Untitled Flashcard Set

effrontery

Shameless boldness, impudence.

badinage

Light and playful conversation.

coterie

A circle of acquaintances; a close-knit, often exclusive, group of people with a common interest.

demur

To object or take exception to; an objection.

allay

To calm or pacify, set to rest; to lessen or relieve.

bestial

Beastlike; beastly, brutal; subhuman in intelligence and sensibility.

convivial

Festive, sociable, having fun together, genial.

counterpart

A person or thing closely resembling or corresponding to another; a complement.

embellish

To decorate, adorn, touch up; to improve by adding details.

ephemeral

Lasting only a short time, short-lived.

felicitous

Appropriate, apt well chosen; marked by well-being or good fortune, happy.

furtive

Done slyly or stealthily, sneaky, secret, shifty; stolen.

garish

Glaring; tastelessly showy or overdecorated in a vulgar or offensive way.

illusory

Misleading, deceptive; lacking in or not based on reality.

allege

To assert without proof or confirmation.

arrant

Thoroughgoing, out-and-out; shameless, blatant.

conciliate

To overcome the distrust of, win over; to appease, pacify; to reconcile, make consistent.

countermand

To cancel or reverse one order or command with another that is contrary to the first.

echelon

One of a series of grades in an organization or field of activity; an organized military unit; a steplike formation or arrangement.

exacerbate

To make more violent, severe, bitter, or painful.

fatuous

Stupid or foolish in a self-satisfied way.

irrefutable

Impossible to disprove; beyond argument.

juggernaut

A massive and inescapable force or object that crushes whatever is in its path.

lackadaisical

Lacking in spirit or interest, halfhearted.

litany

A prayer consisting of short appeals to God recited by the leader alternating with responses from the congregation; any repetitive chant; a long list.

macabre

Grisly, gruesome; horrible, distressing; having death as a subject.

paucity

An inadequate quantity, scarcity, dearth.

portend

To indicate beforehand that something is about to happen; to give advance warning of.

raze

To tear down, destroy completely; to cut or scrape off or out.

recant

To withdraw a statement or belief to which one has previously been committed, renounce, retract.

saturate

To soak thoroughly, fill to capacity.

saturnine

Of a gloomy or surly disposition; cold or sluggish in mood.

slough

To cast off, discard; to get rid of something objectionable or unnecessary; to plod through as if through mud; mire; a state of depression.

acclamation

A shout of welcome; an overwhelming verbal vote of approval.

bucolic

Characteristics of the countryside, rural; relating to shepherds and cowherds, pastoral.

calumniate

To slander; to accuse falsely and maliciously.

chary

Extremely cautious, hesitant, or slow (to); reserved, diffident.

collusion

Secret agreement or cooperation.

dilettante

A dabble in the arts; one who engages in an activity in an amateurish, trifling way; superficial.

imperturbable

Not easily excited; emotionally steady.

increment

An enlargement, increase, addition.

mandate

An authoritative command, formal order, authorization; to issue such an order.

paltry

Trifling, insignificant; mean, despicable; inferior, trashy.

paroxysm

A sudden outburst; a spasm, convulsion.

pedantry

A pretentious display of knowledge; overly rigid attention to rules and details.

peregrination

The act of traveling; an excursion, especially on foot or to a foreign country.

redolent

Fragrant, smelling strongly; tending to arouse memories or create an aura.

refulgent

Shining, radiant, resplendent.

shibboleth

A word, expression, or custom that distinguishes a particular group of persons from all others; a commonplace saying or truism.

tyro

A beginner, novice; one with little or no background or skill.

unremitting

Not stopping, maintained steadily, never letting up, relentless.

vacillate

To swing indecisively from one idea or course of action to another; to waver weakly in mind or will.

vituperative

Harshly abusive, severely scolding.

indigent

Needy, impoverished.

inordinate

Far too great, exceeding reasonable limits, excessive.

jettison

To cast overboard, get rid of as unnecessary or burdensome.

misanthrope

A person who hates or despises people.

pertinacious

Very persistent; holding firmly to a course of action or a set of beliefs; hard to get rid of, refusing to be put off or denied.

picayune

Of little value or importance, paltry, measly; concerned with trifling matters, small-minded.

raiment

Clothing, garments.