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vocab.

txt
1) paramount-
Something that is paramount or of paramount importance is more important than anything
else.
The child's welfare must be seen as paramount.

2) endeavour
en.deav.our
endeavour endeavours endeavouring endeavoured
in AM, use endeavor
1. If you endeavour to do something, you try very hard to do it. (FORMAL)
I will endeavour to arrange it...
VERB: V to-inf
= strive
2. An endeavour is an attempt to do something, especially something new or original.
(FORMAL)
His first endeavours in the field were wedding films.
N-VAR: usu with supp, oft N to-inf

3)cherish
cher.ish
cherish cherishes cherishing cherished
1. If you cherish something such as a hope or a pleasant memory, you keep it in your mind for
a long period of time.
The president will cherish the memory of this visit to Ohio...
VERB: V n
= treasure
=> cher.ished
...the cherished dream of a world without wars.
ADJ: ADJ n

2. If you cherish someone or something, you take good care of them because you love them.
The previous owners had cherished the house.
VERB: V n

=> cher.ished
He described the picture as his most cherished possession.
ADJ: ADJ n

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3. If you cherish a right, a privilege, or a principle, you regard it as important and try hard to
keep it.
These people cherish their independence and sovereignty.

4)sovereignty
Sovereignty is the power that a country has to govern itself or another country or state.
Britain's concern to protect national sovereignty is far from new.
N-UNCOUNT: also N in pl
= autonomy
1. The sovereignty of the monarch was under
attack: power, dominion, authority,
supremacy, command, control, ascendancy,
sway, jurisdiction, predominance,
paramountcy, primacy; kingship,
lordship; throne, scepter, crown.
2. The United States declared its
sovereignty in 1776: independence,
autonomy, self-determination, self-rule,
home rule, self-government, freedom.

5)derogatory
[dɪˈrɑ:gəˌtɔ:rɪ]
If you make a derogatory remark or comment about someone or something, you express
your low opinion of them.
He refused to withdraw derogatory remarks made about his boss.
adj derogatory remarks, attitudes etc are insulting and disapproving
--- Their conversation contained a number of derogatory racial remarks .
1. They made derogatory remarks about their opponents: belittling, disparaging,
uncomplimentary, unfavorable,
unflattering, injurious.
ANTONYMS:
flattering, complimentary, favorable,admiring, esteeming; acclaiming, laudatory, praising;
appreciative

6)transcend
trans.cend
transcend transcends transcending transcended
Something that transcends normal limits or boundaries goes beyond them, because it is more

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significant than them.
...issues like European union that transcend party loyalty.
. To pass beyond the limits of: emotions that transcend understanding.

2. To be greater than, as in intensity or power; surpass:


love that transcends infatuation. See Synonyms at excel.

3. To exist above and independent of (material experience or the universe)


: “One never can see the thing in itself, because the mind does not transcend phenomena”

7)compassion
Compassion is a feeling of pity, sympathy, and understanding for someone who is suffering.
Elderly people need time and compassion from their physicians.
a strong feeling of sympathy for someone who is suffering, and a desire to help them
compassion for
--- compassion for the sick
feel/show/have compassion
--- Did he feel any compassion for the victim of his crime?
with compassion
--- Lieberman explores this sensitive topic with compassion.
--- I was shocked by the doctor's lack of compassion .
syn-sympathy, empathy,
commiseration, feeling, fellow feeling,
pity, tenderness, tender-heartedness,
ruth, humanity.
ant-apathy, cold-heartedness, indifference, mercilessness, unconcern

8) abide
abide abides abiding abided
If you can't abide someone or something, you dislike them very much.
I can't abide people who can't make up their minds...
1 : to wait for : AWAIT
2 a : to endure without yielding : WITHSTAND b : to bear patiently : TOLERATE
--- cannot abide such bigots
3 : to accept without objection
--- will abide your decision

9)viceroy

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In former times, a viceroy was the person who ruled a colony on behalf of his king, queen, or
government.
Origin: Early French vice-roy, from vice- 'vice' + roy 'king']
a man who was sent by a king or queen in the past to rule another country
viceroy of
--- the viceroy of India

10)advent
The advent of an important event, invention, or situation is the fact of it starting or coming
into existence. (FORMAL)
...the leap forward in communication made possible by the advent of the mobile phone.
the time when something first begins to be widely used
---the advent of the computer.
1. The coming or arrival, especially of something extremely important: the advent of the
computer.
2. Also Advent.a. The period beginning on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, observed by
many Christians
as a season of prayer, fasting, and penitence in preparation for Christmas.
b. Theology. The coming of Jesus at the Incarnation.

11)profusion
pro.fu.sion
profusion
If there is a profusion of something or if it occurs in profusion, there is a very large quantity or
variety of it. (FORMAL)
The Dart is a delightful river with a profusion of wild flowers along its banks...
--- The house was overflowing with a profusion of strange ornaments.
in profusion
--- Cornflowers grow in profusion in the fields.
--- snow falling in profusion
abundance, bounty, copiousness, cornucopia, excess, extravagance, exuberance, glut,
lavishness,
luxuriance, multitude, oversupply, plenitude, plethora, prodigality, quantity, riot,
superabundance, superfluity, surplus, wealth

12) rampant
If you describe something bad, such as a crime or disease, as rampant, you mean that it is very
common and is increasing in an uncontrolled way.

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Inflation is rampant and industry in decline.
1 if something bad, such as crime or disease, is rampant, there is a lot of it and it is very difficult
to control: rife, widespread
--- Pickpocketing is rampant in the downtown area.
--- The country has high unemployment and rampant inflation .
2 a plant that is rampant grows and spreads quickly, in a way that is difficult to control:
--- rampantly adv
ANTONYMS:
1 restrained, curbed, checked.
Related Words: excessive, immoderate, inordinate
Contrasted Words: moderate, temperate; checked, curbed, restrained
2
Synonyms: PREVAILING, current, popular, prevalent, regnant, rife, ruling, widespread

13) commensurate
If the level of one thing is commensurate with another, the first level is in proportion to the
second. (FORMAL)
Employees are paid salaries commensurate with those of teachers...
--- Salary will be commensurate with age and experience.
Synonyms: PROPORTIONAL, commensurable, equal, symmetricaladequate, appropriate,
coextensive, comparable, compatible, consistent, corresponding, due, equivalent, fit, fitting, in
accord, proportionate, sufficient

14)calamity
Synonyms: DISASTER, cataclysm, catastrophe, misadventure, tragedy, woe(s),adversity,
affliction, cataclysm, catastrophe, disaster, distress, downfall, hardship, misadventure,
mischance, misfortune, mishap, reverse, ruin, scourge, tragedy, trial, tribulation, woe,
wretchedness
Related Words: collapse, ruin, wreck; affliction, cross, trial, tribulation, visitation
Contrasted Words: fortune, luck; benefaction; favor, gift
Antonyms: boon

15)famine
Famine is a situation in which large numbers of people have little or no food, and many of
them die.
Thousands of refugees are trapped by war, drought and famine...
The civil war is obstructing distribution of famine relief by aid agencies.
--- the great potato famine in Ireland

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severe/widespread famine
--- Widespread famine had triggered a number of violent protests.
--- A million people are facing famine .
ANTONYMS:
1, 2 abundance, surfeit, sufficiency, feast,
bounty, glut.

16)graffiti
Graffiti is words or pictures that are written or drawn in public places, for example on walls or
posters.
There's no vandalism, no graffiti, no rubbish left lying about.
drawings or writing on a wall, etc. in a public place. They are usually rude, humorous or
political:
The subway was covered in graffiti. * Someone had scrawled graffiti all over the school walls.

17)prejudice
1 [uncountable and C] an unreasonable dislike and distrust of people who are different from
you in some way, especially because of their race, sex, religion etc - used to show disapproval:
--- Women still face prejudice in the workplace.
--- It takes a long time to overcome these kinds of prejudices.
prejudice against
--- a cultural prejudice against fat people
racial/sexual prejudice
--- Asian pupils complained of racial prejudice at the school.
2 without prejudice (to sth): law without harming or affecting something
--- He was able to turn down the promotion without prejudice, and applied again several
years later.
3 to the prejudice of sth: formal in a way that has a harmful effect or influence on something
prejudice 2 v [T]
1 to influence someone so that they have an unfair or unreasonable opinion about someone
or something:
--- There was concern that reports in the media would prejudice the jury.
prejudice sb against sth
--- My own schooldays prejudiced me against all formal education.
2 to have a bad effect on the future success or situation of someone or something:
--- A criminal record will prejudice your chances of getting a job.
--- He refused to comment, saying he did not wish to prejudice the outcome of the talks.
he inclination to take a stand (as in a conflict) usually without just grounds or sufficient

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information
--- could not review his competitor's work without prejudice
Synonyms: bias, one-sidedness, partiality; compare LEANING 2, PRECONCEPTION
Related Words: partisanship
Idioms: jaundiced eye
Contrasted Words: detachment, dispassion, impartiality, indifference, neutrality
Antonyms: objectivity

18)souvenir
A souvenir is something which you buy or keep to remind you of a holiday, place, or event.
...a souvenir of the summer of 1992.
an object that you buy or keep to remind yourself of a special occasion or a place you have
visited
memento,token of remembrance,memory trace
souvenir of
--- I bought a model of the Eiffel Tower as a souvenir of Paris.
--- a souvenir shop
souvenir from
--- a souvenir programme from the Gala Concert

19)fortress
for.tress
fortress fortresses
A fortress is a castle or other large strong building, or a well-protected place, which is
intended to be difficult for enemies to enter.
...a 13th-century fortress.
Synonyms: FORT, citadel, fastness, redoubt, stronghold

20)regime
re.gime
regime regimes
1. If you refer to a government or system of running a country as a regime, you are critical of it
because you think it is not democratic and uses unacceptable methods.
...the collapse of the Fascist regime at the end of the war...
N-COUNT: oft supp N disapproval

2. A regime is the way that something such as an institution, company, or economy is run,
especially when it involves tough or severe action.

