Vocabulary Words with Animal Rights Usage Examples Flashcards
Expiate (v.)
[EK-spee-ate]
atone for guilt or sin.
“Veganism is a means to expiate the harms we inflict on others and to live in harmony with the world”
* Hope Ferdowsian, Phoenix Zones.
Extricate (v.)
[ex-TRIH-kate]
free (someone or something) from a constraint or difficulty.
“The animals need us to extricate ourselves from the web of oppression we’ve woven and to create a world in which they are free from harm”
* Melanie Joy, Beyond Beliefs, 2018
Ineffable (adj.)
[in-ef-uh-buhl]
too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words.
“The suffering of animals is often ineffable, but we must try to give voice to their pain and advocate for their rights.”
* (Mark Bekoff, The Emotional Lives of Animals, 2007)
Parsimonious (adj.)
[par-suh-moh-nee-uhs]
unwilling to spend money or resources; frugal to the point of stinginess.
“Parsimonious funding for animal welfare organizations is a major obstacle in improving the lives of animals.”
* Bernard Rollin, Animal Rights and Human Morality, 1981
Specious (adj.)
[spee-shuhs]
superficially plausible but actually false.
- “The argument that animals have no rights because they are not moral agents is specious. It confuses moral agency with moral patiency.” (Tom Regan, The Case for Animal Rights, 1983)
- “The claim that animals lack reason and therefore do not deserve moral consideration is specious. Reason is not a necessary condition for having interests or being able to suffer.” (Peter Singer, Animal Liberation, 1975)
- “The use of animals in cosmetics testing is a specious practice that is cruel and unnecessary.” (Aysha Akhtar, Animals and Public Health, 2012)
Supplicate (v.)
[SUP-li-kate]
to ask or beg for something earnestly or humbly.
“With all that we know about the intelligence, emotional depth, and social complexity of these wonderful beings, it seems wrong to cause them any harm, let alone inflict torturous suffering on them, and we must supplicate ourselves to their mercy and forgiveness.”
* Marc Bekoff, The Animal Manifesto: Six Reasons for Expanding Our Compassion Footprint, 2010.
Surreptitious (adj.)
[sur-up-TISH-us]
kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of.
“When we think of fur, we think of luxury and glamour. But it is important to remember the fur industry’s surreptitious and brutal practices.”
- Joan Dunayer, Speciesism, 2004
Exculpate (v.)
[EK-skul-pate]
show or declare that someone is not guilty of wrongdoing.
“Nonhuman animals have long been victims of human violence, and their plight cannot be exculpated by the supposed naturalness of predation or by religious traditions that sanction animal sacrifice.”
- Lori Gruen, Ethics and Animals: An Introduction
Exigent (adj.)
[EK-si-jent]
pressing; demanding.
Quote: “These are exigent times that require bold action, and vegans are rising to the challenge”
- (Carol J. Adams, The Sexual Politics of Meat, 2015, p. 287).
Officious (adj.)
[uh-FISH-us]
objectionably eager to serve or advise; meddlesome.
“Occasionally a curious cow will come over to check me out, but I don’t pay her much attention and eventually she grows bored and wanders off, to be replaced by a different, more officious bovine.”
- Jonathan Safran Foer, Eating Animals, 2009.
Serendipity (n.)
[ser-uhn-dip-uh-tee]
the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
“The discovery of alternative methods for animal testing often occurs through serendipity, but it is crucial that we continue to seek out and support these methods.”
- Neal Barnard, Animal Experimentation: A Harvest of Shame, 1986)
Taciturn (adj.)
[TAS-i-turn]
reserved or uncommunicative in speech;
saying little.
“I had always thought that cows were taciturn animals. But these cows were positively garrulous. They had so much to say, and they wanted me to listen.”
- Jon Katz, The New Work of Dogs: Tending to Life, Love, and Family.
Tacit (adj.)
[TAS-it]
understood or implied without being stated.
“I have realized that I can no longer support any form of exploitation or abuse of animals, and I urge my fellow citizens to recognize the tacit but very real and disturbing connection between our everyday choices and the plight of animals around the world.”
- Karen Dawn, Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals, 2008
Extemporaneous (adj.)
[EK-stem-puh-RAY-nee-uhs) -
spoken or done without preparation.
“The best speakers can deliver an extemporaneous speech that inspires and educates.”
* Peter Singer, Animal Liberation
Fortuitous (adj.)
[for-TOO-uh-tuhs]
happening by accident or chance.
“Our success was entirely fortuitous, but it has given us the momentum we need to keep pushing for animal rights.”
* Jonathan Safran Foer, Eating Animals
