Advanced Plus — Set 20

Set 20 of Advanced Plus covers 5 words: philanthropy, adamant, severity, defy, prophecy. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. philanthropy · noun/fɪˈlænθrəpi/

   the desire to promote the welfare of others, typically through the donation of money or resources to charitable causes

   Her philanthropy helped build a new school in the village.

   Synonyms: charity, altruism, benevolence

   Origin: from the Greek 'philanthropia', meaning 'love of humanity'

2. adamant · adjective/ˈæd.ə.mənt/

   unyielding in attitude or opinion despite persuasion or reason

   She was adamant about not going to the party, even when her friends begged her to join.

   Synonyms: inflexible, stubborn, unyielding

   Origin: from Middle French 'adamant', from Latin 'adamantem' meaning 'untameable', from Greek 'adamas' meaning 'untamed, invincible'

3. severity · noun/səˈvɪr.ɪ.ti/

   the quality of being harsh or intense

   The severity of the storm caused many trees to fall.

   Synonyms: harshness, intensity, seriousness

   Origin: from the Latin 'severitas', meaning 'sternness or strictness'

4. defy · verb/dɪˈfaɪ/

   to openly resist or refuse to obey

   The child decided to defy his teacher's instructions and refused to do his homework.

   Synonyms: challenge, resist, oppose

   Origin: From Old French 'defier', stemming from Latin 'dēfīēre' meaning 'to refuse to yield'.

5. prophecy · noun/ˈprɑfəsi/

   a prediction of what will happen in the future

   The prophecy said that a hero would save the village from danger.

   Synonyms: prediction, forecast, divination

   Origin: from Old French 'prophétie', from Latin 'prophetia', from Greek 'propheteia'