Advanced Vocabulary 1 ambiguity A sentence/expression can be ambiguous if it has two possible (adj = ambiguous) meanings, and it is not clear

r what the writer/speaker wants to say Although she said she was committed to the scheme, there was some ambiguity in her voice. Christians are not ambiguous about life after death: they believe in it as an article of faith. recidivist Someone who keeps repeating the same crime, who keeps relapsing (usually used as noun) into bad old habits of behaviour usually criminal. Norman Stanley Fletcher was a habitual criminal, whom the judge described as a recidivist, because he could not or would not alter his behaviour. platitude A saying or proverb which may once have been wise but has become (usually used as noun) worn out by repeating; an easy truth; a truism; a clich. The grass is always greener has become something of a platitude in our times, and can deter people for aspiring to better things better the devil you know, and all those clichs. coerce To force someone to do something, to compel, often by physical (noun = coercion) strength, but not necessarily so. Reluctant students occasionally need coercing to produce their best work! posthumous About what happens after death. (adjective only) The Christian faith is not just about eternal life and such posthumous benefits. The valiant soldier lost his life in the conflict and was awarded the VC posthumously. benevolent Kind, generous; from Latin bene = well; volens = wishing. Very close to benign. The opposite of malevolent and malign. (noun = benevolence) The benevolent fund made grants to people who had lost their savings in the war. mundane Ordinary, dull, everyday, not exciting. Similar to banal (used mainly of comments) and to trite (dull words which we have all heard before) (just use the adjective) We all need something to lift our eyes from mundane things, to the higher meaning of life. euphoria A state of excitement, an emotional high the mental equivalent of ecstasy, which is the physical state (adj = euphoric) The euphoria of the cup final triumph stayed with the team for a long long time. utopia From Sir Thomas Mores book of the same name = paradise, the ideal (just use the noun) country. From the Greek meaning no place They assumed that they would never create utopia on this earth in this time, however hard they worked for it. despot A tyrant, an absolute ruler, a dictator (adjective = despotic) Having ruled for so long with no one to check them, they had become despots, living examples of the truth that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. ambivalence Being in two minds about something ambi is the prefix from Latin (adj = ambivalent) meaning both and any word with valence is in is to do w ith values. Quakers are pacifists, and they have never been ambivalent about their opposition to war. fatuous Silly, pointless, a waste of time, stupid (just use as adjective) O what made fatuous sunbeams toil to break earths sleep at all? (Wilfred Ow en)

Advanced Vocabulary 2 paradox Something which appears to be a contradiction (adj = paradoxical) Although paradoxical, sometimes it is necessary to go backwards in order to make progress. oxymoron Two words right next to each other which are opposites but used to (ignore the adjective!) describe the same thing Losing in love is a bitter sweet thing. Parting is such sweet sorrow. trait A characteristic, a quality which distinguishes one person from another

(noun) If kindness were only the dominant trait in humankind, how different might we be? Latin expression literally to the thing , used in English to say that we are making it up as we go along, unplanned, random The rather ad hoc methods seemed to get results but left everyone feeling disorganised. ad hoc exemplary Adjective meaning the best, worth using as an exemplar (close to (noun = exemplar) example but stronger) Many of your reports were exemplary and could well be used to help younger students to see what they would have to do to succeed The front elevation of a building, now used metaphorically for an (noun) outward appearance hiding a very different inside reality (like veneer) Beneath a faade of wealth, some aristocrats lived in no little poverty. protagonist The main character, actor in a drama, or in a situation, eg in politics. (noun) Sometimes plural to denote the two main opponents in a contest. It seems that Brown and Cameron may be the protagonists in the next General election. In a play such as Hamlet, the audience is chiefly interested in the protagonists thoughts. antecedent Something that comes before something else; precedent = an earlier (noun) event which sets the pattern for how such things happen in future There was no antecedent to his surprising behaviour, which came out of a blue sky. If we allow someone to wear pink, we shall be setting a precedent that many may wish to follow. eulogy A Greek word meaning a speech in praise of someone. At the (noun) presentation of the Nobel prizes, the winners get this done to them. The Peace prize winner received a deservedly impressive eulogy. garrulous Talkative, outgoing, gregarious, chatty, hard to keep this person quiet (adjective) The groups discussion was dominated by one garrulous individual. panacea The universal cure, the one remedy for all ills, the one solution to all (noun) problems. In 1945, it was hoped that the United Nations organisation would be the panacea for the troubles of the world, putting all to right. antagonism Hostility towards someone, often personal, opposition, often physically (adj = antagonistic) threatening; the expression of these feelings. Over a few weeks, their antagonism became overt and very critical. faade

