Vocabulary Flashcards
Tumultuous
marked by violent or overwhelming turbulence or upheaval
Strident
Commanding attention by a loud or obstructive quality. (Strident criticism)
Carnage
Bloody slaughter or injury.
Eg. As signs of pure carnage and chaos confront us on the daily news, we are reminded not only that international efforts to attain world peace have failed, but it might well be an unattributed ideal altogether.
Valiant
With courage and determination
Eg. With such problems proving impossible for even the most valiant international efforts to overcome, we are forced to conclude that world peace remains an unattainable ideal.
Intractability (intractable)
Not easily governed, managed or directed
Eg intractable problems, the intractability of interstate conflict
Delineate
To describe, portray, or set forth with accuracy or in detail.
Eg. Delineate the steps to be taken in the government
Delineate a path towards lasting peace
Acquiesce
accept something reluctantly but without protest
acquiesce in/to
Eg. Sara acquiesced in his decision
Parochial
Confined or restricted, narrow
(Eg. A parochial view)
Lambast
To attack verbally
(Eg. Technology has been lambasted for creating new problems…)
Panacea
A remedy for all ills or difficulties, cure-all
(Eg. Technology serves as a panacea to food shortage…)
Vociferous
marked by or given to vehement insistent outcry
Eg.
He is her most vociferous critic.
He was vociferous in his support of the proposal.
The decision was made over their vociferous objections.
Glacial
suggestive of the very slow movement of glaciers
Eg. Progress towards securing restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions from the world’s largest economies have been glacial due to the need for economic growth.
Vitiate
spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of
Eg.
The insidious spread of false rumours surrounding Covid-19 restrictions and vaccines have vitiated efforts to contain the disease
Paucity
Scarcity
Dearth
Underpin/ undergird
to form part of, strengthen, or replace the foundation of
Eg. the theory of evolution undergirds virtually all of modern biology
Indigent
Poor, needy
Eg.
Many grassroots initiatives to meet the educational needs of the indigent have
been led by compassionate youth, such as Andy Toh, who led a group of volunteers to provide free tuition during the Covid-19 lockdown in Singapore.
Sisyphean
denoting or relating to a task that can never be completed
Eg. The sheer virality of fake news amplified by the interconnectedness and vast usage of social media platforms presents a Sisyphean task to social media moderators attempting to stamp out the falsehoods.
raison d’être
the most important reason or purpose for someone or something’s existence.
Gridlocked
brought to a state in which movement or progress is stopped completely.
[The Economist] Washington, dc, may be largely gridlocked, but the states are making policies at a furious pace.
Perverse
Corrupt; incorrect
[The Economist] And politicians with ultra-safe seats have perverse incentives.
Spook
to make frightened or frantic : SCARE
[The Economist] Mr Kwarteng spooked financial markets in spectacular fashion
Vaunted
highly or widely praised or boasted about
[The Economist] Most of the tax cuts and emergency spending had been signalled, but the vaunted supply-side reforms needed to pay for them were vague and…
Cavalier
marked by or given to offhand and often disdainful dismissal of important matters
[The Economist] the new government’s approach to the public finances was cavalier.
Lukewarm
lacking conviction : HALF-HEARTED
[The Economist] Britons are lukewarm about the idea of growth and wary (cautious) of the sacrifices required to achieve it.
Veneer
a superficial or deceptively attractive appearance, display, or effect : FACADE, GLOSS
[NYT] In a display of pageantry (mere show) intended to give Moscow’s land grab a veneer of legitimacy, Russian proxy officials in occupied areas of Ukraine appealed to President Vladimir V. Putin on Wednesday to annex the regions.
Behemoth
Something of monstrous size, power or appearance
Eg two behemoths on the technological realm
Boons and banes
The good and the bad
Unbridled
Unrestrained
Eg. The unbridled technology creates more problems than benefits
Dearth
Scarcity that makes dear
Allure
To entice by charm or attraction
Luddite
Someone who reject technology for no good reasons
Fleeting
Passing swiftly, transitory
Eg. had a fleeting desire to jump into the cool lake but kept on hiking
Quell
to thoroughly overwhelm and reduce to submission or passivity
Eg. Quell a riot/ quell global hunger
Erratic
characterized by lack of consistency, regularity, or uniformity
Eg erratic and exaggerated fluctuations in weather conditions
deviating from what is ordinary or standard, eccentric
Eg. An erratic genius
Mendacious
given to or characterized by deception or falsehood or divergence from absolute truth
[The economist] the logic is topsy-turvy (totally disordered) and mendacious.
Eg. mendacious tales of his adventures
Brandish
to exhibit in an ostentatious or aggressive manner
[The economist] that is why he has repeatedly brandished the nuclear card since February.
Vie
To strive for superiority, compete, contend
[The economist] a rival to Mr Xi, Bo Xilai was vying for attention in the south western region of Chongqing, where he was party chief.
Bolster
Reinforce; give a boost to
[The economist] that experience may have bolster Mr Xi’s belief in a strong party.
Eg. a convincing argument that was bolstered by the speaker’s reputation
Invincible
incapable of being conquered, overcome, or subdued
Eg. Not because we believe technology is invincible
Dominion
law : supreme authority : SOVEREIGNTY
Eg. having dominion over the natural world
Eclipse
a falling into obscurity or decline
Eg. his reputation has fallen into eclipse
Shortfall
a failure to come up to expectation or need
Eg. //a budget shortfall
Recant
to withdraw or repudiate (reject) (a statement or belief) formally and publicly : RENOUNCE
Eg. Witnesses threatened to recant their testimony when the court released their names to the paper.
Sporadically
in a sporadic manner : not regularly or constantly
Eg. gunfire being heard sporadically
ingrained
forming a part of the essence or inmost being : DEEP-SEATED
Ingrained prejudices
Opportune
- suitable or convenient for a particular occurrence
Eg. the legal authorities helped by the opportune use of their powers of arrest
- occurring at an appropriate time
Eg. The book’s publication is opportune.
Nuisance
- Harm, injury
relieving the nuisance of poisonous fumes from rural factories
- one that is annoying, unpleasant, or obnoxious : PEST
My allergies are a nuisance in the springtime.
Outcry
A vehement protest
Wean off/ from
to make (someone or something) stop doing or using (something)
efforts to wean the country from its dependence on foreign oil
I’m gradually weaning myself off cigarettes.
