Outliers — Vocabulary
Malcolm Gladwell
(Auto-generated)

Word Set

Samples

Sort By

Further limit words

by chapter of first use

to Show all

by difficulty

to (9 is most difficult)

by interest

underline any show only

Exemplary sample	Uses	ACT/SAT
	16	top 2000
approachapproach → approaching:getting nearer Winter is approaching.more Show sample from book The VOR is a beacon that sends out a signal that allows pilots to calculate their altitude as they approach an airport.16 more get near Show general definition for approach (as in: approached the city) to get closer to (near in space, time, quantity, or quality)
	1	top 500
approach#2method (way of doing something) Perhaps I just need to work harder, but I may need an entirely different approach to the problem.more Show sample from book As the plane came in on its final approach, the pilots encountered severe wind shear.16 more route (way to get somewhere) Show general definition for approach (as in: use the best approach) a way of doing something; or a route that leads to a particular place
	23	top 500
legacya gift left in a will She left her vacation home as a legacy for her family.more Show sample from book Can we learn something about why people succeed and how to make people better at what they do by taking cultural legacies seriously?22 more legacy → legacies:things passed from one generation to the next Show general definition coming from the past or left to the future in various senses including: in law -- a gift given through a will -- "She left a legacy of $10,000 to her niece." of a situation -- resulting from the past -- "Today's debt problem is a legacy of profligate spending by prior administrations." of culture -- a practice passed from one generation to the next -- "The city has along legacy of bribes and corruption." of technology -- something that still uses old technology -- "We're using a legacy software that only the old-timers know how to update." of a member or potential member of an organization -- the child of a previous member -- "She is a legacy candidate."
	5	top 100
consequenceconsequence → consequences:results Your decision will have three major consequences.more Show sample from book The long summer vacation, a peculiar and distinctive American legacy that has had profound consequences for the learning patterns of the students of the present day.7 more consequence → consequences:effects (results) Show general definition for consequence (as in: a direct consequence of) a result of something (often an undesired side effect)
	3	top 1000
consequence#2consequence → consequential:important Think carefully. This is a consequential decision.more Show sample from book But these exact same biases also show up in areas of much more consequence, like education.7 more importance Show general definition for consequence (as in: of little consequence) importance or relevance
	16	top 500
mitigatemitigate → mitigating:serving to make less harmful or unpleasant Don't judge her so harshly until you consider the mitigating circumstances.more Show sample from book The term used by linguists to describe what Klotz was engaging in in that moment is "mitigated speech," which refers to any attempt to downplay or sugarcoat the meaning of what is being said.15 more mitigate → mitigated:reduced in harm or unpleasantness Show general definition make less harmful or unpleasant
	16	top 500
cultivatedevelop or grow We encourage our representatives to cultivate a close relationship with their clients.more Show sample from book A mind must be cultivated.15 more cultivate → cultivated:helped to develop (grow) Show general definition enhance growth or development in various senses, including: to grow crops or prepare land for them enhance a relationship -- especially for a purpose develop discernment (better recognition of differences) in taste or judgment to grow a culture in a petri dish
	11	top 10
contrastpoint to differences between Contrast winter in Panama with winter in Alaska.more Show sample from book In fact, by the age of twenty, the elite performers had each totaled ten thousand hours of practice. By contrast, the merely good students had totaled eight thousand hours, and the future music teachers had totaled just over four thousand hours.10 more contrast → by contrast:in a comparison that shows differences Show general definition for contrast (as in: contrast their writing styles) point to differences between; or compare to show differences
	5	top 100
yieldproduce (lead to) The discovery could yield a more effective treatment for diabetes.more Show sample from book So rice farmers improved their yields by becoming smarter, by being better managers of their own time, and by making better choices.5 more yield → yields:amount produced Show general definition for yield (as in: will yield valuable data) to produce (usually something wanted); or the thing or amount produced
	1	top 100
yield#2give in The country vowed not to yield to pressure from its larger neighbors.more Show sample from book Langan talks about dealing with Reed and Montana State as if they were some kind of vast and unyielding government bureaucracy.5 more yield → unyielding:strict Show context notes The prefix "un-" in unyielding means not and reverses the meaning of yielding. This is the same pattern you see in words like unhappy, unknown, and unlucky. Show general definition for yield (as in: yield to pressure) to give in, give way, or give up
