Topic vocabulary: Thinking |
| assess (v) |
to carefully consider a situation, person or problem in order to make a judgment |
We tried to assess his suitability for the job. |
| assess (v) |
to calculate what something costs or is worth |
Our agent will assess the value of your property. |
| assume (v) |
to believe that something is true, even though no one has told you or even though you have no proof |
Everyone accepted she was telling the truth, although in fact this was quite a lot to assume. |
| baffle (v) |
if a problem, someone's behaviour, etc baffles you, you cannot understand it or solve it |
Detectives remain baffled by these murders. |
| biased (adj) |
preferring one person, thing or idea to another in a way that is unfair |
It was a biased report. |
| concentrate (v) |
to give all your attention to the thing you are doing |
I was sleeping badly and finding it hard to concentrate. |
| consider (v) |
to think about something carefully before making a decision or developing an opinion |
She paused and considered for a moment. |
| consider (v) |
to have a particular opinion about someone or something |
They consider it inevitable that some jobs will be lost. |
| contemplate (v) |
to consider doing something in the future |
I'm contemplating retirement next year. |
| contemplate (v) |
to think very carefully about something for a long time |
I haven't got time to sit around contemplating the meaning of life. |
| cynical (adj) |
someone who is cynical believes that people care only about themselves and are not sincere or honest, or expects things not to be successful or useful |
I know that some of you are very cynical about the proposals. |
| deduce (v) |
to know something as a result of considering the information or evidence that you have |
Finding fossils far inland, he deduced that the area had once been covered by water. |
| deliberate (v) |
to think about or discuss something very carefully, especially before you make an important decision |
The judges deliberated for an hour before choosing the winner. |
| dilemma (n) |
a situation in which you have to make a difficult decision |
I'm in a dilemma over whether to tell him or not. |
| discriminate (v) |
to treat someone unfairly because of their religion, race or other personal features |
Employers are not allowed to discriminate on the basis of gender. |
| discriminate (v) |
to recognise the difference between things |
Long-range missile attacks simply cannot discriminate between military and civilian targets. |
| dubious (adj) |
not completely good, safe or honest |
The story seemed a bit dubious to me. |
| dubious (adj) |
not sure about the truth or quality of something, or whether you should do something |
I'm very dubious about his ability to do the job. |
| estimate (n) |
an amount that you guess or calculate using the information available |
According to official estimates, over 25% of carbon emissions come from the United States. |
| estimate (n) |
a statement telling a customer how much money you will charge if they employ you to do a particular piece of work |
The committee are currently getting estimates for repairs to the stonework. |
| estimate (v) |
to say what you think an amount or value will be, either by guessing or by using available information to calculate it |
It's difficult to estimate the cost of making your house safe. |
| faith (n) |
strong belief in or trust of someone or something |
I'm delighted to know you have such faith in me. |
| gather (v) |
to believe that something is true, although no one has directly told you about it |
You're new here, I gather. |
| genius (n) |
someone who is much more intelligent or skilful than other people |
She was a mathematical genius. |
| genius (n) |
a very high level of skill or ability |
Baking allows you to show your creative genius. |
| grasp (v) |
to understand something |
He was finding it difficult to grasp the rules of the game. |
| guesswork (n) |
the process of trying to find the answer to something by guessing, or the answer found by using this method |
It was a theory based on pure guesswork. |
| hunch (n) |
a feeling that something is true or will happen, although you do not know any definite facts about it |
I've got a hunch there'll be an election soon. |
| ideology (n) |
a system of ideas and principles on which a political or economic theory is based |
State control is a fundamental aspect of Marxist ideology. |
| ingenious (adj) |
an ingenious plan, piece of equipment, etc uses new and clever ideas |
This is an ingenious device for opening bottles. |
| inspiration (n) |
a sudden feeling of enthusiasm or a new idea that helps you to do or create something |
Dreams are a rich source of inspiration for some writers. |
| intuition (n) |
an ability to know or understand something through your feelings, rather than by considering facts or evidence |
Archaeologists often use their intuition to decide where to dig. |
| justify (v) |
to show that there is a good reason for something, especially something that other people think is wrong |
You'll be expected to justify your actions. |
| naïve (adj) |
a naïve person lacks experience of life and tends to trust other people and believe things too easily: |
I was a naïve 17-year-old at the time. |
| notion (n) |
an idea or understanding of something |
I haven't the faintest notion what you're talking about. |
| optimistic (adj) |
someone who is optimistic is hopeful about the future and tends to expect that good things will happen |
She said that she was optimistic about the future of the company. |
| optimistic (adj) |
based on beliefs that are too confident |
That's a very optimistic assessment of the overall situation. |
| paradox (n) |
a person, thing or situation that is strange because they have features or qualities that do not normally exist together |
We get this apparent paradox of people migrating to an area that has very high unemployment. |
| pessimistic (adj) |
someone who is pessimistic is not hopeful about the future and tends to expect that bad things will happen |
She said that she was pessimistic about the future of the company. |
| pessimistic (adj) |
thinking that the worst thing will happen in every situation |
That's a very pessimistic assessment of the overall situation. |
| plausible (adj) |
likely to be true, honest or suitable |
A bomb was the only plausible explanation for the crash. |
| ponder (v) |
to think carefully about something for a long time before reaching a decision |
I'm still pondering whether to tell Janine or not. |
| prejudiced (adj) |
someone who is prejudiced has an unreasonable opinion or feeling about someone or something, especially hatred or fear of a particular group of people |
Rafferty's reporting was clearly biased and prejudiced against the homeless. |
| presume (v) |
to think something is true because it is likely, although you cannot be certain |
I presume you've already ordered lunch. |
| query (n) |
a question that you ask because you want information or because you are not certain about something |
We have a number of queries regarding delivery. |
| query (v) |
to ask a question about something because you have doubts about it |
It is not for us to query his decisions. |
| query (v) |
to ask something |
'Who would do such a thing?' he queried. |
| reckon (v) |
to believe that something is true |
I reckon there's something wrong with him. |
| reflect (v) |
to think about something carefully and seriously |
Josie reflected on how easily she could have been killed. |
| sceptical/ skeptical (adj) |
having doubts about something that other people think is true or right |
Harrison approved the plan, but Riley remained sceptical. |
| speculate (v) |
to consider or discuss why something has happened |
We can only speculate on the reasons for his sudden resignation. |
| suppose (v) |
to believe that something is probably true, based on your experience, your knowledge and any other information that you have |
She was about 35, Dexter supposed. |
