Communication

Term	Definition	Example
prevaricate	to speak or act in an evasive way; to lie or mislead	"The witness prevaricated when asked direct questions about the incident."
equivocate	to use ambiguous language to conceal the truth or avoid commitment	"Politicians often equivocate to avoid making firm promises."
dissemble	to conceal one's true motives, feelings, or beliefs	"She dissembled her disappointment with a forced smile."
fabricate	to invent or concoct something, typically with deceitful intent	"He fabricated an elaborate excuse for missing the meeting."
mendacious	not telling the truth; lying	"The mendacious report was filled with false statistics."
duplicitous	deceitful in speech or conduct; double-dealing	"His duplicitous nature made him impossible to trust."
disingenuous	not candid or sincere; giving a false appearance of frankness	"Her disingenuous apology fooled no one."
perfidious	deceitful and untrustworthy; treacherous	"The perfidious ally betrayed them at the crucial moment."
specious	superficially plausible but actually wrong; misleading in appearance	"The lawyer's specious argument almost convinced the jury."
spurious	not genuine, authentic, or true; false or fake	"The spurious claims were quickly debunked by experts."
fallacious	based on a mistaken belief; containing a fallacy	"The fallacious reasoning led to incorrect conclusions."
apocryphal	of doubtful authenticity; widely circulated but probably false	"The story about the company's founding is probably apocryphal."
chicanery	the use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose	"The contract was full of legal chicanery designed to confuse."
subterfuge	deceit used to achieve one's goal; a stratagem used to deceive	"He gained entry through subterfuge, posing as a delivery person."
canard	an unfounded rumor or story	"The canard about the CEO's resignation spread through the office."
sophistry	the use of clever but false arguments, especially to deceive	"His sophisticated sophistry almost masked his flawed logic."
calumny	the making of false and defamatory statements about someone	"She sued the newspaper for calumny after the libelous article."
slander	the action of making false spoken statements damaging to a person's reputation	"The slander destroyed his political career."
perjury	the offense of willfully telling an untruth after taking an oath	"The witness was charged with perjury for lying under oath."
impostor	a person who pretends to be someone else to deceive others	"The impostor had been posing as a doctor for years."
sham	a thing that is not what it is purported to be	"The entire trial was a sham designed to convict him."
facade	an outward appearance that is maintained to conceal a less pleasant reality	"Behind the facade of wealth, the family was deeply in debt."

😤Insults & Criticism22

Term	Definition	Example
boorish	rough and bad-mannered; coarse	"His boorish behavior at the dinner party embarrassed everyone."
churlish	rude in a mean-spirited and surly way	"It would be churlish to refuse such a generous offer."
crass	lacking sensitivity, refinement, or intelligence	"His crass jokes offended the entire audience."
obtuse	annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand	"Don't be so obtuse—the answer is obvious."
vapid	offering nothing that is stimulating or challenging; bland	"The vapid conversation bored her to tears."
insipid	lacking flavor, vigor, or interest	"The insipid performance failed to engage the audience."
vacuous	having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence	"His vacuous smile revealed nothing about his thoughts."
fatuous	silly and pointless	"Her fatuous remarks added nothing to the discussion."
inane	silly; stupid; lacking sense or meaning	"The inane questions wasted everyone's time."
asinine	extremely stupid or foolish	"The asinine decision cost the company millions."
puerile	childishly silly and trivial	"His puerile jokes were inappropriate for the occasion."
jejune	naive, simplistic, and superficial; dull	"The jejune analysis missed all the important points."
pedestrian	lacking inspiration or excitement; dull	"The pedestrian writing failed to capture readers' attention."
banal	so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring	"The movie was full of banal dialogue and predictable plot twists."
trite	lacking originality or freshness; overused	"The trite expressions made the speech forgettable."
hackneyed	lacking significance through overuse; unoriginal	"The hackneyed plot had been done a thousand times before."
meretricious	apparently attractive but having no real value; flashy	"The meretricious design impressed at first but quickly felt cheap."
oleaginous	exaggeratedly and distastefully complimentary; oily	"His oleaginous manner made everyone uncomfortable."
sanctimonious	making a show of being morally superior to others	"Her sanctimonious lecture about ethics was hypocritical."
supercilious	behaving as though one thinks one is superior to others	"His supercilious attitude alienated potential allies."
derisive	expressing contempt or ridicule	"She gave a derisive laugh at his suggestion."
scornful	feeling or expressing contempt or derision	"He was scornful of anyone who didn't share his views."

