Andrew Vocab
Terms
undefined, object
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- prescient
- having or showing knowledge of events before they take place
- paramour
- a lover, especially the illicit partner of a married person
- prevaricate
-
speak or act in an evasive way
"he seemed to prevaricate when journalists asked pointed questions" - pedagogy
-
the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept:
"the relationship between applied linguistics and language pedagogy" - apotheosis
-
the highest point in the development of something; culmination or climax:
"his appearance as Hamlet was the apotheosis of his career" - bricolage
-
construction or creation from a diverse range of available things:
"the chaotic bricolage of the novel is brought together in a unifying gesture" - itinerant
-
traveling from place to place:
"itinerant traders" - screed
- a long speech or piece of writing, typically one regarded as tedious
- accretion
-
the process of growth or increase, typically by the gradual accumulation of additional layers or matter:
"the accretion of sediments in coastal mangroves" - ineffable
-
too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words:
"the ineffable natural beauty of the Everglades" - quiescent
-
in a state or period of inactivity or dormancy:
"strikes were headed by groups of workers who had previously been quiescent" - blasé
-
unimpressed or indifferent to something because one has experienced or seen it so often before:
"she was becoming quite blasé about the dangers" - pedagogue
- a teacher, especially a strict or pedantic one.
- genteel
- polite, refined, or respectable, often in an affected or ostentatious way.
- tautological
- the saying of the same thing twice in different words, generally considered to be a fault of style (e.g., they arrived one after the other in succession).
- askance
-
with an attitude or look of suspicion or disapproval:
"the reformers looked askance at the mystical tradition" - obeisance
-
deferential respect:
"they paid obeisance to the prince" - imperious
-
assuming power or authority without justification; arrogant and domineering:
"his imperious demands" - sanguine
-
optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation:
"he is sanguine about prospects for the global economy" - Zeitgeist
- The Zeitgeist is the intellectual fashion or dominant school of thought that typifies and influences the culture of a particular period in time.
- n.b.
-
nota bene
observe carefully or take special notice (used in written text to draw attention to what follows). - putative
-
generally considered or reputed to be:
"the putative father of a boy of two" - accoutrement
-
additional items of dress or equipment, or other items carried or worn by a person or used for a particular activity:
"the accoutrements of religious ritual" - salutary
-
(especially with reference to something unwelcome or unpleasant) producing good effects; beneficial:
"a salutary reminder of where we came from" - plenary
-
unqualified; absolute:
"crusaders were offered a plenary indulgence by the pope" - panacea
-
solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases:
"the panacea for all corporate ills - contemporaneous
-
existing or occurring in the same period of time:
"Pythagoras was contemporaneous with Buddha" - obviate
-
remove (a need or difficulty):
"the Venetian blinds obviated the need for curtains" - supersessionism
- Supersessionism, also called replacement theology or fulfillment theology, is a Christian theological view on the current status of the church in relation to the Jewish people and Judaism. It holds that the Christian Church has replaced the Israelites as God's chosen people and that the New Covenant has replaced or superseded the Mosaic covenant.
- invective
-
insulting, abusive, or highly critical language:
"he let out a stream of invective" - tranche
-
a portion of something, especially money:
"they released the first tranche of the loan" - panopticon
- a circular prison with cells arranged around a central well, from which prisoners could at all times be observed.
- arrears
-
money that is owed and should have been paid earlier:
"he was suing the lessee for the arrears of rent" - insouciant
-
showing a casual lack of concern; indifferent:
"an insouciant shrug" - maladroit
- ineffective or bungling; clumsy.
- desultory
-
lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm:
"a few people were left, dancing in a desultory fashion" - oeuvre
-
the works of a painter, composer, or author regarded collectively:
"the complete oeuvre of Mozart" - champerty
- an illegal agreement in which a person with no previous interest in a lawsuit finances it with a view to sharing the disputed property if the suit succeeds.
- usury
- the illegal action or practice of lending money at unreasonably high rates of interest.
- mercurial
-
(of a person) subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind:
"his mercurial temperament" - interregnum
-
a period when normal government is suspended, especially between successive reigns or regimes.
an interval or pause:
"the interregnum between the discovery of radioactivity and its detailed understanding" - dubitably
- (of a belief, conclusion, etc.) open to doubt.
- imbroglio
-
an extremely confused, complicated, or embarrassing situation:
"the Watergate imbroglio" - perseverate
- repeat or prolong an action, thought, or utterance after the stimulus that prompted it has ceased.
