Verbal Advantage
Unit 1.5
cantankerous—adj In Really Rosie, Rosie sings a song about
the cantankerous young boy, Pierre, who only would say, “I don’t care!”
cantankerous—adj
Unwilling to cooperate, unreasonably difficult
flippant—adj
The audience was shocked by the general’s flippant antipatriotic remarks during a rally to support troops overseas.
flippant—adj
not serious enough about important matters
subjugate—verb In Futurama, the
Hypnotoad uses hypnosis to subjugate the judges into voting him “best pet”.
For centuries, European conquerors traveled the globe, subjugating nations to live as Europeans in their homelands .
subjugate—verb
1.to bring under complete control; conquer; master.
2.to enslave.
wry—adj
My friend’s wry humor sometimes comes across as hurtful, even though I know he doesn’t mean it.
Your wry smile makes me think there is more to this than you are telling me.
wry—adj
1. slightly mocking
2. abnormally bent or turned to one side; twisted; crooked
urbane--adj
Your urbane mannerisms make me think you grew up in high society.
urbane—adj
Reflecting sophistication and elegance
jargon—noun
The doctor told me the diagnosis, but I couldn’t understand him as he used medical jargon.
jargon—noun
special words or phrases used within a group, trade or profession etc
prudent—adj
It is more prudent to complete an essay in advance of the due date, instead of the night before it is due.
prudent—adj
wise and careful
inviolable—adj
The castle was inviolable thanks to the deep moat surrounding it.
inviolable—adj
Not able to be assaulted; invincible
commodious—adj
The bathroom is so commodious, it fits two toilets, two bathtubs and a shower!
commodious—adj
roomy
proximity--noun
Their home is in close proximity to ours.
proximity—noun
nearness