secondary week 2: 100-200

Consensus

A shared conclusion reached by a group of researchers or experts

Constraint

Stiffness or unnaturalness of manner; repression of feeling

Contend

To assert or maintain a position in an argument

Contentious

Given to arguing or provoking others

Contract

To decrease in size

Contrite

Affected by guilt; seeking forgiveness

Converge

Of ideas

Conviction

A firmly held belief or opinion

Corroborate

To provide evidence that makes a claim more certain

Credulity

Gullibility; lack of healthy skepticism

Criterion

A basis for comparison or judgment

Cryptic

Obscure or coded; difficult to decipher

Culpable

Accountable for a mistake or misdeed

Cursory

Perfunctory; done without attention to detail

Curtail

To impose a restriction on something

Debilitate

To hinder

Debunk

To reduce the inflated reputation of something or someone

Decorum

Etiquette; the requirements of a particular social setting

Deference

Yielding to the judgment or opinion of an elder or superior

Degradation

A loss of dignity or self-respect; the breakdown of a substance

Delineate

To indicate the exact position of a border or boundary

Denounce

To formally inform against

Deplore

To regret deeply; to lament

Depravity

A state of being morally sunken or corrupt

Deprecate

To play down or belittle

Deride

To treat as being of no value; to mock

Derivative

Originating from or based on something else

Desiccate

Lacking interest

Detachment

Lack of emotional involvement; being aloof

Deterrent

A nuclear weapon intended to prevent an attack

Deviate

To differ from a standard or average data point

Devoid

Empty of a specific quality or thing

Didactic

Having a moralizing or preachy tone

Diffuse

Lacking clarity or conciseness in speech or writing

Digression

An aside that provides context or backstory

Diligence

The attention and care legally required of a person

Diminution

The process of making something appear smaller or less

Discerning

Able to perceive subtle differences; sophisticated

Disclose

To allow something to be seen; to uncover

Discordant

Of a sound

Discrepancy

An unexpected difference between two amounts or reports

Discriminating

Distinguishing between things based on fine details

Discursive

Passing from one topic to another

Disdain

Scorn; looking down upon something as beneath one

Disinterested

Unbiased; having no personal stake

Dismissive

Showing that something is not worth considering

Disparage

To belittle or speak of slightingly

Disparity

Inequality; the state of being unequal

Dispassionate

Rational and objective; able to remain calm

Dispel

To scatter or drive away

Disputatious

Likely to cause a disagreement

Disseminate

To broadcast or circulate information

Dissent

A formal disagreement with a majority opinion

Dissipate

To squander money

Divergent

Of a series

Doctrine

A stated principle of government policy

Dogmatic

Inflexible; insisting on beliefs without proof

Dormant

Having physical functions suspended or slowed

Duplicity

Doubleness of thought

Eclectic

A person who uses a diverse range of styles or methods

Efficacy

Effectiveness

Effrontery

Boldness or audacity

Elaborate

To develop or present an idea in further detail

Elated

High-spirited; filled with pride or joy

Elegy

A lament for the dead

Elicit

To extract information from someone

Eloquence

The quality of being clear

Elucidate

To explain or provide clarification

Elusive

Difficult to remember or recall

Embellish

To add extra

Eminent

Present to a notable or conspicuous degree

Empathetic

Sharing the feelings of another

Empirical

Verifiable by experiment rather than theory

Emulate

To imitate through admiration

Endorse

To sign a check to make it payable

Enigma

A riddle or a puzzle

Enmity

A state of active opposition or hostility

Ephemeral

Fleeting or transitory

Equivocal

Ambiguous or intentionally misleading

Erroneous

Based on a fallacy or mistake

Erudite

Scholarly or learned

Esoteric

Understood only by those with specialized knowledge

Eulogy

A formal tribute usually given at a funeral

Euphemism

A polite term used for something harsh or blunt

Exacerbate

To provoke or inflame a situation

Exalt

To raise to a higher rank or position

Exasperate

To frustrate someone to the point of anger

Exclusionary

Denying access to a place or privilege

Exemplary

Serving as a warning to others

Exhaustive

Examining every single detail

Exhilarating

Thrilling or animating

Exonerate

To release someone from a duty or obligation

Expedient

Useful despite being possibly improper

Expedite

To accelerate progress

Exploit

A bold or daring feat

Expository

Writing that sets forth facts or ideas

Extant

Not destroyed or lost

Extenuating

Serving to lessen the seriousness of an offense

Extol

To glorify or honor

Extraneous

Originating from the outside