- denouement
-
the final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved.
synonyms: finale · final scene · epilogue · coda · end · ending · [more]
the climax of a chain of events, usually when something is decided or made clear:
"I waited by the eighteenth green to see the denouement" - quixotic
-
exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical:
"a vast and perhaps quixotic project" - prolix
-
extended to great, unnecessary, or tedious length; long and wordy.
(of a person) given to speaking or writing at great or tedious length.
- rapacious
-
aggressively greedy or grasping:
"rapacious landlords" - avaricious
-
having or showing an extreme greed for wealth or material gain:
"a corrupt and avaricious government" - egress
-
the action of going out of or leaving a place:
"direct means of access and egress for passengers" - anachronistic
-
belonging to a period other than that being portrayed:
"'Titus' benefits from the effective use of anachronistic elements like cars and loudspeakers"
belonging or appropriate to an earlier period, especially so as to seem conspicuously old-fashioned:
"she is rebelling against the anachronistic morality of her parents" - mordantly
-
(especially of humor) having or showing a sharp or critical quality; biting:
"a mordant sense of humor" - scion
- a person who was born into a rich, famous, or important family
- cavalcade
- a formal procession of people walking, on horseback, or riding in vehicles
- rancor
-
bitterness or resentfulness, especially when long-standing:
"he spoke without rancor" - dissemble
-
conceal one's true motives, feelings, or beliefs:
"an honest, sincere person with no need to dissemble" - fettle
-
condition:
"the aircraft remains in fine fettle" - jeremiad
- a long, mournful complaint or lamentation; a list of woes.
- provenance
-
the place of origin or earliest known history of something:
"an orange rug of Iranian provenance" - inveigh
-
speak or write about (something) with great hostility:
"nationalists inveighed against those who worked with the British" - In flagrante delicto
- In flagrante delicto or sometimes simply in flagrante is a legal term used to indicate that a criminal has been caught in the act of committing an offence (compare corpus delicti). The colloquial "caught in the act" or "caught red-handed" are English equivalents
- animus
-
hostility or ill feeling:
"the author's animus toward her" - demagogue
- A leader who obtains power by means of impassioned appeals to the emotions and prejudices of the populace.
- impetus
-
the force or energy with which a body moves:
"hit the booster coil before the flywheel loses all its impetus" - billet
- a place, usually a civilian's house or other nonmilitary facility, where soldiers are lodged temporarily.
- milquetoast
-
a person who is timid or submissive:
"a soppy, milquetoast composer" - specious
-
superficially plausible, but actually wrong:
"a specious argument" - sacrosant
-
(especially of a principle, place, or routine) regarded as too important or valuable to be interfered with:
"the individual's right to work has been upheld as sacrosanct" - facile
- (especially of a theory or argument) appearing neat and comprehensive only by ignoring the true complexities of an issue; superficial.
- garrulous
-
excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters:
"Polonius is portrayed as a foolish, garrulous old man" - anathema
-
something or someone that one vehemently dislikes:
"racial hatred was anathema to her" - leitmotif
- a recurrent theme throughout a musical or literary composition, associated with a particular person, idea, or situation.
- abeyance
-
a state of temporary disuse or suspension:
"matters were held in abeyance pending further inquiries" - vociferous
-
(especially of a person or speech) vehement or clamorous:
"he was a vociferous opponent of the takeover" - probity
-
the quality of having strong moral principles; honesty and decency:
"financial probity" - apostasy
- the abandonment or renunciation of a religious or political belief.
- couture
-
fashionable made-to-measure clothes:
"they were dressed in size eight printed-silk couture" - punctilious
-
showing great attention to detail or correct behavior:
"he was punctilious in providing every amenity for his guests" - acrimonious
-
typically of speech or a debate) angry and bitter:
"an acrimonious dispute about wages" - redound
-
contribute greatly to (a person's credit or honor):
"his latest diplomatic effort will redound to his credit" - polity
-
a form or process of civil government or constitution.
an organized society; a state as a political entity. - mendacity
-
untruthfulness:
"people publicly castigated for past mendacity" - cavil
-
make petty or unnecessary objections:
"they caviled at the cost" - haecceity
-
that property or quality of a thing by virtue of which it is unique or describable as “this (one).â€
the property of being a unique and individual thing. - chicanery
-
the use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose:
"an underhanded person who schemes corruption and political chicanery behind closed doors" - depredation
-
an act of attacking or plundering:
"protecting grain from the depredations of rats and mice" - bereft
-
deprived of or lacking something, especially a nonmaterial asset:
"her room was stark and bereft of color" - gadfly
- an annoying person, especially one who provokes others into action by criticism.
