woah vocab🫣🫨

Concession

1. Something that you agree to do or let someone else do or have (Especially to avoid conflict/argument)

2. A special right/privilege given to someone

Calamitous

Something that’s very unfortunate indeed, usually because it involves a disaster of some kind. (Sometimes used in a humorous way)

Carnage

The violent killing of large numbers of people, especially in war.

Candor

The quality of speaking honestly and openly and not hiding any facts.

Ex: “They were talking of personal matters with unusual candor.”

Adamant

Being determined not to change your mind about it.

Ex: “They’re adamantly opposed to continued high interest rates.”

Acquiescence

Agreement to do what someone wants or acceptance of what they do.

Ex: “He didn’t much care for her easy acquiescence in his treatment of the children.”

Ambivalent

Someone who is ambivalent doesn’t know or doesn’t make it clear whether they want to or don’t want to do something, or whether they approve of it or do not.

X: Being in a state of ambivalence about something.

Ample

1. Enough

2. Large in quite a pleasant or attractive way

Apt

1. If someone/something is apt to behave in a particular way they’re “prone” to doing it or “likely” to do it

2. Someone who is apt (at doing something) is intelligent/clever

3. Something that’s apt is especially suitable to a particular situation

X: aptly doing something

Askance

If you look askance at someone you look at them in a doubtful/suspicious way

Abhorrent

If something is abhorrent to you, you consider it completely unacceptable or you hate it very much.

Ex: “It’s completely abhorrent to me.”

“A ruthless and utterly abhorrent system.”

Besieged

1. If a group of ppl especially soldiers besiege a place, they surround it in an attempt to capture it

2. Being besieged by a number of ppl means those ppl are making demands on them continuously or bothering them.

Brusque

Someone who is brusque spends as little time as possible in saying or doing something and doesn’t show much consideration for other people.

Debase

1. To reduce something of its value

2. Debasing yourself: acting in a way that’s shameful/humiliating

Fidelity

1. The quality of remaining firm in your beliefs/ideas/in your friendships with people

2. The state of having one sexual partner

3. The degree of accuracy of a report/translation/adaptation

Guile

The quality of being very cunning and good at deceiving people.

Ex: “A man without guile.”

Hubris

Arrogant pride (formal or literary word)

Incendiary

Used to describe weapons or attacks that involve setting fire to something

Ex: “The soldiers were trained to deal with incendiary attacks.”

Magnanimous

If you’re magnanimous you’re generous towards someone else, especially after you’ve beaten them in a fight/contest.

Ex: “I’ll give it to you for Christmas,” he said magnanimously.

Ostensible

Used to describe something that seems to be true or is officially stated to be true, but about which you or other people have doubts.

Ex: “She left the room, ostensibly to explain something to the cook.”

Palpable

When something is so obvious that it can easily be seen/felt.

Ex: “The tension was palpable.”

Plaintive

A plaintive sound, voice question etc. is sad and high-pitched.

Ex: “A plaintive wail.”

Portent

A portent of something that indicates what is likely to happen in the future, whether it will be good/bad etc.

Ex: “Are dreams a portent of things to come?”

“Amazed that he ignored the portents for so long.”

“A hopeful portent.”

Progeny

1. Your progeny are your children.

2. The progeny of a particular thing are things that develop from it. Ex: “These computers and their even faster, smaller progeny.”

Reprieve

1. If someone is reprieved after they’ve been sentenced to death, their punishment is officially cancelled.

2. A reprieve is an official order cancelling/postponing a person’s punishment (especially when condemned to death).

3. A reprieve is a temporary relief from difficulty/pain.

Resolute

Showing great determination not to change their mind about something that they don’t want to do.

Ex: “They were faced with resolute opposition.”

Resplendent

If you say that someone/something is resplendent you mean that their appearance is brilliant and striking. (Formal/literary word)

Salacious

If you describe a book, joke etc. as salacious, you mean you think it deals with sexual matters in an unnecessarily detailed way; used showing disapproval.

Ex: Booktok books are salacious 👎🏻

Vindictive

Someone who is vindictive tried deliberately and cold-bloodedly to hurt someone who they think has done them harm.

Ex: “He was just being vindictive.”

Vitriolic

Language or behavior that is vitriolic is full of hatred and bitterness and so causes a lot of distress and pain.

Ex: “He was subjected to the most vitriolic personal abuse.”