Vocabulary Practice: High-Level English & Technology Trends

This set of vocabulary flashcards is based on the provided lecture notes and transcripts covering advanced English terminology and concepts related to AI, economics, and professional environments.

Resurgence

A renewal or revival after a period of little activity, such as a jihadist resurgence or a return of worker power.

Upheaval

A violent or sudden change or disruption to something, often involving protests or significant shifts in an industry.

Glimpse

A brief or partial view; a momentary or partial understanding of what could be possible.

Harkening

Suggestive of or reminding one of a particular style, trend, or period from the past.

Harkening back

Recalling or moving back to an earlier point, such as a previous talk or an earlier era of the internet.

Crop up

To appear or occur suddenly and unexpectedly.

Ascetic

Relating to or characterized by the practice of severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence.

Abstinence-only

Refers to a stance or code that involves refraining from something entirely, such as premarital sex or the use of technology.

Rabid

Having or proceeding from an extreme or fanatical support/belief; also refers to an animal infected with rabies.

In droves

In very large numbers; moving or acting as a large group.

Plays out

The way in which a situation develops, unfolds, or is repeated in cycles over time.

Eliminated

Completely removed, excluded, or got rid of, specifically in the context of job positions being replaced.

White-collar jobs

Professional or office-based work, often distinguished from manual or blue-collar labor.

Retreated on

To back down from, withdraw, or revise a previous claim or position.

Overstaffed

Having a number of employees that is greater than what is necessary for operations.

Proclaimed

Publicly and officially announced or declared in a solemn or certain manner.

Venture

A risky or daring journey or undertaking, particularly a business project or enterprise.

Emerged

Become apparent, important, or prominent after being hidden or through a process of development.

Applicability

The quality of being relevant or appropriate to a particular case or domain.

Leap

A sudden and significant increase, advance, or step forward.

Attendant

Occurring with or as a natural consequence or result of something else.

Inevitable

Certain to happen; unavoidable.

Zealotry

Fanatical and uncompromising pursuit of religious, political, or other ideals.

Polarization

Division into two sharply contrasting groups or sets of opinions or beliefs.

Godlike

Resembling a god in qualities such as extreme intelligence, power, or honor.

Hasten

To cause something to happen sooner than it otherwise would; to accelerate a process.

Divergently

Developing or moving in different directions or into separate paths.

Toil away

To work extremely hard or incessantly, often for a long period of time.

Bubble bursts

A situation where a period of sudden economic growth or high valuation ends abruptly, often leading to a recession.

Wring their hands

To show great distress or anxiety about a situation, especially when one is unable to change its outcome.

Unfathomable

Incapable of being fully explored or understood; often used to describe massive amounts of something like revenue.

Pundits

Experts in a particular subject who are frequently called upon to give opinions about it to the public.

Revenue

Income, especially when of a company or organization of a substantial nature.

Abstain

To formally decline to use or do something; to restrain oneself from an action.

Imperative

An essential or urgent thing; a practical or moral necessity.

Miscellaneous

Consisting of various types or from different sources; having diverse items or characteristics.

Induce

To succeed in persuading someone to do something or to bring about/give rise to a physical process like labor.

Susan Blackmore

A speaker whose talk discussed the transmission of information through heredity and selection.

Sam Altman

The CEO of OpenAI who in May $2026$ addressed the impact of AI on white-collar jobs.

Marc Andreessen

A venture capitalist who claimed in March that companies use AI as a "silver-bullet excuse" to reduce overstaffed workforces.