Advanced English Discussion Final

 to advocate (v.)

 to publicly support
—> The professor advocates for mental health awareness by giving lectures about the importance of therapy and self-care.

 to gravitate towards (v.)

 to be naturally drawn or attracted to something
—> I gravitate towards people who have similar ideologies to mine, especially when it comes to personal growth.

 to validate (v.)

 to confirm or recognize the worth or truth of something
—> It took me a long time to learn how to validate my feelings instead of suppressing them.

polarization (n.)

division into two sharply contrasting groups or opinions
—> Political polarization has increased online, making civil discussions between conservatives and liberals nearly impossible.

bipartisan (adj.)

 supported by members of two opposing political parties
→ The new education bill received bipartisan support because both parties agreed on the need for reform.

 the other side of the aisle

members of the opposing political party
→ During the debate, the senator respectfully acknowledged the views of the other side of the aisle before presenting her counterarguments.

 to bring closure to

to provide a sense of resolution or ending
→ The apology helped bring closure to their long-standing friendship conflict, allowing them to move forward peacefully.

echo chamber

an environment where a person only encounters information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their own

→ Social media often acts as an echo chamber, where users only hear opinions that match their beliefs and ignore opposing viewpoints

 to articulate (v.)

to express an idea or feeling clearly and effectively

→ She articulated her concerns about gender inequality in a powerful speech that moved the entire class.

to commiserate (v.)

to express or feel sympathy for someone’s suffering

→ After the exam, we gathered to commiserate about how difficult the essay questions were.

 imperative (adj.)

 absolutely necessary or important

→ It is imperative that students submit their final papers before the deadline to avoid penalties.

 intuitive (adj.)

based on what feels natural or instinctive rather than on reasoning

→ Her intuitive understanding of others’ emotions makes her a great counselor.

 on the cutting edge of

at the forefront of progress or innovation

→ This tech company is on the cutting edge of artificial intelligence research.

  in (one’s) face

aggressively direct or confrontational

→ His in-your-face attitude during the debate made the audience uncomfortable.

 to contract (v.)

to catch or develop an illness or disease

→ Many patients contracted the virus after attending the crowded festival.

 to reconfigure (v.)

 to rearrange or change the structure of something

→ The team had to reconfigure the presentation after receiving new data the night before.

 inheritance (n.)

money, property, or traits passed down from previous generations

→ She used her inheritance from her grandmother to pay for graduate school.

 chronic (adj.)

persisting for a long time or constantly recurring

→ He suffers from chronic back pain that affects his ability to sit for long hours.

clinical trials

research studies that test how well new medical treatments work in people

→ The vaccine showed promising results during the initial clinical trials.

to animate (v.)

 to bring to life or make lively

→ The storyteller animated her characters so vividly that the children were fully engaged.

 to foreshadow (v.)

 to indicate or warn of a future event

→ The eerie music in the opening scene foreshadowed the horror that was to come.

 to purport (v.)

 to claim or profess, often falsely

→ The article purports to be based on science, but it lacks credible sources.

disproportionate (adj.)

too large or too small in comparison with something else

→ The punishment was disproportionate to the minor mistake he made.

 reactionary (adj.)

strongly opposed to change or progress, especially in politics

→ His reactionary views about gender roles seem outdated in today's society.

vestigial (adj.)

a small remaining part of something that was once much larger or more significant

→ The appendix is often cited as a vestigial organ in the human body.

to follow suit

to do the same thing someone else has done

→ When one influencer started promoting eco-friendly fashion, many others followed suit.

 to garner (v.)

to collect or gather, especially support or attention

→ Her speech garnered a lot of praise from both students and faculty.

to pry (v.)

 to inquire too closely into someone’s personal affairs

→ I didn’t mean to pry, but I noticed you looked upset during lunch.

 to punctuate (v.)

to emphasize or interrupt something at intervals

→ His speech was punctuated by frequent applause from the audience.

 implicit (adj.)

implied or understood though not directly stated

→ There was an implicit message in her tone that she didn’t trust the proposal.

to benefit of the doubt

to believe someone is telling the truth even if you're unsure

→ I gave him the benefit of the doubt when he said the project file was accidentally deleted.

rite of passage

a ceremony or event marking an important stage in life

→ Graduation is a rite of passage that marks the transition into adulthood.

to estrange (v.)

to cause someone to be no longer close or affectionate

→ His constant criticism eventually estranged him from his childhood friends.

to loathe (v.)

 to feel intense dislike or hatred

→ She loathes being interrupted while she’s speaking.

 animosity (n.)

strong hostility

→ There was visible animosity between the two political candidates during the debate.

aversion (n.)

 a strong dislike or disinclination

→ I have an aversion to public speaking that makes presentations stressful.

 rhetoric (n.)

language intended to influence people, often lacking sincerity

→ The politician’s speech was full of patriotic rhetoric but offered few real solutions.

urban legend

 a widely circulated story that is usually false or exaggerated

—> The tale of a haunted dorm room is just an urban legend passed down for years.

