UNIT 2: VOCAB C1 C2 - Thinking and Learning

Page 12 of Destination C1 C2 - Page 224 of Destination C1 C2

assess (v) /əˈses/

to carefully consider a situation, person or problem in order to make a judgment: We tried to assess his suitability for the job.

assess (v) /əˈses/

to calculate what something costs or is worth: Our agent will assess the value of your property.

assume (v) /əˈsjuːm/

to believe that something is true, even though no one has told you or even though you have no proof: Everyone accepted she was telling the truth, although in fact this was quite a lot to assume.

baffle (v) /ˈbæf.əl/

if a problem, someone's behaviour, etc baffles you, you cannot understand it or solve it: Detectives remain baffled by these murders.

biased (adj) /ˈbaɪ.əst/

preferring one person, thing or idea to another in a way that is unfair: It was a biased report.

concentrate (v) /ˈkɒn.sən.treɪt/

to give all your attention to the thing you are doing: I was sleeping badly and finding it hard to concentrate.

consider (v) /kənˈsɪd.ər/

to think about something carefully before making a decision or developing an opinion: She paused and considered for a moment.

consider (v) /kənˈsɪd.ər/

to have a particular opinion about someone or something: They consider it inevitable that some jobs will be lost.

contemplate (v) /ˈkɒn.təm.pleɪt/

to consider doing something in the future: I'm contemplating retirement next year.

contemplate (v) /ˈkɒn.təm.pleɪt/

to think very carefully about something for a long time: I haven't got time to sit around contemplating the meaning of life.

cynical (adj) /ˈsɪn.ɪ.kəl/

someone who is cynical believes that people care only about themselves and are not sincere or honest, or expects things not to be successful or useful: I know that some of you are very cynical about the proposals.

deduce (v) /dɪˈdjuːs/

to know something as a result of considering the information or evidence that you have: Finding fossils far inland, he deduced that the area had once been covered by water.

deliberate (v) /dɪˈlɪb.ə.reɪt/

to think about or discuss something very carefully, especially before you make an important decision: The judges deliberated for an hour before choosing the winner.

dilemma (n) /daɪˈlem.ə/

a situation in which you have to make a difficult decision: I'm in a dilemma over whether to tell him or not.

discriminate (v) /dɪˈskrɪm.ɪ.neɪt/

to treat someone unfairly because of their religion, race or other personal features: Employers are not allowed to discriminate on the basis of gender.

discriminate (v) /dɪˈskrɪm.ɪ.neɪt/

to recognise the difference between things: Long-range missile attacks simply cannot discriminate between military and civilian targets.

dubious (adj) /ˈdjuːbiəs/

not completely good, safe or honest: The story seemed a bit dubious to me.

dubious (adj) /ˈdjuːbiəs/

not sure about the truth or quality of something, or whether you should do something: I'm very dubious about his ability to do the job.

estimate (n) /ˈes.tɪ.mət/

an amount that you guess or calculate using the information available: According to official estimates, over 25% of carbon emissions come from the United States.

estimate (n) /ˈes.tɪ.mət/

a statement telling a customer how much money you will charge if they employ you to do a particular piece of work: The committee are currently getting estimates for repairs to the stonework.

estimate (v) /ˈes.tɪ.meɪt/

to say what you think an amount or value will be, either by guessing or by using available information to calculate it: It's difficult to estimate the cost of making your house safe.

faith (n) /feɪθ/

strong belief in or trust of someone or something: I'm delighted to know you have such faith in me.

gather (v) /ˈɡæð.ər/

to believe that something is true, although no one has directly told you about it: You're new here, I gather.

genius (n) /ˈdʒiː.ni.əs/

someone who is much more intelligent or skilful than other people: She was a mathematical genius.

genius (n) /ˈdʒiː.ni.əs/

a very high level of skill or ability: Baking allows you to show your creative genius.

grasp (v) /ɡrɑːsp/

to understand something: He was finding it difficult to grasp the rules of the game.

guesswork (n) /ˈɡes.wɜːk/

the process of trying to find the answer to something by guessing, or the answer found by using this method: It was a theory based on pure guesswork.

