Studied by 34 people
Accolade
An expression of approval; a special acknowledgment, such as an award
Acrimony
Bitter, sharp hostility, esp. in a speech
Angst
A feeling of anxiety or apprehension
Anomaly
Someone or something that deviates from normal/common form, order, or rule; abnormality
Antidote
An agent that counteracts something that is poisonous or otherwise harmful
Avant-garde
A group that creates/promotes innovative or unconventional ideas in a given field, esp. the arts
Baroque
Extravagant, complex, or bizarre, esp. in ornamentation
Bona fide
Made or carried out in good faith; sincere; authentic; genuine
Boondoggle
An unnecessary or wasteful activity
Bourgeois
Relating to/typical of the middle class, esp. in espousing respectability and conventional materialistic values
Bravado
A show of bravery or defiance, often intended to make an impression or mislead someone
Brogue
A strong dialectal accent, esp. a strong Irish or Scottish accent in English
Brusque
Abrupt and curt in manner or speech; discourteously blunt
Byzantine
Highly complicated; intricate and involved
Cacophony
Jarring, discordant sound
Camaraderie
Goodwill and lighthearted rapport between or among friends; comradeship
Capricious
Characterized by or subject to whim; impulsive and unpredictable
Carte blanche
Unrestricted power to act at one's own discretion; unconditional authority
Catch-22
A situation where a desired outcome or solution is impossible to attain b/c contradictory rules/conditions
Caustic
Incisively critical or sarcastic; cutting
Charisma
Exceptional personal magnetism or charm
Cloying
Causing distaste or disgust because of an excess of something originally pleasant
DĆ©jĆ vu
An impression of having seen or experienced something before
Dichotomy
A division into two contrasting things or parts
Dilettante
A person with superficial interest in an art/field of knowledge; a dabbler; superficial; amateurish
Disheveled
Being in loose disarray; marked by disorder; untidy
Ćlan
Enthusiastic vigor and liveliness; distinctive style or flair
Ennui
Listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; boredom
Epitome
The best or most representative example of a class or type
Equanimity
The quality of being calm and even-tempered; composure
Equivocate
To use vague or ambiguous language to avoid committing oneself to a position or to deceive
Esoteric
Intended for or understood by only a restricted number of people
Euphemism
A mild, indirect, or vague word used instead of one considered harsh, blunt, or offensive
Fait accompli
An accomplished, presumably irreversible deed or fact
Fastidious
Possessing or displaying meticulous attention to detail; excessively scrupulous or sensitive, esp. in taste
Faux pas
A social blunder
Fiasco
A complete failure
Finagle
To obtain or achieve something by cleverness or deviousness, esp. in using words
Freudian slip
A verbal mistake that is thought to reveal an unconscious belief, thought, or emotion
Glib
Performed with natural, offhand ease; marked by ease/fluency of speech/writing from insincerity
Gregarious
Seeking and enjoying the company of others; sociable
Harbinger
Something that indicates or foreshadows what is to come; a forerunner
Hedonist
A person who is devoted to the pursuit of pleasure, esp. to the pleasure of the senses
Heresy
An opinion or a teaching at variance with established beliefs or opinions
Idiosyncratic
Peculiar to a specific individual or group
Idyllic
Tranquil, carefree, or picturesque
Indelicate
Marked by a lack of good taste or consideration for the feelings of others; tactless or improper
Infinitesimal
Immeasurably or incalculably small
Insidious
Doing harm in a subtle or imperceptible manner; treacherous
Junket
A trip or tour, esp. taken by an official at public expense or by a guest of a business-seeking patron
Kitsch
Art or other objects appealing to popular taste, as by being gaudy or overly sentimental
Litany
A repetitive recital or list
Lurid
Characterized by vivid description or explicit details that are meant to provoke or shock
Machiavellian
Characterized by cunning and deceit
Malaise
A general sense of unease
Malinger
To fake illness in order to avoid work or duty
Mantra
A word or phrase that is expressed repeatedly, as in reaffirming an idea or motivating someone
Maudlin
Excessively sentimental
Mercenary
Motivated solely by a desire for monetary or material gain
Minimalist
Characterized by the use of only the simplest or most essential elements, as in arts, lit, design
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
Nirvana
An ideal condition of harmony, stability, or joy
Non sequitur
A statement that does not follow logically from what precedes it
Nouveau riche
Characterized by newly acquired wealth, esp. when it is flaunted
Oblivion
The condition of being completely forgotten; a condition of total forgetfulness
Ogle
To stare at something, esp. in a desirous or impertinent manner
Ostentatious
Characterized by showiness meant to impress others; pretentious in display
Ostracize
To exclude from a group
Panacea
A remedy for all diseases, evils, or difficulties; a cure-all
Paradox
A statement that seems to contradict itself but that may nonetheless be true
Peevish
Discontented or irritable
Perfunctory
Done routinely and with little interest or care
Philistine
A person who is smugly indifferent or antagonistic to art and culture; displaying or char. the att.
Precocious
Displaying or characterized by unusually early development or maturity, esp. in intelligence
Note
Flashcard