outbursts |
|
cogent
|
adj.
appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing |
|
austere
|
adj.
without adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic |
|
refulgent
|
adj.
radiant; shiny; brilliant |
|
ennui
|
n.
dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy |
|
fervent
|
adj.
greatly emotional or zealous |
|
culpable
|
adj.
deserving blame |
|
spendthrift
|
n.
one who spends money wastefully |
|
prescience
|
n.
foreknowledge of events; knowing of events prior to their occurring |
|
fawn
|
v.
to flatter or praise excessively |
|
axiom
|
n.
a universally recognized principle |
|
subtle
|
adj.
not obvious; elusive; difficult to discern |
|
waver
|
v.
to move to and fro; to sway; to be unsettled in opinion |
|
germane
|
adj.
relevant to the subject at hand; appropriate in subject manner |
|
bucolic
|
adj.
rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants |
|
pristine
|
adj.
pure; uncorrupted; clean |
|
truculent
|
adj.
fierce and cruel; eager to fight |
|
cacophony
|
n.
harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance |
|
ascetic
|
n.
one who practices rigid self-denial, especially as an act of religious devotion |
|
pungent
|
adj.
characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste |
|
noxious
|
adj.
harmful; injurious |
|
virulent
|
adj.
extremely harmful or poisonous; bitterly hostile or antagonistic |
|
axiomatic
|
adj.
taken as a given; possessing self-evident truth |
|
immutable
|
adj.
not capable of change |
|
garrulous
|
adj.
pointlessly talkative; talking too much |
|
disabuse
|
v.
to undeceive; to set right |
|
dilettante
|
n.
one with an amateurish or superficial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge |
|
censure
|
v.
to criticize severely; to officially rebuke |
|
esoteric
|
adj.
intended for or understood by a small, specific group |
|
convoluted
|
adj.
complex or complicated |
|
probity
|
adj.
adherence to highest principles; uprightness |
|
exigent
|
adj.
urgent; pressing; requiring immediate action or attention |
|
burgeon
|
v.
to grow rapidly or flourish |
|
canonical
|
adj.
following or in agreement with accepted, traditiona standards |
|
profligate
|
adj.
excessively wasteful; recklessly extravagant |
|
perfunctory
|
adj.
cursory; done without care or interest |
|
bolster
|
v.
to provide support or reinforcement |
|
contentious
|
adj.
argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement |
|
derision
|
n.
scorn, ridicule, contemptuous treatment |
|
approbation
|
n.
an expression of approval or praise |
|
gregarious
|
adj.
sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people |
|
malleable
|
adj.
capable of being shaped or formed; pliable |
|
alchemy
|
n.
a medieval science aimed at the transmutation of metals, especially base metals into gold |
|
salubrious
|
adj.
promoting health or well-being |
|
lucid
|
adj.
clear; easily understood |
|
indifferent
|
adj.
having no interest or concern; showing no bias or prejudice |
|
desiccate
|
v.
to dry out or dehydrate; to make dry or dull |
|
assuage
|
v.
to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify |
|
fallacy
|
n.
an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief |
|
opprobrium
|
n.
disgrace; contempt; scorn |
|
convention
|
n.
a generally agreed-upon practice or attitude |
|
sedulous
|
adj.
diligent; persistent; hard-working |
|
predilection
|
n.
a disposition in favor of something; preference |
|
meticulous
|
adj.
characterized by extreme care and precision; attentive to detail |
|
neophyte
|
n.
a recent convert; a beginner; novice |
|
voracious
|
adj.
having an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit; ravenous |
|
veracity
|
n.
truthfullness; honesty |
|
implacable
|
adj.
not capable of being appeased or significantly changed |
|
inimical
|
adj.
damaging; harmful; injurious |
|
enervate
|
v.
to weaken; to reduce in vitality |
|
paean
|
n.
a song or hymn of praise and thanksgiving |
|
pervasive
|
adj.
having the tendency to permeate or spread throughout |
|
rarefy
|
v.
to make or become thin, less dense; to refine |
|
mundane
|
adj.
of the world; typical of or concerned with the ordinary |
|
torpid
|
adj.
lethargic; sluggish; dormant |
|
phlegmatic
|
adj.
calm; sluggish; unemotional |
|
quotididan
|
adj.
occurring or recurring daily; commonplace |
|
anomaly
|
n.
deviation from the normal order, form or rule; abnormally |
|
pious
|
adj.
extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion |
|
imperturbable
|
adj.
marked by extreme calm, impassivity and steadiness |
|
presumptuous
|
adj.
overstepping due bounds (as of propriety or courtesy); taking liberties |
|
magnanimity
|
n.
