Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Day 16
day_16_SAT_vocab
33
English
11th Grade
07/14/2012

Additional English Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
esoteric, arcane (adj)
Definition
-----Characterized by knowledge that is known only to a small group of specialists; obscure-----The main character in "National Treasure" is full of esoteric knowledge that nobody else would know.
Term
supercilious (adj)
Definition
-----Haughtily disdainful; arrogantly superior-----The supercilious Max told Cynthia that she was stupid, giggling to himself afterwards.
Term
cupidity (n)
Definition
-----Excessive greed, especially for wealth-----The man coveted more and more treasure as his cupidity grew.
Term
underwrite (v)
Definition
-----To assume financial responsibility for-----The Gates Millennium Scholars fund underwrites a one billion dollar program to provide scholarships for minorities.
Term
discomfited (adj)
Definition
-----Uneasy; in a state of embarrassment-----Alex feels discomfited around Alyssa and Cynthia sometimes -- and by sometimes I mean all the time.
Term
taciturn (adj)
Definition
-----Habitually quiet; uncommunicative-----Some of the kids at KAA are extremely taciturn, so they should speak up in class.
Term
sinecure (n)
Definition
-----An office or position that requires little or no work and that usually provides an income-----I'd really hate to work a sinecure; it sounds so boring.
Term
lugubrious (adj)
Definition
-----Sad and mournful, often describing music-----The lugubrious dirge at the funeral made me cry.
Term
cosmopolitan (adj)
Definition
-----Worldly; sophisticated; open-minded-----Many people dream of living in New York and living a cosmopolitan life like the high society kids do.
Term
provincial, parochial, insular (adj)
Definition
-----Limited in perspective; narrow; restricted in scope-----Often people who grow up in sheltered areas have a provincial point of view.
Term
fecund (adj)
Definition
-----Intellectually productive or inventive-----George Lucas and JK Rowling both have extremely fecund imaginations.
Term
ostentatious (adj)
Definition
-----Showy; intended to attract notice; pretentious-----Your ostentatious display onstage does not impress me; in fact, it is too showy.
Term
guile (n)
Definition
-----Treacherous cunning; skillful deceit-----He managed to trick Mr. Hall with clever guile.
Term
sanguine (adj)
Definition
-----Cheerfully confident; optimistic-----The sanguine girl was extremely happy.
Term
scintillating (adj)
Definition
-----Sparkling; shining; brilliantly clever-----The scintillating performance that Max gave was captivating in every sense of the word.
Term
pristine (adj)
Definition
-----Remaining in a pure state; uncorrupted-----The pristine rainforest was untouched by humans for hundreds of years.
Term
rampant (adj)
Definition
-----Unrestrained; unchecked-----Rampant crime was a huge problem for the city; it seemed like there was no escape from it.
Term
pernicious (adj)
Definition
-----Highly injurious; destructive; deadly-----The pernicious consequences of cocaine trafficking can be seen clearly in Kate Moss.
Term
oblivious (adj)
Definition
-----Lacking conscious awareness; unmindful; unaware-----Even with all the commotion around her, Cynthia remained oblivious.
Term
refractory (adj)
Definition
-----Obstinately resistant to authority or control-----The sheer refractory nature of humans causes utopian societies to fail.
Term
garrulous, verbose, loquacious (adj)
Definition
-----Annoyingly talkative-----Cynthia gets the feeling that Alex thinks she's too garrulous sometimes.
Term
convivial (adj)
Definition
-----Fond of feasting, drink, and good company-----A hedonist is probably extremely convivial.
Term
brusque, curt (adj)
Definition
-----Abrupt in manner or speech; discourteously blunt-----Your brusque manner makes me feel uncomfortable; please be more polite.
Term
tepid (adj)
Definition
-----Lukewarm; mild; half-hearted-----The film was only mediocre; it received tepid reviews from critics.
Term
protean (adj)
Definition
-----Readily taking on various forms and meanings-----The protean nature of HIV makes it extremely difficult to treat.
Term
solicitous (adj)
Definition
-----Showing great care and concern; attentive-----The Dursleys are extremely solicitous of their child Dudley.
Term
disingenuous (adj)
Definition
-----Not straightforward or candid; insincere-----The disingenuous man didn't have a lot of friends since nobody could trust him.
Term
venerate, revere (v)
Definition
-----To regard with great respect; to hold in high esteem-----People often venerate international heroes like George Washington and Nelson Mandela.
Term
contentious (adj)
Definition
-----Quarrelsome; argumentative; likely to provoke a controversy-----The contentious argument over the film caused Gerry and Merry to get into a fight.
Term
preclude (v)
Definition
-----To make impossible; to prevent-----Max precluded Cynthia from having a good time, ever. Classic.
Term
compunction, contrition, remorse (n)
Definition
-----Feelings of sincere and deep regret-----Cynthia made a statement of contrition after she punched Alex in the face.
Term
demography (n)
Definition
-----The study of the characteristics of human populations-----Tweens are a demographic group that Disney Channels tries to court.
Term
axiom (n)
Definition
-----A statement universally accepted as true-----A well-known axiom (for stock traders): "Buy low and sell high." A lesser-known axiom: "Your KAA counselors are the greatest people you will ever meet."
Supporting users have an ad free experience!