Word List
Year 9 Vocabulary List
These words represent the outer edge of secondary-school vocabulary. Mastering them signals genuine intellectual breadth and gives students a significant advantage in written expression and academic reading.
Good for
Year 9 students and advanced learners preparing for senior assessments and academic extension.
Focus
Rare and demanding vocabulary, philosophical and rhetorical theory, advanced literary and academic analysis.
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001
Word
abhor
verb
Meaning
To feel a strong hatred or disgust towards something.
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002
Word
abrogate
verb
Meaning
To formally cancel or abandon a law or agreement.
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003
Word
abstain
verb
Meaning
To deliberately refrain from doing something.
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004
Word
acatalepsy
noun
Meaning
the Sceptical view that the human mind can never attain certainty or full comprehension of truth
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005
Word
accolade
noun
Meaning
An award or praise given as recognition of achievement.
#
006
Word
acephalous
adjective
Meaning
without a head; in prosody, describing a line of verse missing the first syllable
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007
Word
admonish
verb
Meaning
To warn or reprimand someone firmly.
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008
Word
adoxography
noun
Meaning
skilled writing in praise of trivial or worthless subjects
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009
Word
aetiological
adjective
Meaning
relating to the investigation of causes, especially of a disease or literary myth
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010
Word
agglutinative
adjective
Meaning
relating to languages in which grammatical relationships are expressed by joining morphemes together
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011
Word
aggrandise
verb
Meaning
To increase the power or importance of something; to make greater.
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012
Word
agnosis
noun
Meaning
lack of knowledge; the state of not knowing, especially regarding metaphysical questions
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013
Word
agonistics
noun
Meaning
the study or practice of disputation and intellectual combat
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014
Word
agrarian
adjective
Meaning
relating to cultivated land or the relationship between people and the land they farm
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015
Word
aleaticism
noun
Meaning
a compositional or artistic approach in which chance is a central determining element
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016
Word
amalgamation
noun
Meaning
the action of combining or uniting two or more things into one
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017
Word
anagnorisis
noun
Meaning
the moment of recognition or discovery in a tragedy, especially the protagonist's realisation of their true situation
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018
Word
anamorphosis
noun
Meaning
a distorted projection requiring a special device to view correctly; metaphorically, a perspective that transforms under scrutiny
#
019
Word
anastomosis
noun
Meaning
a cross-connection between adjacent channels; in textual theory, an interconnection between texts or ideas
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020
Word
ancillary
adjective
Meaning
providing necessary support to the primary activities or operation of an organisation or system
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021
Word
anthropocentrism
noun
Meaning
the belief that human beings are the most important entity in the universe
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022
Word
aporetic method
noun
Meaning
the Socratic practice of raising and dwelling in philosophical perplexity rather than resolving it
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023
Word
apriorism
noun
Meaning
the philosophical doctrine that certain knowledge is prior to and independent of experience
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024
Word
areté
noun
Meaning
the ancient Greek concept of excellence or virtue, especially the fulfilment of one's highest potential
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025
Word
ataraxia
noun
Meaning
a state of serene calmness and freedom from emotional disturbance, prized in Epicurean and Sceptic philosophy
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026
Word
atavistic
adjective
Meaning
relating to the reappearance of ancestral traits or behaviours not seen in recent generations
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027
Word
autochthonous
adjective
Meaning
indigenous; formed or originating in the place where it is found; not introduced from outside
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028
Word
belligerent
adjective
Meaning
Hostile and aggressive; eager to fight or argue.
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029
Word
bourgeois
adjective
Meaning
Relating to the middle class; often used to imply materialism.
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030
Word
byzantine
adjective
Meaning
excessively complicated and difficult to understand; full of intrigue
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031
Word
casuist
noun
Meaning
a person who resolves moral problems by applying theoretical rules to particular cases, sometimes deceptively
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032
Word
casuistry
noun
Meaning
the use of clever but false reasoning, especially in moral questions
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033
Word
catachretical
adjective
Meaning
relating to the misuse or overstrained use of a word or expression
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034
Word
chicanery
noun
Meaning
The use of trickery to achieve a goal.
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035
Word
clemency
noun
Meaning
Mercy and leniency shown towards an offender.
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036
Word
coalesce
verb
Meaning
To come together to form one group or mass.
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037
Word
cogitate
verb
Meaning
To think deeply and carefully about something.
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038
Word
collusion
noun
Meaning
A secret agreement for a dishonest or illegal purpose.
