Class 33. History

inherited or passed down from previous generations

legacy (n) — leave a legacy, lasting legacy — inheritance, heritage — His grandfather left a lasting ~. The company's ~ spans a century.

suddenly, without planning beforehand

on the spur of the moment (inf) — decide on the spur of the moment, act on the spur of the moment — impulsively, spontaneously — We booked the trip ~. She quit her job ~.

a pattern for producing other similar things

template (n) — use a template, design template — model, pattern — The report follows a standard ~. Her essay became a ~ for others.

the length of time a person, animal, or thing exists

life-span (n) — average life-span, extend the life-span — longevity, lifetime — The average ~ of a housefly is short. Doctors work to extend patients' ~.

a remark meant to humiliate or criticize someone

put-down (inf) — a subtle put-down, deliver a put-down — insult, jibe — He couldn't resist a ~ in the meeting. Her comment felt like a ~.

excessively, without moderation or restraint

sweepingly (f) — sweepingly generalize, sweepingly reform — excessively, drastically — The critic wrote ~ about the genre. The government acted ~ to change the law.

absurd and ridiculous, nonsense

bunk (inf) — total bunk, sheer bunk — nonsense, rubbish — His excuse was total ~. That theory is complete ~.

to reduce something to its essence

boil down (n) — boil down to, boil an argument down — summarize, condense — Her argument ~s to one point. Let's ~ the report to a page.

a small piece or fragment of something

gobbet (f) — a gobbet of information, a gobbet of meat — fragment, morsel — The chef served a ~ of beef. He shared a ~ of gossip.

readily accessible when needed

at hand (n) — help is at hand, keep something at hand — available, nearby — Keep the first-aid kit ~. Assistance is always ~.

a large hole or empty space

void (n) — fill a void, leave a void — emptiness, vacuum — Her death left a huge ~ in the family. He filled the ~ with work.

to transfer, pass, or spread from one person or place to another

transmit (f) — transmit a signal, transmit a disease — convey, pass on — The virus can ~ quickly in crowds. The antenna ~s a weak signal.

to involve something as a necessary part

entail (f) — entail risk, entail costs — involve, require — The job ~s frequent travel. The decision ~s serious consequences.

the quality of being clever, original, and inventive

ingenuity (n) — show ingenuity, human ingenuity — inventiveness, creativity — The design shows real ~. Her ~ solved the problem fast.

to aim or direct something at a target

level at (f) — level criticism at, level accusations at — aim at, direct at — Critics ~ed harsh words at the CEO. The report ~s blame at management.

to deplete or weaken gradually

sap (n) — sap energy, sap confidence — drain, deplete — The commute ~s her energy daily. Constant criticism ~ped his confidence.

very tired, especially after working hard

weary (n) — weary traveler, grow weary — exhausted, fatigued — He looked ~ after the shift. She grew ~ of endless meetings.

to fix beliefs or ideas in someone's mind by repetition

inculcate (f) — inculcate values, inculcate discipline — instill, ingrain — Parents ~ good habits early. The coach ~d team spirit.

to ban or make illegal

outlaw (n) — outlaw a practice, be outlawed — ban, prohibit — The government plans to ~ single-use plastics. Smoking was ~ed in public buildings.

plain and straightforward, without embellishment

unvarnished (f) — unvarnished truth, unvarnished account — candid, blunt — She gave him the ~ truth. He wanted an ~ account.

uninterrupted connection, succession, or union

continuity (f) — ensure continuity, sense of continuity — consistency, continuation — The team ensured ~ of service. There's a strong sense of ~ here.

possessing great and impressive power or strength

mighty (n) — mighty river, mighty army — powerful, immense — The ~ waterfall roared below. A ~ army marched on the city.

a big change causing trouble, confusion, and worry

upheaval (f) — political upheaval, cause upheaval — turmoil, disruption — The merger caused huge ~ at work. The country faced political ~.

to provide a basis for something, to justify

ground (f) — ground a theory, be grounded in — base, justify — His argument is ~ed in solid research. The novel is ~ed in reality.

