100 smart words
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
accolade
answer
n. sound of praise, public recognition, knighting, curved molding
question
acrimony
answer
n. bitterness
question
angst
answer
n. existentialist dread, anxiety
question
anomaly
answer
n. irregularity, peculiarity, angle in planet's orbit
question
antidote
answer
n. substance that counteracts poison
question
avant-garde
answer
n. artists with new ideas and methods
question
baroque
answer
n. flamboyant style of architecture and art, highly ornamented 17C music
question
bona fide
answer
a. authentic, sincere and honest
question
boondoggle
answer
n. wasteful pursuit, politically motivated government project
question
bourgeois
answer
a. conventional, capitalist, affluent middle-class people
question
bravado
answer
n. boldness or courage, audacity, daring, bluster, boasting
question
brogue
answer
n. regional accent
question
brusque
answer
a. abrupt, blunt, or curt in manner or speech
question
byzantine
answer
a. of Byzantium, of eastern Roman Empire, of Byzantine art of architecture
question
cacophony
answer
n. unpleasant noise, use of jarring sounds
question
camaraderie
answer
n. friendship, amity, companionship, solidarity, company, comradeship
question
capricious
answer
a. given to sudden change
question
carte blanche
answer
n. freedom to act, free rein, complete freedom/discretion, full authority
question
catch-22
answer
n. absurd situation or its cause
question
caustic
answer
a. sarcastic, corrosive n. substance that corrodes, curve formed by reflections
question
charisma
answer
n. personal magnetism, divine gift, charm, personality, appeal, allure
question
cloying
answer
v. weary with excess
question
déjà vu
answer
n. feeling of reliving something, boredom
question
dichotomy
answer
n. separation of different or contradictory things, branching of plants
question
dilettante
answer
n. dabbler in art or knowledge, art lover
question
disheveled
answer
a. with messed-up hair or clothes, untidy
question
élan
answer
n. vigor and enthusiasm, flamboyance, flair, style, confidence, elegance
question
ennui
answer
n. boredom from lack of interest, languor, tedium, world-weariness
question
epitome
answer
n. typical example, summary of a written work
question
equanimity
answer
n. calm temperament
question
equivocate
answer
v. be deliberately unclear, to speak vaguely or ambiguously in order to mislead
question
esoteric
answer
a. restricted to initiates, abstruse, secret
question
euphemism
answer
n. less offensive synonym, use of inoffensive words
question
fait accompli
answer
n. something already cone
question
fastidious
answer
a. demanding, delicate
question
faux pas
answer
n. social blunder -> an embarrassing mistake that breaks a social convention
question
fiasco
answer
n. humiliating failure, straw-covered wine bottle
question
finagle
answer
v. get something by trickery, to trick, cheat, or manipulate somebody
question
Freudian slip
answer
n. psychologically significant slip of tongue
question
glib
answer
a. slick, superficial, casual and relaxed
question
gregarious
answer
a. friendly, living communally, growing together
question
harbinger
answer
n. somebody or something that foreshadows or anticipates a future event
question
hedonist
answer
n. seeking of pleasure, philosophy of pleasure
question
heresy
answer
n. unorthodox religious opinion, holding of unorthodox religious belief/opinion
question
idiosyncratic
answer
n. quirk, unusual response to something
question
idyllic
answer
a. serenely beautiful and happy
question
indelicate
answer
a. tactless or offensive, physically unrefined
question
infinitesimal
answer
a. tiny, close to zero
question
insidious
answer
a. gradual and harmful, slowly and subtly harmful or destructive
question
junket
answer
n. expense-paid trip, entertainment, set milk dessert
question
kitsch
answer
n. artistic vulgarity(sentimentality, tastelessness, or ostentation in any of the art
question
litany
answer
n. long repetitious list, prayers during worship
question
lurid
answer
a. horrifying or shocking, unattractively bright, glowing unnaturally, pallid
question
Machiavellian
answer
a. cunning and unscrupulous, relating to Machi..
