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    Directed Against A Person Rather Than Against His Arguments 2. Based On or Appealing To Emotion Rather Than Reason

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    This document defines and provides examples for over 50 words. For each word, it lists the part of speech, definition, synonyms, and an example sentence using the word. Some of the words defined include ad hominem, apogee, apropos, argot, banal, blandishment, bode, chicanery, churl, circumspect, denizen, encomium, ecumenical, exculpate, foible, gibe, gossamer, imbroglio, impel, imprimatur, insouciant, instigate, inured, inviolate, iota, jejune, jibe, ken, lacuna,

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    Directed Against A Person Rather Than Against His Arguments 2. Based On or Appealing To Emotion Rather Than Reason

    Uploaded by

    nickw43
    54 views6 pages
    This document defines and provides examples for over 50 words. For each word, it lists the part of speech, definition, synonyms, and an example sentence using the word. Some of the words defined include ad hominem, apogee, apropos, argot, banal, blandishment, bode, chicanery, churl, circumspect, denizen, encomium, ecumenical, exculpate, foible, gibe, gossamer, imbroglio, impel, imprimatur, insouciant, instigate, inured, inviolate, iota, jejune, jibe, ken, lacuna,

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    This document defines and provides examples for over 50 words. For each word, it lists the part of speech, definition, synonyms, and an example sentence using the word. Some of the words defined include ad hominem, apogee, apropos, argot, banal, blandishment, bode, chicanery, churl, circumspect, denizen, encomium, ecumenical, exculpate, foible, gibe, gossamer, imbroglio, impel, imprimatur, insouciant, instigate, inured, inviolate, iota, jejune, jibe, ken, lacuna,

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    54 views6 pages

    Directed Against A Person Rather Than Against His Arguments 2. Based On or Appealing To Emotion Rather Than Reason

    Uploaded by

    nickw43
    This document defines and provides examples for over 50 words. For each word, it lists the part of speech, definition, synonyms, and an example sentence using the word. Some of the words defined include ad hominem, apogee, apropos, argot, banal, blandishment, bode, chicanery, churl, circumspect, denizen, encomium, ecumenical, exculpate, foible, gibe, gossamer, imbroglio, impel, imprimatur, insouciant, instigate, inured, inviolate, iota, jejune, jibe, ken, lacuna,

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    Ad hominem

    Appealing to personal considerations rather than to logic or reason:


    Debaters should avoid ad hominem arguments that question their
    opponents' motives.
    1. directed against a person rather than against his arguments
    2. based on or appealing to emotion rather than reason

    Apogee

    noun) The farthest or highest point; the apex. Synonyms:summit,


    height, peak, climax, pinnacle, zenith, acme Usage:It took many years
    for the industry to reach its apogee, but only a few more for it to
    become defunct.

    apropos

    (adjective) Being at once opportune and to the point.


    Synonyms:relevant, timely Usage:His book about safe investment,
    published right before the stock market crash, was more apropos than
    he expected.

    argot

    (noun) A specialized vocabulary or set of idioms used by a particular


    group. Synonyms:jargon, lingo, patois, vernacular, slang, cant
    Usage:He was a natural linguist, and he kept notebooks, making a
    scientific study of the workers' slang or argot, until he could talk quite
    intelligibly.

    Banal

    (adjective) Drearily commonplace and often predictable; trite.


    Synonyms:stock, threadbare, hackneyed, old-hat, well-worn, tired
    Usage:By his twelfth book, his plots had become downright banal.

    blandishment

    (noun) Flattery intended to persuade.


    Synonyms:cajolery, palaver
    Usage:Not even his favorite daughter's blandishment could persuade
    him to submit to her whims.

    bode

    (verb) To be an omen of. Synonyms:augur, portend, foreshadow,


    presage, foretell Usage:Her hesitation at his proposal boded trouble in
    their future.

    chicanery

    (noun) Deception by trickery or sophistry.guileThe trial revealed a


    world of crime, corruption and political chicanery.

    churl

    (noun) A rude, boorish person. Synonyms:boor, barbarian, peasant


    Usage:He is a drunken, brawling, perilous churl, as you may find to
    your cost.

    circumspect

    Heedful of circumstances and potential consequences; prudent.


    Watchful, discreet, wary, cautious.

    denizen

    (noun) An inhabitant; a resident.


    Synonyms:dweller
    Usage:I wandered through the empty streets, looking for a single
    denizen of this hamlet, but found not one.

    encomium

    (noun) A formal expression of praise; a tribute.


    Synonyms:eulogy, paean, panegyric
    Usage:We stand humbled by his heroics, and cannot help feeling that

    this encomium is inadequate to extol his virtue.


    ecumenical

    (adjective) Of worldwide scope or applicability.


    Synonyms:universal
    Usage:The movement against violence is intended to be an ecumenical
    one, applicable to all nations.

    Exculpate

    (verb) To clear of guilt or blame.


