Michael Sec 1 (Adv Vocab) Flashcards
repeal
to officially end a law, rule, restriction etc
“The bill would repeal a 10% luxury tax on yachts and private planes.”
pronounce
- to make the sound of a word
“Very few people can pronounce my name correctly.” - to give a judgement, opinion or statement formally, officially or publicly
“I hesitate to pronounce judgement in such a case.”
“I now pronounce you husband and wife”
“The jury pronounced him guilty of first-degree murder.”
felicitate [verb]
felicitous [adj]
felicitate somebody{ to tell somebody that you are pleased about their success or achievements
SYNONYM congratulate
“The winners were felicitated by the Chief Minister himself.”
felicitous (formal or literary): chosen well; very suitable; giving a good result
SYNONYM apt, happy
“a felicitous turn of phrase” “a felicitous choice of candidate”
falsify
falsify something: to change a written record or information so that it is no longer true
“to falsify data/records/accounts”
“She was arrested for falsifying information and obstructing the course of justice.”
irredeemable /ˌɪrɪˈdiːməbl/
too bad to be corrected, improved or saved, cannot be redeemed. SYNONYM hopeless
“Very few children are irredeemable.”
salvage [verb] [noun]
- to save something from an accident or bad situation in which other things have already been damaged, destroyed, or lost
“Divers hope to salvage some of the ship’s cargo.”
“They managed to salvage only a few of their belongings from the fire.” - to make sure that you do not lose something completely
He fought to salvage the company’s reputation.””
cursory
done quickly and without giving enough attention to details
SYNONYM brief, perfunctory
“a cursory glance/examination/inspection”
“He gave the report a rather cursory look.”
mirth [noun]
mirthful [adj]
mirth: happiness, fun and the sound of people laughing
“The performance produced much mirth among the audience.”
“Her body began to shake with mirth.”
irrevocable
that cannot be changed or recalled
SYNONYM final
OPP revocable: capable of being revoked or cancelled.
“an irrevocable decision/step”
mercenary [noun] [adj]
a soldier who fights for any country or group that will pay him
“an army of foreign mercenaries”
[adj] only interested in making or getting money
obsolete
no longer used because something new has been invented
SYNONYM out of date
“With technological changes many traditional skills have become obsolete.”
“computer hardware that quickly became obsolete”
studious /ˈstjuːdiəs/
spending a lot of time studying or reading
SYNONYM scholarly
“He liked to wear glasses, which he thought made him look studious.”
“She was a quiet, studious girl.”
felicity [noun] /fəˈlɪsəti/
felicitous [adj]
- great happiness
- the quality of being well chosen or suitable
felicitous [adj]
chosen well; very suitable; giving a good result
SYNONYM apt, happy. OPP: infelicitous
impoverish [verb]
- impoverish somebody to make somebody poor
“These changes are likely to impoverish single-parent families even further.” - impoverish something to make something worse in quality
“Intensive cultivation has impoverished the soil.”
replicate [verb] /ˈreplɪkeɪt/
replicable [adj]
replication [noun]
(formal) to copy something exactly
SYNONYM duplicate
“Subsequent experiments failed to replicate these findings.”
“The drug prevents the virus from replicating itself.”
revoke /rɪˈvəʊk/
to officially cancel something so that it is no longer legally acceptable
“Your licence may be revoked at any time.”
effusive /ɪˈfjuːsɪv/
showing much or too much emotion
“Our host gave us an effusive welcome.”
“He was effusive in his praise.”
transmute
- to change, or make something change, into something different
SYNONYM transform
“It was once thought that lead could be transmuted into gold.”
“My initial feelings of anger have now transmuted into a sense of sorrow and frustration.”
transpose
transpose something (formal) to change the order of two or more things
SYNONYM reverse
“Two letters were accidentally transposed and ‘gun’ got printed as ‘gnu’.”
2. transpose something (from something) (to something) (formal) to move or change something to a different place or environment or into a different form
SYNONYM transfer
“The director transposes Shakespeare’s play from 16th century Venice to present-day England.”
incumbent [noun] [adj]
someone who has been elected to an official position, especially in politics, and who is doing that job at the present time
“In the June elections, Morris easily defeated the incumbent, Tom Smith.”
“the incumbent president”
sentiment
- a feeling or an opinion, especially one based on emotions
“Public sentiment is against any change to the law.”
“My sentiments exactly! (= I agree)” - feelings of sympathy, romantic love, being sad, etc. which may be too strong or not appropriate
“There is no room for sentiment in business.”
extort [verb]
extort something (from somebody) to make somebody give you something by threatening them
“The gang extorted money from over 30 local businesses.”
pedestal /ˈpedɪstl/ [noun]
the base that a column, statue, etc. rests on
“a pedestal basin (= a washbasin supported by a column)”
“I replaced the vase carefully on its pedestal”
“The statue stands on a low marble pedestal.”
supplicate
- Ask humbly (for something)
“He supplicated the King for clemency” - Make a humble, earnest petition
“supplicate for permission”
petition [verb] [noun]
- to make a formal request to somebody in authority, especially by sending them a petition
“Local residents have successfully petitioned against the siting of a prison in their area.”
