p13 Flashcards
neologism
New word or phrase (or a new meaning applied to an existing word or phrase)
Omnishambles is a neologism first used in the BBC political satire The Thick of Itin 2009.
neophyte
Beginner, novice; person newly converted to a religion
In Peru, a surge in poverty helped propel Marxist rural schoolteacher and political neophyte Pedro Castillo last year to the presidency.
nettle
Irritate, sting, or annoy
It nettles him that his younger coworker got a promotion before he did.
noisome
Offensive, disgusting; harmful
Farmers agreed to reduce the emissions of the country’s noisome pigs.
nominal
Trivial, so small as to be unimportant; in name only, so-called
Her title of vice president had been nominal only.
normative
Implying or attempting to establish a norm; expressing value judgments or telling people what to do (rather than merely describing that which is happening)
In the West, hookup culture is normative among adolescents and young adults.
novel
New, fresh, original
Researchers have been in a race against the novel coronavirus, as a slew of new variants rendered the first-generation COVID vaccine seemingly more impotent with each evolution.
impotent
unable to take effective action; helpless or powerless
Reports rarely mention the pain inflicted on Russia by Western sanctions, which are universally dismissed as impotent.
obdurate
Stubborn, hardhearted, hardened in wrongdoing
all but the most obdurate loyalists on the American continent knew that all-out war between Britain and the American Colonies had arrived.
But the act has been tied up in the Senate, due to the obdurate opposition of the entire GOP caucus and Sen. Joe Manchin
oblique
Slanting or sloping; indirect, misleading, or evasive
In her speech she made only oblique references to the scandal.
obsequious
Servile, very compliant, fawning
She’s constantly followed by obsequious assistants who will do anything she tells them to.
As vice president, Pence was Trump’s notably obsequious wingman, heaping praise on his boss and stepping far from the spotlight whenever the president was in the same space.
obstinate
Stubborn or hard to control
While many Big Tech companies have fought the right-to-repair movement, opposing dozens of state and federal bills that would force manufacturers to sell necessary repair items to customers, Apple has a reputation for being particularly obstinate.
obviate
Prevent, eliminate, or make unnecessary
The new medical treatment obviates the need for surgery.
The move would preserve cash to help Intel continue paying dividends and would obviate the need to rely more on borrowing to fund its expansion.
occlude
Stop up, close, shut in or shut off
But the prying eyes of commercial banks looking to occlude bank accounts with incriminating evidence of crypto transactions scare traders more.
offhand
Casual, informal; done without preparation or forethought; rude in a short way, brusque
I couldn’t give them the exact figures offhand.
officious
Excessively eager in giving unwanted advice or intruding where one is not wanted; meddlesome, pushy
an officious little man who was always telling everyone else how to do their jobs
The manager has maintained a cool contempt for officious pundits and their agendas
offset
Counteract, compensate for (verb); a counterbalance (noun)
Gains in one area offset losses in another.
a better performance this time will be an offset to last year’s dismal showing
onerous
Burdensome, oppressive, hard to endure
Environmentalism poses stark issues of survival, for humankind and for all those other tribes of creatures over which we have exercised our onerous dominion.
The best way to stem pilot fatigue, as well as reduce the onerous flight delays and cancellations that have plagued the airline industry of late, is for airlines to trim their schedules, experts say.
opine
Express an opinion
Over the course of his presidency, Trump used Twitter daily to opine about current events, announce U.S. policy changes and interact with his 88 million followers.
opprobrium
Disgrace and disapproval that result from outrageously shameful actions
Countries in Latin America came under particularly harsh criticism in the U.S. State Department’s annual report on human rights, with allies such as Mexico and adversaries including Nicaragua facing similar opprobrium.
orotund
Full, rich, and clear (of the voice or speaking); pompous, bombastic
the tenor’s orotund voice was just what this soaring aria needs
ossify
Become bone or become hard like bone; become inflexible in attitudes, opinions, etc.
While that belief is beginning to ossify among Republicans, a divide is brewing over Trump’s role in the party.
ostensible
Professed, evident, or pretended; outwardly appearing in a certain way (표면상의)
the ostensible reason for the meeting turned out to be a trick to get him to the surprise party
ostentatious
Pretentious, boastful showiness
While ostentatious wealth-signaling is definitely a thing in our society, there are any number of pro athletes whose vehicle choice is less aggro.
outstrip
Surpass, exceed; be larger or better than; leave behind
In a fast growing field, demand continues to outstrip supply.
overwrought
Overly nervous, agitated, or excited; too ornate, elaborate, or fussy; overdone
became overwrought when she heard that her child was missing
palatial
Suitable for or resembling a palace, magnificent
Two days after his arrest, his organization released an extensive video report on a palatial seaside compound allegedly built for Putin.
palliate
Make less serious or severe; relieve symptoms of an illness
The growing evidence of its propensity to palliate pain and nausea fueled the push for medical marijuana.
pertinent
relevant or applicable to a particular matter; apposite
the unreleased section of tape was not pertinent to the investigation.
pallid
Abnormally pale (as skin); lacking color or vitality
To our disappointed, the remake was just a pallid version of the classic novel.
panache
Flair, style, swagger; a flamboyant or grand way of acting (관록, 기백)
At the victory parade, he flashed his smile and waved with the panache of a big-city mayor
panegyric
Formal or lofty expression of praise
The musician composed a panegyric about Tchaikovsky for the concert program
panoply
Splendid, wide-ranging, impressive display or array
There is a panoply of scholarships, grants and public and private loans available to supplement whatever students and parents can afford to pay.
Even after his presidency, Donald Trump faces a panoply of investigations that is unprecedented.
pare
to trim off an outside, excess, or irregular part of
Target has discounted goods to pare excess inventory.
Gas prices eased in April, which could help pare inflation in the Wednesday’s CPI report.
pariah
Social outcast, untouchable
The country’s absence from diplomatic circles and pariah status in global politics means that ongoing scientific research and policy collaboration in the Arctic is uncertain, just as climate change is transforming the region.