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The authorities moved him to the less rigid regime of an open prison.
N-COUNT

3. A regime is a set of rules about food, exercise, or beauty that some people follow in order to
stay healthy or attractive.
He has a new fitness regime to strengthen his back.

20)Convent- Building belonging to a community devoted to a


religious life

21)province
1. A province is a large section of a country which has its own administration.
...the Algarve, Portugal's southernmost province.
N-COUNT

2. The provinces are all the parts of a country except the part where the capital is situated.
The government plans to transfer some 30,000 government jobs from Paris to the provinces.
N-PLURAL: usu the N

3. If you say that a subject or activity is a particular person's province, you mean that this
person has a special interest in it, a special knowledge of it, or a special responsibility for it.
Industrial research is the province of the Department of Trade and Industry.
--- Computers were once the exclusive province of scientists and mathematicians.

21)insurrection
Organized opposition intended to overthrow authority

22)consolidate
1 to strengthen the position of power or success that you have, so that it becomes more
effective or continues for longer:
--- The company has consolidated its position as the country's leading gas supplier.
--- The team consolidated their lead with a third goal.
2 to combine things in order to make them more effective or easier to deal with:
--- We consolidate information from a wide range of sources.
--- They took out a loan to consolidate their debts.
--- The company is planning to consolidate its business activities at a new site in Arizona.
--- the consolidation of political power
Synonyms: UNIFY 1, compact, concentrate, integrate

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Related Words: amalgamate, blend, fuse, merge; set, solidify
Contrasted Words: part, sever, sunder; liquefy, melt
1. amalgamate, cement, combine, compact, condense, conjoin, federate, fuse, harden, join,
solidify, thicken, unite
2. fortify, reinforce, secure, stabilize, strengthen

23)annihilate
v [T] [Date: 1500-1600; Language: Late Latin; Origin: , past participle of annihilare 'to reduce
to nothing', from Latin ad- 'to' + nihil 'nothing']
1 to destroy something or someone completely:
--- Just one of these bombs could annihilate a city the size of New York.
2 to defeat someone easily and completely in a game or competition:
--- Tyson annihilated his opponent in the first round.
1. Hitler sought to annihilate resistance
movements throughout Europe: wipe out,
exterminate, liquidate; Slang waste;
demolish, destroy completely, reduce to
nothing, lay waste, decimate,
obliterate, extinguish, end, abolish,
eradicate, erase, extirpate.

ANTONYMS:
let live; build, construct, create, make.

24)barren
1. A barren landscape is dry and bare, and has very few plants and no trees.
...the Tibetan landscape of high barren mountains.
ADJ
!=fertile
2. Barren land consists of soil that is so poor that plants cannot grow in it.
He also wants to use the water to irrigate barren desert land.
ADJ
= infertile
3. If you describe something such as an activity or a period of your life as barren, you mean
that you achieve no success during it or that it has no useful results. (WRITTEN)
...politics that are banal and barren of purpose.
...the player, who ended a 14-month barren spell by winning the Tokyo event in October...
ADJ: oft ADJ of n

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4. If you describe a room or a place as barren, you do not like it because it has almost no
furniture or other objects in it. (WRITTEN)
The room was austere, nearly barren of furniture or decoration...
ADJ: oft ADJ of n disapproval

5. A barren woman or female animal is unable to have babies. (OLD-FASHIONED)


He prayed that his barren wife would one day have a child.
ADJ
= infertile

25)reminiscence
Someone's reminiscences are things that they remember from the past, and which they talk or
write about. Reminiscence is the process of remembering these things and talking or writing
about them. (FORMAL)
Here I am boring you with my reminiscences.

26)confiscate
If you confiscate something from someone, you take it away from them, usually as a
punishment.
There is concern that police use the law to confiscate assets from people who have committed
minor offences...
They confiscated weapons, ammunition and propaganda material.
VERB: V n from n, V n
= seize
=> con.fis.ca.tion confiscations
The new laws allow the confiscation of assets purchased with proceeds of the drugs trade.

27)witty
Someone or something that is witty is amusing in a clever way.
His plays were very good, very witty...
He is a very witty speaker.
synonyms WITTY, HUMOROUS, FACETIOUS, JOCULAR, JOCOSE mean provoking or intended to
provoke laughter. WITTY suggests cleverness and quickness of mind

28)junket
If you describe a trip or visit by an official or businessman as a junket, you disapprove of it
because it is expensive, unnecessary, and often has been paid for with public money.

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(INFORMAL

29)hanger-on
a person who associates with another person or a group in a sycophantic manner or for the
purpose of gaining some personal advantage.
"the shysters, the freebooters, the hangers-on who traditionally take advantage of champions"
synonyms: follower, flunkey, toady, camp follower, sycophant, fawner, parasite, leech

30)breach
1. If you breach an agreement, a law, or a promise, you break it.
The newspaper breached the code of conduct on privacy...
VERB: V n
= violate
2. A breach of an agreement, a law, or a promise is an act of breaking it.
The congressman was accused of a breach of secrecy rules.
...a $1 billion breach of contract suit.
N-VAR
= violation
3. A breach in a relationship is a serious disagreement which often results in the relationship
ending. (FORMAL)
Their actions threatened a serious breach in relations between the two countries.
...the breach between Tito and Stalin.
N-COUNT: usu N in/between n
= rift, rupture
4. If someone or something breaches a barrier, they make an opening in it, usually leaving it
weakened or destroyed. (FORMAL)
Fire may have breached the cargo tanks and set the oil ablaze.
VERB: V n
= rupture
5. If you breach someone's security or their defences, you manage to get through and attack
an area that is heavily guarded and protected.
The bomber had breached security by hurling his dynamite from a roof overlooking the
building.
VERB: V n

Breach is also a noun.


...widespread breaches of security at Ministry of Defence bases.
N-COUNT

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6. If you step into the breach, you do a job or task which someone else was supposed to do or
has done in the past, because they are suddenly unable to do it.
I was persuaded to step into the breach temporarily when they became too ill to continue.
PHRASE: V inflects

30)protagonist
1. Someone who is a protagonist of an idea or movement is a supporter of it. (FORMAL)
...the main protagonists of their countries' integration into the world market.
N-COUNT: oft N of n
= proponent !=opponent
2. A protagonist in a play, novel, or real event is one of the main people in it. (FORMAL)
...the protagonist of J. D. Salinger's novel `The Catcher in the Rye'...
Language: Greek; Origin: protagonistes, from agonistes 'competitor, actor']
1 the most important character in a play, film, or story: main character
2 one of the most important people taking part in a competition, battle, or struggle:
--- the main protagonists in the conflict
3 one of the most important supporters of a social or political idea: protagonist of
--- a protagonist of educational reform
the protagonist in the plot: CHIEF/CENTRAL/PRINCIPAL/MAIN/LEADING CHARACTER, chief etc.
participant/figure/player, principal, hero/heroine, leading man/lady, title role, lead.
a protagonist of deregulation: CHAMPION, advocate, upholder, supporter, backer, promoter,
proponent, exponent, campaigner, fighter, crusader; apostle, apologist; N. Amer. booster.

31)complacent
A complacent person is very pleased with themselves or feels that they do not need to do
anything about a situation, even though the situation may be uncertain or dangerous.
We cannot afford to be complacent about our health.
...the Chancellor's complacent attitude towards the far-right's activities.
---Rajiv became complacent about his security and broke security rules in more than 40 rallies.
pleased with a situation, especially something you have achieved, so that you stop trying to
improve or change things - used to show disapproval
--- There's a danger of becoming complacent if you win a few games.
--- a complacent attitude towards the problem
complacent about
--- We simply cannot afford to be complacent about the future of our car industry.
--- complacently adv
ANTONYMS:

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unsatisfied, insecure, discontent, discontented,
troubled, uneasy, soul-searching, self-questioning.

32)mutilated
adj 1: badly injured, perhaps with amputation; "the maimed right
hand twisted and clutched"- P.B.Kyne; "mutilated
victims of the rocket attack" [syn: {maimed}]
2: having a part of the body crippled or disabled [syn: {maimed}]
3: (of compositions e.g.) damaged; "a mutilated text" [syn: {mangled}]
ADJ (Incompleteness): incomplete, imperfect, unfinished, uncompleted, defective, deficient,
wanting, lacking, failing,
in default, hollow, meager, lame, perfunctory, sketchy, crude, unprepared, garbled, mutilated,
lopped, truncated.

