Word List
Year 7 Vocabulary List
Year 7 learners engage with specialist subject language for the first time. Mastering this vocabulary is the foundation for strong academic performance across English, humanities, and science.
Good for
Year 7 students and secondary educators building academic writing and reading skills.
Focus
Rhetorical analysis, philosophical concepts, advanced literary terms, disciplinary vocabulary.
Print this list to keep a compact copy for offline study.
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001
Word
abasement
noun
Meaning
the act of degrading or humiliating oneself or someone else
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002
Word
abduction
noun
Meaning
a form of reasoning that infers the most likely explanation from incomplete evidence
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003
Word
aberration
noun
Meaning
a departure from what is normal or expected; an anomaly
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004
Word
abeyance
noun
Meaning
a state of temporary suspension or inactivity
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005
Word
abjure
verb
Meaning
to solemnly renounce or give up a belief, claim, or course of action
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006
Word
abnegate
verb
Meaning
to renounce or reject something, especially a right or duty
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007
Word
absolutism
noun
Meaning
the political theory that absolute power should be vested in one ruler; or a doctrine held without qualification
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008
Word
abstemious
adjective
Meaning
not indulging freely in food, drink, or other pleasures; restrained
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009
Word
abstruse
adjective
Meaning
difficult to understand; obscure and esoteric
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010
Word
acrimony
noun
Meaning
bitterness or ill-feeling expressed in speech or manner
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011
Word
acumen
noun
Meaning
the ability to make good judgements and take quick decisions
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012
Word
adaptation
noun
Meaning
in literary study, a version of a text reworked for a different medium or context
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013
Word
adduce
verb
Meaning
to cite as evidence to support an argument
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014
Word
admonition
noun
Meaning
a firm warning or reprimand
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015
Word
adroit
adjective
Meaning
clever or skilful in the use of the hands or mind
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016
Word
adversity
noun
Meaning
a difficult or unpleasant situation; misfortune
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017
Word
aegis
noun
Meaning
the protection, backing, or support of a particular body
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018
Word
aesthetic
noun
Meaning
a set of principles underlying the work of an artist or group of artists
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019
Word
affectation
noun
Meaning
an attempt to appear something that one is not; pretence
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020
Word
affinity
noun
Meaning
a natural liking for or attraction to someone or something
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021
Word
affirm
verb
Meaning
to state emphatically or publicly that something is true
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022
Word
agitation
noun
Meaning
a state of anxiety or nervous excitement; public protest
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023
Word
alchemy
noun
Meaning
the medieval forerunner of chemistry; metaphorically, a mysterious process of transformation
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024
Word
alienation
noun
Meaning
the estrangement of a person from aspects of their humanity or social world
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025
Word
allegory
noun
Meaning
a story in which characters and events represent abstract ideas or moral qualities
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026
Word
alleviation
noun
Meaning
the act of making something less severe or serious
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027
Word
alliteration
noun
Meaning
the repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words for stylistic effect
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028
Word
aloof
adjective
Meaning
not friendly or forthcoming; cool and distant
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029
Word
altercation
noun
Meaning
a noisy argument or disagreement, especially in public
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030
Word
ambivalence
noun
Meaning
uncertainty or anxiety about taking a decision or course of action
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031
Word
amelioration
noun
Meaning
the act of making something that is bad or unsatisfactory better
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032
Word
analeptic
adjective
Meaning
restorative of health or strength; or relating to a narrative flashback
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033
Word
analogous
adjective
Meaning
similar in some ways though different in others; comparable
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034
Word
animosity
noun
Meaning
strong hostility and ill-feeling towards someone
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035
Word
annihilate
verb
Meaning
to destroy something utterly; to defeat an opponent very comprehensively
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036
Word
anodyne
adjective
Meaning
not likely to cause offence or disagreement; bland
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037
Word
antecedent
noun
Meaning
a thing or event that existed before or logically preceded another
