Chapter 2 Flashcards
supplant
tr. v.
1. To take the place of or substitute for (another), replace: Computers have largely supplanted typewriters.
2. To usurp the place of, especially through intrigue or underhanded tactics: In the Bible, Jacob supplants his older brother Esau.
consensual
adj.
1. Of or expressing a consensus: a consensual decision.
adversarial
adj.
Relating to or characteristic of an adversary; involving antagonistic elements: “Some speakers fall almost willingly into an adversarial relationship with the audience”
megalomania
n.
- A psychopathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of wealth, power, or omnipotence.
- An obsession with grandiose or extravagant things or actions.
omnipotent
adj.
Having unlimited or universal power, authority, or force; all-powerful.
n.
1. One having unlimited power or authority: the bureaucratic omnipotents.
2. Omnipotent God. Used with “the”.
pillories
n. pl.
A wooden framework on a post, with holes for the head and hands, in which offenders were formerly locked to be exposed to public scorn as punishment.
polemic
n.
- A controversial argument, especially one refuting or attacking a specific opinion or doctrine.
- A person engaged in or inclined to controversy, argument, or refutation.
adroit
adj.
Quick and skillful in body or mind; deft.
repudiate
v.
1. To reject the validity or authority of
2. To reject emphatically as unfounded, untrue, or unjust: repudiated the accusation.
3. To refuse to recognize or pay: repudiate a debt.
4.
a. To disown (e.g. a child).
b. To refuse to have any dealings with.
vociferous
adj.
Making, given to, or marked by noisy and vehement outcry.
kernel
n.
1. A grain or seed, as of a cereal grass, enclosed in a husk.
2. The usually edible seed inside the hard covering of a nut or fruit stone.
3.
a. The central or most important part; the core
b. A small amount of something, especially when potentially developing into something else: detected a kernel of anger in his remarks.
asunder
adv.
- Into separate parts or pieces: broken asunder.
- Apart from each other either in position or in direction: The curtains had been drawn asunder.
stymie
v.
To be an obstacle to; prevent the advancement or success of; thwart or stump: weather that stymied attempts to locate the missing hikers; a math problem that stymied half the class.
denigrate
v.
- To attack the character or reputation of; speak ill of; defame
- To disparage; belittle: The movie critics denigrated the director’s latest film.
truism
n.
A statement that is obviously true or that is often presented as true
ensconce
v.
- To settle (oneself) securely or comfortably: She ensconced herself in an armchair.
- To place or conceal in a secure place.
ambivalence
n.
- The coexistence of opposing attitudes or feelings, such as love and hate, toward a person, object, or idea.
- Uncertainty or indecisiveness as to which course to follow.
stultify
v.
- To cause to lose interest or feel dull and not alert: The audience was stultified by the speaker’s unchanging monotone.
- To render useless or ineffectual: e.g. stultify imagination
- To cause to appear stupid, inconsistent, or ridiculous: stultify himself by quarrelling
clout
n. 1. a. Influence; pull b. Power; muscle. 2. A blow, especially with the fist.
consternation
n.
A state of great alarm, agitation, or dismay.
hegemonies
n. pl.
The predominance of one state or social group over others.
wherewithal
n.
The necessary means, especially financial means: didn’t have the wherewithal to survive an economic downturn.
sanguine
adj.
1.
a. Cheerfully confident; optimistic: sanguine about the prospects for an improved economy.
b. At ease; accepting
2.
a. Of the color of blood; red.
b. Of a healthy reddish color; ruddy: a sanguine complexion.
detritus
n. pl.
1. Loose fragments or grains that have been worn away from rock.
2. Disintegrated or eroded matter; debris: the detritus of past civilizations.
esoteric
adj.
1.
a. Intended for or understood by only a small group, especially one with specialized knowledge or interests: an esoteric philosophical doctrine.
b. Relating to or being a small group with specialized knowledge or interests: an esoteric circle.
2. Not known by or suitable for the public; private: Few understood the celebrity’s esoteric side.
3. Obscure, difficult to understand
