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Flashcards in Deck 9 Deck (98)
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1
Q

Define:

mendacious

(men-dey-shuhs)

A

adj. dishonest

Phyllis is mendacious yet entertaining; she is fun to talk to at a party, but I wouldn’t believe a word she says.

2
Q

Define:

consequential

(kon-suh-kwen-shuhl)

A

adj. important
adj. pompous, self-important

I am not prepared to accept such consequential airs from a journalist 20 years my junior.

3
Q

Define:

tremulous

(trem-yuh-luhs)

A

adj. trembling, timid, fearful

He signed the contract with a tremulous hand.

4
Q

Define:

mendicant

(men-dih-kuhnt)

A

n. a beggar, a supplicant

There was a large number of mendicants stalking the street.

5
Q

Define:

egress

(n. ee-grehss; v. ih-grehss)

A

n. exit
v. to exit

It was thought that the prisoner, seeking egress from his cell before the spreading fire consumed it, had managed to slip out between the warping floorboards.

6
Q

Define:

preternatural

(pree-ter-nach-er-uhl)

A

adj. beyond what is normal or natural

Occasionally, people with mental illnesses also exhibit preternatural abilities in mathematics or memorization.

7
Q

Define:

fulminate

(fuhl-muh-neyt)

A

v. to verbally attack
v. to explode

The crotchety old fool fulminated about every sort of modern improvement while we listened, too stunned to interrupt him.

8
Q

Define:

gull

(guhl)

A

v. to fool or deceive

They gulled Akiko so well that she walked right into her own surprise party without suspecting a thing.

9
Q

Define:

rebus

(ree-buhss)

A

n. a riddle in which words are represented by pictures

Pictures of bees and eyes are commonly used in a rebus to symbolize the words “be” and “I”.

10
Q

Define:

pedestrian

(puh-dess-tree-uhn)

A

adj. commonplace, trite, unremarkable

Timothy’s dissertation was lengthy but pedestrian.

11
Q

Define:

distrait

(diss-trey)

A

adj. distracted as a result of anxiety

The distrait teacher kept pausing mid-sentence to look out the window.

12
Q

Define:

nefarious

(nih-fair-ee-uhs)

A

adj. vicious, evil

The nefarious conspirators left nothing in the poor woman’s house.

13
Q

Define:

factious

(fak-shuhss)

A

adj. inclined to make arguments, divisive, contentious

Many networks purposely select factious personalities to appear in their reality T.V. shows in the hopes that their bickering will attract viewers.

14
Q

Define:

ignoble

(ig-noh-buhl)

A

adj. dishonorable, disgraceful

The ignoble act of profiteering at someone else’s expense is not to be condoned.

15
Q

Define:

epithet

(epp-ih-thet)

A

n. a characterizing phrase
n. a disparaging word or phrase

Ivan the Terrible’s was one epithet I do not envy.

16
Q

Define:

anodyne

(ann-uh-dahyn)

A

adj. pain-relieving, soothing; bland
n. a distress-reliever

She tried to keep the conversation as anodyne as possible

17
Q

Define:

jejune

(djih-djoon)

A

adj. uninteresting, dull
adj. immature
adj. lacking in nutrition

It may be said that her verse is jejune, but I happen to find a sage sensibility in her later poems.

18
Q

Define:

conciliatory

(kuhn-sill-ee-uh-tawr-ee)

A

adj. agreeable; overcoming distrust or hostility

Karen’s conciliatory attitude helped her to move up in the business.

19
Q

Define:

diaspora

(dahy-ass-per-uh)

A

n. a dispersion of people from their homeland (esp. Jews)
n. a community of dispersed people

The African diaspora throughout the world has settled into certain traditions, some of which are not actually African in origin.

20
Q

Define:

welter

(well-ter)

A

v. to writhe, toss about; to be in turmoil

The lake weltered in the storm, tossing the boat all over.

21
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. dishonest

A

mendacious

(men-dey-shuhs)

synonyms: deceptive, false

22
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. important
adj. pompous, self-important

A

consequential

(kon-suh-kwen-shuhl)

synonyms: significant, considerable; egotistic

23
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. trembling, timid, fearful

A

tremulous

(trem-yuh-luhs)

synonyms: quivering, cowardly, nervous

24
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a beggar, a supplicant

A

mendicant

(men-dih-kuhnt)

synonyms: panhandler, pauper

25
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. exit
v. to exit

A

egress

(n. ee-grehss; v. ih-grehss)

synonyms: departure, escape, withdrawal

26
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. beyond what is normal or natural

A

preternatural

(pree-ter-nach-er-uhl)

synonyms: anomalous, irregular, bizarre

27
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to verbally attack
v. to explode

A

fulminate

(fuhl-muh-neyt)

synonyms: berate, condemn; blast, blow up

28
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to fool or deceive

A

gull

(guhl)

synonyms: mislead, hoodwink, dupe

29
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a riddle in which words are represented by pictures

A

rebus

(ree-buhss)

synonyms: puzzle, enigma

30
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. commonplace, trite, unremarkable

A

pedestrian

(puh-dess-tree-uhn)

synonyms: everyday, dull, uninteresting

31
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. distracted as a result of anxiety

