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144 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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aesthetic
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characterized by a sensitivity to beauty in art and taste
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conventional
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customary; conforming to established practices
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mitigate
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to make less severe or harsh; to moderate; to lessen
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pragmatic
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a practical, realistic approach to solving problems
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nostalgia
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a bittersweet longing for something in the past
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diffident
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timid; shy; lacking self-confidence; shy and reserved especially in social gatherings
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reconcile
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to restore a friendship or condition of harmony
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revere
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to show great respect for a person, idea, or symbol; to VENERATE
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subtle
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gradual and therefore not obvious
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profound
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characterized by deep and insightful thinking
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anecdote
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a short story told to illustrate a point
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simile
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a figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared; often in a phrase introduced by like or as
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metaphor
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a figure of speech in which two unrelated objects are compared
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personification
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a figure of speech in which inanimate objects are endowed with human qualities
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paradox
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a seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true
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allusion
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talking or writing about s.o. or s.t. indirectly
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irony
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the use of words or actions that mean the opposite of what they say literally
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satire
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the use of wit, irony, and sarcasm to make fun of human follies and vices
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parallel structure
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the repetition of words, phrases, or sentences that are similar in meaning and structure
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parenthetical expression
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an expression inserted into the flow of thought and set off by commas or parentheses
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skeptic, skeptical
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characterized by an attitude of doubt or a lack of faith; DUBIOUS
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ambivalent
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characterized by mixed feelings about a person, object, or course of action
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indifferent
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characterized by a lack of interest or concern
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indignant
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characterized by outrage caused by something perceived as unjust or wrong
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wistful
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sadly thoughtful; pensively reflective
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nonchalant
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marked by an air of casual unconcern
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emphatic
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marked by great conviction; forceful and clear; UNAMBIGUOUS
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sardonic
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very sarcastic; scornful, mocking, and derisive
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didactic
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designed or intended to teach and instruct; serving to enlighten and inform
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flippant
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not showing proper respect
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qualify
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to limit, modify, or restrict
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concede
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to acknowledge or admit
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rebut
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to attempt to prove that an accusation or theory is false
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refute
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to disprove an accusation or theory
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undermine
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to weaken; subvert; hinder
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underscore
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to emphasize; to draw special attention to a fact, idea or situation
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coherent
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marked by an orderly, logical, and clear relationship
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bias
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a general tendency or prejudice
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criterion
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a standard of judging something
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conjecture
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a hypothesis formed from incomplete evidence; a deduction
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aplomb
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poise under pressure; coolness under strain
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eclectic
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choosing from a variety of sources or styles
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bombastic
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showy writing; marked by pretentious writing or speech
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credulous
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believing too quickly or easily in something, (syn.) naive
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nuance
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a detail or a quality that is not obvious, a subtlety
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dichotomy
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a division into two parts, esp. opposing ones
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vituperative
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maked by harshly abusive criticism; scathing
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innuendo
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an indirect and usually negative reference; an insinuation
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catharsis
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an experience in which a person or group releases emotional tension and feels spiritually refreshed
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venal
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marked by corrupt dealings; open to bribery
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chicanery
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trickery or deceit, usually illegal
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anachronism
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something out of its time and place
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caustic
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humorous in a cruel way, (syns.) biting, sarcastic
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obstreperous
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characterized by loud, unruly behavior and noisy, stubborn defiance
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copious
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many, much, (syn.) abundant
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watershed
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a time of important change
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ubiquitous
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characterized by being everywhere at the same time; PERVASIVE
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licentious
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characterized by a lack of moral discipline expecially in sexual conduct; dissolute
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rectitude
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strict honesty and/or strong morality in a person
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spate
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a large number or amount of something
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antithetical, antithesis
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characterized by an extreme contrast; opposite
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prodigious
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extraordinarily large in size, amount, or extent
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incongruous
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lacking harmony; inconsistent or incompatible with something else
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myopic
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shortsighted; lacking foresight
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apoplectic
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filled with rage; irate
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edify