✨Flattery & Praise22

Term	Definition	Example
effusive	expressing feelings of gratitude or pleasure in an unrestrained way	"Her effusive praise made him blush with embarrassment."
laudatory	expressing praise and commendation	"The laudatory review helped the book become a bestseller."
fulsome	complimentary or flattering to an excessive degree	"His fulsome tribute to the retiring executive seemed overdone."
panegyric	a public speech or text in praise of someone or something	"The panegyric celebrated the hero's lifetime achievements."
encomium	a speech or piece of writing that praises someone highly	"The president delivered an encomium at the memorial service."
accolade	an award or privilege granted as a special honor	"She received the highest accolade in her field."
plaudit	an expression of praise or approval	"The performance earned plaudits from critics worldwide."
commendation	formal or official praise	"He received a commendation for his bravery."
approbation	approval or praise	"The project won the approbation of senior management."
adulation	excessive admiration or praise	"The celebrity was uncomfortable with the constant adulation."
veneration	great respect; reverence	"The artist's work inspired veneration from young painters."
esteem	respect and admiration	"She held her mentor in the highest esteem."
deference	humble submission and respect	"He spoke with deference to his elders."
homage	special honor or respect shown publicly	"The film was a homage to classic Hollywood musicals."
tribute	an act, statement, or gift intended to show gratitude or respect	"The concert was a tribute to the legendary musician."
eulogize	to praise highly in speech or writing	"Friends gathered to eulogize the beloved teacher."
extol	to praise enthusiastically	"Critics extolled the novel's innovative narrative structure."
laud	to praise highly, especially in a public context	"The organization lauded her contributions to the community."
exalt	to hold in very high regard; to praise highly	"The culture exalts individual achievement above all else."
glorify	to describe or represent as admirable; to praise	"The biography glorified the subject while ignoring his flaws."
fawning	displaying exaggerated flattery or affection	"The fawning waiter anticipated their every need."
idolize	to admire, revere, or love greatly or excessively	"Teenagers often idolize pop stars."

