• Shuffle
    Toggle On
    Toggle Off
  • Alphabetize
    Toggle On
    Toggle Off
  • Front First
    Toggle On
    Toggle Off
  • Both Sides
    Toggle On
    Toggle Off
Front

How to study your flashcards.

Right/Left arrow keys: Navigate between flashcards.right arrow keyleft arrow key

Up/Down arrow keys: Flip the card between the front and back.down keyup key

H key: Show hint (3rd side).h key

image

PLAY BUTTON

image

PLAY BUTTON

image

Progress

1/50

Click to flip

Card Range To Study

through

50 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
  • 3rd side (hint)
aberrant
abnormal; straying from the normal or usual path
The aberrant flight pattern of the airplane alarmed the air traffic controllers.
absolve
to forgive or to acquit
The man was absolved of his rude act after he said he was sorry.
aesthetic
of beauty; pertaining to taste in art and beauty
She found her own aesthetic sense and that of the artist to be at odds.
alchemy
any magical power or process of transmuting
The medieval sorcerer used alchemy to change the dust into poison.
amiable
friendly
Amiable and gregarious, Fred is bound to succeed.
arable
capable of producing crops
The farmer selected a two hundred acre lot of arable land.
articulate
expressed with clarity; skillful with words
If you want to get your point across, it helps to be articulate.
auspicious
of good omen
After an auspicious start, the football team count not sustain its lead and lost in overtime.
blight
causing frustration or destruction
The tornado blighted the town, leaving only one building standing.
cajole
to use flattery and insincere talk to coax
The salesman will cajole the couple into buying the stereo.
chary
cautious
Children must be chary when they go trick or treating on Halloween.
colloquial
having to do with conversation; informal speech
When you listen to colloquial language in a written work, you realize how good an ear a novelist must have to write authentic dialogue.
condone
to forgive
I will condone your actions of negligence.
corroborate
to confirm the validity
The witness must corroborate the prisoner's story if she is to be set free.
defunct
no longer living or existing
The man lost a large sum of money when the company went defunct.
diffuse
spread out
The wind caused the dandelion seeds to fall in a diffuse manner.
doting
excessively fond of
With great joy, the doting father held the toddler.
elucidate
to make clear; to explain
In the paper's conclusion, its purpose was elucidated in one sentence.
ennui
boredom; apathy
Ennui set in when the children realized they had already played with all the toys.
euphemism
the use of a word or phrase in place of one that is distasteful
The announcer used a euphemism when he wanted to complain.
extraneous
irrelevant; not related; not essential
During the long, boring lecture, most people agreed that much of the information was extraneous.
fatuous
vain and silly
The fatuous prank was meant to add comedy to the situation.
flaccid
lacking firmness; limp
The old dog's flaccid tail refused to wag.
garrulous
extremely talkative or wordy
No one wanted to speak with the garrulous man for fear of being stuck in a long, one-sided conversation.
idiosyncrasy
any personal peculiarity; mannerism
Her tendency to bite her lip is an idiosyncrasy.
implicit
understood but not plainly stated
The child's anger was implicit from her stomping gait.
inculcate
to impress upon the mind by persistent urging
Her religious beliefs were inculcated at a young age by her grandparents.
infamy
total loss of reputation; public disgrace; dishonor; ignominy; indignity
Pearl Harbor Day is remembered as a day that will live in infamy.
insolvent
unable to pay debts; bankrupt
The insolvent state of his bank account kept him from writing any checks.
levity
lack of seriousness
He approached his job with such levity that he was demoted.
luminous
emitting light; shining; also enlightened or intelligent
The luminous quality of the precious stone made it look like a fallen star.
nadir
total loss of reputation; public disgrace; dishonor; ignominy; indignity
The seventh century is the nadir of the human mind in Europe.
ostensible
apparent
The ostensible reason for choosing the girl was for her beauty.
paradox
a tenet seemingly contradictory or false, but actually true
The paradox seemed so unlikely though it was true.
pensive
engaged in deep thought
My hours alone are often more pensive than the time I spend with friends.
plethora
a superabundance
There was a plethora of food at the feast.
pristine
primitive; pure; uncorrupted
The pristine lake had not been marred by pollution.
proselytize
to try to convert a person from one belief or religion to another
The preacher often attempts to proselytize wayward travelers.
rapacious
given to seizing for plunder or the satisfaction of greed
The rapacious villain held the elderly lady hostage until the money was given to him.
reprehensible
deserving a reprimand
The man's failure to remember the meeting was totally reprehensible.
ribald
characterized by vulgar joking
The ribald story proved an embarrassment to its audience
serendipity
an apparent aptitude for making fortunate discoveries accidentally
It could only have been serendipity that brought him to his long-lost sister's house that rainy night.
stolid
showing little emotion
With a stolid expression, the man walked away from the confrontation.
surfeit
overindulgence
A surfeit of chocolate will leave you with an aching stomach.
tenacious
holding firmly; persistent
With a tenacious grip, the man was finally able to pull the nail from the wall.
tractable
easily managed
The boat was so lightweight it was tractable by one person.
unequivocal
clear and unambiguous
The 50 - 0 vote against the bill was an unequivocal statement against the measure.
viable
capable of living or coming to fruition
The gardener was surprised to discover that the seeds were viable.
voracious
having or marked by an insatiable appetite for an activity, pursuit, or food
A voracious reader, she often read two or three books a week.
winsome
charming; sweetly attractive
His winsome words moved the crowd to love him even more.