Week 5 Vocab

egocentric

interested only in personal needs and wants, and not caring about other people

ethnocentrism

a belief in or assumption of the superiority of the social or cultural group that a person belongs to

centrifugal

Physics: acting, moving, or pulling away from a center or axis; Politics: tending to disperse political or administrative power away from a central authority

concentric

describes circles and spheres of different sizes with the same middle point

circuitous

lengthy because very indirect; roundabout

circumvent

to find a way of avoiding restrictions imposed by a rule or law without actually breaking it

circumference

the distance around the edge of an object or a place that is roughly circular

circumlocution

the use of more words than necessary to express something, especially to avoid saying it directly

circumspect

taking into consideration all possible circumstances and consequences before acting
Synonyms: cautious, prudent, careful, guarded

circumscribe

to limit the power of something or somebody to act independently

verbose

expressed in or using too many words

quotidian

commonplace; done or experienced on a daily basis

acrid

unpleasantly strong and bitter in smell or taste; sharp or bitter in tone or character

remonstrate

to reason or argue forcefully with somebody about something

uncanny

too strange or unlikely to seem merely natural or human; unexpectedly accurate or precise

grimace

a contorted twisting of the face that expresses disgust or pain

voracious

desiring or consuming food in great quantities; unusually eager or enthusiastic about an activity

covet

to have a strong desire to possess something that belongs to somebody else

attribute

to think of something as caused by a particular circumstance; to give credit for something such as a work of art or a saying to a particular person, often wrongly; a quality, property, or characteristic of somebody or something

obliterate

to destroy something so that nothing remains

renunciation

a denial or rejection of something or somebody, usually for moral or religious reasons;
an official declaration giving up a title, office, claim, or privilege

schism

the division of a group into mutually antagonistic factions

assuage

to provide relief from something distressing or painful

laconic

using very few words

cumbersome

awkward to carry or handle because of weight, size, or shape