General Flashcards
Having a very harmful effect, especially in a subtle way.
Pernicious
A subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound.
Nuance
“Our eyes and facial expressions can communicate virtually every subtle nuance of emotion.”
A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
Allegory
Very weak, uncertain, or slight.
Tenuous
- Having the same meaning as another word or phrase in the same language.
- Closely associated with or suggestive of something.
Synonymous
“Eating out does not have to be synonymous with unhealthy food.”
A thing tacitly assumed beforehand at the beginning of a line of argument or course of action.
Presupposition
Assumption
Presumption
Set the boundaries or limits of.
Demarcate
Not harmful or offensive.
Innocuous
“It was an innocuous question.”
Excessively harsh and severe (of laws or their application).
Draconian
A person who settles a dispute or has ultimate authority in a matter.
Arbiter
Adjudicator
Judge
Causing or likely to cause an argument; controversial.
Contentious
“Age has been a particularly contentious issue for social workers.”
Causing one to feel unsettled.
Disconcerting
Appearing or stated to be true, though not necessarily so; alleged.
Purported
Claimed
professed
“the purported marriage was void.”
The rejection of all religious and moral principles, in the belief that life is meaningless.
Nihilism
Having no particular interest or sympathy; unconcerned.
Indifferent
Cavalier
Be in the position of authority in a meeting or other gathering.
Preside
Chair
Conduct
spread (something, especially information) widely.
Disseminate
“Health authorities should foster good practice by disseminating information.”
A general vote by the electorate on a single political question which has been referred to them for a direct decision.
Referendum
“he called for a referendum on the death penalty.”
(of spoken or written language) expressed in an incomprehensible or confusing way; unclear.
Incoherent
Unintelligible
Disjointed
The theory of knowledge, especially with regard to its methods, and validity, and the distinction between justified belief and opinion.
Epistemology
Formal politeness and courtesy in behaviour or speech.
Civility
Unable to be affected by.
Impervious
Immune
The likelihood of something being true; plausibility.
Credence
“being called upon by the media as an expert lends credence to one’s opinions.”
To be completely and directly in opposition to something.
Diametrically opposed
Having or showing a strong or unreasoning desire for revenge.
Vindictive
Most noticeable or important aspects of something.
Salient
“it succinctly covered all the salient points of the case.”
Serving as a desirable model; very good.
Exemplary
The tendency to favour information that confirms your previously existing beliefs or biases.
Confirmation bias
Cognitive bias
A tendency to choose or do something regularly; an inclination or predisposition towards a particular thing.
Proclivity
“The young boy had a proclivity to misbehave.”
An opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information.
Conjecture
A person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else.
Antithesis
“love is the antithesis of selfishness.”
The act of moving smoothly up and down.
Undulation
“The road follows the undulations of the countryside.”
Prejudicial to one point of view.
Partisan
“They were especially concerned about promoting a non-partisan civil service.”
Of the same kind; alike.
Homogenous
Equivalent
Analogous
Corresponding
To give up or renounce power or position.
Abdicate
“He agreed to abdicated his position at the table in favour of someone else.”
Describe or portray (something) precisely.
Delineate
“Clothing can be a good way to delineate boundaries, or to allow parts of the body to be touched without invasive feeling.”
Causing disconnection or separation.
Dissociative
A division or contrast between two things that are, or are represented as being, opposed or entirely different.
Dichotomy
“There exists a rigid dichotomy between science and mysticism.”
A statement or proposition which is regarded as being established, accepted, or self-evidently true. Serves as a premise or starting point for further reasoning and arguments.
Axiom
“Many people believe the axiom that people cannot change, and thus have little faith in humanity.”
Actions that are likely to arouse or incur resentment or anger in others.
Invidious
Intervene in a dispute in order to bring about an agreement or reconciliation.
Mediated
A wrong or inaccurate name or designation.
Misnomer
“Morning sickness is a misnomer for many women, since the nausea can occur any time during the day.”