33)perpetrator
N (Agent): doer, actor, agent, performer, perpetrator, operator, executor, executrix,
practitioner, worker, workman, artisan, operative, laborer, hand.
omeone who perpetrates wrongdoing [syn: {culprit}]
someone who does something morally wrong or illegal
culprit
--- The perpetrators were never caught.
perpetrator of
--- The perpetrators of racially motivated violence must be punished.

34) antagonise
v 1: act in opposition to [syn: {antagonize}, {counteract}]
2: provoke the hostility of; "Don't antagonize your boss" [syn:
{antagonize}]
---Rajiv Gandhi administration had antagonised other Tamil militant organisations like PLOTE

35)fanatic
1. If you describe someone as a fanatic, you disapprove of them because you consider their
behaviour or opinions to be very extreme, for example in the way they support particular
religious or political ideas.
I am not a religious fanatic but I am a Christian.
N-COUNT disapproval
= extremist
2. If you say that someone is a fanatic, you mean that they are very enthusiastic about a

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particular activity, sport, or way of life.
Both Rod and Phil are football fanatics.
N-COUNT: usu n N
= enthusiast
3. Fanatic means the same as fanatical.
SYNONYMS: fanatic, zealot, enthusiast. These nouns denote persons who are ardently and
usually excessively devoted to a particular cause, subject, or activity. Fanatic implies the pursuit
of a given interest to inordinate and even irrational lengths, often to the exclusion of all other
interests: “A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject” (Winston
S. Churchill). A zealot is immoderately devoted to a cause or goal and seeks to advance it with
passionate fervor: “those furious zealots who blow the bellows of faction until the whole
furnace of politics is red-hot” (Washington Irving). Enthusiast can denote a religious zealot
holding visionary opinions: “It is unfortunate, considering that enthusiasm moves the world,
that so few enthusiasts can be trusted to speak the truth” (A.J. Balfour). More commonly,
however, it merely implies strong interest in something, such as a hobby, and lacks the
unfavorable connotations of the other terms: a hockey enthusiast.

36)hegemony
Hegemony is a situation in which one country, organization, or group has more power,
control, or importance than others. (FORMAL)
The Delicious hegemony won't end anytime soon.
Their challenges to that hegemony are probably a good thing.
1 : preponderant influence or authority over others : DOMINATION
--- battled for hegemony in Asia
2 : the social, cultural, ideological, or economic influence exerted by a dominant group
--- extend their own hegemony over American culture as a whole ― Mary K. Cayton
Hegemony of Western media has to end-(Arnab Goswami)

37)retaliate
If you retaliate when someone harms or annoys you, you do something which harms or
annoys them in return.
I was sorely tempted to retaliate...
Christie retaliated by sending his friend a long letter detailing Carl's utter incompetence...
The militia responded by saying it would retaliate against any attacks...
They may retaliate with sanctions on other products if the bans are disregarded.
Police said they believed the attack was in retaliation for the death of the drug trafficker.
we shall retaliate against anyone who attacks us
; Language: Late Latin; Origin: , past participle of retaliare, from talio 'suitable punishment']

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to do something bad to someone because they have done something bad to you
hit back
retaliate by doing sth
--- The British government retaliated by breaking off diplomatic relations.
retaliate against
--- The army began to retaliate against the civilian population.
Synonyms: RECIPROCATE, recompense, requite, return
Related Words: avenge, revenge
Idioms: even the score, get back at, get even with, give in kind, give one a dose of his own
medicine, give one tit for tat, pay one in his own coin, settle (or square) accounts, turn the
tables on
1. (v.) To answer in response to something:
• respond, react, acknowledge, counter, answer back, fling back, hurl back, rebut, rejoin,
reply, quip, retort, return, riposte, come back with
2. (v.) To pay back (an injury) in kind:
• avenge, even the score, fix, get (colloquial), give tit for tat, punish, redress, repay, revenge,
settle a score, strike back, get even (colloquial)
3. (v.) To repay one injury with another:
• counter, hit back, pay back in kind, retort, reciprocate, revenge, settle a score with, strike
back

38)Persecution
Persecution is cruel and unfair treatment of a person or group, especially because of their
religious or political beliefs, or their race.
...the persecution of minorities.
...victims of political persecution...
1 : the act or practice of persecuting especially those who differ in origin, religion, or social
outlook
2 : the condition of being persecuted, harassed, or annoyed
victims of religious persecution: OPPRESSION, victimization, maltreatment, ill-treatment,
mistreatment, abuse, ill-usage, discrimination, tyranny; informal witch hunt.
the persecution I endured at school: HARASSMENT, hounding, intimidation, bullying.
(“Persians,” are descended from Persian Zoroastrians who emigrated to India to avoid religious
persecution by the Muslims.)

39)culminate
If you say that an activity, process, or series of events culminates in or with a particular event,
you mean that event happens at the end of it.

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They had an argument, which culminated in Tom getting drunk...
= conclude
if a process culminates in or with a particular event, it ends with that event
--- A series of events for teachers and students will culminate in a Shakespeare festival next
year.
1.a. To reach the highest point or degree; climax: habitual antagonism that culminated in open
hostility. b. To come to completion; end: Years of waiting culminated in a tearful reunion.
2. Astronomy. To reach the highest point above an observer's horizon. Used of stars and other
celestial bodies. --tr. To bring to the point of greatest intensity or to completion; climax: The
ceremony culminated a long week of preparation. [Late Latin culminlre, culminlt-, from Latin
culmen, culmin-, summit. See kel-2 below.] --cul”mi·na“tion n.
<--- WordNet --->
culminate
culminate
v 1: end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage; "The
meeting culminated in a tearful embrace" [syn: {climax}]
2: bring to a head or to the highest point; "Seurat culminated
pointillism"
3: reach the highest or most decisive point
4: of a celestial body: reach its highest altitude or the
meridian
5: rise to, or form, a summit; "The helmet culminated in a
crest"
Synonyms: CLIMAX, cap, crown, finish off, round off, top off
(These steps culminated in Party president S. Nijalingappa expelling Indira Gandhi from the
party for indiscipline.)

40)patronage[ˈpætrənɪdʒ]
Patronage is the support and money given by someone to a person or a group such as a
charity.
...government patronage of the arts in Europe...
= sponsorship
1. Support, encouragement, or championship, as of a person, an institution, an event, or a
cause, from a patron.
2. Support or encouragement proffered in a condescending manner: It seems our little
establishment has finally been deemed worthy of the bank's patronage.
3. The trade given to a commercial establishment by its customers: Shopkeepers thanked
Christmas shoppers for their patronage.

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4. Customers or patrons considered as a group; clientele: The grand old hotel has a loyal but
demanding patronage.
5.a. The power to distribute or appoint people to governmental or political positions. b. The act
of distributing or appointing people to such positions. c. The positions so distributed or filled.
6. The right to grant an ecclesiastical benefice to a member of the clergy.
Synonyms: BACKING, aegis, auspices, sponsorship
Related Words: benefaction, guardianship, protection; subsidy

41)pledge
1. When someone makes a pledge, they make a serious promise that they will do something.
The meeting ended with a pledge to step up cooperation between the six states of the region.
...a .1.1m pledge of support from the Spanish ministry of culture.
N-COUNT: usu N to-inf
= promise
2. When someone pledges to do something, they promise in a serious way to do it. When they
pledge something, they promise to give it.
Mr Dudley has pledged to give any award to charity...
Philip pledges support and offers to help in any way that he can...
I pledge that by next year we will have the problem solved.
VERB: V to-inf, V n, V that

3. If you pledge a sum of money to an organization or activity, you promise to pay that amount
of money to it at a particular time or over a particular period.
The French President is pledging $150 million in French aid next year...
VERB: V n

Pledge is also a noun.


...a pledge of forty two million dollars a month.
N-COUNT: oft N of n

4. If you pledge yourself to something, you commit yourself to following a particular course of
action or to supporting a particular person, group, or idea.
The President pledged himself to increase taxes for the rich but not the middle classes...
The treaties renounce the use of force and pledge the two countries to co-operation.
VERB: V pron-refl to-inf, V n to n
= commit
5. If you pledge something such as a valuable possession or a sum of money, you leave it with
someone as a guarantee that you will repay money that you have borrowed.

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vocab.txt
He asked her to pledge the house as security for a loan.

42)decree
1. A decree is an official order or decision, especially one made by the ruler of a country.
In July he issued a decree ordering all unofficial armed groups in the country to disband...
N-COUNT: also by N
= order
2. If someone in authority decrees that something must happen, they decide or state this
officially.
The UN Security Council has decreed that the election must be held by May...
The king decreed a general amnesty.
VERB: V that, V n
= order
3. A decree is a judgment made by a law court. (mainly AM)
...court decrees.
Synonyms: EDICT 1, directive, ruling, ukase
2
Synonyms: LAW 1, canon, decretum, edict, ordinance, precept, prescript, regulation, rule,
statute
Related Words: behest, bidding, injunction, order; charge, charging, direction, instruction;
announcement, declaration, proclamation, promulgation, pronouncement

43)mutiny
1. A mutiny is a refusal by people, usually soldiers or sailors, to continue obeying a person in
authority.
A series of coup attempts and mutinies within the armed forces destabilized the regime...
N-VAR

2. If a group of people, usually soldiers or sailors, mutiny, they refuse to continue obeying a
person in authority.
Units stationed around the capital mutinied because they had received no pay for nine
months...
Sailors at a naval base had mutinied against their officers.
down the mutiny: uprising, revolt,
insurrection, rebellion, insurgency,
takeover, overthrow, coup, upheaval.

v.