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038
Word
anthropomorphism
noun
Meaning
attribution of human characteristics or behaviour to non-human entities
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039
Word
antithesis
noun
Meaning
the direct opposite of something; contrasting ideas placed together for effect
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040
Word
aphorism
noun
Meaning
a pithy observation that contains a general truth
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041
Word
aplomb
noun
Meaning
self-confidence or assurance, especially in difficult situations
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042
Word
apocrypha
noun
Meaning
texts of uncertain authenticity or those excluded from an accepted canon
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043
Word
apologist
noun
Meaning
a person who defends and justifies a doctrine, belief, or institution
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044
Word
aporia
noun
Meaning
an irresolvable philosophical doubt or contradiction
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045
Word
aposiopesis
noun
Meaning
a rhetorical device in which the speaker suddenly breaks off as if unable to continue
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046
Word
appease
verb
Meaning
to pacify or placate someone by acceding to their demands
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047
Word
approbatory
adjective
Meaning
expressing approval or praise
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048
Word
appropriation
noun
Meaning
the action of taking something for one's own use, often without permission
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049
Word
arbitration
noun
Meaning
the use of an independent party to settle a dispute between parties
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050
Word
arcane
adjective
Meaning
known only to few people; mysterious and obscure
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051
Word
archetype
noun
Meaning
a universal symbol, theme, or character type that recurs across cultures and literature
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052
Word
ardour
noun
Meaning
enthusiasm or passion; zeal
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053
Word
arid
adjective
Meaning
having little or no rain; too dry or dull to be interesting
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054
Word
arraign
verb
Meaning
to call before a court to answer a charge; to criticise openly
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055
Word
articulate
adjective
Meaning
able to express thoughts and ideas clearly and fluently
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056
Word
artifice
noun
Meaning
clever or cunning devices or expedients, especially to deceive
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057
Word
ascetic
adjective
Meaning
characterised by severe self-discipline and abstention from indulgence
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058
Word
asperity
noun
Meaning
harshness of tone or manner; rough or bitter feeling
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059
Word
assay
verb
Meaning
to attempt something; or to analyse or examine a substance
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060
Word
astringent
adjective
Meaning
causing tissue to contract; or sharply incisive and critical
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061
Word
asyndeton
noun
Meaning
the omission of conjunctions between words or clauses for rhetorical effect
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062
Word
atavism
noun
Meaning
the tendency to revert to ancestral type; a throwback to an earlier state
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063
Word
attenuate
verb
Meaning
to reduce in force, effect, or value; to weaken
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064
Word
audacious
adjective
Meaning
showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks
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065
Word
austerity
noun
Meaning
sternness or severity of manner; rigorous self-discipline or abstinence
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066
Word
avarice
noun
Meaning
extreme greed for wealth or material gain
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067
Word
avert
verb
Meaning
to turn away; to prevent something undesirable from occurring
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068
Word
avid
adjective
Meaning
having or showing a keen interest in something; eager
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069
Word
axiomatically
adverb
Meaning
in a way that is self-evidently true and requires no proof
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070
Word
badinage
noun
Meaning
witty, playful exchange of remarks; light banter
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071
Word
baleful
adjective
Meaning
threatening harm; menacing
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072
Word
banality
noun
Meaning
the quality of being banal; boring or trivial ordinariness
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073
Word
barrage
noun
Meaning
an overwhelming outpouring of words, questions, or ideas
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074
Word
bastion
noun
Meaning
a strong defensive position; a person or thing regarded as upholding something
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075
Word
belie
verb
Meaning
to fail to give a true impression of; to contradict
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076
Word
bellicosity
noun
Meaning
the quality of being aggressive and eager to fight
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077
Word
bemuse
verb
Meaning
to cause someone to be confused and unable to think clearly
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078
Word
benevolence
noun
Meaning
the quality of being well-meaning and kindly
