Wise Words........ 51 underused terms.

I’ve reviewed my last 60 Psychology Today articles to find words and phrases that I believe deserve wider use.
These terms may be particularly useful to people in a
helping profession, and to how-to and policy writers, but I believe they’re worthy of a spot in anyone’s vocabulary and mindset.
Many of the terms, especially those in the first section, relate to critical thinking. Their use could improve both the deliverer's and recipient's reasoning skills.
Cognition
Probabilistic. I believe that key to critical thinking is to make probabilistic assessments of alternatives. For example: “The realistic best-case scenario is X. For these reasons (insert,) I assess the probability of its occurring as 30%. The realistic middle outcome is Y. For these reasons (insert,)  I assess its probability of occurrence at 60%. The realistic worst-case outcome is Z. For these reasons (insert,) I assess the probability of it occurring at 10%."

Opportunity cost. Along with probabilistic thinking, considering opportunity cost may be critical thinking's most important component. For example, “Before the college invests in a new building, we should consider the opportunity cost: We could just spend just a bit to fix the old building and use the rest of the money to hire tutors and provide better career assistance.”
Reasonably derived. I use that term in sentences such as, “All wisdom does not reside left or right of center. The best solutions generally require considering reasonably derived ideas from across the ideological spectrum. The use of “reasonably derived” is a concise way to exclude unreasonable ideas, for example, neo-Nazi positions.

Fair-minded. I use that term to encourage statesperson-like rather than ideologue-like thinking. Its use also, without too much braggadocio, adds gravitas to one’s position. For example, “From where I sit, a fair-minded analysis would raise taxes further on tobacco, but lower taxes on basic household items.”
Wise. That's another word I use to invoke a reflective rather than visceral reaction, as well as to add gravitas to a position. For example, “The dictum to never give unasked-for advice may be too black-and-white. The wise person recognizes when the rule should be broken.”
Sphere of influence. Few of us can change the world but we all can affect our sphere of influence. I use “sphere of influence” to encourage a wide range of readers—from unemployed clerks to CEOs—to attempt to influence change outside themselves.
Foundational or core to. Usually, there are explicit or implicit first principle(s) undergirding every person and policy. The term “foundational” or "core to” concisely expresses that. For example, “Foundational to the banning of achievement-grouped classes is the belief that low achievers will benefit more from being in a class with high achievers than just with their peers, and that high-achievers will not suffer so much as to trump that.”
Axiomatic. That term describes a point that needn’t be explained. For example, “It’s axiomatic that in Corporate America, it’s unacceptable to express anger more than very rarely.”

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Thought experiment. In trying out an idea, I like to create a “thought experiment.” Here’s an example: “Imagine there were two identical Earths and in one, all hiring was done purely on the merits. In the other, efforts were made to compensate for past injustices to certain subgroups. In which Earth do you think greater good would accrue?”

Continuum. That's another term I use to discourage black-and-white thinking. Most factors exist on a continuum. For example, “Where would you fall on the continuum from 'finding it easy to cold-call' versus 'being  terrified of it?'" What could make you move a bit toward the easy side?”
Index of. I usually use “index of” to describe a simpler way to assess a complicated factor or trait. For example, “A person’s vocabulary is an index of his overall intelligence.”
A priori. That’s a contention made based without relying on future data. For example, “A priori, my guess is that that community objections will delay the project for six months. As we get into the project, I may revise that estimate.”

Dispositive. That describes an argument that trumps all others. For example, “In deciding whether to continue the pilot program, the improvement in student test scores will be dispositive.”
Underdiscussed or under-the-radar. With so much content available, I prioritize writing about ideas that are important but widely unrecognized. In describing them, I use the term underdiscussed or sometimes prefer the more visual term “under-the-radar."
Takeaways. That's a less pontificating way of saying “recommendations.” I use "takeaways" at the end of many how-to articles.
Emotion

Relentless. My successful clients are often relentless in pursuing their goals. That term more accurately conveys their behavior than, for example, “diligently” or “thoroughly.”
Preternatural or ineffable. I use those terms to describe an impossible-to-explain supernormal ability. For example, “Despite being quiet and physically plain, s/he has a preternatural ability to captivate everyone in the room.”

Complacency. America’s focus on building people’s self-esteem has too often engendered complacency. For example, people are told they’re worthy simply because they’re human or of a particular group. I believe that beyond a basic level, people’s worthiness is a function of how productive and kind they are.
Dispirited. That word is similar to “despondent” except that “dispirited’ more clearly blames one’s malaise on external events. For example, “For years, I’ve tried to express important but out-of-step ideas but have become dispirited by the censorship and censure of ideas that don’t comport with the current orthodoxy.”
Ostracized. I usually use that term to describe a person who has been shunned from the core group: of students, coworkers, political group, religious organization, etc. For example, “Although a staunch Democrat, her views on illegal immigration resulted in her being ostracized by her colleagues at the non-profit.”
Alienated. That word well-describes people who feel ostracized from a group: whether the “in” kids in high school, the right-wing mainstream in rural Mississippi,  the left-wing mainstream in San Francisco, or the arts-and-crafts-and-ballroom-dancing crowd in an assisted-living facility.
Imposter syndrome. That’s a concise way of describing the many people who, despite years of education, feel ill-equipped to solve the problems their degree implies they can.

