Week1 Flashcards
Complacent
[adj.] feeling so satisfied with your own abilities or situation that you feel you do not need to try any harder
Astute
[adj.] able to understand a situation quickly and see how to take advantage of it
“an astute investor/businesswoman”
Placid
[adj.] not easily upset or excited.
“a placid, contented man”
[adj.] calm and peaceful, with little movement or activity.
“the placid waters of a small lake”
Ubiquitous
[adj. - formal or humorous]
seeming to be everywhere
“Leather is very much in fashion this season, as is the ubiquitous denim.”
Whimsical
[adj.] unusual and strange in a way that might be funny or annoying
“Despite his kindly, sometimes whimsical air, he was a shrewd observer of people.”
[adj.] also describes actions that change suddenly and for no obvious reason
“Unfortunately, his decisions are often whimsical.”
Shrewd
[adj.-approving] having or based on a clear understanding and good judgment of a situation, resulting in an advantage
“It was a shrewd move to buy your house just before property prices started to rise”
Regressive
[adj. - formal] returning to a previous and less advanced or worse state or way of behaving
“Incinerating waste rather than recycling it would be a regressive step.”
Despot
[noun] a person, especially a ruler, who has unlimited power over other people, and often uses it unfairly and cruelly
“The king was regarded as having been an enlightened despot.”
Malign
[v.] to say false and unpleasant things about someone, or to criticize someone unfairly
“She has recently been maligned in the gossip columns of several newspapers.”
[adj. - formal] causing or intending to cause harm or evil.
“Foreign domination had a malign influence on local politics.”
Becoming
[adj. - old-fashioned] used to say that something is attractive and suits the person wearing or doing it
“That’s a very becoming dress, my dear.”
Till
[n.] the drawer in a cash register or the cash register itself
“Next time you have the till open, could you give me some change?”
Facile
[adj.] effortless or lack of thought or care (in a bad way)
“He does not permit himself facile answers.”
Canon
[n.] the writings or other works that are generally agreed to be good, important, and worth studying
“He has made it into the canon of English poetry.”
Set group of works thought to be representative of a field
Subterfuge
[n.] deceit used in order to achieve one’s goal.
“he had to use subterfuge and bluff on many occasions”
Cogency
[n.] the quality of being clear, logical, and convincing; lucidity.
“the cogency of this argument”
