Expressing Opinions: English Vocabulary List

to give or have opinions that differ from those officially or commonly accepted

"Several judges dissented from the majority opinion."

"Only two members of the committee decided to dissent from the majority opinion and voted against the proposed new policy."

to show one's disagreement or disapproval of an online post or comment by clicking on a specific icon

"Users downvote irrelevant comments on the forum."

"Many users decided to downvote the comment because it contained false information and rude personal attacks against the original poster."

to strongly argue, disapprove, or disagree with someone or something

"He expostulated against the unfair decision."

"The teacher began to expostulate with the student about the dangers of skipping classes but the boy would not listen at all."

to disagree or deny that something is true

"No one can gainsay the evidence."

"No one could gainsay the evidence that the detective presented because all of the facts pointed clearly to the defendant's guilt."

‌to express disapproval of something by making a noise in the throat

"He harrumphed loudly at the silly joke."

"The old man would often harrumph loudly whenever he disagreed with something that was being said on the television news programs."

to argue over unimportant things or to complain about them

"Do not quibble over small details."

"Instead of accepting the deal she began to quibble about small unimportant details which annoyed everyone at the negotiation table."

to not support and be against something or someone

"She deprecated his outdated views publicly."

"The committee decided to deprecate the proposed policy changes because they believed they would negatively impact the community."

to disapprove of or have a negative opinion about something, particularly due to being improper or unacceptable

"The school frowns on cheating."

"Many traditional cultures frown on public displays of affection between couples who are not yet officially married to each other."

to strongly and harshly criticize someone or something

"The teacher castigated the lazy student."

"The boss publicly castigated the employee for making such a careless mistake that cost the company a very important and large client."

to intentionally make harmful statements to damage a person or thing's worth or reputation

"Do not denigrate your opponent's character."

"It is not professional to denigrate your coworkers behind their backs because that creates a toxic and unpleasant work environment for everyone involved."

to behave in a way that lowers the dignity or respect of oneself or others

"His rude remarks demeaned his coworkers."

"His boss would constantly demean him by calling him stupid in front of other employees which made him feel worthless and humiliated every single day."

to complain or criticize persistently, often about trivial issues

"He constantly carps about minor issues."

"My aunt tends to carp about every little thing whenever she visits including the temperature of the room and the food on the table."

to express dissatisfaction or injustice about something

"The workers grouse about low pay."

"The soldiers began to grouse about the poor quality of the food after eating the same bland meal for three weeks straight."

to find fault or criticize small, insignificant details

"Stop nitpicking every tiny mistake."

"The editor continued to nitpick every single sentence in my article instead of focusing on the larger structural issues within the text."

to complain or whine persistently and often about trivial matters

"My grandmother kvetches about the weather constantly."

"My elderly neighbor loves to kvetch about the noisy children playing outside even though they only play for an hour each day."

to criticize someone angrily and harshly

"The boss berated him for being late."

"The angry coach began to berate the players in the locker room after they lost the game by fifty points."

to express mild disapproval, often in a gentle or corrective manner

"She chided him for forgetting her birthday."

"The mother gently chided her son for forgetting to do his chores and then asked him to complete them immediately."

to give a strong, negative review or opinion about something

"Critics panned the new movie."

"The famous film critic completely panned the movie saying that the acting was terrible and the plot made no sense at all."

to severely criticize, often with the intention of correcting someone's behavior or actions

"The teacher chastised the student."

"The coach had to chastise the player for his repeated rule violations during the important championship game."

to criticize someone for doing or saying something that one believes to be wrong

"She upbraided him for his dishonesty."

"The supervisor harshly upbraided the intern for being late three times in one week and warned him that he might lose his job."

to identify or point out flaws, errors, or shortcomings in someone or something

"Don't find fault with me."

"The manager always finds fault with the team's work, which makes everyone feel discouraged and unmotivated."

to show one's agreement or approval of an online post or comment by clicking on a specific icon

"Users upvote helpful comments on the site."

"I decided to upvote the comment because it provided a very helpful and detailed explanation that answered all of my questions perfectly."

to agree to something such as a request, proposal, demand, etc.

"She acceded to his request."

"After much deliberation, the committee decided to accede to the protesters' demands for better working conditions and fair wages."

to reluctantly accept something without protest

"She acquiesced to their demands reluctantly."

"After hours of heated debate the minority party reluctantly acquiesced to the demands of the majority to avoid a government shutdown."

to surrender after negotiation or when facing overwhelming pressure

"The army capitulated to the enemy."

"Despite their valiant efforts, the outnumbered defenders were forced to capitulate when the enemy breached the city walls."

to agree and not oppose to something that one generally finds unacceptable or unpleasant

"I will not countenance such rude behavior."

"The school administration would not countenance any form of cheating on the final exams and threatened to expel any student who was caught."

to accept something, usually after some resistance

"The storm finally relented."

"The parents were initially against the idea, but they eventually relented and allowed their daughter to go on the school trip."

to agree to something, such as a suggestion, request, etc.

"She assented to the proposed plan."

"The committee members all nodded their heads to assent to the proposal without any further discussion or debate about the details."

to form an idea or concept in the mind by combining existing ideas or information

"It is hard to conceptualize infinity."

"It is very difficult to conceptualize the vast size of the universe because it is so much larger than anything we experience daily."