This section serves to expand your regular vocabulary. What separates the men from the boys (or the women from the girls, if you want to equalize things) is v o c a b u l a r y. We cannot stress this point enough. People who have a larger vocabulary have been shown to make more money and get promoted more often.

U

uber

(pronounced OO-ber)

In German, the word is written with the umlaut (double dots) over the letter “u”: über. This German word essentially means more, above all, the best, the top, the ultimate. It’s more and more prevalent in the English-speaking media.

Example: The firm’s Librarian thought the new high-relief vinyl wallcoverings that the rep presented were uber-cool.

umbrage

(pronounced UHM-brihj)

OK, we’re going to try to help you remember this word in a roundabout way. First, think of umber, that dark brown color in your big set of crayons. Once you moved beyond stick figures of Dick & Jane, you probably used that color to add a little shade and shadow to your mini-masterpieces. And although the word umbrage can actually be used to mean shadow and shady branches, the more common contemporary usage is a feeling of offense or resentment at some actual or perceived insult. The example sentence is more telling…

Example: Unbelievably, a program that was supposed to raise morale among remaining employees at the A&D firm’s northern branch did just the opposite. The facilitator of the daylong session often did not know when to be quiet, and during one of his 10-minute spiels, he uttered several opinions at which the employees took umbrage.

unconscionable

(pronounced un-CONT-sheh-neh-behl)

You never want anyone you know to use this word when describing you. It can mean a few different things, none of them flattering. First: without conscience or scruples. Second: unnecessarily extreme or difficult. Third: ridiculously unfair or unreasonable. The latter definition is used in the example sentence.

Example: William was not surprised to see the furniture dealership finally go out of business as he and so many other design professionals refused to use them due to their unconscionable business practices.

upbraid

(pronounced up-BRAYD)

Even though this word seems like it could be a combination of words up-do and braid, you won’t be using this word at the hair salon anytime soon – at least we hope not. If you do, then you need to find a new hairdresser because this verb means to severely scold or strongly criticize.

Example sentence: Even though she was a great designer, Patti did not make a good manager. Instead of calmly confronting her team members with constructive criticism, she tended to upbraid them in a manner which made them want to perform even less.