Vocab Week 6

accentuate

To make more noticeable/prominent

“She had the annoying habit of accentuating her words with a clap.”

downplay

to make something appear less important than it actually is

“Her report downplayed the catastrophic results of the earthquake”

lionize

to give a lot of public attention/approval to someone

“Influencers are lionized by the media.”

underscore

to emphasize

The statistics underscored his point about global warming

Deviate

To depart from an established course

The team succeeded because they never deviated from the plan

envision

To imagine as a future possibility

The couple spent a lot of time envisioning their wedding

clarify

To make clearer

The explanation clarified all questions that could have been asked

ponder

To think about carefully

The student pondered where to go to college

berate

To scold angrily

The parents berated their child for crashing the family car

speculate

form a theory or conjecture about a subject without firm evidence

My friends often speculate about my love life