#12 assimilate ~ autocratic Flashcards
assimilate
/əˈsɪməˌleɪt/
v. to take in; to absorb; to learn thoroughly
- To assimilate an idea is to take it in as thoroughly as if you had eaten it.
- Your body assimilates nutrients from the food you eat.
- To assimilate knowledge is to absorb it, to let is soak in.
- People can be assimilated, too.
- Margaret didn’t have any friends when she first went to the new school, but she was gradually assimilated - she became part of the new community. When she was chosen for the cheerleading squad, her assimilation was complete.
assuage
/əˈsweɪdʒ, əˈsweɪʒ/
v. to soothe; to pacify; to ease the pain of; to relieve
- Beth was extremely angry, but I assuaged her by promising to leave the house and never return.
- The thunderstorm made the baby cry, but I assuaged her fears by singing her a lullaby.
astute
/əˈstut, əˈstyut/
adj. shrewd; keen in judgment
- Morris was an astute judge of character; he was very good at seeing what people were really like despite what they pretended to be.
- Yael, who notices everything important and many things that other people don’t see, is an astute observer.
atheist
/ˈeɪθiɪst/
n. one who does not believe in the existence of any god or divine being.
- Hadley had always imagined a big religious wedding, but Emma, a life-long atheist, preferred a Vegas elopement.
The noun form is atheism.
attrition
/əˈtrɪʃən/
n. gradual wearing away, weakening or loss; a natural or expected decrease in numbers or size
- Mr Gregory did not have the heart to fire his workers even though his company was losing millions each year. He altruistically preferred to lose workers through attrition when they moved away, retired or decided to change jobs.
audacity
/ɔˈdæsɪti/
n. boldness; reckless daring; impertinence
- Edgar’s soaring leap off the top of the building was an act of great audacity.
- Ivan had the audacity to tell that nice old lady to shut up.
audacious
/ɔˈdeɪʃəs/
adj. with audacity
- Bert made the audacious decision to climb Mt. Everest in bowling shoes.
augment
/ ɔgˈmɛnt/
v. to make bigger; to add to; to increase
- The army augmented its attack by sending in a few thousand more soldiers.
- To augment a record collection is to add more records to it.
- Adding another example to this definition would augment it.
- The act of augmenting is called augmentation.
auspicious
/ɔˈspɪʃəs/
adj. favorable; promising; pointing to a good result
- A clear sky in the morning is an auspicious sign on the day of a picnic.
- The first quarter of the football game was not auspicious; the home team was outscored by thirty points.
austere
/ɔˈstɪər/
adj. unadorned; stern; forbidding; without excess
- The Smiths’ house was austere; there was no furniture in it, and there was nothing hanging on the walls.
- Quentin, with his austere personality, didn’t make many friends. Most people were too intimidated by him to introduce themselves and say hello.
austerity
/ɔˈstɛrɪti/
n. poverty; strict economy
- To live in austerity is to live without comforts.
- Conditions in Austria was very austere after the war.
autocratic
ˌɔtəˈkrætɪk/
adj. ruling with absolute authority; extremely bossy
- The ruthless dictator’s autocratic reign ended when the rebels blew up his palace with plastic explosive.
- A two-year-old can be very autocratic - he wants what he wants when he wants it.
- No one at our office liked the autocratic manager. He always insisted on having his own way, and he never let anyone make a decision without consulting him.
autocrat
/ˈɔtəˌkræt/
n. absolute ruler
autocracy
/ɔˈtɒkrəsi/
n. a system of government headed by an autocrat
- Autocracy is not democratic - the people don’t get a say.
