2020/12/27-2021/02/08 Flashcards
2020/12/27-2021/02/08
be akin to
having some of the same qualities:
They speak a language akin to French.
espouse
to become involved with or support an activity or opinion:
Vegetarianism is one cause she does not espouse.
vigour
strength, energy, or enthusiasm:
They set about their work with youthful vigour and enthusiasm.
strength of thought, opinion, expression, etc.:
He gave his side of the story with vigour.
comprise
to have things or people as parts or members; to consist of:
The course comprises a class book, a practice book, and a CD.
to be the parts or members of something; to make up something:
Italian students comprise 60 percent of the class.
The class is comprised mainly of Italian and French students.
Visible light comprises only a minute fraction of the electromagnetic spectrum.
viscosity
the quality or state of being viscous (= thick and sticky and not flowing easily):
The viscosity of the fluid in the system can be modified.
Fish oils reduce inflammation in the arteries, and improve your blood viscosity.
clear-cut
clear or obvious without needing any proof:
She has clear-cut evidence that the company cheated her.
Opposites
indistinct
unclear
gusto
great energy, enthusiasm, and enjoyment that is experienced by someone taking part in an activity, especially a performance:
Everyone joined in the singing with great gusto.
Synonyms
relish
zest
on the fly
If you do something on the fly, you do it quickly, often while you are doing something else, without preparing and without thinking too much about how it should be done:
This new rule seems to have been created on the fly.
stroller
mainly US
(UK usually pushchair)
a small folding chair on wheels that a baby or small child sits in and is pushed around in
cardiac
of the heart or heart disease:
The patient had a history of cardiac disease.
cardiac muscle
cardiac function
go with the flow
to do what other people are doing or to agree with other people because it is the easiest thing to do:
Just relax and go with the flow!
seminal
containing important new ideas and having a great influence on later work:
She wrote a seminal article on the subject while she was still a student.
He played a seminal role in the formation of the association.
miser
someone who has a great desire to possess money and hates to spend it, sometimes living like a poor person because of this:
On environmental spending, the president is a miser.
hitherto
until now or until a particular time:
Mira revealed hitherto unsuspected talents on the dance floor.
Synonyms
heretofore
yet
manifestation
a sign showing the existence of a particular condition:
His refusal to see us was a manifestation of his guilt.
pervasive
present or noticeable in every part of a thing or place:
The influence of Freud is pervasive in her books.
a pervasive smell of diesel
Reforms are being undermined by the all-pervasive corruption in the country.
provocative
If behaviour or clothing is provocative, it is intended to cause sexual desire:
She slowly leaned forward in a provocative way.
hypocrisy
a situation in which someone pretends to believe something that they do not really believe, or that is the opposite of what they do or say at another time:
There’s one rule for her and another rule for everyone else and it’s sheer hypocrisy.
razor
a small device with a sharp blade for removing hair, especially from the face or legs:
Do you use an electric razor or the kind that you have to put a razor blade in?
conative
connected with a wish, intention, or effort to do something:
There is a long-established distinction in psychology between cognitive and conative aspects of behaviour.
If we wish to describe the whole person, conative aspects must be included.
complacency
a feeling of calm satisfaction with your own abilities or situation that prevents you from trying harder:
What annoys me about these girls is their complacency - they seem to have no desire to expand their horizons.
There’s no room for complacency if we want to stay in this competition!
conspicuously
in a way that is conspicuous (= noticeable):
The temple’s grand white arches rose conspicuously over the dirty decaying city.
Ms Andrews was conspicuously absent from the event.
asthma
a medical condition that makes breathing difficult by causing the air passages to become narrow or blocked:
an asthma sufferer
an asthma attack
poignancy
the quality of causing or having a very sharp feeling of sadness:
The production took on added poignancy due to the director’s recent death.
The poem has a haunting poignancy.
implausibly
in a way that is difficult to believe, or unlikely:
He implausibly claimed to know nothing about it.
The figures cited are implausibly high.
momentarily
for a very short time:
She was momentarily confused by the foreign road signs.
unanimity
the state of being unanimous
invulnerability
the quality of being impossible to damage or hurt in any way:
He had built around himself a sense of invulnerability.
Her father’s protective manner gave her a feeling of seeming invulnerability.
phrenology
in the past, the study of the size and shape of the skull (= the bones that cover the brain) in order to find out about a person’s character or abilities:
Berrill was interested in measuring intelligence by phrenology.
astrology
the study of the movements and positions of the sun, moon, planets, and stars in the belief that they affect the character and lives of people
extraneous
not directly connected with or related to something:
extraneous information
These questions are extraneous to the issue being discussed.
coefficient
a value, in mathematics, that appears in front of and multiplies another value:
In 2x + 4y = 7, 2 is the coefficient of x.
arc
the shape of part of a circle, or other curved line:
The ball rose in a high arc and fell behind the boundary line.
reflex
a physical reaction to something that you cannot control:
I’m sorry I punched him, it was a reflex action/response.
outermost
at the greatest distance from the centre:
These spacecraft may send back data about the outermost reaches of the solar system.
spatial
relating to the position, area, and size of things:
This task is designed to test children’s spatial awareness (= their understanding of where things are in relation to other things).
crackpot
a person who is silly or stupid
Synonyms
crank (PERSON) informalfruitcake (PERSON) informal offensivescrewball (PERSON) mainly US informal
mint
to produce a coin for the government
to produce something new, especially to invent a new phrase or word:
a freshly minted slogan/phrase
newly minted college graduates
peculiarity
the quality of being strange or unusual, or an unusual characteristic or habit:
You couldn’t help but be aware of the peculiarity of the situation.
Well, we all have our little peculiarities, don’t we?
thorny
A thorny problem or subject is difficult to deal with:
the thorny issue of taxation
bulwark
something that protects you from dangerous or unpleasant situations:
My savings were to be a bulwark against unemployment.
numerator
the number above the line in a fraction:
In the fraction ¾, 3 is the numerator.
denominator
the number below the line in a fraction:
In the fraction ¾, 4 is the denominator.
rave
to speak in an uncontrolled way, usually because you are upset or angry, or because you are ill:
He’s always raving (on) about the government.
She was ranting and raving about some imagined insult.
bashful
often feeling uncomfortable with other people and easily embarrassed:
She gave a bashful smile as he complimented her on her work.
peg
a small stick or hook that sticks out from a surface and from which objects, especially clothes, can hang:
He took off his coat/hat and hung it on the peg.
scrutinize
to examine something very carefully in order to discover information:
He scrutinized the men’s faces carefully/closely, trying to work out who was lying.
attentiveness
the fact of paying attention and listening carefully:
She brings a scholar’s attentiveness to detail to her job.
The pianist was extraordinary, as you could see by the attentiveness of her audience.
nefarious
(especially of activities) morally bad:
The company’s CEO seems to have been involved in some nefarious practices/activities.
villainous
A villainous person or an action is evil:
a villainous dictator