    Synonyms:acquit, assoil, exonerate, discharge, clear
    Usage:He was exculpated from the charge when the real criminal
    confessed.

    foible

    A minor weakness or failing of character. Synonyms:fault, defect,


    imperfection Usage:His father's foibles did not prevent his son from
    loving and honoring him.

    gibe

    (noun) A derisive or provoking remark. Synonyms:barb, dig, shot


    Usage:The referee heard the gibes from the crowd, but, ever the
    professional, ignored them.

    Gossamer

    (adjective) Seer, light, delicate, or tenuous.etherealTasting cotton candy


    for the first time, the child was thrilled by the gossamer treat.

    imbroglio

    (noun) A difficult or intricate situation; an entanglement.


    Synonyms:embroilment
    Usage:And then there's a general imbroglio, everyone standing up and
    the kid hollering and the dog barking.

    impel

    (verb) To urge or force (a person) to an action; constrain or motivate.


    Synonyms:compel, drive, push, inspire, instigate, goad Usage:I don't
    consider myself an activist, but I was impelled by recent events to take
    a stand on this issue.

    imprimatur (m
    pr
    -m
    tr, -m

    1. Official approval or license to print or publish, especially under


    conditions of censorship.
    2.
    a. Official approval; sanction.
    b. A mark of official approval: a directive bearing the imprimatur of
    high officials.

    t
    r)
    n.
    insouciant

    (adjective) Marked by blithe unconcern. Synonyms:casual, nonchalant


    Usage:He showed an insouciant disregard for cold weather, wearing
    only a T-shirt in the show.

    instigate

    (verb) Provoke or stir up.


    Synonyms:incite
    Usage:The violence was instigated by ex-members of the secret police.

    inured

    (adjective) Made tough by habitual exposure. Synonyms:hardened


    Usage:Doctors become inured to death.

    inviolate

    (adjective) Free from violation, injury, desecration, or outrage.


    Synonyms:intact, whole, untouched, undisturbed, unsullied, unpolluted,
    unstained, undefiled
    Usage:The old America had only one foreign policy, and that was to

    hold inviolate the Monroe doctrine.


    iota

    noun) A very small amount; a bit. Synonyms:scintilla, shred, smidgeon,


    whit Usage:There was not an iota of truth to that tale.

    jejune

    (adjective) Not interesting; dull. Synonyms:insipid Usage:The jejune


    novel was full of trite phrases and dull banter that went on for pages at
    a time, but I nevertheless read it from cover to cover.

    jibe

    (verb) To be in accord; agree. Synonyms:correspond, match Usage:I


    expected to find some discrepancies in the books, but your figures jibe
    with mine.

    ken

    (noun) Range of what one can know or understand.


    Synonyms:cognizance Usage:This level of mathematics is beyond my
    ken.

    lacuna

    1. An empty space or a missing part; a gap: "self-centered in opinion,


    with curious lacunae of astounding ignorance" (Frank Norris).
    2. Anatomy A cavity, space, or depression, especially in a bone,
    containing cartilage or bone cells.

    Laggard

    (noun) Someone who takes more time than necessary; someone who
    lags behind.
    Synonyms:dawdler, trailer, poke
    Usage:He was such a laggard that his friends were already paying the
    bill by the time he reached the caf.

    Languid

    (adjective) Lacking energy or vitality; weak.


    Synonyms:lackadaisical, languorous
    Usage:He gave a languid wave of the hand to signify his indifference.

    lascivious

    (adjective) Given to or expressing lust; lecherous.


    Synonyms:libidinous, lustful, lewd
    Usage:Frustrated by his constant lascivious comments, she decided to
    report him to the supervisor.

    maudlin

    (adjective) Effusively or tearfully sentimental.


    Synonyms:bathetic, mawkish, schmaltzy, mushy
    Usage:When the farewells were in danger of becoming maudlin, he
    judged that it was time to leave.

    Maven

    A person who has special knowledge or experience; an expert.

    mellifluous

    (adjective) Pleasing to the ear.


    Synonyms:mellisonant, dulcet, sweet
    Usage:Her mellifluous voice could make him agree to anything.

    mire

    noun) An area of wet, soggy, muddy ground; a bog. Synonyms:morass,


    quag, quagmire Usage:At last he came to a part of the road where the
    wheels sank half-way into the mire, and the more the horses pulled, the
    deeper sank the wheels.

    Pallid

    (adjective) Having an abnormally pale or wan complexion.pasty,


    colorless, ashenIn the gray of the morning the two students, pallid and
    haggard from anxiety, met at the medical college.

    penurious

    (adjective) Unwilling to spend money; stingy.


    Synonyms:parsimonious
    Usage:When solicited for a donation, the penurious man began to
    extend a nickel, but, thinking twice, withdrew it.

    Per se

    Of, in, or by itself or oneself; intrinsically.

    prevaricate

    : (verb) To stray from or evade the truth; equivocate.


