L

Untitled Flashcard Set

Word

Definition

abase

to humiliate or degrade

abeyance

temporary inactivity; suspension

abnegate

to give up something; to deny oneself something

abrogate

to get rid of; to abolish

abscission

the shedding of leaves, flowers, or fruits

abstemious

sparing; moderate

acerbic

harsh; biting

acidulous

sharp tasting; sour

acme

the highest point of something

acrimonious

bitter

adroit

skillful

adulation

excessive admiration

aegis

protection

affectation

an artificial way of behaving

affront

an insult or offense

alacrity

cheerful promptness

ambivalence

contradictory feelings toward something

ameliorated

made better

amortize

to gradually pay off or reduce

anachronism

something belonging to a different time period

anathema

something hated; a curse

anile

senile

anodyne

a pain-reliever

antedate

to come before

antediluvian

ancient; primitive

aplomb

confidence

apoplectic

enraged

apothegm

a short, wise remark

apotheosis

a perfect example

apropos

relevant

ascetic

practicing self-denial

asperity

bad temper

assiduous

hardworking; dedicated

attenuate

to reduce

austere

plain; strict; serious; cold

avaricious

greedy

aver

to state confidently; to declare

avuncular

like an uncle

baleful

threatening harm

beatific

extremely happy

bedlam

a state of uproar and confusion

beleaguered

weary, tired, bothered

belied

contradicted

bereft

deprived or robbed of something

bifurcated

split in two

blase

apathetic; unconcerned

bloviated

was wordy/windy when speaking

bonhomie

a pleasant and friendly mood

bowdlerize

to cut out all the offensive parts of a book

bumptious

assertive in a loud, arrogant way

byzantine

devious; complicated

cadge

to beg or get via begging

calumnious

slanderous, defamatory

canard

a false report or rumor

chary

very cautious

chicanery

trickery

churlish

rude; difficult

cloying

gross because it's too much

cocksure

overconfident

coeval

existing at the same time, contemporary

concomitant

accompanying, especially in a less important way

concupiscence

strong desire, esp. sexual desire.

condign

deserved; appropriate

contumacious

stubbornly disobedient; rebellious

crepuscular

related to twilight

curmudgeon

a grumpy old man

cynosure

something that guides or stands out

dearth

lack

demagogue

a leader who gains power by trickery

demarcate

to define; to set apart

demotic

popular; common

denigrate

to attack the reputation of or to put down

depredate

to take by force; to ravage; to ruin

desuetude

disuse

dilettante

a dabbler; one with superficial knowledge of an area

disputatious

inclined to argue

dither

to stress out from indecision

diurnal

daily; of the daytime

doggerel

poorly written verse

dour

gloomy; stern

dyspeptic

grumpy

ebullient

excitedly enthusiastic

effete

without strength or vitality; weak; soft

effluvium

an invisible, often harmful, vapor

ennui

dissatisfaction resulting from boredom

ersatz

being an artificial and inferior substitute

etiolated

made pale; weakened

eurytropic

tolerant of many different environments

excoriated

strongly condemned

expatiate

to speak or write about in detail

extemporaneous

done without preparation

extirpate

to get ride of completely

extol

to praise highly

festoon

to decorate

fillip

stimulus, impetus, flick

flotsam

floating debris

flummoxed

confused

fracas

a noisy brawl

gadfly

someone who annoys by being very critical

gaffe

a social mistake

gamboled

danced around happily; frolicked

grandiloquent

loud; colorful; egotistical

gregarious

social

halcyon

happy; peaceful; prosperous

hirsute

hairy

hortatory

overly emotional for effect

iconoclast

someone who goes against society

imbroglio

complicated situation

impecunious

poor

impugn

to attack verbally

inchoate

incomplete; formless

insipid

bland; dull

inveigle

to entice, lure (a person), acquire or win (a thing) through deception or flattery

jejune

dull; juvenile

jocose

given to joking

lachrymose

tearful; mournful

legerdemain

sleight of hand; a display of skill

licentious

lacking restraint

logorrhea

excessive wordiness

maudlin

overly sentimental

mephitic

foul-smelling

milieu

setting or environment

moribund

dying

nonpareil

having no equal

obloquy

harshly critical statements; being discredited