Outliers Vocabulary - Page 1

Vocabulary flashcards covering the terms from Page 1 of the notes.

abstruse

adj. difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge

antecedent

adj. preceding in time or order; noun the referent of an anaphor; a phrase or clause that is referred to by an anaphoric pronoun; a preceding occurrence or cause or event; anything that precedes something similar in time; someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)

brevity

noun the attribute of being brief or fleeting; the use of brief expressions

cognitive

adj. of or being or relating to or involving cognition

cohort

noun a band of warriors (originally a unit of a Roman Legion); a company of companions or supporters; a group people having approximately the same age

concubine

noun a woman who cohabits with an important man

confederate

adj. of or having to do with the southern Confederacy during the American Civil War; united in a confederacy or league; noun someone who assists in a plot; a supporter of the Confederate States of America; a person who joins with another in carrying out some plan (especially an unethical or illegal plan); verb form a confederation with; of nations; form a group or unite

consequence

noun having important effects or influence; the outcome of an event especially as relative to an individual; a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

consequential

adj. having important issues or results

credentials

noun a document attesting to the truth of certain stated facts

crucible

noun a vessel made of material that does not melt easily; used for high temperature chemical reactions; a severe test; a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development

daunting

adj. discouraging through fear

egalitarian

adj. favoring social equality; noun a person who believes in the equality of all people

ethos

noun (anthropology) the distinctive spirit of a culture or an era

fetish

noun excessive or irrational devotion to some activity; a form of sexual desire in which gratification depends to an abnormal degree on some object or item of clothing or part of the body; a charm superstitiously believed to embody magical powers

flounder

noun any of various European and non-European marine flatfish; flesh of any of various American and European flatfish; verb behave awkwardly; have difficulties; walk with great difficulty

fundamental

adj. being or involving basic facts or principles; far-reaching and thoroughgoing in effect especially on the nature of something; serving as an essential component; noun the lowest tone of a harmonic series

idealist

noun someone guided more by ideals than by practical considerations

imperious

adj. able to deal authoritatively with affairs

indelible

adj. cannot be removed, washed away or erased

inquisitive

adj. showing curiosity; inquiring or appearing to inquire

libidinous

adj. driven by lust; preoccupied with or exhibiting lustful desires

meritocracy

noun the belief that rulers should be chosen for their superior abilities and not because of their wealth or birth; a form of social system in which power goes to those with superior intellects

miscegenation

noun reproduction by parents of different races (especially by white and non-white persons)

mitigate

verb make less severe or harsh; lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of

nonchalant

adj. marked by blithe unconcern

paradigm

noun the generally accepted perspective of a particular discipline at a given time; systematic arrangement of all the inflected forms of a word; a standard or typical example; the class of all items that can be substituted into the same position (or slot) in a grammatical sentence (are in paradigmatic relation with one another)

progeny

noun the immediate descendants of a person

purported

adj. commonly put forth or accepted as true on inconclusive grounds

savvy

noun the cognitive condition of someone who understands; verb get the meaning of something

submissive

adj. inclined or willing to submit to orders or wishes of others or showing such inclination; abjectly submissive; characteristic of a slave or servant

subsistence

noun minimal (or marginal) resources for subsisting; the state of existing in reality; having substance; a means of surviving

subversive

adj. in opposition to a civil authority or government; noun a radical supporter of political or social revolution

threshold

noun the smallest detectable sensation; the starting point for a new state or experience; the sill of a door; a horizontal piece of wood or stone that forms the bottom of a doorway and offers support when passing through a doorway; the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close; a region marking a boundary

WASP

noun social or solitary hymenopterans typically having a slender body with the abdomen attached by a narrow stalk and having a formidable sting; a white person of Anglo-Saxon ancestry who belongs to a Protestant denomination