Lesson 4 Flashcards
ambiguous
adj.
adj. of unclear meaning; something that can be understood in more than one way
syn. vague
adv. ambiguously
n. ambiguity
The men received an ambiguous message from their boss.
Her letter was full of ambiguities.
The language in the Minister’s statement is highly ambiguous.
arbitrary
adj.
adj. an action or decision made with little thought, order, or reason
syn. haphazard
adv. arbitrarily n. arbitrariness
Her choice of clothing seemed arbitrary. The teacher arbitrarily decided to give the class a test.
an arbitrary decision
assert
verb [transitive]
v. to express or defend oneself strongly; to state positively
syn. declare
adv. assertively n. assertiveness n. assertion adj. assertive
The government asserted its control over the banking system.
The company president is an assertive individual.
- to state firmly that something is true
French cooking, she asserted, is the best in the world.
assert that
He asserted that nuclear power was a safe and non-polluting energy source. - assert your rights/independence/superiority etc
- assert yourself
- assert itself
astounding
adj. very surprising
syn. astonishing
v. astound
adv. astoundingly
The scientists made an astounding discovery.
The fans were astounded by their team’s success.
astute
adj. very intelligent, smart, clever
syn. perceptive, clever
adj. astutely
n. astuteness
He was an astute worker, finishing in half the time it took the others to finish.
They astutely determined that there would be no chance to finish on time.
concur
verb (concurred, concurring) [intransitive]
v. to have the same opinion or draw the same conclusion
syn. agree
n. concurrence
The director concurred with the conclusions of the committee’s report.
Do you concur with the details of the business plan?
- to agree with someone or have the same opinion as them
concur with
The committee largely concurred with these views. - to happen at the same time SYN coincide
concur to do something
Everything concurred to produce the desired effect.
deceptively
adv.
adv. making something appear true or good when it is false or bad
syn. misleadingly
adj. deceptive v. deceive n. deception
The magician deceptively made the rabbit disappear.
Richard deceived Joe about the cost of the coat.
- deceive somebody into doing something
He tried to deceive the public into thinking the war could still be won. - deceive somebody about something
I wouldn’t deceive you about anything as important as this. - to give someone a wrong belief or opinion about something
Don’t be deceived by the new cover – this is a rehash of old hits.
designate
verb [transitive]
v. to specify, name, or select to do a task; to indicate n. designator
syn. assign, design
n. designation
The president designated the vice president to represent him at the meeting. The designated driver drove everyone home after the party.
- to choose someone or something for a particular job or purpose
be designated something
The lake was recently designated a conservation area.
be designated as/for something
Funds were designated for projects in low-income areas.
be designated to do something
She has been designated to take over the position of treasurer. - to represent or refer to something using a particular sign, name etc
Buildings are designated by red squares on the map.
Grammar
Designate is usually passive.
determined
adj.
adj. strong in one’s opinion, firm in conviction, to find out
syn. resolute
n. determination
v. determine
They were determined to go to graduate school.
The judge determined that the man was lying.
elicit
v. to get the facts or draw out the truth
syn. extract
n. elicitation
A lawyer will elicit all the facts necessary to prove her case.
Elicitation of the truth can be difficult at times.
to succeed in getting information or a reaction from someone, especially when this is difficult
When her knock elicited no response, she opened the door and peeped in.
elicit something from somebody
The test uses pictures to elicit words from the child.
embody
verb (embodied, embodying, embodies) [transitive]
v. to be a good example of a concept or idea
syn. exemplify
n. embodiment
The constitution is an embodiment of American ideals.
Charlotte embodies all of the qualities of a good leader.
- to be a very good example of an idea or quality SYN represent
She embodies everything I admire in a teacher. - formal to include something
The latest model embodies many new improvements.
instigate
verb [transitive]
v. to cause a conflict or argument
syn. initiate
n. instigator adj. instigative adv. instigatively
No one knew who had instigated the demonstration.
Dissatisfaction with government policies instigated the revolution.
- to make a process start, especially one relating to law or politics
Charles instigated a programme of reforms. - to persuade someone to do something bad or violent
He accused union leaders of instigating the disturbances.
mundane
adj. common or routine
syn. ordinary
adv. mundanely n. mundaneness n. mundanity
The student’s mundane summer job frustrated her.
His mother asked him to do all the mundane household chores.
- ordinary and not interesting or exciting SYN boring
Initially, the work was pretty mundane.
The mundane task of setting the table can be fun on holidays. - literary concerned with ordinary daily life rather than religious matters SYN worldly
petition
noun [countable]
n. petition v. to make a request syn. appeal
Canada petitioned the United Nations to consider its case.
The student’s petition was denied
relinquish
verb [transitive]
v. to give up control
syn. abdicate
n. relinquishment
The troubled executive relinquished her control of the company.
The relinquishment of his claim to the building will allow the building to be sold.
formal to let someone else have your position, power, or rights, especially unwillingly SYN give up
No one wants to relinquish power once they have it.
relinquish something to somebody
Stultz relinquished control to his subordinate
