Academic Words By Andrew

Front 1

OSTENSIBLE

Back 1

Apparent, appearing or seeming to be true, professed or declared as true
without being demonstrated or proved.
More difficult synonyms of ostensible include plausible (PLAW-zi-bul)
and specious (SPEE-shus). Specious, however, has the negative
suggestion of using deception to make something false appear true. A
specious argument is one that looks good on the surface but is flawed
underneath.
Ostensible is often used in opposition to real or actual. An ostensible
motive is not necessarily a real motive; an ostensible advantage is not
necessarily an actual advantage.

Front 2

DIGRESS

Back 2

To wander, stray from the point, ramble, deviate, go off in another direction.
Digress comes from the Latin digressus, which comes in turn from the
prefix dis-, apart, and gradi, to go, walk, step. Digress means literally to go
apart, walk away. From the same Latin source come ingress (IN-gres), the
place you walk in, the entrance; and egress (EE-gres), the place you walk
out, the exit.

Digress once was used of a physical wandering or turning aside, but that
sense is now archaic (ahr-KAY-ik), which means old-fashioned. Today we
do not say, “She turned right and digressed down Main Street.” Instead,
digress is used of speaking or writing that departs from the main point or
subject at hand and wanders off in another direction: “In a business report
or an oral presentation, it's important to stick to the facts and not digress”;
“If she hadn't digressed so much, her lecture would have been more
interesting.”
The corresponding noun is digression (di-GRESH-un or dy-GRESH-un):
“The old man's story was full of humorous digressions.”

Front 3

UNCANNY

Back 3

Eerie, strange, weird, mysterious: “an uncanny experience.”
Uncanny may refer to something that is strange in an unnatural or
unearthly way, something whose strangeness is unsettling or even
frightening.
Uncanny may also be used to mean beyond what is normal or expected,
strange in a remarkable or marvelous way, as “an uncanny resemblance,”
or “uncanny ability.”

Front 4

CANDOR

Back 4

Frankness, openness, sincere expression.
Synonyms include straightforwardness, outspokenness, forthrightness,
and ingenuousness. Candor is the noun; the adjective is candid, frank,
open, sincere.
The candid person expresses his or her thoughts frankly and openly, with
no hesitation. The forthright person speaks directly to the point, plainly and
sometimes bluntly, in a no-nonsense manner. The ingenuous
(in-JEN-yoo-us) person speaks honestly and sincerely, with no hint of
evasiveness or deception.

Front 5

MOROSE

Back 5

Gloomy, moody, glum, grumpy, ill-tempered, depressed. “After weeks of
futile job-hunting, he became morose.”
More difficult synonyms of morose include dolorous (DOH-luh-rus), which
means mournful, full of sadness; lugubrious (luh-GOO-bree-us), which
means extremely gloomy or dismal; and saturnine (SAT-ur-nyn), which
means having a bitter disposition or sour outlook on life.

Antonyms—words opposite in meaning—include optimistic, jovial
(JOH-vee-ul), and sanguine (SANG-gwin), which means having a cheerful,
confident outlook on life.
Sullen (SUHL-in) and morose are close in meaning. When you refuse to
speak or associate with people because you're in a bad mood, you are
being sullen. When you are depressed and silent because you are feeling
bitter or resentful, you are morose. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate
Dictionary, tenth edition, says that morose suggests “bitterness or
misanthropy.” Misanthropy (mis-AN-thruh-pee) is hatred of humankind, a
spiteful or pessimistic attitude about the human race. Moroseness is
ill-tempered, bitter gloominess.

Front 6

ADEPT

Back 6

Skilled.
Synonyms include handy, clever, able, deft, expert, adroit, dexterous
(DEK-strus, also DEK-stur-us), and proficient (pruh-FISH-int, not proh-).
Adept comes from the Latin adeptus, an alchemist who has learned how
to do the impossible—change base metals into gold. The noun an adept
(AD-ept) means a highly skilled person, an expert. The adjective adept
means skilled, dexterous, proficient: “He was adept at managing his
investments, and they always turned a handsome profit.”

Front 7

SATURATED

Back 7

Soaked, thoroughly wet, full of moisture.
Synonyms include drenched, steeped, permeated (PUR-mee-AY-tid),
impregnated, imbued (im-BYOOD), and sodden (SAHD-’n).
Sodden may mean heavy with moisture, soggy, or dull, stupefied,
expressionless, as from drinking too much liquor. To saturate means to
soak or wet thoroughly, either literally, as in “My french fries are saturated
with oil,” or figuratively: “The company saturated the media with ads for its
new product.” Saturation is the corresponding noun.

Front 8

PRAGMATIC

Back 8

Practical, having to do with actual practice, concerned with everyday affairs
as opposed to theory or speculation.
Pragmatic comes from the Latin pragmaticus, which means skilled in
business or law. The lawyer is concerned with evidence and proof; the
businessperson is concerned with facts and figures. Both have little time for idle speculation or harebrained schemes. Both must be pragmatic,
concerned with practical, everyday affairs.

Front 9

CONGENIAL

Back 9

Sympathetic, agreeable, compatible, kindred, harmonious, having the same
taste, nature, or temperament.
Congenial persons have similar or sympathetic tastes, interests, or
personalities. Congenial things agree, go well together.
Antonyms, or opposites, of congenial are alien, dissident (DIS-uh-dint),
and incongruous (in-KAHNG-groo-us).