- pernicious
-
having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way:
"the pernicious influences of the mass media" - nocuous
- noxious, harmful, or poisonous.
- vexatious
-
causing or tending to cause annoyance, frustration, or worry:
"the vexatious questions posed by software copyrights" - pecuniary
-
of, relating to, or consisting of money:
"he admitted obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception" - vacuous
-
having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence; mindless:
"a vacuous smile" - facetious
- treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant.
- inerrant
- incapable of being wrong.
- fulminate
-
express vehement protest
"all fulminated against the new curriculum" - coruscating
-
flashing, sparkling
"a coruscating kaleidoscope of colors" - mordant
-
sharply caustic or sarcastic, as wit or a speaker
- largesse
-
generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others
"dispensing his money with such largesse" - elision
- the omission of a sound or syllable when speaking (as in I'm, let's)
- verisimilitude
-
the appearance of being true or real
"the detail gives the novel some verisimilitude" - ebullient
-
cheerful and full of energy
"she sounded ebullient and happy" - interlocutor
- a person who takes part in a dialogue or conversation.
- trenchant
-
vigorous or incisive in expression or style:
"she heard angry voices, not loud, yet certainly trenchant" - inexorable
-
impossible to stop or prevent
"the seemingly inexorable march of new technology" - abrogate
-
repeal or do away with, evade
""we believe the board is abrogating its responsibilities to its shareholders" - bellicose
-
demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight:
"a group of bellicose patriots" - Pyrrhic
- (of a victory) won at too great a cost to have been worthwhile for the victor
- palliative
-
relieving pain or alleviating a problem without dealing with the underlying cause:
"short-term, palliative measures had been taken" - aver
-
state or assert to be the case:
"he averred that he was innocent of the allegations" - harangue
- a lengthy and aggressive speech
- blithe
-
showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous or improper:
"a blithe disregard for the rules of the road" - admonition
-
the act or action of admonishing:
"the old judge's admonition to the jury on this point was particularly weighty" - voluble
-
characterized by a ready and continuous flow of words; fluent; glib; talkative:
"a voluble spokesman for the cause" - remunerate
-
pay (someone) for services rendered or work done:
"they should be remunerated fairly for their work" - puerile
-
childishly silly and trivial:
"you're making puerile excuses" - canard
-
an unfounded rumor or story:
"the old canard that LA is a cultural wasteland" - enmity
-
the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something:
"enmity between Protestants and Catholics" - cogent
- (of an argument or case) clear, logical and convincing
- erstwhile
-
former:
"his erstwhile rivals" - salubrious
-
health-giving, healthy:
"salubrious weather" - stolid
- (of a person) calm, dependable and showing little emotion or animation
- apposite
-
apt in the circumstances or in relation to something:
"an apposite quotation" - elide
-
omit (a sound or syllable when speaking:
"the indication of elided consonants or vowels"
join together; merge:
"whole periods of time are elided into a few seconds of screen time" - inveterate
-
having a particular habit, activity, or interest that is long-established and unlikely to change:
"he was an inveterate gambler" - calumny
- the making of false and defamatory statements in order to damage someone's reputation; slander
- ignominy
-
public shame or disgrace:
"the ignominy of being imprisoned" - inure
-
accustom (someone) to something, especially something unpleasant:
"these children have been inured to violence" - vacuity
-
lack of thought or intelligence; empty-headedness:
"full of excitement I listened to my first student sermon - only to be taken aback by its vacuity - eponymous
-
(of a person) giving their name to something:
"the eponymous hero of the novel"
(of a thing) named after a particular person:
"Roseanne's eponymous hit TV series" - amenable
-
(of a person) open and responsive to suggestion; easily persuaded or controlled:
"parents who have had easy babies and amenable children"
(of a thing) capable of being acted upon in a particular way; susceptible to:
"the patients had cardiac failure not amenable to medical treatment" - commodious
- (especially of furniture or a building) roomy and comfortable
- effusive
- Unrestrained or excessive in emotional expression, profuse, overflowing
- venerable
-
accorded a great deal of respect, especially because of age, wisdom or character:
"a venerable statesman" - proclivity
-
a tendency to choose or do something regularly; an inclination or predisposition toward a particular thing:
"a proclivity for hard work" - laconic
-
(of a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words:
"his laconic reply suggested a lack of interest in the topic" - indelible
-
not able to be forgotten or removed:
"his story made an indelible impression on me" - convivial
- (of an atmosphere or event) friendly, lively, and enjoyable
- exegesis
-
critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially of scripture:
"the task of biblical exegesis" - internecine
-
destructive to both sides in a conflict:
"the region's history of savage internecine warfare" - nascent
-
(especially of a process or organization) just coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential:
"the nascent space industry" - vicissitude
-
a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant:
"her husband's sharp vicissitudes of fortune" - surfeit
-
an excessive amount of something:
"a surfeit of food and drink" - regnant
-
reigning; ruling:
"a queen regnant" - paean
-
a song of praise or triumph; a thing that expresses enthusiastic praise:
"his books are paeans to combat" - foible
-
a minor weakness or eccentricity in someone's character:
"they have to tolerate each others little foibles" - acerbic
-
(especially of a comment or style of speaking) sharp and forthright:
"his acerbic wit" - execrable
-
extremely bad or unpleasant:
"execrable cheap wine" - deign
-
do something that one considers to be beneath one's dignity:
"she did not deign to answer the maid's question" - recalcitrant
-
having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline:
"a class of recalcitrant fifteen-year-olds" - mammon
- money or material wealth, greedy pursuit of gain
- rectitude
-
morally correct behavior or thinking; righteousness:
"Maddie is a model of rectitude" - louche
-
disreputable or sordid in a rakish or appealing way:
"the louche world of the theater" - magnanimous
- very generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or someone less powerful than oneself
- veracity
-
conformity to facts; accuracy:
"officials expressed doubts concerning the veracity of the story" - immiseration
- economic impoverishment
- apocryphal
-
(of a story or statement) of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true:
"an apocryphal story about a former president" - portentous
-
done in a pompously or overly solemn manner so as to impress:
"the author's portentous moralizings" - avoidant
-
relating to or denoting a type of personality or behavior characterized by the avoidance of intimacy or social interaction:
"he was also anxious, avoidant, and unable to manage conflict" - ideologue
-
an adherent of an ideology, especially one who is uncompromising and dogmatic:
"a conservative ideologue" - aureate
- denoting, made of, or having the color of gold
- evince
-
reveal the presence of (a quality or feeling):
"his letters evince the excitement he felt at undertaking this journey" - prolifigate
-
recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources:
"profligate consumers of energy" - surreptitious
-
1.
obtained, done, made, etc., by stealth; secret or unauthorized; clandestine:
a surreptitious glance.
2.
acting in a stealthy way.
3.
obtained by subreption; subreptitious.
- saccharine
- excessively sweet or sentimental
- churlish
-
rude in a mean-spirited and surly way:
"it seems churlish to complain" - mellifluous
-
(of a voice or words) sweet or musical; pleasant to hear:
"the voice was mellifluous and smooth" - petard
- a kind of firework that explodes with a sharp report
- incorrigible
- bad beyond correction or reform, uncontrollable
- immiserate
- to make miserable, impoverish
- imprimatur
-
a person's acceptance or guarantee that something is of a good standard:
"the original LP enjoyed the imprimatur of the composer" - obdurate
- stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or course of action
- svelte
- (of a person) slender and elegant.
- elegiac
-
(especially of a work of art) having a mournful quality:
"the movie score is a somber effort, elegiac in its approach" - Etiology
- the study of causation or origination
- efficacious
-
(typically of something inanimate or abstract) successful in producing a desired or intended result; effective:
"the vaccine has proved both efficacious and safe" - pillory
-
attack or ridicule publicly:
"he found himself pilloried by members of his own party" - ennui
- a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement
- liminal
- occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold
- promulgate
-
promote or make widely known (an idea or cause):
"these objectives have to be promulgated within the organization" - mendacious
-
not telling the truth; lying:
"mendacious propaganda" - impecunious
-
having little or no money:
"a titled by impecunious family" - vainglory
- inordinate pride in oneself or one's achievements; excessive vanity
- precocious
-
unusually advanced or mature in development, especially mental development:
"a precocious child" - factitious
-
artificially created or developed:
"a largely factitious national identity" - peripatetic
-
traveling from place to place, especially working or based in various places for relatively short periods:
"the peripatetic nature of military life"