Behaviour showing high moral standards.
Virtuous
Righteousness
Morality
Charm or enchant (someone), often in a deceptive way.
Beguiled
“He used cunning methods to beguile her into doing things she didn’t want to.”
As appears or is stated to be true, though not necessarily so; apparently.
Ostensibly
Seemingly
Supposedly
Seeking or intended to rebel against or undermine an established system or institution.
Subversive
“They became a dangerous leaven for all subversive activities against the government.”
An intentionally misrepresented proposition that is set up because it is easier to defeat than an opponent’s real argument.
Straw-man
The steel man argument (or steelmanning) is the exact opposite of the straw man argument. The idea is to find the best form of the opponent’s argument to test opposing opinions.
Make obscure, unclear, or unintelligible.
Obfuscate
A thin decorative covering of fine wood applied to a coarser wood or other material.
Veneer
Extremely delicate and light in a way that seems not to be of this world.
Ethereal
(of a feeling, quality, or sensation) issue or spread out from (a source).
Emanate
“Warmth emanated from the fireplace.”
The ability to produce a desired or intended result.
Efficacy
“there is little information on the efficacy of this treatment.”
Demand or specify (a requirement), typically as part of an agreement.
Stipulate
“Law does not stipulate that credit bureaus provide credit score for free.”
The practice among those with power or influence of favouring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs.
Nepotism
“He was guilty of excessive taxation and nepotism.”
Engaged in the pursuit of pleasure; sensually self-indulgent.
Hedonistic
The faculty or power of using one’s own will.
Volition
“They choose to leave early of their own volition.”
A Greek word meaning “character” that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology.
Ethos
“Literature always reflects the ethos of a particular culture or society.”
Transcending physical matter or the laws of nature.
Metaphysical
“Good and Evil are inextricably linked in a metaphysical battle across space and time.”
Dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations.
Pragmatic
“sensible, pragmatic approach was taken.”
The ability to perceive or feel things.
Sentient
“she had been instructed from birth in the equality of all sentient life forms.”
Raise or lift something to a higher position.
Elevate
A conclusion or reply that doesn’t follow logically from the previous statement.
Non Sequitur
A thing that is forced, in particular an unfair or unwelcome demand or burden.
Imposition
“The imposition of this tax involved a rough and ready assessment of every village in the protectorate.”
Digressing from subject to subject. Rambling and wandering from the main topic.
Discursive
“students often write dull, second-hand, discursive prose.”
A mode of behaviour or way of thought peculiar to an individual.
Idiosyncrasies
“One of his little idiosyncrasies was always preferring to be in the car first.”
The assignment of degrees of urgency to wounds or illnesses to decide the order of treatment of a large number of patients or casualties.
Triage
“victims were triaged by paramedics before being transported to hospitals.”
Objective POV is independent of observer, and measurable/verifiable by standards that don’t vary between observers. Subjective POVs depend on something unique to the observer, not verifiable by any outside standard.
Subjective and objective
The action or practice of acting as if one were morally superior to other people.
Sanctimony
The state of not supporting or helping either side in a conflict, disagreement, etc.; impartiality.
Neutrality
A medicine taken or given to counteract a particular poison.
Antidote
Cure
Remedy
The loss of other alternatives when one alternative is chosen.
Opportunity cost
Drive, force, or urge (someone) to do something.
Impelled
Present in large numbers or quantities; plentiful.
Prolific
“Mahogany was once prolific in the tropical forests.”
Inward-looking, self-analysing, self-examining.
Introspective
A division or contrast between two things that are, or are represented as being, opposed or entirely different.
Dichotomy
“There’s a rigid dichotomy between science and mysticism.”
A substitute, especially a person deputizing for another in a specific role or office.
Surrogate
Too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words.
Ineffable
- Relating to the assistance of those in need.
2. Apt to judge others leniently or favourably.
Charitable
“Those who were less charitable called for his resignation.”
Involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring.
Arduous
Onerous
Taxing
Demanding
Make or become less.
