Vocabulary Builder 1

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Abysmal

Back 1

adjective
1 informal extremely bad; appalling : the quality of her work is abysmal.

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Amorphous

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adjective
without a clearly defined shape or form : amorphous blue forms and straight black lines.
• vague; ill-organized; unclassifiable : make explicit the amorphous statements.
• (of a group of people or an organization) lacking a clear structure or focus : an amorphous and leaderless legislature.

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Arbitrary

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adjective
based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system : his mealtimes were entirely arbitrary.
• (of power or a ruling body) unrestrained and autocratic in the use of authority : arbitrary rule by King and bishops has been made impossible.
• Mathematics (of a constant or other quantity) of unspecified value.

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Augurs

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verb [ intrans. ] ( augur well/badly/ill)
(of an event or circumstance) portend a good or bad outcome : the end of the Cold War seemed to augur well | the return to the gold standard augured badly for industry. See note at predict .
• [ trans. ] portend or bode (a specified outcome) : they feared that these happenings augured a neo-Nazi revival.
• [ trans. ] ( archaic) foresee or predict.

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Banality

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adjective
so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring : songs with banal, repeated words.

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Benevolent

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adjective
well meaning and kindly : a benevolent smile.
• (of an organization) serving a charitable rather than a profit-making purpose : a benevolent fund.

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Elucidate

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verb [ trans. ]
make (something) clear; explain : work such as theirs will help to elucidate this matter See note at clarify . : [with clause ] in what follows I shall try to elucidate what I believe the problems to be | [ intrans. ] they would not elucidate further.

Front 8

Erudite

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adjective
having or showing great knowledge or learning.

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Fruition

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noun
the point at which a plan or project is realized : the plans have come to fruition sooner than expected.
• [in sing. ] the realization of a plan or project : new methods will come with the fruition of that research.

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Geriatric

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adjective [ attrib. ]
of or relating to old people, esp. with regard to their health care : a geriatric hospital.

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Impotence

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adjective
1 unable to take effective action; helpless or powerless : he was seized with an impotent anger.

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Pandering

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verb [ intrans. ] ( pander to)
gratify or indulge (an immoral or distasteful desire, need, or habit or a person with such a desire, etc.) : newspapers are pandering to people's baser instincts.

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Permeate

Back 13

spread throughout (something); pervade : the aroma of soup permeated the air | [ intrans. ] his personality has begun to permeate through the whole organization.

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Posit

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verb ( posited , positing )
1 [ trans. ] assume as a fact; put forward as a basis of argument : the Confucian view posits a perfectible human nature | [with clause ] he posited that the world economy is a system with its own particular equilibrium.
• ( posit something on) base something on the truth of (a particular assumption) : these plots are posited on a false premise about women's nature as inferior.
2 [ trans. ] put in position; place : the professor posits Cohen in his second category of poets.

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Postulations

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1 suggest or assume the existence, fact, or truth of (something) as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or belief : his theory postulated a rotatory movement for hurricanes | [with clause ] he postulated that the environmentalists might have a case.
2 (in ecclesiastical law) nominate or elect (someone) to an ecclesiastical office subject to the sanction of a higher authority.

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Pragmatic

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dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations : a pragmatic approach to politics.
• relating to philosophical or political pragmatism.
• Linguistics of or relating to pragmatics.

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Precipitously

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adjective
1 dangerously high or steep : the precipitous cliffs of the North Atlantic coast.
• (of a change to a worse situation or condition) sudden and dramatic : the end of the war led to a precipitous decline in exports.
2 (of an action) done suddenly and without careful consideration : precipitous intervention.

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Relegation

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verb [ trans. ]
consign or dismiss to an inferior rank or position : they aim to prevent women from being relegated to a secondary role.

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Sedition

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noun
conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of a state or monarch.

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Succinct

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adjective
(esp. of something written or spoken) briefly and clearly expressed : use short, succinct sentences. See note at terse .

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Tacit

Back 21

tacit |ˈtasit|
adjective
understood or implied without being stated : your silence may be taken to mean tacit agreement.

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Tithes

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verb [ trans. ]
pay or give as a tithe : he tithes 10 percent of his income to the church.
• historical subject to a tax of one tenth of income or produce.