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172 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
abate*
|
to
reduce in amount, degree or severity |
|
abdicate
|
to
renounce or relinquish a throne |
|
aberrant
|
abnormal
or deviant |
|
abeyance
|
suspended
action |
|
abject
|
utterly
hopeless, humiliating or wretched |
|
abjure
|
to
renounce on oath |
|
ablution
|
act
of cleansing |
|
abrogate
|
to
abolish by formal means |
|
abscond*
|
depart
secretly and hide |
|
abstemious*
|
sparing
in eating and drinking; temperate |
|
abstruse
|
hard
to understand; secret, hidden |
|
accretion
|
an
increase by natural growth |
|
acerbic
|
sour
or astringent in taste, harsh in temper |
|
acquiesce
|
to
comply, give in |
|
acrid
|
sharp
or biting to the taste or smell |
|
acrimonious
|
caustic,
stinging or bitter in nature |
|
adjoin*
|
to
be close or in contact with |
|
adjure
|
to
beg or command |
|
admonish
|
to
counsel against something; caution; warn; reprove |
|
adulterate*
|
to
make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances |
|
adventitious
|
accidental
|
|
aesthetic
|
artistic;
dealing with or capable of appreciating the beautiful |
|
affable
|
friendly,
courteous |
|
aggrandize
|
to
increase in power, influence and reputation |
|
aggregate
|
gather;
accumulate |
|
alacrity
|
cheerful
promptness; eagerness |
|
alleviate
|
relieve
|
|
altruist
|
a
person unselfishly concerned for the welfare of others |
|
amalgamate
|
combine;
unite in one body |
|
amatory
|
of
or pertaining to lovers or lovemaking |
|
ambiguous
|
unclear
or doubtful in meaning |
|
ambivalence
|
the
state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes |
|
ameliorate
|
to
make better; to improve |
|
amity
|
friendship;
peaceful harmony |
|
anachronism*
|
something
or someone misplaced in time; an obsolete or archaic form |
|
analogous
|
comparable
|
|
anarchy
|
absence
of governing body; state of disorder |
|
androgen
|
any
substance that promotes masculine characteristics |
|
androgynous
|
being
both male and female |
|
animus
|
hostile
feeling or attitude |
|
anomalous
|
abnormal;
irregular |
|
antipathy*
|
aversion;
dislike |
|
apartheid
|
any
system or caste that separates people according to race |
|
apathy*
|
lack
of interest or emotion; uncaring; indifference |
|
apogee
|
the
highest or most distant point |
|
apostasy*
|
renunciation
of one’s previous loyalty; a total desertion of one’s religion, principles, cause, etc. |
|
apotheosis
|
glorification,
glorified ideal |
|
appease
|
pacify
or soothe; relieve |
|
apprise
|
inform
|
|
approbation*
|
approval;
praise, consideration |
|
appropriate
|
acquire;
take possession of for one’s own use |
|
arduous
|
hard;
strenuous |
|
arrogate
|
to
claim unwarrantably or presumptuously |
|
artless
|
without
guile; open and honest |
|
ascetic
|
practicing
self-denial; austere |
|
assiduous*
|
diligent,
persistent, hardworking |
|
assuage
|
to
make less severe; ease or lessen (pain); satisfy (hunger); soothe (anger) |
|
atrophy
|
to
waste away; wither or deteriorate; the wasting away of body tissue |
|
attenuate
|
make
thinner |
|
audacious
|
daring;
bold |
|
austere*
|
forbiddingly
stern in appearance; severely simple and unornamented |
|
autonomous*
|
self-governing;
independent |
|
aver*
|
assert
confidently or declare; as used in law, state formally as a fact |
|
avocation
|
something
one does in addition to a principle occupation |
|
banal
|
boring;
commonplace; trite; lacking originality; clichéd; hackneyed |
|
belie
|
contradict;
give a false impression |
|
belligerent
|
warlike,
given to waging war |
|
bemoan
|
to
express pity for |
|
beneficent
|
kindly;
doing good |
|
benevolent
|
desiring
to do good to others |
|
benign
|
having
a kindly disposition |
|
bilateral
|
pertaining
to or affecting two or both sides |
|
bolster
|
support;
reinforce |
|
bombastic*
|
pompous
in speech and manner ; using inflated language |
|
boorish
|
rude;
insensitive |
|
burgeon
|
grow
forth; send out buds |
|
burnish
|
make
shiny by rubbing; polish |
|
buttress
|
support;
prop up |
|
capitulate
|
to
surrender unconditionally or on stipulated terms |
|
capricious*
|
unpredictable;
fickle; changing one’s mind quickly and often |
|
castigate*
|
to
punish or criticize harshly |
|
catalyst
|
agent
that increases the rate of a chemical action; person or thing that causes action |
|
caustic
|
burning;
sarcastically biting |
|
chicanery*
|
trickery;