Diminish
Inflicting or intended as punishment.
Punitive
Disciplinary
Punitive
“he called for punitive measures against the Eastern bloc.”
A state of being pleasantly lost in one’s thoughts; a daydream.
Reverie
Deriving sexual gratification from one’s own pain or humiliation.
Masochistic
Put forward as fact or as a basis for argument.
Posit
Postulate
Hypothesise
The fact of two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect.
Juxtaposition
Convenient and practical although possibly improper or immoral (of an action).
Expedient
Bring under domination or control, especially by conquest.
Subjugate
“The invaders had soon subjugated most of the population.”
The fact of being pre-eminent or most important.
Primacy
Priority
Precedence
Impossible to understand or interpret.
Inscrutable
Enigmatic
Cryptic
Incomprehensible
Unintelligible
Written or spoken communication or debate.
Discourse
Not having any serious purpose or value.
Frivolous
Enduring patterns of cognition, emotion, and behavior that negatively affect a person’s adaptation. Characterised by adaptive inflexibility, vicious cycles of maladaptive behavior, and emotional instability under stress.
Pathological
Accept something reluctantly but without protest.
Acquiesce
“He was compelled to acquiesce due to his ill health.”
Dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries.
Xenophobia
“Excessive patriotism can lead to xenophobia.”
Unusually or disproportionately large; excessive
Inordinate
To put to a wrong use, or apply wrongfully or dishonestly.
Misappropriation
- Faithfulness to a person, cause, or belief, demonstrated by continuing loyalty and support.
- The degree of exactness with which something is copied or reproduced.
Fidelity
A scale or series of successive changes, stages, or degrees.
Gradation
The tendency to lay down principles as undeniably true, without consideration of evidence or the opinions of others.
Dogmatism
Not connected with religious or spiritual matters.
Secular
Expressing great disapproval or disappointment.
Reproachful
“She shook her head and gave a reproachful gaze.”
The philosophical doctrine that all events, including human action, are ultimately determined by causes regarded as external to the will.
Deterministic
Not able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection (especially of a position or view).
Untenable
“Finding his position there untenable, he retreated farther to the country of his own tribe.”
Delicately evading a topic or subject during a speech.
Pirouette
Understood or implied without being stated.
Tacit
“Your silence may be taken to mean tacit agreement.”
Increase rapidly.
Escalate
Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.
hyperbole
(Of online content, merchandise, information, etc.) selected, organized, and presented using professional or expert knowledge.
Curated
“Individuals still desire curated news content.”
Prohibited or restricted by social custom.
Taboo
“Sex is a taboo subject.”
A trace or remnant of something that is disappearing or no longer exists.
Vestige
“the last vestiges of colonialism.”
Express the meaning of (something written or spoken) using different words, especially to achieve greater clarity.
Paraphrase
Having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence; mindless.
Vacuous
Corresponding in size, degree, or proportion.
Commensurate
Equivalent
Relevant to
“Salary will be commensurate with age and experience.”
Outward behaviour or bearing. Facial expressions and behaviour.
Demeanour
A lack of agreement or harmony between people or things.
Dissonance
“The party faithful might be willing to put up with such dissonance among their candidates.”
Publicly declare to be wrong or evil.
Denounce
“The Assembly denounced the use of violence.”
Anything that clears someone or something of guilt or blame.
Exculpatory
- A person’s inherent qualities of mind and character.
2. The way in which something is placed or arranged, especially in relation to other things.
Disposition
Impose, charge, demand (usually a tax, fee or fine).
Levied
“A tax of two per cent was levied on all cargoes.”
“They levied troops for less grand operations.”
In exactly the same words as were used originally.
Verbatim
A general rule intended to regulate behaviour or thought.
Precept
Principle
Guideline
“the legal precept of being innocent until proven guilty.”
The branch of linguistics and logic concerned with meaning. The meaning of a word, phrase, or text.
Semantics
“Arguing over semantics may seem very petty.”
