Pronounced “ray-ZAHN DET-ruh.” The most important reason or purpose for someone or something’s existence.

Example: “For her, teaching was not merely a job but her raison d’être.”

Transhumanism seeks enhanced humans; posthumanism moves beyond human-centered thinking.

Example: “The course compared transhumanism’s drive to enhance human abilities with posthumanism’s critique of human-centered thinking.”

Deep scholarly knowledge acquired through extensive learning and study.

Example: “Her erudition allowed her to draw connections across history, science, and philosophy.”

Feeling or showing profound respect, admiration, or devotion.

Example: “The crowd grew reverent as the memorial ceremony began.”

Instruction or improvement that builds knowledge, character, or understanding.

Example: “She read the biography for both enjoyment and edification.”

Conformity to truth or fact; accuracy and truthfulness.

Example: “The editor questioned the veracity of the anonymous source’s claims.”

Devoutly religious, or showing deep reverence and devotion.

Example: “His pious grandmother attended services every morning.”

On a larger scale; in an amplified or more obvious form.

Example: “The bustling capital was the country writ large, displaying its ambitions and contradictions.”

Very weak or slight; having little substance, strength, or support.

Example: “The argument rested on a tenuous connection between two unrelated events.”

A person who offers opinions or commentary in an authoritative way, often as an expert in the media.

Example: “The political pundit analyzed the debate and predicted how voters would respond.”

A system of mass production built around standardized goods, assembly-line methods, and relatively high worker wages that support mass consumption.

Example: “Fordism transformed twentieth-century manufacturing by pairing assembly-line production with a mass market for standardized goods.”

An economy in which insufficient aggregate demand is the main limit on output and employment, leaving productive capacity or workers underused.

Example: “With factories operating below capacity and consumers cutting spending, policymakers treated the recession as a demand-constrained economy.”

To predict or forecast a future event or outcome, often from current signs or indications.

Example: “The economist tried to prognosticate how rapidly automation would reshape the labor market.”