chink in one's armor
/tʃˈɪŋk ɪn wˈʌnz ˈɑːɹmɚ/
phrase
‌a weakness in someone's character or argument that can be used against them

Examples

ad hominem
/ˈæd hˈɑːmənəm/
adjective
(of an argument) directed against a person and not their point of view
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Examples

1Hmm, is that an ad hominem fallacy I detect?
2This is an ad hominem tu quoque attack.
3Ad hominem attacks are the bread and butter of political advertising.
4This is an ad hominem tu quoque attack.
5Ad hominem attacks will get you nowhere.
a link in the chain
/ɐ lˈɪŋk ɪnðə tʃˈeɪn/
phrase
one of the steps, stages, or points involved in a process or argument
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Examples

1First, the disclosure is not incriminating because it is not evidence and it does not form a link in the chain of evidence by virtue of authorizing a search.
2A sequence of characters like 1, 2, 3, A, B, C does not generate leads for the government and does not form part of the government's case, nor does it form a link in the chain of evidence, just because it permits the government to search the cellphone.
3So the kids made these chains on New Year's this year and for every hour there was a link in the chain and they wrote something that they were thankful for for the year and every hour they would tear off one of the links of the chain and read what they were thankful for.
ammunition
/ˌæmjəˈnɪʃən/
noun
a set of facts or information that can be used to win an argument against someone or to criticize them
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Examples

1When his ammunition ran out, he threw his gun at Pugliese.
2They needed ammunition.
3Yesterday gave them ammunition.
4We had no ammunition.
5Ammunition hurt people.
anyway
/ˈɛniˌweɪ/
adverb
used to introduce a statement that confirms or supports a previous point
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Examples

1Anyway, these experts-- 42 of these experts had efficacy ratings below 50%.
2Anyway, here's his chip.
3Anyway, have a good one.
4But anyway, guys, take care.
5Maybe make an extra one anyway.
apologia
/ɐpˈɑːlədʒə/
noun
a formal written defense used to justify one's beliefs or opinions
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Examples

1When Socrates drank the hemlock for corrupting the youth of Athens, in his apologia did he make a free-speech claim?
2And I think that this gets to another aspect of what we were calling the apologia of Binks, that it doesn't-- it's not like it's improving it.
3This theory is an apologia of Binks.
4Where fan fiction knocks the whole thing over and rebuilds it with the same pieces, fan theory apologia is like reinserting those pieces while it's still standing, to try to make it stable again.
5Channing also starred in Apologia twice, once in London in 2017 and again in New York in 2018.
aporia
/ɐpˈoːɹiə/
noun
a situation in which a theory or argument cannot be true because two or more parts of it are contradictory
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Examples

1But his importance for us can be revealed by examining three initially odd sounding terms he often used: Deconstruction, Aporia and Logocentrism.
2Derrida's tactic was to glamorize this condition and to give it a positive ring, which is why he brought back into use a beautiful Greek word: Aporia, meaning impasse or puzzlement.
3He was proposing Aporia as a state we should feel proud to know and to visit on a regular basis.
4In some ways we call that an aporia, a tension between two rights.
arguable
/ˈɑɹɡjuəbəɫ/
adjective
(of an ideology or opinion) not certain and could be backed up by facts and reasons
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Examples

1It’s arguable that this stalemate was never really resolved.
2- This is arguable the only safe way to eat leftover sushi.
3Well, that's an arguable statement
4It's arguable that every age has roughly similar amounts of latent talent among its artists.
5All right, today's guest is arguable the greatest beach volleyball player the world has ever seen.
arguably
/ˈɑɹɡjuəbɫi/
adverb
used when giving an opinion one believes could be supported by providing reasons for it
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Examples

1Beyonce has arguably the greatest personal brand of all time, of all time.
2This one arguably has better reception.
3Arguably, the lighting effect on the illustration of an impassive model for the French company Tho-Radia has a tinge of the early horror movie poster.
4But your parents arguably get one back.
5The Pitch Perfect movies arguably brought the world of a cappella competition to the mainstream.
to argue
/ˈɑɹɡju/
verb
to provide reasons when saying something is the case, particularly to persuade others that one is right
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Examples