Advanced Vocabulary 3 enigma A puzzle, something that will need to be thought out; the adjective (adj = enigmatic) often used of people who are complicated and hard to read The complex case gave detectives a difficult enigma to solve. Advances in science have made moral issues even more enigmatic for many. per se Through itself, for its own sake, just because it is All creativity, per se, is important to human society curt Short, abrupt, terse to the point of being rude (adjective) He found her curt remarks very off-putting and unnecessarily critical robust Physically strong and healthy, holding up well, resilient (adjective) They presented a robust defence of the argument from intelligent design perennial Describing something that keeps on going for good, for ever (adjective or noun) As a noun, used of plants that come back year after year Suffering on a universal scale presents a perennial problem to those who argue the goodness of an omnipotent divinity. omnipotent From the Latin all powerful, with the Saxon equival ent almighty The more difficult omniscient means all-knowing (adjective) Modern humanistic thought does not welcome the idea of an omnipotent deity deity A god, a divinity, a being to be worshipped, from the Latin deus, and (noun) fairly close to the Greek (theos) = god Mercy is a thought for humans as well as for any deity on high. A kind of limbo in between heaven and hell, a posthumous anteroom for waiting and serving time, purging self of the sins that keep us from heaven, in Roman Catholic theology. A place of suffering. He could bear the pains of purgatory, but not this unknowing, this grey nothing of the world. formulaic (noun = formula) One of those words where the adjective is more powerful but harder than the noun formula is used of ideas or writing which does not have many ideas but is written following a formula Her short stories were interesting, but rather formulaic in plot. Calm, easy going, even tempered, not easily angered or upset, a more positive word than passive, which would be someone who tolerated too much Philosophers rarely pass their time in placid mood reproach To tell someone off, to draw to their attention a moral failing and wish (verb or noun) them to do better. Her words of reproach cut him to the heart and made him vow to do better in the future. surreal A recent adjective, coming from the Surrealist movement in art, which (adjective) claims to represented the subconscious mind hence unreal, weird The nightmarish painting seemed surreal. Their situation felt surreal, more in keeping with a crazy film than their usual ordinary world. placid (adjective) purgatory (noun)

Advanced Vocabulary 4 contrite (adj) Sorry, remorseful, admitting to having done contrition (noun) Although he claimed to be contrite, it took a long while for him to amend his lifestyle. imperative From empire and belonging to words such as imperial, it means vital, (adj and noun) on order, must do It was imperative that they abandon ship at once. anathema Something that is so abhorrent and awful it seems to have been (noun) cursed. NB it is used without the articles. They had such a strong conscience that it was anathema to them to break a promise that they had made. initiate Belongs to words such as initial, initiative to begin, the take the first (verb) steps, to be the one to get things underway. The peace process in Northern Ireland was initiated by ordinary people, exhausted by years of sectarian violence passive (adj) The opposite of active, in the sense that such a person would let things (noun = passivity) happen to them, and not take actions to sort things out How could we have sat back passively and allowed the Slave Trade to happen? existentialism A movement in early 20th century philosophy which focussed on human (noun) beings taking action, doing things to prove their being. There was no existentialist doubt to prevent their fighting for votes for women pragmatic Real world, get things done, never mind the rights and wrongs, just sort (adj) it out on the ground To be pragmatic is to be realistic, to worry more about actions than principles literal Actual and precisely true the thing that really happened. Often (adj) misused by sports commentators for effect They had been standing on their heads for literally half an hour. unique The only one of its kind. I know that you know what it means but note (adj) that it is not used with an intensifier it cannot be quite or really unique The very last quagga, a unique animal, died in the 19th century. flaw A fault or blemish (noun) Shakespeares tragic heroes are often thought to have a fatal flaw in their character, such as jealousy, which leads to their tragic end. rudimentary Basic, fundamental (adj) She was a fine mathematician and her work was free from rudimentary mistakes. metaphorical The opposite of literal to be able to see one thing in terms of, (adj) compared to something else To see the world as a global village is helpful metaphorically to our understanding of how we should see the planet as one community

