UWP P1 vocab words

Reading 1 (P1R1)

Vocab Word	Part of Speech	Definition	Sample Sentence
Pernicious	Adjective	Having a destructive or harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.	Spending time only on our phones rather than talking can be very pernicious to us.
Cognitive degradation	Noun	Problems with a person's ability to think, learn, remember, use judgment, and make decisions.	People who are not taught correctly end up struggling with cognitive degradation.
Blithe	Adjective	Showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous or improper.	Drivers in Washington have a blithe disregard for the rules of the road.
Articulate	Verb	To express an idea or feeling fluently and coherently.	At times if I’m upset I have a hard time articulating my feelings to others.
Proliferated	Verb	To increase rapidly in numbers; multiply.	The money in my bank proliferated after I started saving rather than spending.
Render	Verb	To provide or give (a service, help, etc.) or to cause something to be in a particular state.	Sudden heavy rain rendered the dirt roads impassable for small cars.
Deprive	Verb	To take away something from someone.	Not letting someone learn to drive is depriving them of the freedom that comes with a car.
Subjected to	Verb	To be prone to something, often a particular condition.	If you cheat on a test, you will be subjected to academic consequences.
Indispensable	Adjective	Absolutely necessary; impossible to do without.	In the modern world, a computer has become an indispensable tool for most students.
Undermine	Verb	To lessen the effectiveness, power, or ability of someone or something, especially gradually.	Constant criticism can undermine a student's confidence in their writing.
Perfunctory	Adjective	Carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection.	He gave the essay a perfunctory glance rather than a deep reading.
At stake	Phrase	To be won or lost; at risk.	With the final exam approaching, her grade for the entire semester is at stake.

Reading 2 (P1R2)

Vocab Word	Part of Speech	Definition	Sample Sentence
Caught the world by storm	Verb phrase	To quickly become very successful or popular in a particular place or group.	Dutch bros caught the world by storm when it released its holiday drinks.
Arms race	Noun	An ever-escalating competition between two parties.	At pro level for sports, the stakes are too high to not keep up the arms race.
Embrace	Verb	To accept or support a belief or change willingly.	We can only progress in life by embracing the changes it throws at us.
Transform the landscape of	Adjective phrase	To cause significant change in a particular field.	Reusable cups or straws are transforming the landscape of sustainability.
Fall prey to	Verb phrase	To be harmed or affected in a bad way by something.	After not studying for her test, she fell prey to pre-test anxiety.
Sounding board	Noun	A person used to test the validity of ideas.	My best friend is a sounding board to all of my crazy ideas.
At someone’s disposal	Noun phrase	Available for one to use whenever they wish.	Being at someone’s disposal at work can help you succeed.
Status quo	Noun	The existing state of affairs, especially regarding social or political issues.	Many people prefer to keep the status quo because they are afraid of sudden change.
Existential crisis	Noun	A moment at which an individual questions if their life has meaning, purpose, or value.	The sudden rise of AI has caused an existential crisis for many professional writers.
Reverse psychology	Noun	A technique involving the advocacy of a belief or behavior that is opposite to the one desired.	By telling the students not to use the new tool, the teacher used reverse psychology to make them curious about it.

Reading 3 (P1R3)

Vocab Word	Part of Speech	Definition	Sample Sentence
Paradoxical	Adjective	Seemingly absurd or self-contradictory.	It seems paradoxical, but hot tea can sometimes make you feel cooler in the heat.
Disclaimer	Noun	A statement that denies responsibility or knowledge.	We issued a disclaimer denying any knowledge of the deception.
Obsolete	Adjective	No longer produced or used; out of date.	The book used a word that had long been obsolete.
Hailed as	Phrasal verb	To praise by comparing to something very good.	She was hailed as one of the best young dancers today.
Rampant	Adjective	Spreading rapidly and unchecked.	Diseases are running rampant in current society.
Wreak havoc	Verb phrase	To cause great damage or chaos.	The new virus threatened to wreak havoc on the company's internal servers.
Fallout	Noun	The adverse results or side effects of a situation or action.	The political fallout from the scandal lasted for several months.
Default	Noun / Verb	A preselected option or to fail to fulfill an obligation.	If you don't choose a specific font, the system will use the default setting.