the quality of being generously noble in mind and heart, especially in forgiving |
|
perfidy
|
n.
intentional breach of faith; treachery |
|
laconic
|
adj.
using few words; terse |
|
quixotic
|
adj.
foolishly impractical; marked by lofty romantic ideas |
|
eloquent
|
adj.
well-spoken; expressive; articulate |
|
pernicious
|
adj.
extremely harmful; potentially causing death |
|
impetuous
|
adj.
hastily or rashly energetic; impulsive and vehement |
|
divulge
|
v.
to disclose something secret |
|
exculpate
|
v.
exonerate; to clear of blame |
|
bombastic
|
adj.
pompous; grandiloquent |
|
halcyon
|
adj.
calm and peaceful |
|
anachronism
|
n.
something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context |
|
connoisseur
|
n.
an informed and astute judge in matters of taste; expert |
|
contrite
|
adj.
regretful; pentinent; seeking forgiveness |
|
intrepid
|
adj.
steadfast and courageous |
|
shard
|
n.
a piece of broken pottery or glass |
|
audacious
|
adj.
daring and fearless; recklessly bold |
|
demur
|
v.
to question or oppose |
|
obstinate
|
adj.
stubborn; hardheaded; uncompromising |
|
decorum
|
n.
polite or appropriate conduct or behavior |
|
chicanery
|
n.
trickery or subterfuge |
|
emollient
|
adj.
soothing, especially to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying |
|
imminent
|
adj.
about to happen; impending |
|
proclivity
|
n.
a natural predisposition or inclination |
|
perennial
|
adj.
recurrent through the year or many years; happening repeatedly |
|
redoubtable
|
adj.
awe-inspiring; worthy of honor |
|
maverick
|
n. an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party
|
|
aggrandize
|
v.
to increase in intesnsity, power or prestige |
|
static
|
adj.
not moving, active or in motion; at rest |
|
odious
|
adj.
evoke intense aversion or dislike |
|
mendacity
|
n.
the condition of being untruthful; dishonesty |
|
intractable
|
adj.
not easily managed or directed; stubborn; obstinate |
|
disparate
|
adj.
fundamentally distinct or dissimilar |
|
furtive
|
adj.
marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious |
|
obdurate
|
adj.
unyielding; hardhearted; intractable |
|
propensity
|
n.
a natural inclination or tendency; penchant |
|
onerous
|
adj.
troubling; burdensome |
|
quaff
|
v.
to drink deeply |
|
ostentatious
|
adj.
characterized by or given to pretentiousness |
|
astringent
|
adj.
having a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh; severe |
|
capricious
|
adj.
inclined to change one's mind impulsively; erratic; unpredictable |
|
qualms
|
n.
misgivings; reservations; causes for hesitancy |
|
pedantic
|
adj;
the parading of learning; excessive attention to minutiae and formal rules |
|
disparage
|
v.
to slight or belittle |
|
solvent
|
adj.
able to meet financial obligations; able to dissolve another substance |
|
canon
|
n.
an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature |
|
glib
|
adj.
marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in depth; superficial |
|
prosaic
|
adj.
dull; unimaginative |
|
soporific
|
adj.
causing drowsiness; tending to induce sleep |
|
preen
|
v.
to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care |
|
polemical
|
adj.
controversial; argumentative |
|
contiguous
|
adj.
sharing a border; touching; adjacent |
|
aberrant
|
adj.
deviating from the norm |
|
eclectic
|
adj.
composed of elements drawn from various sources |
|
mercurial
|
adj.
characterized by rapid and unpredictabe change in mood |
|
exacerbate
|
v.
to make worse or more severe |
|
relegate
|
v.
to forcibly assign, especially to a lower place or position |
|
oscillation
|
n.
the act or state of swinging back and froth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm |
|
mollify
|
v.
to calm or soothe; to reduce in emotional intensity |
|
pith
|
n.
the essential or central part |
|
tortuous
|
adj.
winding; twisting; excessively complicated |
|
reticent
|
adj.
quiet; reserved; reluctant to express thoughts and feelings |
|
idolatrous
|
adj.
given to intense or excessivedeviotion to something |
|
platitude
|
n.
a superficial remark, especially one offered as meaningful |
|
sporadic
|
adj;
occurring only occasionally or in scattered instances |
|
erudite
|
adj.
very learned; scholarly |
|
obfuscate
|
v.
to deliberately obscure; to make confusing |
|
tirade
|
n.
a long and extremely critical speech; a harsh denunciation |
|
solicitous
|
concerned and attentive; eager
|
|
harangue
|
v.
to deliver a pompous speech or tirade |
|
pervade
|
v.