Advanced Vocabulary 5 astute (adj) Having a sharp mind, with fine understanding of people, situations, arguments Although Hal appeared shallow, his depth of understanding revealed an astute thinker.s fickle Changeable, capricious, especially being quick to change side, (adj) feelings, not sticking to one person or argument The voters seemed fickle, not supporting one party for more than a few months before swapping sides. statutory (adj) Something that has to be obeyed, followed, because it has the force of (from noun = statute) the law behind it. Similar in meaning to mandatory. Schools have a statutory duty to consider the health and well being of all staff and students. forte Pronounced for-tay, it is based on the Italian/Latin for strong, as in (noun) musical notation, and it means what someone is particularly good at. Playing goalkeeper was Martins forte, the position he was made for! verbose (adj) Wordy, never using one word where ten would do just as well, not (noun = verbosity) concise and not to the point. Anyone who speaks in public has to be careful not to become verbose, but to keep the point succinctly. unorthodox Not conventional, not doing things in the expected way, rather unusual. (adj) Her approach to refereeing was not usual, but rather unorthodox but it certainly allowed the game to flow idiosyncrasy (noun) A persons very own way of doing things, an unusual trait, an (adj = idiosyncratic) eccentricity In fact, her unorthodox approach was so unusual as to be virtually idiosyncratic! hyperbole Pronounced hyperbolly an exaggeration, especially if done for impact (noun) in writing There were hundreds of reasons for this, but the hyperbole was wasted on the lawyer, who only needed one convincing one. laconic Using very few words in fact, almost taciturn in approach the (adj) opposite of verbose The wisest philosopher is usually laconic few words are best. tacit Unspoken, unsaid, known by intuition rather than by declared (adjective agreement They had a tacit understanding that they would never let each other down. acquiesce To give in, give way, give up to agree to something tacitly. (verb) Someone who was passive would be acquiescent too. They had little choice but to acquiesce to the demoralising terms of the treaty. reminiscence Looking back, with fondness, reflecting on the past, nostalgia setting in (noun) for what has happened before They shared many a good reminiscence of their grand days in college thirty years ago.

Advanced Vocabulary 6 arduous (adj) Difficult, tiring, something that is hard work to accomplish, requiring much effort. The Three Peaks Race presents a series of arduous ascents for any fell-runner. allusion An indirect hint, a mention in passing but so that the reader is meant (noun) to recognise what you are referring to. The Chair she sat in in Eliots The Wasteland is an allusion to The barge she sat in from Antony and Cleopatra backbencher An MP who does not have an official post in government or opposition (noun) and sits on the benches at the back and can say what they like! Two angry backbenchers asked the Prime Minister a series of very awkward questions. cryptic Mysterious, coded, obscure and unclear in meaning. A cryptic (adj) crossword is one where the clues are anagrams or puzzles. She had left a series of cunning and cryptic clues to her whereabouts. crux The most important or difficult point, often in an argument, the heart of (noun) the matter. The crux of the issue about the Olympics is: will the stadium be ready in time? faction A small group within a larger one, sharing the same ideas, and often (noun) with its own agenda at odds with the rest of the group There was a rebellious faction determined to find a new leader. fallacy A mistaken belief, an untruth, a false or misleading argument (noun) The idea that any one person is never wrong is clearly a fallacy. homespun Simple, plain, unsophisticated, homemade as opposed to being (adj) mass produced (from the wool/cotton weaving industries) We must make do with our ordinary homespun ideas until we find something wiser. inhibition A feeling that restrains you, and that stops you from acting in a more (noun) outgoing and careless manner. People who are drunk tend to lose their inhibitions and later regret what they have done. insinuate To suggest or hint at something bad, indirectly, especially when giving (verb) the idea that someone is not so good as they seem to be. Many defenders insinuated that the well-known centre forward fell over too easily. orchestrate To organise something so that all the parts needed (as in an orchestra) (verb) work well together so an elaborate bit of organising The students organised their Prom by orchestrating each persons role very carefully. panache Impressive skill and confidence a flourish, outwardly and very (noun) noticeable. The virtuoso played the difficult solo with real panache. vindicate To clear someone of blame, exonerate, to show someone or (verb) something to be in the right. The new evidence vindicated the lawyers argument that her client was innocent.