“The group intends to petition Parliament for reform of the law.” - to formally ask for something in court
“His wife petitioned for divorce in 1997.”
adverse [adj]
adversity [noun]
adverse: negative and unpleasant; not likely to produce a good result
“This drug is known to have adverse side effects.”
adversity: a difficult or unpleasant situation
“He overcame many personal adversities.”
‘“adversity quotient”
acquisition [noun]
the act of getting something, or buying something.
“theories of child language acquisition”
“The money will be spent on acquisitions for the university library.”
[verb] acquire
entrust
entrust sth to sb, or entrust sb with sth
to make somebody responsible for doing something or taking care of somebody
“His mother entrusted him to doctors at Charing Cross hospital.”
“He entrusted his nephew with the task.”
endear to
endear somebody/yourself to somebody
to make somebody/yourself popular
“She was a talented teacher who endeared herself to all who worked with her.”
“She had an unfriendly manner which did not exactly endear her to her colleagues.”
truculent [adj], -lence [noun]
tending to argue or become angry; slightly aggressive
“‘’What do you want?’ he asked, sounding slightly truculent.”
delusion
- a false belief or opinion
“He was suffering from paranoid delusions and hallucinations.” - the act of believing or making yourself believe something that is not true
“He seems to have retreated into a world of fear and delusion.”
gregarious /ɡrɪˈɡeəriəs/
liking to be with other people
SYNONYM sociable
“She’s very outgoing and gregarious.”
“Hugh was a popular and gregarious man.”
rebuke
the act of speaking severely to somebody because they have done something wrong
SYNONYM reprimand
“He was silenced by her stinging rebuke.”
ostracise
to refuse to let somebody be a member of a social group; to refuse to meet or talk to somebody
SYNONYM shun
“He was ostracized by his colleagues for refusing to support the strike.”
“The regime risks being ostracized by the international community.”
censure [noun] [verb]
[noun] strong criticism
“The opposition forced a vote of censure on the government’s foreign policy.”
[verb] to criticize somebody severely, and often publicly
SYNONYM rebuke
“He was censured for leaking information to the press.”
censor [verb]
censorship [noun]
to remove the parts of a book, film, etc. that are considered to be offensive or a political threat
“The news reports had been heavily censored.”
conceive /kənˈsiːv/
conceivable [adj]
conceive: to form an idea, a plan, etc. in your mind
“He conceived the idea of transforming the old power station into an arts centre.”
conceivable: that can be imagined and believed
“It’s quite conceivable that she hasn’t heard the news yet.”
“The poverty here is barely conceivable to the average tourist.”
OPP: inconceivable (unthinkable)
adjoin
to be next to or joined to something
“A barn adjoins the farmhouse.”
virile /ˈvɪraɪl/ /ˈvɪrəl/
having or showing the strength and energy that is considered typical of men
“Craig was a younger and more virile version of his father.”
“The girls were all gazing adoringly at his muscular, virile young body.”
dissuade /dɪˈsweɪd/
to persuade somebody not to do something
OPP persuade
“I tried to dissuade him from giving up his job.”
“a campaign to dissuade young people from smoking”
amulet /ˈæmjʊlət/
a piece of jewellery that some people wear because they think it protects them from bad luck, illness, etc.
douse = dowse
- to stop a fire from burning by pouring water over it; to put out a light
“He doused the flames with a fire extinguisher.” - to pour a lot of liquid over somebody/something
“The car was doused in petrol and set alight.”
acquit [verb] /əˈkwɪt/
acquittal [noun] /əˈkwɪtl/
to decide by court that somebody is not guilty
“The jury acquitted him of murder.”
“Both defendants were acquitted.”
“The jury voted for acquittal.”
corroborate /kəˈrɒbəreɪt/
corroboration [noun]
to provide evidence or information that supports a statement, theory, etc.
SYNONYM confirm
“The evidence was corroborated by two independent witnesses.”
desist /dɪˈzɪst/ /dɪˈsɪst/
to stop doing something
“We hope that the military regime will desist from its acts of violence.”
“They agreed to desist from the bombing campaign.”
marinade [noun]
marinate [verb]
a mixture of oil, wine, spices, etc., in which meat, fish or other food is left before it is cooked
cordon
a line or ring of police officers, soldiers, etc. guarding something or stopping people from entering or leaving a place
“Demonstrators broke through the police cordon.”
garbled [adj] /ˈɡɑːbld/
(of a message or story) told in a way that confuses the person listening, usually by somebody who is shocked or in a hurry
SYNONYM confused
“There was a garbled message from her on my voicemail.”
