my words 2 2

Start Studying!

Terms

undefined, object

copy deck

castigate: to punish or condemn

To punish severely; also, to chastise verbally; to rebuke; to criticize severely.

It was not good enough to castigate him for his sins.
-- Frank Deford, "Knight is too easy a target", Sports Illustrated, May 25, 2000

Out in the world they marvelled that they were found acceptable to others, after years of being castigated as unsatisfactory, disappointing.
-- Anita Brookner, Falling Slowly

Though castigated by the Catholic Church, illegitimacy was scarcely an unusual feature of Austrian country life.
-- Ian Kershaw, Hitler: 1889-1936: Hubris

For my lack of missionary zeal, I have been castigated by a few militant atheists, who are irritated by my disinclination to try persuading people to abandon their faith that God exists (while some religious people regard me as a militant atheist intent on promoting worship of unspecified "secular idols").
-- Wendy Kaminer, Sleeping With Extra-Terrestrials
invidious: provokes ill will

1. Tending to provoke envy, resentment, or ill will.
2. Containing or implying a slight.
3. Envious.

But to the human hordes of Amorites -- Semitic nomads wandering the mountains and deserts just beyond the pale of Sumer -- the tiered and clustered cities, strung out along the green banks of the meandering Euphrates like a giant's necklace of polished stone, seemed shining things, each surmounted by a wondrous temple and ziggurat dedicated to the city's god-protector, each city noted for some specialty -- all invidious reminders of what the nomads did not possess.
-- Thomas Cahill, The Gifts of the Jews

In his experience people were seldom happier for having learned what they were missing, and all Europe had done for his wife was encourage her natural inclination toward bitter and invidious comparison.
-- Richard Russo, Empire Falls

The lover's obsessiveness may also take the form of invidious comparisons between himself, or herself, and the rival.
-- Ethel S. Person, "Love Triangles", The Atlantic, February 1988

For five decades, Indian liberals, and some from Europe and America, have been shaming the Western world with its commercialism, making invidious comparisons with Indian spirituality.
-- Leland Hazard, "Strong Medicine for India", The Atlantic, December 1965
vociferous: loud, vocal, and noisy

vociferous \voh-SIF-uhr-uhs\, adjective:
Making a loud outcry; clamorous; noisy.

Claudio has work to do and I have a vociferous son demanding a story.
-- Ariel Dorfman, Heading South, Looking North: A Bilingual Journey

The local heroes received meals, heard speeches, were presented with flags, and were accompanied to railroad stations by vociferous crowds.
-- Jeffry D. Wert, A Brotherhood of Valor
egregious: bad

Conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible.

But by failing to understand the asymmetry of commitment between the United States and the Vietnamese communists, they paved the way for committing the most egregious error a country going to war can make: underestimating the adversary's capacity to prevail while overestimating one's own.
-- Jeffrey Record, The Wrong War

Mr. Gordon says he does not particularly like President Clinton, who also gets lavished with high job-approval ratings despite egregious personal acts.
-- Maureen Dowd, "Streetcar Named Betrayal.", New York Times, February 24, 1999
capacious: spacious

Able to contain much; roomy; spacious.

Litter was picked up non stop during the week (mostly by that nice governor with the capacious pockets).
-- Faysal Mikdadi, "'Why shouldn't it be like this all the time?'", The Guardian, September 2, 2002

Out of those capacious receptacles he brought forth a small bottle of Scotch whiskey, a lemon, and some lump sugar.
-- Ellen M. Calder, "Personal Recollections of Walt Whitman", The Atlantic, June 1907

Is it worth pointing out that the boot seems remarkably capacious for a little car?
-- Giles Smith, "Er what's the sixth gear for?", The Guardian, January 8, 2002
ineffable: cannot be described

. Incapable of being expressed in words; unspeakable; unutterable; indescribable.
2. Not to be uttered; taboo.