hunch (n) /hʌntʃ/

a feeling that something is true or will happen, although you do not know any definite facts about it: I've got a hunch there'll be an election soon.

ideology (n) /ˌaɪ.diˈɒl.ə.dʒi/

a system of ideas and principles on which a political or economic theory is based: State control is a fundamental aspect of Marxist ideology.

ingenious (adj) /ɪnˈdʒiː.ni.əs/

an ingenious plan, piece of equipment, etc uses new and clever ideas: This is an ingenious device for opening bottles.

inspiration (n) /ˌɪnspəˈreɪʃn/

a sudden feeling of enthusiasm or a new idea that helps you to do or create something: Dreams are a rich source of inspiration for some writers.

intuition (n) /ˌɪntjuˈɪʃn/

an ability to know or understand something through your feelings, rather than by considering facts or evidence: Archaeologists often use their intuition to decide where to dig.

justify (v) /ˈdʒʌs.tɪ.faɪ/

to show that there is a good reason for something, especially something that other people think is wrong: You'll be expected to justify your actions.

naïve (adj) /naɪˈiːv/

a naïve person lacks experience of life and tends to trust other people and believe things too easily: I was a naïve 17-year-old at the time.

notion (n) /ˈnəʊ.ʃən/

an idea or understanding of something: I haven't the faintest notion what you're talking about.

optimistic (adj) /ˌɒp.tɪˈmɪs.tɪk/

someone who is optimistic is hopeful about the future and tends to expect that good things will happen: She said that she was optimistic about the future of the company.

optimistic (adj) /ˌɒp.tɪˈmɪs.tɪk/

based on beliefs that are too confident: That's a very optimistic assessment of the overall situation.

paradox (n) /ˈpær.ə.dɒks/

a person, thing or situation that is strange because they have features or qualities that do not normally exist together: We get this apparent paradox of people migrating to an area that has very high unemployment.

pessimistic (adj) /ˌpes.ɪˈmɪs.tɪk/

someone who is pessimistic is not hopeful about the future and tends to expect that bad things will happen: She said that she was pessimistic about the future of the company.

pessimistic (adj) /ˌpes.ɪˈmɪs.tɪk/

thinking that the worst thing will happen in every situation: That's a very pessimistic assessment of the overall situation.

plausible (adj) /ˈplɔː.zə.bəl/

likely to be true, honest or suitable: A bomb was the only plausible explanation for the crash.

ponder (v) /ˈpɒn.dər/

to think carefully about something for a long time before reaching a decision: I'm still pondering whether to tell Janine or not.

prejudiced (adj) /ˈpredʒ.ə.dɪst/

someone who is prejudiced has an unreasonable opinion or feeling about someone or something, especially hatred or fear of a particular group of people: Rafferty's reporting was clearly biased and prejudiced against the homeless.

presume (v) /prɪˈzjuːm/

to think something is true because it is likely, although you cannot be certain: I presume you've already ordered lunch.

query (n) /ˈkwɪə.ri/

a question that you ask because you want information or because you are not certain about something: We have a number of queries regarding delivery.

query (v) /ˈkwɪə.ri/

to ask a question about something because you have doubts about it: It is not for us to query his decisions.

query (v) /ˈkwɪə.ri/

to ask something: 'Who would do such a thing?' he queried.

reckon (v) /ˈrek.ən/

to believe that something is true: I reckon there's something wrong with him.

reflect (v) /rɪˈflekt/

to think about something carefully and seriously: Josie reflected on how easily she could have been killed.

sceptical/skeptical (adj) /ˈskep.tɪ.kəl/

having doubts about something that other people think is true or right: Harrison approved the plan, but Riley remained sceptical.

speculate (v) /ˈspekjuleɪt/

to consider or discuss why something has happened: We can only speculate on the reasons for his sudden resignation.

suppose (v) /səˈpəʊz/

to believe that something is probably true, based on your experience, your knowledge and any other information that you have: She was about 35, Dexter supposed.

academic (adj) /ˌæk.əˈdem.ɪk/

relating to education, especially education in colleges and universities: The book brings together several academic subjects.