Front 10

CAPRICIOUS

Back 10

Unpredictable, tending to change abruptly for no apparent or logical reason.
Synonyms of capricious include flighty, changeable, impulsive, and
fickle. More difficult synonyms include erratic, whimsical (W(H)IM-zi-kul),
volatile (VAHL-uh-tul), and mercurial (mur-KYUR-ee-ul).
A caprice (kuh-PREES) is a sudden change of mind or change in the emotions. A person or a thing that is capricious is subject to caprices—to
abrupt, unpredictable changes: “He's so capricious, his mood changes with
the wind”; “New England has a capricious climate”; “The stock market is
notoriously capricious.”
Did you notice that my recommended pronunciation for capricious is
kuh-PRISH-us, the second syllable rhyming with wish? You will hear
educated speakers say kuh-PREE-shus, a pronunciation based on the
corresponding noun caprice (kuh-PREES). This variant has been
recognized by American dictionaries since the 1960s. But authorities have
preferred kuh-PRISH-us since the 18th century, when pronunciation was
first recorded. Current American dictionaries list kuh-PRISH-us first, and it
is the only pronunciation in the Oxford English Dictionary. Have you ever
heard anyone put an E in the middle of suspicious, judicious, or avaricious
? Rhyme capricious with delicious.

Front 11

BLATANT

Back 11

Noisy, disagreeably or offensively loud, boisterous, clamorous: “the blatant
sound of horns honking in heavy traffic.”
Blatant is also used to mean sticking out in a glaring way, obtrusive,
flagrant, as in “a blatant lie,” “a blatant error,” “a blatant attempt to impress
the boss.”
In either sense, blatant suggests something conspicuous and
disagreeable.

Front 12

OBLIGATORY

Back 12

Required, necessary, binding, mandatory.
Obligatory duties are those you must perform to fulfill an obligation or
responsibility. Doing miscellaneous paperwork is an obligatory function of
the clerical worker.
Do not pronounce the initial o in obligatory like the o in open. Pronounce
it like the a in above.

Front 13

NEGLIGIBLE

Back 13

Unimportant, trifling, of little consequence.
That which is negligible can be neglected. A negligible concern can be
disregarded; it is so trivial and insignificant that it warrants little or no
attention.

Front 14

ADAMANT

Back 14

Unyielding, immovable, inflexible, refusing to give in, unshakable,
unrelenting, implacable. “She was adamant in her opposition to the plan.”
The adjective adamant comes from the noun adamant, which refers to a
hard substance or stone, such as a diamond, that in ancient times was
believed to be unbreakable. There is an old word adamantine (AD-uh-MAN
-tin), still listed in current dictionaries but not often used; it means like
adamant, very hard, unbreakable. The adjective adamant, which has
replaced adamantine in current usage, means hard in the sense of
inflexible, immovable, unyielding.

Front 15

SPORADIC

Back 15

Occasional, infrequent, irregular, not constant, happening from time to time,
occurring in a scattered or random way.
A business venture may have sporadic success. A gambler's luck may
be sporadic. Sporadic crimes are crimes scattered throughout a city or
neighborhood. Sporadic outbreaks of a disease in the population are
occasional, isolated outbreaks.
Antonyms of sporadic include constant, incessant (in-SES-int), and
unremitting.

Front 16

VANGUARD

Back 16

The forefront of an action or movement, leading position or persons in a
movement: “They were in the vanguard of the war on poverty.”
In its strict military sense, vanguard means the troops moving at the head
of an army, the part of the army that goes ahead of the main body, an
advance guard.

Front 17

CONCUR

Back 17

To agree, be in accord with, unite in opinion.
Concur comes from the Latin con-, together, and currere, to run, flow,
and means literally to run or flow together, go along with. That derivation has
led to three slightly different meanings of the word.
First, concur may be used to mean to act together, combine in having an
effect, as “Time and chance concurred in our success.”
Second, concur may be used to mean happen together, occur at the
same time, coincide, as “His pay raise concurred with his promotion.”
The third and most common meaning of concur is to agree, as “Your
story concurs with theirs”; “We concurred on almost every point of negotiation.”

Front 18

PRECOCIOUSNESS

Back 18

Early development or maturity, especially in mental ability.
The noun precociousness and the adjective precocious come from the
Latin praecox, which means premature, or literally, “ripening before its
time.” Precocious is most often used of children whose intellectual or
emotional development is unusually advanced. Precociousness, early
development, is the opposite of retardation, slowness in development.

Front 19

ALOOF

Back 19

Apart, at a distance, removed, withdrawn, not wishing to speak or associate
with others.
The aloof person is emotionally reserved and keeps a cool distance from
others. Aloofness means reluctance to get involved or take an interest in
something.
Synonyms of aloof include unsympathetic, unapproachable, standoffish
, and indifferent.

Front 20

CREED

Back 20

Belief, professed faith or opinion, especially a system of religious belief.
Synonyms include doctrine and dogma.
In the United States it is illegal to discriminate against someone based on
race or creed, belief.
Creed comes from the Latin credo, “I believe,” the source of the English
word credo (KREE-doh or, like the Latin, KRAY-doh). A credo is a declared
set of beliefs or opinions.
Credo and creed are synonymous. Credo is the more learned (LUR-nid)
word, usually reserved for a formal declaration of belief. Creed is used
more generally of any professed faith or opinion.
The Latin credo is also the source of incredible, not believable, credible,
believable, and credulous (KREJ-uh-lus). Credulous means inclined to
believe, willing to accept something as true without questioning. Credulous
and gullible are synonymous. To a credulous person, even the most
outrageous tall tales seem credible.

Front 21

TAWDRY

Back 21

Cheap and showy, gaudy, garish, sleazy.
Legend has it that tawdry comes from the phrase “tawdry lace,” a
corruption of “Saint Audrey lace,” a type of lace sold at Saint Audrey's fair
in England. Apparently the lace was of inferior quality, thus over time the
word tawdry came to mean cheap and showy. Today the word may be
used both literally and figuratively. A person may wear tawdry clothing or
have a tawdry reputation.