. . .the tension inherent in human language when it attempts to relate the ineffable, see the invisible, understand the incomprehensible.
-- Jeffrey Burton Russell, A History of Heaven

Pope John Paul II notes that people are drawn to religion to answer the really big questions--for example, "What is the ultimate ineffable mystery which is the origin and destiny of our existence?"
-- William A. Sherden, The Fortune Sellers

One cannot blame them very much; explaining the ineffable is difficult.
-- Edward O. Wilson, "The Biological Basis of Morality", The Atlantic, April 1998
duress (noun): Compulsion by threat.
IMMUTABLE vs INCESSANT: IMMUTABLE = CHANGELESS, UNALTERABLE

INCESSANT= CONSTANT, WITHOUT PAUSE
TYRO: A BEGINNER IN LEARNING
seditious (adj): Disposed to arouse, or take part in, violent opposition to lawful authority..
QUOTIDIAN:: Commonplace, ordinary. Daily
sedulous (adj): Carefully organized, diligent, painstaking..
ARROGATE:: To assume, or claim as one's own; to take over without due cause.
adumbrate (verb): To give a faint shadow or slight representation of; to outline; to shadow forth..
Dialectic (noun): The art of examining ideas logically; logical argumentation. . Here is an example of it in use:

German philosopher Georg Hegel's preferred method of logic was the dialectic: the method was based on the notion that an idea or event (the thesis) brings about its opposite (the antithesis). Ultimately there is a reconciliation of these opposites (the synthesis).
FATUOUS: Weak; silly; stupid; foolish
scurrilous (adj): Using indecent language; offensive..
atavistic (adj): Relating to old or established pattern; habitual, ingrained.
intransigent (adj): Refusing compromise; irreconcilable..
limn (verb): Paint or draw (e.g. a sign); describe; delineate.
invective (noun): Abusive, insulting language..
propitious (adj): Merciful; helpful; convenient; favorable.
expatiate (verb): To enlarge or elaborate upon something; to go on in great detail..
BULWARK:: A rampart; a fortification; that which defends an enemy attack.
rostrum (noun): Stage for public speaking..
LIONIZE:: To esteem highly, treat as if of high importance.
immolate (Verb): To sacrifice; to kill, as a sacrificial victim, especially by fire.. Here is an example of it in use:

Many people remember television pictures of the Buddhist monks who would immolate themselves in protest of the Vietnam war; the vivid images of the monks setting themselves on fire have endured decades after the war.
inimical (adj): Hostile, opposed. Acting against, adverse and damaging..
APOTHEOSIS: Best or most perfect example
troth (noun): Belief; faith; fidelity; truth
welter (verb): To rise and fall, as waves; to tumble over.
lachrymose (adj): Given to crying easily.. Here is an example of it in use:

In the months after his son's death, Tim was lachrymose, liable to cry at the slightest provocation.
bastion (noun): A fortified place..
trenchant (adj): Keen, biting, severe (as in wit)..
fractious (adj): Irritable; apt to scold
subterfuge (noun): An artifice employed to escape censure or to justify opinions or conduct; a shift; an evasion..
CALLOW:: Immature; boyish; inexperienced.
canny (adj): Shrewd; clever and cautious
Pretense (noun): claim not supported by fact; a false show.. Here is an example of it in use:

Having been asked out by a colleague she did not like, Sarah made some pretense about never dating co-workers.
balk (verb): To stop oneself abruptly..
BALK: To stop short and refuse to go on: The horse balked at the jump.
To refuse obstinately or abruptly: She balked at the very idea of compromise.
knave (noun): A tricky, deceitful fellow; a dishonest person; a boy or male servant..
tantamount (adj): Equivalent in value, signification, or effect.
middling (adj): Average, mediocre
belie (verb) VS EXONERATE: bELIE = Show the falsity of something by providing contradictory information..