Page 18
vocab.txt
2. The cruelty of the captain caused the
ship's crew to mutiny: revolt, rebel,
rise up, defy authority.
1. n. defiance, disobedience, insubordination, insurrection, rebellion, refusal to obey orders,
resistance, revolt, revolution, riot, rising, strike, uprising
2. v. be insubordinate, defy authority, disobey, rebel, refuse to obey orders, resist, revolt, rise
up, strike

44)Conspiracy
1. Conspiracy is the secret planning by a group of people to do something illegal.
Seven men, all from Bristol, admitted conspiracy to commit arson...
He believes there probably was a conspiracy to kill President Kennedy in 1963.
N-VAR: oft N to-inf

2. A conspiracy is an agreement between a group of people which other people think is wrong
or is likely to be harmful.
There was no evidence to link the brigade to any conspiracy against Mr Bush.

45)genocide
Genocide is the deliberate murder of a whole community or race.
They have alleged that acts of genocide and torture were carried out.

46)doctrine
doc.trine
doctrine doctrines
A doctrine is a set of principles or beliefs, especially religious ones.
...the Marxist doctrine of perpetual revolution...

47)cordial
cor.dial
cordial cordials
1. Cordial means friendly. (FORMAL)
He had never known him to be so chatty and cordial...
ADJ
!=hostile
=> cor.di.al.ly
They all greeted me very cordially and were eager to talk about the new project.
ADV: ADV with v

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vocab.txt

2. Cordial is a sweet non-alcoholic drink made from fruit juice. (BRIT)

48)incumbent
in.cum.bent
incumbent incumbents
1. An incumbent is someone who holds an official post at a particular time. (FORMAL)
In general, incumbents have a 94 per cent chance of being re-elected.
N-COUNT

Incumbent is also an adjective.


...the only candidate who defeated an incumbent senator.
ADJ: ADJ n

2. If it is incumbent upon you to do something, it is your duty or responsibility to do it.


(FORMAL)
It is incumbent upon all of us to make an extra effort.

49) incorrigible
If you tell someone they are incorrigible, you are saying, often in a humorous way, that they
have faults which will never change.
`Sue, you are incorrigible!' he said...
Gamblers are incorrigible optimists.
someone who is incorrigible is bad in a way that cannot be changed or improved - often used
humorously
an incorrigible liar/rogue
--- Peter, you are an incorrigible flirt!
1. Incapable of being corrected or reformed: an incorrigible criminal.
2. Firmly rooted; ineradicable: incorrigible faults.
3. Difficult or impossible to control or manage: an incorrigible, spoiled child. --in·cor·ri·gi·ble n.
One that cannot be corrected or reformed.
1. The incorrigible boy was in and out of
reform school for years: uncontrollable,
unmanageable, unruly, beyond saving,
hopeless, past changing, beyond help,
intractable; delinquent, hardened,
hard-core, thoroughly bad.

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vocab.txt
ANTONYMS:
correctable, manageable, tractable, amenable.

50)fascist
1. You use fascist to describe organizations, ideas, or systems which follow the principles of
fascism.
...the threatening nature of fascist ideology.
ADJ: usu ADJ n

A fascist is someone who has fascist views.


N-COUNT

2. If you refer to someone as a fascist, you are expressing disapproval of the fact that they have
extreme views on something, and do not tolerate alternative views.
...the so-called health fascists who would meddle in their lives and regulate their calorie intake.
1 someone who supports fascism:
--- The fascists came to power in 1933.
2 informal someone who is cruel and unfair and does not like people to argue with them:
--- My last boss was a real fascist.
3 informal someone who has extreme right-wing opinions:
adjective a fascist regime: AUTHORITARIAN, totalitarian, dictatorial, despotic, autocratic,
undemocratic, illiberal; Nazi, extreme right-wing, rightist, militarist; nationalist(ic), xenophobic,
racist, jingoistic.
Of or relating to a harsh, repressive rule or ruler:
• tyrannical, dictatorial, Fascistic, autocratic, despotic, heavy-handed, imperious, iron-handed,
oppressive, totalitarian, authoritarian, democratic (antonym)

51)barbarian
1. In former times, barbarians were people from other countries who were thought to be
uncivilized and violent.
The Roman Empire was overrun by Nordic barbarians.
2. If you describe someone as a barbarian, you disapprove of them because they behave in a
way that is cruel or uncivilized.
Our maths teacher was a bully and a complete barbarian...
We need to fight this barbarian attitude to science.
1 someone from a different tribe or land, who people believe to be wild and not civilized:
--- The Roman Empire came under severe pressure from the barbarians across the Rhine.
2 someone who does not behave properly, and does not show proper respect for education,

Page 21
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art etc:
--- The youths were described as uncivilised barbarians who savagely attacked innocent
victims.
Synonyms: barbaric, barbarous, Gothic, Hunnic, Hunnish, rude, savage, uncivil, uncivilized,
uncultivated, wild
Related Words: heathenish, vandal, vandalic; backward, coarse, crude, ill-mannered, primitive,
rough; untamed; uncouth, uncultured; beastish, bloodthirsty, brutal, cruel, ferocious, inhuman
Contrasted Words: gentle, peaceful, subdued, submissive, tame; cultured, enlightened, humane,
sophisticated; genteel, refined, well-bred, well-mannered
Antonyms: civilized

52)rhetoric
1. If you refer to speech or writing as rhetoric, you disapprove of it because it is intended to
convince and impress people but may not be sincere or honest.
What is required is immediate action, not rhetoric...
N-UNCOUNT disapproval

2. Rhetoric is the skill or art of using language effectively. (FORMAL)


...the noble institutions of political life, such as political rhetoric, public office and public service.
N-UNCOUNT
Language: Old French; Origin: rethorique, from Latin, from Greek rhetorike, from rhetor
'public speaker', from eirein 'to say, speak']
1 language that is used to persuade or influence people, especially language that sounds
impressive but is not actually sincere or useful:
--- The speech was dismissed by some people as merely political rhetoric .
rhetoric of
--- the rhetoric of socialism
1.a. The art or study of using language effectively and persuasively. b. A treatise or book
discussing this art.
2. Skill in using language effectively and persuasively.
3.a. A style of speaking or writing, especially the language of a particular subject: fiery political
rhetoric. b. Language that is elaborate, pretentious, insincere, or intellectually vacuous: His
offers of compromise were mere rhetoric.
4. Verbal communication; discourse. [Middle English rethorik, from Old French rethorique,
1
Synonyms: ORATORY, elocution, speechcraft
2
Synonyms: BOMBAST, fustian, highfalutin, rant, rhapsody, rodomontade

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53)Subsistence
1. Subsistence is the condition of just having enough food or money to stay alive.
...below the subsistence level...
The standard of living today is on the edge of subsistence.
N-UNCOUNT: oft N n

2. In subsistence farming or subsistence agriculture, farmers produce food to eat themselves


rather than to sell.
Many black Namibians are subsistence farmers who live in the arid borderlands.
1 the condition of only just having enough money or food to stay alive:
--- Many of the families are forced to live at the subsistence level.
--- The land provided subsistence and little more.
2 subsistence farming/agriculture etc: farming that produces just enough food for the farmer
to live on, but does not produce enough food to sell to other people
3 subsistence allowance/payment etc: money that is paid to someone so that they can buy
meals, pay for a place to stay etc
-------Primitive Subsistence Farming

54) primitive
1. Primitive means belonging to a society in which people live in a very simple way, usually
without industries or a writing system.
...studies of primitive societies.
ADJ: usu ADJ n
2. Primitive means belonging to a very early period in the development of an animal or plant.
...primitive whales...
It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.
ADJ
3. If you describe something as primitive, you mean that it is very simple in style or very
old-fashioned.
It's using some rather primitive technology.
ADJ
!=sophisticated
---------------
1 way of life:
2 not modern:
3 animals/plants:
4 feelings:

Page 23
vocab.txt
---------------
1 WAY OF LIFE: belonging to a simple way of life that existed in the past and does not have
modern industries and machines
→ advanced, modern
--- a primitive society
--- a primitive nomadic tribe
--- the tools used by primitive man
--- primitive art
2 NOT MODERN: something that is primitive is very simple and does not have the extra
modern parts that would make it faster, better, more comfortable etc
→ advanced, modern
--- The first station buildings were quite primitive.
--- The local hospital care is primitive and unreliable.
--- Conditions at the camp are very primitive.
--- a primitive steam engine
3 ANIMALS/PLANTS: a primitive animal or plant has a simple structure or body
--- primitive life-forms that live deep in the ocean
--- a primitive single-celled creature
4 FEELINGS: primitive feelings are not based on reason, and seem to come from a part of
people's character that is ancient and animal-like
--- the primitive instinct of survival
--- primitive desires
--- primitively adv
--- primitiveness n [uncountable]
primitive 2 n [countable] an artist who paints simple pictures like those of a child
Space travel is still in a primitive
stage: early, earliest, original, first,
primary; beginning, elementary,
introductory; undeveloped, unrefined,
crude, rudimentary.
ANTONYMS:
1 advanced, later; developed, sophisticated,
refined.
2 civilized, modern.
3 sophisticated, artful, fashionable.
4 comfortable, elaborate.