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039
Word
composure
noun
Meaning
A state of calm; the ability to stay relaxed under pressure.
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040
Word
conceit
noun
Meaning
An extended metaphor with a complex logic; also, excessive pride.
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041
Word
condemnation
noun
Meaning
The expression of very strong disapproval.
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042
Word
conflation
noun
Meaning
the merging of two or more distinct things into one, sometimes incorrectly
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043
Word
consubstantial
adjective
Meaning
of the same substance or nature; used in theology and metaphysics to describe identical essence
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044
Word
contemptuous
adjective
Meaning
Showing that you have no respect for someone or something.
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045
Word
contumacious
adjective
Meaning
stubbornly or wilfully disobedient to authority; rebellious
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046
Word
corroboration
noun
Meaning
Evidence that confirms or supports a statement.
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047
Word
coruscating
adjective
Meaning
flashing or sparkling brilliantly; devastatingly incisive in wit or criticism
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048
Word
cosmogony
noun
Meaning
a theory or account of the origin and development of the universe
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049
Word
countenance
noun
Meaning
A person's face or facial expression; to permit something.
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050
Word
covetous
adjective
Meaning
Having a strong desire to possess something belonging to another.
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051
Word
dasein
noun
Meaning
Heidegger's term for human existence as it is always already situated in the world; "being-there"
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052
Word
defeasible
adjective
Meaning
liable to be annulled or forfeited; in logic, a conclusion that can be overturned by new information
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053
Word
deferential
adjective
Meaning
Showing respect and deference to another person.
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054
Word
delineation
noun
Meaning
The precise portrayal or description of something.
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055
Word
denouement
noun
Meaning
the final resolution of a story's plot after the main dramatic climax
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056
Word
depredation
noun
Meaning
The act of causing damage or harm; pillaging.
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057
Word
derision
noun
Meaning
Cruel mockery; scornful ridicule.
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058
Word
desiccate
verb
Meaning
To remove moisture from something; to dry out completely.
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059
Word
deterministic
adjective
Meaning
Relating to the theory that all events are caused by prior conditions.
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060
Word
dilatory
adjective
Meaning
Slow to act; intended to cause delay.
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061
Word
discredit
verb
Meaning
To harm the reputation of; to cause to appear untrustworthy.
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062
Word
discursivity
noun
Meaning
the property of proceeding by reasoning; or the tendency of a text to digress from its main subject
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063
Word
disingenuous
adjective
Meaning
Not candid or sincere; not straightforward.
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064
Word
dispossess
verb
Meaning
To take away property or land from someone.
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065
Word
disquiet
noun
Meaning
A feeling of worry or unease.
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066
Word
dissemination
noun
Meaning
Derrida's term for the way meaning endlessly disperses and cannot be fixed by a transcendent origin
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067
Word
dissolution
noun
Meaning
The closing down or ending of something.
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068
Word
dolorous
adjective
Meaning
Feeling or expressing great sorrow or distress.
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069
Word
dormant
adjective
Meaning
Temporarily inactive; in a state of rest.
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070
Word
ecriture
noun
Meaning
Barthes' concept of writing understood as a self-referential practice detached from author and intention
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071
Word
edification
noun
Meaning
the moral or intellectual instruction and improvement of a person
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072
Word
elenchic
adjective
Meaning
relating to the Socratic method of refutation by cross-questioning
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073
Word
emplotment
noun
Meaning
the process by which a historian or narrator organises events into a coherent narrative structure
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074
Word
enargeia
noun
Meaning
the rhetorical quality of vividness that brings a scene or event before the reader's eyes
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075
Word
entelecheia
noun
Meaning
Aristotle's term for the realisation of potential; the condition of having achieved one's final end
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076
Word
epigenesis
noun
Meaning
the developmental theory that organisms are formed through gradual differentiation, not from pre-formed structures
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077
Word
epoché
noun
Meaning
the phenomenological practice of suspending judgement on the natural world to examine consciousness directly
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078
Word
equivocation
noun
Meaning
the use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth or mislead; in logic, using the same word with different meanings
