10 - 12 Flashcards
nebulous
unclear - vague
‘Normality’ is a rather nebulous concept.
a nebulous ghostly figure.
excavate
if a scientist or archaeologist excavates an area of land, they dig carefully to find ancient objects, bones etc
Schliemann excavated the ancient city of Troy.
supplement
1 something that you add to something else to improve it or make it complete
vitamins and other dietary supplements
supplement to
The payments are a supplement to his usual salary.
2 an additional part at the end of a book, or a separate part of a newspaper, magazine etc
the Sunday supplements
3 an amount of money that is added to the price of a service, hotel room etc
Single rooms are available at a supplement.
precedence
priority
Do we want a society where appearance takes precedence over skill or virtue?
Guests were seated in order of precedence.
Safety must be given precedence.
ubiquitous
seeming to be everywhere – sometimes used humorously. Like pervasive and omnipresent
Coffee shops are ubiquitous these days.
موجود درهمه جا
opt
to choose one thing rather than another.
Many young people are opting to go on to college.
nullify
فاقد اعتبار کردن
1 law to officially state that something has no legal force
The election results were nullified because of voter fraud.
2 formal to make something lose its effect or value SYN cancel out
Recent inflation could nullify the economic growth of the last several years.
allure
a mysterious, exciting, or desirable quality
the allure of foreign travel
At 50, she had lost none of her sexual allure.
—allure verb [transitive]
harmonies that never fail to allure the listener
uphold
to defend or support a law, system, or principle so that it continues to exist
a committee that aims to uphold educational standards
propound
to suggest an idea, explanation etc for other people to consider
The theory of natural selection was first propounded by Charles Darwin.
taint
if a situation or person is tainted by something, it damages them by making them seem bad
Baker argues that his trial was tainted by negative publicity.
competing
1 competing stories, ideas etc cannot all be right or accepted. Like incompatible
Several people gave competing accounts of the accident.
a compromise between competing interests within the organization
competing claims
2 → competing products/brands/companies etc
products etc that are trying to be more successful than each other
modulate
to change a process or activity to make it more controlled, slower, less strong etc
These drugs modulate the disease process.
تحت کنترل دراوردن
disdain
((crown 11))
a complete lack of respect that you show for someone or something because you think they are not important or good enough
with disdain
She watched me with disdain.
a look of complete disdain
disdain for
his disdain for capitalism
expediency
action that is quickest or most effective in a particular situation, even if it is morally wrong
expedient (adj)
helpful or useful in a particular situation, but sometimes not morally acceptable:
It might be expedient not to pay him until the work is finished.
The management has taken a series of expedient measures to improve the company’s financial situation.
Don’t mistake it with expedition which means (long or short) journey or trip.
Expeditiously: in a quick and effective way. Like efficiently