    Synonyms:beat around the bush, palter, tergiversate
    Usage:At the press conference, the politician continued to prevaricate
    on the issue rather than provide a direct answer.

    Onerous

    adjective
    1. (of a task, duty, or responsibility) involving an amount of effort
    and difficulty that is oppressively burdensome.
    "he found his duties increasingly onerous"
    synonyms:burdensome, arduous, strenuous, difficult, hard,
    severe, heavy, back-breaking, oppressive, weighty, uphill,
    challenging, formidable, laborious, Herculean, exhausting,
    tiring, taxing, demanding, punishing, grueling, exacting,
    wearing, wearisome, fatiguing;
    archaictoilsome
    "the job had become onerous"
    antonyms:effortless, easy
    Law
    involving heavy obligations.
    "an onerous lease"

    orphic

    (adjective) Having an import not apparent to the senses nor obvious to


    the intelligence; beyond ordinary understanding. Synonyms:occult,
    mysterious, mystical, secret Usage:The orphic symbols on the tome
    could only be deciphered by the blind wizard.

    ostracise

    Definition: (verb) Expel from a community or group.


    Synonyms:banish, blackball, cast out, shun, ban
    Usage:I have been ostracized by my teammates ever since I
    accidentally scored the winning goal for our opponents in the
    championship game.

    pusillanimous

    Definition: (adjective) Lacking courage; cowardly.


    Synonyms:spineless, craven
    Usage:Why, you pusillanimous piece of dirt, you'd run with your tail
    between your legs if I said boo!

    quaff

    (verb) To swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught.


    Synonyms:gulp, swig Usage:Recently returned to port, the sailors
    quaffed their ale with gusto.

    quiescence

    noun) A state of quiet (but possibly temporary) inaction.


    Synonyms:dormancy Usage:The volcano erupted after centuries of
    quiescence.

    Rebarbative

    Tending to irritate; repellent: "He became rebarbative, prickly, spiteful".

    recalcitrant

    (adjective) Marked by stubborn resistance to and defiance of authority


    or guidance. Synonyms:refractory Usage:Neither could he mobilize his
    army to go forth to war, nor could he punish his recalcitrant subjects.

    recrudescent

    - the revival of an unfortunate situation after a period of abatement;


    "the patient presented with a case of recrudescent gastralgia"

    redolence

    (noun) A pleasingly sweet olfactory property.


    Synonyms:bouquet, fragrance
    Usage:The moonlight and the redolence of flowers made the garden a
    romantic spot.

    sere

    (adjective) Dried up or withered. S


    ynonyms:shriveled
    Usage:The desert was edged with sere vegetation.

    specious

    1. Having the ring of truth or plausibility but actually fallacious: a


    specious argument.
    2. Deceptively attractive.

    Splenetic

    (adjective) Affected or marked by ill humor or irritability.


    Synonyms:bristly, prickly, waspish
    Usage:The splenetic tone of the complaint letter made James dread
    meeting its author in person.

    Supine

    (adjective) Inactive, passive, or inert, especially from indolence or


    indifference.
    Synonyms:lethargic, passive, apathetic, listless
    Usage:No other colony showed such supine, selfish helplessness in
    allowing her own border citizens to be mercilessly harried.

    Sycophant

    (noun) A servile self-seeker who attempts to win favor by flattering


    influential people. Synonyms:crawler, toady, lackey Usage:The
    sycophant erupted into laughter before the mayor had even finished the
    joke.

    tawdry

    (adjective) Tastelessly showy.


    Synonyms:flashy, garish, gaudy, gimcrack, loud, meretricious, tacky,
    tatty, trashy, brassy, cheap
    Usage:It was a tawdry affair, all Cupids and cornucopias, like a thirdrate wedding-cake.

    termagent

    (noun) A quarrelsome, scolding woman.


    Synonyms:shrew
    Usage:His aunt was such a termagant that he dreaded her annual visit.

    turpitude

    (noun) A corrupt or depraved or degenerate act or practice.

    Synonyms:depravity
    Usage:Seeing the various turpitudes of modern society shook her faith
    in humanity.
    vacuous

    (adjective) Devoid of intelligence. Synonyms:asinine, fatuous, inane,


    mindless Usage:The interviewer could tell by the candidate's vacuous
    comments that he was not qualified for the position.

    vitriolic

    (adjective) Bitterly scathing; caustic.


    Synonyms:acid, blistering, venomous, acrid, acerbic, bitter, virulent
    Usage:The critic showed no mercy in writing the most vitriolic review
    of her career.

    wizened

    (adjective) Lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness.


    Synonyms:shrunken, withered, shriveled
    Usage:The wizened face of the man of law was twisted into a wrinkled
    smile.

    zealot

    Definition: (noun) An immoderate, fanatical, or extremely zealous


    adherent to a cause, especially a religious one.
    Synonyms:drumbeater, partisan
    Usage:Jane, who had dabbled in vegetarianism during high school,
    became an environmental zealot while in college.

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