Vocabulary Flashcards
Prolific
Adj. Intellectually Productive
Divisive
tending to cause disagreement or hostility between people.
Destitute
without the basic necessities of life.
Eminent
(of a person) famous and respected within a particular sphere or profession.
-
used to emphasize the presence of a positive quality.
Dissent
noun: dissent
the expression or holding of opinions at variance with those previously, commonly, or officially held.
“there was no dissent from this view”
–
refusal to accept the doctrines of an established or orthodox Church; nonconformity.
noun: Dissent
“rural communities with a long tradition of Dissent”
–
verb: dissent; 3rd person present: dissents; past tense: dissented; past participle: dissented; gerund or present participle: dissenting
hold or express opinions that are at variance with those previously, commonly, or officially expressed.
“two members dissented from the majority”
separate from an established or orthodox church because of doctrinal disagreement.
Demagogue
noun
a political leader who seeks support by appealing to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people rather than by using rational arguments.
“a gifted demagogue with particular skill in manipulating the press”
–
verb
rhetorically exploit (an issue) for political purposes in a way calculated to appeal to the desires and prejudices of ordinary people.
Evince
Verb
reveal the presence of (a quality or feeling).
“his letters evince the excitement he felt at undertaking this journey”
be evidence of; indicate.
“man’s inhumanity to man as evinced in the use of torture”
Forestall
verb
prevent or obstruct (an anticipated event or action) by taking action ahead of time.
“vitamins may forestall many diseases of aging”
–
act in advance of (someone) in order to prevent them from doing something.
“she started to rise, but Erica forestalled her and got the telephone”
–
HISTORICAL
buy up (goods) in order to profit by an enhanced price.
Indite
verb
write; compose.
“he indites the wondrous tale of Our Lord”
Genesis
noun
the origin or mode of formation of something.
“this tale had its genesis in fireside stories”
–
Laudable
adjective: laudable
(of an action, idea, or goal) deserving praise and commendation.
“laudable though the aim might be, the results have been criticized”
Impetus
noun
the force or energy with which a body moves.
“hit the booster coil before the flywheel loses all its impetus”
–
the force that makes something happen or happen more quickly.
plural noun: impetuses
Impetuous
adjective
acting or done quickly and without thought or care.
“her friend was headstrong and impetuous”
–
moving forcefully or rapidly.
“an impetuous but controlled flow of water”
Impunity
noun: impunity
exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action.
“the impunity enjoyed by military officers implicated in civilian killings”
Epitomize
verb
1.
be a perfect example of.
“their careers epitomized the problems faced by their generation”
–
2.
ARCHAIC
give a summary of (a written work).
“for the benefit of our readers, we will epitomize the pamphlet”
Conglomerate
noun
1.
a number of different things or parts that are put or grouped together to form a whole but remain distinct entities.
“the Earth is a specialized conglomerate of organisms”
–
GEOLOGY
a coarse-grained sedimentary rock composed of rounded fragments (> 2 mm) within a matrix of finer grained material.
“the sediments vary from coarse conglomerate to fine silt and clay”
–
adjective
relating to a conglomerate, especially a large corporation.
“conglomerate businesses”
–
verb
/kənˈɡläməˌrāt/
gather together into a compact mass.
“atoms that conglomerate at the center”
Consummate
verb
make (a marriage or relationship) complete by having sexual intercourse.
“they did not consummate their marriage until months after it took place”
–
adjective
showing a high degree of skill and flair; complete or perfect.
“she dressed with consummate elegance”
Digressive
adjective
characterized by digression; tending to depart from the subject.
“a digressive account”
Envisage
verb
contemplate or conceive of as a possibility or a desirable future event.
“the Rome Treaty envisaged free movement across frontiers”
–
form a mental picture of (something not yet existing or known).
“he knew what he liked but had difficulty envisaging it”
Purportedly
adverb: purportedly
as appears or is stated to be true, though not necessarily so; allegedly.
“the photos purportedly show Nina with a lover”
Pernicious
adjective
having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.
“the pernicious influences of the mass media”
Garner
verb
gather or collect (something, especially information or approval).
“the police struggled to garner sufficient evidence”
–
nounARCHAIC
a storehouse; a granary.
Modus Operandi
noun
a particular way or method of doing something, especially one that is characteristic or well-established.
“the volunteers were instructed to buy specific systems using our usual modus operandi—anonymously and with cash”
–
the way in which something operates or works.
“THC has a quite precise modus operandi that taps into a specific brain function”
–
Latin, literally ‘way of operating’.
Venerate
verb
regard with great respect; revere.
“Mother Teresa is venerated as a saint”
Profusion
noun
an abundance or large quantity of something.
“a rich profusion of wildflowers”
Cacophony
noun
a harsh discordant mixture of sounds.
“a cacophony of deafening alarm bells”
Ennui (/änˈwē/)
noun
a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement.