1Trump's lawyer, Alan Dershowitz himself once argued the opposite during the Clinton impeachment.
2As historians and economists argue the criteria, adjustments due to inflation and the values of commodities and services.
3Realistically, the man can argue three legal theories for a lawsuit.
4Proponents of immunity would also argue logistical problems.
5The loser of this round has to argue the next round with their feet in ice water.
argument
/ˈɑɹɡjəmənt/
noun
a reason or sets of reasons presented to show the correctness or falsehood of an action or idea
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Examples

1Here's my argument to you, Destin nashe Okay.
2The argument I'm going to give traces back to Descartes, the great early modern philosopher.
3They win arguments.
4You have arguments.
5They have arguments.
argumentation
/ˌɑɹɡjəmɛnˈteɪʃən/
noun
the process or action of logical reasoning for persuading others
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Examples

1His reasoned argumentation in his defense fell on deaf ears.
2Don't ask me about logical argumentation for these reasons because this argumentation doesn't exist.
3There is bad faith argumentation.
4This is a form of argumentation called the anthropic principle.
5Logic argumentation and authorities supplied the foundations of knowledge.
argumentative
/ˌɑɹɡjəˈmɛntətɪv/
adjective
(of a person) ready to argue and often arguing
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Examples

1We're argumentative buggers as people.
2It's a little argumentative.
3- Yeah, argumentative again.
4I'm argumentative, but he just kind of.
5You're argumentative?
a stick to beat someone with
/ɐ stˈɪk tə bˈiːt sˈʌmwʌn wɪð/
phrase
something that can be used as a basis for criticism or punishment of someone

Examples

at the same time
/æt ðə sˈeɪm tˈaɪm/
phrase
used to introduce a second fact that must be taken into account
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Examples

1But at the same time, you want to also have some controls over utilization.
2And at the same time, I'm on a journey of spirituality, trying to figure out my roots, being based in evangelical Christianity.
3At the same time, the disease had no real place in the Classics.
4At the same time, agencies definitely make mistakes.
5At the same time, the descent of the diaphragm also causes an increase in abdominal pressure.
to belabor the point
/bɪlˈæbɚ ðə pˈɔɪnt/
phrase
to keep repeating or stressing an idea, argument, etc., especially when it is unnecessary
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Examples

1We have many things in common with this ciliate, and not to belabor the point, but one of those things is that we will die.
2Not to belabor the point but for everyday use, almost everything is pretty speedy on the Jelly 2's out-of-box launcher.
3I talked about this in my OnePlus 5 reviews, so I won't belabor the point.
4I won't belabor the point, but I do want to leave you with three facts about the importance of sleep that are too interesting to omit.
5And I don't want to belabor the point, and we can move on but it is for me, it was such a paradigm shift on how I looked at jobs and careers.
to be on (firm / solid) ground
/biː ˌɑːn fˈɜːm ɡɹˈaʊnd/
phrase
to be in a strong position in an argument due to having all the facts
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Examples

1Anymore so than we would have been on firm ground if someone were to have said, let's say, in Pakistan in 1989, the year after Benazir Bhutto, a woman, was first elected president of that country, that sexism was no longer an issue in Pakistan.
2They got on their lifeboats, and they traveled some 300 miles to an island, the Elephant Island, where they now were on solid ground, but on a tiny beach where they wouldn't survive.
3Naked and overjoyed to be on solid ground, Alvarenga crawled along the soft sand before being spotted by locals Emi and Russel Libokmeto from across a small canal.
4You know, we're already wrong, we're already in trouble, but we feel like we're on solid ground.
5With these strategies in place, your hopes for entry to a top college or university are on solid ground.
by extension
/baɪ ɛkstˈɛnʃən/
phrase
used for taking the situation or same line of argument one step further
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Examples

