[UNIT 2] TOPIC VOCABULARY: THINKING

assess

=evaluate, appraise

to carefully consider a situation, person, a problem in order to make a judgement

assume

= presume

to believe sth is true without proof

baffle

= bewilder, confuse, perplex, confound

to confuse someone completely

biased

= prejudiced, partial

show an unreasonable like or dislike for something based on personal options

concentrate (on sth)

(1) to focus all your attention on sth (=focus)

(2) to bring or gather things together in one place (=gather)

(3) to increase the strength of a substance (=condense)

consider

(1) to think carefully about something before making a decision (=contemplate, ponder)

(2) to think of someone or something in a particular way (=regard, view)

contemplate

(1) to think deeply about something for a long time (=ponder, reflect)

(2) to look at something thoughtfully for a long time (=observe, gaze)

cynical

(1) distrustful of human sincerity or integrity (=skeptical, distrustful)

(2) doubtful as to whether something will happen or whether it is worthwhile (=doubtful, suspicious)

deduce

=infer, conclude

to reach a conclusion about sth by reasoning from known facts

deliberate

to consider something very carefully (=consider, ponder)

dilemma

= quandary, predicament

a difficult choice between two options

discriminate

(1) to recognize a difference (=differentiate, distinguish)

(2) to treat someone unfairly based on difference (=bias, prejudice)

dubious

(1) doubtful or uncertain (=doubtful, uncertain)

(2) unreliable, suspicious (=suspicious, questionable)

estimate

to roughly calculate or judge (=approximate, gauge)

estimate

an approximate calculation

faith

(1) strong belief or trust in someone or something (=trust, confidence)

(2) religious belief (belief, creed)

gather

(1) to collect or bring together (=collect, assemble)

(2) to understand or believe something (=deduce, conclude)

genius

a person with exceptional ability (=prodigy, mastermind)

grasp

(1) take hold of something firmly (=clutch, grip)

(2) to understand something fully (=comprehend, understand)

guesswork

the process of making guesses (=speculation, conjecture)

hunch

a feeling or guess based on intuition rather than facts (=intuition, premonition)

ideology

a set of beliefs (=doctrine, philosophy)

ingenious

clever, original and inventive (=iventive, resourceful)

inspiration

the process of being mentally stimulated to do something creative (=motivation, stimulus)

a sudden brilliant or timely idea

intuition

the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning (=instinct, gut feeling)

justify

to show or prove to be right or reasonable (=defend, rationalize)

naive

lacking experience or understanding; innocent and simple (=innocent, gullible)

notion

a conception of or belief about something (=concept, belief)

optimistic

hopeful and confident about the future (=hopeful, positive)

paradox

a person, thing or situation that has two opposite features and therefore seems strange (=contradiction, inconsistency)

pessimistic

expecting bad things to happen or something not to be successful (=gloomy, negative)

plausible

seeming reasonable or probable (=credible, believable)

ponder

to think carefully to consider deeply (=contemplate, reflect)

prejudiced

having an unreasonable preference for someone or something (=biased, partial)

presume

to suppose something is true (=assume, suppose)

query

(v) to ask a question (=question, inquire)

(n) a question (=question, inquiry)

reckon

to think or suppose something (=believe, think)

reflect

(1) to think deeply or carefully about something (=contemplate, ponder)

(2) to show or express something (show, demonstrate)

(3) to throw back light, heat, or sound from a surface (=mirror, echo)

skeptical/sceptical

having doubts about something (=doubtful, dubious)

speculate

(1) to form a theory or guess without firm evidence (=conjecture, theorize)

(2) to buy goods, property, shares, etc hoping to make a profit when you sell them

suppose

(1) to think or assume without certain knowledge (=assume, believe)

(2) used to introduce a suggestion or possibility

(3) to expect something based on rules, orders, or circumstanecs