Essential Words XIII Flashcards
Officious
Excessively eager in giving unwanted advice or intruding where one is not wanted; meddlesome, pushy
Offset
Counteract, compensate for; a counterbalance
Onerous
Burdensome, oppressive, hard to endure
Opaque
Not translucent; not allowing light, heat, etc. to pass through; dark, dull, unclear, or stupid
Optimal or optimum
Best, most desirable or favorable
Orthodox
Adhering to a traditional, established faith, or to anything customary or commonly accepted
Oscillate
Swing back and forth; waver, change one’s mind
Outstrip
Surpass, exceed; be larger or better than; leave behind
Overshadow
Cast a shadow over, darken; dominate, make to seem less important
Paradigm
Model or pattern; worldview, set of shared assumptions, values, etc.
Paradox
Contradiction, or seeming contradiction that is actually true
Pariah
Social outcast, untouchable
Partial
Biased, prejudiced, favoring one over others; having a special liking for something or someone.
Partisan
Devoted to a particular group, cause, etc.; fervent supporter of a group, party, idea, etc.; guerilla fighter
Patent
Obvious, apparent, plain to see; a letter from a government guaranteeing an inventor the rights to his or her invention
Pathological
Relating to or caused by disease; relating to compulsive bad behavior
Patronizing
Condescending, having a superior manner, treating as an inferior
Paucity
Scarcity, the state of being small in number
Peccadillo
Small sin or fault
Pedestrian
Ordinary, dull, commonplace