| Question |
Answer |
| exploit |
brave and successful act; deed or action, particularly a brave deed; CF. crossing the Atlantic ocean |
| sibylline |
prophetic; oracular; N. sibyl: woman prophet (in the ancient world) |
| serrated |
having a sawtoothed edge; Ex. serrated leaf |
| cohere |
stick together |
| wistful |
sadly thoughtful (because of desires or memories); sadly pensive; vaguely longing |
| gamely |
in a spirited manner; with courage; Ex. fight gamely against a superior boxer; ADJ. game |
| spurn |
reject disdainfully; scorn; Ex. She spurned all offers of help. |
| conservatory(conservatoire) |
school of the fine arts (especially music or drama); glass-enclosed area; CF. conservancy |
| malcontent |
person dissatisfied with existing state of affairs; discontented person; ADJ: discontented |
| killjoy |
grouch; spoilsport; one who intentionally spoils the pleasure of others |
| discourse |
serious speech, writing, or conversation; formal discussion (either written or spoken); conversation; V. |
| bifurcated |
divided into two branches; forked |
| lucrative |
profitable; producing wealth |
| qualms |
uneasy feelings; misgivings; uneasy fears especially about matters of conscience; Ex. I have no qualms about giving this assignment to Helen. |
| fusion |
union; coalition; V. fuse |
| clarion |
shrill, trumpetlike sound; kind of trumpet used in former times |
| traverse |
go through or across |
| cherubic |
angelic; innocent-looking; N. cherub; CF. seraph: winged angel of the highest order |
| parasite |
animal or plant living on another; toady; sycophant; CF. para-: beside |
| decomposition |
decay; V. decompose: decay; break and separate into simple parts |
| industrious |
diligent; hard-working; N. industry |
| metallurgical |
pertaining to the art of removing metals from ores; N. metallurgy: science that deals with extracting metals from ores |
| dutiful(duteous) |
(of people or their behavior) respectful; obedient (filled with a sense of duty) |
| indices |
signs; indications; Ex. indices of a student's potential; CF. index: something that reveals or indicates; sign; Ex. cost-of-living index |
| disband |
dissolve; disperse; (of a group) break up and separate; Ex. The club has disbanded. |
| supposititious |
assumed; counterfeit; hypothetical |
| despot |
tyrant; harsh, authoritarian ruler; CF. despotism |
| topple |
become unsteady and fall down |
| apprise |
inform |
| tardy |
slow; sluggish; not on time; late; Ex. tardy arrival |
| sheer |
pure; thin and transparent; very steep |
| optician |
maker and seller of eyeglasses |
| deposition |
testimony under oath; deposing; dethroning |
| legend |
explanatory list of symbols on a map |
| aseptic |
preventing infection; having a cleansing effect |
| farce |
broad comedy; mockery; humorous play full of silly things happening; ADJ. farcical |
| acrid |
bitter (to the taste or smell); sharp; bitterly pungent |
| raconteur |
story-teller; one who tells stories with wit and skill |
| reduce |
diminish; bring to a weaker or more difficult condition; demote; lower in rank; separate into components by analysis; Ex. reduced to the ranks; Ex. reduce the house to rubble; N. reduction |
| dart |
move or throw suddenly and quickly |
| scholarly |
full of learning; erudite; like a scholar; Ex. scholarly journal |
| cohesion |
tendency to keep together |
| epoch |
period of time |
| canard |
unfounded false rumor; exaggerated false report |
| toss |
throw lightly; move or lift (the head) with a sudden motion; flip (a coin) to decide something |
| phalanx |
formation of infantry carrying overlapping shields and long spears; group of men packed together (for attack or defense) |
| bar |
railing in a courtroom; legal profession; vertical line dividing a staff into equal measures; Ex. prisoner at the bar; V: shut in or out with bars; forbid; exclude; CF. barrister |
| lineaments |
features especially of the face; distinctive shape or contour of the face; CF. line |
| validate |
make valid; confirm; ratify |
| compelling |
overpowering; irresistible in effect; holding one's attention; that compels one to do something; Ex. a compelling adventure story; V. compel |