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079
Word
benighted
adjective
Meaning
in a state of moral or intellectual darkness; unenlightened
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080
Word
berate
verb
Meaning
to scold or criticise someone angrily
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081
Word
bifurcation
noun
Meaning
the division of something into two branches or parts
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082
Word
blandish
verb
Meaning
to coax someone with flattery; to cajole
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083
Word
blasphemy
noun
Meaning
the act or offence of speaking sacrilegiously about sacred things
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084
Word
blight
verb
Meaning
to have a severely detrimental effect on something
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085
Word
bombast
noun
Meaning
high-sounding language with little actual content; pompous speech
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086
Word
brazen
adjective
Meaning
bold and without shame
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087
Word
brooding
adjective
Meaning
engaged in deep, gloomy thought; darkly menacing in atmosphere
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088
Word
brusque
adjective
Meaning
abrupt or offhand in manner or speech; blunt
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089
Word
bucolic
adjective
Meaning
relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life
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090
Word
buffoon
noun
Meaning
a person who amuses others by ridiculous behaviour; a clown
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091
Word
bullish
adjective
Meaning
aggressively confident and self-assertive
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092
Word
bureaucratic
adjective
Meaning
relating to rigid adherence to official rules and procedures
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093
Word
burnish
verb
Meaning
to polish something by rubbing it; to enhance an image or reputation
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094
Word
cabal
noun
Meaning
a secret political clique or faction
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095
Word
cadaverous
adjective
Meaning
very pale, thin, or bony; resembling a corpse
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096
Word
cajoling
adjective
Meaning
gently persuading someone by flattery or gentle argument
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097
Word
callous
adjective
Meaning
showing or having an insensitive disregard for others
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098
Word
calumny
noun
Meaning
the making of false and defamatory statements about someone
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099
Word
capricious
adjective
Meaning
given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behaviour
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100
Word
cardinal
adjective
Meaning
of the greatest importance; fundamental and essential
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101
Word
carnivalesque
adjective
Meaning
relating to a literary mode that subverts hierarchies and embraces chaos and transgression
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102
Word
carping
adjective
Meaning
difficult to please; critical in a petty way
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103
Word
catachresis
noun
Meaning
the use of a word in a way that is incorrect or strained but may convey a striking effect
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104
Word
cataclysm
noun
Meaning
a large-scale and violent event in the natural world; a disaster
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105
Word
categorical
adjective
Meaning
unambiguously explicit and direct
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106
Word
caustic
adjective
Meaning
sarcastic in a scathing way; burning
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107
Word
cavalier
adjective
Meaning
showing a lack of proper concern; dismissive
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108
Word
censorious
adjective
Meaning
severely critical of others; fault-finding
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109
Word
circumlocution
noun
Meaning
the use of many words where fewer would do; deliberately indirect expression
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110
Word
cogitation
noun
Meaning
the act of thinking deeply and carefully about something
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111
Word
coherence
noun
Meaning
the quality of being logical, consistent, and clearly connected
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112
Word
commodify
verb
Meaning
to treat as a commodity that can be bought and sold
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113
Word
complicit
adjective
Meaning
involved with others in wrong or questionable behaviour
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114
Word
concomitantly
adverb
Meaning
at the same time and in connection with something else
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115
Word
conflate
verb
Meaning
to combine two or more concepts or texts into one, sometimes incorrectly
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116
Word
contextualise
verb
Meaning
to place something in its relevant context so its meaning can be properly understood
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117
Word
contingency
noun
Meaning
the possibility that something might not have happened; the quality of being dependent on chance
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118
Word
corporeal
adjective
Meaning
relating to the physical body rather than the mind or spirit
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119
Word
critique
noun
Meaning
a detailed analysis and assessment of something, especially a literary or political theory
