TC_SE_practice_words_1 Flashcards
(68 cards)
1
Q
collegial
A
- (adj) relating to a friendly relationship between colleagues (= people who work together):
- example: The organization has a welcoming collegial atmosphere.
- (adj) used to describe a method of working in which responsibility is shared between several people:
- example: The new chair quickly upset committee members, who were used to a more collegial style.
2
Q
terse
A
- (adj) A terse statement or comment is brief and unfriendly.
- example: His tone was terse as he asked the question.
3
Q
antagonistic
A
- (adj) If a person is antagonistic to someone or something, they show hatred or dislike towards them.
- example: Nearly all the women I interviewed were aggressively antagonistic to the idea.
4
Q
animated
A
- (adj) Someone who is animated or who is having an animated conversation is lively and is showing their feelings.
- example: She was seen in animated conversation with the singer.
5
Q
intrigued
A
- (adj) If you are intrigued by something, especially something strange, it interests you and you want to know more about it.
- example: I would be intrigued to hear others’ views.
6
Q
despondent
A
- (adj) If you are despondent, you are very unhappy because you have been experiencing difficulties that you think you will not be able to overcome.
- example: I feel despondent when my work is rejected.
7
Q
discomposed
A
- (verb) to disturb the composure of
- example: He appeared calm, but the unexpected question discomposed him, making his hands tremble slightly.
8
Q
frail
A
- (adj) Someone who is frail is not very strong or healthy.
- example: She lay in bed looking particularly frail.
- (adj) Something that is frail is easily broken or damaged.
- example: The frail craft rocked as he clambered in.
9
Q
stymie
A
(verb) to prevent something from happening or someone from achieving a purpose:
example: In our search for evidence, we were stymied by the absence of any recent documents.
10
Q
conflate
A
- (verb) If you conflate two or more descriptions or ideas, or if they conflate, you combine them in order to produce a single one.
- example: Unfortunately the public conflated fiction with reality and made her into a saint.
11
Q
belabor
A
- (verb) If you say that someone belabors the point, you mean that they keep on talking about it, perhaps in an annoying or boring way.
- example: I won’t belabor the point, for this is a familiar story.
12
Q
aggrandize
A
(verb) to make someone more powerful or important
example: At the dinner table, my father would go on and on, showing off, aggrandising himself.
13
Q
disenchantment
A
- (noun) Disenchantment is the feeling of being disappointed with something, and no longer believing that it is good or worthwhile.
- example: There’s growing disenchantment with the Government.
14
Q
passivity
A
- (noun) the state or quality of being passive; esp., inaction, inertia, submissiveness, etc.
- example: His passivity in the meeting frustrated his colleagues, as he neither contributed ideas nor opposed any decisions.
15
Q
flip
A
- (adj) not serious about a serious subject, in an attempt to be funny or to appear clever:
- example: The tone of the book is sometimes too flip.
16
Q
neoscholastic
A
- Neoscholastic refers to the revival of medieval Scholastic philosophy, especially in the context of Catholic thought, emphasizing logic, metaphysics, and theology.
17
Q
woo
A
(verb) to try to persuade someone to support you or to use your business:
example: The party has been trying to woo the voters with promises of electoral reform.
18
Q
cow
A
- (verb) to frighten someone into doing something, using threats or violence:
- example: The protesters refused to be cowed into submission by the army.
19
Q
playwright
A
- (noun) a person who writes plays
- example: She dreams of becoming a playwright and writing her own plays.
20
Q
rugged
A
- (adj) strong and simple; not delicate:
- example: Jeeps are rugged vehicles, designed for rough conditions.
21
Q
courted
A
- (verb) to try to please someone because you want them to join you:
- example: Adams is being courted by a number of football clubs.
22
Q
startlingly
A
- (adverb) in a way that is surprising and often slightly worrying:
- example: High school dropout rates are startlingly high.
23
Q
canonize
A
- (verb) to accept something as belonging to a canon (= an official list) of respected works, ideas, etc.:
- example: This view is based on the conception that the main function of criticism is to define and canonize the genuine classics of literature.
- (verb) to praise and admire someone very much, especially in a way that is too much or that they do not deserve:
- example: The rebel leader was canonized by left-wingers in the late 1960s.
24
Q
Renaissance
A
- (noun) a new growth of activity or interest in something, especially art, literature, or music:
- example: Popular art is experiencing a renaissance.
25
epitome
- (noun) If you say that a person or thing is the epitome of something, you are emphasizing that they are the best possible example of a particular type of person or thing.
- example: Maureen was the epitome of psychopath.
26
luminary
- (noun) If you refer to someone as a luminary, you mean that they are an expert in a particular subject or activity.
- example: Einstein was a luminary in the field of physics.
27
efflorescence
- (noun) the production of a lot of art, especially of a high quality
- example: The efflorescence of art during the Renaissance led to many great masterpieces.
28
excise
- (noun) a tax made by a government on some types of goods produced and used within their own country:
- example: The excise (duty) on beer was increased under the last government.
- (noun) to remove something, especially by cutting:
- example: During a three-hour operation six tumours were excised from the wall of the patient's stomach.
29
clangorous
- (adj) related to the continuous loud noise of something, especially something made of metal, being hit or rung:
- example: The clangorous sound filled the air and conversation was impossible.
30
tepid
- (adj) (of liquid) not very warm, or (of feelings or actions) not very strong:
- example: There is only tepid support in Congress for the proposal.