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079
Word
ergodic
adjective
Meaning
in literature and media theory, describing a work that requires non-trivial effort to traverse
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080
Word
eudaimonia
noun
Meaning
Aristotle's concept of human flourishing and living well through the exercise of virtue
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081
Word
exegesis
noun
Meaning
a critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially scripture
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082
Word
exegetical
adjective
Meaning
relating to critical interpretation of a text, especially scripture
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083
Word
expiation
noun
Meaning
the act of making amends or reparation for wrongdoing or guilt
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084
Word
falibilism
noun
Meaning
Peirce's doctrine that human knowledge is inherently fallible and open to revision
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085
Word
fatuous
adjective
Meaning
silly and pointless; showing a lack of intelligence or thought
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086
Word
fideism
noun
Meaning
the view that religious knowledge depends on faith rather than reason or evidence
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087
Word
florilegium
noun
Meaning
a collection of literary extracts or passages; an anthology
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088
Word
garrulous
adjective
Meaning
excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters
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089
Word
genealogy
noun
Meaning
Nietzsche's and Foucault's method of tracing the historical origins of moral concepts to expose contingency and power
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090
Word
glossolalia
noun
Meaning
the phenomenon of apparently speaking in an unknown language, especially in religious experience
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091
Word
gnomic
adjective
Meaning
expressed in or of the nature of short, pithy maxims or aphorisms
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092
Word
gnoseology
noun
Meaning
the branch of philosophy dealing with the theory of knowledge; a synonym for epistemology
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093
Word
hamartiological
adjective
Meaning
relating to the theological doctrine of sin and its consequences
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094
Word
hapax legomenon
noun
Meaning
a word that occurs only once in a text or in the recorded corpus of a language
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095
Word
heuresis
noun
Meaning
the rhetorical art of invention; finding arguments and ideas for a speech or composition
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096
Word
hieratic
adjective
Meaning
of or associated with sacred persons or offices; highly formalised and stylised in manner
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097
Word
histrionic
adjective
Meaning
excessively theatrical or dramatic in character or style
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098
Word
homological
adjective
Meaning
having the same relation, relative position, or structure; corresponding in form and structure
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099
Word
hypostasis
noun
Meaning
the underlying substance or essence of a thing; in theology, each of the three persons of the Trinity
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100
Word
iconoclasm
noun
Meaning
the attack on or criticism of cherished beliefs, ideas, or institutions
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101
Word
idiolect
noun
Meaning
the variety of language unique to an individual speaker, comprising their characteristic vocabulary and usage
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102
Word
imbrication
noun
Meaning
an overlapping arrangement, like fish scales or roof tiles; layered repetition in rhetoric
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103
Word
imbroglio
noun
Meaning
an extremely confused, complicated, or embarrassing situation
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104
Word
immanence
noun
Meaning
the quality of being inherent in or operating within something; in philosophy, existing within the world rather than transcendent
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105
Word
impecunious
adjective
Meaning
having very little or no money; habitually poor
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106
Word
imprecation
noun
Meaning
a spoken curse or appeal for misfortune to befall someone
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107
Word
inadvertence
noun
Meaning
failure to notice or to pay proper attention; a consequence of lack of care
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108
Word
inchoate
adjective
Meaning
just begun and not fully formed or developed; undeveloped
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109
Word
incunabulum
noun
Meaning
a book printed before the year 1501; by extension, any early example of a new technology
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110
Word
indeterminacy
noun
Meaning
the quality of not being fixed or determined; in quantum theory, the inherent unpredictability of subatomic states
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111
Word
ineffability
noun
Meaning
the quality of being too great or extreme to be expressed in words
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112
Word
ineluctable
adjective
Meaning
unable to be resisted or avoided; inescapable
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113
Word
inexorable
adjective
Meaning
impossible to stop or prevent; relentless and unyielding
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114
Word
infelicity
noun
Meaning
in speech-act theory, a failure of a performative utterance to produce its intended effect
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115
Word
ingenuity
noun
Meaning
the quality of being clever, original, and inventive
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116