55)Commercial

Page 24
vocab.txt
1. pertaining to business; done with a profit motive.
2. an audio or video advertising announcement, usually presented on television, radio or in a
cinema theater.
----rice is a commercial crop in Haryana and Punjab, but in Odisha, it is a subsistence crop.

56)prevalent
A condition, practice, or belief that is prevalent is common.
This condition is more prevalent in women than in men...
The prevalent view is that interest rates will fall.
common at a particular time, in a particular place, or among a particular group of people
prevalent in/among etc
--- Solvent abuse is especially prevalent among younger teenagers.
--- the prevalent belief in astrology
--- prevalence n [singular,U]
--- the prevalence of deafness in older age groups
1 archaic : POWERFUL
2 : being in ascendancy : DOMINANT
3 : generally or widely accepted, practiced, or favored : WIDESPREAD
1. Pigeons and squirrels are prevalent in
city parks: numerous, common, frequent,
frequently occurring, prevailing,
general, widespread, rife, pervasive,
universal, abundant, extensive, rampant,
ubiquitous, habitual, usual, normal,
conventional, everyday, commonplace,
familiar, customary, popular.
ANTONYMS: infrequent, rare, unusual, uncommon.
----------While the prevalence of agriculture is indicated by finds of grain, it is more difficult to
reconstruct actual agricultural practices.

57)indigenous
[ɪnˈdɪdʒənəs]
Indigenous people or things belong to the country in which they are found, rather than
coming there or being brought there from another country. (FORMAL)
...the country's indigenous population.
= native
[tribe, population] [flora, fauna][custom, religion, language]
-- kangaroos are indigenous to Australia.

Page 25
vocab.txt
--- Blueberries are indigenous to America.
--- the many indigenous cultures which existed in Siberia.
FUNCTION: adjective
1 Synonyms: NATIVE 2, aboriginal, autochthonous, endemic
Contrasted Words: alien, extraneous, foreign
Antonyms: exotic; naturalized
2 Synonyms: INNATE 1, congenital, connate, connatural, inborn, inherited, native, natural,
unacquired
--------Of the estimated 47,000 plant species, about 15,000 flowering species are endemic
(indigenous) to India.

58)stout
stout stouter stoutest
1. A stout person is rather fat.
He was a tall, stout man with gray hair.
2. Stout shoes, branches, or other objects are thick and strong.
I hope you've both got stout shoes...
...a stout oak door.
= sturdy
3. If you use stout to describe someone's actions, attitudes, or beliefs, you approve of them
because they are strong and determined.
He produced a stout defence of the car business...
= robust
=> stout.ly
She stoutly defended her husband during the trial.
...stoutly anti-imperialist nations.

59)toady
toady toadies toadying toadied
1. If you refer to someone as a toady, you disapprove of them because they flatter or are
pleasant towards an important or powerful person in the hope of getting some advantage
from them.
N-COUNT disapproval
2. If you say that someone is toadying to an important or powerful person, you disapprove of
them because they are flattering or being pleasant towards that person in the hope of getting
some advantage from them.
---They came backstage afterward, cooing and toadying to him.
--- toadying to the boss

Page 26
vocab.txt
: one who flatters in the hope of gaining favors : SYCOPHANT
synonyms see PARASITE, fawning parasite
n : a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a
personal advantage [syn: {sycophant}, {crawler}, {lackey}]
v : try to gain favor by cringing or flattering; "He is always
kowtowing to his boss" [syn: {fawn}, {truckle}, {bootlick},
{kowtow}, {kotow}, {suck up}]
[also: {toadied}]
That bunch of toadies won't even tell the boss when he's making a big mistake:
sycophant, flatterer, fawner,
lickspittle, truckler, backscratcher,
yes-man; Slang apple-polisher,
bootlicker; servile follower, flunky,
stooge, hanger-on, parasite.
ANTONYMS:
1 defy, confront, be hostile to, stand up to,
oppose, resist, scorn, disdain, mock, taunt, twist
the lion's tail.
2 defiant person, hostile person, opponent,
enemy, foe, antagonist.

60)perennial
1. You use perennial to describe situations or states that keep occurring or which seem to exist
all the time; used especially to describe problems or difficulties.
...the perennial urban problems of drugs and homelessness...
ADJ: usu ADJ n
= constant
=> per.en.ni.al.ly
Both services are perennially short of staff.
ADV: usu ADV adj
2. A perennial plant lives for several years and has flowers each year.
...a perennial herb with greenish-yellow flowers.
ADJ: usu ADJ n

Perennial is also a noun.


...a low-growing perennial.
N-COUNT
--------Most of the Himalayan rivers are perennial

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vocab.txt

61)vagabond
vaga.bond
vagabond vagabonds
A vagabond is someone who wanders from place to place and has no home or job.
(OLD-FASHIONED)
N-COUNT
= tramp, vagrant
1 : moving from place to place without a fixed home : WANDERING
2 a : of, relating to, or characteristic of a wanderer b : leading an unsettled, irresponsible, or
disreputable life
–vagabondish \-

62)apprehend
aprɪˈhɛnd/Submit
verb
past tense: apprehended; past participle: apprehended
1.
arrest (someone) for a crime.
"a warrant was issued but he has not been apprehended"
synonyms: arrest, catch, capture, seize; More
2.
understand or perceive.
"we enter a field of vision we could not otherwise apprehend"
synonyms: understand, comprehend, realize, recognize, appreciate, discern, perceive,
fathom, penetrate, catch, follow, grasp, make out, take in; More

63)militant
ˈmɪlɪt(ə)nt/Submit
adjective
1.
favouring confrontational or violent methods in support of a political or social cause.
"the army are in conflict with militant groups"
synonyms: aggressive, violent, belligerent, bellicose, assertive, pushy, vigorous,
forceful, active, ultra-active, fierce, combative, pugnacious; More
noun
1.
a militant person.

Page 28
vocab.txt
"militants became increasingly impatient of parliamentary manoeuvres"
synonyms: activist, extremist, radical, enthusiast, supporter, follower, devotee, Young
Turk, zealot, fanatic, sectarian, partisan
"the demands of the militants"

64)stern1
stəːn/Submit
adjective
(of a person or their manner) serious and unrelenting, especially in the assertion of authority
and exercise of discipline.
"a smile transformed his stern face"
synonyms: serious, unsmiling, frowning, poker-faced, severe, forbidding, grim,
unfriendly, sombre, grave, sober, austere, dour, stony, flinty, steely, unrelenting, unyielding,
unforgiving, unbending, unsympathetic, disapproving; More
(of an act or statement) strict and severe.
"stern measures to restrict vehicle growth"
synonyms: strict, severe, stringent, harsh, drastic, hard, tough, fierce, extreme,
rigorous, rigid, exacting, demanding, uncompromising, unsparing, inflexible, authoritarian,
draconian; More
(of competition or opposition) putting someone or something under extreme pressure.
"the past year has been a stern test of the ability of British industry"

65)prognostication

A prognostication is a
statement about what you think will happen in the future. (FORMAL)
The country is currently obsessed with gloomy prognostications about its future.
N-VAR
= prediction

Page 29
vocab.txt
n 1: a sign of something about to
happen; "he looked for an omen
before going into battle" [syn: {omen}, {portent}, {presage},
{prognostic}, {prodigy}]
2: a statement made about the future [syn: {prediction}, {foretelling},
{forecasting}]
3: knowledge of the future (usually said to be obtained from a
divine source) [syn: {prophecy}, {vaticination}]
Synonyms: PREDICTION, cast, forecast, foretelling, prevision, prognosis,speculation, surmise

66)impregnable
"Australia's Ashes selection roulette"

cerebral
adjective: involving intelligence rather than emotions or instinct
A cerebral analysis of most pop music finds it to be simple and childish, but that ignores the
point--the music's effect on the listener.

contingent
noun: a gathering of persons representative of some larger group
A small contingent of those loyal to the king have gathered around the castle to defend it.

vicissitude
noun: change in one’s circumstances, usually for the worse
Even great rulers have their vicissitudes—massive kingdoms have diminished overnight, and
once beloved kings have faced the scorn of angry masses.

expound
verb: add details or explanation; clarify the meaning; state in depth
The CEO refused to expound on the decision to merge our department with another one, and

Page 30
vocab.txt
so I

aberrant
adjective: markedly different from an accepted norm
When the financial director started screaming and throwing food at his co-workers, the police
had to come in to deal with his aberrant behavior.

erratic
adjective: unpredictable; strange and unconventional
It came as no surprise to pundits that the President’s attempt at re-election floundered; even
during his term, support for his policies was erratic, with an approval rating jumping anywhere
from 30 to 60 percent.

gregarious
adjective: to be likely to socialize with others
Often we think that great leaders are those who are gregarious, always in the middle of a large
group of people; yet, as Mahatma Gandhi and many others have shown us, leaders can also be
introverted.

excoriate
verb: to criticize very harshly
Entrusted with the prototype to his company’s latest smartphone, Larry, during a late night
karaoke bout, let the prototype slip into the hands of a rival company—the next day Larry was
excoriated, and then fired.

limpid
adjective: having clarity in terms of expression
Her limpid prose made even the most recondite subjects accessible to all.

intrepid
adjective: fearless
Captain Ahab was an intrepid captain whose reckless and fearless style ultimately lead to his

Page 31
vocab.txt
downfall.

bowdlerize
verb: edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate
To receive an R rating, the entire movie was bowdlerized because it contained so much
violence and grotesque subject matter.

gambit
noun: a maneuver or risk in a game or conversation, designed to secure an advantage
Randy played a gambit, telling his boss that he would leave at the end of the week if he didn't
get a raise

inexorable
adjective: impossible to stop or prevent
The rise of the computer was an inexorable shift in technology and culture.

flounder
verb: behave awkwardly; have difficulties
Sylvia has excelled at advanced calculus, but ironically, when she has to deal with taxes, she
flounders.

phantasmagorical
adjective: illusive; unreal
Those suffering from malaria fall into a feverish sleep, their world a whirligig of
phantasmagoria; if they recover, they are unsure of what actually took place and what was
simply a product of their febrile imaginations.

screed
noun: an abusive rant (often tedious)
Joey had difficulty hanging out with his former best friend Perry, who, during his entire cup of
coffee, enumerated all of the government’s deficiencies--only to break ranks and launch into
some screed against big business.