💬Idioms & Expressions43

Term	Definition	Example
a dime a dozen	very common and of little value	"Good ideas are a dime a dozen; execution is what matters."
add insult to injury	to make a bad situation worse	"They fired him and, to add insult to injury, escorted him out."
at the eleventh hour	at the last possible moment	"The deal was saved at the eleventh hour."
back to square one	returning to the starting point after a setback	"The project failed, so we're back to square one."
barking up the wrong tree	pursuing a mistaken or misguided course	"If you think I took your keys, you're barking up the wrong tree."
beat around the bush	to avoid getting to the point; speak evasively	"Stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened."
bite off more than you can chew	to take on more responsibility than you can handle	"By accepting three projects, she bit off more than she could chew."
bite the bullet	to endure a painful situation with courage	"I decided to bite the bullet and have the difficult conversation."
break the ice	to initiate conversation in a social setting	"His joke helped break the ice at the awkward meeting."
burn bridges	to destroy relationships or opportunities permanently	"Don't burn bridges—you might need those contacts later."
burn the midnight oil	to work late into the night	"She burned the midnight oil to finish the proposal."
bury the hatchet	to make peace; end a conflict	"After years of feuding, they finally buried the hatchet."
by the skin of one's teeth	just barely; by a very narrow margin	"He passed the exam by the skin of his teeth."
catch-22	a paradoxical situation with no escape due to contradictory rules	"It's a catch-22: you need experience to get hired, but you need a job to get experience."
cut corners	to do something in the easiest or cheapest way	"The contractor cut corners, and the building had problems."
cut to the chase	to get to the point without wasting time	"Let's cut to the chase—what's your offer?"
devil's advocate	one who argues against something for the sake of debate	"Let me play devil's advocate and challenge your assumptions."
don't cry over spilled milk	don't waste time worrying about things that can't be changed	"The mistake is done—don't cry over spilled milk."
elephant in the room	an obvious problem that everyone ignores	"The company's debt was the elephant in the room."
get cold feet	to become nervous and hesitate before doing something	"He got cold feet and canceled the wedding."
get out of hand	to become uncontrolled or unmanageable	"The protest got out of hand quickly."
hit the nail on the head	to describe exactly what is causing a situation	"You hit the nail on the head—that's exactly the problem."
in hot water	in trouble or in a difficult situation	"He's in hot water with his boss after missing the deadline."
jump on the bandwagon	to join others in doing something fashionable	"Every company jumped on the AI bandwagon."
keep your chin up	remain cheerful in difficult circumstances	"Keep your chin up—things will improve."
kill two birds with one stone	to accomplish two things with a single action	"Biking to work lets me kill two birds with one stone—exercise and commuting."
let the cat out of the bag	to reveal a secret accidentally	"She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party."
miss the boat	to miss an opportunity	"If you don't invest now, you'll miss the boat."
on the same page	in agreement; having the same understanding	"Let's make sure we're all on the same page before proceeding."
once in a blue moon	very rarely	"He only visits once in a blue moon."
piece of cake	something very easy to do	"The test was a piece of cake."
put all your eggs in one basket	to risk everything on a single venture	"Diversify your investments—don't put all your eggs in one basket."
raining cats and dogs	raining very heavily	"We can't go outside—it's raining cats and dogs!"
read between the lines	to understand the hidden meaning	"Read between the lines—she's not happy here."
spill the beans	to reveal secret information	"Who spilled the beans about the merger?"
take with a grain of salt	to view something with skepticism	"Take his claims with a grain of salt."
the ball is in your court	it's your turn to take action	"I've made my offer—the ball is in your court."
the last straw	the final problem that makes a situation unbearable	"The pay cut was the last straw—she resigned."
throw in the towel	to give up; admit defeat	"After three failures, he threw in the towel."
under the weather	feeling ill or unwell	"I'm feeling a bit under the weather today."
up in the air	uncertain; not yet decided	"The project timeline is still up in the air."
blessing in disguise	a good thing that seemed bad at first	"Losing that job was a blessing in disguise as it led to a better career."
best of both worlds	a situation where you have the advantages of two different things	"Working part-time gives her the best of both worlds: income and free time."

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All 109 Words in Communication

Complete vocabulary list for easy reference and copy-paste.

🎪Liars & Deception22

Term	Definition	Example
prevaricate	to speak or act in an evasive way; to lie or mislead	"The witness prevaricated when asked direct questions about the incident."
equivocate	to use ambiguous language to conceal the truth or avoid commitment	"Politicians often equivocate to avoid making firm promises."
dissemble	to conceal one's true motives, feelings, or beliefs	"She dissembled her disappointment with a forced smile."
fabricate	to invent or concoct something, typically with deceitful intent	"He fabricated an elaborate excuse for missing the meeting."
mendacious	not telling the truth; lying	"The mendacious report was filled with false statistics."
duplicitous	deceitful in speech or conduct; double-dealing	"His duplicitous nature made him impossible to trust."
disingenuous	not candid or sincere; giving a false appearance of frankness	"Her disingenuous apology fooled no one."
perfidious	deceitful and untrustworthy; treacherous	"The perfidious ally betrayed them at the crucial moment."
specious	superficially plausible but actually wrong; misleading in appearance	"The lawyer's specious argument almost convinced the jury."
spurious	not genuine, authentic, or true; false or fake	"The spurious claims were quickly debunked by experts."
fallacious	based on a mistaken belief; containing a fallacy	"The fallacious reasoning led to incorrect conclusions."
apocryphal	of doubtful authenticity; widely circulated but probably false	"The story about the company's founding is probably apocryphal."
chicanery	the use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose	"The contract was full of legal chicanery designed to confuse."
subterfuge	deceit used to achieve one's goal; a stratagem used to deceive	"He gained entry through subterfuge, posing as a delivery person."
canard	an unfounded rumor or story	"The canard about the CEO's resignation spread through the office."
sophistry	the use of clever but false arguments, especially to deceive	"His sophisticated sophistry almost masked his flawed logic."
calumny	the making of false and defamatory statements about someone	"She sued the newspaper for calumny after the libelous article."
slander	the action of making false spoken statements damaging to a person's reputation	"The slander destroyed his political career."
perjury	the offense of willfully telling an untruth after taking an oath	"The witness was charged with perjury for lying under oath."
impostor	a person who pretends to be someone else to deceive others	"The impostor had been posing as a doctor for years."
sham	a thing that is not what it is purported to be	"The entire trial was a sham designed to convict him."
facade	an outward appearance that is maintained to conceal a less pleasant reality	"Behind the facade of wealth, the family was deeply in debt."