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120
Word
deconstruction
noun
Meaning
a critical method that exposes the instability of meaning within texts
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121
Word
defamiliarisation
noun
Meaning
a technique that presents familiar things in an unfamiliar way to renew perception
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122
Word
delineate
verb
Meaning
to describe or mark out with great precision; to outline clearly
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123
Word
determinism
noun
Meaning
the doctrine that all events are determined by prior causes and natural laws
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124
Word
dialectical
adjective
Meaning
relating to discussion or reasoning through opposing arguments and ideas
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125
Word
dialectics
noun
Meaning
the art of investigating or discussing the truth of opinions through reasoned argument
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126
Word
diegesis
noun
Meaning
the story world in which the narrative events occur, as opposed to outside commentary
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127
Word
diegetic
adjective
Meaning
existing within the story world, such as music a character can hear
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128
Word
discursively
adverb
Meaning
in a manner that proceeds through reasoning or ranges over a wide subject
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129
Word
dissonance
noun
Meaning
a tension or clash between contrasting elements, ideas, or feelings
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130
Word
dysphemism
noun
Meaning
the substitution of a harsh or unpleasant expression for a more neutral one
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131
Word
ekphrasis
noun
Meaning
a vivid literary description of a visual work of art
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132
Word
ellipsis
noun
Meaning
the omission of words from a text, or the three dots (...) marking such an omission
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133
Word
eloquence
noun
Meaning
the ability to express ideas clearly, powerfully, and persuasively
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134
Word
encomium
noun
Meaning
a speech or piece of writing expressing high praise
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135
Word
enthymeme
noun
Meaning
a rhetorical syllogism in which one premise is left unstated
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136
Word
enumerate
verb
Meaning
to name or list things one by one in an orderly way
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137
Word
epanalepsis
noun
Meaning
a figure of speech in which the beginning of a clause is repeated at the end
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138
Word
epistemology
noun
Meaning
the branch of philosophy that studies the nature and scope of human knowledge
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139
Word
epistrophe
noun
Meaning
the repetition of words at the end of successive clauses for rhetorical effect
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140
Word
erotesis
noun
Meaning
a rhetorical question asked for effect with no answer expected
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141
Word
eschatology
noun
Meaning
the part of theology or philosophy concerned with the ultimate destiny of humanity
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142
Word
extrapolate
verb
Meaning
to extend known data or reasoning to predict or estimate something unknown
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143
Word
false consciousness
noun
Meaning
a Marxist concept referring to ways in which people misunderstand their own social position
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144
Word
focalization
noun
Meaning
the perspective through which events are perceived and presented in a narrative
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145
Word
free indirect discourse
noun
Meaning
a technique blending a character's thoughts with the narrator's voice without quotation marks
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146
Word
hegemonic
adjective
Meaning
relating to the ruling or dominant influence of one group over others
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147
Word
hermeneutical circle
noun
Meaning
the process of interpreting a text by moving between the whole and its parts
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148
Word
hermeneutics
noun
Meaning
the theory and practice of interpreting texts
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149
Word
heuristically
adverb
Meaning
using a practical approach to problem-solving that is not guaranteed to be perfect but is sufficient
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150
Word
hypodiegesis
noun
Meaning
a secondary story embedded within the main narrative
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151
Word
hypophora
noun
Meaning
raising a question and then immediately answering it
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152
Word
hypothetical
adjective
Meaning
based on a possible situation that has not yet happened; imaginary
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153
Word
idealism
noun
Meaning
the philosophical view that reality is fundamentally mental or spiritual rather than material
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154
Word
immanently
adverb
Meaning
in a way that is inherent or intrinsic to something
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155
Word
intersubjectivity
noun
Meaning
the sharing of subjective states between two or more people
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156
Word
intertextuality
noun
Meaning
the relationship between a text and other texts it references or is influenced by
