“Implement” is a verb that means “to put into practice” or “bring about, cause to happen”.  You might also have heard this word as a noun meaning “tool” – you can think of using a tool to make something happen. … Continue reading…

While it’s relatively easy to change a dessert order, other things are impossible to stop once started, from kicking a football to pulling the lever to dynamite a building. Such decisions are “irrevocable”, meaning impossible to revoke, or take back. … Continue reading…

“Vacillate” means to be unable to settle on a choice, to be indecisive. Example:  “The waiter was ready to take their dessert order, but Helen continued to vacillate between the vanilla-bean panna cotta and the pineapple sorbet for another five … Continue reading…

“Antithesis” means having absolutely nothing in common with the other. “Black and white” or “good and evil” are examples of this: good is the antithesis of evil. Example:  “Politicians who favor using armies and weapons to resolve international situations are … Continue reading…

A “precedent” is something that has occurred or been decided on in the past that is used to influence an action or decision in the present. Many legal systems are based on the rule of precedence. Example:  “This was the … Continue reading…

“Consensus” means that there is general agreement about a proposal or decision, such that the proposal can be acted on, or the decision implemented. It doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone agrees exactly – sometimes people will “agree to disagree” for … Continue reading…

“Verisimilitude” is a noun meaning “an appearance of truth.” Example:  “The new wig and the heavy application of makeup gave her the verisimilitude of health, but we all knew that she did not have long to live.”

“Fallacious” means false, misleading, or deceptive. Example:  “The prosecutor asserted that the defendant could not have been at the pizza parlor because she was allergic to cheese, but the judge ruled that out as fallacious, as she had ordered a … Continue reading…

Something that is split into two, where each separate part has nothing in common with the other, is a “dichotomy”. An example from biology is the division of the animal kingdom into vertebrates and invertebrates. Together, they make up all … Continue reading…

“Anomaly” is a noun meaning something out of the ordinary, unusual, and strange. Example:  “At the harvest fair, we saw chickens, cows, and horses, but the two-headed goat in the livestock tent was an anomaly we weren’t expecting.”