EXONERATE = Free (someone) from blame, to acquit them, to declare them innocent.
DECADENT: MARKED BY EXCESSIVE SELF INDULGENCE AND MORAL DECAY
guileless (adj): adj 1: free from guile; "his answer was simple and honest" [syn: honest] 2: free of deceit [syn: transparent]

Free of guile; artless. See Synonyms at naive
Avarice (noun): Greediness after wealth; covetousness; an excessive desire of gain.. Here is an example of it in use:

Beattie stated that "To desire money for its own sake, and in order to hoard it up, is avarice."
ILLUSTRIOUS VS INDUSTRIOUS: ILLUSTRIOUS =Brilliant; luminous; splendid..

iNDUSTRIOUS = Characterized by diligence; steady; persevering

PELLUCID=Clear; limpid; translucent; not opaque.
PELLUCID: Clear; limpid; translucent; not opaque.
bate (verb): To lessen by deducting or reducing..
BATE: To lessen the force or intensity of; moderate: â€œTo his dying day he bated his breath a little when he told the storyâ€ (George Eliot). See Usage Note at bait1.
To take away; subtract
PROGNOSTICATE:: Predict; foretell.
PROBITY:: Virtue; integrity; moral excellence
Itinerant vs Intransigent: Itinerent= Travelling, unsettled, wandering about the country.

Intransigent = Refusing compromise; irreconcilable.
implacable (adj): Unable to be appeased or changed.
laconic (adj): Quiet, using few words, terse
provisional (adj: Temporary, providing for a temporary need. "provisional liscense"
picayune: small or insignificant
epicure (noun): A person with discriminating taste (e.g. in food and wine).
DRACONIAN: Extremely severe or cruel
ignominious (adj) vs. ingenuos: ignominious = Dishonorable; shameful
ingenuous = straightforward, frank, candid
RENUNCIATION: Disownment; disavowal
travesty (noun): A burlesque translation or imitation of a work; a mockery.
probity: integrity, quality of not being able to be corrupted
ablution: washing or cleaning oneself
scurrilous (adj: 1. Using the low and indecent language of the meaner sort of people, or such as only the license of buffoons can warrant; as, a scurrilous fellow.

2. Containing low indecency or abuse; mean; foul; vile; obscenely jocular; as, scurrilous language.

The absurd and scurrilous sermon which had very unwisely been honored with impeachment. Macaulay.

Syn. -- Opprobrious; abusive; reproachful; insulting; insolent; offensive; gross; vile; vulgar; low; foul; foul-mouthed; indecent; scurrile; mean.

-- Scur"ril*ous*ly, adv. -- Scur"ril*ous*ness, n.
fractious: unruly

Cf. Prov. E. frack forward, eager, E. freak, fridge; or Prov. E. fratch to squabble, quarrel.]

Apt to break out into a passion; apt to scold; cross; snappish; ugly; unruly; as, a fractious man; a fractious horse.

Syn. -- Snappish; peevish; waspish; cross; irritable; perverse; pettish.

-- Frac"tious*ly, v. -- Frac"tious*ness, n.
Tacit: implied but not explicitly stated.
iconoclast (noun): One who challenges and criticizes established beliefs.
AUGUST: Solemn; inspiring respect and reverence; dignified.
pensive: adj 1: persistently or morbidly thoughtful [syn: brooding, broody, contemplative, meditative, musing, pondering, reflective, ruminative] 2: showing pensive sadness; "the sensitive and wistful response of a poet to the gentler phases of beauty" [syn: wistful]
lackadaisical (adj: Affectedly pensive; languid; lacking life or spirit.. Here is an example of it in use:

Once she learned she had got early acceptance to medical school, she became lackadaisical about her studies, rarely attending classes and completing assignments late.
PERFIDIOUS:: Violating good faith or vows; false to trust; treacherous.
sententious (adj): Full of meaning, terse and energetic in expression..
MENDACIOUS:: Given to deception or falsehood; lying.
discount (verb): To take no notice of; to reduce the price or value of.. Here is an example of it in use:

Susie felt ignored and unimportant when her older sisters would discount her opinions.
waif (noun): n : a homeless child especially one forsaken or orphaned; "street children beg or steal in order to survive" [syn: street child]
NEPOTISM:: Favoritism shown to family (especially in politics or business).
SEVERANCE:: Payment that an employee receives upon leaving a job as compensation for the loss of employment.
appurtenance (noun): An adjunct; an appendage; an accessory..
TAWDRY: Showy, but without taste or elegance
pastiche (noun): A composition made up of bits from various sources..
tenable (adj): Capable of being held, maintained, or defended..
EXHORT: To incite by words or advice; to animate or urge by arguments.
DISPARAGE:: To insult with the intent of lowering in rank or reputation.
repudiate (verb): To cast off, to refuse to have anything to do with..
PROMONTORY:: A high point of land; a part that projects outward.
hoary (adj): White or gray from age
compunction (noun): Remorse for wrongdoing.. Here is an example of it in use:

He was often described as heartless; he could take candy from a baby and show no compunction.
compunction: Remorse for wrongdoing.. Here is an example of it in use:

He was often described as heartless; he could take candy from a baby and show no compunction.
demagogue (noun: Someone who appeals to the prejudices and emotions of the people in an attempt to gain power..
MINATORY: Threatening or menacing.
specious (adj): Seeming to be correct (or beautiful) when not really so..
DISALLOW: Prohibit, reject, refuse to admit.
stultify (verb): To make foolish
inauspicious (adj): Ill-omened; unfortunate; unlucky..
BROACH:: To make public; to utter; to publish first; to put forth; to introduce as a topic of conversation.
proscribe (verb): Declare to be illegal, disallow or condemn as unacceptable or harmful..
opine (verb): To have an opinion; to judge; to think..
quay (noun): A bank or wharf jutting into water from which boats may be loaded and unloaded
VACUOUS: Empty; unfilled; void; vacant
refractory (adj: Obstinate, stubborn, unmanageable..
SOPHISTRY: Fallacious reasoning; reasoning sound in appearance only.
hoi polloi (noun: Common people, general populace..
ferret (verb): Search out and bring to light; to drive out from a hiding place.. Here is an example of it in use:

Aided by his X-ray vision and his mental telepathy, the superhero had far greater success in ferreting out criminals than did the city police.
succor (noun): The person or thing that brings relief; aid or assistance..
strop (noun): A piece of leather used for sharpening..
COMPLAISANT:: Willing to please, disposed to please.
fatuous (adj): Weak; silly; stupid; foolish
diffidence (noun): Lack of self-confidence; shyness, timidity..
contraband (noun): Goods or merchandise traded illegally; prohibited wares.
tendentious (adj): Favoring a certain (often unpopular) point of view..
EXTIRPATE vs. Equivocate: EXTIRPATE = To eradicate; root out; destroy; exterminate

Equivocate= To use ambiguous expressions with a view to mislead..
complaisant (adj): Willing to please, disposed to please..
sobriquet (noun): Nickname. Here is an example of it in use:

Being a large man with a big appetite, he went by the sobriquet "The Fridge".
cynosure (noun): person or thing that is at the center of attention..
eleemosynary (adj): pertaining to charity; charitable..
sinecure (noun): Office or appointment that requires little responsibility..
ductile (adj): Easily led; tractable; complying; yielding to motives, persuasion, or instruction; capable of being drawn out..
cupidity (noun): Eager or inordinate desire, especially for wealth; greed of gain.. Here is an example of it in use:

Had they not wanted too much, they may have survived; cupidity brought down the dot.com entrepreneurs.
anathema (adj): Greatly detested; seen to be accursed or damned..
ribald (adj): Base; filthy; obscene
peccadillo (noun): Tiny fault; slight transgression..
SPECIOUS: Seeming to be correct (or beautiful) when not really so.
obtuse (adj): Not having acute sensibility or perceptions; dull..
tyro (noun: A beginner in learning..
REMISS:: Negligent in fulfilling an obligation or duty
prosaic (adj): Commonplace; unimaginative
stentorian (adj): Extremely loud; powerful
TRADUCE: To expose to contempt or shame; to represent as blamable; to calumniate; to vilify; to defame.
expiation (noun): Atonement, the making of amends..
inculcate (verb): Teach something by frequent repetition or repeated warnings..
ADMONITION:: Gentle or friendly warning; counseling against a fault or error.
aegis (noun): Sponsorship; protection
anachronism (noun): Something out of its proper time; a chronological mistake..
amortize (verb): To pay off a loan by periodically repaying a portion of the principal (along with the interest).. Here is an example of it in use:

Only a plan to amortize their financial obligation over several years could save the debt-ridden power companies from immediate bankruptcy.
minatory (adj): Threatening or menacing
FEINT: vs facade: FEINT:a false show, a sham

facade= the face of a building
prevaricate (verb): Deviate from the truth, lie..
filial: pertaining to a son or daughter
conjecture (noun): An opinion, or judgment, formed on defective or presumptive evidence; a guess; suspicion..
temerity (noun): Extreme venturesomeness; rashness..
sacrosanct (adj): Inviolable, sacred..
recondite (adj): Learned, profound and difficult to understand, abstruse..
QUOTIDIAN: vs. quixotic: QUOTIDIAN: Commonplace, ordinary. Daily.
. Caught up in the romance of noble deeds and the pursuit of unreachable goals; foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals.
2. Capricious; impulsive; unpredictable.

Some of his plans were quixotic and much too good for this world, but he never wavered in a cause that he considered just and he commanded the respect of all who opposed him.
-- "Dr. John Dewey Dead at 92; Philosopher a Noted Liberal", New York Times, June 2, 1952

He is buying up commercial buildings in his hometown of Archer City and filling them with used books -- hundreds of thousands of used books gathered from all over the country -- as part of a quixotic scheme to turn this sleepy rural community into a mecca for book lovers.
-- Mark Horowitz, "Larry McMurtry's Dream Job", New York Times, December 7, 1997

I was amazed to learn that he didn't have much experience climbing mountains and that he wasn't intending to do any intensive training for his quixotic expedition.
-- Michael D. Eisner, Work in Progress
august (adj): Solemn; inspiring respect and reverence; dignified..
raiment (noun): An article of dress; clothing in general..
profligate: 1. Openly and shamelessly immoral; dissipated; dissolute.
2. Recklessly wasteful.

Both Curtiss and Feldmar agreed that after the birth of Bruno the couple grew less happy and that there was a good deal of squabbling caused, apparently, by the father's profligate ways and infidelities.
-- Arthur Lennig, Stroheim

Life had to be challenged, attacked every instant, with reckless speed in a Ferrari, with profligate spending, with unrestrained sexuality, with artistic ambitions as monumental as they were impractical.
-- Tag Gallagher, The Adventures of Roberto Rossellini

For in so many ways we seem at times to be "a nation of public puritans and private profligates."
-- Tracy Lee Simmons, "Steinbeck Reconsidered", National Review, March 25, 2002

If this were not the case, we would all end up as either misers or profligates.
-- "What matters, what doesn't?", Investors Chronicle, May 2, 2003
hapless: Luckless; unfortunate
interminable: Being or seeming to be without an end; endless. See Synonyms at continual.
Tiresomely long; tedious.
surfeit: an excess
capacious vs mendacious: capacious = Able to contain much; roomy; spacious

mendacious = given to deception or falsehood; lying
diabolical: Of, concerning, or characteristic of the devil; satanic.
Appropriate to a devil, especially in degree of wickedness or cruelty
imical: unfriendly
epiphyte: plant living off of other plants
venerate: to treat with respect
lionize: treat like a celeb
ostensible: apparent
ev·a·nes·cent: Of short duration; passing away quickly.
egegrious: notably bad
behemoth: a huge creature
nefarious vs. multifarious: nefarious = Infamous by way of being extremely wicked

multifarious = Having great variety; diverse. See Synonyms at versatile
inviduous: likely to promote ill will; offensive

Start Studying!

Deck Info

Number of cards 164