“The papers had some garbled version of the story.”
martial [adj]
connected with fighting or war
“ martial law” “martial art”
“He’d heard rumours that the military were planning to declare martial law.”
sheaf
a number of pieces of paper tied or held together
“He waved a sheaf of documents at me.”
skein /skeɪn/
a long piece of wool, thread or yarn that is loosely tied together 毛线团
“Sally held the skein of wool while her mother wound it into a ball.”
snippy (snippier, snippiest)
rude; not showing respect (North American English, informal)
teetotaller = US teetotaler /ˌtiːˈtəʊtlə(r)/
a person who does not drink alcohol
“She’s a strict teetotaller.”
hermit
a person who, usually for religious reasons, lives a very simple life alone and does not meet or talk to other people
–> recluse (wo chooses to lie alone, not by religion)
astute [adj] /əˈstjuːt/
able to understand situations or behaviour very well and very quickly, especially so that you can get an advantage for yourself
SYNONYM shrewd
“It was an astute move to sell the shares then.”
“She was astute enough to realize that what Jack wanted was her money.”
supple /ˈsʌpl/
able to bend and move parts of your body easily into different positions
OPP stiff
“She exercises every day to keep herself supple.”
“The most important thing is to be supple, to be flexible.”
preclude [verb] /prɪˈkluːd/
to prevent something from happening or somebody from doing something; to make something impossible
“Age alone will not preclude him from standing as a candidate.”
“Lack of evidence may preclude a trial.”
substantiate
to provide information or evidence to prove that something is true
“The results of the tests substantiated his claims.”
“They made accusations which could not be substantiated.”
did‧dle /ˈdɪdl/ [verb]
to get money from someone by deceiving them
SYN swindle
“They’ll diddle you out of your last penny if you let them.”
condolence [noun]
condole [verb] /kənˈdəʊl/
sympathy that you feel for somebody when a person in their family or that they know well has died; an expression of this sympathy
“Our condolences go to his wife and family. (he is dead)”
“The president condoled with the bereaved families.”
augury [noun] /ˈɔːɡjəri/
a sign of what will happen in the future
SYNONYM omen
“Both records were auguries of things to come.”
perjury
the crime of telling a lie in court after you have sworn to tell the truth
“to commit perjury”
“The defence witnesses were found guilty of perjury.”
inimical [adj] /ɪˈnɪmɪkl/
harmful to something; not helping something, not friendly
“These policies are inimical to the interests of society.”
“Price controls are inimical to economic growth.”
perpetual
continuous and permanent
“mountain peaks covered with perpetual snows and ice”
“How can I work with these perpetual interruptions?”
photogenic [adj]
looking attractive in photographs
“I’m not very photogenic.”
“Both women are stunning - and photogenic.”
picturesque [adj] /ˌpɪktʃəˈresk/
- (of a place, building, scene, etc.) pretty, especially in a way that looks old-fashioned
SYNONYM quaint
“a quiet fishing village with a picturesque harbour” - (of language) producing strong mental images by using unusual words
“a picturesque description of life at sea”
risible [adj] /ˈrɪzəbl/
(formal, disapproving)
deserving to be laughed at rather than taken seriously
SYNONYM ludicrous, ridiculous
“The idea that any music scene could exist here seems risible.”
prognostication
a statement about what you think will happen in the future SYN forecast
“gloomy prognostications”
affectation
behaviour or an action that is not natural or sincere and that is often intended to impress other people
“His little affectations irritated her.”
“He speaks clearly and without affectation.”
“He raised his eyebrows with an affectation of surprise (= pretending to be surprised).”
flux [noun]
a situation in which things are changing a lot and you cannot be sure what will happen
“Everything is in flux at the moment.”
genteel [adj] /dʒenˈtiːl/
quiet and polite, often in an exaggerated way; from, or pretending to be from, a high social class
“Her genteel accent irritated me.”
huffy [adj] /ˈhʌfi/
in a bad mood, especially because somebody has annoyed or upset you
“She gets all huffy if you mention his name.”
“Some customers get huffy when you ask them for their ID.”
implicit
- suggested without being directly expressed. OPP explicit
“Her words contained an implicit threat.” - forming a central part of something, but without being openly stated
“The ability to listen is implicit in the teacher’s role.” - complete and not doubted. SYNONYM absolute
“She had the implicit trust of her staff.”
“They had implicit faith in his powers.”
penitent /ˈpenɪtənt/
feeling or showing that you are sorry for having done something wrong
SYNONYM remorseful
“Phil was trying hard to look penitent.”
cavalier [adj] /ˌkævəˈlɪə(r)/
not caring enough about rules, principles, or people’s feelings
“a cavalier attitude to the laws”
“The government takes a cavalier attitude to the problems of prison overcrowding.”
jaded /ˈdʒeɪdɪd/
tired and bored, usually because you have had or experienced too much of something
“I felt terribly jaded after working all weekend.”
