Make Up Your Mind!: English Vocabulary List

to confidently state or declare something as true

"I aver this is true."

"Despite the mounting evidence against him, the suspect continued to aver his complete innocence to the investigators."

to allow and not oppose to something that one usually finds to be unpleasant

"She will not brook it."

"The strict teacher would not brook any talking during her lectures, demanding complete silence from her students."

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 help a person rid themselves of their misconceptions

"I will disabuse them."

"It is important to disabuse people of the harmful stereotypes they may hold about different cultures and backgrounds."

to purposely speak in a way that is confusing and open to different interpretations, aiming to deceive others

"He will equivocate now."

"When asked directly about his involvement, the witness began to equivocate, providing vague answers that avoided commitment."

to severely condemn through a harsh verbal criticism or attack

"They will excoriate him."

"The editorial did not just criticize the policy; it went on to excoriate the government for its perceived incompetence and lack of foresight."

to strongly and enthusiastically encourage someone who is doing something

"The coach exhorted his team to victory."

"The coach exhorted his players to give their best effort during the final minutes of the championship game that they were losing."

to give a speech that is lengthy, loud, and angry intending to either persuade or criticize

"The coach harangued the team loudly."

"The politician delivered a lengthy, angry harangue to criticize the opposition's policies."

to question someone's honesty, quality, motive, etc.

"Do not impugn his motives."

"It is unfair to impugn the integrity of the witness without concrete evidence to support your doubts."

to officially document all the information or events that have taken place, particularly on a plane or ship

"Log your hours for the project."

"Please log your hours at the end of each day so we can track how much time each project takes."

to talk continuously and aimlessly

"He maundered about his past."

"The elderly gentleman would often maunder about his childhood memories for hours on end."

to aimlessly talk a lot

"They palavered for hours without agreement."

"The politicians spent hours in a pointless palaver without actually making any real decisions or solving any of the pressing problems facing the country."

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 blame someone for a mistake they made

"Do not reproach yourself for mistakes."

"Do not reproach yourself for past mistakes because everyone makes errors and learns from them over time."

to avoid or ignore doing something that one finds to be difficult or controversial

"She skirts the difficult question."

"He chose to skirt the controversial topic rather than engage in a potentially divisive debate."

having the quality of being appropriate or closely connected to the subject or situation at hand

"The comment was apposite."

"Her apposite remarks perfectly captured the essence of the complex issue being discussed."

meaning to end a dispute or to stop or lessen someone's anger

"His offer was conciliatory."

"The manager made a conciliatory gesture by offering a discount to appease the upset customer."

inclined to argue or provoke disagreement

"The topic is contentious."

"The contentious debate about immigration policy lasted for three hours and neither side was willing to compromise on their positions at all."

lacking sincerity and honesty, particularly by not revealing as much as one knows

"His smile was disingenuous."

"Her seemingly helpful advice felt disingenuous, as if she was hiding her true intentions."

able to utilize language to convey something well, especially in a persuasive manner

"He is eloquent speaker."

"The eloquent speaker moved the audience to tears with her powerful words and everyone gave her a standing ovation at the end."

providing reasons that justify or reduce the seriousness of something bad, such as an offense

"There were extenuating circumstances."

"The judge considered the extenuating circumstances of his illness when determining the sentence."

persuasive in a way that is deceitful

"His answer was glib."

"The glib salesman promised that the product would solve all of her problems but she knew that he was just trying to make a sale."

(of an idea, intention, or act) deserving of admiration and praise, regardless of success

"Her effort is laudable."

"Her laudable efforts to help the homeless earned her an award from the mayor and the community thanked her for her kindness."

possessing a limited understanding or point of view, and not open to broadening it

"His thinking is parochial."

"His parochial views prevented him from understanding or appreciating different cultural perspectives."

creating a combination of different beliefs, ideas, traditions, etc.

"The music is syncretic."

"The festival celebrated a syncretic blend of ancient rituals and modern artistic expressions."

stating a cause or opinion that one strongly believes in, particularly one that causes a lot of controversy

"The speech was tendentious."

"The author's tendentious arguments clearly aimed to provoke a strong reaction from readers."

used to introduce additional information or to emphasize a point

"The hotel was nice moreover it was cheap."

"The hotel was nice moreover it was very cheap so we decided to stay there for the whole week."

a harsh and severe criticism or verbal attack that is aimed toward a person or thing

"The review was a diatribe."

"His lengthy diatribe against the new policy left everyone in the room feeling uncomfortable."

a complicated situation involving political or interpersonal conflict

"The scandal caused an imbroglio."

"The sudden resignation of the minister plunged the government into a serious political imbroglio."

a very small and barely noticeable difference in tone, appearance, manner, meaning, etc.

"She understands subtle nuance."

"She understands every subtle nuance of the language after living in the country for many years."

to give an explanation in detail and with precision

"Please delineate the plan."

"The scientist will delineate the complex experimental procedure in a clear and precise manner for the research team."

to either predict the future or uncover hidden truths with the use of supernatural forces

"She can divine the future."

"The ancient oracle claimed she could divine the hidden meanings behind the king's cryptic pronouncements."

causing disagreement or controversy among people

"The topic is contentious."

"The politician's remarks on immigration proved highly contentious, sparking widespread debate."

the act of dealing with a situation in a subtle and skillful way

"She handled it with finesse."

"The diplomat navigated the delicate negotiations with remarkable finesse and tact."