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MartinS
Vocabulary
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| accolade | something done or given as a sign of great respect |
| acrimony | bitterness of speech or manner |
| angst | feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish |
| anomaly | not following the usual rule or pattern |
| antidote | substance taken to act against a poison |
| avant-garde | artist whose techniques are experimental |
| baroque | having many decorations and fancy, curved designs |
| bona fide | done in good faith |
| boondoggle | a product of simple skill, usually made by a camper or scout |
| bourgeois | person of the middle class |
| bravado | swaggering display of courage |
| brogue | strong regional accent, typically Irish |
| brusque | abrupt in manner |
| byzantine | elaborate |
| cacophany | harsh, discordance of sound |
| camaraderie | good fellowship |
| capricious | erratic |
| carte blanche | complete authority |
| Catch-22 | situation in which one is trapped by contradictory regulations |
| caustic | severely critical or sarcastic |
| charisma | quality that gives influence or authority |
| cloying | disgust through excess |
| deja vu | the illusion of having already done something |
| dichotomy | division in two parts |
| dilettante | person who talks up something for mere amusement |
| disheveled | unkept |
| elan | dash, excitement |
| ennui | feeling of boredom, weariness |
| epitome | something that perfectly describes another thing, perfect explanation |
| equanimity | mental or emotional stability |
| equivocate | to deceive |
| esoteric | inside joke |
| euphemism | subsitution of a mild expression for a harsher one |
| fait accompli | true, proven fact |
| fastidious | picky |
| faux pas | embarrassing mistake, slip of the tongue |
| fiasco | complete failure |
| finagle | to trick, swindle, or cheat |
| Freudian Slip | a slip of the tongue, mistake of speech |
| glib | insincerely fluent |
| gregarious | sociable |
| harbinger | foreshadowing |
| hedonist | pleasure seeker |
| heresy | opposite oppinion of the church |
| idiosyncratic | characteristic peculiar to an individual |
| idyllic | charmingly simple |
| indelicate | indecent, improper |
| infinitesimal | immeasurably small |
| insidious | treacherous or deceitful |
| junket | a pleasure trip |
| kitsch | tawdy or pretentious |
| litany | form of prayer involving responses |
| lurid | gruesome, horrible, revolting |
| Machiavellian | subtle, cunning, or deceptive |
| malaise | general bodily weakness, mental unease |
| malinger | to pretend illness |
| mantra | word formula chanted or sung during prayer |
| maudlin | weakly emotional |
| mercenary | working merely for money |
| minimalist | someone with low goals and expectations |
| misnomer | error in naming a person or thing |
| narcissist | excessive self-love |
| nirvana | heaven, place free of pain or worry |
| non sequitur | illogical conclusion |
| nouveau riche | person who is newly rich |
| oblivion | the state of being completely unknown |
| ogle | to look at flirtatiously |
| ostentatious | intended to attract/impress others |
| ostracize | to exclude |
| panacea | a remedy for all disease |
| paradox | statement contrary to popular belief, seems absurd |
| peevish | annoyance, irritation |
| perfunctory | routine duty, hasty or superficial |
| philistine | person who doesn't care about cultural values |
| precocious | unusually developed or mature |
| prepriety | comformity to established good behavior |
| quid pro quo | one thing in return for another |
| quintessential | pure essence of something, epitome |
| red herring | something intended to mislead |
| revel | to great take pleasure in, to delight |
| rhetoric | overly exaggerated use of words |
| scintillating | animated, witty |
| spartan | sparse |
| stigma | a mark of disgrace or infamy |
| stoic | unmoved by joy or grief |
| suave | agreeable or polite |
| Svengali | person who completely dominates another |
| sycophant | a self-seeking flatterer |
| teetotaler | someone who completely abstains from alcohol |
| tete-a-tete | a private conversation |
| tirade | angry, scolding speech |
| tryst | lovers' appointment to meet |
| ubiquitous | present everywhere simultaneously |
| unrequited | not returned |
| untenable | not able to be argued |
| vicarious | felt through someone else |
| vile | very evil, wicked, or mean |
| waft | to carry or move lightly |
| white elephant | something having little value, but expensive to keep |
| zealous | very enthusiastic |
Created by:
meehanenglish
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