Word
inimicality
noun
Meaning
the state or quality of being hostile or harmful
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117
Word
insouciance
noun
Meaning
casual lack of concern or care; a relaxed and carefree attitude
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118
Word
instrumentalise
verb
Meaning
to treat as a tool or means to an end rather than as valuable in itself
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119
Word
internecine
adjective
Meaning
destructive to both sides in a conflict; mutually harmful
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120
Word
interpolation
noun
Meaning
the insertion of something of a different nature into something else; in textual scholarship, a later addition to a manuscript
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121
Word
interstitial
adjective
Meaning
of, forming, or occupying interstices; positioned between established structures or categories
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122
Word
intrinsicality
noun
Meaning
the quality of belonging to the essential nature of a thing, not dependent on external factors
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123
Word
invidious
adjective
Meaning
likely to arouse resentment or anger in others because of unfair distinctions
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124
Word
irredentism
noun
Meaning
a political doctrine claiming the right to recover territory culturally or historically related to one's nation
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125
Word
isomorphism
noun
Meaning
the quality of having the same form or structure; in mathematics, a correspondence between sets preserving structure
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126
Word
iterability
noun
Meaning
Derrida's concept that signs can be repeated in new contexts, always taking on different meanings
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127
Word
katharsis
noun
Meaning
Aristotle's term for the emotional purgation experienced by an audience through tragedy
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128
Word
kenosis
noun
Meaning
the theological concept of Christ's self-emptying of divine attributes; by extension, self-abnegation for a greater purpose
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129
Word
kettle logic
noun
Meaning
a form of argumentation in which mutually contradictory claims are advanced simultaneously to defend a position
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130
Word
lachrymose
adjective
Meaning
tearful or given to weeping; inducing sadness
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131
Word
lacuna
noun
Meaning
a missing portion in a manuscript or text; more broadly, a gap or missing part of something
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132
Word
lapsarian
adjective
Meaning
relating to the Fall of Man; postlapsarian means after the Fall, prelapsarian before it
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133
Word
latitudinarian
adjective
Meaning
allowing latitude of opinion, especially in religious belief; broadly tolerant of divergent views
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134
Word
logomachy
noun
Meaning
an argument about words; a dispute that is purely verbal
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135
Word
logorrhea
noun
Meaning
a tendency to excessive and incoherent talkativeness
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136
Word
longueur
noun
Meaning
a passage of a book, play, or other work that is tediously long or slow
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137
Word
loquacious
adjective
Meaning
tending to talk a great deal; garrulous
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138
Word
lucubration
noun
Meaning
laborious study or meditation; a piece of writing that is studied or elaborate
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139
Word
luminescent
adjective
Meaning
emitting light not caused by heat; glowing
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140
Word
macabre
adjective
Meaning
disturbing because it involves death or injury in an unnatural way
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141
Word
machiavellian
adjective
Meaning
cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous in pursuit of one's goals
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142
Word
magniloquent
adjective
Meaning
using high-flown or bombastic language
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143
Word
malediction
noun
Meaning
a curse; a prayer that evil may befall someone
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144
Word
maleficent
adjective
Meaning
causing harm or destruction, especially by supernatural means
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145
Word
mantic
adjective
Meaning
relating to the faculty of divination or prophecy
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146
Word
marginalia
noun
Meaning
notes written in the margins of a text
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147
Word
meiosis
noun
Meaning
a figure of speech in which something is described as less than it is; understatement
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148
Word
meliorism
noun
Meaning
the belief that the world can be made better by human effort
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149
Word
mendacious
adjective
Meaning
not telling the truth; habitually dishonest; lying
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150
Word
metafiction
noun
Meaning
fiction in which the author self-consciously alludes to the artificiality of the work
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151
Word
metalanguage
noun
Meaning
a language used to analyse or describe another language
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152
Word
metatextual
adjective
Meaning
relating to the relationship between a text and other texts it discusses or critiques
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153
Word
mimesis
noun
Meaning
the imitation or representation of the real world in art and literature
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154
Word
mnemonics
noun