Happening by chance rather than intention.
Fortuitous
uncontrolled; unconstrained.
Unbridled
Equivalent in seriousness to; virtually the same as.
Tantamount
Criminal or wicked activity.
Nefarious
“Due to this surge in collectability, many nefarious companies regularly flood the market with well made replicas.”
- A very typical example of a certain person or thing.
2. An original which has been imitated; a prototype.
Archetype
“He was the archetype of the old-style football club chairman.”
“An instrument which was the archetype of the early flute.”
Relating to a system, especially as opposed to a particular part.
Systemic
“The disease was localised rather than systemic.”
Not necessarily true or reliable, because it’s based on personal accounts rather than facts or research.
Anecdotal
“while there was much anecdotal evidence there was little hard fact.”
To absolve someone from blame for a fault or wrongdoing.
Exonerate
Proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with very harmful effects.
Insidious
Pernicious
“sexual harassment is a serious and insidious problem.”
Not being what it purports to be; false or fake.
Spurious
Acting with or showing care and thought for the future.
Prudent
Make (information) known, or bestow (a quality).
Impart
“As a teacher he was not only to impart knowledge, but to kindle enthusiasm.”
Very great or intense.
Profound
Official permission or approval for an action.
Sanction
Ratify
Authorise
The capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices.
Agency
Influence
A harsh discordant mixture of sounds.
Cacophony
To make something seem less important, significant, or complex than it really is.
Trivialise
(of food or drink) pleasant to taste.
Palatable
Appetising
Digestible
“A very palatable local red wine.”
Performed by or affecting only one person, group, or country involved in a situation, without the agreement of another or the others.
Unilateral
“Since the legislators were slow to act on the issue, the president used his executive powers to make a unilateral solution.”
A person or thing that comes before another of the same kind; a forerunner.
Precursor
Acting or done quickly and without thought or care.
Impetuous
Impulsive
Reckless
- A person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God.
- Having a doubtful or non-committal attitude towards something.
Agnostic
Respond physiologically or behaviourally to a change in an environmental factor.
Aclimate
A continuous sequence in which adjacent elements are not perceptibly different from each other, but the extremes are quite distinct.
Continuum
Refuse to accept; reject.
Repudiate
A project or undertaking, especially a bold or complex one.
Enterprise
A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.
Euphemism
“The jargon has given us ‘downsizing’ as a euphemism for cuts.”
A lack of correspondence or consistency.
Disjunction
“there is a disjunction between the skills taught in education and those demanded in the labour market.”
- knowledge that comes from the power of reasoning based on self-evident truths.
- Something that can be known without experience or sense data.
A priori
A warning or proviso of specific stipulations, conditions, or limitations.
Caveat
“There are a number of caveats which concern the validity of the assessment results.”
Make something physically stronger or more solid, or combine (a number of things) into a single more effective or coherent whole.
Consolidate
Very unwilling to spend money or use resources.
Parsimonious
Implicitly good for you or producing good effects; beneficial.
Salutary
“The salutary lesson had due effect, and no more discontent was tormented from that quarter.”
Great depth of insight or knowledge.
Profundity
“The simplicity and profundity of the message.”
“The profundity of her misery.”
Deliberately created rather than arising naturally or spontaneously.
Contrived
“The ending of the novel is too pat and contrived.”
Conducive to success; favourable.
Auspicious
“The marriage did not give off a very auspicious start.”
Expressing the opinion that something is of little worth; derogatory.
Disparaging
“There were several disparaging remarks about council houses.”
An inclination or natural tendency to behave in a particular way.
Propensity
“During hot days he had a propensity to walk around with no clothing.”
Not influenced by strong emotion, and so able to be rational and impartial.
Dispassionate
Be relevant to, appropriate, related, or applicable to.
Pertain
“The questions did not pertain directly to the topic of discussion.”
Make or become definite and clear.
Crystallise
To lose or lack vitality, grow weak, or become pitiful/weak due to love or sickness.