1The company said its European and Asian stores undermined Forever 21's ability to nimbly bring inventory to market and by extension hurt its worldwide profitability while distracting the management team.
2The sweeping tax reform measures passed in 2017 were supposed to spur corporations to reinvest profits back into research and paying their own employees, and by extension, create new jobs.
3It’s showing you one show or product over another and, by extension, hiding others.
4First of all, it reminds me of the story in Genesis, of Adam giving names to all the animals, and establishing humanity's dominion over all non-speaking creatures, providing a single reason why humans should be considered special among all animals: we have the power of speech, and by extension, the power to invent and tell creation stories of our own.
5He wrote up some fancy math, showing that his theory predicted this motion almost perfectly, and everyone had to concede that yes, tiny discrete bits of matter were indeed smacking into the pollen, and thus molecules, and by extension atoms, must exist.
to carry
/ˈkæɹi/, /ˈkɛɹi/
verb
to persuade a group of people to accept one's arguments by winning their support or sympathy
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Examples

160 percent carry debt from month to month.
2But debt always carries risks.
3So afferent neurons carry information to the brain and spinal cord for analysis.
4Carrying a big check.
5A proper gentleman always carries a bag.
case
/ˈkeɪs/
noun
a series of facts supporting a theory or an argument
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Examples

1The components included a case that contained a battery and a sound-amplification device.
2In one case, a man fathered a child that had his twin’s DNA!
3Most of these cases have occurred in orthodox Jewish communities.
4Case closed!
5Case closed.
casuistry
/kˈæʒuːˌɪstɹi/
noun
the practice of unsound reasoning and falsely arguing questions in a clever way

Examples

circular
/ˈsɝkjəɫɝ/
adjective
(of an argument or a theory) involving an idea or statement to prove something that is then used to prove the statement itself
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Examples

1Their nucleus is pretty circular.
2I can circular breathe.
3I say circular motion.
4But no physical object is perfectly circular.
5They have rings, many moons, also circular orbits.
circularity
/sˌɜːkjʊlˈæɹɪɾi/
noun
the fact of a theory or an argument continuously returning to the starting point, due to having a conclusion that has been assumed as a premise
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Examples

1The circularity actually reminds me of the Mandate of Heaven.
2there's a great circularity that the data is going to be making predictions.
3The circularity of this argument is a bit maddening.
4The mind can think about perfect circularity.
5There's a perfect circularity to this symbolism.
to claim
/ˈkɫeɪm/
verb
to say that something is the case without providing proof for it
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Examples

1The Japanese royal family even claimed descent from dragons.
2Claiming victory?
3- On September 17th, 2020 claimed yet another victim.
4Thor: The Dark World then claims the life of Thor's mother, Frigga.
5The winner of this duel claims his prize.
claim
/ˈkɫeɪm/
noun
to declare or deem something true without any verification or proof, even though others might not approve
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Examples

1The Japanese royal family even claimed descent from dragons.
2Claiming victory?
3- On September 17th, 2020 claimed yet another victim.
4Thor: The Dark World then claims the life of Thor's mother, Frigga.
5The winner of this duel claims his prize.
to climb down
/klˈaɪm dˈaʊn/
verb
to move to a different opinion or to admit to one's mistakes
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Examples

1She climbs down from her room.
2He climbs down a refrigerator.
3and I was kind of climbing down my mom
4He climbs down with a rope made from small tree branches.
5So it can definitely climb down the cost curve.
clincher
/ˈkɫɪntʃɝ/
noun
a fact, remark, or action that settles a dispute decisively
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Examples

1After the game six clincher, Peter Laviolette showered Giroux in praise, calling him the best player in the world.
2And in the years since, they've had some truly cursed seeming moments in clincher games.
3And the clincher, was his reaction to livin' in a house filled with women.
4Well, the clincher came when this one older black woman came back
5And here is the ultimate clincher for this.
to concede
/kənˈsid/
verb
to reluctantly admit that something is true after denying it first
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Examples

1The point is conceded already.
2The administration concedes this.
3The state conceded.
4The state conceded.
5The president conceded any preemptive pardons to any of this.
to confute
/kənfjˈuːt/
verb
to disprove something or someone
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Examples