academic (adj) /ˌæk.əˈdem.ɪk/

good at learning things by studying: She's certainly bright, but she's not very academic.

academic (adj) /ˌæk.əˈdem.ɪk/

not relating to a real situation, and therefore not relevant: Given the lack of funding, any discussion of future plans was somewhat academic.

academic (n) /ˌæk.əˈdem.ɪk/

someone who teaches or does research at a college or university: The meeting was chaired by a leading Japanese academic.

conscientious (adj) /ˌkɒn.ʃiˈen.ʃəs/

working hard and being careful to do things well: Simon is a very conscientious worker.

cram (v) /kræm/

to study hard in order to learn a lot in a short time, especially for an examination: My exams are in two weeks, so I'm cramming at the moment.

curriculum (n) /kəˈrɪk.jə.ləm/

the subjects that students study at a particular school or college: Our mathematics curriculum is much broader now.

distance learning (n phr) /ˌdɪs.təns ˈlɜː.nɪŋ/

a system in which students work at home with the help of television and radio broadcasts and send work to their teachers by post or e-mail: Are you doing the course by distance learning?

graduate (n) /ˈɡrædʒ.u.ət/

someone who has a degree from a university: There aren't many careers for history graduates.

graduate (v) /ˈɡrædʒ.u.eɪt/

to complete your studies at a university or college, usually by getting a degree: He graduated from Yale University in 1936.

ignorant (adj) /ˈɪɡ.nər.ənt/

not knowing something that you should know or need to know: I was ignorant of the terms used in business.

inattentive (adj) /ˌɪn.əˈten.tɪv/

not giving much attention to someone or something: I hate speaking in front of an inattentive audience.

intellectual (adj) /ˌɪntəˈlektʃuəl/

relating to the ability to think in an intelligent way and to understand things, especially difficult or complicated ideas and subjects: Students were asked which task represented the greatest intellectual challenge.

intellectual (adj) /ˌɪn.təlˈek.tʃu.əl/

well educated and interested in art, science, literature, etc at an advanced level: Though not intellectual, my mother was highly intelligent.

intellectual (n) /ˌɪntəˈlektʃuəl/

someone who is well educated and interested in art, science, literature, etc at an advanced level: Though not an intellectual, my mother was highly intelligent.

intelligent (adj) /ɪnˈtel.ɪ.dʒənt/

good at thinking clearly and quickly, at understanding difficult ideas and subjects, and at gaining and using knowledge: Surely an intelligent person like you can deal with this?

intensive (adj) /ɪnˈten.sɪv/

involving a lot of teaching or training in a short time: It's an intensive language course for beginners.

knowledgeable (adj) /ˈnɒl.ɪ.dʒə.bəl/

knowing a lot about many different subjects or about one particular subject: He's extremely knowledgeable about business and finance.

lecture (n) /ˈlek.tʃər/

a talk to a group of people about a particular subject, especially at a college or university: The course will be taught through a series of lectures and seminars.

lecture (v) /ˈlek.tʃər/

to give a lecture or a series of lectures: She lectures on Greek Literature at the Sorbonne.

mock exam (n phr) /mɒk ɪɡˈzæm/

an examination you take for practice before an important examination: We've got our mock GCSE exams next month.

plagiarise (v) /ˈpleɪ.dʒər.aɪz/

to take someone else's work, ideas or words, and use them as if they were your own: They accused her of plagiarising her speech.

self-study (n) /ˌselfˈstʌd.i/

work that you do without the help of a teacher: : I have to do a lot of self-study on this course.

seminar (n) /ˈsem.ɪ.nɑːr/

a class at a college or university in which a small group of students discusses a subject with a teacher: We had a very interesting seminar on climate change.

special needs (n phr) /ˌspeʃ.əl ˈniːdz/

the particular needs of people who are physically or mentally disabled: If a student has special needs, he or she will be offered additional classes.

tuition (n) /tjuˈɪʃn/

the work that a teacher does when they teach a particular subject, especially to one person or a small group: He's been getting private tuition in French.

tutorial (n) /tjuːˈtɔːriəl/

a lesson in which a small group of students discuss a subject with a tutor, especially at a university or college: We had a very interesting tutorial on climate change.