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vocab.txt

hector
verb: to bully or intimidate
The boss’s hectoring manner put off many employees, some of whom quit as soon as they
found new jobs.

por·ter
A person employed to carry luggage and other loads, especially in a railroad station, airport, or
hotel.

altruism
noun: the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others
Albert Schweitzer spent most of his life doing missionary work as a doctor in Africa, seeking no
reward, apparently motivated only by altruism.

ingenuous
adjective: to be naïve and innocent
Two-years in Manhattan had changed Jenna from an ingenuous girl from the suburbs to a
jaded urbanite, unlikely to fall for any ruse, regardless of how elaborate.

nettlesome
adjective: causing irritation or annoyance
Maria found her coworker's cell phone nettlesome, because every few minutes it would buzz to
life with another text message.

chauvinist
noun: a person who believes in the superiority of their group
The chauvinist lives on both sides of the political spectrum, outright shunning anybody whose
ideas are not consistent with his own.

vague

Page 33
vocab.txt
veɪɡ/Submit
adjective
of uncertain, indefinite, or unclear character or meaning.
"many patients suffer vague symptoms"
synonyms: indistinct, indefinite, indeterminate, unclear; hazy, cloudy, fuzzy, misty,
lacking definition, blurred, blurry, out of focus, murky, foggy, faint, shadowy, dim, obscure,
nebulous, shapeless, formless, unformed, amorphous; rarenebulose
"they could just make out the vague shape of a ship in the mist"
uncertain, undecided, yet to be decided, unsure, unclear, unsettled, indefinite, indeterminate,
unknown, unestablished, unconfirmed, unresolved, unascertained, pending, outstanding, in the
balance, up in the air, speculative
"they had only vague plans"
absent-mindedness, forgetfulness, disorganization, dreaminess, inattention, abstraction,
wool-gathering, empty-headedness, giddiness, confusion, befuddlement
"an amiable eccentric whose vagueness probably results from constant imbibing"
thinking or communicating in an unfocused or imprecise way.
"he had been very vague about his activities"
synonyms: imprecise, inexact, rough, approximate, inexplicit, non-specific, loose,
ill-defined, generalized, ambiguous, equivocal, hazy, woolly; sketchy, incomplete, inadequate,
imperfect; superficial, cursory, perfunctory
"a vague description"
unclear, hazy, uncertain, unsure, undecided;
puzzled, baffled, mystified, bemused, bewildered, confused, nonplussed;
indecisive, irresolute, hesitant, tentative, wavering, vacillating;
informaliffy
"I'm a little vague about the details"

colloquial
col.lo.quial
colloquial
Colloquial words and phrases are informal and are used mainly in conversation.
...a colloquial expression...
ADJ
=> col.lo.qui.al.ly
The people who write parking tickets in New York are known colloquially as `brownies'.
ADV: ADV with v
adj : characteristic of informal spoken language or conversation;
"wrote her letters in a colloquial style"; "the broken

Page 34
vocab.txt
syntax and casual enunciation of conversational
English" [syn: {conversational}]
adj.
1. The politician's colloquial language
endeared him to small-town voters:
folksy, homespun, homey, chatty,
ordinary, vernacular, idiomatic, common,
everyday, workaday, plain, informal,
casual, unsophisticated, conversational,
familiar.
ANTONYMS:
formal; sophisticated, literary, cultured, refined.

belie
[bɪˈlaɪ]
be.lie
belie belies belying belied
1.If one thing belies another, it hides the true situation and so creates a false idea or image of
someone or something.
---Her looks belie her 50 years.
VERB: V n
2.If one thing belies another, it proves that the other thing is not true or genuine.
---The facts of the situation belie his testimony.
VERB: V n
= disprove
---Her surface calm belied her roiling emotions.
---The effortless fluidity with which the pianist’s fingers moved belied the countless hours he
had practiced.
---Her upbeat attitude during the group project belied her inherent pessimism towards any
collective endeavor.
"note how the outward appearance does not match up with the reality. That contradiction
is the essence of belie."
belie
v past tense and past participle belied present participle belying [T]
1 to give someone a false idea about something:
--- Her pleasant manner belied her true character.

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vocab.txt
2 to show that something cannot be true or real:
--- His cheerful smile belied his words.
belie
be·lie (ba-ls“) tr.v. be·lied, be·ly·ing, be·lies.
1. To picture falsely; misrepresent: “He spoke roughly in order to belie his air of gentility”
(James Joyce).
2. To show to be false: Their laughter belied their outward grief.
3. To be counter to; contradict: At first glance, life at the boarding school seemed to belie all
the bad things I had heard about it. [Middle English bilien, from Old English bel¶ogan, to
deceive with lies. See leugh- below.] --be·li“er n.
belie
belie
v 1: be in contradiction with [syn: {contradict}, {negate}]
2: represent falsely; "This statement misrepresents my
intentions" [syn: {misrepresent}]
[also: {belying}]
<--- Random House Webster's Thesaurus --->
belie
v.
1. The facts belie your story: disprove, refute, contradict, controvert, repudiate, show to be
false, give the lie to, invalidate, gainsay, negatbetray, deny, defy.
2. The author's smile belied his anger with the critic: misrepresent, falsify; disguise, camouflage,
mask, conceal, cloak.
ANTONYMS:
1 prove, verify, attest to, validate, support, confirm, corroborate.
2 represent, reveal, disclose, indicate.

gullible
ˈɡʌləb(ə)l/Submit
adjective
easily persuaded to believe something; credulous.
"an attempt to persuade a gullible public to spend their money"
synonyms: credulous, over-trusting, over-trustful, trustful, easily deceived/led, easily
taken in, exploitable, dupable, deceivable, impressionable, unsuspecting, unsuspicious, unwary,
unguarded, unsceptical, ingenuous, naive, innocent, simple, inexperienced, unworldly, green, as
green as grass, childlike, ignorant; foolish, silly; informalwet behind the ears, born yesterday
"the swindler preyed upon gullible old women"

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Paparazzi (US: /ˌpɑːpəˈrɑːtsi/, UK: /ˌpæpəˈrætsi/; Italian: [papaˈrattsi]; singular: masculine


paparazzo or feminine paparazza) are independent photographers who take pictures of
high-profile people, such as athletes, entertainers, politicians, and other celebrities, typically
while subjects go about their usual life routines. Paparazzi tend to make a living by selling their
photographs to media outlets focusing on tabloid journalism and sensationalism (such as
gossip magazines).

sabotage
ˈsabətɑːʒ/Submit
verb
1.
deliberately destroy, damage, or obstruct (something), especially for political or military
advantage.
"power lines from South Africa were sabotaged by rebel forces"
synonyms: wreck, deliberately damage, vandalize, destroy, obstruct, disrupt, cripple,
impair, incapacitate
"a guerrilla group sabotaged the national electricity grid"
disrupt, spoil, ruin, wreck, undermine, filibuster, impair, damage, threaten, subvert;
informalthrow a spanner in the works of, muller;
informalthrow a monkey wrench in the works of
"it would be very easy for me to sabotage your plans"
noun
1.
the action of sabotaging something.
"a coordinated campaign of sabotage"
synonyms: wrecking, deliberate damage, vandalism, destruction, obstruction,
disruption, crippling, impairment, incapacitation; rareecotage
"the fire may have been an act of sabotage"
disruption, spoiling, ruining, wrecking, undermining, filibustering, impairment, damage,
subversion;
informala spanner in the works;
informala monkey wrench in the works

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"this procedure is open to sabotage by an awkward participant"

covet
ˈkʌvɪt/Submit
verb
past tense: coveted; past participle: coveted
yearn to possess (something, especially something belonging to another).
"I covet one of their smart bags"
synonyms: desire, be consumed with desire for, crave, have one's heart set on; want,
wish for, long for, yearn for, dream of, aspire to, hanker for, hanker after, hunger after/for, thirst
for, ache for, fancy, burn for, pant for
"people still coveted things which didn't belong to them"

fraternity
frəˈtəːnɪti/Submit
noun
1.
a group of people sharing a common profession or interests.
"members of the hunting fraternity"
synonyms: profession, body of workers; band, group, set, circle
"the dedicated enthusiasts among the teaching fraternity"
2.
friendship and mutual support within a group.
"the ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity"
synonyms: brotherhood, fellowship, kinship, friendship, companionship, support,
mutual support, solidarity, community, union, togetherness; sisterhood
"the meeting engendered a spirit of fraternity"

conundrum
kəˈnʌndrəm/Submit
noun
a confusing and difficult problem or question.

