Thinking and judging: vocabulary list

Words for working things out: infer, scrutinize, plausible, objective, hypothesis. 69 words with meanings and example sentences.

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aesthetic adj level 2: concerned with beauty and the appreciation of it. The architect cared more about aesthetic effect than about cost.
amalgam noun level 2: a mixture or blend of different things. The city's food is an amalgam of many cultures.
analyze verb level 1: to examine something closely in order to understand it. The team will analyze the results before writing the report.
anticipate verb level 1: to expect something and prepare for it. Good chess players anticipate their opponent's next move.
apocryphal adj level 2: of doubtful truth, though widely told. The story of the lost treasure is probably apocryphal.
arcane adj level 2: known or understood by very few people. The contract was full of arcane legal terms.
ascertain verb level 2: to find out something for certain. Detectives worked to ascertain what had happened.
assess verb level 1: to judge the quality, size or value of something. Inspectors came to assess the damage after the storm.
astute adj level 2: clever and quick to see how to gain an advantage. An astute investor saw the change coming.
belie verb level 2: to give a false impression of; to contradict. His calm voice would belie his nervousness.
cogent adj level 2: clear, logical and convincing. He made a cogent case for changing the schedule.
conflate verb level 2: to combine two things into one, often wrongly. Do not conflate being busy with being productive.
conspicuous adj level 2: easy to see; standing out. A red barn is conspicuous against the snow.
conundrum noun level 2: a confusing problem with no easy answer. How to be fair to everyone was a real conundrum.
corroborate verb level 2: to support a claim with more evidence. A second witness corroborated her story.
cynical adj level 2: distrusting people's motives. He was cynical about promises made before elections.
debunk verb level 2: to show that an idea or claim is false. The scientist debunked the myth with a simple experiment.
deduce verb level 1: to reach a conclusion by reasoning from known facts. From the muddy boots, she deduced that he had walked through the field.
deliberate adj level 1: done on purpose; carefully planned. The pause was deliberate: she wanted the audience to think.
delineate verb level 2: to describe or mark out precisely. The report will delineate each worker's duties.
derive verb level 1: to obtain something from a source. Many English words derive from Latin.
desultory adj level 2: lacking a plan or enthusiasm. They held a desultory conversation about the weather.
dichotomy noun level 2: a division into two sharply different parts. There is a dichotomy between what he says and what he does.
discern verb level 2: to notice or recognise something that is not obvious. It was hard to discern the faint path in the fog.
dubious adj level 2: doubtful or not to be trusted. The claim sounded dubious to everyone in the room.
edify verb level 2: to instruct in a way that improves the mind. The lecture was meant to edify as well as entertain.
empirical adj level 2: based on observation or experiment rather than theory. The claim needs empirical support, not just opinion.
enigma noun level 2: a person or thing that is puzzling and hard to understand. The painter remains an enigma to historians.
erudite adj level 2: having or showing great knowledge from study. The erudite professor could quote from dozens of books.
evaluate verb level 1: to form a judgement about the value or quality of something. Teachers evaluate each essay against the same checklist.
exonerate verb level 2: to clear of blame. New evidence will exonerate the accused man.
extraneous adj level 2: not directly connected with the subject. Delete any extraneous details from your essay.
fallacy noun level 2: a mistaken belief, or a flaw in reasoning. It is a fallacy that lightning never strikes twice.
feasible adj level 1: possible to do; practical. Building the bridge in a year is feasible if the weather helps.
frivolous adj level 2: not serious or sensible. She regretted spending the money on something frivolous.
germane adj level 2: relevant to the subject being discussed. Please keep your comments germane to the topic.
hypothesis noun level 1: an idea put forward to be tested. Her hypothesis was that plants grow faster with more light.
impartial adj level 2: treating all sides equally; not biased. An impartial referee does not favour either team.
incongruous adj level 2: out of place or not fitting with its surroundings. A neon sign looked incongruous on the ancient stone wall.
inevitable adj level 1: certain to happen; unavoidable. With so little preparation, failure was inevitable.
infer verb level 1: to work out something from evidence rather than being told. We can infer from the wet pavement that it rained overnight.
notion noun level 1: an idea, belief or understanding. He had a vague notion of how the machine worked.
objective adj level 1: based on facts, not personal feelings. A good judge stays objective and weighs the evidence.
paradox noun level 2: a statement or situation that seems contradictory but may be true. It is a paradox that the more choices we have, the harder it is to choose.
perspicacious adj level 2: quick to notice and understand things. A perspicacious reader spotted the clue on page one.
pertinent adj level 2: directly relevant to the matter at hand. She asked a pertinent question about the budget.
plausible adj level 1: seeming reasonable or likely to be true. The excuse sounded plausible until we checked the dates.
portend verb level 2: to be a sign that something is about to happen. Dark clouds portend a change in the weather.
postulate verb level 2: to suggest or assume as a basis for reasoning. Scientists postulate that the universe is expanding.
potential noun level 1: the possibility of future growth or success. The young player has real potential.
pragmatic adj level 2: dealing with things in a practical, sensible way. A pragmatic leader chooses what works over what sounds grand.
predict verb level 1: to say what will happen in the future. Meteorologists predict heavy rain by Friday.
prescient adj level 2: knowing or seeming to know what will happen. Her prescient warning about the flood saved lives.
quandary noun level 2: a state of not knowing what to do. He was in a quandary over which job to accept.
rational adj level 1: based on clear thinking rather than feeling. She made a rational choice after comparing the costs.
refute verb level 2: to prove that a claim is wrong. The data refute the claim that the river is polluted.
sagacious adj level 2: having sound judgement; wise. A sagacious advisor warned them about the risks.
scrutinize verb level 2: to examine very closely. Auditors scrutinize every receipt.
skeptical adj level 2: not easily convinced; having doubts. Scientists are skeptical of claims without proof.
spurious adj level 2: not genuine; false. The spurious claim was quickly disproved.
substantiate verb level 2: to provide evidence to support a claim. Please substantiate the claim with figures.
tantamount adj level 2: equivalent in effect to. Staying silent was tantamount to agreeing.
tenuous adj level 2: very weak or slight. The tenuous link between the two cases was hard to prove.
theory noun level 1: an idea or set of ideas used to explain facts. Darwin's theory explained how species change over time.
trivial adj level 2: of little value or importance. It was a trivial matter, soon forgotten.
valid adj level 1: based on good reasons; acceptable. You have a valid point about the cost.
veracity noun level 2: the quality of being true or honest. No one doubted the veracity of her account.
verify verb level 1: to check that something is true or accurate. Please verify your address before you submit the form.
vindicate verb level 2: to clear someone of blame; to prove right. The new evidence vindicated the accused man.

Other topics: People and character · Feelings and attitudes · Speaking, writing and arguing · Change, time and action · Size, amount and kind · Science and research · Society, work and rules

Words to enjoy and learn from. These are original lists, and we do not claim any word appears on any particular test.