Front 22

PEEVISH

Back 22

Irritable, cross, complaining, fretful, ill-humored and impatient, difficult to
please.
There are peevish moods, peevish remarks, and peevish looks. A peeve
is something that irritates or annoys: “Her pet peeve is a wet towel left on
the bed.” Peevish means irritable, ill-humored, full of complaints.

Front 23

ARDUOUS

Back 23

Very difficult, hard to achieve or accomplish, requiring great effort.
“Compiling the annual report is an arduous task.” “Raising children is an
arduous responsibility.”
Synonyms of arduous include strenuous, laborious, and toilsome.

Front 24

PERSONABLE

Back 24

Attractive, pleasing in appearance, handsome, comely, fair, presentable.
In recent years, personable has come to be used to mean having a nice
personality. You should avoid using the word in that way. The words
sociable, affable, and amiable already suggest people who are friendly,
pleasant, and approachable. There is no need for personable to take over
this sense. An awkward or unbecoming person, no matter how friendly and
pleasant, cannot correctly be personable. Reserve personable for
someone who is either attractive in appearance or attractive both in
appearance and personality.

Front 25

RESOLUTE

Back 25

Firmly determined or settled, resolved, having a set opinion or purpose,
steadfast, unwavering, persevering.
Resolute comes from the Latin resolvere, the source also of the verb to
resolve, which means to decide, determine, settle once and for all: “After
much debate, the board of directors resolved to go ahead with the five-year
plan.” “The lawyers tried to resolve the case out of court.” Resolute means
resolved in one's opinion or purpose: “He was resolute about earning a
master's degree and starting a successful business.”
Antonyms of resolute include irresolute, unsteady, and vacillating
(VAS-i-lay-ting).

Front 26

SUPPOSITION

Back 26

An assumption, theory, hypothesis.
To suppose means to assume as true, put something forward for
consideration. A supposition is something supposed, an idea put forward
for consideration.
A hypothesis (hy-PAHTH-uh-sis), a conjecture (kun-JEK-chur), and a
supposition are all assumptions or theories.
A hypothesis is a preliminary or incomplete theory based on insufficient evidence: “There are conflicting hypotheses about the origin of the
universe.” (The plural, hypotheses, is pronounced hy-PAHTH-uh-seez.)
A conjecture is an assumption based on so little evidence that it is merely
an educated guess: “Every week we hear different conjectures about
trends in the stock market.”
A supposition may be based on ample evidence or no evidence at all,
and may be either sensible or irrational: “His suppositions about the
company's financial condition proved consistent with the facts.”

Front 27

ARBITRARY

Back 27

Unreasoned, based on personal feelings or preferences rather than on
reason, logic, or law: “An arbitrary price for a product is not necessarily a
fair price”; “His arbitrary decisions have cost the company a lot of money.”
Arbitrary comes from the same Latin source as the words arbiter
(AHR-bi-tur) and arbitrator (AHR-bi-TRAY-tur). Arbiter and arbitrator both
mean a judge or umpire who makes a final decision or resolves a dispute.
Arbitrary means making discretionary judgments or decisions that may or
may not be fair or reasonable.
Arbitrary has two other useful meanings. It may mean determined or
arrived at in a random or illogical manner. For example, the arrangement of
furniture in a room may be arbitrary, without an evident theme or pattern;
arbitrary decisions are arrived at in a hasty, haphazard way. Arbitrary may
also mean exercising unrestrained or absolute power: an arbitrary
government has no regard for individual liberty.

Front 28

MONOTONOUS

Back 28

Lacking variety, tediously uniform, unvarying and dull.
Monotonous means literally having one continuous sound or tone. It
combines the word tone with the prefix mono-, one, single. The prefix
mono- appears in many English words, including monogamy
(muh-NAHG-uh-mee), marriage to one person; monocle (MAHN-uh-kul), a
single eyeglass; and monogram (MAHN-uh-gram), two or more letters
woven into one.
That which is monotonous is boring because it lacks variety. A
monotonous speaker says the same thing again and again in the same tone
of voice. Monotonous music is dull and repetitive. A monotonous job is one
where the routine never changes. The corresponding noun is monotony
(muh-NAHT’n-ee), a tedious lack of variety.

Front 29

LEGACY

Back 29

Something handed down from the past, an inheritance.
Legacy may be used in two ways. It may mean a gift of money or
property provided by a will, an inheritance, bequest: “Her wealthy uncle left
her a generous legacy.” It may also mean anything inherited or passed
down through time: “The cultural legacy of ancient Greece and Rome has
shaped Western civilization.”

Front 30

MANIFOLD

Back 30

Numerous and varied, consisting of many kinds, containing many elements,
features, or characteristics: a large company with manifold operations and
divisions; a challenging executive position with manifold responsibilities.
Manifold may sound like a fancy substitute for many, but it's not. While
many simply means much, a lot, manifold emphasizes variety, diversity. If
your job has manifold duties then the things you do are both numerous and
varied.
Equally difficult synonyms of manifold are multifarious (MUHL-ti-FAIR
-ee-us) and multitudinous (MUHL-ti-T(Y)OO-di-nus). Both manifold and
multifarious mean having great variety or diversity: The human race is
multifarious, and human nature is even more complex and manifold. Multitudinous means containing a multitude, consisting of a great number
of persons or things: “After his promotion to management, Bob was
sometimes overwhelmed by mountains of paperwork and multitudinous
administrative chores.”

Front 31

PLIANT

Back 31

Bending easily, flexible, adaptable, workable.
Pliant comes from the French plier, to bend, the same source as pliers,
the tool commonly used for bending or manipulating wires or metal pieces.
Pliant, pliable, and supple all mean bending or moving easily. Pliant and
pliable usually refer to objects that are easily workable. Supple may apply
to material things or to a human body that is flexible and limber.