“ After two years of the same routine I was feeling jaded.”
inadmissible /ˌɪnədˈmɪsəbl/
that cannot be allowed or accepted, especially in court
OPPOSITE admissible
“The evidence was ruled inadmissible.”
spool
a round object around which you wind such things as thread, wire or film; a reel together with the film, wire, thread, etc. that is wound around it
“a spool of thread”
vociferate /vəˈsɪfəreɪt/
(formal) to shout loudly, especially when you are complaining
effigy /ˈefɪdʒi/
a statue of a famous person, a saint or a god
“stone effigies in the church”
exhort /ɪɡˈzɔːrt/
to try hard to persuade somebody to do something
SYNONYM urge
“The party leader exhorted his members to start preparing for government.”
“Police exhorted the crowd to remain calm.”
“They had been exhorted to action.”
admonish /ədˈmɒnɪʃ/
to tell someone severely that they have done something wrong
SYNONYM reprove /rɪˈpruːv/, rebuke
“The witness was admonished for failing to answer the question.”
“She was admonished for chewing gum in class.”
philanthropic /ˌfɪlənˈθrɒpɪk/
connected with the practice of helping the poor and those in need, especially by giving money
“His intention was philanthropic rather than commercial.”
fray [verb] frayed [adj]
- if cloth frays or something frays it, the threads in it start to come apart
“The cuffs of his shirt were fraying.”
“This material frays easily.” - if somebody’s nerves or temper frays or something frays them, the person starts to get annoyed
“As the debate went on, tempers began to fray.”
frayed [adj]: “The carpet was badly frayed.”
smoulder /ˈsməʊldə(r)/
- if something such as wood smoulders, it burns slowly without a flame
“The bonfire was still smouldering the next day.” “a smouldering cigarette”
“(figurative) The feud smouldered on for years.” - if someone smoulders, or if their feelings smoulder, they have strong feelings that they do not fully express
“He sensed a smouldering hostility towards him.”
“She had spent the evening smouldering with resentment.”
lapse
- a small mistake, especially one that is caused by forgetting something or by being careless
“a lapse of concentration/memory”
“A momentary lapse in the final set cost her the match.” - a period of time between two things that happen. SYNONYM interval
“After a lapse of six months we met up again.”
“He wrote to us after a considerable lapse of time.”
debase
to make somebody/something less valuable or respected
SYNONYM devalue
“Sport is being debased by commercial sponsorship.”
“Women were forced to debase themselves by selling their bodies.”
expedite
to make a process happen more quickly. SYNONYM speed up
“We have developed rapid order processing to expedite deliveries to customers.”
wearisome
that makes you feel very bored and tired. SYNONYM tedious
“a repetitive and wearisome task”
“I was beginning to find her endless chatter very wearisome.”
intractable
(of a problem or a person) very difficult to deal with
“Unemployment was proving to be an intractable problem.”
“There was no pleasing this intractable man.”
OPPOSITE tractable (easy to deal with or control)
concur
to agree
“Scientists generally concur that climate change is a reality.”
defraud
to get money illegally from a person or an organization by tricking them
“All three men were charged with conspiracy to defraud.”
“They were accused of defrauding the company of $14 millions ”
“She defrauded her employers of thousands of pounds.”
contrive /kənˈtraɪv/
- to manage to do something despite difficulties
“She contrived to spend a couple of hours with him every Sunday evening.”
“Somehow they contrived to live on her tiny income.” - to succeed in making something happen despite difficulties
“I decided to contrive a meeting between the two of them.” - to think of or make something, for example a plan or a machine, in a clever way
“They contrived a plan to defraud the company.”
malignant /məˈlɪɡnənt/
- (of a tumour or disease) that cannot be controlled and is likely to cause death
OPP: benign
“She developed a malignant tumour in her breast.” - having or showing a strong desire to harm somebody
SYN: malevolent <> benevolent
“a malignant look”
coalesce /ˌkəʊəˈles/
to come together to form one larger group, substance, etc.
SYNONYM amalgamate /əˈmælɡəmeɪt/ (SYN: merge)
“The puddles had coalesced into a small stream.”
“the markets have coalesced into a single global market.”
in tandem
work together or happen at the same time
“Two designers worked in tandem on the plans.”
“Stock prices pushed sharply higher this afternoon in tandem with a rise in the dollar.”
tandem: a bicycle built for two riders sitting one behind the other
carnage /ˈkɑːnɪdʒ/
the violent killing of a large number of people
SYNONYM slaughter
“a scene of terrible carnage”
transcend /trænˈsend/
transcend something: to be or go beyond the usual limits of something
SYNONYM exceed
“His works by far transcend anything that has gone before.”
