1. conventional (100) based on accepted practice; traditional; customary; normal; ordinary; orthodox (convention, unconventional) 2. undermine (99) to hurt, weaken, or destroy, often in an underhanded or sneaky way 3. dismissive (90) rejecting another’s thoughts or ideas, usually as not worthy of consideration; condescending (dismiss) 4. aesthetic (86) relating to what is beautiful; beautiful; pleasing (aesthetics, aesthete, unaesthetic) 5. objective (77) based on facts rather than personal feelings; unbiased; not personal; not subjective; true (objectivity) 6. reconcile (75) to adjust the differences between things; to reach an agreement, especially after an argument; to make up; to overcome discord; to try to be inclusive (reconciliation, conciliatory, irreconcilable) 7. speculative (74) taking a chance; risky; uncertain; cannot be confirmed (speculate, speculation) 8. accessible (71) being able to enter or approach a place; approachable; friendly; genial; gregarious (access, inaccessible) 9. decorum (68) proper; correct behavior or etiquette; good manners; refinement (decorous, indecorous) 10. impulsive (67) tending to act on impulse and without thought; rash; impetuous; unrestrained; capricious (impulses) 11. deride (67) to ridicule something; to laugh at something as ridiculous; to mock; to satirize (derision, derisory, risible) 12. suppress (67) to stop something from rising or coming out by holding it down; to repress (suppression) 13. complacent (66) overly pleased with an accomplishment; overconfident; self-satisfied; so unwary as to be foolish (complacency) For more material and information, please visit Tai Lieu Du Hoc at www.tailieuduhoc.org 14. reverent (66) deeply honoring or respectful—and so not joking around; venerating (revere, reverence, reverential, irreverent) 15. disparage (65) to insult or put down; to offend 16. relevant (65) relating to the subject at hand; important or significant; pertinent (relevance, irrelevant) 17. prudent (62) careful; cautious, especially about money; having good judgment; circumspect; wary (prudence, imprudent) 18. refute (62) to prove wrong or false (refutation, irrefutable) 19. inevitable (61) certain to happen; unavoidable (inevitability) 20. innocuous (60) harmless; not dangerous at all; not likely to provoke a strong reaction; inconsequential 21. convey (60) to make something known; to reveal; to communicate; to depict 22. profound (59) wise; deep; beneath the surface (profundity) 23. ironic (59) a statement or situation that conveys a second meaning at odds with the apparent meaning; humorous (irony) 24. ambivalent (58) undecided; feeling positively and negatively towards something (ambivalence) 25. pragmatic (58) getting things done in an effective way; practical; emphasizing the practical; expedient (pragmatism, pragmatist) 26. innovative (58) new; revolutionary (innovation) 27. rational (57) based on reason rather than emotions; logical; sensible (irrational, rationale, rationalize) 28. abstract (57) based on general ideas; not solid or concrete; vague; hypothetical (abstraction) For more material and information, please visit Tai Lieu Du Hoc at www.tailieuduhoc.org 29. distinct (57) clearly separate from others; not identical; different; clear; conspicuous; lucid (distinction, distinctive, indistinct) 30. felicitous (56) well-chosen; especially appropriate; pleasing (felicity, infelicity) 31. resolute (56) determined to succeed; not easily discouraged; persistent; tenacious (resolution, irresolute, resolve, unresolved) 32. diverse (55) varying; something composed of distinct or unlike elements or qualities (diversity, diversify) 33. trivial (53) unimportant; insignificant; negligible; inconsequential (trivialize, triviality) 34. discern (53) to notice; to see clearly; to distinguish; to discriminate (discerning, discernment, indiscernible) 35. enhance (53) to strengthen; to improve (enhancement) 36. redundant (52) extra, so not needed; extraneous (redundancy) 37. tempered (52) mild; not severe or extreme; controlled; moderate; restrained (temperate, temperance, intemperate) 38. dubious (52) doubtful, and probably untrue; implausible 39. depict (51) to represent in words or pictures; to describe a scene or situation; to show; to convey (depiction) 40. compelling (51) to arouse a feeling irresistibly; forceful; incisive; provocative; engaging (compel, compulsion, compulsory) 41. indifferent (51) not caring about something—such as an outcome— one way or the other; apathetic (indifference) 42. embellish (50) to decorate; to make beautiful or aesthetic; to make