Front 32

RETORT

Back 32

A quick reply, especially one that is cutting or witty.
A retort and a rejoinder are similar in meaning but not quite synonymous.
Rejoinder may be used generally to mean any answer or response, but
specifically it means a counterreply, an answer to a reply. A retort is a swift,
pointed response.
Retort comes from the prefix re-, back, and the Latin torquere, to twist,
turn, and means literally “something turned back.” In its most precise
sense, a retort is a quick reply that counters or turns back a statement or
argument: “Phil's clever retorts kept his opponent on the defensive.”

Front 33

OBSTINATE

Back 33

Stubborn, inflexible, unwilling to give in or compromise, not yielding to
argument or persuasion.
The obstinate person stubbornly adheres to a purpose or opinion, often
regardless of the consequences: “First we reasoned with him, then we
pleaded with him, but no matter what we said he remained obstinate and
determined to have his way.”
Obstinate is sometimes mispronounced as if it were spelled obstinant,
with an n slipped in before the final t. Take care to spell and pronounce this
word correctly.
Synonyms of obstinate include hidebound, intractable, intransigent, and
adamant (word 15 of Level 1).

Front 34

LACERATE

Back 34

To tear, cut roughly, rend, mangle: “The sharp thorn lacerated his thumb.”
Lacerate may also be used figuratively to mean to wound, afflict, cause
pain: “Her husband's vicious retort lacerated her pride and made her burst
into tears.”

Front 35

OMNIPOTENT

Back 35

All-powerful, almighty, having unlimited power or authority.
Omnipotent is formed from the word potent, powerful, and the combining
form omni-, all. Whenever you see omni- in a word you have a good clue to
its meaning, for you know that half the word means “all.”
For example, omnidirectional (AHM-nee-di-REK-shi-nul) means
all-directional, as an omnidirectional microphone, one that picks up signals
from all directions. Omnipresent (AHM-ni-PREZ-int) means all-present,
present everywhere at once. Omniscient (ahm-NISH-int) means
all-knowing, having universal knowledge. Omnivorous (ahm-NIV-uh-rus)
means eating all kinds of food or taking in everything: “She is an avid reader
with an omnivorous mind.” Our keyword, omnipotent, means all-powerful,
almighty.

Front 36

UNSCRUPULOUS

Back 36

Untrustworthy, dishonorable, deceitful, corrupt, lacking integrity or moral
principles: “The commission issued a report on unscrupulous business
practices in the industry.”
A scruple is something that causes hesitation or doubt in determining
what is appropriate and proper. Scrupulous means having scruples; hence,
taking pains to do something exactly right. The scrupulous person is
precise, careful, and honest. Unscrupulous means without scruples;
hence, untrustworthy, unreliable, deceitful, and corrupt. Unscrupulous
people will do almost anything, no matter how dishonorable, to get what
they want.

Front 37

RENAISSANCE

Back 37

A revival, rebirth, resurgence, renewal of life or vigor.
The Renaissance was a revival of classical forms and motifs in art,
architecture, literature, and scholarship that began in Italy in the fourteenth
century, spread throughout Europe, and continued into the seventeenth
century. Historically, the Renaissance marked the end of the medieval era
and the beginning of the modern world.
The word renaissance comes from a French verb meaning to be born again. When spelled with a small or lowercase r, renaissance may refer to
any renewal or resurgence of life, energy, or productivity. Many types of
renaissance are possible: a cultural renaissance, a moral renaissance, a
spiritual renaissance, and even a renaissance in the economy. A
renaissance is a revival, rebirth, resurgence.

Front 38

GENESIS

Back 38

A coming into being, beginning, origin, birth, creation.
The first book of the Judeo-Christian Bible is called Genesis because it
describes God's creation, the origin of the universe and humankind. In
current usage genesis may refer in a general sense to any creation or
process of coming into being: the genesis of an idea; the genesis of a work
of art; the genesis of an important social movement; the genesis of a
distinguished career.

Front 39

WARRANT

Back 39

To justify, give good reason for, authorize, sanction: the circumstances do
not warrant such extraordinary measures; the evidence warrants further
investigation; these safety procedures are warranted (WAHR-in-tid) by
company regulations.
Warrant may also mean to guarantee, promise, give formal assurance of:
the Postal Service will not warrant delivery on a specific day; the
manufacturer warrants the safety of the product.
The adjective unwarranted means without good reason or authorization,
unjustifiable: the U.S. Constitution protects citizens against unwarranted
search and seizure; people resent unwarranted government interference in
private enterprise.

Front 40

CANTANKEROUS

Back 40

Difficult to deal with, disagreeable, argumentative, quick to quarrel or to
exhibit ill will.
A cantankerous old man is ill-tempered and disagreeable. Cantankerous
relatives are argumentative and hard to get along with.
Cantankerous comes from a Middle English word meaning strife,
contention. Synonyms of cantankerous include contentious
(kun-TEN-shus), which means quarrelsome, prone to argue or dispute;
malicious, which means mean-spirited, nasty, spiteful; and irascible
(i-RAS-uh-bul), which means quick-tempered, easily angered, extremely
irritable.

Front 41

FLIPPANT

Back 41

Disrespectful in a frivolous way, treating something serious in a trivial
manner.
Flippant refers to speech or writing that trivializes or makes fun of
something that deserves respect. Flippant language is inappropriately
lighthearted or disrespectful: “Everyone at the meeting gasped when Harry
made a flippant remark about the board of directors.”
Although flippant expression generally causes dismay or offense,
occasionally it may be humorous, depending on your point of view. For
example, many talk show hosts today are adept at making flippant
comments to dismiss guests or callers with opposing points of view.