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"one of the most difficult conundrums for the experts"
synonyms: problem, difficult question, vexed question, difficulty, quandary, dilemma;
More
a question asked for amusement, typically one with a pun in its answer; a riddle.
synonyms: riddle, puzzle, word game, anagram; informalbrain-teaser, brain-twister
"Roderick enjoyed conundrums and crosswords"

annex
verb
əˈnɛks/Submit
1.
add as an extra or subordinate part, especially to a document.
"the first ten amendments were annexed to the Constitution in 1791"
2.
add (territory) to one's own territory by appropriation.
"the left bank of the Rhine was annexed by France in 1797"
synonyms: take over, take possession of, appropriate, expropriate, arrogate, seize,
conquer, occupy, garrison; usurp
"Charlemagne annexed northern Italy, Saxony, and Bavaria"
noun
ˈanɛks/Submit
1.
a building joined to or associated with a main building, providing additional space or
accommodation.
"the school's one-storey wooden annex"
2.
an addition to a document.
"an annex to the report"
synonyms: extension, supplementary building, addition, annexe; wing; informalell
"a school annex"

appendix
əˈpɛndɪks/Submit
noun

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1.
ANATOMY
a tube-shaped sac attached to and opening into the lower end of the large intestine in humans
and some other mammals. In humans the appendix is small and has no known function, but in
rabbits, hares, and some other herbivores it is involved in the digestion of cellulose.
"I'm merely standing in while Stella is having her appendix out"
2.
a section or table of subsidiary matter at the end of a book or document.
"a list of such activities was published as an appendix to the report"
synonyms: supplement, addendum, postscript, codicil; addition, extension,
continuation, adjunct, appendage; coda, epilogue, afterword, rider, sequel, tailpiece, back
matter; rarepostlude
"the list was published as an appendix to the report"
something annexed; also called annex
Examples
Annexure is a term substituted in some legal documents for Appendix.
Word Origin
annex and '-ure' meaning action or process

sojourn
ˈsɒdʒ(ə)n,ˈsɒdʒəːn/Submit
formal
noun
1.
a temporary stay.
"her sojourn in Rome"
synonyms: stay, visit, stop, stopover, residence; More
verb
1.
stay somewhere temporarily.
"she had sojourned once in Egypt"
synonyms: stay, live; put up, stop, stop over, break one's journey, lodge, room, board,
have rooms, be quartered, be housed, be billeted; holiday; vacation; informalvacay; archaicbide,
abide, tarry
"I sojourned in California before settling in the Midwest"

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litter
ˈlɪtə/Submit
verb
past tense: littered; past participle: littered
1.
make (a place or area) untidy with rubbish or a large number of objects left lying about.
"clothes and newspapers littered the floor"
synonyms: make untidy, mess up, make a mess of, clutter up, throw into disorder, be
strewn about, be scattered about, be jumbled, be disarranged; informalmake a shambles of,
trash; literarybestrew, besmirch
"clothes and newspapers littered the floor"
2.
archaic
provide (a horse or other animal) with litter as bedding.

mire
mʌɪə/Submit
verb
past tense: mired; past participle: mired
cause to become stuck in mud.
"sometimes a heavy truck gets mired down"
synonyms: get bogged down, sink, sink down, stick in the mud
"Frank's horse got mired in a bog hole"
cover or spatter with mud.
"the horse waded through the red mud that mired it to its hocks"
synonyms: dirty, soil, muddy, begrime, spatter, smear, make muddy/dirty, cake with
dirt/soil
"the children were mired from playing outside"
involve someone or something in (a difficult situation).
"the economy is mired in its longest recession since the war"
synonyms: entangle, tangle up, embroil, enmesh, catch up, mix up, involve, bog down
"since his fall from grace he had been mired in lawsuits"

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adversary
ˈadvəs(ə)ri/Submit
noun
plural noun: adversaries
one's opponent in a contest, conflict, or dispute.
"Davis beat his old adversary in the quarter-finals"
synonyms: opponent, rival, enemy, foe, nemesis, antagonist, combatant, challenger,
contender, competitor, opposer, fellow contestant; opposition, competition; rarecorrival
"he parried the strokes of his adversary with almost contemptuous ease"

debacle
deɪˈbɑːk(ə)l/Submit
noun
a sudden and ignominious failure; a fiasco.
"the only man to reach double figures in the second-innings debacle"
synonyms: fiasco, failure, catastrophe, disaster, disintegration, mess, wreck, ruin;
downfall, collapse, defeat, rout, overthrow, conquest, trouncing; informalfoul-up, screw-up,
hash, botch, washout, fail; informalcock-up, pig's ear, car crash; informalsnafu; vulgar
slangfuck-up, balls-up
"the coup attempt resulted in an embarrassing debacle"

rapport
raˈpɔː/Submit
noun
a close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned understand each
other's feelings or ideas and communicate well.
"she was able to establish a good rapport with the children"
synonyms: affinity, close/special relationship, (mutual) understanding, bond, empathy,

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harmony, sympathy, link, accord

brawl
brɔːl/Submit
noun
1.
a rough or noisy fight or quarrel.
"he'd got into a drunken brawl in a bar"
synonyms: fight, fist fight, skirmish, scuffle, tussle, fracas, scrimmage, fray, melee,
rumpus, altercation, wrangle, clash, free-for-all, scrum, brouhaha, commotion, uproar; More
verb
1.
fight or quarrel in a rough or noisy way.
"he ended up brawling with a lout outside his house"
synonyms: fight, skirmish, scuffle, tussle, exchange blows, come to blows, struggle,
grapple, wrestle, scrimmage; informalscrap, have a dust-up, have a set-to; informalhave a
punch-up; informalswedge; informalrough-house; informalstoush, go the knuckle
"he ended up brawling with photographers"

alleged
əˈlɛdʒd/Submit
adjective
said, without proof, to have taken place or to have a specified illegal or undesirable quality.
"the alleged conspirators"
synonyms: supposed, so-called, claimed, professed, purported, ostensible, apparent,
putative, unproven, rumoured, reputed, presumed, assumed, reported, declared, stated,
avowed, described
"the place where the alleged offences were committed"

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incessant
ɪnˈsɛs(ə)nt/Submit
adjective
(of something regarded as unpleasant) continuing without pause or interruption.
"the incessant beat of the music"
synonyms: ceaseless, unceasing, constant, continual, unabating, interminable, endless,
unending, never-ending, everlasting, eternal, perpetual, continuous, non-stop, uninterrupted,
unbroken, ongoing, unremitting, persistent, relentless, unrelenting, unrelieved, sustained,
unflagging, unwearying, untiring; recurrent
"incessant rain fell for several days"

contempt
kənˈtɛm(p)t/Submit
noun
the feeling that a person or a thing is worthless or beneath consideration.
"Pam stared at the girl with total contempt"
synonyms: scorn, disdain, disrespect, deprecation, disparagement, denigration, opprobrium,
odium, obloquy, scornfulness; derision, mockery, ridicule; disgust, loathing, detestation,
abhorrence, hatred; archaiccontumely
----"she was showing little but contempt for him"
disregard for something that should be considered.
----"this action displays an arrogant contempt for the wishes of the majority"
synonyms: disrespect, disregard, slighting, neglect; contumacy
----"he is guilty of contempt of court"
the offence of being disobedient to or disrespectful of a court of law and its officers.
plural noun: contempts; noun: contempt of court; plural noun: contempts of court
----"when he was found to have lied to the House this was a contempt"
contemptuous
adjective: scornful, looking down at others with a sneering attitude
---Always on the forefront of fashion, Vanessa looked contemptuously at anyone wearing
dated clothing.
contemptuously
adverb: in a scornful way that shows disdain.
----"he contemptuously dismisses his son's work"

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proscribe
prə(ʊ)ˈskrʌɪb/Submit
verb
1. forbid, especially by law.
"strikes remained proscribed in the armed forces"
synonyms: forbid, prohibit, ban, bar, disallow, rule out, embargo, veto, make illegal,
interdict, outlaw, taboo
---"gambling was proscribed"
2. denounce or condemn (command against)
----My doctor proscribed my habit of eating donuts with chocolate sauce and hamburger
patties for breakfast.
----"certain customary practices which the Catholic Church proscribed, such as polygyny"
synonyms: condemn, denounce, attack, criticize, censure, denigrate, damn, reject
----"a case was made for precisely the sort of intervention which the Report proscribed"
historical
3. outlaw (someone).
----"a plaque on which were the names of proscribed traitors"
synonyms: outlaw, boycott, black, blackball, exclude, ostracize; exile, expel, expatriate,
evict, deport; excommunicate
----"the pedlar appeals to the local authorities who proscribe Buckley as a highwayman"

harangue
həˈraŋ/Submit
noun
1.
a lengthy and aggressive speech.
"they were subjected to a ten-minute harangue by two border guards"
synonyms: tirade, lecture, diatribe, homily, polemic, rant, fulmination, broadside,
verbal attack, verbal onslaught, invective; More
verb
1.
lecture (someone) at length in an aggressive and critical manner.

