You are on page 1of 5

Á Outrance (adverb) - to the limit : unsparingly

(noun) - the utmost extremity.

Example: “Combat à outrance”- a fight to the end, or to the death.

Acquiesce (verb) - to accept, comply, or submit tacitly or passively

- to assent tacitly; submit or comply silently or without protest; agree; consent:

“to acquiesce halfheartedly in a business plan.”

Allusion (noun) - an implied or indirect reference especially in literature

- an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication

“Without naming names, the candidate criticized the national leaders by allusion.”

Altruistic (adj.) Unselfish concernfor the welfare of others: selflessness.

“His helping the old lady with her shopping was deemed highly altruistic by everyone,
especially since her home was a mile away.”

Ambiguous (adj.) open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations; of doubtful or


uncertain nature; difficult to comprehend, or distinguish

“the ambiguous world that we live in, is full of uncertainties and predicaments.”

Amiable (adj.) having or showing pleasant, good-natured personal qualities; friendly; sociable:
agreeable

“Seen through the public spectacles, he cannot be said to have presented a very
amiable personality.”

Anecdote (noun) a short account of a particular incident or event of an interesting or amusing


nature, often biographical.

“She recounted an amusing anecdote which Cowper turned into his narrative of John
Gilpin.”

Arbiter (noun) a person empowered to decide matters at issue; judge; umpire.

“In Russia the Communist State became the sole arbiter of all the needs of the social
body.”

Caricature (noun) a picture, description, etc., ludicrously exaggerating the peculiarities or defects of
persons or things:

“His caricature of the mayor in this morning's paper is the best he's ever drawn.”

Cliché (noun) a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a


popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by
long overuse

Ex. “strong as an ox”

Colloquial (adj.) characteristic of or appropriate to ordinary or familiar conversation rather than


formal speech or writing

“They wanted to steer between a register of language that was too colloquial and one
that was too formal.”

Compatriot (noun) a native or inhabitant of one's own country; fellow countryman or countrywoman:
a colleague

“Among the victims were even some of our own compatriots from Taiwan.”

Contemporeity (noun) Originating, existing, or happening during the same period of time

“The contemporaneous reigns of two monarchs.”

Digression (noun) a passage or section that deviates from the central theme in speech or writing;
especially one that has no bearing on the main subject.

“In all, it seems a pointless digression that does little for our appreciation of the film.”

Dogma (noun) a system of principles or tenets; a settled or established opinion, belief, or


principle.

“Darkness is not the evil force painted by the doctrine and dogma of religion.”

Egotistical (adj.) given to talking about oneself; vain; boastful; opinionated; indifferent to the
wellbeing of others; selfish.

“The memoirs of former Conservative party treasurer, Alistair McAlpine, reveal a


politically shallow egotist.”

Embody (verb) to give a concrete form to; express, personify, or exemplify; to collect into or
include in a body

“We do, however, broadly support the principles embodied in these parts of the Bill.”

Enigma (noun) a puzzling or inexplicable occurrence or situation; puzzling or contradictory


character; containing a hidden meaning

“His disappearance is an enigma that has given rise to much speculation.”

Ephemeral (adj.) lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory; Living or lasting only for a day

"There remain some truths too ephemeral to be captured in the cold pages of a court
transcript"

Epitome (noun) a person or thing that is typical of or possesses to a high degree the features of a
whole class; condensed account

"He is seen as the epitome of the hawkish, right-of-center intellectual"

Erudite (adj.) characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly

“It goes way beyond what even the most erudite scholar could possibly have known
about in its entirety.”

Expository (adj.) serving to expound, set forth, or explain


“Each week somebody gives an expository talk with the aim of increasing everybody's
mathematical general knowledge.”

Hobbesian (adj.) theory that people have a fundamental right to self-preservation and to pursue
selfish aims but will relinquish these rights to an absolute monarch in the interest of
common safety and happiness

Hyperbole (noun) obvious and intentional exaggeration; an extravagant figure of speech not
intended to be taken literally

“He probably thought he needed melodramatic hyperbole to win over his audience's
hears.”

Imbecility (noun) an instance or point of weakness; feebleness; incapability; stupidity; silliness;


absurdity.

“Persecution of the Jewish community is the bright red flag of imbecility.”

Inflammable (adj.) capable of being set on fire; combustible; flammable; easily aroused or excited, as
to passion or anger; irascible

“No highly inflammable substances are brought into the hall.”

