common words 4

aberrant

abnormal or deviant

abstruse

difficult to understand ; incomprehensible

acerbic

harsh in tone

adamant

refusing to change one's mind

admonitory

Giving a warning ; arning someone with the intention of correcting their behavior. ; to riprimand

apocryphal

of questionable authenticity

blatant

completely obvious, often offensively so; shameless

His blatant lie fooled no one.

bumbling

lacking physical movement skills, especially with the hands ; clumsy

The bumbling detective accidentally locked himself out of his own office.

burgeon

to grow and flourish

confound

1. to confuse

2. to mistake one thing for another

construe

interpret

Her silence was construed as agreement.

contingent

1. Dependent on

2. a group of people representing a larger organization or country.

1. Our trip is contingent on good weather.

2. The Indian contingent won several medals at the event.

copious

abundant

decorum

appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety

denigrate

criticize unfairly, belittle, or damage their reputation.

he politician tried to denigrate his opponent during the debate.

discrete

Distinct, separate entity or part

Don't Confuse It With Discreet

These two words are commonly mixed up:

Discrete : Separate, distinct

Discreet : Careful, tactful, not attracting attention

eradicate

to completely destroy

exalt

praise or glorify

exonerate

pronounce not guilty of criminal charges

expound

add details or explanation; clarify the meaning; state in depth

espouse

to adopt or support an idea or cause ; To strongly support or believe in an idea, belief, or policy

She espouses environmental conservation.

forthcoming

1. at ease in talking to others

2. coming soon, about to happen

hackneyed

overused, cliched ; lacking significance through having been overused

is speech was filled with hackneyed phrases like "follow your dreams."

iconoclastic

defying tradition or convention

The scientist's iconoclastic ideas challenged decades of accepted research.

idiosyncrasy

A person's unique quirk or odd habit.

One of my grandmother's idiosyncrasies is labeling every jar in her kitchen, even the ones that are transparent.

ignoble

dishonorable; shameful

He resorted to ignoble tactics to win the election

implacable

impossible to calm

implausible

unlikely to be true or believable ; unbelievable

His explanation for arriving three hours late—that a flock of birds had stolen his car keys—was so implausible that no one in the office believed him.

incorrigible

impossible or extremely difficult to correct, reform, or improve, especially someone's bad behavior.

Despite receiving countless warnings from his teachers and several suspensions, the student remained incorrigible, continuing to disrupt every class he attended.

indifference

a lack of interest or concern ; not caring

When I told my friend about the problems I was facing, his complete indifference hurt me more than if he had openly criticized me.

ingratiate

to gain another's favor by flattery or false friendliness

The new employee constantly complimented his manager and volunteered for every assignment in an attempt to ingratiate himself with the people who decided promotions.

intransigent

refusing to change your opinion or compromise, even when it would be reasonable to do so.

he union and the company's management remained so intransigent during negotiations that they failed to reach an agreement even after several weeks of discussion.

largess

extreme generosity and giving

The hospital was able to build a new children's wing thanks to the largess of several wealthy donors who contributed millions of dollars.

laudable

worthy of high praise

Although she did not win the competition, her determination to practice every day and improve her skills was truly laudable.

myopic

1. Nearsighted

2. Lacking long-term vision ; Short-sighted in thinking ; unimaginative

The company's myopic decision to cut spending on research increased its short-term profits but left it unable to compete with more innovative rivals a few years later.

opaque

1. Literal: Not allowing light to pass through

2. Figurative : Difficult to understand; unclear; not transparent in meaning or process.

ostentatious

intended to attract notice and impress others

Although he had recently become a millionaire, he avoided buying ostentatious cars or enormous houses because he preferred to live modestly.

pedantic

overly concerned with small details

The professor was so pedantic that he spent fifteen minutes correcting a student's minor grammatical mistake instead of discussing the important concepts behind the assignment.

petulant

easily irritated or annoyed ; childishly angry

When his proposal was rejected, he became petulant, refusing to participate in the meeting and answering every question with short, irritated replies.

pragmatic

guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory

provincial

1. old fassioned or narrow minded

2. area outside the major cities of a country

pundit

(n.) a learned person; one who gives authoritative opinions

reconcile

1. To become friendly again after a disagreement ; to make peace after a fight

2. to make one thing compatible with another

2. Scientists are trying to reconcile the new data with the existing theory.

refute

prove to be false or incorrect

The lawyer refuted the witness's testimony by presenting security camera footage that showed the witness could not have been at the scene.

soporific

inducing mental lethargy; sleep inducing

The professor's soporific lecture was so dull that several students struggled to stay awake.

temperance

Self-control, especially in avoiding excess or overindulgence.

tortuous

twisting ; not straighforward

underscore

To emphasize or highlight the importance of something.

unscrupulous

having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair

exacting

requiring and demanding accuracy