phone 5 Flashcards
conceive
C2 [ I or T ] to imagine something:
I think my uncle still conceives of me as a four-year-old.
He couldn’t conceive of a time when he would have no job.
[ + question word ] I can’t conceive (= it is too shocking to imagine) how anyone could behave so cruelly.
[ + that ] I find it hard to conceive (= it is too shocking to imagine) that people are still treated so badly.
provoke
to cause a reaction, especially a negative one:
The prospect of increased prices has already provoked an outcry.
Test results provoked worries that the reactor could overheat.
finery
beautiful clothing and jewellery worn on a special occasion:
There we all were in our finery, waiting for the bride and groom to arrive.
pomp
impressive and colourful ceremonies, especially traditional ceremonies on public occasions:
The prime minister was received with all the traditional pomp and ceremony that is laid on for visiting heads of government.
Despite all the pomp of his office/position, he has only limited powers.
2) informal at a time when someone was most successful or popular:
Today his game was reminiscent of that of Pele in his pomp.
mischievous
behaving in a way, or describing behaviour,
that is slightly bad but is not intended to cause serious harm or damage:
She has a mischievous sense of humour.
a book about the mischievous antics of his ten-year-old daughter
dignitary
a person who has an important position in a society:
Several foreign dignitaries attended the ceremony.
outlay
an amount of money spent for a particular purpose, especially as a first investment in something:
For an initial outlay of $2,000 to buy the equipment, you can earn up to $500 a month if the product sells well.
Few are able to afford the cash outlay.
circumspect
careful not to take risks:
Officials were circumspect about saying what the talks had achieved
propaganda
information, ideas, opinions, or images, often only giving one part of an argument, that are broadcast, published, or in some other way spread with the intention of influencing people’s opinions:
political/wartime propaganda
At school we were fed communist/right-wing propaganda.
One official dismissed the ceasefire as a mere propaganda exercise.
appendix
WRITING a separate part at the end of a book or report that gives additional information:
The appendix lists all the Olympic champions.
an appendix to sth Financial projections are included in an appendix to the business plan.
For a list of committee members’ names and contact details, see appendix B.
implore
to ask someone to do or not do something in a very sincere, emotional, and determined way:
She implored her parents not to send her away to school.
rational
C1 based on clear thought and reason:
There must be some rational explanation for what happened.
a rational act/course of action
a rational argument/decision
He was too upset to be rational.
abhorrent
morally very bad:
an abhorrent crime
Racism of any kind is abhorrent to me.
repulsive
extremely unpleasant or unacceptable:
What a repulsive old man!
I think rats and snakes are repulsive.
eminent
famous, respected, or important:
an eminent historian
dynamic
B2 having a lot of ideas and enthusiasm:
She’s young and dynamic and will be a great addition to the team.
We need a dynamic expansion of trade with other countries.
2) C2 continuously changing or developing:
Business innovation is a dynamic process.
The situation is dynamic and may change at any time.
acclaim
public approval and praise:
critical acclaim Despite the critical acclaim, the novel did not sell well.
to great acclaim Her first novel was published to great acclaim in 2018.
Hamlet was played by Ion Caramitrou to rapturous acclaim.
apprehend
to catch and arrest someone who has not obeyed the law:
The police have finally apprehended the killer.
visceral
based on deep feeling and emotional reactions rather than on reason or thought:
visceral hatred/excitement
His approach to acting is visceral rather than intellectual.
pan out
to develop in a particular way or in a successful way:
We’ll have to see how things pan out.
Their attempt to start a new business didn’t pan out.
misconstrue
to form a false understanding of the meaning or intention of something that someone does or says:
She said Harris had misconstrued her comments.
Their caution was misconstrued as cowardice.
accentuate
to emphasize a particular feature of something or to make something more noticeable:
Her dress was tightly belted, accentuating the slimness of her waist.
The new policy only serves to accentuate the inadequacy of help for the homeless.
disperse
to spread across or move away over a large area, or to make something do this:
When the rain came down the crowds started to disperse.
Police dispersed the crowd that had gathered.
augment
to increase the size or value of something by adding something to it:
He would have to find work to augment his income.
eclipse
a situation in which something becomes less important:
The eclipse of the ruling political party was inevitable.
His remarkable contribution to literature has been too long in eclipse.
amorphous
(of a physical thing) having no fixed form or shape:
The amorphous substance that results from the breakdown of sugar is known as caramel.
an amorphous mass of jelly
(of an idea, a plan, etc.) having no clear structure or details:
How can historians deal with such amorphous human qualities as fear and grief?
It wasn’t clear what they expected from me other than the amorphous “change”.
monetize
to change something into money, or to express something in terms of money or a currency:
Japan is monetizing several trillion dollars of government debt.
to make money from something:
The problem was how to monetize this kind of social networking site.
supplant
to replace:
Printed books will soon be supplanted by e-books.