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intended to instruct and enlighten
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acerbic
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characterized by a bitter, cutting tone
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baleful
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portending evil and harm; sinister and forbidding
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epitomize
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to embody the essential characteristics of a trait; to typify
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ephemeral
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fleeting; very brief; short-lived
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ignominious
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a condition of great public shame, disgrace, and humiliation
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disingenuous
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not open and honest, insincere
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aesthetic
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characterized by a sensitivity to beauty in art and taste
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As an artist, she has a well-developed aethetic sense. |
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conventional
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customary; conforming to established practices
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People give conventional greetings to each other, like "Hi, how are you?" |
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mitigate
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to make less severe or harsh; to moderate; to lessen
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Cool weather from Canada mitigated the heat wave from New York. |
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pragmatic
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a practical, realistic approach to solving problems
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He would like to be a doctor, but he has a pragmatic attitude and realizes that he cannot afford medical school. |
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nostalgia
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a bittersweet longing for something in the past
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When the old friends get together, the talk is full of nostalgia for their college days |
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diffident
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timid; shy; lacking self-confidence; shy and reserved especially in social gatherings
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He is a diffident student, he never speaks in class. |
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reconcile
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to restore a friendship or condition of harmony
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The husband and wife separated, then reconciled, and now live happily together. |
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revere
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to show great respect for a person, idea, or symbol; to VENERATE
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Martin Luther King, Jr., was revered as a religious and social leader. |
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subtle
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gradual and therefore not obvious
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The violin is very subtle in this piece of music. |
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profound
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characterized by deep and insightful thinking
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The sailor tells amusing anecdotes about his travels around the world. |
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anecdote
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a short story told to illustrate a point
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Many anecdotes are told about Abe Lincoln. |
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simile
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a figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared; often in a phrase introduced by like or as
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The lines 'She walks in beauty, like the night...' from Byron's poem contain a simile. |
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metaphor
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a figure of speech in which two unrelated objects are compared
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"All that glitters is not gold" is a metaphor for saying that things are not always what they appear to be. |
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personification
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a figure of speech in which inanimate objects are endowed with human qualities
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In Greek myth, love is personified by the goddess Aphrodite. |
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paradox
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a seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true
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He tried to explain the paradox that on his vacation, he had the best and the worst time of his life. |
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allusion
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talking or writing about s.o. or s.t. indirectly
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Her novels are packed with literary allusions. |
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irony
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the use of words or actions that mean the opposite of what they say literally
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My friend used irony when he said, "You were so smart to paint your fence on a rainy day!" |
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satire
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the use of wit, irony, and sarcasm to make fun of human follies and vices
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I read a satire that criticized the USA. |
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parallel structure
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the repetition of words, phrases, or sentences that are similar in meaning and structure
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The production manager was asked to write his report quickly, accurately, and thoroughly. (example) |
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parenthetical expression
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an expression inserted into the flow of thought and set off by commas or parentheses
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This rule is, in fact, extremely important. (example) |
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skeptic, skeptical
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characterized by an attitude of doubt or a lack of faith; DUBIOUS
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She is a skeptic about the future of this planet, because there are so many difficult problems. |
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ambivalent
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characterized by mixed feelings about a person, object, or course of action
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Modern science has always been somewhat ambivalent. It has always been both the pure knowledge of the universe and power over nature. |
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indifferent
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characterized by a lack of interest or concern
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He found it very hard teaching a class full of indifferent teenagers. |
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indignant
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characterized by outrage caused by something perceived as unjust or wrong
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He became very indignant when it was suggested he had made a mistake. |
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wistful
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sadly thoughtful; pensively reflective
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He has wistful desires for happier days. |
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nonchalant
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marked by an air of casual unconcern
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He was quite nonchalant about losing his job. |
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emphatic
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marked by great conviction; forceful and clear; UNAMBIGUOUS
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Her explanation was detailed; she was emphatic about the need to cut expenses. |
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sardonic
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very sarcastic; scornful, mocking, and derisive
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That journalist has a sardonic writing style; he criticizes everyone he writes about. |
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didactic
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designed or intended to teach and instruct; serving to enlighten and inform
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Aesop's "Fables" are didactic stories; each one has a moral. |
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flippant
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not showing proper respect
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He made flippant remarks when I tried to discuss the problem. |
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qualify
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to limit, modify, or restrict
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She qualified her approval of our plan by saying that we need to use our own money for it. |
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concede
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to acknowledge or admit
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I conceded that I had made a mistake. |
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rebut
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to attempt to prove that an accusation or theory is false
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She has rebutted charges that she has been involved in any financial malpractice. |
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refute
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to disprove an accusation or theory
