Untitled Flashcards Set
accolade noun | a mark of acknowledgment or expression of praise; that which confers praise or honor | Despite all the accolades Gregor had received over the years for his bug collection, he was shocked to be recognized as the entomologist of the year at the annual cockroach convention. |
apocryphal adjective | being of questionable authenticity | Many people believed the apocryphal story about the hidden treasure, but historians found no evidence to support it. |
brazen adjective | marked by shameless or disrespectful boldness; shameless or impudent | The thief made a brazen escape, walking out of the store with stolen goods in broad daylight. |
brevity noun | shortness or conciseness of explanation; exact use of words in writing or speech | The speaker impressed the audience with the brevity of his speech, conveying his message in just a few powerful words. |
candor noun | the trait of being honest and frank | I admire Beth’s candor, especially when nobody else bothers to speak up, but it sometimes makes her life difficult because few people like to hear the truth. |
complacent adjective | satisfied, with no desire to change or improve | Though he had never won any awards or even been published, he was complacent with his life as a poet. |
compunction | a feeling of deep regret, usually for misdeed | To everyone’s horror, she felt no compunction for the serious injury she caused on the field; in fact, she took pride in it. |
equanimity noun | evenness of mind especially under stress | After the shock, she recovered her equanimity and was an agreeable image of serene dignity. |
façade | a false appearance meant to conceal reality | The grand castle had an elegant façade, but inside, it was falling apart from years of neglect. |
insipid | lacking taste or flavor, lacking in qualities that interest | The five-star restaurant’s food was expensive but insipid, lacking any real flavor or creativity. |
laconic | of few words; expressing oneself with minimal words to the point of seeming mysterious or rude | The cowboy, a man whose horse is his great companion, was expectedly laconic at the dinner, offering only one “Yes, sir” and one “Thank you, kindly” during the whole meal. |
loquacious | full of excessive talk | At the meeting, her loquacious tendencies made it difficult for anyone else to get a word in. |
nuance noun | a subtle difference in meaning, expression, or tone | She noticed every nuance of flavor in the meal and spoke thoughtfully about all of them, so we were unsurprised to learn that she was a chef. |
ruminate verb | to think about something in great detail; to ponder | I should have gone to bed early, but I started to ruminate about my recent conversation and stayed awake until midnight. |
unilateral adjective | one-sided | Tim made a unilateral decision about where he and Linda would be going on vacation, paid the deposit for it, and then unceremoniously informed her about their destination. She was not pleased. |