Vocab

Nebulous

Poorly defined

His explanation was so nebulous I still don’t know what he meant.

Equivocal

Open to multiple interpretations

His answer was pretty equivocal—I couldn’t tell what he actually meant.

Opaque

Difficult to interpret

The scoring system is opaque and poorly justified.

Fallacious

Based on flawed reasoning

This is a fallacious interpretation of correlational data.

Tenable

Able to be defended logically

This explanation is no longer tenable.

Ubiquitous

Present everywhere

Such findings are ubiquitous in asymptomatic populations.

Litany

A long list (often negative)

A litany of methodological issues was identified.

Cacophony

A harsh mixture or lack of coherence

A cacophony of measures obscures interpretation.

Volgare

It describes behavior, language, or tastes that are unrefined or in bad taste

Vapidity

Lack of substance or depth

The discussion suffers from vapidity.

Sanctimonious

Self-righteous or morally superior

The tone is unnecessarily sanctimonious.

Panacea

A supposed cure-all

Exercise is not a panacea for all conditions.

Vehement

Forceful or intense

He was vehement in his critique.

Disdain

Strong dislike or contempt

There is clear disdain for alternative explanations.

Obsequious

Excessively eager to please

The tone is overly obsequious.

Perspicacious

Highly perceptive

She offered a perspicacious critique of the argument.

Sagacious

Wise, sound judgement

A sagacious approach was taken

Loquacious

Talkative

He became increasingly loquacious.

Circumspect

Careful, cautious

He was circumspect in his response.

Fastidious

Very attentive to detail

A fastidious approach to documentation.

Impetuous

Acting without thought

An impetuous decision.

Acrimonious

Bitter or hostile

The debate became acrimonious.

Magnanimous

Generous, forgiving

A magnanimous response.

Perfunctory

Done without care

A perfunctory assessment

Epitomise

To perfectly represent or be the ideal example of something

Advent

The arrival or beginning of something

The advent of smartphones changed everything.

Apocryphal

Widely believed but probably not true

I think that story about him is a bit apocryphal.

VirulentlY

Virulently

In a very aggressive or hostile way

He virulently disagreed with that take.

Archetype

A typical example

He’s the archetype of a startup guy.

Euphemism

A softer way of saying something harsh

“Let go” is just a euphemism for getting fired.

Vapidity

Lack of depth or substance

That conversation was pure vapidity.

Devoid

Completely lacking

The whole thing felt devoid of meaning.

Rudimentary

Basic or not developed

My cooking skills are pretty rudimentary.

Fraught

Full of tension or difficulty

That situation sounds pretty fraught.

Zenith

The highest point

That was probably the zenith of his career.

Syllogism

A logical argument

That’s a neat syllogism, actually.

Audacious

Bold or daring

That was a pretty audacious move.

Anathema

Something you strongly dislike

Early mornings are anathema to me

Maelstrom

A chaotic situation

The whole thing turned into a maelstrom.

Sanctimonious

Self-righteous

He can sound pretty sanctimonious sometimes.