additions to, especially as in adding fictitious details to a story (embellishment) For more material and information, please visit Tai Lieu Du Hoc at www.tailieuduhoc.org 43. supplant (50) to replace as better 44. fabricate (49) to make or devise something; to make up an elaborate story, as in to lie (fabrication, fabricator) 45. plausible (49) believable; probably; likely (implausible) 46. parallel (49) something equivalent; a comparison; an analogy (unparalleled) 47. eradicate (49) to wipe out; to eliminate; to destroy (ineradicable) 48. dominant (49) having great or complete power or influence over someone or something; primary (dominate, domination, predominant) 49. deleterious (49) harmful 50. discord (48) disagreement; disharmony, especially among people; tension or unease between people, and often the resulting confusion (discordant, concord, accord) 51. futile (48) completely useless or ineffective; so hopeless that effort to change a situation is wasted (futility) 52. indulgent (47) giving in to another’s wishes; permissive; lenient; tolerant; condoning (indulge, overindulge, self- indulgent) 53. indignant (47) annoyed or insulted, especially about one’s dignity; angered (indignity) 54. eclectic (47) selecting the best from different sources; selective; varied 55. vindicate (47) to prove someone right in the end; to free him or her from blame; to exonerate (vindication) 56. exemplary (46) showing by being great example; outstanding (exemplar, exemplify) 57. inhibit (46) to block; to hold back; to impede or suppress (inhibition) For more material and information, please visit Tai Lieu Du Hoc at www.tailieuduhoc.org 58. discredit (46) to harm someone’s reputation; to show something should not be trusted or believed (credit) 59. contemporary (46) occurring at the present time; occurring at the same time in history; modern (contemporaries, contemporaneous) 60. provoke (45) to arouse strong feelings in someone; to anger (provocative, provocation) 61. solicitous (45) eager to help; asking if one can help; sympathetic (solicit, solicitude) 62. daunting (45) discouraging; intimidating; scary (undaunted) 63. skepticism (44) doubt (skeptical, skeptic) 64. coherent (44) sticking together in a unified whole; orderly; logically understandable; lucid (incoherent) 65. autonomy (44) independence; self-government (autonomous) 66. comprehensive (44) all-inclusive; thorough; complete; encompassing a great deal 67. ambiguous (44) unclear; capable of being interpreted in more than one way; uncertain; doubtful; dubious; not definitive (ambiguity, unambiguous) 68. pretentious (43) believing oneself to better than others; boastful; affected; not modest or reserved (pretense, pretension) 69. rhetoric (43) impressive sounding, though sometimes empty, words; a formal speech (rhetorical) 70. ephemeral (43) short-lived; present so fleetingly as barely to exist; transient; evanescent 71. spurious (43) not genuine; fake; false; inauthentic 72. valid (43) well-grounded; sound; logical; effective; legal; legitimate (validity, invalid) For more material and information, please visit Tai Lieu Du Hoc at www.tailieuduhoc.org 73. contempt (43) looking down on others or feeling superior to them; to feel that someone or something deserves great disrespect; condescension (contemptuous) 74. restrained (43) calm and collected; controlled; not impulsive; reserved (self-restraint) 75. mundane (43) relating to everyday life; uninspired; banal; prosaic 76. impetuous (43) rash; impulsive; capricious; not retrained (impetuosity) 77. repudiate (42) to reject a person or an idea completely; to have nothing to do with any longer (repudiation) 78. definitive (42) settling a disputed matter finally; no longer tentative; conclusive; authoritative; decisive (defining, indefinite) 79. debunk (42) to prove wrong or false; to invalidate 80. divergent (41) to separate; to split away from; to move apart; to travel in different directions (diverge, converge) 81. digress (41) to wander away from a topic; to change the subject of a discussion momentarily (digression, digressive) 82. sustain (41) to hold up; to support; to keep something going (sustenance) 83. incongruous (41) not fitting or matching; seeming out of place (incongruity, congruent) 84. diffident (40) lacking confidence; shy; reserved; apprehensive; wary (diffidence) 85. subtle (40) so slight as to be hard to notice; hard to distinguish or discern (subtlety) 86. transient (40) passing through a place quickly; not lasting; short- lived; transitory; ephemeral; evanescent (transience) 87. serene (40) not