Goldilocks effect

 the idea that something must fall within certain margins to be just right

→ The app's interface achieved a Goldilocks effect—not too simple, not too complex.

 entitlement (n.)

the belief that one inherently deserves privileges or special treatment

→ His sense of entitlement made it difficult for him to accept criticism.

intuition (n.)

the ability to understand something immediately without reasoning

→ Her intuition told her that something was wrong, even though no one said anything.

narcissistic (adj.)

having an excessive interest in oneself

→ His narcissistic behavior made group projects difficult because he never listened to others

to curate (v.)

to carefully select and organize content or items

→ She curated a playlist of songs that matched the mood of each season

homogenization (n.)

the process of making things uniform or similar

→ Globalization has led to the homogenization of food cultures around the world

 repercussion (n.)

an unintended consequence of an action

→ One repercussion of spreading misinformation is the erosion of public trust.

validation (n.)

the act of recognizing or affirming someone's worth or ideas

→ Receiving praise from her professor was the validation she needed to pursue writing.

dystopian (adj.)

relating to an imagined society with great suffering or injustice

→ The novel depicts a dystopian future where freedom of speech no longer exists.

moral compass

 a person's ability to judge what is right and wrong

→ Even in difficult situations, her strong moral compass guided her decisions.

to jump on the bandwagon

to adopt a trend or opinion because many others are doing it

→ After the trend went viral, many people jumped on the bandwagon without knowing the full story.

 to corrode (v.)

to gradually destroy or wear away

→ Constant negativity can corrode even the strongest relationships.

to reverberate (v.)

to echo or have a lasting effect

→ His words reverberated throughout the community long after the speech ended.

façade (n.)

a deceptive outward appearance

→ Her cheerful demeanor was just a façade hiding her anxiety.

resonance (n.)

the quality of being meaningful or impactful

→ The poem’s themes of loss and hope had a deep resonance with the audience.

 intangible (adj.)

unable to be touched or grasped; not having a physical presence

→ Trust is an intangible yet essential part of any relationship.

moral imperative

a strongly felt principle that compels a person to act

→ She felt a moral imperative to speak out against injustice.

to impose (v.)

to force something to be accepted or put in place

→ The school imposed strict rules to prevent cheating during exams.

 impasse (n.)

a situation where no progress is possible, especially due to disagreement

→ Negotiations reached an impasse when both parties refused to compromise.

oversight (n.)

an unintentional failure to notice or do something

→ The missing citation was just an oversight, not an attempt to plagiarize.

  incendiary (adj.)

intended to provoke or inflame strong emotion, especially anger

→ His incendiary comments about immigration sparked nationwide protests

watchdog

 a group or person that monitors and reports on issues of public concern

→ A media watchdog exposed the company's false advertising claims.

a hands-off approach

a style of management or leadership where one avoids interfering

→ The professor took a hands-off approach, letting students design their own experiments.

to espouse (v.)

 to adopt or support a belief or cause

→ The organization espouses environmental sustainability through its zero-waste policy.

to mitigate (v.)

 to make less severe, serious, or painful

→ Installing solar panels helps mitigate the effects of climate change.

to stigmatize (v.)

to label or brand someone as disgraceful or shameful

→ Society often stigmatizes people with mental illness instead of offering them support.

bigotry (n.)

intolerance toward those who are different or hold different opinions

→ The club aims to create a safe space free from bigotry and discrimination

amenable (adj.)

open and responsive to suggestion; easily persuaded

→ She was amenable to feedback and revised her essay accordingly

disparate (adj.)

essentially different or dissimilar

→ The panel included experts with disparate views on media censorship

to air (one’s) dirty laundry

 to discuss private problems in public

→ He aired his dirty laundry on social media, surprising his friends with personal drama.

 in retrospect

looking back on or reviewing past events

→ In retrospect, skipping the rehearsal was a mistake.

to elicit (v.)

to draw out a response or reaction

→ Her emotional speech elicited tears from the audience

to hedge (v.)

to avoid giving a clear answer or committing fully

→ When asked about the policy, the mayor hedged and changed the subject.

sheen (n.)

a soft glow or shine

→ The surface of the lake had a silver sheen under the moonlight

dreary (adj.)

dull, bleak, or depressing

→ The weather was so dreary that no one wanted to leave the house

wiggle room

flexibility or freedom to change plans or make adjustments

→ I need some wiggle room in the deadline because I have two other exams.

to let the ball drop

to fail to do something, especially something important

→ The team let the ball drop by forgetting to submit the final report.