	12	top 1000
peasantpeasant → peasants:an historical term describing people of low income, education, and social standing Most people in the Middle Ages were peasants.more Show sample from book The Irish and the Italians were peasants, tenant farmers from the impoverished countryside of Europe.†11 more peasant → peasants:used historically or possibly in relation to a very poor country: people of low income, education, and social standing -- especially those who raise crops or livestock Show general definition used historically or possibly in relation to a very poor country: a person of low income, education, and social standing -- especially one who raises crops or livestock
	1	top 100
hypothesisa seemingly reasonable, but unproven, idea The study will test the hypothesis that a good marriage is more important than a higher income when measuring happiness.more Show sample from book The "culture of honor" hypothesis says that it matters where you're from, not just in terms of where you grew up or where your parents grew up, but in terms of where your great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents grew up and even where your great-great-great-grandparents grew up.2 more Show general definition for hypothesis (as in: a study to test her hypothesis) a seemingly reasonable, but unproven idea or explanation based upon known facts Show editor's word notes In casual conversation, theory is a synonym for hypothesis, but a scientist would say that a hypothesis needs to pass rigorous tests before it could be accepted as a theory.
	2
hypothesis#2something that may or may not be true, but is temporarily treated as true to advance a discussion or to further investigation For the purpose of discussion, let's accept that the hypothesis that she is guilty as true. What would we have expected her to do after the incident?more Show sample from book At one point I asked Langan, hypothetically, whether he would take a job at Harvard University were it offered to him.2 more hypothesis → hypothetically:based on something that is temporarily treated as true to advance a discussion or to further investigation Show general definition for hypothesis (as in: assume as a working hypothesis) something that may or may not be true, but is temporarily treated as true to advance a discussion or to further investigation Show editor's word notes This sense of hypothesis is typically seen in the form, hypothetical, or hypothetically.
	1	top 500
dynamicenergetic and enthusiastic She is a dynamic speaker.more Show sample from book In 1896, a dynamic young priest by the name of Father Pasquale de Nisco took over at Our Lady of Mount Carmel.2 more energetic Show general definition for dynamic (as in: a dynamic personality) energetic or powerful -- often inspiring others
	2	top 500
dynamicsthe interaction of all the forces influencing a system The dynamics are more complicated than most people realize.more Show sample from book But he cannot escape the dynamic dictated to him by his culture in which subordinates must respect the dictates of their superiors.2 more dynamics → dynamic:force resulting from the interaction of many influences in a system
	5
linguistsomeone who specializes in the study of language She is a linguist specializing in Native American languages.more Show sample from book He had just been reading the work of the linguist Noam Chomsky.†4 more a language specialist; or someone skilled in multiple languages Show general definition a specialist in the study of language or: a person who is skilled in multiple languages
	3	top 500
proficiencyskill After months of practice, her proficiency in Spanish let her hold real conversations.more Show sample from book I was proficient by my second year there.2 more proficiency → proficient:skillful Show general definition skillfulness in something
	2	top 200
critiqueanalyze and judge Please critique the performance.more Show sample from book In a devastating critique, the sociologist Pitirim Sorokin once showed that if Terman had simply put together a randomly selected group of children from the same kinds of family backgrounds as the Termites, and dispensed with IQs altogether, he would have ended up with a group doing almost as many impressive things as his painstakingly selected group of geniuses.†1 more an examination and judgment of something Show general definition an examination and judgment of something
	3	top 1000
constraintlimitation I will devote my full energy to the project, without constraint.more Show sample from book And what Korean Air did, when it finally turned its operations around, was give its pilots the opportunity to escape the constraints of their cultural legacy.2 more constraint → constraints:limitations Show general definition limitation (something that limits something else)
	3	top 1000
paradigmparadigm → paradigms:conceptual models They are analyzing the problem with incompatible paradigms.more Show sample from book If you were born in the 1820s you were too old: your mind-set was shaped by the pre-Civil War paradigm.†2 more a conceptual model Show general definition a conceptual model