Quintesstentially

1 : the fifth and highest element in ancient and medieval philosophy that permeates all nature and is the substance composing the celestial bodies

2 : the essence of a thing in its purest and most concentrated form

3 : the most typical example or representative

Source:  www.m-w.com

E.g:  This blog is quintessentially of my work life.

I like to sound of this word, quintessentially.  Basically I understood it as being “representation”, but now there are added meaning to this word, its great! 

Stratify

1.  to form, arrange or deposit in strata

2a. to divide or arrange into classes, caste, or social strata

2b.  to become arrange in strata

Source:  www.m-w.com

E.g.  The income in China are stratifying quickly over the years due to the booming economy that separates the rich from the richer.

There is a distinctive different between college and non-college graduates in terms of the range of vocabulary they use in a more colloquial way.  For example, the word above – stratify – which we would have probably learned it in a calculus or statistics.  Recall:  Stratified Sampling?  Through our exposure to these words from which we learnt on a subject-basis context, we expand our vocabulary.  That way, we are able to use words in a more elegant way.  Another example I can think of is the word:  catalyst.  We probably come to learn this word in science or chemistry where a certain chemical was added as a catalyst – an agent to speed things up. 

What other examples can you think of?

Surreal.

being in a disorienting or hallucinatory state

E.g.  surfing with a random guy at bondi beach during winter must be a surreal experience!

I was reading a friend’s blog who was in Sydney.  As she stood at the Bondi Beach on the winter, a random surfer guy went to her and invited her to surf.  Surprisingly, he got all the gears she needed.  I thought this experience was surreal.

I’m not good with my English, and many times I came upon a word and I can only second guess their meanings.  This has been a good exercise for me to actually learn what the words means and use it in a more confident way.

Terse

1. smoothly elegant, or 2. deviod of superfluity.

source:  www.m-w.com

E.g.  She makes a terse comment.

I thought of this word on the train today.  I always thought that the word terse has a negative connotation.  I was wrong.  Now, I will remember.

Incandescent

1.  substances or device that give out a lot of light when heated.

2. (describe someone or something) lively and impressive

3.  ~ (feeling) with rage.

Source:  Collins Cobuild Dictionary.

E.g.  Mere recall of that incident makes me incandescent with fury!

I came upon this word when I was on the train.  It was used on one of the advertisement by National Environment Agency for an energy saving campaign.  They used this word incandescent and I thought “what a bombastic word” and most people may not understand what it means!  Or maybe I am so incapacitated with my vocabulary.  But in any case, any form of mass publicity should avoid big words so that people can understand it easily and retain the information.

Ambivalent

1. simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings (as attraction and repulsion) toward an object, person, or action

2a. continual fluctuation (as between one thing and its opposite)

2b. uncertainty as to which approach to follow

Source:  www.m-w.com

E.g. I am ambivalent of my feelings towards Eugene.

I came across this word frequently these days.  While I was reading a book (Trend Following) lately, it must have appeared at least 4 times.  Now, there is no more guessing what this word means.