😤Insults & Criticism22

Term	Definition	Example
boorish	rough and bad-mannered; coarse	"His boorish behavior at the dinner party embarrassed everyone."
churlish	rude in a mean-spirited and surly way	"It would be churlish to refuse such a generous offer."
crass	lacking sensitivity, refinement, or intelligence	"His crass jokes offended the entire audience."
obtuse	annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand	"Don't be so obtuse—the answer is obvious."
vapid	offering nothing that is stimulating or challenging; bland	"The vapid conversation bored her to tears."
insipid	lacking flavor, vigor, or interest	"The insipid performance failed to engage the audience."
vacuous	having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence	"His vacuous smile revealed nothing about his thoughts."
fatuous	silly and pointless	"Her fatuous remarks added nothing to the discussion."
inane	silly; stupid; lacking sense or meaning	"The inane questions wasted everyone's time."
asinine	extremely stupid or foolish	"The asinine decision cost the company millions."
puerile	childishly silly and trivial	"His puerile jokes were inappropriate for the occasion."
jejune	naive, simplistic, and superficial; dull	"The jejune analysis missed all the important points."
pedestrian	lacking inspiration or excitement; dull	"The pedestrian writing failed to capture readers' attention."
banal	so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring	"The movie was full of banal dialogue and predictable plot twists."
trite	lacking originality or freshness; overused	"The trite expressions made the speech forgettable."
hackneyed	lacking significance through overuse; unoriginal	"The hackneyed plot had been done a thousand times before."
meretricious	apparently attractive but having no real value; flashy	"The meretricious design impressed at first but quickly felt cheap."
oleaginous	exaggeratedly and distastefully complimentary; oily	"His oleaginous manner made everyone uncomfortable."
sanctimonious	making a show of being morally superior to others	"Her sanctimonious lecture about ethics was hypocritical."
supercilious	behaving as though one thinks one is superior to others	"His supercilious attitude alienated potential allies."
derisive	expressing contempt or ridicule	"She gave a derisive laugh at his suggestion."
scornful	feeling or expressing contempt or derision	"He was scornful of anyone who didn't share his views."

✨Flattery & Praise22

Term	Definition	Example
effusive	expressing feelings of gratitude or pleasure in an unrestrained way	"Her effusive praise made him blush with embarrassment."
laudatory	expressing praise and commendation	"The laudatory review helped the book become a bestseller."
fulsome	complimentary or flattering to an excessive degree	"His fulsome tribute to the retiring executive seemed overdone."
panegyric	a public speech or text in praise of someone or something	"The panegyric celebrated the hero's lifetime achievements."
encomium	a speech or piece of writing that praises someone highly	"The president delivered an encomium at the memorial service."
accolade	an award or privilege granted as a special honor	"She received the highest accolade in her field."
plaudit	an expression of praise or approval	"The performance earned plaudits from critics worldwide."
commendation	formal or official praise	"He received a commendation for his bravery."
approbation	approval or praise	"The project won the approbation of senior management."
adulation	excessive admiration or praise	"The celebrity was uncomfortable with the constant adulation."
veneration	great respect; reverence	"The artist's work inspired veneration from young painters."
esteem	respect and admiration	"She held her mentor in the highest esteem."
deference	humble submission and respect	"He spoke with deference to his elders."
homage	special honor or respect shown publicly	"The film was a homage to classic Hollywood musicals."
tribute	an act, statement, or gift intended to show gratitude or respect	"The concert was a tribute to the legendary musician."
eulogize	to praise highly in speech or writing	"Friends gathered to eulogize the beloved teacher."
extol	to praise enthusiastically	"Critics extolled the novel's innovative narrative structure."
laud	to praise highly, especially in a public context	"The organization lauded her contributions to the community."
exalt	to hold in very high regard; to praise highly	"The culture exalts individual achievement above all else."
glorify	to describe or represent as admirable; to praise	"The biography glorified the subject while ignoring his flaws."
fawning	displaying exaggerated flattery or affection	"The fawning waiter anticipated their every need."
idolize	to admire, revere, or love greatly or excessively	"Teenagers often idolize pop stars."