Advanced Vocabulary 7 The opposite especially where one idea/ principle is set directly against another. Burping in public is the antithesis of good manners as far as many people are concerned, but in some cultures it is a sign of approval of the food! antithesi s A theory an idea which someone has had which they propose or make as an assertion, which then needs some real world experiment to test out. The professor had one cent ral idea: her hypothesis was that students learn better if they receive specific approval and praise. Generalised praise she saw as self-defeating. hypothe si s From two opposing ideas your hypot hesis and its antithesis comes a bringing together, somewhere in the middle, a joining of two ideas. Between life-imprisonment and supervision in the community, society is seeking a synthesis which can satisfy both sides of this complex argument. synthesi s An adjective which is used for a point or an argument which is good, strong, holds up, is the right idea, has backing. The strong argument in favour of women bishops is now seen as valid by many different sections in the community of the churc h. valid

An adjective from the easier word pivot the point around which something balances. The key, central point in an argument. The pivotal moment came when someone asked, How would we think about this if a member of our own family were involved? pivotal To the point, clear, brief, well summarised an adjective which suggests that the brevity is welcome and gets the point well. Having been given only 150 words for the article, she felt that she had to keep to the point and make her argument succinct and direct. succinct The ability to speak or write well, clearly, and in a very good style, so that your audience or readers are impressed with your ideas. He was charming, witty and articulate, so it was no surprise that his eloquent performance at the final audition gained him the plac e. This describes an argument that is present ed with force and persuasively so that listeners may be swayed by its power. The criticisms of the newspapers were as cogent as ever in their thoroughness and in the power of their impact. cogent eloquence

Something which is basic to a person or creat ure they could not be the same without it it is natural. E very human being has the same intrinsic worth it goes wit hout saying that each of us has the same right to life, education, dignity and respect. intrinsic Paying close attention to detail, or explaining something in detail a person who makes sure that every last thing is covered. The report into the impact of the flooding was meticulous, so that every last detail of every damaged property was included. meticulous The one and only, the last word this example is what it is really all about follow that ! Keith Moons style of drumming has given us the definitive rock approac h driving, loud, insistent, a core part of the music rather than simply counting time. definitive

Advanced Vocabulary 8 A moment after which things change as in the 9pm difference in television. Metaphorical from the places drained by different rivers. Sean Connerys acting career reached its defining moment when he played James Bond. After that watershed, his name and face were famous everywhere. watershed E very one is in full agreement if there was a vote, every one voted the same way no one against, no one abstained. All 137 members of the House cast their vote and they were unanimous in backing the proposed course of action. unanimous Very obvious easy to see, easy to notice, standing out from the rest, either physically visible, or by what is done or said. The Mayor is expected to attend every council meeting and so he was very conspicuous by his absence for the first gathering of the year. conspicuous Kind and thinking of others with kindness and consideration (of a person); the kind of treatment that each person would like to receive. Prisoners of war must always be looked after in a humane way which allows them their dignity and self respect. A word of Frenc h origin meaning re-birth. With an R it means the period of th th rediscovery of classical art and thought in 14 and 15 centuries; with an r it is used to refer to anything which has a fresh start, a second flourishing. E ven though going to the theatre can be ex pensive, it has enjoyed a strong renaissance in recent years, with audiences growing in number in many venues. The only example of somet hing you will need this is the one which sums it all up the definitive version. Her manners were the epitome of high society at its finest ever polite, always gracious and practically perfect in every way. epitome Pity the feeling we have in responding to something which is tragic, both with sadness and wit h sympathy. The death of the Juliet at the end of the tragedy is a moment of extreme pathos for the audienc e, knowing how close she came to being saved rather than being lost. pathos From integer which is a whole -number someone with integrity has a wholeness, a singularity of goodness and purpose in their lives. One of the qualities of a great leader has to be int egrity, so that everyone knows that there is a moral goodness running through the person they are following. integrity Something that produces a lot of money/profit for a person or organis ation for that was the main reason for doing somet hing. Selling second-hand cars was a lucrative enterprise and the owners of the franc hise made a lot of money very quickly. A person who is the epitome of everything good an exemplary person, usually in morals and behaviour, but more widely too. The best. In his old age, he became a paragon of good temper, patience and wisdom, even though he must have been in much discomfort physically. paragon criteria The set of rules or guidelines we follow/or should follow to decide whether (a plural from criterion) something is right, fair, appropriate. There are three criteria which we could use to judge if a football club is a successful one: the quality of their play, their successes in winning trophies, and the dept h of their support among their fans. lucrative renaissance humane

