Unit 2: Thinking

assess (v)

to carefully consider a situation, person or problem in order to make a judgment: We tried to assess its suitability for the job.

assess (v)

to calculate what something costs or is worth: Our agent will assess the value of your property.

assume (v)

to believe that something is true, even though no one has told you or you have no proof: Everyone accepted she was telling the truth, although in fact this was quite a lot to assume.

baffle (v)

if a problem, someone's behaviour, etc. baffles you, you cannot understand it or solve it: Detectives remain baffled by these murders.

biased (adj)

preferring one person, thing or idea to another in a way that is unfair: It was a biased report.

concentrate (v)

to give all your attention to the thing you are doing: I was sleeping badly and finding it hard to concentrate.

consider (v)

to think about something carefully before making a decision or developing an opinion: She paused and considered for a moment.

consider (v)

to have a particular opinion about someone or something: They consider it inevitable that some jobs will be lost.

contemplate (v)

to consider doing something in the future: I'm contemplating retirement next year.

contemplate (v)

to think very carefully about something for a long time: I haven't got time to sit around contemplating the meaning of life.

cynical (adj)

someone who is cynical believes that people care only about themselves and are not sincere or honest, or expects things not to be successful or useful: I know that some of you are very cynical about the proposals.

deduce (v)

to know something as a result of considering the information or evidence that you have: Finding fossils far inland, he deduced that the area had once been covered by water.

deliberate (v)

to think about or discuss something very carefully, especially before you make an important decision: The judges deliberated for an hour before choosing the winner.

dilemma (n)

a situation in which you have to make a difficult decision: I'm in a dilemma over whether to tell him or not.

discriminate (v)

to treat someone unfairly because of their religion, race or other personal features: Employees are not allowed to discriminate on the basis of gender.

discriminate (v)

to recognise the difference between things: Long-range missile attacks simply cannot discriminate between military and civilian targets.

dubious (adj)

not completely good, safe or honest: The story seemed a bit dubious to me.

dubious (adj)

not sure about the truth or quality of something, or whether you should do something: I'm very dubious about his ability to do the job.

estimate (n)

an amount that you guess or calculate using the information available: According to official estimates, over 25% of carbon emissions come from the United States.

estimate (v)

to guess or calculate something: It's difficult to estimate the cost of making your house safe against earthquakes.

faith (n)

strong belief in or trust in someone or something: I'm delighted to know you have such faith in me.

gather (v)

to believe that something is true, although no one has directly told you about it: You're new here, I gather.

genius (n)

someone who is much more intelligent or skilful than other people: She was a mathematical genius.

genius (n)

a very high level of skill or ability: Baking allows you to show your creative genius.

grasp (v)

to understand something: He was finding it difficult to grasp the rules of the game.

guesswork (n)

the process of trying to find the answer to something by guessing, or the answer found using this method: It was a theory based on pure guesswork.

hunch (n)

a feeling that something is true or will happen, although you do not know any definite facts about it: I've got a hunch there'll be an election soon.

ideology (n)

a system of ideas and principles on which a political or economic theory is based: State control is a fundamental aspect of Marxist ideology.

ingenious (adj)

using new and clever ideas: This is an ingenious device for opening bottles.

inspiration (n)

a sudden feeling of enthusiasm or a new idea that helps you to do or create something: Dreams are a rich source of inspiration for some writers.

intuition (n)

an ability to know or understand something through your feelings, rather than by considering facts or evidence: Archaeologists often use their intuition to decide where to dig.

justify (v)

to show that there is a good reason for something, especially something that other people think is wrong: You'll be expected to justify your actions.

naive (adj)

a naive person lacks experience of life and tends to trust other people and believe things too easily: I was a naive 17-year-old at the time.

notion (n)

an idea or understanding of something: I haven't the faintest notion what you're talking about.

optimistic (adj)

someone who is optimistic is hopeful about the future and tends to expect that good things will happen: She said that she was optimistic about the future of the company.

optimistic (adj)

based on beliefs that are too confident: That's a very optimistic assessment of the overall situation.

paradox (n)

a person, thing or situation that is strange because they have features or qualities that do not normally exist together: He's got apparent approval of people migration to an area that has very high unemployment.

pessimistic (adj)

someone who is pessimistic is not hopeful about the future and tends to expect that bad things will happen: She said that she was pessimistic about the future of the company.

pessimistic (adj)

thinking that the worst thing will happen in every situation: That's a very pessimistic assessment of the overall situation.

plausible (adj)

likely to be true, or able to be believed: A bomb was the only plausible explanation for the crash.

ponder (v)

to think carefully about something for a long time before reaching a decision: I'm still pondering whether to tell him or not.

prejudiced (adj)

someone who is prejudiced has an unreasonable opinion or feeling about someone or something, especially hatred or fear of a particular group of people: Father's reporting was clearly biased and prejudiced against the homeless.

presume (v)

to think something is true because it is likely, although you cannot be certain: I presume you've already ordered lunch.

query (n)

a question that you ask because you want information or because you are not certain about something: We have a number of queries regarding delivery.

query (v)

to ask a question about something because you have doubts about it: It's not for us to query his decision.

reckon (v)

to believe that something is true: I reckon there's something wrong with him.

reflect (v)

to think about something carefully and seriously: Josie reflected on how easily she could have been killed.

sceptical/skeptical (adj)

having doubts about something that other people think is true or right: Harrison approved the plan, but Riley remained sceptical.

speculate (v)

to consider or discuss why something has happened: We can only speculate on the reasons for his sudden resignation.

suppose (v)

to believe that something is probably true, based on your experience, your knowledge and any other information that you have: She was about 35, Dexter supposed.