words

Vestigial

forming a very small remnant of something that was once much larger or more noticeable

“A ______ flicker of anger from last night”

Industrious

Constantly, regularly or habitually active

Mired

Being stuck, trapped, or deeply involved in a difficult situation or literally stuck in heavy mud

Think piece

Thought-provoking speculative piece of writing (rather than straight news reporting)

Coerce

To compel to an act or choice

Intrinsic

Belonging to the essential nature, inner character, constitution of a thing rather than an outside source inherent, built-in, often said with ‘value’

Vilify

To say/write harsh unpleasant defamatory things in order to turn public opinion on them

Perilous

Adj. Full of danger and risk

Effusive

Expressing unrestrained pleasure, gratitude or approval in overflowing, excessive emotion

Calamitous

Causing great damage, ruin or suffering

Abdicate

To formally abandon or give up a serious duty/responsibility

Endorse

To publicly express support, approval, recommendation

Enigmatic

Mysterious or puzzling, hard to read

Instructive

Carrying a lesson, enlightening, or giving useful knowledge/info

Venturesome

Adj. Willing or inclined to take risks in action or behavior

Enjoin

To direct someone or urge someone strongly with authority

Antagonize

Deliberately causing anger or hostility in someone by irritating them or provoking them

Lurid

Adj. shocking or sensational

Used to describe exaggerated graphic details of crimes or scandals intended to shock

Sunk-cost fallacy

A cognitive bias that makes people continue a project or endeavor simply because they have invested too much in it, even when stopping is the logical choice

Posturing

Behaving or acting in an insincere or exaggerated way to impress, mislead or attract attention rather than reflect the truth

Commodify

To turn something that is normally not for sale into a product that can be bought and sold (an idea, relationship, natural resource)

Diametric

Adj describing things that are opposed, at opposite extremes, as different as possible

Insipid

Lacking flavor, taste or stimulating/interesting qualities

Purveyor

Supplier, usually as a matter of business

Artless

Without guile or deception or cunning. Lacking a calculated effect

Exalted

Places at a high or powerful level of rank/status

Irreverent

Showing a lack of respect for people or things that are generally taken seriously

Milieu

A person's social environment (ppl, conditions, culture, setting that shape how someone lives)

Arch

Adjective: marked by a deliberate, often forced placement of playfulness, irony, or impudence

Aggregate

NOUN: a whole formed by combining several (typically disparate) elements

“Froth is an ________ of tiny bubbles”

Ensconce

Establish or settle (someone) in a safe comfortable or secret place

Pedantic

Overly concerned with minor details, often in a showy way. Annoyingly eager to correct small mistakes

Cyclical

Occurring in cycles; recurrent

Mercurial

Changing fast and in a way you cannot guess

Spittle-flecked

Marked with tiny drops of saliva, used to describe someone who is speaking/shouting with intense anger

Sanctimony

The practice of acting as if one were morally superior to other people

Kitschy

considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic or knowing way.

Buoyant

Able to stay afloat or rise to the top

OR cheerful and optimistic

Cultivate

Prepare and use land for crops

OR try to acquire or develop (a quality or skill)

Candid

Truthful and free from bias or reservation

Trepidation

A feeling of fear, anxiety, or nervous hesitation about something that is going to happen

Profane

Verb: to treat something regarded as sacred with abuse

ADJ: not concerned with religion; unholy

Subcontinent

A distinct large landmass that sits on its own tectonic plate. Geographically isolated from the rest of its continent by massive natural barriers. Most widely accepted are India and Arabian Peninsula

Decouple

To separate, disconnect or sever the connection btwn things that were previously connected

Unilateral

One-sided (action or decision)

Implicit

When something is suggested or understood without being explicitly

Doctrine

A well-stated system of beliefs be it religious or government policy or a famous thinker’s ideas/conclusions

Stringent

Strict, precise and exacting

Loyalist

A person who remains loyal to a cause particularly during times of revolt

Subsidize

To support financially

Unpalatable

Not pleasant to taste. Difficult to tolerate or accept.