A

distrait

(diss-trey)

synonyms: preoccupied, engrossed, scatterbrained

32
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. vicious, evil

A

nefarious

(nih-fair-ee-uhs)

synonyms: atrocious, malevolent

33
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. inclined to make arguments, divisive, contentious

A

factious

(fak-shuhss)

synonyms: conflicting, warring, belligerent

34
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. dishonorable, disgraceful

A

ignoble

(ig-noh-buhl)

synonyms: corrupt, lewd, petty

35
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a characterizing phrase
n. a disparaging word or phrase

A

epithet

(epp-uh-thet)

synonyms: nickname, title, designation

36
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. pain-relieving, soothing; bland
n. a distress reliever

A

anodyne

(ann-uh-dahyn)

synonyms: curative, dull, toothless

37
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. uninteresting, dull
adj. immature
adj. lacking in nutrition

A

jejune

(dji-djoon)

synonyms: empty, banal, childlike

38
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. agreeable; overcoming distrust or hostility

A

conciliatory

(kuhn-sill-ee-uh-tawr-ee)

synonyms: appeasing, pacifying

39
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a dispersion of people from their homeland (esp. Jews)
n. a community of dispersed people

A

diaspora

(dahy-ass-per-uh)

synonyms: dispersion, exodus

40
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to writhe, toss about; to be in turmoil

A

welter

(well-ter)

synonyms: commotion, tumble, sway

41
Q

Define:

ruminate

(roo-muh-neyt)

A

v. to meditate at length; to muse
v. to chew cud

The monk ruminated over the moral dilemma.

42
Q

Define:

maudlin

(mawd-lin)

A

adj. overly sentimental

The teacher insisted on taking a maudlin picture with each one of her students every year.

43
Q

Define:

convoke

(kuhn-vohk)

A

v. to convene or call together

He convoked a meeting of the nation’s top CEOs and Vice Presidents.

44
Q

Define:

effluence

(eff-loo-uhns)

A

n. the act of flowing out
n. something that flows out

An effluence of people from the stadium crowded the streets.

45
Q

Define:

eschew

(ess-choo)

A

v. to shun or avoid

Most vegetarians eschew fur coats as well as consuming meats.

46
Q

Define:

ambulatory

(am-byuh-luh-tawr-ee)

A

adj. of walking, adapted for walking

The ambulatory excursion drew few people because of the poor weather.

47
Q

Define:

rigmarole

(rig-muh-rohl)

A

n. an extremely tedious and complicated process

The rigmarole I am subjected to every time I visit the DMV would be funny were it not so depressing.

48
Q

Define:

forswear

(fuhr-swair)

A

v. to renounce, disavow, repudiate

The young nation forswore entangling alliances.

49
Q

Define:

gastronomy

(gahss-trawn-uh-mee)

A

n. the science of good eating or cooking
n. cooking particular to a region

Jim was studying Japanese gastronomy along with his mandatory classes.

50
Q

Define:

jibe

(jahyb)

A

v. to be in accord; to agree

His story jibed with mine.

51
Q

Define:

stentorian

(sten-tawr-ee-uhn)

A

adj. extremely loud and powerful

Even without a microphone, the principal’s stentorian voice filled the auditorium and commanded everyone’s attention.

52
Q

Define:

lachrymose

(lak-rih-mowss)

A

adj. sad, tearful

The opera’s lachrymose final scene has tested the dramatic range of generations of sopranos.

53
Q

Define:

abrogate

(ab-ruh-geyt)

A

v. to abolish or annul by authority

The court ruling abrogated his rights to any profits.

54
Q

Define:

bemuse

(bih-myooz)

A

v. to puzzle or confuse

The bemused expression on his face was priceless.

55
Q

Define:

expurgate

(ek-spurr-gehyt)

A

v. to censor, esp. obscenity

The expurgated version of the album had a more family-friendly rating.

56
Q

Define:

tumid

(too-mid)

A

adj. swollen

The river banks were tumid from the spring rain.

57
Q

Define:

natty

(nah-tee)

A

adj. trim, neat, or tidy

She was a natty dresser, with never a seam out of place.

58
Q

Define:

sentinel

(sehn-tih-null)

A

n. one who keeps guard
v. to watch over

The sentinel at the city gates watched over the city.

59
Q

Define:

winsome

(win-suhm)

A

adj. charming, happy, engaging

Mei’s winsome smile won her many friends.

60
Q

Define:

reconnoiter

(ree-kuh-noy-ter)

A

v. to engage in reconnaissance, to make a preliminary inspection of

We sent him to reconnoiter the party before we arrived, in case it turned out to be a dud.

61
Q

Define:

malfeasance

(mal-fee-zuhnss)

A

n. misconduct or wrongdoing (esp. by a public official)

Joel was studying malfeasance in the Panamanian government.

62
Q

Define:

halcyon

(hal-see-uhn)

A

adj. calm and peaceful, prosperous

The halcyon days of summer are here again.

63
Q

Define:

plenipotentiary

(plen-ih-poh-ten-shee-air-ee)

A

adj. representing a country or other body with complete authority to act as its proxy

The ambassador is plenipotentiary; he does not need to consult with his home country to sign accords on its behalf.