deception by means of craft or guile |
|
circuitous
|
roundabout,
indirect |
|
circumambulate
|
to
walk about or around |
|
circumscribe
|
to
draw a line around |
|
circumspect
|
watchful
and discreet |
|
coagulate
|
thicken;
congeal; clot |
|
coda
|
concluding
section of a musical or literary composition; something that summarizes or concludes |
|
cogent*
|
convincing
and well reasoned |
|
commensurate
|
corresponding
in extent, degree, etc.; proportionate |
|
compendium
|
brief,
comprehensive summary |
|
complacent
|
self-satisfied,
unconcerned |
|
complaisant*
|
trying
to please; overly polite; obliging |
|
compliant
|
yielding;
conforming to requirements |
|
compunction
|
a
feeling of uneasiness for doing wrong |
|
concentric
|
having
a common center |
|
conciliate
|
to
placate, win over |
|
conciliatory
|
reconciling;
soothing |
|
condone
|
overlook;
forgive; give tacit approval; excuse |
|
conflagration
|
a
large destructive fire |
|
confluence
|
merging
into one |
|
confound
|
confuse;
puzzle |
|
congenital
|
existing
or as such from birth |
|
connoisseur
|
person
competent to act as a judge of art; a lover of art |
|
contention
|
claim;
thesis |
|
contentious
|
quarrelsome
|
|
contravene
|
to
come into conflict with |
|
contrite
|
feeling
regret and sorrow for one’s sins or offenses; penitent |
|
conundrum
|
riddle;
difficult problem |
|
convalescent
|
recovering
from illness |
|
converge
|
approach;
tend to meet; come together |
|
convoke
|
to
call together |
|
convoluted*
|
intricate
and complicated |
|
corroborate
|
to
provide supporting evidence |
|
craven
|
cowardly
|
|
credulous*
|
too
trusting; gullible |
|
cursory
|
going
rapidly over something; hasty; superficial |
|
daunt
|
intimidate;
frighten |
|
decadent
|
decaying;
deteriorating |
|
decorum
|
propriety;
orderliness and good taste in manners |
|
default
|
failure
to act |
|
deference*
|
respect;
courteous regard for another’s wishes |
|
deferential
|
respectful;
to yield judgment to |
|
deign
|
to
think fit or in accordance with one’s dignity |
|
delineate
|
portray;
depict; sketch |
|
delude
|
to
mislead the mind of judgment of, deceive |
|
denigrate
|
blacken
|
|
deride
|
ridicule;
make fun of |
|
derision
|
contemptuous
or jeering laughter; ridicule. |
|
derivative
|
unoriginal;
obtained from another source |
|
desiccate*
|
to
dry out thoroughly |
|
desultory*
|
aimless;
haphazard; digressing at random |
|
deterrent
|
something
that discourages; hindrance |
|
diatribe
|
bitter
scolding; invective |
|
dichotomy*
|
split;
branching into two parts (especially contradictory ones) |
|
diffident*
|
lacking
or marked by a lack of self-confidence; shy and timid. |
|
diffuse*
|
to
spread widely or thinly |
|
digression
|
wandering
away from the subject |
|
dilatory*
|
inclined
to delay or procrastinate |
|
dilettante
|
someone
with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic |
|
dirge
|
lament
with music |
|
disabuse*
|
correct
a false impression; to set right; to free from error |
|
discerning
|
mentally
quick and observant; having insight |
|
discordant
|
not
harmonious; conflicting |
|
discredit
|
defame;
destroy confidence in; disbelieve |
|
discrepancy
|
lack
of consistency; difference |
|
discrete
|
separate;
unconnected; consisting of distinct parts |
|
disingenuous
|
lacking
genuine candor; insincere |
|
disinterested
|
unprejudiced
|
|
disjointed
|
lacking
coherence; separated at the joints |
|
dismiss
|
eliminate
from consideration; reject |
|
disparage
|
belittle
|
|
disparate
|
fundamentally
distinct or different in kind; entirely dissimilar |
|
disport
|
to
divert or amuse oneself |
|
disquiet
|
a
lack of calm or peace |
|
dissemble*
|
disguise;
pretend; to disguise one’s real intentions or character |
|
disseminate*
|
distribute;
spread widely; scatter (like seeds) |
|
dissolution
|
disintegration;
looseness in morals |
|
dissonance
|
discord;
opposite of harmony |
|
distend
|
to
expand by stretching; swell out |
|
distill
|
purify;
refine; concentrate |
|
diverge
|
vary;
go in different directions from the same point |
|
divest
|
strip;
deprive |
|
doctrine
|
a
principle or body of principles presented for acceptance or belief; dogma |
|
document
|
provide
written evidence |
|
dogma
|
a
firmly held opinion, often a religious belief |
|
dogmatic*
|
opinionated;
arbitrary; doctrinal |
|
doleful
|
sorrowful,
mournful |
|
dormant
|
sleeping;
lethargic; latent |
|
dour
|
sullen,
gloomy |