Centrality

The quality of being in the middle of somewhere of something

Circumscribe

To restrict something within clear boundaries/limits. To include within a certain limit. Bound, confine.

“I am aiming to escape a life _______ed by work”

“The concept of a militia is a specific and narrowly ________ed one”

Idealogue

A person stubbornly devoted to a specific set of beliefs.

Paradigm

A standard pattern, model, or way of looking at something. A distinct set of concepts or thought patterns. Also used as a synonym for a model prototype for something.

“she seemed to be society’s _______ of the ideal woman”

“einsteins theories shook the _______ of Newtonian physics”

Codify

Arrange into a systematic code. Organize, formalize a set of things (laws, rules, procedures) into a code, something easy to reference (a single official accessible framework).

To _______ a right in law is to pass federally, superceding state by state rights.

A business can _______ it's internal procedures into an official employee handbook.

Redress

Setting something right after a misdeed

Politic

Shrewd, pragmatic; tactful or diplomatic

“When asked about her ex-husband, the celebrity gave the _______ reply’ “I wish them both the best.”

Jingoism

Excessive loud patriotism and aggressive warlike foreign policy

Pejorative

ADJ: Disparaging derogatory belittling

“The supervisor made some ________ remarks to the trainee”

NOUN: a name or word that is disparaging

“Some __________ terms are loudmouthed, crippled, treehugger”

Manifest

Verb: to make evident or certain by showing or displaying

“Lupus can ________ as muscle weakness or joint pain.”

Adjective: obvious, unmistakably apparent.

“For all of its ________ innacuracies, the movie managed to win over the crowd anyways “

Malinger

Pretend to be sick to get out of work/duties

Indolent

Lazy, slothful

Crux

The decisive or most important point at issue

Benighted

In a state of pitiful or contemptible intellectual ignorance, typically owing to a lack of opportunity

“they saw themselves as bringers of culture to a poor _______ people.”

ALSO overtaken by darkness

“A storm developed, we were forced to wait _______ near the summit.”

Nominal

1.Trivial, so small as to be unimportant

2. Existing only in name

Implacable

Not able to be appeased, calmed, or satisfied

Leery

Suspicious or wary

Lionize

Treat like a celebrity

Modicum

A little bit or limited quantity

Officious

Meddling: excessively forward in offering services or assuming authority

Judicious

Having or showing sound, wise or careful judgement. Marked by good sense and practical wisdom.

Intractable

Hard to control or deal with.

(Of a person) Difficult or stubborn.

Reproach

Address someone in such a way as to express disapproval or disappointment.

Iconoclast

A person who criticizes or attacks widely accepted practices or cherished beliefs. A vocal or active non-conformist

Fulsome

Complimentary and flattering to an excessive degree.

“The waiter was embarrassingly _______.”

Quixotic

Exceedingly idealistic in an often impractical unrealistic way

Cognitive Dissonance

The psychological discomfort one feels when attitudes, behaviors and beliefs contradict each other.

An alarm bell goes off when new information or experiences challenge a held belief that is a part of their personal identity. Makes your brain want to shut down and disregard the evidence.

Confirmation Bias

Human tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information in a way that confirms preexisting beliefs.

Acts as a mental filter causing people to NOTICE and REMEMBER evidence that fits their beliefs while DOWNPLAYING or IGNORING contradictory facts.

Subjugation

the action of bringing someone or something under domination or control.

“the colonial __________ of a country by means of brute force”

Dubious

Hesitating or doubting. Not to be relied upon; suspect.

Vim

Pep, enthusiasm, vitality, lively spirit.

Squalid

Disgusting, filthy, foul, extremely neglected.

Squelch

Crush, squash; suppress or silence. ALSO walk through ooze/make a smacking or sucking sound

Brusque

Abrupt or offhand in speech or manner.

Fledgling

A young bird that has just recently gotten its feathers, an inexperienced person (NOUN)

New or inexperienced (ADJECTIVE)

“The ________ flew out of the nest finally.”

“We hope to attract the _______ talents of keen students into applied sciences programs.”

Endemic

Native, local; natural, specific to, or confined to a particular place.

“Certain diseases remain _______ to particular regions.”