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157
Word
isocolon
noun
Meaning
a figure of speech in which parallel elements have the same length and rhythmical structure
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158
Word
juxtaposition
noun
Meaning
placing two contrasting things side by side to highlight the differences between them
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159
Word
laconic
adjective
Meaning
using very few words to express a point; brief and to the point
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160
Word
liminal space
noun
Meaning
a threshold or transitional state between two phases or states of being
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161
Word
litotes
noun
Meaning
understatement for emphasis, typically using a negative to assert the positive
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162
Word
logocentrism
noun
Meaning
the assumption that speech or language is central to all thought and meaning
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163
Word
magnanimous
adjective
Meaning
very generous or forgiving, especially toward a less powerful person or rival
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164
Word
malapropism
noun
Meaning
the mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding word, often with comic effect
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165
Word
materially
adverb
Meaning
in terms of matter or physical reality; or in a way that makes a significant difference
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166
Word
meritocracy
noun
Meaning
a system in which advancement is based on individual ability and achievement
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167
Word
metalepsis
noun
Meaning
a narrative technique in which a narrator or character breaks the boundary between the story and reality
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168
Word
meticulous
adjective
Meaning
giving very careful attention to small details; extremely precise
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169
Word
misanthropy
noun
Meaning
a general dislike or distrust of other people and human society
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170
Word
mise en abyme
noun
Meaning
a formal technique of embedding a miniature copy of the work within the work itself
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171
Word
monolithic
adjective
Meaning
large and uniform; presenting a single, undifferentiated structure
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172
Word
nihilism
noun
Meaning
the belief that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or value
#
173
Word
normative
adjective
Meaning
establishing or relating to a standard considered normal or desirable
#
174
Word
nuanced
adjective
Meaning
showing subtle distinctions and differences; not simple or one-sided
#
175
Word
obfuscate
verb
Meaning
to make something unclear or difficult to understand; to confuse deliberately
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176
Word
ostensibly
adverb
Meaning
apparently, but not necessarily so; seemingly
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177
Word
palimpsest
noun
Meaning
a manuscript reused after earlier writing has been erased; metaphorically, a text layered with past meanings
#
178
Word
paradigmatically
adverb
Meaning
in a way that serves as a typical or perfect example
#
179
Word
paradoxical
adjective
Meaning
having the quality of a paradox; seeming contradictory but possibly true
#
180
Word
perfidious
adjective
Meaning
guilty of betrayal or treachery; deceitful and untrustworthy
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181
Word
perspicacious
adjective
Meaning
having a ready insight into things; shrewd and discerning
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182
Word
phenomenologically
adverb
Meaning
from the standpoint of how things appear in lived experience
#
183
Word
phenomenology
noun
Meaning
the study of structures of experience and consciousness from a first-person point of view
#
184
Word
polemical
adjective
Meaning
involving or making a strong critical argument; controversially one-sided
#
185
Word
polyphony
noun
Meaning
the presence of multiple distinct voices or perspectives within a text
#
186
Word
postulate
verb
Meaning
to suggest or assume something as the starting point for an argument
#
187
Word
praxis
noun
Meaning
practice, as distinguished from theory; the process by which a theory is enacted
#
188
Word
profound
adjective
Meaning
showing great knowledge or understanding; having deep meaning
#
189
Word
provisionally
adverb
Meaning
temporarily, pending further information or confirmation
#
190
Word
rhetorical
adjective
Meaning
relating to rhetoric; using language effectively to influence an audience
#
191
Word
semantic
adjective
Meaning
relating to the meaning of words, phrases, or language
#
192
Word
substantiate
verb
Meaning
to provide solid evidence to support or prove a claim
#
193
Word
succinct
adjective
Meaning
briefly and clearly expressed; saying a lot in few words
#
194
Word
synecdoche
noun
Meaning
a figure of speech in which a part stands for the whole, or vice versa
#
195
Word
tangential
adjective
Meaning
only slightly related to the main point; not central
#
196
Word
ubiquitous
adjective
Meaning
found or appearing everywhere at the same time
#
197
Word
validity
noun
Meaning
the quality of being logically sound, legally acceptable, or correctly reasoned
#
198
Word
verisimilitude
noun
Meaning
the quality of appearing to be true or real; lifelikeness
#
199
Word
vernacular
noun
Meaning
the everyday language spoken by ordinary people in a region or time
#
200
Word
watershed
noun
Meaning
an event or period that marks a major turning point or decisive change
#
201
Word
zeitgeist
noun
Meaning
the general spirit, mood, and thinking that characterises a particular period in history
Print this list to keep a compact copy for offline study.
