Deck002 Flashcards
re·pudi·ate
verb
BrE /rɪˈpjuːdieɪt/
NAmE /rɪˈpjuːdieɪt/
formal
1 repudiate something to refuse to accept something
➔ SYNONYM reject
to repudiate a suggestion
Socialism had been repudiated at the polls.
Borrowers have begun repudiating their debt obligations.
The buyer is entitled to repudiate the contract within a reasonable period of time.
2 repudiate something to say officially and/or publicly that something is not true
➔ SYNONYM deny
to repudiate a report
3 repudiate somebody (old-fashioned) to refuse to be connected with somebody any longer
➔ SYNONYM disown
He repudiated his first wife and married her sister.
rep·re·hen·sible
adjective
BrE /ˌreprɪˈhensəbl/
NAmE /ˌreprɪˈhensəbl/
formal
morally wrong and deserving criticism
➔ SYNONYM deplorable
His conduct was thoroughly reprehensible.
rele·gate
verb
BrE /ˈrelɪɡeɪt/
NAmE /ˈrelɪɡeɪt/
1 relegate somebody/something (to something) to give somebody a lower or less important position, rank, etc. than before
She was then relegated to the role of assistant.
He relegated the incident to the back of his mind.
2 [usually passive] relegate something (especially British English) to move a sports team, especially a football ( soccer ) team, to a lower position within an official league
➔ OPPOSITE promote
miti·gate
verb
BrE /ˈmɪtɪɡeɪt/
NAmE /ˈmɪtɪɡeɪt/
mitigate something (formal) to make something less harmful, serious, etc.
➔ SYNONYM alleviate
action to mitigate poverty
Soil erosion was mitigated by the planting of trees.
me·ticu·lous
adjective
BrE /məˈtɪkjələs/
NAmE /məˈtɪkjələs/
paying careful attention to every detail
➔ SYNONYM fastidious, thorough
meticulous planning/records/research
Their room had been prepared with meticulous care.
She planned her trip in meticulous detail.
meticulous in something/doing something Heʼs always meticulous in keeping the records up to date.
meticulous about something My father was meticulous about his appearance.
mag·nani·mous
adjective
BrE /mæɡˈnænɪməs/
NAmE /mæɡˈnænɪməs/
formal
kind, generous and forgiving, especially towards an enemy or a rival
a magnanimous gesture
He was magnanimous in defeat and praised his opponentʼs skill.
spuri·ous
adjective
BrE /ˈspjʊəriəs/
NAmE /ˈspjʊriəs/
1 false, although seeming to be genuine
He had managed to create the entirely spurious impression that the company was thriving.
2 based on false ideas or ways of thinking
a spurious argument
queru·lous
adjective
BrE /ˈkwerələs/ , /ˈkwerjələs/
NAmE /ˈkwerələs/ , /ˈkwerjələs/
formal, disapproving
complaining; showing that you are annoyed
➔ SYNONYM peevish
He complained in a querulous voice about having been woken up.
im·pute
BrE /ɪmˈpjuːt/
NAmE /ɪmˈpjuːt/
imˈpute something to somebody/something
(formal) to say, often unfairly, that somebody is responsible for something or has a particular quality
➔ SYNONYM attribute
I denied the motives that my employer was imputing to me.
im·petu·ous
adjective
BrE /ɪmˈpetʃuəs/
NAmE /ɪmˈpetʃuəs/
acting or done quickly and without thinking carefully about the results
➔ SYNONYM rash, impulsive
an impetuous young woman
an impetuous decision
prod·igal
adjective
BrE /ˈprɒdɪɡl/
NAmE /ˈprɑːdɪɡl/
formal, disapproving
too willing to spend money or waste time, energy or materials
➔ SYNONYM extravagant
a prodigal administration
Idioms
the/a ˌprodigal (ˈson)
a person who leaves home and wastes their money and time on a life of pleasure, but who later is sorry about this and returns home
in·sipid
adjective
BrE /ɪnˈsɪpɪd/
NAmE /ɪnˈsɪpɪd/
disapproving
1 having almost no taste or flavour
➔ SYNONYM flavourless
a cup of insipid coffee
2 not interesting or exciting
➔ SYNONYM dull
After an hour of insipid conversation, I left.
The group are an insipid imitation of the Beatles.
in·nocu·ous
adjective
BrE /ɪˈnɒkjuəs/
NAmE /ɪˈnɑːkjuəs/
formal
1 not intended or likely to offend or upset anyone
➔ SYNONYM harmless
It seemed a perfectly innocuous remark.
2 not harmful or dangerous
➔ SYNONYM harmless
an innocuous substance
in·ev·it·able
adjective
BrE /ɪnˈevɪtəbl/
NAmE /ɪnˈevɪtəbl/
1 that you cannot avoid or prevent
➔ SYNONYM unavoidable
It was an inevitable consequence of the decision.
It was inevitable that there would be job losses.
A rise in the interest rates seems inevitable.
2 [only before noun] (often humorous) so frequent that you always expect it
the English and their inevitable cups of tea
3 the inevitable noun [singular] something that is certain to happen
You have to accept the inevitable.
The inevitable happened—I forgot my passport.
ex·acer·bate
verb
BrE /ɪɡˈzæsəbeɪt/
NAmE /ɪɡˈzæsərbeɪt/
exacerbate something (formal) to make something worse, especially a disease or problem
➔ SYNONYM aggravate
His aggressive reaction only exacerbated the situation.
The symptoms may be exacerbated by certain drugs.