Meaning
a system or pattern of ideas used as a memory aid
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155
Word
modality
noun
Meaning
a particular mode or method; in linguistics, the expression of possibility or necessity
#
156
Word
moiety
noun
Meaning
each of two equal parts into which something is divided
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157
Word
morpheme
noun
Meaning
the smallest grammatical unit of meaning in a language
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158
Word
motility
noun
Meaning
the ability to move spontaneously and independently
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159
Word
mythopoeia
noun
Meaning
the making of myths; a literary genre or act of creating a new mythology
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160
Word
naivety
noun
Meaning
lack of experience or sophistication; the state of being naïve
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161
Word
narcissism
noun
Meaning
excessive interest in or admiration of oneself and one's physical appearance
#
162
Word
narratology
noun
Meaning
the branch of literary theory that studies the structure and function of narrative
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163
Word
naturalism
noun
Meaning
a literary movement depicting life and characters with strict realism, often emphasising determinism
#
164
Word
necromancy
noun
Meaning
the supposed practice of communicating with the dead; sorcery more generally
#
165
Word
neologism
noun
Meaning
a newly coined word or expression
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166
Word
nihilistic
adjective
Meaning
rejecting all religious and moral principles in the belief that life is meaningless
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167
Word
numinous
adjective
Meaning
having a strong religious or spiritual quality; indicating the presence of a divinity
#
168
Word
numismatics
noun
Meaning
the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, and paper money
#
169
Word
obsequious
adjective
Meaning
obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree
#
170
Word
obstreperous
adjective
Meaning
noisy and difficult to control; loudly objectionable
#
171
Word
occultism
noun
Meaning
belief in or study of the action or influence of supernatural or supranormal powers
#
172
Word
onomastics
noun
Meaning
the study of the history and origin of proper names
#
173
Word
ontogenesis
noun
Meaning
the development of an individual organism from embryo to adult
#
174
Word
opprobrium
noun
Meaning
harsh criticism or censure; the public disgrace arising from shameful conduct
#
175
Word
ostentation
noun
Meaning
the pretentious or showy display of wealth or knowledge
#
176
Word
oxymoron
noun
Meaning
a figure of speech in which contradictory terms are combined, as in "bitter-sweet"
#
177
Word
palilogy
noun
Meaning
the immediate repetition of a word or phrase for emphasis
#
178
Word
panacea
noun
Meaning
a solution or remedy for all difficulties or diseases
#
179
Word
panegyric
noun
Meaning
a public speech or published text in praise of someone or something
#
180
Word
pareidolia
noun
Meaning
the tendency to perceive a specific, often meaningful image in a random pattern
#
181
Word
pathetic fallacy
noun
Meaning
the attribution of human emotions to the natural world in literature
#
182
Word
pathos
noun
Meaning
a quality that evokes pity or sadness in literature or art
#
183
Word
paucity
noun
Meaning
the presence of something only in small or insufficient quantities
#
184
Word
pedantry
noun
Meaning
excessive concern with minor details and rules, especially in teaching
#
185
Word
pejorative
adjective
Meaning
expressing contempt or disapproval; having negative connotations
#
186
Word
pellucid
adjective
Meaning
translucently clear; easily understood; lucid
#
187
Word
penultimate
adjective
Meaning
last but one in a series
#
188
Word
perfidy
noun
Meaning
the practice of being deceitful and untrustworthy; treachery
#
189
Word
peripeteia
noun
Meaning
a sudden reversal of fortune in a drama or narrative
#
190
Word
persiflage
noun
Meaning
light and slightly contemptuous mockery or banter
#
191
Word
perspicuous
adjective
Meaning
easily understood; clearly expressed
#
192
Word
phantasmagoric
adjective
Meaning
relating to a constantly shifting succession of bizarre imagery
#
193
Word
philology
noun
Meaning
the historical study of languages through written records
#
194
Word
platitudinous
adjective
Meaning
abounding in or given to platitudes; offering only dull, commonplace remarks
#
195
Word
pleonasm
noun
Meaning
the use of more words than are necessary to express an idea, e.g. "free gift"
#
196
Word
plethora
noun
Meaning
a large or excessive amount of something
#
197
Word
polysemy
noun
Meaning
the coexistence of many possible meanings for a word or phrase
#
198
Word
polysyndeton
noun
Meaning
the use of several conjunctions in close succession for deliberate rhetorical effect
#
199
Word
polyvalent
adjective
Meaning
having or susceptible of many applications, interpretations, or functions
#
200
Word
pragmatics
noun
Meaning
the branch of linguistics that deals with language use in context
#
201
Word
precarity
noun
Meaning
the state of being precarious; uncertain and insecure circumstances
#
202
Word
presupposition
noun
Meaning
a thing tacitly assumed beforehand as the basis of argument
#
203
Word
prolepsis
noun
Meaning
the anticipation and answering of possible objections; also, a flashforward in narrative
#
204
Word
prosody
noun
Meaning
the patterns of rhythm and sound used in poetry; the study of verse forms
#
205
Word
protean
adjective
Meaning
tending or able to change frequently or easily; versatile
#
206
Word
psychomachia
noun
Meaning
an internal conflict of opposing forces, especially of virtues and vices
#
207
Word
purgation
noun
Meaning
the purification or cleansing of guilty feelings; catharsis
#
208
Word
pusillanimous
adjective
Meaning
showing a lack of courage or determination; timid and cowardly
#
209
Word
recondite
adjective
Meaning
not known by many people; obscure and little-known
#
210
Word
vituperation
noun
Meaning
bitter and abusive language used to criticise someone harshly
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