English paper 2 - vocab list Flashcards
Words, definitions, in a sentence (25 cards)
Advocate (noun)
A person who publicly supports someone or something.
(For years, he had been an advocate for the vulnerable members of society.)
Defeatist (noun)
A person (or tone) who expects or is excessively ready to accept failure.
(They will never be beaten if every one of their opponents adopts such a defeatist attitude.)
Demeaning (adjective)
To damage or lower the character or status of reputation of someone or something.
(It was demeaning to be criticised in front of my peers.)
Derisive (adjective)
Expressing contempt or ridicule.
(The politician’s attempt to answer the question drew derisive laughter.)
Desensitised (adjective)
To cause someone to experience something, usually an emotion or a pain, less strongly than before.
(Having been surrounded by insensitive people for so long, he had become desensitised to unfeeling comments.)
Despondent (adjective)
In low spirits from loss of hope or courage.
(She grew more and more despondent about about her ability to pass her Chemistry exam.)
Detrimental (adjective)
To cause harm or damage.
(A lack of sleep can be detrimental to your well-being.)
Divisive (adjective)
Something that tends to cause a disagreement between people.
(Who you vote for can often be a very divisive issue.)
Facetious (adjective)
Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor.
(She kept interrupting the teacher with facetious remarks.)
Farcical (adjective)
Very silly, unlikely, or unreasonable, often in a way that is humorous.
(The public refused to believe the politician’s farcical excuses.)
Futile (adjective)
Something that produces no end result; useless and pointless.
(All my attempts to cheer her up proved futile.)
Idealistic (adjective)
Characterised by idealism; unrealistically aiming for perfection; someone who believes that very good things can be achieved, often when this does not seem likely to others.
(Perhaps he was being idealistic, but his dream was to build a better future for all concerned.)
Impassioned (adjective)
Filled with or showing great emotion.
(He looked at her and was struck by the impassioned expression on her face.)
Inevitable (adjective)
Something that is certain to happen / unavoidable.
(Despite their ambitious plan to avoid their detention, failure was inevitable.)
Marginalised (adjective)
A group within a society who are not given the same opportunities or power as others.
(Marginalised groups in society should have fairer representation in the government.)
Marginalised (verb)
To treat someone or something as if they are not important.
(When will the poorer members of society stop being marginalised?)
Obnoxious (adjective)
Very unpleasant or rude.
(At best, he was tactless: at worst, he was obnoxious.)
Paramount (adjective)
More important than anything else.
(Everyone should surely agree that improving the NHS is the paramount issue facing today’s society.)
Perpetuate (verb)
To cause something to continue; to spread opinions or beliefs among a lot of people.
(Sexist jokes only perpetuate gender inequality.)
Poignant (adjective)
Evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret.
(It was poignant portrayal of the effects of a war that touched every aspect of society.)
Problematic (adjective)
Something that is controversial or presents an issue.
(The careless remarks made by the politician were problematic.)
Reverent (adjective)
Feeling or showing deep and solemn respect.
(The school bowed their heads in reverent silence.)
Sensationalise (verb)
Present information about something in a sensational way.
(There is no doubt that reality television tends to sensationalise minor arguments and disagreements.)
Sobering (adjective)
Making you feel serious or think about serious matters.
(Experiencing a car accident is a sobering experience.)
