manhattan #5 essential Flashcards
condone
overlook, tolerate, regard as harmless “while underage drinking is illegal, at many universities, it is tacitly condone by administrations that neglect to enforce anti drinking policies. Tacit means implied. Done is a root meaning to give, possible some tacit approval. Brook and countenance are related words.
egalitarian
related to belief in the equality of all people, esp in political, economic or social spheres. “After moving to a more liberal part of the country, the couple was pleased to have neighbors who shared their views of egalitarian marriage- men and women could be found in equal proportions downshifting to part time work
rudimentary
elementary, relating to the basics, undeveloped, primitive “my knowledge of Chinese is quite rudimentary - I get the idea of characters and I can order food, but I really can’t read this document you’ve just given me” Related words include inchoate, nascent and incipient
finesse
extreme delicacy, subtlety or diplomacy in handling a sensitive situation or in a performance or skill, use tact or diplomacy, employ a deceptive strategy “after the prince deeply insulted his hosts, the diplomat was able to finesse the situation, playing it off as a translation error and getting the negotiations back on track. “
anarchy
absence of law or government, chaos, disorder “once the dictator was assassinated, the country fell into total anarchy, as none of the opposition groups were strong enough to seize power. Anarchism can sometimes mean the political philosophy the absence of all direct government is ideal and that voluntary associations of individuals would be able to govern themselves.
proliferate
increase or spread rapidly or excessively “the book alleged that terrorists cells are proliferating across the U. S. faster than the law enforcement can keep up. Prolific means producing a lot of something (offspring or a creative work)
placid
peaceful, calm, tranquil (of a person or animal) not easily upset or excited. , “this horse has a placid nature”, related words include quiescent (quiet and still), pacific also means peaceful (pacific ocean)
saturated
soak or imbue thoroughly; cause a substance to unite with the greatest amount of another substance “ we got married on a rainy beach and my dress was saturated” come from the root satus meaning enough (satisfy, satiate, sated”
stoic or stoical
indifferent to pleasure or pain, enduring without complaint, person indifferent to pleasure or pain. “Della was not only calm but positively stoic, facing the measles vaccination without a single yelp, in spite of her terrible fear of needles” Related words include impassive, inscrutable, stolid.
substantiate
support with evidence or proof, give a material existence to. “You say you were at home when the crime occured two towns over, is there anyone who can substantiate your claim? Related words include corroborate and verify.
e.g. and i.e.
for example, such as “he was positively traumatized by the romantic comedies his girlfriend made him watch (e.g. He’s just not that into you)” i.e. is an abbreviation for that is an means “that is to say” “he finally nailed the lutz, i.e. a toepick-assisted figure skating jump with an entrance from the back outside edge. Use e.g. to introduce examples and i.e. to a a definition or clarification
corroborate
support, add evidence to “you’re telling me you were 30 miles away riding a roller coaster when the school was vandalized? Is there anyone who can corroborate your story?’ substantiate and verify are synonyms. Share a latin root robur with robust (for oak or strength)
negate
deny or refute, make void or cause to be ineffective “if you add “i promise to try to work things out for at least a couple of weeks before giving up “ to our wedding vows, it would kind of negate the part where it says until death do us part” Nullify also means to make void or invalid. Sap, enfeeble and undermind all mean weaken.
impartial
The judge rescued himself from the case because having a personal connection to the school where the shooting took place, he did not think he could be appropriately impartial” related words included disinterested, dispassionate and non partisan.
whimsical
marked or motivated by whims (odd, fanciful ideas, erratic, unpredictable “ alice in wonderland is a famously whimsical story in which a little girl falls down a rabbit hole and finds a strange and at times absurd world. “ Related words include capricious (synonym), arbitrary, mercurial and Lark (merry adventure)
arduous
very difficult, strenuous, severe, hard to endure “the arduous hike up rocky terrain was all worth it once the hikers reached the summit” Don’t confuse arduous with ardor or ardent which mean passionate.
coalesced
come together, unite, fuse together “while everyone on the team was jockeying for power and recognition, eventually, the group coalesced and everyone was happy to share credit for a job well done” A coalition is a group that has coalesced (at least in theory)
dogma
a system of principles laid down by an authority; established belief “It is part of the dogma of modern education that there are multiple intelligences that are equally valuable; try to suggest that some people just aren’t that smart, and you’ll find yourself a pariah” dogmatic has a negative connotation, but dogma can be neutral or even positive
pathological
relating to or caused by disease, relating to compulsive bad behavior. “She thought her skin darkening was a result of the sun but it was actually pathological” when it is used along its meaning is that the person compulsively lies or hurts others.
admonish
mildly scold, caution, advise or remind to do something. “She was and exacting boss who castigated an employee for jamming the copier, yet she merely admonished her five year old for the same offense” related words include reprove, upbraid, reprimand, and rebuke - these are all harsher than admonish
