Thẻ ghi nhớ: Series 25 | Quizlet

Labyrinth (n)

A confining set of connecting passages or paths in which it is easy to get lost.

Ex. You can shape your own vision of the world, full of illuminating chance encounters, assembling a personal library as you dance the labyrinth of learning.

Paradox (n)

A situation or statement that seems impossible or is difficult to understand because it contains two opposite facts or characteristics.

Ex. It's a strange paradox that people who say you shouldn't criticize the government criticize it as soon as they disagree with it.

Opaque (adj)

1. Preventing light from travelling through, and therefore not transparent or translucent.

Ex. The target is mostly still transparent to the probe light, although it is becoming opaque near the interaction region.

2. Difficult to understand or know about, especially because things have been intentionally kept secret or made complicated.

Ex. Governments have been able to maintain opaque and discriminatory procurement practices.

Pious (adj)

Strongly believing in religion, and living in a way that shows this belief.

Ex. The other side of the masonry block was covered with a web of ancient graffiti, she said, left by pious visitors to the tomb.

Integrity (n)

The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that you refine to change.

Ex. No one doubted that the president was a man of the highest integrity.

Mundane (adj)

Very ordinary and therefore not interesting.

Ex. This is a shame, especially when it leads to overly-literal accounts of songs rendered in a rather mundane reported speech.

Naive (adj)

Too ready to believe someone or something, or to trust that someone's intentions are good, esp. because of a lack of experience.

Ex. It was naive of her to think that she would ever get her money back.

Obscure (adj)

Not clear and difficult to understand or see.

Ex. Official policy has changed, for reasons that remain obscure.

Obscure (v)

To prevent something from being seen or heard.

Ex. Two new skyscrapers had sprung up, obscuring the view from her window.

Tedious (adj)

Boring.

Ex. If a concept has many associated types, the resulting code may be tedious to write and difficult to read.

Superficial (adj)

1. Never thinking about things that are serious or important.

Ex. He's fun to be with, but he's very superficial.

2. Appearing to be real or important when this is not true or correct.

Ex. There are superficial similarities between the two cars, but really they're very different in terms of performance.

Viable (adj)

Able to work as intended or able to succeed.

Ex. In order to make the company viable, it will unfortunately be necessary to reduce staffing levels.

Zenith (n)

1. The point in the sky directly above you.

Ex. A pall of cloud muffled the whole expanse of sky from zenith to horizon.

2. The best, highest, or most successful point or time.

Ex. The 1970s were the period when the generation of archaeologists educated in the 1960s reached the zenith of their creativity.

Undermine (v)

To make someone less confident, less powerful, or less likely to succeed, or to make something weaker, often gradually.

Ex. The president has accused two cabinet members of working secretly to undermine his position.

Wary (adj)

Not completely trusting or certain about something or someone.

Ex. These citizens are also extremely wary of truly contested discussions, those that both admit and seriously examine different viewpoints.

Alacrity (n)

Speed and interest.

Ex. Immediately after this television programme the riot spread with alarming alacrity.

Callous (adj)

Unkind, reel, and without sympathy or feeling for other people. Ex. There are brutal stories of callous power that destroys lives and careers.

Unprecedented (adj)

Never having happened or existed in the past.

Ex. Ecosystems are not being maintained, safety factors are ignored, species extinction persists at an unprecedented level, and our very global life-support systems are under threat.

Tacit (adj)

Understood without being expressed directly.

Ex. Elementary impairments may cause language deficits, or they may also play a role in language development remaining tacit.

Subtle (adj)

Not loud, bright, noticeable, or obvious in any way.

Ex. He was a true mentor, teaching us to be subtle, firm and humorous all at the same time.

Sage (adj)

Wise, especially as a result of great experience.

Ex. When they were discussing strategies to maintain peace, they cited quotes from ancient sages, but they were filled with doubts and worries.