D_16/08/20 --> Tc --> 5LB-->111-128 Flashcards
artisan
COUNTABLE NOUN
An artisan is someone whose job requires skill with their hands.
Synonyms: craftsman or woman or person, technician, mechanic, journeyman
ideologue
noun [ C ] formal
a person who believes very strongly in particular principles and tries to follow them carefully
apprenticeship
VARIABLE NOUN
Someone who has an apprenticeship works for a fixed period of time for a person who has a particular skill in order to learn the skill. Apprenticeship is the system of learning a skill like this.
After serving his apprenticeship as a toolmaker, he became a manager.
…a period of apprenticeship.
Synonyms: traineeship, probation, studentship, novitiate or noviciate
arresting
adjective
Prodigal
very attractive in a way that attracts a lot of attention:
an arresting-looking woman
1. ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun] You can describe someone as a prodigal son or daughter if they leave their family or friends, often after a period of behaving badly, and then return at a later time as a better person. [literary] ...the parable of the prodigal son. Prodigal is also a noun. The prodigal had returned. 2. ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun] Someone who behaves in a prodigal way spends a lot of money carelessly without thinking about what will happen when they have none left. Prodigal habits die hard.
vacuity
UNCOUNTABLE NOUN [usually with poss]
If you refer to the vacuity of something or someone, you are critical of them because they lack intelligent thought or ideas.
[formal, disapproval]
His vacuity was a handicap in these debates.
…a campaign notable for its intellectual vacuity and personal nastiness.
subversion
Peer
UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
Subversion is the attempt to weaken or destroy a political system or a government.
He was arrested in parliament on charges of subversion for organizing the demonstration.
Synonyms: trouble-making, rebellion, insurrection, revolution
- VERB
If you peer at something, you look at it very hard, usually because it is difficult to see clearly.
I had been peering at a computer print-out that made no sense at all. [VERB preposition]
He watched the Customs official peer into the driver’s window. [VERB preposition] - COUNTABLE NOUN
In Britain, a peer is a member of the nobility who has or had the right to vote in the House of Lords.
Lord Swan was made a life peer in 1981.
Synonyms: noble, lord, count, duke More Synonyms of peer - COUNTABLE NOUN [usually plural]
Your peers are the people who are the same age as you or who have the same status as you.
…children who are much cleverer than their peers.
His engaging personality made him popular with his peers.
Synonyms: equal, like, match, fellow [old-fashioned]
modish
Eminence
ADJECTIVE
Something that is modish is fashionable.
[literary]
…a short checklist of much that is modish at the moment.
…modish young women from London society.
Synonyms: fashionable, current, smart, stylish
- UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
Eminence is the quality of being very well-known and highly respected.
Many of the pilots were to achieve eminence in the aeronautical world.
Beveridge was a man of great eminence.
Synonyms: prominence, reputation, importance, fame More Synonyms of eminence - VOCATIVE NOUN [poss NOUN, also PRON: poss PRON]
You use expressions such as Your Eminence or His Eminence when you are addressing or referring to a Roman Catholic cardinal.
‘Your Eminence,’ Pantieri broke in, ‘I wonder if you would allow me a word.’.
His Eminence the Cardinal celebrated Mass.
CONVERSANT
Dissolution
ADJECTIVE [verb-link ADJECTIVE]
If you are conversant with something, you are familiar with it and able to deal with it.
[formal]
Those in business are not, on the whole, conversant with basic scientific principles.
- VARIABLE NOUN [oft a NOUN]
Dissolution is the act of breaking up officially an organization or institution, or of formally ending a parliament.
[formal]
He stayed on until the dissolution of the firm in 1948.
Politicians say it could lead to a dissolution of parliament.
Synonyms: ending, end, finish, conclusion More Synonyms of dissolution - VARIABLE NOUN [oft a NOUN]
Dissolution is the act of officially ending a formal agreement, for example a marriage or a business arrangement.
[formal]
…the statutory requirement for granting dissolution of a marriage. [+ of]
Synonyms: breaking up, parting, divorce, separation More Synonyms of dissolution - UNCOUNTABLE NOUN [also a N, oft NOUN of noun]
Dissolution is a process in which something becomes weaker and then disappears.
[formal]
…the dissolution of traditional family life.