| choreography |
art of representing dances in written symbols; arrangement of dances |
| furor |
frenzy; great anger and excitement; CF. fury |
| obituary |
death notice (esp. in a newspaper); ADJ. |
| dialectical |
relating to the art of debate; mutual or reciprocal; Ex. dialectical situation; N. dialectic: art of arriving at the truth by the exchange of logical arguments |
| oratorio |
dramatic poem set to music; long musical work with singing but without acting; CF. cantata |
| sloth |
slow moving tree-dwelling mammal; laziness; ADJ. slothful: lazy; indolent |
| simian |
monkeylike; N: ape or monkey |
| inter |
bury; N. interment |
| supersede |
replace; cause to be set aside; make obsolete; N. supersession |
| coroner |
public official who investigates any death thought to be of other than natural causes |
| perspicuity |
clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity |
| succulent |
juicy; full of juice or sap; full of richness; N: succulent plant such as a cactus |
| ransack |
search thoroughly; pillage (going through a place); Ex. Enemy soldiers ransacked the town. |
| dorsal |
relating to the back of an animal; Ex. dorsal fin |
| protean |
able to take on many forms; versatile; CF. Proteus: sea god to change his shape at will |
| conscientious |
scrupulous; through and careful; Ex. conscientious worker |
| gape |
open widely; open the mouth wide; stare wonderingly with the mouth open; CF. agape |
| perverse |
purposely continuing to do something wrong; stubbornly wrongheaded; perverted; directed away from what is right; wicked and unacceptable; Ex. perverse satisfaction; Ex. Hannibal Lecter in a perverse mood; N. perversity |
| nexus |
connection |
| mercantile |
concerning trade or merchants |
| inestimable |
impossible to estimate; (apprec) invaluable; of immeasurable worth |
| quixotic |
idealistic but impractical; CF. Don Quixote |
| antipathy |
aversion; dislike or opposition |
| chaste |
morally pure; virginal; abstaining from illicit sexual acts; modest; simple (of a style of writing); not highly decorated; austere |
| incident |
event; event that causes a crisis |
| distraught |
upset; distracted by anxiety; very anxious and troubled almost to the point of madness; Ex. distraught with grief/worry |
| recreant |
disloyal; cowardly; N: disloyal and cowardly person |
| disport |
amuse; Ex. disport oneself; CF. divert |
| proxy |
authorized agent; authority to act for another |
| leave-taking |
farewell or departure |
| tender |
offer formally; extend; Ex. tender one's resignation/the exact fare; N: formal offer; money; Ex. legal tender; ADJ: young and vulnerable; sensitive to the touch; sore; soft; delicate; Ex. child of tender years; Ex. tender wound |
| brunt |
main impact or shock (of an attack or blow); Ex. brunt of the argument |
| junta |
group of persons joined in political intrigue; cabal; group of military officers ruling a country after seizing power (by force) |
| materialism |
preoccupation with physical comforts and things; excessive regard for worldly concerns (rather than spiritual matters) |
| analgesic |
causing insensitivity to pain; N. |
| jurisprudence |
science of law |
| dossier |
file of documents on a subject or person; file; CF. bundle of papers labeled on the back |
| transparent |
permitting light to pass through freely; easily detected; obvious; clear; Ex. transparent lie |
| virulent |
(of a disease or poison) extremely harmful or poisonous; (of a feeling) hostile; bitter; N. virulence; CF. virus; CF. venom |
| bluster |
blow in heavy gusts; threaten emptily; bully; speak in a noisy or bullying manner; CF. breeze, gust, gale |
| capacious |
spacious |
| conspiracy |
treacherous plot; secret plan against the law (by two or more people) |
| lectern |
reading desk or stand for a public speaker |
| aria |
operatic solo; a song sung by one person in an opera or oratorio |
| unique |
without an equal; single in kind |
| posterity |
descendants; future generations; Ex. go down to posterity; CF. posterior, anterior |
| pacifist |
one opposed to force; antimilitarist; ADJ. N. pacifism: opposition to war as a means of resolving disputes |
Science Vocab 147928
