18th July Flashcards
quandary
Wow, this is quite a dilemma. What to do, what to do? Hmmm. Looks like this moment itself is a quandary: a tough situation that will be really hard to resolve.
If you’re uncertain what to do because all of your options seem unpleasant, you’re probably in a quandary.
A more common quandary is when you plan two events at the same time and can’t decide which one to attend.
The quandary that Europe faces over how to react to the Delta variant may recur as the virus continues to evolve, some scientists said.
The car simply lacked grip, and the drivers and team were in a quandary as to what to do about it.
predicament
If you’re engaged to get married but suddenly fall in love with someone else, you have gotten yourself into quite a predicament. A predicament is a difficult, confusing, and unpleasant situation.
elusive
Things that are elusive are hard to find, pin down, or remember. They slip right out of your grasp.
Things that are tough to understand or describe are elusive — like the concepts of love and beauty.
If you had an idea and then forgot it, the idea is elusive: it slipped away. Anything you can’t get hold of, with your hands or with your brain, is elusive.
Last month, bipartisan congressional negotiators conceded that an agreement on police reform legislation remained elusive after nearly four months of intensive talks.
Jen Davis, who helped catch the elusive snake, said on Facebook that the rescue was a team effort by Raleigh police, animal control and emergency medical services.
autonomously
Autonomous describes things that function separately or independently
transitory
Lasting a very short time
If we lived forever and life was not transitory, do you think we would appreciate life less or more?
respite
A respite is a break from something that’s difficult or unpleasant.
One petitioner expressed concern that people who live in apartment buildings without yards will lose access to an outdoor space that provided respite during the pandemic.
endemic
If you want to underscore just how commonly found and present something is within a particular place, try the word endemic.
In fact, it is likely to become endemic, meaning it will continue to circulate, occasionally causing outbreaks in low-vaccination communities.
Related words -> indigenous
patronize
If you patronize a business, you shop there regularly. But if someone patronizes you, it’s not so pleasant — they talk to you as if you were inferior or not very intelligent.
She says she genuinely wanted to help me, but instead she patronized me, constantly pointing out how I was inferior to her
impede
To impede something is to delay or block its progress or movement.
If you struggle with reading, that might impede your progress in your social studies class.
An impediment is something that impedes, such as a physical defect that affects speech — a speech impediment.
The Biden administration urgently wants to impede corporate mobility because it proposes to pay for a portion of its spending binge by increasing corporate taxation.
The report accuses Maduro’s government of continuing to restrict freedom of expression, including by impeding the work of civil organizations and the media through regulatory and administrative actions, including criminal prosecution.
robust
Sturdy and strong in form, constitution or construction.
resolve
Reach a conclusion after a discussion or deliberation.
To resolve is to settle or make a decision about something — often formal.
A college’s board of directors might resolve to recruit more minority students.
“We all are experiencing the supply and demand shortage, and hopefully that will resolve itself in time,” Guy said
ornate
If something is ornate — whether it’s a ball gown, a set of dishes, or a poem — it seems to be covered in ornaments. It’s lavish, flowery, or heavily adorned.
jocular
Do you like to make a lot of jokes? Are you often silly? Are you usually happy? If so, then you are a jocular person.
Related words -> Jovial