Synonyms: disintegration, fall, decline, degradation
Balkanize
VERB
1. (transitive)
to divide (a territory) into small warring states
2. to divide (a group or organization) into small factions
transatlantic
- ADJECTIVE [ADJECTIVE noun]
Transatlantic flights or signals go across the Atlantic Ocean, usually between the United States and Britain.
Many transatlantic flights land there.
…the first transatlantic radio signal. - ADJECTIVE [ADJECTIVE noun]
Transatlantic is used to refer to something that happens, exists, or begins in the United States.
[British]
…transatlantic fashions.
Ardour/ardor
unbridled
aquiline
peasant
UNCOUNTABLE NOUN Ardour is a strong, intense feeling of love or enthusiasm for someone or something. [literary] ...songs of genuine passion and ardour. ...my ardor for football.
ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
If you describe behaviour or feelings as unbridled, you mean that they are not controlled or limited in any way.
…the unbridled greed of the 1980s.
…a tale of lust and unbridled passion.
Synonyms: unrestrained, uncontrolled, unchecked, violent
ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
If someone has an aquiline nose or profile, their nose is large, thin, and usually curved.
[formal]
He had a thin aquiline nose.
- mainly history
a. a member of a class of low social status that depends on either cottage industry or agricultural labour as a means of subsistence
b. (as modifier)
peasant dress - informal, derogatory
a person who lives in the country; rustic - informal, derogatory
an uncouth or uncultured person
patrician
disseminated
- COUNTABLE NOUN
A patrician is a person who comes from a family of high social rank.
[formal]
…the patrician banker Sir Charles Villiers.
Synonyms: aristocrat, peer, noble, nobleman or woman - ADJECTIVE
If you describe someone as patrician, you mean that they behave in a sophisticated way, and look as though they are from a high social rank.
He was a lean, patrician gent in his early sixties.
…her crisp, patrician voice.
Synonyms: aristocratic, noble, lordly, gentle [archaic]
VERB
To disseminate information or knowledge means to distribute it so that it reaches many people or organizations.
[formal]
…disseminating information about family planning. [VERB noun]
They disseminated anti-French propaganda. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: spread, publish, broadcast, distribute More Synonyms of disseminate
dissemination (dɪsemɪneɪʃən) UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
He promoted the dissemination of scientific ideas. [+ of]
Synonyms: spread, publishing, broadcasting, publication
amend
- VERB
If you amend something that has been written such as a law, or something that is said, you change it in order to improve it or make it more accurate.
The president agreed to amend the constitution and allow multi-party elections. [VERB noun]
‘You must admit that the man has got charm,’ said Nicolson. ‘Glamour,’ amended Wells. [VERB with quote]
…the amended version of the Act. [VERB-ed]
Synonyms: change, improve, reform, fix
defeasible
ADJECTIVE
capable of being defeated or rendered void
ironclad
adjective [ usually before noun ]
very certain and unlikely to be changed:
ironclad rules
racket
sinecure
- SINGULAR NOUN
A racket is a loud unpleasant noise.
He makes such a racket I’m afraid he disturbs the neighbours.
My dream was interrupted by the most awful racket coming through the walls.
The racket of drills and electric saws went on past midnight.
Synonyms: noise, row, shouting, fuss - COUNTABLE NOUN [oft noun NOUN]
You can refer to an illegal activity used to make money as a racket.
[informal]
A smuggling racket is killing thousands of exotic birds each year.
Suspicious fans exposed the racket and police arrested a man last night.
COUNTABLE NOUN
A sinecure is a job for which you receive payment but which does not involve much work or responsibility.
She found him an exalted sinecure as a Fellow of the Library of Congress.
…a lucrative sinecure with a big law firm.
Synonyms: cushy number [informal], honesty, gravy train [slang], soft option More Synonyms of sinecure
sophistry
UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
Sophistry is the practice of using clever arguments that sound convincing but are in fact false.
[formal]
Political selection is more dependent on sophistry and less on economic literacy.
Synonyms: fallacy, quibble, casuistry, sophism
salubrious
- ADJECTIVE
A place that is salubrious is pleasant and healthy.
[formal]
…your salubrious lochside hotel.
Synonyms: healthy, beneficial, good for you, wholesome More Synonyms of salubrious - ADJECTIVE
Something that is described as salubrious is respectable or socially desirable.
[formal]
…London’s less salubrious quarters.
Synonyms: agreeable, respectable, grand, pleasant
redact
verb [ T ] formal
to remove words or information from a text before it is printed or made available to the public(to put (a literary work, etc) into appropriate form for publication; edit
):
Officers’ names are routinely redacted from any publicly released reports.