Synonyms of flippant include cheeky, fresh, thoughtless, and
impertinent. Antonyms include solemn, sober, sedate, and grave.

Front 42

SUBJUGATE

Back 42

To conquer, defeat, vanquish, overwhelm completely, bring under rigid
control, make submissive, dominate, enslave.
Subjugate comes from the Latin sub-, under, and jugum, a yoke, and
means literally to place under a yoke. It is related to the noun a subject,
which in one of its senses means a person under the control of a ruler, as a
subject of the king. A subject is someone who has been subjugated, made
submissive, brought under control, enslaved.
The words defeat, conquer, and subjugate are generally synonymous but
are used in slightly different ways. Defeat suggests winning or beating an
opponent in a single engagement; you can defeat a person in an argument,
a contest, a game, or a fight. Conquer suggests achieving a final victory or
gaining complete control over an opponent after a series of contests: “After
a long and arduous campaign, Caesar conquered the Gauls.” Subjugate
adds to defeat and conquer the suggestion of domination, bringing the
vanquished opponent under complete and rigid control: “During World War
II, Hitler conquered most of Europe and then brutally subjugated its
people.”
Subjugation need not apply only to war; it may also refer to psychological
domination. For example, you may subjugate an addiction, subjugate an
impulse, or subjugate an emotion—yoke it, make it submit to your will, bring
it under complete control.

Front 43

WRY

Back 43

Twisted, crooked, lopsided, askew, distorted in an odd, amusing way.
By derivation wry means twisted, but in modern usage it has come to
imply twisted in a peculiar and often humorous manner.
A wry smile or grin is crooked, lopsided, and therefore comical. A wry
remark has a funny or sarcastic twist to it. A person with a wry sense of
humor is capable of twisting or distorting things in a laughable way.

Front 44

URBANE

Back 44

Polished, sophisticated, suave, cosmopolitan.
Urbane is related to the adjective urban, pertaining to or living in a city.
Urbane suggests the polite, polished style of a sophisticated city dweller.
The word may be used either of suave, socially refined behavior or of expression that is polished and elegant: “Mary's stunning designer dresses
and witty, urbane conversation made her a popular guest at all the
high-society parties.”

Front 45

JARGON

Back 45

Specialized and often pretentious language; speech or writing that is highly
technical and difficult to understand.
Jargon refers especially to the specialized language or private
vocabulary used and understood only by members of a particular group or
profession. Medical jargon is the specialized vocabulary used by doctors;
computerese is the jargon or highly technical language of computer
science; legal jargon comprises the particular stock of Latin terms and
complex phraseology used by lawyers.
Jargon develops initially as a means for the members of a particular
group to communicate precisely and efficiently; its inevitable consequence,
however, is to confuse and exclude those who are not members of the
group and who are unfamiliar with the jargon. In current usage, therefore,
jargon has come to mean any pretentious speech or writing that seems
unnecessarily difficult to understand: “Savvy businesspeople know that
using a lot of professional jargon will only alienate clients.”

Front 46

PRUDENT

Back 46

Cautious, careful, planning wisely, exercising sound judgment in practical
matters.
Synonyms include discreet (di-SKREET), judicious (joo-DISH-us), and
circumspect (SUR-kum-spekt).
Prudent may also mean spending carefully, using one's resources wisely.
Synonyms of prudent in this sense include thrifty, economical, and frugal.
Prudent and circumspect both refer to people who proceed cautiously.
Circumspect comes from the Latin circum-, around, and specere, to look,
observe. The circumspect person looks around carefully to make sure that
no unforseen circumstance will frustrate a plan of action. Prudent comes
from the same Latin source as the verb to provide. Prudent people are
concerned with protecting their personal interest and providing for a rainy
day. They are characterized by their sound, careful judgment in handling
practical matters, especially money.

Front 47

INVIOLABLE

Back 47

Secure, safe from assault, infringement, or destruction, sacred, untouchable, unassailable, incorruptible.
Inviolable combines the prefix in-, not, the suffix -able, and the verb to
violate, and means literally “not able to be violated.” An inviolable peace
between nations cannot be broken or disrupted. An inviolable contract
cannot be breached, altered, or revoked. An inviolable oath or promise is
sacred, secure, incorruptible. Inviolable rights cannot be abused or taken
away; they are safe from infringement or assault. An inviolable place cannot
be violated or trespassed upon; it is safe, secure, unassailable.

Front 48

COMMODIOUS

Back 48

Spacious, having plenty of room, comfortably convenient. Synonyms of
commodious include ample and capacious (kuh-PAY-shus).
Commodious comes through French from the Latin commodus,
convenience, suitability, the source also of commode, a euphemism for
toilet that means literally “something convenient or suitable.” From the
same Latin commodus, convenience, come the verb accommodate and
the noun accommodations, sleeping quarters, lodging. If you find your
accommodations accommodating—convenient, suitable to your needs—
then chances are they are also commodious, spacious, roomy,
comfortable, and convenient.

Front 49

PROXIMITY

Back 49

Nearness, closeness, the state of being in the vicinity of something.
Proximity may be used either of persons or things to mean nearness in
place, time, or relation: the proximity of their houses; the proximity of
historic events; the proximity of two ideas. In modern society, marriage
between first cousins is forbidden because of their proximity of blood
relation. However, if you marry the girl or boy next door, it might be said that
proximity was the deciding factor.
You will often hear proximity used in the phrase “close proximity.” That is
a redundancy. Proximity means closeness, nearness; therefore “close
proximity” means “close closeness” or “near nearness.” According to the
second college edition of The American Heritage Dictionary, “the
expression close proximity says nothing that is not said by proximity
itself.”
Usage tip: Drop close and let proximity do its work alone.