to permeate throughout |
|
prodigal
|
adj.
recklessly wasteful; extravagant; profuse; lavish |
|
obtuse
|
adj.
lacking sharpness of intellect; not clear or precise in thought or expression |
|
dogmatic
|
adj.
stubbornly opinionated |
|
hubris
|
n.
arrogant presumption or pride |
|
plummet
|
v.
to plunge or drop straight down |
|
martial
|
adj.
associated with war and the armed forces |
|
hyperbole
|
n.
an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech |
|
obsequious
|
adj.
exhibiting a fawning attentiveness |
|
eulogy
|
n.
a speech honoring the dead |
|
filibuster
|
n.
intentional obstruction, especialy using prolonged speechmaking to delay legislative action |
|
opaque
|
adj.
impenetrable by light; not reflecting light |
|
pirate
|
v.
to illegally use or reproduce |
|
pedagogy
|
n.
the art or profession of training, teaching or instructing |
|
alacrity
|
n.
eager and enthusiastic willingness |
|
morose
|
adj.
sad; sullen; melancholy |
|
plethora
|
n.
an overabundance; a surplus |
|
recalcitrant
|
adj.
obstinately defiant of authority; difficult to manage |
|
stupefy
|
v.
to stun, baffle or amaze |
|
credulous
|
adj.
tending to believe too readily; gullible |
|
pragmatic
|
adj.
practical rather than idealistic |
|
tout
|
v.
to publicly praise or promote |
|
nascent
|
adj.
coming into being; in early developmental stages |
|
prodigious
|
adj.
abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary |
|
rhetoric
|
n.
the art or study of effective use of language for communication and persuasion |
|
subpoena
|
n.
a court order requring appearance and/or testimony |
|
prevaricate
|
v.
to deliberately avoid the truth; to mislead |
|
chary
|
adj.
wary; cautious; sparing |
|
rancorous
|
adj.
characterized by bitter, long-lasting resentment |
|
luminous
|
adj.
characterized by brightness and the emission of light |
|
inured
|
adj.
accustomed to accepting something undesirable |
|
diatribe
|
n.
a harsh denunciation |
|
refute
|
v.
to disprove; to successfully argue against |
|
vigilant
|
adj.
alertly watchful |
|
parody
|
n.
a humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect, especially in literature and art |
|
complaisance
|
n.
the willingness to comply with the wishes of others |
|
equivocate
|
v.
to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent |
|
vexation
|
n.
annoyance; irritation |
|
obviate
|
v.
to anticipate and make unnecessary |
|
satire
|
n.
a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision |
|
discordant
|
adj.
conflicting; dissonant or harsh in sound |
|
aver
|
v.
to state as a fact; to confirm or support |
|
laud
|
v.
to praise highly |
|
putrefy
|
v.
to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor |
|
profuse
|
adj.
given or coming forth abundantly; extravagant |
|
intransigent
|
adj.
refusing to compromise |
|
pine
|
v.
to yearn intensely; to languish; to lose vigor |
|
pernurious
|
adj.
penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous |
|
eccentric
|
adj.
departing from norms or conventions |
|
extemporaneous
|
adj.
improvised; done without preparation |
|
succinct
|
adj.
brief; concise |
|
torque
|
n.
a force that causes rotation |
|
queries
|
n.
questions; inquiries; doubts in the mind; reservations |
|
exonerate
|
v.
to remove blame |
|
spurious
|
adj.
lacking authenticity or validity; false; counterfeit |
|
fulminate
|
v.
to loudly attack or denounce |
|
loquacious
|
adj.
extremely talkative |
|
impecunious
|
adj.
lacking funds; without money |
|
hegemony
|
n.
the consistent dominance of one state or ideology over others |
|
perspicacious
|
adj.
acutely perceptive; having keen discernment |
|
malevolent
|
adj.
having or showing often vicious ill will, spite, or hatred |
|
flout
|
v.
to demonstrate contempt for, as in a rule or convention |
|
hackneyed
|
adj.
rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage |
|
facetious
|
adj.
playful; humorous |
|
placate
|
v.
to appease; to calm by making concessions |
|
urbane
|
adj.
sophisticated;; refined; elegant |
|
unfeigned
|
adj.
genuine; not false or hypocritical |
|
dearth
|
n.
smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack |
|
tacit
|
adj.
implied; not explicitly stated |
|
heretical
|
adj.
vioating accepted dogma or convention |
|
mitigate
|
v.
to make or become less severe or intense; to moderate |
|
percursor
|
n.
one that precedes and indicates or announces another |
|
trenchant
|
adj.
sharply perceptive; keen; penetrating |
|
bombast
|
n.