“What we felt for each other transcended all other emotions.”
“The desire for peace transcended political differences.”
append
to add something to the end of a piece of writing
“Footnotes have been appended to the document.”
“The principal has the right to append comments to the final report.”
appendix: a section giving extra information at the end of a book or document
sport [verb]
- sport something to have or wear something in a proud way.
“She was sporting a T-shirt with the company’s logo on it.” - (literary) to play in a happy and lively way
“lambs sporting in the meadow”
pervert /pəˈvɜːt/ [verb] [noun] /‘pəvɜːt/
- to change something in an unnatural and often harmful way
“Some scientific discoveries have been perverted to create weapons of destruction.” - to influence someone so that they begin to think or behave in an unacceptable or immoral way
“SYNONYM corrupt”
“TV violence perverts the minds of young children.”
pervert [noun]: a person whose sexual behaviour you consider to be strange and not acceptable
“a sexual pervert”
prejudice [noun] [verb]
[noun] an unreasonable dislike of or preference for a person, group, custom, etc., especially when it is based on their race, religion, sex, etc.
“There was often prejudice against people with disabilities.”
“Women still face prejudice in the workplace.”
[verb] to influence somebody so that they have an unfair or unreasonable opinion about somebody/something
“Poor handwriting might prejudice people against the applicant.”
“A criminal record will prejudice your chances of getting a job.”
blare [verb] [noun]
[verb] to make a loud unpleasant noise
“police cars with lights flashing and sirens blaring”
[noun] a loud unpleasant noise
“the constant blare of music from the house next door”
peeved
peeved (about/at/by something) annoyed
“He sounded peeved about not being told.”
“Ed was rather peeved about how Martin had handled the situation.”
peevish: easily annoyed SYN irritable
demure
- (a woman or a girl) behaving in a quiet, reserved, modest & shy way
“a demure young lady” - demure clothes do not show much of a woman’s body
“a demure white dress” “a demure navy blouse with a white collar”
reimburse [verb] reimbursement [noun]
to pay back money to somebody which they have spent or lost
“The company will reimburse you for travel expenses.”
“You will be reimbursed for any loss or damage caused by our company.”
recompense /ˈrekəmpens/ [noun] [verb]
[noun] money, that you are given because you have suffered in some way, or as a payment for something
“There must be adequate recompense for workers who lose their jobs.”
[verb] SYN compensate
“Higher pay is on offer to recompense players for the extra hours they’ll be working.”
“She believes that offenders should recompense their victims in some way.”
riposte [noun] /rɪˈpɒst/ [verb]
- a quick and clever reply, especially to criticism
SYNONYM retort - a course of action that takes place in response to something that has happened
“The US delivered an early riposte to the air attack.”
[verb] to make a quick and clever reply , especially to a criticism
“At once he riposted that his country had no link with insurgents.”
“The MP riposted with some more, quite different, statistics.”
ferment /fəˈment/ [verb] /ˈfɜːment/ [noun]
[verb] to experience a chemical change because of the action of yeast or bacteria, often changing sugar to alcohol
“Red wine is fermented at a higher temperature than white.”
“ (figurative) A blend of emotions fermented inside her.”
[noun] a state of political or social excitement and activity, often with a lack of order
“a period of intense political ferment”
“The country is in ferment.”
extraneous /ɪkˈstreɪniəs/
not directly connected with the particular situation, subject or problem
SYNONYM irrelevant
“We do not want any extraneous information on the page.”
“We shall ignore factors extraneous to the problem.”
downdraught (UK) = downdraft (US)
a movement of air going downwards, for example down a chimney
OPPOSITE updraught
ploy
words or actions that are carefully planned to get an advantage over somebody else
SYNONYM manoeuvre
“ It was all a ploy to distract attention from his real aims.”
“His usual ploy is to pretend he’s ill.”
contraption /kənˈtræpʃn/
a machine or piece of equipment that looks strange or complicated and possibly does not work well
She showed us a strange contraption that looked like a satellite dish.
Origin: perhaps from contrive (on the pattern of pairs such as conceive, conception), by association with trap.
hunch [noun] [verb]
[noun] a feeling that something is true even though you do not have any evidence to prove it
“It seemed that the doctor’s hunch had been right.”
“My hunch is that the burglars are still in the area.”
