VOCAB SET 7 (HARD)

(be a) predecessor

someone or something that came before another in job, role, or time

(be) complacent

self-satisfied; overly content

grow + adj

he had grown tall/ had grown complacent

(be a) precipitous (cliff, declince, drop)

rapid, uncontrolled, very steep

(be) defunct (machine, laws, company, non-living things)

no longer existing or functioning

acrimonious (affair)

a business dispute, a legal battle, or a political matter that is filled with sharp disagreement and bitterness.

bitter accusation

claim against someone that is filled with strong anger, resentment, and a sense of being wronged.

(a) precipitate (decision)

improvised, spontaneous, impulsive

infraction of

Minor violation of a rule or law

(be an) astute (investor, businessman,...)

able to understand a situation quickly and see how to take advantage of it/ clever/ intelligence

(be) canny

thinking quickly and cleverly, especially in business or financial matters/ synonymous with astute but with more cautious

(be) ambivalent

having mixed feelings about something

(to) assuage (fears, bad emotions)

alleviate

(to) grapple (with)

work hard to deal with a problem/ to struggle

(be) multifarious (problems, challenges,...)

having great variety; numerous and diverse/ heterogeneous, disparate

bureaucratic

(negative connotation) over-regulated, relying on strict system that makes thing slow to be approved -> inefficiency

heterogeneous

(adj.) composed of different kinds, diverse

perpetual (cycle of)

Continuing forever

melancholy

sadness

(show) empathy

the ability to understand and share the feelings of another

extenuating (circumstances)

adjective that means making a situation or an offense seem less serious or more forgivable.

Euphemism

An indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant

(to) mystify

To confuse or puzzle someone

bystander

a person who is present at an event or incident but does not take part.

inexplicable

hard to explain or impossible to understand (unexplainable)

proliferate

To increase greatly in number; multiply

(be) exquisite

extremely beautiful and, typically, delicate.

ethereal

too perfect for this world, otherworldly, heavenly

(be) provocative

cause strong reaction

proponent

supporter

(to) circumvent

to get around; to bypass

(to) fortify

to strengthen, build up, bolster, foster

(to) buttress (arguments with a mountain of data/ evidence/fact)

fortify, strengthen, bolster, support

(to) germinate (in the minds of someone)

begin to grow

feasible

possible, able to be done

(to) rebut (one's claim)

to contradict or disaprove a claim or accusation/ negate/ refute/ deny/ invalidate

(be) tenuous (at best)

weak and uncertain

(to) disseminate

widespread

(to) misconstrue

accidentally interpret something incorrectly

(remain/be) nonchalant

calm and unconcerned

(a) tactful (speaker)

sensitive

dexterity

skill in performing tasks, especially with the hands

paradox

A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.

(to) enjoin

instruct or urge someone to do something

(to) juxtapose

to place side by side for comparison

eclipse

surpassing or outshining someone/ (as a noun) solar, lunar eclipse

(an) advocate (of)

supporter

(be) frugal

careful and not wasteful (with money), often seen as a positive quality.

(to) culminate (in)

reach completion in, reach the zenith

(to) expedite

to speed up

(a) transcendent (success)

biggest success ever, unprecedented, go beyond limit

(to) corroborate

(v.) to confirm, make more certain, bolster, substantiate, verify

(a musical) virtuoso

a master or a genius in music.

(be) contrived

unnatural or forced; clearly planned and not genuine

(to) emulate

to imitate, mimic, replicate/ match or surpass a person or achievement, typically by imitating them. The goal is to be as good as or better than a role model.

(be) unobtrusive

not conspicuous or attracting attention

ubiquitous

present or existing everywhere

predetermined

decided in advance

prescribed

a specific order or instruction that has already been given

(be) innocuous

not harmful or offensive

constituent

(serving) as a part of a whole

juvenile

(adj/noun.) - young or immature