self important or pompous in writing or speech |
|
misanthrope
|
n.
one who hates all other humans |
|
ephemeral
|
adj.
brief; fleeting |
|
tenuous
|
adj.
having little substance or strength; flimsy; weak |
|
adulation
|
n.
excessive praise; intense adoration |
|
occlude
|
v.
to obstruct or block |
|
disinterested
|
adj.
indifferent; free from self-interest |
|
impassive
|
adj.
revealing no emotion |
|
aesthetic
|
adj.
dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful |
|
superfluous
|
adj.
exceeding what is sufficient or necessary |
|
catalyst
|
n.
a person or thing that causes change |
|
tenacity
|
n.
the quality of adherence or persistence to something valued |
|
sordid
|
adj.
characterize by filth, grime or squalor; foul |
|
insipid
|
adj.
without taste or flavor; lacking in spirit; bland |
|
innocuous
|
adj.
harmless; causing no damage |
|
vituperate
|
v.
to use harsh condemnatory language; to abuse or censure severely or abusively; berate |
|
effrontery
|
n.
extreme boldness; presumptuousness |
|
pithy
|
adj.
precise and brief |
|
prolific
|
adj.
producing large volumes or amounts; productive |
|
rescind
|
v.
to invalidate; to repeal; to retract |
|
accolade
|
n.
an expression of praise |
|
acumen
|
n.
quick, keen or accurate knowledge or insight |
|
incipient
|
adj.
beginning to come into being or to become apparent |
|
transient
|
adj.
fleeting; passing quickly; brief |
|
ubiquitous
|
adj.
existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread |
|
volatile
|
adj.
readily changing to a vapor; changeable; fickle; explosive |
|
squalid
|
adj.
sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect |
|
specious
|
adj.
seeming true, but actually being fallacious; misleadingly attractive |
|
caustic
|
adj.
burning or stinging; causing corrosion |
|
adulterate
|
v.
to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients |
|
stoic
|
adj.
indifferent to or unaffected by pleaure or pain; steadfast |
|
variegated
|
adj.
multicolored; characterized by a variety of patches of different color |
|
castigation
|
n.
severe criticism or punishment |
|
grandiloquence
|
n.
pompous speech or expression |
|
didactic
|
adj.
intended to teach or instruct |
|
infelicitous
|
adj.
unfortunate; inappropriate |
|
avarice
|
n.
greed, especially for wealth |
|
penury
|
n.
poverty; destitution |
|
stymie
|
v.
to block; thwart |
|
hedonism
|
n.
devotion to pleasurable pursuits, especially to the pleasures of the senses |
|
peruse
|
v.
to examine with great care |
|
zealous
|
adj.
fervent; ardent; impassioned |
|
acerbic
|
adj.
having a sour or bitter taste or character |
|
reverent
|
adj.
marked by, feeling, or expressing a feeling of profound awe and respect |
|
precipitate
|
v.
to cause or happen before anticipated or required |
|
inchoate
|
adj.
in an initial stage; not fully formed |
|
synthesis
|
n.
the combination of parts to make a whole |
|
vacillate
|
v.
to waver indecisively between one course of action or opinion and another; waver |
|
sanction
|
n.
authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance |
|
untenable
|
adj.
indefensible; not viable; uninhabitable |
|
inert
|
adj.
unmoving; lethargic; sluggish |
|
surfeit
|
v.
excess; iverindulgence |
|
supplant
|
v.
to take the place of; supercede |
|
impunity
|
n.
immunity from punishment or penalty |
|
empirical
|
adj.
based on observation or experiment |
|
proliferate
|
v.
to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly |
|
fortuitous
|
adj.
happening by fortunate accident or chance |
|
iconoclast
|
n.
one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions |
|
vilify
|
v.
to defame; to characterize harshly |
|
dissemble
|
v.
to disguise or conceal; to mislead |
|
abate
|
v.
to lessen in intensity or degree |
|
archaic
|
adj.
outdated; associated with an earlier, perhaps more primitive, time |
|
amalgamate
|
v.
to combine several elements into a whole |
|
terse
|
adj.
brief and concise in wording |
|
recant
|
v.
to retract, especially a previously held belief |
|
repudiate
|
v.
to refuse to have anything to do with; disown |
|
ebullience
|
adj.
the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings |
|
endemic
|
adj.
characteristic of or often found in a particular locality, region or people |
|
discretion
|
n.
cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions |
|
evanescent
|
adj.
tending to disappear like vapor; vanishing |
|
viscous
|
adj.
thick; sticky |
|
querulous
|
adj.
prone to complaining or grumbling; quarrelsome |