1Had it been possible to adduce fifty instead of five examples of bodies found floating at the end of two or three days, these fifty examples could still have been properly regarded only as exceptions to L’Etoile’s rule, until such time as the rule itself should be confuted.
consistently
/kənˈsɪstəntɫi/
adverb
in a way that is always the same
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Examples

1The government has consistently underestimated the death toll here.
2Probably only 20 airlines in the world consistently make a profit.
3Tip number five, publish consistently.
4Training for a Navy SEAL is consistently rated the most difficult training out of any branch of the military.
5Does the report apply this term consistently?
to contend
/kənˈtɛnd/
verb
to argue the truth of something
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Examples

1I contend that the slaves frees themselves.
2They're still contending in cyberspace and elsewhere.
3We contend that neither of those challenges can succeed either.
4I contend Jared says nothing of substance in his answer.
5There's contending schools about this.
corollary
/ˈkɔɹəˌɫɛɹi/
noun
a thing that is the direct or natural result of another
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Examples

1Individual responsibility is a corollary to individual freedom.
2The corollary is rarely respected.
3A corollary to /p/-values are confidence intervals.
4And this mistake had a number of corollaries.
5And it had, of course, an educational corollary.
count
/ˈkaʊnt/
noun
a point argued or discussed
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Examples

1Ohone counts.
2We're bemoaning the fact that there's so many ballots that they can't be counted in time to satiate everyone's thirst for immediate answers.
3One of you count.
4Every dollar counts.
5Count thy sheep and not thy years.
counterargument
/kˈaʊntɚɹˌɑːɹɡjuːmənt/
noun
a set of arguments put forward to oppose an idea or theory
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Examples

1You have to give a counterargument.
2So I give you a counterargument.
3So you counter my counterargument with a counter-counterargument.
4But this last counterargument is abductive.
5What's the counterargument?
counterexample
/kˈaʊntɚɹɪɡzˌæmpəl/
noun
an example or a fact that refutes or contradicts a theory, hypothesis, or a proposition
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Examples

1Harmony is a pretty compelling counterexample.
2It's not a counterexample to four.
3Simmias' counterexample fails.
4Radio waves aren't a counterexample to that.
5We have a great counterexample.
credible
/ˈkɹɛdəbəɫ/
adjective
able to be believed or relied on
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Examples

1The threats were credible.
2Was that credible?
3Am I credible?
4- Just following credible media outlets.
5He's credible.
defense
/dɪˈfɛns/
noun
the case that is a combination of collected facts and adopted methods presented by or on the behalf of the accused party so that they would be granted a judgment of acquittal
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Examples

1After spending more time with Howard, I developed a better understanding of his belief that everyone deserves a zealous defense.
2No says defense.
3The best offense is defense.
4Close any gaps in your bases defenses.
5Bulls play defense in different ways.
to defend
/dɪˈfɛnd/
verb
to support someone or try to justify an action, plan, etc.
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Examples

1Still, police defended their use of force.
2The company had defended its efforts.
3Defend my honor.
4Defend the press.
5These horsemen defended the French footmen until nightfall.
defensible
/dɪˈfɛnsəbəɫ/
adjective
capable of being easily supported by arguments or adequately justified by reasoning
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Examples

1That’s not even defensible as satire.
2It's not defensible.
3ROBERT WRIGHT: No, it's a totally defensible reaction.
4Indeed, is entirely defensible.
5As a result, on the 7th Mercy moved to a more defensible St. Peter valley.
dialectic
/ˌdaɪəˈɫɛktɪk/
noun
a method of uncovering the truth about something by comparing contradicting ideas and considering different theories
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Examples

1A dialectic is a philosophical term for an argument made up of three parts.
2First, he's emphasizing dialectics in his criticism of Feuerbach.
3But even in Greek philosophy, the idea of dialectics was emphasizing change and the process.
4Now what was dialectics in Hegel?
5- You choose dialectics when you have no other means.
dialectical
/ˌdaɪəˈɫɛktɪkəɫ/
adjective
discovering the truth of ideas by logically discussing the opposite ideas
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Examples