Front 50

ADVOCATE

Back 50

To support, plead for, be in favor of, defend by argument; especially, to
speak or write in favor or in defense of a person or cause. Synonyms
include champion, endorse, and espouse (e-SPOWZ).
Advocate comes from the Latin ad-, to, and vocare, to call, summon. You
can hear the Latin vocare in the English words vocation (voh-KAY-shin), a
calling, profession; avocation, a hobby, sideline, subordinate occupation;
and vocational, pertaining to an occupation or trade.
Combine the Latin vocare, to call, with the prefix con-, together, and you
get the more difficult English words convoke (kun-VOHK), which means to
call together, and convocation (KAHN-vuh-KAY-shin), the act of calling
together or a group that has been summoned. Combine the single-letter
prefix e-, which is short for the Latin ex-, out, with vocare, to call, and you
get the English words evoke, to call out, call forth, summon, and evocative
(i-VAHK-uh-tiv), calling forth a response, especially an emotional response.
Vocare also can be heard in the common word vocal, spoken, oral, inclined
to speak out.
An advocate is a vocal supporter or defender of a cause, a champion:
“He is an outspoken advocate of handgun control.” An advocate may also
be a person who speaks for another, for example, a lawyer who pleads a
case before a court. To advocate means to support, plead for, defend by
argument: “Their organization advocates educational reform.”

Front 51

DELEGATE

Back 51

To entrust with authority or power, deliver to another's care or management,
hand over to an agent or representative: “The executive director delegated
various managerial duties to her assistant”; “Our department chief has
trouble letting go of the reins and delegating responsibility.”

Front 52

UNPRECEDENTED

Back 52

Unheard-of, novel, new, having no precedent or parallel, having no prior
example.
A precedent is an authoritative example, something done or said that may
serve as a reason to justify a later act or statement. Precedent is often
used specifically of a legal decision or case used as an example or as
authorization in a subsequent decision or case. Unprecedented means
without a precedent, without prior example or justification, and so
unheard-of, novel, new.

Front 53

POIGNANT

Back 53

Piercing, sharp, biting, penetrating, keen.
Poignant is used to mean piercing, sharp, or penetrating in three ways.
First, it may mean keenly affecting the senses: a poignant odor, poignant
beauty, a poignant look. Second, it may mean piercing or penetrating to the
feelings, emotionally touching, painfully moving: a poignant drama, a
poignant family reunion. Third, it may mean biting, cutting, acute, piercingly
effective: poignant wit, poignant delight, a poignant critique.
The odd spelling of poignant, with its silent g, comes from French; the
word ultimately comes from the Latin pungere, to pierce or prick. Pungere
is also the source of puncture, to pierce; pungent (PUHN-jint), piercing to
the smell or taste; and expunge (ek-SPUHNJ), to punch out, erase, delete:
“The editor expunged all potentially offensive and derogatory material from
the book.”
Poignant means piercing or penetrating to the senses, to the emotions,
or to the intellect.

Front 54

NEBULOUS

Back 54

Unclear, vague, obscure, hazy, indefinite, indistinct.
In astronomy the word nebula (NEB-yuh-luh) refers to a cloudy mass of
dust or gas visible between stars in space. The plural is nebulae
(NEB-yuh-lee).
The adjectives nebular and nebulous both come from a Latin word
meaning cloudy, misty, foggy, like a nebula, and according to dictionaries
both words may still be used in this sense. It is probably best, however, to
let nebular take over the meaning cloudy, misty, vaporous, and to use
nebulous in its more popular sense of vague, indefinite, hazy, unclear, as in
nebulous writing, a nebulous idea, a nebulous purpose or goal.

Front 55

CLANDESTINE

Back 55

Kept secret, done in secrecy, especially for an evil, immoral, or illegal
purpose: a clandestine affair; a clandestine business deal; a clandestine
intelligence operation.
Synonyms include private, concealed, covert (properly KUH-vurt but now
often KOH-vurt), underhand, sly, stealthy, furtive (FUR-tiv), and
surreptitious (SUR-up-TISH-us).
Clandestine is sometimes pronounced klan-DES-tyn, klan-DES-teen,
KLAN-des-tyn, or KLAN-des-teen. You should avoid all these recent
variants. The traditional and preferred pronunciation is klan-DES-tin
(DES-tin as in destiny).

Front 56

TIRADE

Back 56

A long-drawn-out speech, especially a vehement and abusive one: “After
suffering through yet another one of his boss's frequent tirades, Joe
decided it was time to quit and move on.”
Tirades have three characteristics: they are protracted (proh-TRAK-tid),
drawn out to great length; they are vituperative (vy-T(Y)OO-pur-uh-tiv), full
of harsh, abusive language; and they are censorious, meaning that they
tend to censure (SEN-shur), to blame or condemn.
Tirade may also be pronounced with the accent on the second syllable:
ty-RAYD.

Front 57

RECUR

Back 57

To happen again, occur again, especially at intervals or after some lapse of
time.
In The Careful Writer, Theodore M. Bernstein explains the difference
between the words recur and reoccur: Both mean to happen again, he
says, but reoccur “suggests a one-time repetition,” whereas recur
“suggests repetition more than once.” Thus you would say “the revolt is not
likely to reoccur,” but “as long as these skirmishes recur, the revolt will
continue.”
Here's another example: If economists predict that a recession will
reoccur in this decade, that means they're predicting it will happen only one
more time. If economists predict that recession recurs on average every
ten years, then they're predicting it happens again and again at intervals.
“It is the ability to feel a fine distinction such as this,” writes Bernstein,
“and to choose the word that precisely expresses the thought that marks the writer of competence and taste.”