💬Idioms & Expressions43

Term	Definition	Example
a dime a dozen	very common and of little value	"Good ideas are a dime a dozen; execution is what matters."
add insult to injury	to make a bad situation worse	"They fired him and, to add insult to injury, escorted him out."
at the eleventh hour	at the last possible moment	"The deal was saved at the eleventh hour."
back to square one	returning to the starting point after a setback	"The project failed, so we're back to square one."
barking up the wrong tree	pursuing a mistaken or misguided course	"If you think I took your keys, you're barking up the wrong tree."
beat around the bush	to avoid getting to the point; speak evasively	"Stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened."
bite off more than you can chew	to take on more responsibility than you can handle	"By accepting three projects, she bit off more than she could chew."
bite the bullet	to endure a painful situation with courage	"I decided to bite the bullet and have the difficult conversation."
break the ice	to initiate conversation in a social setting	"His joke helped break the ice at the awkward meeting."
burn bridges	to destroy relationships or opportunities permanently	"Don't burn bridges—you might need those contacts later."
burn the midnight oil	to work late into the night	"She burned the midnight oil to finish the proposal."
bury the hatchet	to make peace; end a conflict	"After years of feuding, they finally buried the hatchet."
by the skin of one's teeth	just barely; by a very narrow margin	"He passed the exam by the skin of his teeth."
catch-22	a paradoxical situation with no escape due to contradictory rules	"It's a catch-22: you need experience to get hired, but you need a job to get experience."
cut corners	to do something in the easiest or cheapest way	"The contractor cut corners, and the building had problems."
cut to the chase	to get to the point without wasting time	"Let's cut to the chase—what's your offer?"
devil's advocate	one who argues against something for the sake of debate	"Let me play devil's advocate and challenge your assumptions."
don't cry over spilled milk	don't waste time worrying about things that can't be changed	"The mistake is done—don't cry over spilled milk."
elephant in the room	an obvious problem that everyone ignores	"The company's debt was the elephant in the room."
get cold feet	to become nervous and hesitate before doing something	"He got cold feet and canceled the wedding."
get out of hand	to become uncontrolled or unmanageable	"The protest got out of hand quickly."
hit the nail on the head	to describe exactly what is causing a situation	"You hit the nail on the head—that's exactly the problem."
in hot water	in trouble or in a difficult situation	"He's in hot water with his boss after missing the deadline."
jump on the bandwagon	to join others in doing something fashionable	"Every company jumped on the AI bandwagon."
keep your chin up	remain cheerful in difficult circumstances	"Keep your chin up—things will improve."
kill two birds with one stone	to accomplish two things with a single action	"Biking to work lets me kill two birds with one stone—exercise and commuting."
let the cat out of the bag	to reveal a secret accidentally	"She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party."
miss the boat	to miss an opportunity	"If you don't invest now, you'll miss the boat."
on the same page	in agreement; having the same understanding	"Let's make sure we're all on the same page before proceeding."
once in a blue moon	very rarely	"He only visits once in a blue moon."
piece of cake	something very easy to do	"The test was a piece of cake."
put all your eggs in one basket	to risk everything on a single venture	"Diversify your investments—don't put all your eggs in one basket."
raining cats and dogs	raining very heavily	"We can't go outside—it's raining cats and dogs!"
read between the lines	to understand the hidden meaning	"Read between the lines—she's not happy here."
spill the beans	to reveal secret information	"Who spilled the beans about the merger?"
take with a grain of salt	to view something with skepticism	"Take his claims with a grain of salt."
the ball is in your court	it's your turn to take action	"I've made my offer—the ball is in your court."
the last straw	the final problem that makes a situation unbearable	"The pay cut was the last straw—she resigned."
throw in the towel	to give up; admit defeat	"After three failures, he threw in the towel."
under the weather	feeling ill or unwell	"I'm feeling a bit under the weather today."
up in the air	uncertain; not yet decided	"The project timeline is still up in the air."
blessing in disguise	a good thing that seemed bad at first	"Losing that job was a blessing in disguise as it led to a better career."
best of both worlds	a situation where you have the advantages of two different things	"Working part-time gives her the best of both worlds: income and free time."