Small children can often feel supplanted in their parents’ affections (= that their parents no longer like them as much) when a new brother or sister is born.
boil something down
to reduce information, usually so that it contains only its most important parts:
He had boiled down a lengthy report to just a few paragraphs.
engender
to make people have a particular feeling or make a situation start to exist:
Her latest book has engendered a lot of controversy.
The vice-president’s speech did not engender confidence in his judgment.
stipulate
to say exactly how something must be or must be done:
She agreed to buy the car, but stipulated racing tyres and a turbo-powered engine.
[ + that ] The law stipulates that new cars must have seat belts for the driver and every passenger.
[ + question word ] We have signed a contract which stipulates when the project must be completed.
atonement
something that you do to show that you are sorry for something bad that you did:
He said that young hooligans should do community service as atonement for their crimes.
abhor, abominate
to hate a way of behaving or thinking, often because you think it is not moral:
I abhor all forms of racism.
He abominates cruelty of all kinds.
rationalize
to try to find reasons to explain your behaviour, decisions, etc.:
She rationalized the cost by saying that an expensive carpet would last longer than a cheaper one.
remorse
a feeling of sadness and being sorry for something you have done:
He felt no remorse for the murders he had committed.
After the argument, she was filled with remorse.
recital
a performance of music or poetry, usually given by one person or a small group of people:
I went to a violin recital today.
2) a detailed description of something or a list of things:
She gave us a long, boring recital of all her troubles.
He is giving a recital of Bach’s sonatas.
poke
to push a finger or other pointed object quickly into someone or something:
You’ll poke someone in the eye with that umbrella if you’re not careful!
Two kids were poking a stick into the drain.
2) to (cause something to) appear or stretch out from behind or through something else:
Cathy poked her head round the door to say hello.
The first green shoots are poking up through the soil.
deploy
to use something or someone, especially in an effective way:
The company is reconsidering the way in which it deploys its resources/staff.
My job doesn’t really allow me fully to deploy my skills/talents.
2) to put something into use:
[ I ] When airbags deploy, they save lives.
[ T ] Automobiles deploy air bags in crashes of 8 to 12 miles per hour.
inlay
a decorative pattern put into the surface of an object:
The walls of the palace are marble with silver inlay.
arbitrate
to make a judgment in an argument, usually because asked to do so by those involved:
I’ve been asked to arbitrate between the opposing sides.
An outside adviser has been brought in to arbitrate the dispute between the management and the union.
oversight
a mistake made because of a failure to notice something:
They claimed it was simply (an) oversight.
responsibility for a job or activity and for making sure it is being done correctly:
Who has oversight of genetic testing?
Because of a bank oversight, the money had not been credited to my account.
negate
to cause something to have no effect:
The increase in our profits has been negated by the rising costs of running the business.
2) to show something to be wrong or to be the opposite of what was thought, or to cause something to have no effect:
The increase in sales was negated by the rising cost of materials.
precognitive
showing or relating to knowledge of a future event, especially when this comes from a direct message to the mind, such as in a dream, rather than by reason:
She claims she has precognitive abilities and can foresee events.
He seemed to have,
through his perceptive and precognitive powers, received the story out of thin air.
haphazard
not having an obvious order or plan:
He tackled the problem in a typically haphazard manner.
2) lacking order or purpose; not planned:
Haphazard record-keeping made it difficult for the agency to keep track of its clients.
assertive
Someone who is assertive behaves confidently and is not frightened to say what they want or believe:
If you really want the promotion, you’ll have to be more assertive.
authentic
C1 If something is authentic, it is real, true, or what people say it is:
an authentic 1920s dress
authentic Italian food
He was there and saw what happened, so his is the only authentic account.
extol
to praise something or someone very much:
His book extolling the benefits of vegetarianism sold thousands of copies.
She is forever extolling the virtues of her children.
virtue
C2 a good moral quality in a person, or the general quality of being morally good:
Patience is a virtue.
enlighten
to provide someone with information and understanding, or to explain the true facts about something to someone:
Should the function of children’s television be to entertain or to enlighten?
I don’t understand this. Could you enlighten me?
bishop
a priest of high rank who is in charge of the priests of lower rank in a particular area:
the Bishop of Durham
Bishop Desmond Tutu
perplexity
a state of confusion or a complicated and difficult situation or thing:
She stared at the instruction booklet in complete perplexity.
the perplexities of life
indubitable
that cannot be doubted:
an indubitable fact
mint
informal an extremely large amount of money:
If his books sell worldwide, he’ll make a mint.
2) to produce something new, especially to invent a new phrase or word:
a freshly minted slogan/phrase
newly minted college graduates
in mint condition
perfect, as if new:
I bought a two-year-old car, in mint condition, with less than 20,000 miles.
3) Mint stamps and coins, etc. have not been used:
A collector would pay $500 for a mint copy.
