Diversity Delusion Flashcards
define: “antecedent”
a thing or event that existed before or logically precedes another.
“some antecedents to the African novel might exist in Africa’s oral tradition”
similar: precursor, forerunner, predecessor
define: “calumny”
the making of false and defamatory statements about someone in order to damage their reputation to slander.
“a bitter struggle marked by calumny and litigation”
similar: slander
define: “unctuous”
(of a person) excessively or ingratiatingly flattering; oily.
“he seemed anxious to please but not in an unctuous way”
similar: ingratiating
define: “provenance”
the beginning of something’s existence; something’s origin.
“they try to understand the whole universe, its provenance and fate”
similar: origin, source
define: “fecund”
producing or capable of producing an abundance of offspring or new growth
“a lush and fecund garden”
similar: fertile, fruitful
define: “anodyne”
not likely to provoke dissent or offense; inoffensive, often deliberately so.
“anodyne New Age music”
similar: inoffensive, innocuous
define: tautology
the saying of the same thing twice in different words, generally considered to be a fault of style
“they arrived one after the other in succession”
similar: repetition, reiteration, redundancy
define: “vacutiy”
.
lack of thought or intelligence; empty-headedness.
“full of excitement, I listened to my first student sermon – only to be taken aback by its vacuity”
similar: brainlessness
define: “obsequious”
adjective: obsequious
obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree
“they were served by obsequious waiters”
similar: ingratiating
define: “immiserated”
cause to become poor or impoverished.
“the colonial policy immiserated the populace”
edefine: “exculpatory”
involving the removal of blame from someone.
“exculpatory evidence was ignored”
similar: exonerate, vindicate
define: “lugubrious”
looking or sounding sad and dismal.
“his face looked even more lugubrious than usual”
similar: gloomy
define: “amicus”
an impartial adviser, often voluntary, to a court of law in a particular case.
“he was planning to advance this position in an amicus brief”
define: “maudlin”
self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness.
“the drink made her maudlin”
similar: tearful
