[VA] 18. concur

concur (v)  /kənˈkɜː(r)/

• to agree, be in accord with, unite in opinion
• concur comes from the Latin com- “together” + currere “to run, flow”, and means literally “to run or flow together, go along with”. That derivation has led to 3 slightly different meanings of the word. First, concur may be used to mean “to act together, combine in having an effect” as ‘Time and chance concurred in our success’. Second, concur may be used to mean “happen together, occur at the same time, coincide”, as ‘His pay raise concurred with his promotion.’. The third and most common meaning of concur is “to agree”, as ‘Your story concurs with theirs.’, ‘We concurred on almost every point of negotiation.’

[VA] 17. vanguard

vanguard (n) /ˈvænɡɑːd/

• the forefront of an action or movement, leading position or persons in a movement
  • They were in the vanguard of the war on poverty.
• In its strict military sense, vanguard means the troops moving at the head of an army, the part of the army that goes ahead of the main body.

[VA] 16. sporadic

sporadic (a) /spɒˈrædɪk/

• occasional, infrequent, irregular, not constant, happening from time to time, occurring in a scattered or random way.
• A business venture may have sporadic success. A gambler’s luck may be sporadic. Sporadic crimes are crimes scattered here and there throughout the city or neighborhood. Sporadic outbreaks of a disease in the population are occasional, isolated outbreaks.
• Antonyms: constant, incessant, unremitting 

[VA] 15. adamant

adamant (a) Brit. /ˈadəm(ə)nt/ , U.S. /ˈædəm(ə)nt/

• unyielding, immovable, inflexible, refusing to give in, unshakable, unrelenting, implacable
  • She was adamant in her opposition to the plan.
• The adjective adamant comes from the noun adamant, spelled the same way, which refers to a hard substance or stone such as a diamond that in ancient times was believed to be unbreakable. There is an old word adamantine still listed in current dictionaries but not often used. It means like adamant: very hard, unbreakable. The adjective adamant which has replaced adamantine in current usage means hard in the sense of inflexible, immovable, unyielding.

[VA] 14. negligible

negligible (a) Brit. /ˈnɛglᵻdʒᵻbl/ , U.S. /ˈnɛglədʒəb(ə)l/

• unimportant, trifling, of little consequence
• That which is negligible can be neglected. A negligible concern can be disregarded, it is so trivial or insignificant that it warrants little or no attention.

[VA] 13. obligatory

obligatory (a) Brit. /əˈblɪgət(ə)ri/ , U.S. /əˈblɪgəˌtɔri/

• required, necessary, binding, mandatory
• obligatory duties are those you must perform to fulfill an obligation or responsibility
  • Doing miscellaneous paperwork is an obligatory function of the clerical worker

[VA] 12. blatant

blatant (a) /ˈbleɪtənt/

• noisy, disagreeably or offensively loud, boisterous, clamorous
• the blatant sound of horns honking in heavy traffic
• blatant is also used to mean sticking out in a glaring way, obtrusive, flagrant, as in a blatant lie, a blatant error, a blatant attempt to impress the boss. In either sense, blatant suggests something conspicuous and disagreeable.

[VA] 11. capricious

capricious  (a) /kəˈprɪʃəs/

• unpredictable, tending to change abruptly for no apparent or logical reasons
• Synonyms: flighty, changeable, impulsive, & fickle. More difficult synonyms: erratic, whimsical, volatile & mercurial 

• A caprice (/kəˈpriːs/) is a sudden change of mind or change in the emotions. A person or a thing that is capricious is subject to caprices, to abrupt, unpredictable changes.
  • He’s so capricious his mood changes with the wind.
  • New England has a capricious climate.
  • The stock market is notoriously capricious.
• Note the difference in pronunciation between capricious & caprice, don’t say /kəˈpriːʃəs/, capricious should rhyme with delicious.

[VA] 10. congenial

congenial (a) /kənˈdʒiːnɪəl/

• sympathetic, agreeable, compatible, kindred, harmonious, having the same taste, nature or temperament.
• Congenial persons have similar or sympathetic tastes, interests or personalities. Congenial things agree, go well together.
• Antonyms: alien, dissident, & incongruous

[VA] 9. pragmatic

pragmatic (a) (Brit. /pragˈmatɪk/ , U.S. /prægˈmædɪk/)

• practical, having to do with actual practice, concerned with everyday affairs as opposed to theory or speculation.
• pragmatic comes from the Latin pragmaticus (which means skilled in business or law). The lawyer is concerned with evidence and proof; the business person is concerned with facts and figures. Both have little time for speculation, both must be pragmatic – concerned with practical, everyday affairs.