Languish
“The new blog will begin to languish if no new content is added.”
Impossible to disentangle or separate.
Inextricable
“Good and Evil are inextricably linked in a metaphysical battle across space and time.”
Not having any burden or impediment.
Unencumbered
A person who believes in the strict, literal interpretation of scripture in a religion.
Fundamentalist
An event causing great and often sudden damage or distress; a disaster.
Calamity
Characterized by unsystematic partial measures taken over a period of time.
Piecemeal
Make (something) more attractive by the addition of decorative details or features.
Embellish
All-knowing, all-wise, all-seeing. Knowing everything.
Omniscient
An action or event serving as an introduction to something more important.
Prelude
“a ceasefire had been agreed as a prelude to full peace negotiations.”
Make someone liable or inclined to a specified attitude, action, or condition.
Predispose
“lack of exercise may predispose an individual to high blood pressure.”
A person who believes that war and violence are unjustifiable.
Pacifist
Relating to deep inward feelings rather than to the intellect.
Visceral
“The advertising creates a visceral sensation of fear for which reason it also sells well.”
A feeling of fear or anxiety about something that may happen.
Trepidation
“The comedian had great trepidation about joking on the particular issue.”
- Exemption from a rule or usual requirement.
2. The action of distributing or supplying something.
Dispensation
“The dispensation was extended to all who had expired on the way to Rome.”
Theory of biological evolution stating that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural selection of small, inherited variations that increase the individual’s ability to compete, survive, and reproduce.
Darwinism
Charles Darwin published the theory in 1859
Become actual fact, make happen.
Materialise
Making a certain situation or outcome likely or possible.
Conducive
“The harsh lights and cameras were hardly conducive to a relaxed atmosphere.”
Action or speech that makes someone angry, especially deliberately.
Provocation
“You should remain calm and not respond to provocation.”
To exist throughout or penetrate.
Pervade
Permeate
“The craze pervaded all classrooms.”
A great difference.
Disparity
“There is an immense disparity between their effort and opportunity.”
The art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing, especially the exploitation of figures of speech and other compositional techniques.
Rhetoric
“The speakers powerful rhetoric amazed the audience.”
Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.
Ambivalent
“Most students like the principal, but Gina had ambivalent feelings toward him.”
Gradually decline in effectiveness or vigour due to underuse or neglect.
Atrophy
“The imagination can atrophy due to lack of use.”
Based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic.
Empirical
Verifiable
Actual
“They provided considerable empirical evidence to support their argument.”
Gradually spread through or over.
Suffused
“Gradually increasing until the world was suffused with the feeling.”
The action, process, or result of combining or uniting.
Amalgamation
A form or version of something that differs in some respect from other forms of the same thing or from a standard.
Variant
Flavour
Alternative
Adaptation
Something perceptible by the sensors.
Tangible
“The characters were as tangible as all of us standing in this room.”
Detached or removed from a particular place or location.
Delocalised
Splendour and impressiveness, especially of appearance or style.
Grandeur
“He had obvious delusions of grandeur.”
A stock of skills or types of behaviour that a person habitually uses.
Repertoire
serving one’s own interests often in disregard of the truth or the interests of others.
Self-serving
To treat with a vaccine to produce immunity against a disease; vaccinate.
Inoculate
Suggest or call attention to indirectly; hint at.
Allude
Cease to resist an opponent or an unwelcome demand; yield.
Capitulate
Founded on or based on.
Predicated
“The theory of structure on which chemistry was later predicted.”
The scope of the influence or concerns of something.
Purview
Two events that cannot both occur at the same time. The occurrence of one outcome supersedes the other.
Mutually exclusive
“There are two mutually exclusive ways to drive to California, but you can’t take both routes.”
Anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen.
Apprehensive
A short, pithy statement expressing a general truth or rule of conduct.
Maxim
“The maxim that actions speak louder than words.”
The state of being harmed or damaged.
Detriment
Present, appearing, or found everywhere.