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One witness refuted the statement of another by presenting new evidence. |
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undermine
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to weaken; subvert; hinder
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She undermined her health by smoking cigarettes. |
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underscore
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to emphasize; to draw special attention to a fact, idea or situation
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She underscored her desire to cooperate with the police by going with them. |
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coherent
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marked by an orderly, logical, and clear relationship
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The driver was so upset that he could not give a coherent account of the accident. |
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bias
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a general tendency or prejudice
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An umpire should have no bias in favor of either side. |
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criterion
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a standard of judging something
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The ultimate criterion of a good education is what the student gets out of it. |
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conjecture
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a hypothesis formed from incomplete evidence; a deduction
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He conjectured that his stocks would rise on the stock market. |
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aplomb
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poise under pressure; coolness under strain
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He exudes self-confidence and aplomb. |
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eclectic
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choosing from a variety of sources or styles
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I shall be eclectic, going through the lists, since I cannot possibly evaluate more than a thousand recordings. |
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bombastic
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showy writing; marked by pretentious writing or speech
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She delivered a a bombastic speech intended to impress the voters in her congressional district. |
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credulous
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believing too quickly or easily in something, (syn.) naive
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She was so credulous that the other children could fool her easily. |
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nuance
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a detail or a quality that is not obvious, a subtlety
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The painter has managed to capture every nuance of the woman's expression. |
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dichotomy
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a division into two parts, esp. opposing ones
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We have a dichotomy of opinion about what to do: I want to go and he wants to stay. |
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vituperative
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maked by harshly abusive criticism; scathing
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Miss Snowden launched a vituperative attack on her ex-boss and former lover. |
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innuendo
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an indirect and usually negative reference; an insinuation
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She doesn't say, "You're ugly," but I hear the innuendoes in her voice. |
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catharsis
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an experience in which a person or group releases emotional tension and feels spiritually refreshed
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It’s the director’s hope that Germans who see his movie will go through a catharsis similar to his own. |
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venal
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marked by corrupt dealings; open to bribery
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He is a venal politician who takes money illegally from important people. |
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chicanery
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trickery or deceit, usually illegal
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A politician accused his opponent of using chicanery to win the election. |
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anachronism
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something out of its time and place
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It is almost an anachronism to use a typewriter these days, since computers are used everywhere. |
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caustic
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humorous in a cruel way, (syns.) biting, sarcastic
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She makes caustic remarks about the people she works with. |
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obstreperous
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characterized by loud, unruly behavior and noisy, stubborn defiance
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Obstreperous young children are the BANE (ruin) of air travel |
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copious
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many, much, (syn.) abundant
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She took copious notes of the professor's lecture. |
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watershed
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a time of important change
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The fall of Communism was a great watershed in human history. |
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ubiquitous
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characterized by being everywhere at the same time; PERVASIVE
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Pine trees are almost ubiquitous in North America; they grow almost everywhere. |
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licentious
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characterized by a lack of moral discipline expecially in sexual conduct; dissolute
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Charlie Sheen's licentious conduct in his personal life soon made headlines. |
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rectitude
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strict honesty and/or strong morality in a person
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Her moral rectitude is much respected by her friends. |
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spate
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a large number or amount of something
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We have had a spate of burglaries recently. |
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antithetical, antithesis
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characterized by an extreme contrast; opposite
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She is slim and shy - the very antithesis of her sister. |
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prodigious
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extraordinarily large in size, amount, or extent
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Building the Panama Canal was a prodigious feat of engineering. |
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incongruous
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lacking harmony; inconsistent or incompatible with something else
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His radical ideas are incongruous with his family's conservative traditions. |
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myopic
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shortsighted; lacking foresight
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The building's owner is myopic; he will only make small repairs while the building is slowly falling apart. |
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apoplectic
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filled with rage; irate
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He was apoplectic with rage/fury. |
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edify
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intended to instruct and enlighten
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Confucius was a great Chinese social philosopher whose famous sayings were intended to edify and inspire Chinese leaders to follow a code of proper behavior. |
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acerbic
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characterized by a bitter, cutting tone
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The critic wrote an acerbic review of the play. |
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baleful
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portending evil and harm; sinister and forbidding
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The criminal gave the man a baleful look before hitting him. |
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epitomize
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to embody the essential characteristics of a trait; to typify
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His recordings came to epitomize American popular singing at its finest. |
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ephemeral
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fleeting; very brief; short-lived
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He had an ephemeral career as a professional ski racer. |
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ignominious
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a condition of great public shame, disgrace, and humiliation
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Like many tyrants, Colonol Qaddafi's final moments were ignominious. |
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disingenuous
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not open and honest, insincere
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She is disingenuous when she says that she loves him; she doesn't. |