disturbed; peaceful; quiet; tranquil (serenity) For more material and information, please visit Tai Lieu Du Hoc at www.tailieuduhoc.org 88. inconsequential (40) not worth noticing; unimportant; so insignificant as to have no consequences; negligible; trivial; trite (consequence) 89. scrutinize (40) to examine something closely and completely, especially with an aim to finding faults (scrutiny, inscrutable) 90. assert (40) to state a belief positively; to claim, often without proof (assertion, assertive) 91. foster (40) to promote; to encourage; to contribute to something’s growth 92. perplex (40) to confuse; to mystify (perplexing, perplexity) 93. narrative (40) an account, story, or history about something (narrate, narrator, narration) 94. prosaic (39) ordinary; matter-of-fact; lacking imagination; uninspired; hackneyed; mundane; banal (prose) 95. substantiate (39) to offer supporting evidence; to help prove; to corroborate (unsubstantiated, substantive, substantial; insubstantial) 96. optimistic (39) hopeful; looking on the bright side; expecting the best; sanguine (optimism, optimist) 97. tranquil (39) calm; peaceful; quiet; relaxing; serene (tranquility) 98. denounce (39) to put someone down, often publicly; to blame someone; to accuse (denunciation) 99. condescend (38) to talk down to; to act superior to; to dismiss; to treat with contempt (condescending, condescension) 100. partisan (38) supporting one side in a dispute, especially over political matters; biased; not detached or objective (bipartisan, nonpartisan) 101. prosperity (38) success, especially financial (prosper, prosperous) For more material and information, please visit Tai Lieu Du Hoc at www.tailieuduhoc.org 102. lucid (38) clear; easily understood; transparent; coherent (elucidate, pellucid) 103. advocate (38) someone who supports a cause; a supporter; a champion; a proponent (advocacy) 104. distinguish (38) to notice; to pick something out, as a person in a crowd; to see something as different; to discriminate; to discern (distinguished, indistinguishable) 105. superficial (37) only on the surface; shallow; unimportant 106. illusory (37) seemingly real but not; deceptive; false; inauthentic (disillusion, illusive) 107. apprehensive (36) having great doubts; nervous; fearful; diffident (apprehension, apprehend) 108. nostalgia (36) fondness for and missing the past, especially one’s own; missing the good old days (nostalgic) 109. benevolent (36) kind; generous; tending to help others; solicitous (benevolence) 110. sympathy (36) sharing feelings; showing concern for another; harmonious; solicitude (sympathetic, sympathies, unsympathetic) 111. corrupt (36) to ruin something, especially a person’s morals; to make impure; to decay (corruption, incorruptible) 112. polemical (35) arguing a position, especially a radical one (polemics, polemicist) 113. belie (35) to contradict; to fail to confirm (belied, belying) 114. mock (35) to ridicule; to make fun of, often as something fake; to satirize (mockery) 115. compromised (35) to make insecure or to place in danger; to come to an agreement by settling differences; agreeing to something partially (uncompromising) For more material and information, please visit Tai Lieu Du Hoc at www.tailieuduhoc.org 116. disdain (34) considering someone or something beneath oneself; to have contempt for; to despise; condescension 117. presumption (34) a bold assumption; being overly bold with someone to the point of disrespect (presume, presuming, presumptuous) 118. caustic (34) burning; sarcastic 119. deferential (34) respectful; reverent; venerating (defer, deferred, deferral) 120. subjective (34) open to interpretation; reflecting someone’s perspective; biased; not objective 121. capricious (34) unpredictable; whimsical; to act with complete spontaneity; impulsive; impetuous; acting without restraint (caprice) 122. animated (34) lively; vigorous (animation) 123. endorse (34) to support; to approve; to champion; to authorize; to advocate; to commend (endorsement) 124. auspicious (34) promising; favorable (inauspicious) 125. exacerbate (33) to make a bad situation worse; to worsen 126. obscure (33) not easily noticed; dark or shadowy; unclear; vague (obscurity) 127. dogmatic (33) stubbornly opinionated; arrogantly inflexible; close- minded; intractable (dogma, dogmatism) 128. extravagant (33) fancy; luxurious; immoderate (extravagance) 129. venerate (33) to honor above others; to revere (venerable) 130. gregarious (33) friendly; outgoing; genial 131. attain (33) to achieve, especially a goal; to get 132. elude (33) to avoid being found or caught, usually by being clever (elusive) For more material and information, please visit Tai Lieu Du Hoc at www.tailieuduhoc.org [...]