Studied by 194 people
Abjure
To renounce under oath; to take back
Abrogate
To abolish or do away with
Antebellum
Belonging to the period before a war
Auspicious
Marked by success; prosperous; favorable circumstances
Bowdlerize
To remove material that is offensive or objectionable
Chicanery
Deception by trickery
Circumlocution
The use of unnecessarily wordy & indirect language; evasiveness in speech or writing
Circumnavigate
To proceed completely around; to go around; circumvent
Diffident
Lacking self-confidence; shy or timid
Enervate
To weaken or destroy the strength of
Equinox
The length of day and night are approximately equal (March & September)
Euro
Currency among members of the European Monetary Union
Facetious
Playfully jocular; humorous
Fatuous
Foolish or silly
Filibuster
Use of tactics, especially long speeches, to delay legislative action
Gamete
A reproductive cell with half the number of chromosomes
Hegemony
The predominant influence of a state, region, or group over others
Hemoglobin
Iron-containing pigment in red blood cells that carries O2 & CO2 between the lungs & tissues
Hypotenuse
The side of a right triangle opposite the right angle
Impeach
To make an accusation against; to charge with improper conduct in office
Inculcate
To teach by frequent instruction or repetition; to indoctrinate
Infrastructure
Basic services needed for a community to function (water, electricity, school, post office, etc.)
Jejune
Dull or not interesting; lacking maturity or childish
Kinetic
Energy relating to or produced by motion
Lexicon
A dictionary; a set of terms used in a specific profession
Loquacious
Very talkative
Lurid
Characterized by vivid descriptions or explicit details that are meant to provoke or shock
Machiavellian
Characterized by cunning and deceit
Mantra
A word or phrase that is expressed repeatedly
Maudlin
Excessively sentimental
Misnomer
A name wrongly or unsuitably applied to a person or an object
Narcissist
One who is excessively preoccupied with oneself; an extremely self-centered person
Nouveau riche
Characterized by newly acquired wealth
Oblivion
The condition of being completely forgotten; a condition of total forgetfulness
Ostracize
To exclude from a group
Panacea
A remedy for all diseases, evils, or difficulties; a cure-all
Perfunctory
Done routinely and with little interest or care
Philistine
A person who is smugly indifferent or antagonistic to art and culture
Quid pro quo
Something given in return for something else or accepted as a reciprocal exchange
Quintessential
Being the best or most typical example of its kind
Rhetoric
Language that is intended to persuade
Scintillating
Lively and exceptionally intelligent; animated and brilliant
Stoic
Seemingly indifferent to pleasure and pain; showing little or no emotion
Suave
Gracious and sophisticated
Teetotaler
One who abstains completely from alcoholic beverages
Tête-à-tête
A private conversation between two people
Ubiquitous
Being or seeming to be everywhere at the same time
Unrequited
Not given, rewarded, or felt in return
Vile
Loathsome, disgusting; morally depraved, or wicked
Waft
To move or cause to move gently and smoothly through the air
Note
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