Shakespeare Vocabulary

Flashcards

Click "Next" to see a card. Now, say the answer out loud *before* you click "Next" again to see if you are right. Hit delete to remove a card from the pile you are "studying."

1 : to cast off : discard 2 : to relinquish (as sovereign power) formallyAbdicate
removed or distant either physically or emotionallyAloof
intrepidly daring : adventurous; recklessly boldAudacious
a store of useful assets or advantagesCapital
to gain by turning something to advantage : profitCapitalize
to surrender often after negotiation of termsCapitulate
to cut off the head of : beheadDecapitate
having the power or quality of deciding: resolute, determinedDecisive
not permitted : unlawfulIllicit
occurring by chance OR fortunate, luckyFortuitous
to utter injuriously misleading or false reports about : speak evil ofMalign
arousing or deserving hatred or repugnance : hatefulOdious
a claim made or implied ; especially : one not supported by fact OR
professed rather than real intention or purpose : pretext
Pretense
bitter deep-seated ill willRancor
to reject or criticize sharply : snubRebuff
to handle (as a tool) especially effectively OR to exert one's authority by means ofWield
one that is cursed by ecclesiastical authority OR (more likely) someone or
something intensely disliked or loathed
Anathema
pretentious inflated speech or writingBombast
a sudden, impulsive, and seemingly unmotivated notion or action b: a sudden
usually unpredictable condition
Caprice
conspicuous; especially : conspicuously bad : flagrantEgregious
an obscure speech or writing OR something hard to understand or explainEnigma
to avoid habitually especially on moral or practical grounds : shunEschew
requiring immediate aid or action; urgentExigent
fruitful in offspring or vegetation : prolificFecund
constantly, regularly, or habitually active or occupiedIndustrious
an indefinite feeling of debility or lack of health often indicative of or
accompanying the onset of an illness
Malaise
a curseMalediction
wanting harm to befall othersMalevolent
tending to produce death or deteriorationMalignant
shrewdness, perceptivenessPerspicacity
the culminating or highest point : acmeZenith