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WS quick quiz 56-60
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Machination | scheming activity for an evil purpose |
Magnanimous | forgiving ; unresentful ; noble in spirit ; generous |
Magnate | a rich, powerful, or very successful businessperson |
Malaise | a feeling of depression, uneasiness, or queasiness |
Malfeasance | an illegal act, especially by a public official |
Malinger | to pretend to be sick to avoid doing work |
Malleable | easy to shape or bend |
Mandate | a command or authorization to do something ; the will of the voters as expressed by the results of an election |
Manifest | visible ; evident |
Manifesto | a public declaration of beliefs or principles, usually political ones |
Marshal | to arrange in order ; to gather together for the purpose of doing something |
Martial | warlike ; having to do with combat |
Martyr | someone who gives up his or her life in pursuit of a cause, especially a religious one ; one who suffers for a cause ; one who makes a show of suffering in order to arouse sympathy |
Matriculate | to enroll, especially at a college |
Maudlin | silly and overly sentimental |
Maverick | a nonconformist ; a rebel |
Maxim | a fundamental principle ; an old saying |
Mediate | to help settle differences |
Mellifluous | sweetly flowing |
Mendacious | lying ; dishonest |
Mendicant | a beggar |
Mentor | a teacher, tutor, counselor, or coach ; especially in business, an experienced person who shows an inexperienced person the ropes |
Mercenary | a hired soldier ; someone who will do anything for money |
Mercurial | emotionally unpredictable ; rapidly changing in mood |
Metamorphosis | a magical change in form ; a striking or sudden change |
Microcosm | the world in miniature |
Milieu | environment ; surroundings |
Minuscule | very tiny |
Misanthropic | hating mankind |
Mitigate | to moderate the effect of something |
Mollify | to soften ; to soothe ; to pacify |
Monolithic | massive, solid, uniform, and unyielding |
Moribund | dying |
Morose | gloomy ; sullen |
Mortify | to humiliate |
Mundane | ordinary ; pretty boring ; not heavenly and eternal |
Munificent | very generous |
Myopia | nearsightedness ; lack of foresight |
Myriad | a huge number |
Narcissism | excessive love of ones body or oneself |
Nebulous | vague ; hazy ; indistinct |
Nefarious | evil ; flagrantly wicked |
Neologism | a new word or phrase ; a new usage of a word |
Nepotism | showing favoritism to friends of family in business or politics |
Nihilism | the belief that there are no values or morals in the universe |
Nominal | in name only ; insignificant ; A-OK (during rocket launches) |
Nostalgia | sentimental longing for the past ; homesickness |
Notorious | famous for something bad |
Novel | new ; original |
Noxious | harmful ; offensive |
Nuance | a subtle difference or distinction |
Obdurate | stubborn and insensitive |
Obfuscate | to darken ; to confuse ; to make confusing |
Oblique | indirect ; at an angle |
Oblivion | total forgetfulness ; the state of being forgotten |
Obscure | unknown ; hard to understand ; dark |
Obsequious | fawning ; subservient ; sucking up to |
Obtuse | insensitive ; blockheaded |
Officious | annoyingly eager to help or advise |
Onerous | burdensome ; oppressive |
Opaque | impossible to see through ; impossible to understand |
Opulent | luxurious |
Orthodox | conventional ; adhering to established principles or doctrines, especially in religion ; by the book |
Ostensible | apparent (but misleading) ; professed |
Ostentatious | excessively conspicuous ; showing off |
Pacify | to calm someone down ; to placate |