[verb] to bend the top part of your body forward
“She leaned forward, hunching over the desk.”
curio /ˈkjʊəriəʊ/
a small object that is rare or unusual, often something that people collect
“The street is lined with shops selling souvenirs and curios.”
cygnet /ˈsɪɡnət/
a young swan
“A pair of swans cruised, with cygnets, and swallows were zipping to and fro above the water.”
grub [noun] [verb]
the young form of an insect, that looks like a small fat worm
[verb] to look for something, especially by digging or by looking through or under other things
“birds grubbing for worms”
“The trees were grubbed up to make way for a new road.”
abridged /əˈbrɪdʒd/ [adj] <> unabridged
an abridged book, play etc has been made shorter but keeps its basic structure and meaning
“The book was only available in an abridged edition for schools.”
abridge [verb] make shorter by keeping only basic contents
cardigan /ˈkɑːdɪɡən/
a jacket made of wool like a sweater but fastened with buttons down the front
confectionery [noun]
sweets, chocolate, etc.
“Confectionery is a multimillion-dollar business.”
apathy [noun] /ˈæpəθi/
apathetic [adj]
the feeling of not being interested in or enthusiastic about something, or things in general
“There is widespread apathy among the electorate.”
“Many health education campaigns are still greeted with apathy.”
apathetic: showing no interest or enthusiasm
“The illness made her apathetic and unwilling to meet people.”
detonate [verb] /ˈdetəneɪt/
to explode, or to make a bomb or other device explode
“Two other bombs failed to detonate.”
“The bomb was detonated by remote control.”
humbug [noun] /ˈhʌmbʌɡ/
- insincere or dishonest words or behaviour
“political humbug” - (old-fashioned) a person who is not sincere or honest
ineffectual [adj] /ˌɪnɪˈfektʃuəl/
without the ability to achieve much; weak; not achieving what you want to
“an ineffectual leader”
“The police were completely ineffectual in this matter.”
seduce
- to persuade somebody to have sex with you, especially somebody who is younger or who has less experience than you
“The professor was sacked for seducing female students.” - to persuade somebody to do something that they would not usually agree to do by making it seem very attractive
SYNONYM entice
“Leaders are people who can seduce other people into sharing their dream.”
domesticate /dəˈmestɪkeɪt/
[often passive] to make a wild animal used to living with or working for humans
“Mammals were first domesticated for their milk.”
“Corn was domesticated more than 6 000 years ago.”
bohemian /bəʊˈhiːmiən/
a person, often somebody who is involved with the arts, who lives in a very informal way without following accepted rules of behaviour
“He liked to think of himself as a bit of a bohemian.”
tariff
a tax on goods coming into a country or going out of a country
“The agreement fixed tariffs for foreign goods coming into Japan at 5%.”
“They set a tariff of 36% on British wool cloth.”
mulct [noun] [verb]
[noun, formal] a fine or compulsory payment.
[verb] extract money from (someone) by fine or taxation.
enthral /ɪnˈθrɔːl/ [verb] = enthrall (US)
if something enthrals you, it is so interesting, beautiful, etc. that you give it all your attention
“The child watched, enthralled by the bright moving images.”
“This book will enthral readers of all ages.”
entreat
to ask somebody to do something in a serious and often emotional way
SYNONYM beg, implore
“She entreated him not to go.”
diminutive [adj] [noun] /dɪˈmɪnjətɪv/
[adj] very small
“She was a diminutive figure beside her husband.”
“He exercised frequently, trying to add strength to his diminutive body.”
[noun] a word or an ending of a word that shows that somebody/something is small, for example piglet (= a young pig), kitchenette (= a small kitchen)
a short informal form of a word, especially a name
‘Nick’ is a common diminutive of ‘Nicholas’.
stunt [noun] [verb]
[noun]
1. a dangerous action that is done to entertain people, especially in a film
“Not many actors do their own stunts.”
2. something that is done to attract people’s attention, especially in advertising or politics
“Todd flew over the city in a hot-air balloon as a publicity stunt.”
[verb] to prevent somebody/something from growing or developing as much as they/it should
“The constant winds had stunted the growth of plants and bushes.”
“His illness had not stunted his creativity.”
illiterate [adj] [noun] /ɪˈlɪtərət/
[adj] 1. (of a person) not knowing how to read or write. OPP: literate
“A large percentage of the rural population was illiterate.”
2. (of a document or letter) badly written, as if by somebody without much education
“Many of the application forms we received were virtually illiterate.”
[noun] a person who is illiterate
oldie [noun] /ˈəʊldi/ golden oldie
an old person or thing
golden oldie: a song, film etc that is old, but which many people still like
purge [verb] [noun]
[verb] 1. to remove people from an organization, often violently, because their opinions or activities are unacceptable to the people in power
“He purged extremists from the party.”
2. to make yourself/somebody/something pure, healthy or clean by getting rid of bad thoughts or feelings
“Nothing could purge the guilt from her mind.”
smattering
a small amount of something, especially knowledge of a language
“He only has a smattering of French.”
