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49 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Quixotic |
If you describe someone's ideas or plans as quixotic, you mean that they are imaginative or hopeful but unrealistic. |
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Verdant |
If you describe a place as verdant, you mean that it is covered with green grass, trees, and plants. |
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Deposed |
If a ruler or political leader is deposed, they are forced to give up their position |
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Facile |
If you describe someone's arguments or suggestions as facile, you are criticizing them because their ideas are too simple and indicate a lack of careful, intelligent thinking. |
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Convoluted |
If you describe a sentence, idea, or system as convoluted, you mean that it is complicated and difficult to understand. |
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Dulcet |
A dulcet voice is one that is gentle and pleasant to listen to. |
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Amicable |
When people have an amicable relationship, they are pleasant to each other and solve their problems without quarrelling. |
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Precocious |
A precocious child is very clever, mature, or good at something, often in a way that you usually only expect to find in an adult. |
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Garrulous |
If you describe someone as garrulous, you mean that they talk a great deal, especially about unimportant things. |
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Motley |
You can describe a group of things as a motley collection if you think they seem strange together because they are all very different. |
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Polemical |
Polemical means arguing very strongly for or against a belief or opinion. |
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Deification |
If you talk about the deification of someone or something, you mean that they are regarded with very great respect and are not criticized at all. |
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Enervate |
to deprive of strength or vitality; weaken physically or mentally; debilitate |
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Pedantry |
If you accuse someone of pedantry, you mean that you disapprove of them because they pay excessive attention to unimportant details or traditional rules, especially in connection with academic subjects. |
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Parsimony |
Parsimony is extreme unwillingness to spend money. |
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Pulchritude |
Physical beauty |
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Peccadillo |
Peccadilloes are small, unimportant sins or faults. |
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Flamboyant |
If you say that someone or something is flamboyant, you mean that they are very noticeable, stylish, and exciting. |
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Laudatory |
A laudatory piece of writing or speech expresses praise or admiration for someone. |
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Pounce |
If someone pounces on you, they come up towards you suddenly and take hold of you |
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Approbation |
Approbation is approval of something or agreement to it |
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Ascetic |
An ascetic person has a way of life that is simple and strict, usually because of their religious beliefs. |
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Indolence |
Laziness |
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Profligate |
Someone who is profligate spends too much money or uses too much of something. |
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Inundant |
Overflowing |
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Guileless |
If you describe someone as guileless, you mean that they behave openly and truthfully and do not try to deceive people. |
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Cunning |
Someone who is cunning has the ability to achieve things in a clever way, often by deceiving other people. |
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Desultory |
Something that is desultory is done in an unplanned and disorganized way, and without enthusiasm. |
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Forge |
If one person or institution forges an agreement or relationship with another, they create it with a lot of hard work, hoping that it will be strong or lasting. |
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provenance |
The provenance of something is the place that it comes from or that it originally came from. |
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Suffrage |
Suffrage is the right of people to vote for a government or national leader. |
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Egalitarian |
Egalitarian means supporting or following the idea that all people are equal and should have the same rights and opportunities. |
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Fierce |
A fierce animal or person is very aggressive or angry. |
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Appeal |
If you appeal to someone to do something, you make a serious and urgent request to them. |
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Abysmal |
If you describe a situation or the condition of something as abysmal, you think that it is very bad or poor in quality. |
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Exploitative |
If you describe something as exploitative, you disapprove of it because it treats people unfairly by using their work or ideas for its own advantage, and giving them very little in return. |
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Pedigree |
If a dog, cat, or other animal has a pedigree, its ancestors are known and recorded. An animal is considered to have a good pedigree when all its known ancestors are of the same type. |
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Allure |
The allure of something or someone is the pleasing or exciting quality that they have. |
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Whimsical |
A whimsical person or idea is unusual, playful, and unpredictable, rather than serious and practical. |
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Capricious |
Someone who is capricious often changes their mind unexpectedly. |
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Porcelain |
Porcelain is a hard, shiny substance made by heating clay. It is used to make delicate cups, plates, and ornaments. |
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Defang |
to weaken or compromise (something) |
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Misogyny |
Misogyny is a strong dislike of women. |
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Frivolity |
If you refer to an activity as a frivolity, you think that it is amusing and rather silly, rather than serious and sensible. |
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Frippery |
If you refer to something as frippery, you mean that it is silly or unnecessary, and only done or worn for pleasure |
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Triumph |
A triumph is a great success or achievement, often one that has been gained with a lot of skill or effort. |
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Legion |
A legion is a large group of soldiers who form one section of an army. |
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Elusive |
Something or someone that is elusive is difficult to find, describe, remember, or achieve. |
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Contemporary |
Living or occuring at the same time. Belonging to or occuring in the present |