question
malaise
answer
n. feeling of illness, general feeling of discontent
question
malinger
answer
v. feign illness (pretend to be ill in order to avoid work), shirt, truant, play hooky
question
mantra
answer
n. holy word in meditation, often repeated expression or idea
question
maudlin
answer
a. sentimental, overly or tearfully sentimental esp. because of affected by alcohol
question
mercenary
answer
n. fighting for money, somebody interested only in profit, motivated on by money
question
minimalist
answer
n. advocate of smaller role for government, practitioner of artistic minimalism
question
misnomer
answer
n. unsuitable name, calling something by wrong name
question
narcissist
answer
n. self-admiration, personality disorder
question
nirvana
answer
n. spiritual enlightenment, completely enjoyable experience
question
non sequitur
answer
n. incongruous(unrelated to next) statement, unwarranted conclusion
question
nouveau riche
answer
n. somebody with newly acquired wealth who likes to display it
question
oblivion
answer
n. state of being forgotten, overlooking of past offenses
question
ogle
answer
v. stare at somebody desirously for sexual enjoyment or showing sex interest
question
ostentatious
answer
a. rich and showy, marked by vulgar display of wealth and success to impress
question
ostracize
answer
v. exclude from society or a group in/formal, banish by a popular vote
question
panacea
answer
n. supposed cure-all for all diseases or problems
question
paradox
answer
n. something absurd or contradictory, self-contradictory statement
question
peevish
answer
a. irritable, bad-tempered, or tending to complain
question
perfunctory
answer
a. done routinely/hastily/superficially without thought, attention or genuine feeling
question
philistine
answer
n. somebody from ancient Philistia, indifferent to intellectual matters
question
precocious
answer
a. mentally advanced for age, blossoming or ripening early
question
propriety
answer
n. quality of being socially appropriate, socially correct or appropriate behavior
question
quid pro quo
answer
n. something done in exchange, returning a favor
question
quintessential
answer
n. embodiment, extract, fifth element (after earth, air, fire, water)
question
red herring
answer
n. misleading clue, smoked herring, preliminary business prospectus
question
revel
answer
v. take pleasure, enjoy party for good time in company of others
question
rhetoric
answer
n. persuasive speech or writing, pretentious words, empty talk, skill w/ language
question
scintillating
answer
a. possessing/displaying a dazzling impressive liveliness, cleverness, or wit
question
spartan
answer
n. marked by stern discipline, austerity, frugality, simplicity, or courage
question
stigma
answer
n. sign of social unacceptability, spot on butterflies
question
stoic
answer
n. impassive who is unemotional, showing patience & endurance during adversity
question
suave
answer
a. charming, pleasingly dressed, well groomed, polite
question
Svengali
answer
n. evil manipulator controls and manipulates somebody else for evil purposes
question
sycophant
answer
n. a servile or obsequious person flatters somebody powerful for personal gain
question
teetotaler
answer
a. resolved to abstain from alcoholic beverages, total (complete and absolute)
question
tête-à-tête
answer
n. intimate conversation for two, type of sofa
question
tirade
answer
n. long angry speech of criticism or denunciation, outburst, rant, harangue
question
tryst
answer
n. arrangement to meet, secret meeting between lovers
question
ubiquitous
answer
a. existing everywhere at once, or seeming to be
question
unrequited
answer
a. not reciprocated, or not returned in the same way/degree, unavenged
question
untenable
answer
a. not defendable (lacking sound reasoning to make defense possible)
question
vicarious
answer
a. experienced thru another by imagining, delegated, endured for somebody else
question
vile
answer
a. disgusting, abhorrence, wicked, very unpleasant, worthless
question
waft
answer
v. float gently, something carried through air, waving motion, light breeze
question
white elephant
answer
n. something costly to maintain, possession of questionable value
question
zealous
answer
a. full of zeal (actively and unreservedly enthusiastic)