to collect information in small amounts

glean (f) — glean information, glean insights — gather, extract — From the report, we ~ed a few facts. She ~ed details from old letters.

a mixture of different things, especially tunes

medley (n) — a medley of songs, a medley of flavors — mixture, assortment — The band played a ~ of hits. The dish is a ~ of spices.

a collection of many different kinds of things

miscellany (f) — a miscellany of items, a miscellany of essays — assortment, mixture — The shelf held a ~ of old books. Her blog is a ~ of thoughts and photos.

only existing or happening in some parts, uneven

patchy (n) — patchy knowledge, patchy signal — uneven, inconsistent — His French is still pretty ~. The wifi here is ~.

having a lot of problems or difficulties

embattled (f) — embattled leader, embattled company — beleaguered, troubled — The ~ CEO faced calls to resign. The ~ team fought relegation.

angry, sad, or full of hate due to unfair treatment

embittered (f) — embittered former employee, grow embittered — resentful, bitter — He became ~ after losing his job. She sounded ~ in the interview.

to become, or make something become, stronger and more certain

consolidate (f) — consolidate power, consolidate a position — strengthen, solidify — The company ~d its market lead. He worked to ~ his position.

to invent a new word or phrase

coin (n) — coin a term, coin a phrase — invent, create — The journalist ~ed the phrase overnight. Who first ~ed this term?

to illustrate or clarify by giving an example

exemplify (f) — perfectly exemplify, exemplify a trend — illustrate, embody — This case ~ies the wider problem. Her career ~ies dedication.

having fixed opinions and ways of doing things, unwilling to change

hide-bound (f) — hidebound tradition, hidebound institution — rigid, inflexible — The ~ committee rejected new ideas. Their ~ approach frustrated staff.

to feel or express sincere regret about one's wrongdoing

repent (f) — repent of a sin, repent bitterly — regret, atone — He ~ed of his past mistakes. She ~ed bitterly for the harm caused.

involving many carefully arranged parts or details

elaborate (n) — elaborate plan, elaborate design — intricate, detailed — They made ~ preparations for the party. The ~ costume took months to sew.

based on chance rather than being planned or reasoned

arbitrary (f) — arbitrary decision, seem arbitrary — random, capricious — The rule seemed completely ~. He made an ~ choice.

in a haphazard or spontaneous manner

willy-nilly (inf) — raise prices willy-nilly, act willy-nilly — haphazardly, randomly — Rules were changed ~. They spent money ~.

to listen and pay attention to

take heed (f) — take heed of a warning, take heed of advice — heed, pay attention — You should ~ of her advice. Few leaders ~ed the warnings.

unaware or unfamiliar with current trends or opinions

out-of-touch (n) — out-of-touch politician, become out-of-touch — disconnected, uninformed — The ~ manager missed the trend. She felt ~ after years abroad.

to praise someone or something publicly

pay tribute (f) — pay tribute to, pay a moving tribute — honor, commemorate — The mayor ~d the fallen soldiers. Colleagues ~d her years of service.

involving new ideas or methods

pioneering (f) — pioneering work, pioneering role — innovative, groundbreaking — Her ~ research changed the field. The team did ~ work in robotics.

the satisfaction of triumph after being scorned or dismissed

have the last laugh (inf) — have the last laugh over, get the last laugh — triumph, prevail — She ~ed after her rival's failure. He ~ed when the deal fell through for them.

to exist or stay determined longer than another person or thing

outlast (n) — outlast a competitor, outlast expectations — outlive, endure — The old engine ~ed three newer models. She ~ed every rival in the race.

a person who mocks or makes fun of someone or something

scoffer (f) — known scoffer, become a scoffer — mocker, cynic — The critic was a known ~. He dismissed the ~s and pressed on.

dishonest and suspicious, or lacking detail

sketchy (inf) — sketchy details, sound sketchy — dubious, suspicious — The deal sounded a bit ~. His alibi seemed ~ at best.