VOCAB SET 8 (HARD)

(reach) apex (of)

reach the zenith / peak/ top of something

(be) orthodox

To be conventional, to follow established ways, to be traditional

(be) dogmatic

your certian that you're right and everybody else is wrong

(a) connoisseur (of)

an expert in matters of culture, food, or wine.

= virtuoso

(to) denounce

publicly declare to be wrong or evil (lên án)

(to) impede

hinder; obstruct, delay,

(a sense of) reproach

express disapproval or disappointment to someone.

(grow) stale

old, no longer fresh or new

(be) mundane

very ordinary and therefore not interesting

(noun) vigor

strength, energy, or enthusiasm

enervate

(v.) to weaken or lessen the mental, moral, or physical vigor of; enfeeble, hamstring. subvert, undermine, drain out

antecedent

a thing or event that existed before or logically precedes another (predecessor means người tiền nhiệm, this word means tiền đề, tiền bối)

(adj/ verb) brazen

(adj.) shameless, impudent; made of brass

(a) manifesto

a public declaration of policies or intentions (tuyên ngôn)

(to) postulate

hypothesize; propose

(be) ephemeral

transient, temporary, last for short time

(to) exalt

to glorify, to praise, to raise in rank (be promoted)

repudiate

to reject, revoke

(be) florid

(adj.) highly colored, reddish; excessively ornate, showy, pretentious, ornamental

(be) idiosyncratic

unusual/ a peculiar or distinctive habit, mannerism, or feature that is unique to an individual.

(to) demur

to refuse/ to raise doubts or objections.

(be) demure

reserved, modest, and shy

catalyst

substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction

(be) unpretentious

not attempting to impress others with an appearance of greater importance, talent, or culture than is actually possessed.

(be) eclectic

choosing from various sources

evanescent

(adj.) vanishing, soon passing away; light and airy, ephemeral, transient, temporary

(a) paucity (of)

scarcity; lack, shortage of, ,a dearth of

concerted

planned or done together for a shared purpose (solidarity)

(be) benevolent

kind of generous

(be) poised

Be ready and prepared to do something; The second meaning of poised is to be calm, balanced, and ready.

Think of a cat getting ready to pounce on a toy. It is very still, perfectly balanced, and ready to move. That cat is poised.

(be) pragmatic

practical, as opposed to idealistic

(to) interject

insert, interrupt, disrupt, disturb a conversation

inspirational

making you feel full of hope or encouraged:

Clairvoyant

a person who claims to have a supernatural ability to see events in the future or perceive things beyond normal sensory contact.

(a) conundrum

puzzle, problem

(be) inscrutable

impossible to understand or interpret

(to) thwart

prevent (someone) from accomplishing something.

(to) permeate

(v.) to spread through, penetrate, soak through

(be) amicable

peaceable, friendly

(to) contrive

to plan with ingenuity; to bring about through a plan

delegate (v/n)

(n) a person chosen or elected by a group to speak, vote, etc. for them, especially at a meeting

(v)

to give a particular job, duty, right, etc. to someone else so that they do it for you:

(a) debacle

a complete failure; a total collapse

(be) hapless

unfortunate, unlucky

(to) lament

to express sorrow; to grieve

(be) devastated

destroyed; completely upset

(to) ameliorate

to alleviate, assuage/ to improve, make better, correct a flaw or shortcoming

(be) overt

(adj.) open, not hidden, expressed or revealed in a way that is easily recognized

(to) dispel

to remove fears, doubts, and false ideas, usually by proving them wrong or unnecessary:

(set a) precedent (for)

an earlier event or action that is used as an example or guide for how to handle similar situations in the future.

(be) nuanced

a very slight difference, avoids oversimplification and show deeper understanding

ex: a simple argument might say, "All technology is bad." A nuanced argument would say, "While technology has many benefits, it also presents complex challenges that we must address."

(to) discern

to distinguish, recognize, spot/ to see clearly, recognize, see the difference

(be) prudent

wise, careful, cautious

(be) ostentatious

showy, pretentious

(a) digression

a temporary departure from the main subject in speech or writing

(be) premeditated

considered beforehand, deliberately planned

(be) prerogative

privilege/ a special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellence

inclusivity

an intention or policy of including people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized

(be) decentralized

(activities/ structure/org)) power and decision-making authority are distributed among many different people, locations, or parts, rather than being held by a single central authority

(be) convoluted

intricate and complicated

(a) profusion (of)

plenty, too many

(to) renounce

to give up or resign something/ to say formally or publicly that you no longer own, support, believe in, or have a connection with something:

(be) wayward

(adj.) intractable, disobedient, willful; unpredictable, capricious

(be) placid

calm, peaceful

(to) nullify

to counter; revoke