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Words That Make You Sound Smarter — Because, Yes, We All Need a Little Help

91. Urbane

Definition: suave, sophisticated, refined; being or appearing to be high-society

Example: Even in a low-end suit from last season, Claudia struck all she met as urbane.

92. Vacillate

Definition: to go back and forth between two points

Example: Nina vacillated between the lamb and fish for so long, her friends just ordered for her.

93. Verisimilitude

Definition: probable or realistic; the appearance of truth

Example: The ad campaign has a certain verisimilitude that customers seem to identify with.

94. Versatile

Definition: able to perform a variety of tasks; adaptable

Example: A versatile employee, Kim is just as comfortable troubleshooting software as she is making sales.

95. Vicarious

Definition: to do or feel on behalf of another

Example: Kat can’t stay away from celebrity news; she lives vicariously through the Kardashians.

96. Vehement

Definition: insistent and inflexible

Example: Eva was so vehement that the salespeople would follow up with customers within two days of dropping off the proposal; anyone who didn’t would be fired.

97. Wheelhouse

Definition: a metaphor for an individual’s area of comfort or expertise (in business)

Example: Sandra, whose degree was in accounting, was asked to calculate the team’s sales projections because that type of work is in her wheelhouse.

98. White elephant

Definition: something that costs more to keep or maintain than it’s actually worth

Example: Because of the constant discounts we have to give to move this product, I think it’s a white elephant. We should consider discontinuing it.

99. Wunderkind

Definition: a young person who succeeds, usually in business

Example: After creating Facebook while in college, wunderkind Mark Zuckerberg recently married the love of his life.

100. Zealous

Definition: enthusiastic, often to the point of fanatical

Example: Penelope’s zealous chatter about her cats was a real turnoff to her coworkers.

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