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"he harangued the public on their ignorance"
synonyms: deliver a tirade to, rant at, lecture, hold forth to, preach to, pontificate to,
sermonize to, spout to, declaim to, give a lecture to; berate, castigate, criticize, attack, lambaste,
censure, pillory, upbraid; informalearbash, speechify to, preachify to, sound off to, spiel to
"the union leaders harangued the workers over loudspeakers"
noun: a long pompous speech; a tirade
Dinner at Billy's was more a punishment than a reward, since anyone who sat at the dinner
table would have to listen to Billy's father's interminable harangues against the government.

patron
ˈpeɪtr(ə)n/Submit
noun
1.
a person who gives financial or other support to a person, organization, or cause.
"a celebrated patron of the arts"
synonyms: sponsor, backer, financier, subsidizer, underwriter, guarantor,
benefactor/benefactress, contributor, subscriber, donor; philanthropist, promoter, friend,
helper, supporter, upholder, advocate, champion, protector; informalangel; rareMaecenas
"a patron of the arts"
2.
a customer of a shop, restaurant, etc., especially a regular one.
"we surveyed the plushness of the hotel and its sleek, well-dressed patrons"
synonyms: customer, client, frequenter; shopper, buyer, purchaser, consumer, diner,
user, visitor, guest, member of the audience/crowd; clientele; informalregular
"patrons of shops, restaurants, and clubs"
patronize
verb: treat condescendingly
She says she genuinely wanted to help me, but instead she patronized me, constantly pointing
out how I was inferior to her.

melee
ˈmɛleɪ/Submit
noun

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a confused fight or scuffle.
"several people were hurt in the melee"
synonyms: tumult, disturbance, rumpus, commotion, disorder; More
a confused crowd of people.
"the melee of people that were always thronging the streets"
"After enduring daily taunts about my name, I became enraged and pummeled the schoolyard
bully and his sycophantic friends in a brutal melee."

derelict
ˈdɛrəlɪkt/Submit
adjective
1.
in a very poor condition as a result of disuse and neglect.
"a derelict Georgian mansion"
synonyms: unsafe, dangerous, hazardous, perilous, precarious, insecure, treacherous;
dilapidated, ramshackle, run down, broken-down, worn out, tumbledown, in (a state of)
disrepair, in ruins, ruined, falling to pieces, falling apart; rickety, creaky, creaking, decrepit,
deteriorating, crumbling, deteriorated; neglected, untended, unmaintained, gone to rack and
ruin, gone to seed, on its last legs, the worse for wear; unhealthy, contaminated, unsound,
infected, blighted, unwholesome, septic, rotten, bad
"a condemned building"
dilapidated, ramshackle, run down, broken-down, worn out, tumbledown, in (a state of)
disrepair, in ruins, ruined, falling to pieces, falling apart;
rickety, creaky, creaking, decrepit, deteriorating, crumbling, deteriorated;
neglected, untended, unmaintained, gone to rack and ruin, gone to seed, on its last legs, the
worse for wear
"a derelict old building"
disused, abandoned, deserted, discarded, rejected, forsaken, cast off, relinquished, ownerless
"a vast, derelict airfield"
2.
NORTH AMERICAN
shamefully negligent of one's duties or obligations.
"he was derelict in his duty to his country"
synonyms: negligent, neglectful, remiss, lax, careless, sloppy, slipshod, slack,
irresponsible, delinquent
"he was derelict in his duty to his country"

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noun
1.
a person without a home, job, or property.
"derelicts who could fit all their possessions in a paper bag"
synonyms: tramp, vagrant, vagabond, down and out, homeless person, drifter, person
of no fixed address/abode, knight of the road; More
2.
a ship or other piece of property abandoned by the owner and in poor condition.
"she had been a derelict recommissioned for this journey"
derelict adjective: (of a person) not doing one's duties The teacher was derelict in her duties
because she hadn't graded a single student paper in three weeks.

indifference
ɪnˈdɪf(ə)r(ə)ns/Submit
noun
1.
lack of interest, concern, or sympathy, the trait of seeming not to care.
"she shrugged, feigning indifference"
"In an effort to fight indifference, the president of the college introduced a new, stricter
grading system."
synonyms: lack of concern about, unconcern about, apathy about/towards,
nonchalance about, lack of interest in, disregard for, obliviousness to, uninvolvement in/with;
heedlessness of, mindlessness of, carelessness of, dismissiveness of; boredom with, weariness
of, unresponsiveness to, lack of enthusiasm about; impassiveness, impassivity,
dispassionateness, aloofness, insouciance, detachment, distance, coldness, coolness,
unresponsiveness, passionlessness, emotionlessness, lack of feeling, lack of sympathy,
callousness; rarepoco-curantism
"he has a total indifference to public opinion"
2.
mediocrity.
"the indifference of Chelsea's midfield"
synonyms: mediocrity, ordinariness, commonplaceness, lack of inspiration,
passableness, adequacy; inferiority, lack of distinction, amateurism
"the indifference of the team's midfield players"

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incense
ˈɪnsɛns/Submit
noun
1.
a gum, spice, or other substance that is burned for the sweet smell it produces.
"the sharp lingering sweetness of incense"
synonyms: perfume, fragrance, scent; More
verb
1.
perfume with incense or a similar fragrance.
"the aroma of cannabis incensed the air"

decimate
ˈdɛsɪmeɪt/Submit
verb
1.
kill, destroy, or remove a large proportion of.
"the inhabitants of the country had been decimated"
2.
historical
kill one in every ten of (a group of people, originally a mutinous Roman legion) as a
punishment for the whole group.
"the man who is to determine whether it be necessary to decimate a large body of mutineers"

vacillate
ˈvasɪleɪt/Submit
verb
waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive.
"I vacillated between teaching and journalism"

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synonyms: dither, be indecisive, be irresolute, be undecided, be uncertain, be unsure,
be doubtful, waver, teeter, temporize, hesitate, oscillate, fluctuate, keep changing one's mind;
haver, hum and haw; swither; informaldilly-dally, shilly-shally, blow hot and cold
"I had for a time vacillated between teaching and journalism"
irresolute, hesitant, tentative, dithering, wavering, teetering, fluctuating, ambivalent, divided,
doubtful, unsure, uncertain, in two minds, undecided, indefinite, unresolved, undetermined;
informaldilly-dallying, shilly-shallying, iffy, blowing hot and cold
"he became the target for accusations of vacillating leadership"

reigning
ˈreɪnɪŋ/Submit
adjective
occupying the throne; ruling.
"the official residence of the reigning monarch"
currently holding a particular sporting title.
"the reigning European champions"

marauder
məˈrɔːdə/Submit
noun
a person who marauds; a raider.
"a band of English marauders were surprised and overcome"
synonyms: raider, plunderer, pillager, looter, robber, pirate, freebooter, buccaneer,
corsair, rover, bandit, brigand, rustler, highwayman, ravager; historicalcateran, mosstrooper;
archaicreaver, snaphance
"they placed chains across the river mouth to keep out marauders"

equivocal
ɪˈkwɪvək(ə)l/Submit
adjective
open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous.

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"the equivocal nature of her remarks"
(of a person) using ambiguous or evasive language.
"he has always been equivocal about the meaning of his lyrics"
synonyms: ambiguous, indefinite, non-committal, vague, indeterminate, imprecise,
inexact, indistinct, inexplicit, blurry, hazy, foggy, nebulous, borderline; obscure, unclear, cryptic,
enigmatic, puzzling, perplexing, gnomic, Delphic; ambivalent, uncertain, unsure, indecisive,
inconclusive, doubtful; roundabout, oblique, circumlocutory, circuitous, periphrastic;
misleading, evasive, elusive, duplicitous, equivocating, prevaricating; contradictory, confusing,
two-edged, double-edged, paradoxical, confused, muddled
"an equivocal statement"
uncertain or questionable in nature.
"the results of the investigation were equivocal"
Equivocate (v.)
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<People tend to think that equivocate has to do with equal. It actually
means to speak vaguely, usually
with the intention to mislead or deceive. More generally, equivocal can mean ambiguous. The
related
word unequivocal can also be confusing. To state something unequivocally is to state it in such
a way
that there is no room for doubt.
The findings of the study were equivocal—the two researchers had divergent opinions on what
the
results signified.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

renounce
rɪˈnaʊns/Submit
verb
formally declare one's abandonment of (a claim, right, or possession).
"Isabella offered to renounce her son's claim to the French Crown"
synonyms: reject, refuse to abide by, refuse to recognize, repudiate
"Hungary renounced the 1977 agreement on environmental grounds"
LAW
refuse or resign a right or position, especially one as an heir or trustee.
"there will be forms enabling the allottee to renounce"
synonyms: give up, relinquish, abandon, resign, abdicate, surrender, sign away, waive,

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forgo; disclaim; rareabnegate, demit
"Edward renounced his claim to the French throne"
refuse to continue to recognize or abide by.
"these agreements were renounced after the fall of the Tsarist regime"
synonyms: reject, refuse to abide by, refuse to recognize, repudiate
"Hungary renounced the 1977 agreement on environmental grounds"

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