Ubiquitous
“Computers are becoming increasingly ubiquitous.”
A belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a Church, political party, or other group.
Doctrine
“Their belief set are hardly a doctrine of ethics.”
A relationship or link between two things in which one causes the other.
Causal
“It has been postulated that there is a causal relationship between violence on television and violent behaviour in people.”
Modelled on or aiming for a state in which everything is perfect; idealistic.
Utopian
“The threat upon the city is on the rise and the utopian haven is in danger of being tarnished forever.”
Able to be detected; percepted.
Discernible
Noticeable
Inspiring disgust and loathing; repugnant.
Abhorrent
Detestable
Reprehensible
Unchanging over time or unable to be changed.
Immutable
Fixed
Set
Occurring repeatedly; so frequent as to seem endless and uninterrupted.
Perpetual
“The climate is often described as that of a perpetual spring.”
Devoutly religious.
Pious
The intrinsic attractiveness/averseness/of an event, object, or situation.
Valence
“Emotions popularly referred to as ‘negative’, such as anger and fear, have negative valence.”
(Especially of a group or area) having a great deal of money; wealthy.
Affluent
Superficially plausible, but actually wrong. Misleading especially in an attractive way.
Specious
Misleading
Warn or reprimand someone firmly.
Admonishment
Open and responsive to suggestion; easily persuaded or controlled.
Amenable
“The employees were not amenable to the control measures put forward.”
Make (one account) consistent with another, especially by allowing for transactions begun but not yet completed.
Reconcile
“She stopped a safe distance, unable to reconcile the man on the phone with the man before her.”
Necessary as a duty or responsibility.
Incumbent
“Upon the duty incumbent on all thinkers to investigate for themselves rather than to accept the authority of others.”
Any approach to problem solving that employs a practical method, not guaranteed to be optimal, or even rational, but instead sufficient for reaching an immediate goal.
Heuristics
Including people from many different countries.
Cosmopolitan
Greater cultural diversity has led to a more cosmopolitan attitude among the town’s younger generations.
A moment of sudden and great revelation or realization.
Epiphany
The realization or fulfilment of one’s talents and potentialities, especially considered as a drive or need present in everyone.
Self-actualisation
Having a limited or narrow outlook or scope. Being limited to a narrow or local range of matters.
Parochial
Provincial
Expressing something forcibly and clearly.
Emphatic
Lacking foresight or intellectual insight.
Myopic
“He has a mind which is narrow and myopic.”
Evoke or draw out (a reaction, answer, or fact) from someone.
Elicit
Extract
Obtain
Damaging the good reputation of someone; slanderous or libellous.
Defamatory
Establishing, relating to, or deriving from a standard or norm, especially of behaviour.
“Children should eat vegetables”
Normative
A person, especially a politician, who strives to appeal to ordinary people who feel that their concerns are disregarded by established elite groups.
Populist
A community, place, or situation regarded as encapsulating in miniature the characteristics of something much larger.
Microcosm
(Of a quality or state) existing but not yet developed or manifest; hidden or concealed.
(Of a disease) not yet manifesting the usual symptoms.
Latent
A person who embodies in the flesh a deity, spirit, or quality.
Incarnation
Representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class.
Quintessential
“He was the quintessential tough guy—strong, silent, and self-contained”
A tedious recital or repetitive series.
Litany
“A litany of complaints”
A chance situation, especially one producing a good result.
Happenstance
(Of an outcome or course of action) decided or determined beforehand.
Preordained
Deprive (someone) of a right or privilege.
Disenfranchise
“We strongly oppose any measure which would disenfranchise people from access to legal advice.”
State emphatically or publicly.
Affirm
“He affirmed the country’s commitment to peace.”
To spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of, or to destroy or impair the legal validity of.
Vitiate
To deprive (something) of its essential content.
Eviscerate
A distinct set of concepts or thought patterns, including theories, research methods, and standards that explain the way a particular subject is understood.
Paradigm