Advanced Vocabulary 9 A word all the way from Greek meaning personal charm and power, an attractiveness which allows a person to stand out and to lead. Having all the charisma of a damp grey cloth, he was not a natural leader. An adjective for a style of living, or an argument, whic h all holds together well, and has a common thread or unity about it which makes sense. She gave a coherent explanation of what had happened, which showed that she was well in control of the situation. A mark which is made at a key place or point from which others can be measured and which provides a point of reference, a touchstone. Carlisle City council runs an exemplary recycling scheme, the success of which is being used as a benchmark for ot her councils across the north of England. An abstract noun meaning a relationship, a special sense of belonging with someone else, identifying with them, being similar to them. They were brought together by their commitment to caravan holidays and from there a strong affinity grew bet ween them. affinity benchmark coherent charisma

Bold, daring, adventurous, courageous often of a person, or of a plan to do something. This was not simply a cunning plan this was an audacious attempt to win a significant victory and to shorten the war by at least a year. audacious An adjective referring to something that we have been born with a talent or a character trait. We did not have to practise much it was just there. Most of us need to practise for hours and hours, year after year, to become brilliant but for him, success came naturally from what seemed to be the innate genius of an extraordinary talent. innate

Means the same as essential but is stronger this is it, the very heart of something, what defines it. Roast beef and Y orkshire pudding, fish and chips, pork pie and pickle, beans on toast these are the dishes which are quintessentially English, just as haggis is to the Scots. quintessential Independenc e, especially the ability to govern and direct yourself and your own life. Self-determination, free standing, ruling oneself. An independent school has more autonomy to do as it chooses as it is free from government and local authority control. A comparison, a parallel situation but in a different setting or context, often as a means of explaining something. While we may wish to draw an analogy bet ween the human brain and a computer, in reality they are so very different. Famous, outstanding, the leading expert in the field an adjective to describe someone whose skills and knowledge make him/her outstanding In winning his third Oscar, the first man ever to do so, Daniel Day -Lewis can be seen as the most eminent actor of his generation. (PS could even use the word pre-eminent...) eminent analogy autonomy

Something which can be done, is do-able, with the time and resources available. It is manageable, it can be accomplished. Cycling the length of Hadrians Wall in a single day is feasible you can do it, but it may not be very good for you!

feasible

Advanced Vocabulary 10 Such a small thing that it can or should or could be overlooked or ignored an adjective describing somet hing very small, to the point of invisibility. Compared to the benefits which it brought to patients, the cost of the new medicine was negligible. negligible It has to be done it is compulsory no exemptions. (Adjective) The 30mph speed limit in built up areas is mandatory for all drivers to ensure the safety of all road users and pedestrians. mandatory

E very where an adjective which indicates that there is no place/person who will be far away from seeing whatever it is. Many people worry that McDonalds and Coke are now ubiquitous brands, so that peoples diets and fair competition are damaged by their brand dominance. ubiquitous The verb is prevail (meaning to overcome, to win); our westerly winds are the prevailing ones (usual and quite strong) so something prevalent has a strengt h from being usual and dominant in practice. Some English teachers disapprove of the prevalent tendency to drop the t sound from the end of words such as Art. prevalent Something which is made to meas ure, tailored for an individuals needs, which is designed exactly to fit the requirements of a person or task. The best mentoring offers a bespoke service which really meets the needs differently of each individual student. bespoke Very productive a word to describe someone who creates much, often as a record-breaker or winner, or goal -scorer. Enid Blyton must be among the most prolific of authors, having written over 600 books in her lifetime. prolific

Strong, expressed with force and passion, usually of an argument, or a point of view, sometimes of a denial. Because Quakers are committed pacifists, they are vehement in their opposition to warfare. An adjective to describe something, like a business, which has enough force within itself to keep itself going, self-sustaining, likely to succeed. The hotel was not finding it easy to remain viable as visitor numbers had reduced greatly because of the very wet weather. Physically, this would be the landmark or high point which stood out above other; therefore, the main point of an argument. The prevention of cruelty to the animals is the salient point in the argument against fox-hunting. Kind, generous, altruistic a word to describe someone who gives willingly and repeatedly, even at some cost to her/ him self. The wealthy benefactor made more than a magnanimous gesture with her large donation. magnanimous salient viable

vehement

Open, not under cover (its opposite is covert ) something which could be blatant or explicit. There is nothing hidden or camouflaged. People have become annoyed by the lack of openness and transparency from banks and politicians and now we want everything to be overt and plain-dealing. overt