(no word as smatter)
dabble [verb]
- to take part in a sport, an activity, etc. but not very seriously
“She is a talented musician but is content to just dabble.” - to move your hands, feet, etc. around in water
“She dabbled her toes in the stream.”
shackle [noun] [verb]
a metal ring placed around a prisoner’s wrist or ankle and joined by a chain to something
[verb] to put shackles on someone SYN chain
artless [adj]
- simple, natural and honest
“the artless sincerity of a young child”
“a naive, artless young woman” - done or made without skill or art
“an artless copy of European art”
spurious
- false, although seeming to be real or true
“He had managed to create the entirely spurious impression that the company was thriving.” - insincere
“spurious sympathy”
festoon [verb] [noun] /feˈstuːn/
[verb] to decorate somebody/something with flowers, coloured paper, etc., often as part of a celebration
“The streets were festooned with banners and lights.”
[noun] a chain of lights, coloured paper, flowers, etc., used to decorate something
colligate [verb] /ˈkɒlɪɡeɪt/
- if two ideas, facts, etc. colligate, or are colligated, they are linked together by a single explanation or theory
- (linguistics) if two words colligate, or are colligated, they occur together and are linked by grammar
pervade [verb] /pəˈveɪd/
to spread through and be easy to notice in every part of something
SYNONYM permeate
“the sadness that pervades most of her novels”
“The entire house was pervaded by a sour smell.”
pervasive [adj] spreading gradually to affect all parts of a place or thing
“A sense of social change is pervasive in her novels.”
“the increasingly pervasive subculture in modern society”
wastrel [noun] /ˈweɪstrəl/
a lazy person who spends their time and/or money in a careless and stupid way
“They spent their gifts like wastrels.”
pilgrim
a person who travels to a holy place for religious reasons
“Muslim pilgrims on their way to Mecca”
“Christian pilgrims visiting Lourdes”
“pilgrims visiting a holy shrine”
bombastic [adjective] /bɒmˈbæstɪk/
(of somebody’s words) sounding important but having little meaning and used to impress people
“His bombastic style made him unpopular with his colleagues.”
bombast [noun] /ˈbɒmbæst/ words which sound important but have little meaning, used to impress people
capitalize
- to begin a word with a capital letter
“All capitalized words are explained in the glossary.” - (business) to sell possessions in order to change them into money
“One option would be to capitalize part of your pension.” - (business, usually passive) to provide a company, etc. with the money it needs to function
scrunch
a loud sound like the one that is made when you walk on gravel (= small stones)
“the scrunch of tyres on the gravel”
bequeath [verb] /bɪˈkwiːð/
- to say in a will that you want somebody to have your property, money, etc. after you die
SYNONYM leave
“He bequeathed his entire estate (= all his money and property) to his daughter.”
“His father bequeathed him a fortune.” - to leave the results of your work, knowledge, etc. for other people to use or deal with, especially after you have died
efficacious [adjective] /ˌefɪˈkeɪʃəs/
(of things, not of people) producing the result that was wanted or intended
SYNONYM effective
“More efficacious treatments may soon be available.”
“They hope the new drug will prove especially efficacious in the relief of pain.”
staple [adj] [verb] [noun] /ˈsteɪpl/
[adj] forming a basic, large or important part of something
“Jeans are a staple part of everyone’s wardrobe.”
[verb] to attach one thing to another using a staple or staples
snub [verb] [noun]
[verb] to treat someone rudely, especially by ignoring them when you meet
“I tried to be friendly, but she snubbed me completely.”
“He was not invited to the party, and felt snubbed.”
[noun]
[noun] an action or a comment that is deliberately rude in order to show somebody that you do not like or respect them
SYNONYM insult
“Her refusal to attend the dinner is being seen as a deliberate snub to the president. “
pretermit [verb] //ˌprē-tər-ˈmit /
pretermitted; pretermitting
1. to leave undone : NEGLECT
2. to let pass without mention or notice : OMIT
“the grand jury voted to pretermit the case”
stampede [noun] [verb] /stæmˈpiːd/
[noun]
1. a situation in which a group of people or large animals such as horses suddenly start running in the same direction, especially because they are frightened or excited
“A stampede broke out when the doors opened.”
2. a situation in which a lot of people are trying to do or achieve the same thing at the same time
“Falling interest rates has led to a stampede to buy property.”
[verb]
1. (of large animals or people) to run in a stampede
“A huge bunch of kids came stampeding down the corridor.”
2. to make somebody rush into doing something without giving them time to think about it
“I refuse to be stampeded into making any hasty decisions.”
bibliophile [noun] /ˈbɪbliəfaɪl/
a person who loves or collects books
biblio: connected with books
delineate [verb] /dɪˈlɪnieɪt/
to describe, draw or explain something in detail
“Our objectives need to be precisely delineated.”
“The ship’s route is clearly delineated on the map.”
defect [noun] /ˈdiːfekt/ [verb] /dɪˈfekt/
[noun] a fault in something or in the way it has been made that means that it is not perfect
“The builders agreed to remedy the structural defects.”