... much thought to the matter (intuit, intuition, counterintuitive) 320 For more material and information, please visit Tai Lieu Du Hoc at www.tailieuduhoc.org 147 satirize (31) to imitate so as to make fun of; to mock, especially in writing (satire, satiric) 148 devoid (31) lacking; free from; empty (void) 149 concise (31) expressing a lot using few words; short and clear; to the point; terse (concision,... faith in humanity; lacking any optimism (cynic, cynicism) 166 tenuous (29) thin; insubstantial; unable to support anything else (attenuate) 167 innate (29) inborn; inherited; naturally belonging; inherent 168 explicit (29) clearly stated; in plain view; clear; lucid; unambiguous; conspicuous (implicit) 169 distort (29) to twist something out of shape; to misrepresent; to give a false or misleading impression... elegance; improving something, often by making it more pure; urbanity; decorum (refine, unrefined) 276 incorporate (22) to include as a part within a larger whole; to encompass; to comprehend 277 predator (22) a hunter, especially an animal hunting other animals (predatory) 278 incredulous (22) disbelieving; highly if not completely skeptical (credulous, incredulity) 279 hypothesis (22) something supposed to... (20) narrow-minded; having a limited outlook; provincial 316 revival (20) returning to life or to use; reawakening (revive) 317 improvise (20) to deal with things as they come, without planning (improvisational) 318 apathetic (20) not caring about something or an outcome, one way or the other; indifferent (apathy) 319 corroborate (20) to support or back up; to confirm; to provide evidence for; to substantiate... to complete something (complementary) 199 intrepid (26) brave; fearless; undaunted (trepidation) 200 feasible (26) possible; workable; likely to happen (feasibility) 201 proponent (26) a supporter; a champion; one who endorses; an advocate 202 reprehensible (26) deserving great blame; wicked; evil 203 extol (26) to praise highly; to commend 204 compatible (26) able to exist with something else; well-matched;... (degenerate) 236 hackneyed (24) unoriginal; overused; banal; prosaic; mundane; vapid 237 preclude (24) to prevent; to make impossible; to prohibit 238 attribute (24) to claim something as a cause, a characteristic, or an aspect of something (attribution) 239 naïve (24) unsophisticated; innocent; childlike; ingenuous (naiveté) 240 abundant (24) plentiful; not scarce (overabundant) 241 chronological (24) in... unimportant that it can be ignored; inconsequential; trivial 137 equanimity (32) calm; composure, especially under difficult circumstances 138 mitigate (32) to lessen the severity or force of something, especially of something bad or harmful; to moderate; to alleviate (mitigating, unmitigated) 139 transitory (32) of short duration; brief; ephemeral; transient; mutable 140 immutable (32) unchanging; not able... (opportunistic, opportune) 188 discriminating (27) selective; making a clear distinction between things; to treat differently; discerning; distinguishing (indiscriminate, indiscriminant, discrimination) 189 adept (27) skillful (inept) 190 anachronistic (26) out of date; extremely old-fashioned way of doing something; dated and no longer needed; obsolete; no longer contemporary (anachronism) 191 provincial... (corroboration, corroborative) 320 unprecedented (20) without precedent; highly unusual; remarkable; never seen before; momentous (precedent) 321 alleviate (20) to lessen the pain or severity of something; to make something more bearable; to alleviate; to mitigate 322 prominent (20) standing out; well-known; renowned; acclaimed; conspicuous 323 circumspect (20) careful; cautious; prudent, wary (circumspection)... conspicuous (implicit) 169 distort (29) to twist something out of shape; to misrepresent; to give a false or misleading impression 170 challenge (29) to question or dispute the truth or validity of something 171 acclaim (28) high praise; fame; renown (acclamation) 172 moderate (28) not extreme; reasonable; tempered 173 legitimate (28) justified by some rule or law; legal; real; true (illegitimate, legitimacy) . ridicule something; to laugh at something as ridiculous; to mock; to satirize (derision, derisory, risible) 12. suppress (67) to stop something from rising. Hoc at www.tailieuduhoc.org 147. satirize (31) to imitate so as to make fun of; to mock, especially in writing (satire, satiric) 148. devoid (31) lacking;