Some parts of secret files are available to the public, but heavily redacted.
insinuate
verb [ T ]
to suggest, without being direct, that something unpleasant is true:
[ + (that) ] Are you insinuating (that) I’m losing my nerve?
What are you insinuating, Daniel?
exhilarating
ADJECTIVE
If you describe an experience or feeling as exhilarating, you mean that it makes you feel very happy and excited.
It was exhilarating to be on the road again and his spirits rose.
Falling in love is a heady, exhilarating experience.
Synonyms: exciting, thrilling, stimulating, breathtaking
disquiet
- UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
Disquiet is a feeling of worry or anxiety.
[formal]
There is growing public disquiet about the cost of such policing.
Synonyms: uneasiness, concern, fear, worry
munitions
noun [ plural ]
military weapons such as guns and bombs:
The army used precision-guided munitions to blow up enemy targets.
a munitions depot
a munitions factory
misgiving
noun [ C or U ]
a feeling of doubt or worry about a future event:
Many teachers expressed serious misgivings about the new tests.
My only misgiving is that we might not have enough time to do the job well.
pervade
perennial
VERB
If something pervades a place or thing, it is a noticeable feature throughout it.
[formal]
The smell of sawdust and glue pervaded the factory. [VERB noun]
…the corruption that pervades every stratum of the country. [VERB noun]
Throughout the book there is a pervading sense of menace. [VERB-ing]
Synonyms: spread through, fill, affect, penetrate
- ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
You use perennial to describe situations or states that keep occurring or which seem to exist all the time; used especially to describe problems or difficulties.
…the perennial urban problems of crime and homelessness.
There’s a perennial shortage of teachers with science qualifications.
Synonyms: continual, lasting, continuing, permanent More Synonyms of perennial
perennially ADVERB [usually ADVERB adjective]
Both services are perennially short of staff. - ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
A perennial plant lives for several years and has flowers each year.
…a perennial herb with greenish-yellow flowers.
Perennial is also a noun.
…a low-growing perennial.
trepidation
UNCOUNTABLE NOUN [oft with NOUN]
Trepidation is fear or anxiety about something that you are going to do or experience.
[formal]
It was with some trepidation that I viewed the prospect of cycling across Uganda.
Synonyms: anxiety, fear, worry, alarm
rhetoric
- UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
If you refer to speech or writing as rhetoric, you disapprove of it because it is intended to convince and impress people but may not be sincere or honest.
[disapproval]
What is required is immediate action, not rhetoric.
The harsh rhetoric had so soured officials that the two sides were barely speaking. - UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
Rhetoric is the skill or art of using language effectively.
[formal]
…the noble institutions of political life, such as political rhetoric and public service.
Synonyms: oratory, eloquence, public speaking, speech-making
asperity
UNCOUNTABLE NOUN [oft with NOUN]
If you say something with asperity, you say it impatiently and severely.
[formal]
‘I told you Preskel had no idea,’ remarked Kemp with some asperity.
Synonyms: sharpness, bitterness, severity, irritability
polished
- ADJECTIVE [usually verb-link ADJECTIVE]
Someone who is polished shows confidence and knows how to behave socially.
[approval]
He is polished, charming, articulate and an excellent negotiator.
Synonyms: elegant, sophisticated, refined, polite More Synonyms of polished - ADJECTIVE
If you describe a performance, ability, or skill as polished, you mean that it is of a very high standard.
[approval]
It was simply a very polished performance.
…polished promotional skills.
comestibles/edible
noun [ plural ] formal
things that are for eating
cultivar
NOUN
a variety of a plant that was produced from a natural species and is maintained by cultivation
dietetic
ADJECTIVE [ADJECTIVE noun]
Dietetic food or drink is food or drink that has been specially produced so that it does not contain many calories.
[US, formal]
All dietetic meals are low in sugar.
concessionary
ADJECTIVE [ADJECTIVE noun]
A concessionary price is a special price which is lower than the normal one and which is often given to old people, students, and the unemployed.
[British]
There are concessionary rates for students.
fiduciary
ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
Fiduciary is used to talk about things which relate to a trust, or to the people who are in charge of a trust.
[law]
They have a case against their directors for breach of fiduciary duty.
hardline
ADJECTIVE
If you describe someone’s policy or attitude as hardline, you mean that it is strict or extreme, and they refuse to change it.
