adulterate
1 use
I don't like my crème brûlée adulterated, because then you can't taste through to the quality of the ingredients.
adulterated = corrupted of made less good by adding a foreign or inferior substance
Definition
Generally adulterate means:corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 5 |
aesthetic
10 uses
Office chairs in people's minds had a certain aesthetic.
aesthetic = beauty or attractiveness
Definition
Generally aesthetic means:related to beauty or good taste — often referring to one's appreciation of beauty or one's sense of what is beautiful
or:
beautiful or tasteful
or:
beautiful or tasteful
Word Statistics
| Book | 10 uses |
| Library | 4 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 5 |
archaic
1 use
The art historian George Ortiz was once asked by Ernst Langlotz, one of the world's foremost experts on archaic sculpture, whether he wanted to purchase a bronze statuette.
archaic = so extremely old as to belong to an earlier period
Definition
Generally archaic means:so extremely old as to seem to belong to an earlier period; or obsolete
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Intr. |
belligerent
1 use
The rogue commander was getting more and more belligerent, the United States more and more concerned.
belligerent = hostile (with of the attitude of one eager to fight)
Definition
Generally belligerent means:hostile (the attitude of one eager to fight); or one already engaged in a fight or war
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 4 |
bias
5 uses
...under conditions of perfect objectivity, and in that unbiased moment, he had said...
unbiased = unprejudiced
(editor's note: The prefix "un-" in unbiased means not and reverses the meaning of biased. This is the same pattern you see in words like unhappy, unknown, and unlucky.)
(editor's note: The prefix "un-" in unbiased means not and reverses the meaning of biased. This is the same pattern you see in words like unhappy, unknown, and unlucky.)
Definition
Generally bias means:a personal preference — especially a prejudice that prevents objective consideration
or:
any tendency to move in a particular direction — such as a car that tends to want to swerve toward the right
or:
any tendency to move in a particular direction — such as a car that tends to want to swerve toward the right
Word Statistics
| Book | 5 uses |
| Library | 5 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Cncl. |
contempt
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
feels contempt towards her
If Gottman observes one or both partners in a marriage showing contempt toward the other, he considers it the single most important sign that the marriage is in trouble.
contempt = lack of respect
Definition
Generally this sense of contempt means:lack of respect for someone or something thought inferior — often accompanied by a feeling of dislike or disgust
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 8 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 1 |
context
9 uses
In order to "know" a couple, we feel as though we have to observe them over many weeks and months and see them in every state ... To make an accurate prediction about something as serious as the future of a marriage—indeed, to make a prediction of any sort—it seems that we would have to gather a lot of information and in as many different contexts as possible. But John Gottman has proven that we don't have to do that at all.
contexts = situations or settings
Definition
Generally context means:the setting or situation in which something occurs
Word Statistics
| Book | 9 uses |
| Library | 8 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Chapter 1 |
convention (2 meanings)
2 meanings, 6 uses
1 —1 use as in:
to convene
The Getty was getting worried, so they convened a special symposium.
convened = meet formally or call together to meet
Definition
Generally this sense of convention means:a large conference or meeting
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 6 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Intr. |
2 —5 uses as in:
conventional behavior
The conventional wisdom at the time held...
conventional = normal
Definition
Generally this sense of convention means:something regarded as normal or typical
Word Statistics
| Book | 5 uses |
| Library | 11 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Chapter 4 |
deliberate (2 meanings)
2 meanings, 3 uses
1 —1 use as in:
deliberate insult
The Diallo shooting, in other words, falls into a kind of gray area, the middle ground between deliberate and accidental.
deliberate = intentional (done on purpose)
Definition
Generally this sense of deliberate means:to do something intentionally (do it on purpose)
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 8 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 6 |
2 —2 uses as in:
need to deliberate
Deliberate thinking is a wonderful tool when we have the luxury of time,
deliberate = consideration of all sides of a question
Definition
Generally this sense of deliberate means:to think about or discuss — especially with great care
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 13 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Intr. |
dispassionate
1 use
In high-stakes, fast-moving situations, we don't want to be as dispassionate and purely rational as the Iowa ventromedial patients.
dispassionate = unaffected by strong emotion
Definition
Generally dispassionate means:unaffected by strong emotion or bias
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
insight
18 uses
But problems that require a flash of insight operate by different rules.
insight = a clear understanding of some aspect of a complex situation
Definition
Generally insight means:a clear understanding of some aspect of a complex situation; or a tendency to have such understandings
Word Statistics
| Book | 18 uses |
| Library | 8 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 2000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 3 |
literally
9 uses
1 —7 uses as in:
literally--not figuratively
They [people with autism] have difficulty interpreting nonverbal cues, such as gestures and facial expressions or ... or drawing understanding from anything other than the literal meaning of words.
literal = most basic (not metaphorical or figurative)
Definition
Generally this sense of literally means:actually true using the basic meaning of the words (not an exaggeration, metaphor, or other type of figurative speech)
Word Statistics
| Book | 7 uses |
| Library | 9 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
unquizzed meaning —2 uses
objective
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
an objective viewpoint
...the man complaining about her ability, had listened to her ... under conditions of perfect objectivity, and in that unbiased moment, he had said, "That's who we want!" and sent the remaining trombonists packing.
objectivity = hearing without prejudice (without the influence of personal feelings or preferences)
Definition
Generally this sense of objective means:fact-based without the influence of personal feelings or preferences
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 500 |
| 1st use | Cncl. |
rational
1 use
We know we cannot rationally describe the kind of person we will fall in love with:
rationally = in a manner based on using reason rather than emotion
Definition
Generally this sense of rational means:reasonable
in various senses, including:
- "It's not rational to treat 2+2 as 5." — logical as contrasted to illogical
- "I know you're upset, but please think about this in a rational manner." — based on reason as contrasted to emotion
- "When I was 10-years-old, I wasn't very smart, but I was still rational." — capable of using reason as contrasted to being insane or lacking the ability to reason
- "In matters of the heart, I trust my intuition more than my rational analysis." — based on a logical analysis as contrasted to intuition, instinct, custom, tarot-card reading, or some other system of decision making
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 9 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
relevant
2 uses
You have to observe them while they are discussing something of relevance to their relationship.
relevance = importance (having a meaningful relation to the issue in question)
Definition
Generally relevant means:relating in a meaningful way to the issue in question
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 6 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 10 |
| 1st use | Chapter 5 |
spontaneous
13 uses
Blink is concerned with ... those instantaneous impressions and conclusions that spontaneously arise whenever we meet a new person or confront a complex situation or have to make a decision under conditions of stress.
spontaneously = naturally (without plan)
Definition
Generally spontaneous means:behaving in an instinctive, uninhibited manner
or:
happening naturally (without planning or external force)
or:
happening naturally (without planning or external force)
Word Statistics
| Book | 13 uses |
| Library | 7 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 2000 |
| 1st use | Intr. |
subtle
2 uses
1 —2 uses as in:
a subtle difference or thinker
The clues were pretty subtle.
subtle = difficult to understand or hard to notice
Definition
Generally this sense of subtle means:not obvious, but understandable by someone with adequate sensitivity and relevant knowledge (perhaps depending upon fine distinctions)
or:
capable of understanding things that require sensitivity and relevant knowledge (perhaps understanding fine distinctions)
or:
capable of understanding things that require sensitivity and relevant knowledge (perhaps understanding fine distinctions)
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 7 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 500 |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
virulent
2 uses
He was virulently anti-American.
virulently = in a harsh and hateful manner
Definition
Generally virulent means:of disease: very bad — perhaps very contagious
or
harsh or hateful
or
harsh or hateful
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 4 |