31
acquisitiveness
- (noun) eagerness to own and collect things: (often disapproving tone)
- example: He was known for his acquisitiveness, buying any work of art that caught his eye.
32
undoing
- (noun) the cause of someone's failure, or of someone's loss of power or money:
- example: Greed has been the undoing of many a businessman.
33
indictment
- (noun) If you say that one thing is an indictment of another thing, you mean that it shows how bad the other thing is.
- example: It's a sad indictment of society that police officers are regarded as easy targets by thugs.
- (noun) An indictment is a formal accusation that someone has committed a crime.
- example: Prosecutors may soon seek an indictment on racketeering and fraud charges.
34
blemish
- (adj) You use blemished to describe something such as someone's skin or a piece of fruit when its appearance is spoiled by small marks.
- example: ...a skin tonic for oily, blemished complexions.
35
pretension
- (noun) If you say that someone has pretensions, you disapprove of them because they claim or pretend that they are more important than they really are.
- example: The NY Giants' Super Bowl pretensions were dashed when they were beaten last week.
- (noun) If someone has pretensions to something, they claim to be or do that thing.
- example: The city has unrealistic pretensions to world-class status.
36
kindred
- (adj) similar or related:
- example: They sell dried fruit and nuts and other kindred goods.
37
mortified
- (adj) very embarrassed:
- example: She was absolutely mortified to hear her son swearing at the teacher.
38
prolix
- (adj) (formal disapproving) using too many words and therefore boring or difficult to read or listen to:
- example: The author's prolix style has done nothing to encourage sales of the book.
39
long-winded
- (adj) A long-winded speech, letter, article, etc. is too long, or uses too many words.
40
acute
(adj) If a bad situation is acute, it causes severe problems or damage:
example: The problem of poverty is particularly acute in rural areas.
(adj) An acute pain or illness is one that quickly becomes very severe:
acute abdominal pains
example: an acute attack of appendicitis
41
promulgate
- (verb) to spread beliefs or ideas among a lot of people
- example: The government will promulgate a new law to improve road safety.
42
witty
- (adj) Someone or something that is witty is amusing in a clever way.
- example: His plays were very good, very witty.
43
provocative
- (adj) causing thought about interesting subjects:
- (adj) causing an angry reaction, usually intentionally:
44
ironic
(adj) "Ironic" means something happens in a way that is the opposite of what you expect, often with a twist of humor or contradiction.
example: It's ironic that the fire station burned down
45
gulf
- (noun) an important difference between the ideas, opinions, or situations of two groups of people:
- example: There is a widening gulf between the rich and the poor in our society.
46
normative
- (adj) relating to rules, or making people obey rules, especially rules of behaviour
47
dissemble
- (verb) to hide your real intentions and feelings or the facts:
- example: He accused the government of dissembling.
48
fleeting
- (adj) short or quick:
- example: a fleeting glimpse
49
norms
(noun) an accepted standard or a way of behaving or doing things that most people agree with:
example: Europe's varied cultural, political and ethical norms
50
passport
- (noun) If you say that a thing is a passport to success or happiness, you mean that this thing makes success or happiness possible.
- example: Victory would give him a passport to the riches he craves.
51
distaste
- (noun) a dislike of something that you find unpleasant or unacceptable:
- example: She looked at the advertisement with distaste before walking quickly on.
52
malign
- (adj) causing or intending to cause harm or evil:
- example: Foreign domination had a malign influence on local politics.
53
rationalize
- (verb) to try to find reasons to explain your behaviour, decisions, etc.:
- example: She rationalized the cost by saying that an expensive carpet would last longer than a cheaper one.
54
untapped
- (adj) If a supply of something valuable is untapped, it is not yet used or taken advantage of:
- example: untapped assets/resources/markets/talent
55
restrained
- (adj) acting in a calm and controlled way:
- example: I was expecting him to be furious but he was very restrained.
- (adj) controlled:
- example: a more restrained policy on mortgage lending
56
harbinger
- (noun) a person or thing that shows that something is going to happen soon, especially something bad:
- example: a harbinger of doom
57
shrewd
- (adj) A shrewd person is able to understand and judge a situation quickly and to use this understanding to their own advantage.
- example: She's a shrewd businesswoman.
58
canny
- (adj) A canny person is clever and able to think quickly.
- example: He was far too canny to risk giving himself away.
59
outmoded
- (adj) If you describe something as outmoded, you mean that you think it is old-fashioned and no longer useful or relevant to modern life.
- example: The country badly needs aid to modernize its outmoded industries.
60
compelled
- (adj) having to do something, because you are forced to or feel it is necessary:
- example: He felt compelled to report the incident.
61
statutory
(adj) Statutory means relating to rules or laws which have been formally written down.
example: We had a statutory duty to report to Parliament.
62
prevalence
(noun) the fact that something is very common or happens often:
example: the prevalence of smoking among teenagers
63
transgression
(noun) the act or process of breaking a law or moral rule, or an example of this:
example: Who is supposed to have committed these transgressions?
64
incensed
(adj) extremely angry:
example: The villagers are incensed at the decision to close the railway station.
65
imperative
(adj) extremely important or urgent:
example: he president said it was imperative that the release of all hostages be secured.
66
efflorescence
(noun) the production of a lot of art, especially of a high quality
67
luminary
(noun) a person who is famous and important in a particular area of activity:
example: Luminaries of stage and screen (= famous actors) assembled for last night's awards ceremony.
68
assiduous
(adj) showing hard work, care, and attention to detail:
example: assiduous research/efforts