The United States has taken a lot of criticism for its hard-line stance.
East Germany’s last hardline Communist leader.
Synonyms: tough, extreme, strict, definite
lax
ADJECTIVE
If you say that a person’s behaviour or a system is lax, you mean they are not careful or strict about maintaining high standards.
One of the problem areas is lax security for airport personnel.
There have been allegations from survivors that safety standards had been lax.
I was lax in my duties.
Synonyms: slack, casual, careless, sloppy [informal]
stern
- ADJECTIVE
Stern words or actions are very severe.
She issued a stern warning to those who persist in violence.
He said stern measures would be taken against the killers.
Michael gave the dog a stern look.
Synonyms: strict, harsh, rigorous, hard - ADJECTIVE
Someone who is stern is very serious and strict.
Her father was stern and hard to please.
Synonyms: severe, serious, forbidding, steely
equanimity
UNCOUNTABLE NOUN [oft with NOUN]
Equanimity is a calm state of mind and attitude to life, so that you never lose your temper or become upset.
[formal]
His sense of humour allowed him to face adversaries with equanimity.
The defeat was taken with equanimity by the leadership.
Synonyms: composure, peace, calm, poise
Parlay
to use or develop money, skills, etc. in a way that makes more money or leads to success:
They parlayed a small inheritance into a vast fortune.
Charade
chide
an act or event that is obviously false, although represented as true:
From the beginning we knew who would get the job – the interviews were just a charade.
Everyone knew who was going to get the job from the start - the interviews were just a charade.
VERB
If you chide someone, you speak to them angrily because they have done something wicked or foolish.
[old-fashioned]
Cross chided himself for worrying. [V n + for/about]
He gently chided the two women. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: scold, blame, lecture, carpet [informal]
in lieu (of)
in lieu (of)
instead (of):
He worked on Sunday and took Monday off in lieu.
They gave some books in lieu of payment for the work I did.
The paintings were left to the nation by the Duke of Norfolk in lieu of inheritance taxes.
casualty
Causality
- COUNTABLE NOUN
A casualty is a person who is injured or killed in a war or in an accident.
Troops fired on demonstrators near the Royal Palace causing many casualties.
Synonyms: fatality, death, loss, wounded More Synonyms of casualty - COUNTABLE NOUN
A casualty of a particular event or situation is a person or a thing that has suffered badly as a result of that event or situation.
The car manufacturer has been one of the greatest casualties of the recession. [+ of]
Synonyms: victim, sufferer More Synonyms of casualty - UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
Casualty is the part of a hospital where people who have severe injuries or sudden illnesses are taken for emergency treatment.
[British]
I was taken to casualty at St Thomas’s Hospital.
UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
Causality is the relationship of cause and effect.
[formal]
…the chain of causality that produces an earthquake.
Verge on
PHRASAL VERB
If someone or something verges on a particular state or quality, they are almost the same as that state or quality.
…a fury that verged on madness. [VERB PARTICLE noun]
Her speaking voice verges on the ridiculous. [VERB PARTICLE noun (not pronoun)]
meddlesome
mettle
nettle
ADJECTIVE
If you describe a person as meddlesome, you are criticizing them because they try to influence or change things that do not concern them.
[disapproval]
…a meddlesome member of the public.
Synonyms: interfering, meddling, intrusive, intruding
- UNCOUNTABLE NOUN [usually poss NOUN]
Someone’s mettle is their ability to do something well in difficult circumstances.
His first important chance to show his mettle came when he opened the new session of the Legislature.
For both sides, it’s the first real test of their mettle this season.
Synonyms: courage, spirit, resolution, resolve - COUNTABLE NOUN
Nettles are wild plants which have leaves covered with fine hairs that sting you when you touch them.
The nettles stung their legs.
…numerous clumps of stinging nettles dotted across the meadow. - VERB
If you are nettled by something, you are annoyed or offended by it.
He was nettled by her manner. [be VERB-ed]
It was the suggestion that he might alter course to win an election that really nettled him. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: irritate, provoke, annoy, gall
permissive
A person or society that is permissive allows behaviour that other people might disapprove of:
It’s a very permissive school where the children are allowed to do whatever they want.
He claims that society has been far too permissive towards drugs.
complacent
feeling so satisfied with your own abilities or situation that you feel you do not need to try any harder:
a complacent smile/attitude
We can’t afford to become complacent about any of our products.