Front 58

TACIT

Back 58

Unspoken, silent, implied or understood without words.
Tacit is most often used to mean done or made in silence, not expressed
or declared openly. Tacit consent is approval given without words, perhaps
with a look or a nod. A tacit agreement is an unspoken understanding, one
arrived at in silence. Tacit comes from the Latin tacere, to be silent, hold
one's tongue, the source also of the word taciturn, reserved,
uncommunicative, inclined to hold one's tongue.

Front 59

ALLEGATION

Back 59

An assertion or declaration, especially one made without proof.
In law, an allegation is an assertion of what one intends to prove. Often
the word implies an unsupportable assertion: “The judge dismissed the
allegations, citing lack of evidence to support them.” “A spokesperson for
the company today denied the allegations of wrongdoing regarding the
firm's hiring practices.”

Front 60

GULLIBLE

Back 60

Easily deceived, fooled, or cheated.
A more difficult synonym of gullible is credulous (KREJ-uh-lus).
Credulous comes from the Latin credere, to believe, and means inclined to
believe, willing to accept something as true without questioning.
To gull is to take advantage of someone who is foolish, unwary, or
inexperienced. The gullible person is easily gulled, fooled, cheated. To
dupe and to gull both mean to take advantage of. Dupe suggests
unwariness on the part of the victim; gull suggests a willingness or
readiness to be deceived.

Front 61

BENIGN

Back 61

Kindly, good-natured, gracious, mild, having or showing a gentle
disposition, as a benign old man, a benign smile, a benign intention, a
benign government.
That is the first meaning of benign listed in dictionaries, and probably the
most common. The word is also used in several other ways. It may mean
favorable, positive, propitious: a benign omen; a benign view. It may be
used of the weather or climate to mean healthful, wholesome, salubrious.
And in medicine benign means mild, not deadly or severe, as a benign
tumor or disease.

Front 62

DESPAIR

Back 62

the feeling of having lost all hope.

Syn: desperation, hopelessness, desolation (formal- the feeling of being very unhappy and lonely)

Front 63

TOIL

Back 63

(verb) - formal

to work very hard and for a long time, usually doing hard physical work.

Hundreds of men toiled for years at building the pyramid.

Synonym: slave away at smt = work very hard

Front 64

OVERSEE

Back 64

To watch smt/smb and make sure that a job or an activity is done correctly.

U.N observers oversaw the elections.

Synonym: supervise sb doing smt, supervise smb/smt

Front 65

EXHORT

Back 65

(verb)-formal

try hard to persuade somebody to do something.

He exhorted his child to participate in the contest.

Front 66

INSPECT

Back 66

(verb) = examine = go/check over something = look sb/smt over = check through

The teacher walked around inspecting their work.

Front 67

SWEEP

Back 67

(verb)

càn quét

Ebola virus is sweeping across parts of West Africa.

Front 68

STITCH

Back 68

(v) = sew

Front 69

LETHAL

Back 69

(adj) causing or able to cause death.

= fatal = deadly

a lethal weapon, a lethal dose of poison, lethal mixture of drugs, lethal injection.

The pesticide is lethal to all insect life.

Front 70

BELEAGUERED

Back 70

(adj - formal)

experiencing a lot of criticism and difficulties.

The beleaguered party leader was forced to resign.

Front 71

VENTURE

Back 71

(verb) + into

to do smt, even though it involves risks.

Front 72

ENTAIL

Back 72

(verb)

involve smt that cannot be avoided.

The job entails a lot of hard work.

Front 73

BE OVERCOME BY

Back 73

(passive)

to be extremely strongly affected by something.

Drivers venture into villages overcome by illness to retrieve patients.

Front 74

RETRIEVE

Back 74

(verb-formal) + smt from sb/smt

bring or get something back, especially from a place where it should not be.

She bent to retrieve her comb from the floor.

- retrieve data/information/items (computing)

Front 75

BE CHARGED WITH

Back 75

(passive) được giao nhiệm vụ gì

Front 76

EVIDENT

Back 76

adj

= obvious = clearly = conspicuous = prominent = noticeable

Front 77

FLEE

Back 77

(verb) = run away = run off = bolt

Front 78

IN SHAMBLES

Back 78

(informal)

a situation in which there is a lot of confusion.

= in mess

Front 79

RECRUIT

Back 79

(noun)

a person who has recently joint the armed forces or the police or an organization...

Front 80

WILLINGLY

Back 80

(adj) = voluntarily

Front 81

CORPSE

Back 81

(noun)

a dead human body = remains/human remains

Front 82

BACKBREAKING

Back 82

(adj)

(of physical work) very hard and tiring.

The task entails backbreaking work.

Front 83

PARIAH

Back 83

(noun)

A person who is not acceptable to society and is avoided by everyone.

In doing their jobs, the burial boys have become pariahs.

Front 84

Talk sb into ...

Back 84

persuade sb to do something

Front 85

INFLATED

Back 85

(adj) higher than acceptable or reasonable

inflated prices/salaries

probable synonym: arbitrary

Front 86

DEMEANOR

Back 86

(noun-formal)

the way that sb looks or behaves.

He maintained a cheery demeanor throughout.

Front 87

BANK ON

Back 87

(verb) = rely on = depend on

The nurses and doctors here had banked on their experience treating Lassa fever.

I'm banking on your help.

Front 88

rubber

Back 88

cao su

rubber gloves

rubber tree

Front 89

INADEQUATE

Back 89

(noun) not enough, not good enough

= insufficient (formal) = deficient (formal)

The system is inadequate for the tasks it has to perform.

meager: small and poor in quantity = paltry

Front 90

PRECAUTION

Back 90

sự phòng ngừa

Front 91

REVERED

Back 91

(passive - formal) being respected or admired greatly

He is now revered as a national hero.