Infrahuman (adj.) less than human; subhuman; an animal and especially a primate that is not human

“Several reviews have shown that the law has been extensively supported in
experiments with infrahuman subjects.”

Inherent (adj.) existing in someone or something as a permanent and inseparable


element,quality, or attribute

“It is high time that studies should be undertaken to explore the intricacies inherent in
such contingencies.”

Intangible (adj.) incapable of being perceived by the sense of touch; not definite or clear to the
mind; existing only in connection with something else

“The Virginia General Assembly exempted intangible personal property from taxation”

Jargon (noun) incoherent speech; vocabulary, peculiar to a particular trade; hybrid language or
dialect; a derogatory term

“A tutor will teach you how to use the internet without confusing jargon.”

Lamentable (adj.) that is to be lamented; regrettable; unfortunate: mournful.

“The lamentable accident threw a gloom over the rest of the day's proceedings.”

Manifestation (noun) outward or perceptible indication; materialization; a public demonstration

“Ptah was his body, the earthly manifestation and Amun the hidden divine invisible
aspect.”

Mixed (noun) the use in the same expression of two or more metaphors that are incongruous
Metaphor or illogical when combined, as in
“The president will put the ship of state on its feet” Or “The negotiator played his cards
to the hilt.”

Multipara (noun) a woman who has borne two or more children, or who is parturient for the
second time.

“What is a labor like for a grand multipara?”

Oratorical (adj.) of or pertaining to a person who delivers an oration; a public speaker, esp. one of
great eloquence

“His oratorical prowess has led to political success.”

Perspicuity (noun) clearness or lucidity; plain to the understanding especially because of clarity and
precision of presentation

“Her strong interpersonal skills and keen sense of perspicuity make her an irreplaceable
asset to the interview team.”

Phenomena (noun) a fact, occurrence, or circumstance observed or observable; something that is


impressive or extraordinary

“Science proceeds exponentially, coming nearer and nearer to the very essence of
phenomena.”

Preposterous (adj.) completely contrary to nature, reason, or common sense; absurd; senseless;
utterly foolish

“The idea was so preposterous it was unlikely to have been invented.”

Pretension (noun) the laying of a claim to something; a claim to dignity, importance, or merit; the act
of pretending or alleging; a pretext

“It has no pretensions of grandeur - simply great food at great prices.”

Rhetorical (noun) a question asked solely to produce an effect or to make an assertion and not to
Question elicit a reply

Ex. “What is so rare as a day in June?”

Sagacity (noun) The quality of being discerning, sound in judgment, and farsighted; wisdom.

“I must do many things which require skill of hand and also sagacity of mind.”

Sardonic (adj.) characterized by bitter or scornful derision; mocking; cynical; sneering

“They were often played as ladies men, or slightly sardonic and rather witty.”

Senile (adj.) showing a decline or deterioration of physical strength or mental functioning; of or


belonging to old age or aged persons

“His somewhat senile mind was striving for forgotten memories.”

Specious (adj.) apparently good or right though lacking real merit; pleasing to the eye but
deceptive
“The alternative extreme would make the specious present ' eternal ' in the static sense
of the world.”

Stint (v.) to be frugal; to limit to a certain amount

(n.) limitation or restriction; period of time spent doing something

“A long time ago I did a stint of work in an Exeter high street bookshop.”

Superannuate (verb) to allow to retire from service on a pension because of age or infirmity; to set
aside as out of date

“I was invited to his assemblies which were frequented by superannuated women and
witty men.”

Tenacity (noun) highly retentive; pertinacious, persistent, stubborn, or obstinate

“Social styles developed in the 19th century withstand, with sporelike tenacity, all that
the present century can throw at them"

Unction (noun) an unguent or ointment; something soothing or comforting; an excessive,


affected fervor in manner

“As an ambassador of Christ, he preached the wondrous mercy of God with a spiritual
unction and solemn earnestness.”

Utile (adj.) useful; being of use or service

"the girl felt motherly and utile"

Verity (noun) the state or quality of being true; accordance with fact or reality; something that
is true, as a principle, belief, idea, or statement

“It is set in the context of certain eternal verities which are the substance of our faith.”

Weal (noun) well-being, prosperity, or happiness; The welfare of the community; the general
good

“We greet the Canadian working class and people with whom for thirty years and more
we have shared weal and woe.”

Whimsical (adj.) Erratic in behavior or degree of unpredictability; capricious

“Scientific discoveries often seem rather whimsical to the layman.”

You might also like