Coláiste Bríde Literacy: Word of the Week
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21/11
Apposite (adj)
/ap-uh-zit/
Very appropriate in the circumstances. Well-placed or applied.
From Latin appositus ‘place near’.
Synonyms: apt, appropriate, pertinent, relevant, suitable, befitting, congruous.
Antonym: inappropriate.
Derivatives :
Position = place.
Opposite = to place against.
Example:
A good speech is always enriched with apposite quotations.
Apposite (adj)
/ap-uh-zit/
Very appropriate in the circumstances. Well-placed or applied.
From Latin appositus ‘place near’.
Synonyms: apt, appropriate, pertinent, relevant, suitable, befitting, congruous.
Antonym: inappropriate.
Derivatives :
Position = place.
Opposite = to place against.
Example:
A good speech is always enriched with apposite quotations.
14/11
NARCISSISM (adj.)
[nahr-suh-siz-em]
Excessive admiration of or interest in oneself.
From Greek mythology, where the young Narcissus fell in love with his own image reflected in a pool of water.
Synonyms: vanity, egotism, conceit, arrogance, pride, self-love, self-importance.
Antonyms: humility, selflessness.
Examples:
NARCISSISM (adj.)
[nahr-suh-siz-em]
Excessive admiration of or interest in oneself.
From Greek mythology, where the young Narcissus fell in love with his own image reflected in a pool of water.
Synonyms: vanity, egotism, conceit, arrogance, pride, self-love, self-importance.
Antonyms: humility, selflessness.
Examples:
- Donald Trump has been described by many as a narcissist.
- From attention-seeking celebrities to digital oversharing and the boom in cosmetic surgery, narcissism is all around us.
17/10
PETRIFY (v)
/pet-ruh-fy/
1. To convert into stone.
2. To paralyse with fear or shock.
From Latin petra ‘rock’ and ficare ‘to make’.
Synonyms:
Examples:
PETRIFY (v)
/pet-ruh-fy/
1. To convert into stone.
2. To paralyse with fear or shock.
From Latin petra ‘rock’ and ficare ‘to make’.
Synonyms:
- fossilise, ossify, calcify, harden.
- frighten, stun, immobilise, benumb with fear.
Examples:
- Over tens of thousands of years trees can petrify into stone.
- Petra is a city in Jordan carved out of rock.
- Hamlet was petrified when he saw his father’s ghost.
10/10
REPUDIATE (v)
/Re-pyoo-dee-yet/
To reject with disapproval, refuse to accept, turn one’s back on.
From Latin repudiare ‘to reject or refuse’.
Synonyms: disclaim, renounce, deny, rebut, disavow, retract.
Antonym: acknowledge, admit, accept.
Examples:
REPUDIATE (v)
/Re-pyoo-dee-yet/
To reject with disapproval, refuse to accept, turn one’s back on.
From Latin repudiare ‘to reject or refuse’.
Synonyms: disclaim, renounce, deny, rebut, disavow, retract.
Antonym: acknowledge, admit, accept.
Examples:
- Donald Trump has been told by advisers to repudiate his offensive comments.
- The defendant repudiated the claims made by the prosecution, insisting he was innocent.
03/10
VERACITY (n)
[vuh-ras-i-tee]
Conformity to facts, accuracy, truthfulness.
From Latin verus ‘true’ or veritas ‘truthfulness’.
Old French verai » modern French vrai meaning ‘true’.
Synonyms: authenticity, reliability, exactness, sincerity, validity, candour, integrity.
Antonyms: fallacy, untruth.
Derivatives:
Veracious (adj.) = honest, truthful, genuine.
Verity (n.) = truth, fact, principle.
Very (adj.) = actual, exact, precise “the very one.”
Examples:
The jury had to determine the veracity of the account given by the witness, who appeared to be a veracious, genuine person.
VERACITY (n)
[vuh-ras-i-tee]
Conformity to facts, accuracy, truthfulness.
From Latin verus ‘true’ or veritas ‘truthfulness’.
Old French verai » modern French vrai meaning ‘true’.
Synonyms: authenticity, reliability, exactness, sincerity, validity, candour, integrity.
Antonyms: fallacy, untruth.
Derivatives:
Veracious (adj.) = honest, truthful, genuine.
Verity (n.) = truth, fact, principle.
Very (adj.) = actual, exact, precise “the very one.”
Examples:
The jury had to determine the veracity of the account given by the witness, who appeared to be a veracious, genuine person.