64
Q

Define:

filch

(filch)

A

v. to steal, esp. something unimportant

The girl was caught filching chalk from all the classrooms but would not say why she had done it.

65
Q

Define:

fastness

(fast-niss)

A

n. a safe, fortified place

The guerrillas retreated to their mountain fastness in order to regroup and consolidate their battered forces.

66
Q

Define:

bellwether

(bell-weth-ur)

A

n. an indicator, esp. one that predicts future outcomes

The Midwest is considered a bellwether for the political tide of the nation, since trends often become apparent there sooner than in other states.

67
Q

Define:

camarilla

(kam-uh-rill-uh)

A

n. a group of counselors to a leader, esp. ones who plot or connive

The dictator was obsessed with the possibility of foreign attack, but it was his own disgruntled camarilla of aides who did him in in the end.

68
Q

Define:

interregnum

(in-tur-reg-num)

A

n. the interval of time between the reign of a ruler and that of his successor; the time between two leaders’ tenures

The interregnum that followed the king’s deposition ended only when one of the warlords grew strong enough to control the entire nation.

69
Q

Define:

malinger

(muh-ling-gur)

A

v. to pretend to be sick

Souheila was known to malinger on test days, so her father insisted on taking her temperature before he would let her stay home from school.

70
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to meditate at length; to muse
v. to chew cud

A

ruminate

(roo-muh-neyt)

synonyms: think, ponder; chew, gnaw

71
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. overly sentimental

A

maudlin

(mawd-lin)

synonyms: overemotional, gushing, mushy

72
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to convene or call together

A

convoke

(kuhn-vohk)

synonyms: assemble, gather, summon

73
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. the act of flowing out
n. something that flows out

A

effluence

(eff-loo-uhns)

synonyms: outpouring, discharge, gushing

74
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to shun or avoid

A

eschew

(ess-choo)

synonyms: abandon, abstain

75
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. of walking, adapted for walking

A

ambulatory

(am-byuh-luh-tawr-ee)

synonyms: roaming, afoot, vagrant

76
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. an extremely tedious and complicated process

A

rigmarole

(rig-muh-rohl)

synonyms: red tape, tedium

77
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to renounce, disavow, repudiate

A

forswear

(fuhr-swair)

synonyms: abandon, deny, reject

78
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. the science of good eating or cooking
n. cooking particular to a region

A

gastronomy

(gahss-strawn-uh-mee)

synonyms: cooking, culinary science

79
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to be in accord; to agree

A

jibe

(jahyb)

synonyms: agree, correspond

80
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. extremely loud and powerful

A

stentorian

(sten-tawr-ee-uhn)

synonyms: blaring, booming

81
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. sad, tearful

A

lachrymose

(lak-rih-mowss)

synonyms: tearful, weepy, mournful

82
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to abolish or annul by authority

A

abrogate

(ab-ruh-geyt)

synonyms: cancel, dissolve, negate

83
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to puzzle or confuse

A

bemuse

(bih-myooz)

synonyms: addle, bewilder, perplex

84
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to censor, esp. obscenity

A

expurgate

(ek-spurr-gehyt)

synonyms: clean up, screen, whitewash

85
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. swollen

A

tumid

(too-mid)

synonyms: bloated, enlarged

86
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. trim, neat, or tidy

A

natty

(nah-tee)

synonyms: classy, clean

87
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. one who keeps guard
v. to watch over

A

sentinel

(sehn-tih-null)

synonyms: watchman, guard, lookout

88
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. charming, happy, engaging

A

winsome

(win-suhm)

synonyms: alluring, appealing, pleasing

89
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to engage in reconnaissance, to make a preliminary inspection of

A

reconnoiter

(ree-kuh-noy-ter)

synonyms: examine, inspect, scout

90
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. misconduct or wrongdoing (esp. by a public official)

A

malfeasance

(mal-fee-zuhnss)

synonyms: impropriety, delinquency

91
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. calm and peaceful, prosperous

A

halcyon

(hal-see-uhn)

synonyms: gentle, happy, harmonious

92
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

adj. representing a country or other body with complete authority to act as its proxy

A

plenipotentiary

(plen-ih-poh-ten-shee-air-ee)

synonyms: authoritative, competent to represent

93
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to steal, esp. something unimportant

A

filch

(filch)

synonyms: take, pilfer

94
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a safe, fortified place

A

fastness

(fast-niss)

synonyms: stronghold, bunker

95
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. an indicator, esp. one that predicts future outcomes

A

bellwether

(bell-weth-ur)

synonyms: prognosticator, sign

96
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. a group of counselors to a leader, esp. ones who plot or connive

A

camarilla

(kam-uh-rill-uh)

synonyms: conspiracy, cabal

97
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

n. the interval of time between the reign of a ruler and that of his successor; the time between two leaders’ tenures

A

interregnum

(in-tur-reg-num)

synonyms: hiatus, interruption

98
Q

Which of your vocabulary words means the following?

v. to pretend to be sick

A

malinger

(muh-ling-gur)

synonyms: evade, play hooky