1The gold standard therapy for borderline personality disorder is dialectical behavior therapy.
2Dialectical behavior therapy was developed for borderline personality disorder.
3Dialectical behavioral therapy doesn't work.
4For borderline personality disorder, dialectical behavior therapy is extremely helpful.
5But what is dialectical?
to drive sth home
/dɹˈaɪv ˌɛstˌiːˈeɪtʃ hˈoʊm/
phrase
to make something clear by emphasizing, or providing examples, proof, etc.
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Examples

1They all got out at the same station, and Mr Edwards drove Mr. Wilson home in his car.
2So every evening Howard drove Karin home.
3Marcia thought Every evening that week, Howard drove Karin home after work.
4Since around 2006, China has been the global leader in annual carbon emissions, surpassing the U.S. But seen the images alongside the data drove it home.
5The availability of neutral colors such as white, black, gray or silver can also make a big difference, especially in a country like America, where customers are used to going to an auto dealership and driving a new car home on the same day.
evidence
/ˈɛvədəns/
noun
anything that proves the truth or validity of something, such as facts, objects, or signs
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Examples

1No evidence exists of an early device to enhance hearing, but it probably did exist.
2But there's also evidence that it interferes with our hormonal system.
3So therefore the earlier games give you evidence.
4Evidence is for offscreen deaths.
5Two career diplomats gave evidence on Wednesday.
to flatten
/ˈfɫætən/
verb
to thoroughly defeat someone in an argument, a contest, etc.
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Examples

1Spanx: Flatten your curves.
2Flatten about two inches on one side of the straw.
3Flattening the curve.
4The tool flattens the rivets against the handle on both sides.
5In all four cases, the presence of widespread social distancing absolutely flattens the curve.
to flesh out
/flˈɛʃ ˈaʊt/
verb
to make something more clear by providing more details and information

Examples

for a start
/fɚɹə stˈɑːɹt/
phrase
used to introduce the first point in the series, especially in arguments or when stating one's opinions, reasons, etc.
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Examples

1For a start, we're not looking that hard, and we're spending a pitiful amount of money on it.
2But no spray tan lasts a week for a start.
3So if you're a superintelligence that's a singleton, and you want to make sure there's as many paper clips as possible, for a start, you'd want to get rid of all humans.
4For a start, your tradition is different from his tradition and her tradition and they can't all be right.
5For a start, if we try and go into another country for a public health mission, chances are we're gonna get greeted far less warmly because the WHO has never, you know, invaded a nation or funded a coup.
for starters
/fɔːɹ stˈɑːɹɾɚz/
phrase
used to state the first and foremost of a series of facts, opinions, questions etc., especially in an argument
Click to see examples

Examples

1For starters, she knows who the regular fliers are and what they like.
2For starters, it's not the same fish.
3For starters, Coke's diverse geographic position should provide the company with a steady stream of growth.
4For starters, he plans to recommit to the Paris Agreement and invest two trillion dollars in clean energy initiatives.
5For starters, they point out that buying a house without a mortgage is nearly impossible for most people.
for that matter
/fɔːɹ ðæt mˈæɾɚ/
adverb
used to add a second statement to what one has just said
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Examples

1Or for that matter, afford any health care.
2For that matter, so did eventual peers John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, Jay Gould, and James Mellon.
3For that matter, the Milky Way itself is barely a blip on that scale.
4For that matter, Haussmann's boulevards were too wide for barricades.
5And so does the mango, for that matter.
furthermore
/ˈfɝðɝˌmɔɹ/
adverb
in addition to what has just been stated; besides
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Examples

1Furthermore, just east of the Lähde road, the invaders had created a gap in the defensive line.
2Furthermore, in the aftermath of the battle of Talas in 751, the empire captured several Chinese prisoners of war.
3Furthermore, in commercial applications, a big chunk of them actually use linear models.
4Furthermore, the HD map provides information about the road geometry or unusual traffic events.
5Furthermore, your food security goes down.

Great!

You've reviewed all the words in this lesson!