[verb] to leave a political party, country, etc. to join another that is considered to be an enemy
“She defected from the party just days before the election.”
“They were paying him for defecting, for answering questions about his military service.”
outlander
a person who belongs to another region, culture, or group : FOREIGNER, STRANGER
outlandish [adj] /aʊtˈlændɪʃ/
strange or extremely unusual
SYNONYM bizarre
“outlandish costumes/ideas”
“As the show progressed, it got ever more outlandish.”
dwell [verb] (dwelt, dwelt)
to live somewhere
“He dwelt in a ruined cottage on the hillside.”
“The gorillas dwell in the high rainforests of Rwanda.”
dweller: a person or an animal that lives in the particular place that is mentioned
externalize [verb] /ɪkˈstɜːnəlaɪz/
to express inner feelings, give external existence or form to sth.
“Alcoholics tend to externalize their problems.”
“His worries about losing his job were externalized in angry outbursts at home.”
internalize [verb] /ɪnˈtɜːnəlaɪz/
- to make a feeling, an attitude, or a belief part of the way you think and behave, or part of your character
“Minority groups tend to internalize the values of the dominant society.”
“At the end of colonial rule, many of the people had internalized foreign values.” - If you internalize your emotions or feelings, you do not allow them to show although you think about them:
“Many women tend to internalize their anxiety and distress.”
extricate [verb] /ˈekstrɪkeɪt/
- to escape or enable somebody to escape from a difficult situation
“He had managed to extricate himself from most of his official duties.”
“How was he going to extricate himself from this situation?” - to free someone from a place in which they are trapped
“Firemen had to extricate the driver from the wreckage.”
intricate [adjective] /ˈɪntrɪkət/
having a lot of different parts and small details that fit together
“an intricate network of loyalties and relationships”
“ an amazingly intricate structure”
“The building has intricate geometric designs on several of the walls.”
besiege [verb] /bɪˈsiːdʒ/
- to surround a building, city, etc. with soldiers until the people inside are forced to let you in
“Paris was besieged for four months and forced to surrender.”
“(figurative) Fans besieged the box office to try and get tickets for the concert.” - (especially of something unpleasant or annoying) to surround somebody/something in large numbers
“The actress was besieged by reporters at the airport.”
encompass [verb] /ɪnˈkʌmpəs/
- to include a large number or range of things
“The job encompasses a wide range of responsibilities.”
“The group encompasses all ages.” - to surround or cover something completely
“The fog soon encompassed the whole valley.”
trounce [verb] /traʊns/
to defeat somebody completely
“Brazil trounced Italy 5–1 in the final.”
“He was roundly (strongly) trounced in last November’s election.”
compare flounce
reconvene [verb] /ˌriːkənˈviːn/
if a meeting, parliament, etc. reconvenes or if somebody reconvenes it, it meets again after a break
“Suggest that perhaps the meeting reconvene in half an hour after studying the material.”
convene: come or bring together for a meeting or activity; assemble.
“he had convened a secret meeting of military personnel”
reciprocate [verb] /rɪˈsɪprəkeɪt/
[verb] to behave or feel towards somebody in the same way as they behave or feel towards you
“Her passion for him was not reciprocated.”
“He chose to reciprocate the gift with a sample of his own art.”
reciprocity [noun]
reciprocal [adjective] /rɪˈsɪprəkl/
“Anita had a reciprocal arrangement with her brother—each would take care of the other’s children if the need arose.”
rectify [verb] /ˈrektɪfaɪ/
to put right something that is wrong
SYNONYM correct
“We must take steps to rectify the situation.”
“The mistake can easily be rectified.”
cremate [verb] /krəˈmeɪt/ cremation [noun]
to burn a dead body, especially as part of a funeral ceremony
“When she dies she wants to be cremated, not buried.”
“More people are choosing cremation rather than burial.”
exhume [verb] /ɪɡˈzjuːm/ exhumation [noun]
to remove a dead body from the ground especially in order to examine how the person died
“The body was exhumed on the order of the judge.”
lexicon [noun]
a list of words on a particular subject or in a language in alphabetical order
“a lexicon of technical scientific terms”
ballad [noun] /ˈbæləd/
- a song or poem that tells a story
“a medieval ballad about a knight and a lady” - a slow song about love
“Her latest single is a ballad.”
ballet /bæˈleɪ/ “She wants to be a ballet dancer.”
offal [noun] /ˈɔːfl/
the inside parts of an animal, such as the heart and liver, cooked and eaten as food
“Every part of an animal is used: chicken’s feet, fish eyes, offal and fat are great delicacies.”
flippant [adj]
showing that you do not take something as seriously as other people think you should
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound flippant.”
“You can’t afford to be flippant about such matters.”