“he succumbed to ennui and despair”
–
mid 18th century: French, from Latin in odio(n- ), from mihi in odio est ‘it is hateful to me’. Compare with annoy.
Aquiver
adjective
quivering; trembling.
“her face aquiver with pleasure”
Glib
adjective
(of words or the person speaking them) fluent and voluble but insincere and shallow.
“she was careful not to let the answer sound too glib”
Voluble
adjective
(of a person) talking fluently, readily, or incessantly.
“a voluble game-show host”
–
(of speech) characterized by fluency and readiness of utterance.
“an excited and voluble discussion”
Umbrage
noun
1.
offense or annoyance.
“she took umbrage at his remarks”
–
ARCHAIC
shade or shadow, especially as cast by trees.
Non-sequitur
noun
a conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statement.
“his weird mixed metaphors and non sequiturs”
–
Latin, literally ‘it does not follow’.
Capricious
adjective
given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior.
“it’s terrible to feel our livelihood hinges on a capricious boss”
Boondoggle
noun
work or activity that is wasteful or pointless but gives the appearance of having value.
“writing off the cold fusion phenomenon as a boondoggle best buried in literature”
–
verb
waste money or time on unnecessary or questionable projects.
“the only guarantees are higher taxes and bureaucratic boondoggling”
Sycophant
noun
a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage.
Obsequiously
adjective
obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree.
“they were served by obsequious waiters”
Servile
having or showing an excessive willingness to serve or please others.
“he bowed his head in a servile manner”
–
of or characteristic of a slave or slaves.
“the servile condition of the peasants”
Perfunctory
adjective
(of an action or gesture) carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection.
“he gave a perfunctory nod”
Tryst
noun
a private romantic rendezvous between lovers.
“a moonlight tryst”
–
verb
keep a private, romantic rendezvous.
Quagmire
noun
a soft boggy area of land that gives way underfoot.
“torrential rain turned the building site into a quagmire”
–
an awkward, complex, or hazardous situation.
“a legal quagmire”
Cajole
verb
persuade (someone) to do something by sustained coaxing or flattery.
“he hoped to cajole her into selling the house”
Caustic
able to burn or corrode organic tissue by chemical action.
“a caustic cleaner”
–
sarcastic in a scathing and bitter way.
“the players were making caustic comments about the refereeing”
Fait Accompli
noun
a thing that has already happened or been decided before those affected hear about it, leaving them with no option but to accept it.
“the results were presented to shareholders as a fait accompli”
mid 19th century: from French, literally ‘accomplished fact’.
Gregarious
adjective
(of a person) fond of company; sociable.
“he was a popular and gregarious man”
–
(of animals) living in flocks or loosely organized communities.
“gregarious species forage in flocks from colonies or roosts”
–
(of plants) growing in open clusters or in pure associations.
“in the wild, trees are usually gregarious plants”
Fastidious
adjective
very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail.
“he chooses his words with fastidious care”
–
very concerned about matters of cleanliness.
“the child seemed fastidious about getting her fingers sticky or dirty”
Maudlin
adjective
self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness.
“the drink made her maudlin”
Mollify
verb
appease the anger or anxiety of (someone).
“nature reserves were set up around the power stations to mollify local conservationists.
RARE
reduce the severity of (something); soften.
“the women hoped to mollify the harsh wilderness environment”
Ceteris Paribus
/ˌkād(ə)rəs ˈperəbəs/
Learn to pronounce
adverbFORMAL
with other conditions remaining the same.
“shorter hours of labor will, ceteris paribus, reduce the volume of output”
Ad Hominem
To the man or At the man.
The process of criticizing the person, instead of their ideas in a debate, in an attempt win the argument.
“Why should we listen to the ideas of someone who didn’t graduate from the Ivy League?”
is an example of an ad hominem attack.
The idea being that weakening the perception of the person weakens the argument. As a business leader, be prepared to recognize and call this out
“There is no reason for the ad hominem attack here. Not all good ideas only come from the Ivy League.”
Bona fide
In good faith.
Reference to the sincere, honest, intentions of a person, as in
“They made a bona fide attempt to address the situation.”
*Adding an -s does not make it plural, but changes the meaning to Bona Fides, which are credentials attesting to identity.
Caveat Emptor/Venditor/Actor
Let the (buyer, seller, doer) beware.
Typically used to denote who has the burden of research and that there may be no expressed warranty, like in real estate transactions, but can we used to help draw awareness to risk for business leaders.
“I think it is a great idea to buy from that company that has only been in business this week, but caveat emptor.”
Eo Ipso
By this act (or fact); by this quality; thereby
It is about consequence. “If a married person marries second person, the second marriage is void ipso facto.” Can be used as a substitution for therefore.
Similar to but not ‘Ipso Facto’
Ipso Facto
adverb
by that very fact or act.
“the enemy of one’s enemy may be ipso facto a friend”
