Vocabulary Flashcards
(49 cards)
Tumultuous
marked by violent or overwhelming turbulence or upheaval
Strident
Commanding attention by a loud or obstructive quality. (Strident criticism)
Carnage
Bloody slaughter or injury.
Eg. As signs of pure carnage and chaos confront us on the daily news, we are reminded not only that international efforts to attain world peace have failed, but it might well be an unattributed ideal altogether.
Valiant
With courage and determination
Eg. With such problems proving impossible for even the most valiant international efforts to overcome, we are forced to conclude that world peace remains an unattainable ideal.
Intractability (intractable)
Not easily governed, managed or directed
Eg intractable problems, the intractability of interstate conflict
Delineate
To describe, portray, or set forth with accuracy or in detail.
Eg. Delineate the steps to be taken in the government
Delineate a path towards lasting peace
Acquiesce
accept something reluctantly but without protest
acquiesce in/to
Eg. Sara acquiesced in his decision
Parochial
Confined or restricted, narrow
(Eg. A parochial view)
Lambast
To attack verbally
(Eg. Technology has been lambasted for creating new problems…)
Panacea
A remedy for all ills or difficulties, cure-all
(Eg. Technology serves as a panacea to food shortage…)
Vociferous
marked by or given to vehement insistent outcry
Eg.
He is her most vociferous critic.
He was vociferous in his support of the proposal.
The decision was made over their vociferous objections.
Glacial
suggestive of the very slow movement of glaciers
Eg. Progress towards securing restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions from the world’s largest economies have been glacial due to the need for economic growth.
Vitiate
spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of
Eg.
The insidious spread of false rumours surrounding Covid-19 restrictions and vaccines have vitiated efforts to contain the disease
Paucity
Scarcity
Dearth
Underpin/ undergird
to form part of, strengthen, or replace the foundation of
Eg. the theory of evolution undergirds virtually all of modern biology
Indigent
Poor, needy
Eg.
Many grassroots initiatives to meet the educational needs of the indigent have
been led by compassionate youth, such as Andy Toh, who led a group of volunteers to provide free tuition during the Covid-19 lockdown in Singapore.
Sisyphean
denoting or relating to a task that can never be completed
Eg. The sheer virality of fake news amplified by the interconnectedness and vast usage of social media platforms presents a Sisyphean task to social media moderators attempting to stamp out the falsehoods.
raison d’être
the most important reason or purpose for someone or something’s existence.
Gridlocked
brought to a state in which movement or progress is stopped completely.
[The Economist] Washington, dc, may be largely gridlocked, but the states are making policies at a furious pace.
Perverse
Corrupt; incorrect
[The Economist] And politicians with ultra-safe seats have perverse incentives.
Spook
to make frightened or frantic : SCARE
[The Economist] Mr Kwarteng spooked financial markets in spectacular fashion
Vaunted
highly or widely praised or boasted about
[The Economist] Most of the tax cuts and emergency spending had been signalled, but the vaunted supply-side reforms needed to pay for them were vague and…
Cavalier
marked by or given to offhand and often disdainful dismissal of important matters
[The Economist] the new government’s approach to the public finances was cavalier.
Lukewarm
lacking conviction : HALF-HEARTED
[The Economist] Britons are lukewarm about the idea of growth and wary (cautious) of the sacrifices required to achieve it.
