Why should you read Tolstoy's "War and Peace"? - Brendan Pelsue

Important Vocabulary Words From The Video

intimidates

To intimidate someone is to make them feel scared or threatened. If you intimidate someone, you are trying to force them to do something that they don't want to do.

  • He intimidates his students by being very strict.
  • The CEO intimidates her employees with her power.
gambled

To gamble is to risk something on the chance that it will be profitable. Gambling can be a very risky business, and it can often be very expensive.

  • He gambled a lot on the stock market, and it often didn't pay off.
  • She gambled on the lottery, and she lost a lot of money.
revolted

When someone is revolted, they are very upset and angry over something. They might be revolted by the smell of a rotting animal, by the sight of blood, or by the sound of screaming.

  • The revolting smell was making her sick.
  • The revolting sight of blood made her sick to her stomach.
  • The revolting sound of screaming made her sick to her stomach.

Authoritarianism is the belief that one person or group should have the power to make decisions without any input from other people. This can be dangerous, because it can lead to dictatorship.

  • The authoritarian ruler is always right, and anyone who disagrees with him or her is always wrong.
  • The authoritarian ruler is always trying to control everything and everyone.
  • The authoritarian ruler is always trying to make everyone conform to his or her beliefs.
rebelling

When someone rebels, they refuse to obey or follow the rules that are set by the authority figure. They might also engage in any type of behavior that goes against the authority figure.

  • The students are rebelling by not wearing their uniforms.
  • The prisoners are rebelling by refusing to work.
serfs

Serfs were people who lived on somebody else's land and did their work for them. They were usually slaves, but there were also serfs who were paid by the landowner.

  • The serfs worked the land for the lord.
  • The serfs were given a small plot of land to farm.
conniving

Conniving is a word that is used to describe someone who is trying to do something that is not in their own best interest. They are usually trying to get something that they don't deserve.

  • The politician was very conniving in her campaign, using dirty tricks to win the vote.
  • The salesman was conniving in his attempt to get the customer to buy the product.
psychologies

Psychologies is a plural form of psychology. It refers to the different ways that people think and behave.

  • There are many different psychologies, which explains why people behave the way they do.
  • He has a psychological disorder, which explains his strange behavior.
digressions

Digressions are stories or anecdotes that are unrelated to the main topic of the conversation. They can be funny or interesting, but they usually don't have anything to do with the topic at hand.

  • He kept getting sidetracked by his digressions and didn't finish his story.
  • She started telling her digressions even before the interview was over.