Front 92

SUBORDINATE

Back 92

(noun) cấp dưới

Front 93

FEATURES

Back 93

(noun) A part of sb's face such as their nose, mouth, and eyes.

She said, her features contorting.

His strong handsome features

Front 94

CONTORT

Back 94

(verb) to become twisted

- méo mó, biến dạng

His face contorted with anger.

Her mouth was contorted in a snarl. (tiếng chửi nhau)

Front 95

INEVITABLE

Back 95

= UNAVOIDABLE

Front 96

STAGE

Back 96

(verb) organize and take part in actions that need careful planning, for example, public protest.

to stage a strike/protest/demonstration/march

Front 97

REVOLT

Back 97

(noun) = protest = uprising

Front 98

FRIGHTENED

Back 98

adj: afraid, petrified, horrified, terrified

Front 99

RELATIONS

Back 99

= RELATIVES

Front 100

ABATE

Back 100

(verb-formal)

to become less strong, less intense, make smt less strong.

The storm shows no sign of abating.

to abate pollution.

Synonym: subside(the rain had become subsided...), die down/away/out, diminish

dwindle- become gradually smaller

Front 101

PROFUSE

Back 101

(adj) = produced in large amounts.

profuse bleeding

profuse thanks/apologies

Front 102

GO HAYWIRE

Back 102

to stop working or become out of control.

After that, things just started to go haywire.

Front 103

QUARANTINE

Back 103

be put/kept into quarantine: kiểm dịch

Front 104

CALAMITY

Back 104

(noun) tai họa, tai ương = disaster = catastrophe

Sudan suffered a series of calamities during the 1980s.

Front 105

MISCARRY

Back 105

(VERB) sinh non, sẩy thai

Front 106

AID

Back 106

= help = support = assist = lend sb a hand

aid sb in smt

aid smt

aid sb to do smt

Front 107

HEALER

Back 107

(noun) người chữa bệnh, thay vì dùng thuốc, sử dụng natural powers.

a faith/spiritual healer

Front 108

RIGOROUS

Back 108

(adj) = thorough and strict = meticulous = fastidious

a rigorous analysis/system

The second team adopted a much more rigorous approach to the problem.

Front 109

INSTITUTE

Back 109

(verb-formal) to introduce a system/policy, etc. or start a process.

The new system has been instituted.

The new management intends to institute a number of changes.

Front 110

RESTORE

Back 110

(v) = rebuild

ex: restore faith/confidence/order/ancient traditions

Front 111

STIGMA

Back 111

(noun) feelings of disapproval that people have about particular illnesses or ways of behaving.

Outside the hospital, they continue to face stigma.

the social stigma of alcoholism.

Front 112

speak of

Back 112

(verb) = mention

He spoke of his mother abandoning him when he was a child.

Front 113

SHUN

Back 113

(verb - formal)

to stay away, keep distance from, avoid sb/smt

She was shunned by her own family.

Front 114

SPOUSE

Back 114

(noun) husband or wife

Front 115

LODGINGS

Back 115

temporary accomodations

Front 116

diminish

Back 116

= decrease = lessen = decline = subside = abate...

The world's resources are rapidly diminishing.

Front 117

shoo away

Back 117

đuổi ai/cái gì đi

Front 118

By the grace of God

Back 118

Nhờ ơn Chúa...

Front 119

public sector employees

Back 119

= social workers = public servants

civil service

Front 120

contribute to

Back 120

dedicate/devote oneself to smt/ to doing smt

contribution (noun) - enormous/great/huge/major/substantial/strong contribution

Front 121

importance

Back 121

= significance = consequence

of great importance = of great significance = of great consequence

Front 122

in lieu (of smt)

Back 122

(formal) instead (of)

They took cash in lieu of the prize

Front 123

pertinent (example)

Back 123

(formal) điển hình

= prime example

Front 124

omission

Back 124

(n) - verb: omit

serious omission

Front 125

perilous

Back 125

(formal) dangerous = hazardous = unsafe = risky = high-risk

Front 126

OPT

Back 126

(verb) to choose to take or not to take a particular course of action.

> opt for/against something

After graduating, she opted for a career in music.

> opt to do smt

They opt to leave rather than take a pay cut.

Front 127

region

Back 127

synonyms:

area:

zone: an area or region with a particular feature or use

district: nơi thuộc thành phố mà có điểm đặc biệt - financial district

quarter: a district or a part of town

Front 128

sacrifice

Back 128

collocation:

supreme/considerable/enormous/great/heavy/huge/tremendous sacrifices

Front 129

astonish

Back 129

= to astound = to amaze = to surprise = to stagger

Front 130

different

Back 130

= disparate = dissimilar

difference = disparity = dissimilarity

Front 131

affluent

Back 131

= rich = wealthy = opulent (extremely rich -> used with people)

Front 132

poor

Back 132

= needy (this program is aimed at helping children of the poor and needy parents)

= penniless (having no money, very poor)

= destitute (ex: when he died, his family was left completely destitute)

Front 133

happy

Back 133

adj

= blissful - extremely happy (blissful smile, blissful peace, blissful days/months...)

= content (happy and satisfied with what u have)

= contented (showing or feeling happiness or satisfaction, especially because your life is good)

= joyful (very happy)

= cheerful (smile/voice)

= carefree (having no worries or responsibilities) = blithe (happy and no worries) a blithe and carefree girl

= jolly (crow/face/mood)

= delighted (very pleasant) = ecstatic

= in good spirits, in good mood

= light-hearted (cheerful and without problems)

= radiant (showing great happiness, love or health) = beatific -formal

elated at/by smt = exhilarated = thrilled = happy, excited because of smt happening

= jubilant (happy because of success or victory)