Page 227 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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Essential Vocabulary
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straightforward (STRAYT FAWR woerd) adj. 1. direct; moving straight ahead;
2. frank; honest; open; 3. clear; unambiguous
• Perry found that the best way to tackle a problem is the straightforward
one; that is, attack it head on.
• It is best to be straightforward in our relationships with others, as that
encourages them to be the same way with us.
• Rose has found that when she needs something done, the more straightfor-
ward she is in her instructions, the more likely it is that the job will be
done the way she wants it.
subjective (suhb JEK tiv) adj. governed by what is in one’s mind, rather than by
reality; not objective; personal; introspective
• How to behave in a certain situation is usually a very subjective decision,
meaning that no two people would act quite the same.
• Subjective reactions are normally the product of one’s total life experiences.
[-ly adv.]
subtlety (SUHT il tee) n. 1. the ability or tendency to be able to make fine dis-
tinctions; 2. the quality or condition of being delicately skillful or clever
• Subtlety is the difference between clucking your tongue at a child’s misbe-
havior and hitting him or her over the head with a sledgehammer.
• Subtlety is an acquired skill, brought about by watching the behavior of
your role models over the course of time.
[subtleties pl., subtleness n., subtle adj., subtly adv.]
subvert (suhb VOERT) vt. 1. to undermine or corrupt; 2. to overthrow an estab-
lished power by indirect means
• By reacting to a child’s appeal to override the decision of her father, a
mother subverts the father’s authority.
• The Persian emperor’s rule was subverted by Alexander the Great’s invasion,
when the emperor’s own men killed him.