HKDSE Master Vocabulary Bank Flashcards

A comprehensive collection of vocabulary terms and definitions from the HKDSE exam preparation sources, organized into Level 4, Level 5, Level 5*, and Level 5** difficulty levels.

Conducive (adj)

Making a certain outcome likely or possible.

Clout (n)

Influence or power, especially in politics or business.

Feasible (adj)

Possible to do easily or conveniently.

Slasher (n)

A person who has multiple jobs or careers at the same time.

Debunk (v)

To expose the falseness of a myth.

Seminal (adj)

Strongly influencing later developments; highly original and influential.

Counterfactual (adj)

Relating to what did not happen; hypothetical.

Veracious (adj)

Speaking or representing the truth; truthful.

Accountability (n)

Responsibility for actions or decisions.

Empirical (adj)

Based on observation or experience rather than theory.

Hypothesis (n)

A proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence.

Catalyst (n)

A person or thing that precipitates an event or change.

Dichotomy (n)

A division into two sharply contrasting groups or things.

Anachronistic (adj)

Belonging to an earlier period and unsuitable for the present.

Perspicacious (adj)

Having ready insight; mentally acute.

Harbinger (n)

A person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another.

Ineffable (adj)

Too great or extreme to be expressed in words.

Angel investor (n)

A wealthy private individual who provides capital for a business start-up, usually in exchange for ownership equity.

Bycatch (n)

The unwanted fish and other marine creatures caught during commercial fishing for a different species.

Democratization (n)

The action of making something accessible to everyone.

Boon (n)

A thing that is helpful or beneficial.

Ethos (n)

The characteristic spirit, beliefs or ideals of a community, culture or ideology.

Apotheosis (n)

The highest point in the development of something; a culmination or climax; elevation to divine status.

Autodidact (n)

A self-taught person.

Achilles heel (n)

A fatal weakness in spite of overall strength; a vulnerable point.

Palimpsest (n)

A manuscript or piece of writing on which later writing has been superimposed on earlier writing; something reused or altered but still bearing traces of its earlier form.

Plant blindness (n)

The tendency of humans to overlook or undervalue plants in their environment.

Terra preta (n)

A highly fertile, dark anthropogenic soil found in the Amazon basin, created by ancient indigenous practices.

Xenopsychology (n)

The study of alien minds (extremely rare specialized term).

Zero-sum (adj)

Of or relating to a situation in which one participant’s gain is exactly balanced by the losses of the other participant(s).