GGM: A Life - Gerald Martin
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Created by:
zawan on July 28, 2009
Subjects:
english vocabulary, literature, personal reading
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113 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 disconsolate | unhappy |
| veritable | true, as a statement or tale |
| curlew | bird |
| conoisseur | a person who is especially competent to pass critical judgments in an art |
| decisive | settling an issue; producing a definite result |
| assert | state a fact or belief confidently and forcefully |
| sinister | giving the impression that something harmful or evil is happening or will happen |
| consecrate | to make or declare sacred |
| trinity | a group of three people or things |
| cliché | a phrase or opinion that is overused and betrays a lack of original thought |
| enigma | something mysterious, puzzling |
| convent | a school, esp. one for girls, attached to and run by such a community |
| paradigm | an example serving as a model; pattern |
| paragon | a person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality |
| demagogue | a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument |
| foray | a raid |
| proletariat | workers or working-class people, regarded collectively |
| squander | waste (something, esp. money or time) in a reckless and foolish manner |
| magnanimous | very generous or forgiving, esp. toward a rival or someone less powerful than oneself |
| nonchalant | of a person or manner) feeling or appearing casually calm and relaxed; not displaying anxiety, interest, or enthusiasm |
| falangism | the Spanish Fascist movement that merged with traditional right-wing elements in 1937 to form the ruling party |
| cencorship | the practice of officially examining books, movies, etc., and suppressing unacceptable parts |
| edifice | a building, esp. a large, imposing one |
| alias | used to indicate that a named person is also known or ; false or assumed identitymore familiar under another specified name |
| incarnation | a person who embodies in the flesh a deity, spirit, or abstract quality |
| ramshackle | (esp. of a house or vehicle) in a state of severe disrepair |
| avant-garde | new and unusual or experimental ideas, esp. in the arts, or the people introducing them |
| troubadour | a poet who writes verse to music |
| pout | (of a person's lips) be pushed forward in such a way |
| effervescent | (of a liquid) giving off bubbles; fizzy |
| retrospect | when looking back on a past event or situation |
| suffuse | gradually spread through or over |
| venerate | regard with great respect; revere |
| progenitor | a biologically related ancestor, originator |
| resignation | the acceptance of something undesirable but inevitable |
| subjective | based on or influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions |
| motif | a distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition |
| telluric | of the earth as a planet |
| myopia | lack of imagination, foresight, or intellectual insight |
| unequivocal | leaving no doubt; unambiguou |
| truce | an agreement between enemies or opponents to stop fighting or arguing for a certain time |
| bipartisan | nvolving the agreement or cooperation of two political parties that usually oppose each other's policies |
| oligarchy | a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution |
| desecrate | treat (a sacred place or thing) with violent disrespect; violate |
| landslide | 1. the sliding down of a mass of earth or rock from a mountain or cliff. 2. an overwhelming majority of votes for one party in an election |
| intrepid | fearless; adventurous |
| paramilitary | (of an unofficial force) organized similarly to a military force |
| inimitable | so good or unusual as to be impossible to copy; unique |
| hinterland | an area surrounding a town or port and served by it |
| vehement | showing strong feeling; forceful, passionate, or intense |
| subversive | in opposition to a civil authority or government |
| implicit | implied though not plainly expressed; very closely connected with |
| improvise | produce or make (something) from whatever is available |
| decadence | moral or cultural decline, esp. after a peak or culmination of achievement |
| jaunt | a short excursion or journey for pleasure |
| inkling | a slight knowledge or suspicion; a hint |
| gratuitous | uncalled for; lacking good reason |
| connivance | willingness to secretly allow or be involved in wrongdoing, esp. an immoral or illegal act |
| enterprise | a project or undertaking |
| concoct | create or devise |
| reconstitute | change form; reconstruct; restore |
| adherent | someone who supports a particular party, person, or set of ideas |
| itinerary | a planned route or journey |
| infer | deduce or conclude (information) from evidence and reasoning rather than from explicit statements |
| manifest | clear or obvious to the eye or mind |
| auspicious | conducive to success; favorable |
| grandiose | impressive or magnificent in appearance or style, esp. pretentiously so |
| perfidious | deceitful and untrustworthy |
| pedigree | the recorded ancestry |
| approbation | approval or praise |
| recourse | a source of help in a difficult situation |
| fallacy | a mistaken belief, esp. one based on unsound argument |
| equanimity | mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, esp. in a difficult situation |
| rudimentary | limited to basic principles |
| obliterate | destroy utterly; wipe out |
| abett | encourage or assist (someone) to do something wrong |
| proclivity | a tendency to choose or do something regularly |
| agglutination | The formation of words from morphemes that retain their original forms and meanings with little change during the combination process |
| obdurate | stubborn |
| epitaph | a phrase or statement written in memory of a person who has died |
| amidst | surrounded by; in the middle of |
| forte | a thing at which someone excels |
| mollify | reduce the severity of (something); soften |
| vindicate | clear (someone) of blame or suspicion |
| exorcism | the expulsion or attempted expulsion of an evil spirit from a person or place |
| sporadic | occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered |
| puerile | childishly silly and trivial |
| insouciance | casual lack of concern; indifference |
| upbraid | find fault with (someone); scold |
| fortnight | a period of two weeks |
| adversity | difficulties; misfortune |
| inebriate | make drunk; intoxicate |
| penumbra | any area of partial shade; An area in which something exists to a lesser or uncertain degree |
| needless to say | as is self-evident or to be expected |
| coup d'état | coup |
| sectarian | denoting or concerning a sect or sects: group with different religious beliefs |
| expropriate | (esp. of the state) take away (property) from its owner |
| enclave | surround and isolate; make an enclave of |
| ostentatious | showy |
| dogmatic | inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true |
| sabotage | deliberately destroy, damage, or obstruct (something), esp. for political or military advantage |
| garble | reproduce (a message, sound, or transmission) in a confused and distorted way |
| embezzle | to steal property entrusted to one's care |
| stump something up | (Brit.) ,(informal) pay a sum of money |
| gringo | a white person from an English-speaking country (used in Spanish-speaking regions, chiefly Latin America) |
| supersonic | involving or denoting a speed greater than that of sound. |
| insurgent | rising in active revolt; rebels |
| foolhardy | recklessly bold or rash |
| supplant | replace |
| speculate | form a theory or conjecture about a subject without firm evidence |
| knack | an acquired or natural skill at performing a task |
| sordid | dirty; arousing moral distaste and contempt |
| putrefy | (of a body or other organic matter) decay or rot and produce a fetid smell |
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