High-maintenance. An umbrella term for people who too often express neediness, dissatisfaction, and/or outrage.
Maelstrom. I usually use that word to create a visual image of today’s frenzied, fast-changing, shape-shifting life.

Communication
Ad hominem. That refers to disagreement by name-calling rather than by reasoned argument. For example, “I’m dispirited by the amount of ad hominem disagreement on cable news shows, in comments on Internet articles, and even on YouTube music videos.”
Canard. That’s a widely-held but specious belief. For example, “The canard that coffee is bad for you is slowly being eroded by solid, well-publicized studies.”
Arid.  I use that as a more vivid synonym for a “dry” or “boring" presentation.
Cherry-pick. That's using unrepresentative examples to make a point.  For example, a client says, “He was late to work and didn’t get in trouble yet when I was, I almost got written up.” Cherry-picking militates against solid decision-making so I’ll often call it out.

Change
Top-of-mind. That’s a concise way of saying “a concept that's in the forefront of one’s thinking. For example, “The client keeps his new habit top-of-mind by writing it on his palm and looking at it every time he drinks.”
Plant a seed. People resist change, so a change agent sometimes is wise to not expect immediate assent to a suggestion but to accept that s/he has “planted a seed” that, with time, may germinate: that is, the client will act on the suggestion, often perceiving it as his own.
Transformational. I often use that term to set a higher bar for education. Too many teachers and professors aim mainly to just convey information and basic concepts. But important, enduring change, for example, students who become better critical thinkers, requires instruction that’s transformational, not only transmitting key concepts but driving the students to incorporate those concepts into how they interact with the world.
Iterate. Most excellent things did not start that way. They underwent iterations: revision after revision. For example, a beta-version was tried out and revised, tried again and revised. Even after being made public, feedback generated more revision. I like to encourage iterative development because it’s more successful and less frustrating than when a creator is so perfectionistic that s/he won’t complete a draft until s/he feels it’s bulletproof.
Reinvent. I most often use that term to describe the fields of education and of clinical psychology, which I believe require major change to become as effective as we’d like.
Predisposition. It’s axiomatic now that nearly all animal and plant characteristics are affected both by genes and environment. The term “predisposition” reflects that.
Inveterate. That describes a long-held, unlikely-to-change predisposition. For example, “He’s an inveterate mugger. His rap sheet is a mile long.”
Pervasive. I usually use that term to describe a widespread but not universal belief. For example, “The pervasive view is that cognitive-behavioral therapy, in general, has better efficacy than do Freudian modalities.”

Mitigate. Too few interventions “cure” or “solve.” “Mitigate” is generally a more accurate descriptor. For example, “In many cases, SSRIs mitigate against depression’s lows.”
Inexorable. That’s an unstoppable but slow-moving progression. For example, “There’s inexorable movement toward single-payer health care.”
Obligatory. That means performing an act perfunctorily, often to avoid offending while requiring minimal effort. For example, “He made the obligatory appearance at the fundraiser but sneaked out early.”

Policy
Humankind. I usually use that term when describing a policy with the broadest potential impact. For example, “Make transformational instruction available online and you improve humankind from Alabama to Zululand.”
Meta-analysis, meta-evaluation, or review of the literature. So many studies are flawed because methodologically rigorous research is infeasible, inadvertent error, or investigator bias. Meta-analysis, meta-evaluation, and literature reviews analyze multiple studies. That produces more valid findings. So where possible, especially in social science research, which is especially prone to such errors, I try to find aggregational studies.

Redistribution. That term offers a concise way to describe a currently widely held belief: that we should take more from society’s Haves to give to the Have-Nots. Robin Hood.
Zeitgeist. That describes an era’s dominant values and beliefs. For example, “The current zeitgeist values redistribution toward a more egalitarian society.”
Externalities. Most problems have multiple causes. For example, a person may be poor not just because or intrinsic weaknesses but because of external challenges: a problematic family, neighborhood, culture, limited access to capital, etc.

Meritocracy. That term has acquired a bad name for not acknowledging externalities that mitigate against a person’s success. While that’s a legitimate point, I lament "meritocracy" now so widely being used derisively. Merit-based decision-making is key to improving society and to individuals feeling they’re getting a fair shot. Alas, too often, merit is taking a backseat to non-merit-based selection criteria in college admission, hiring, promotion, and who gets positive media coverage.

Polarizing. I frequently use that term as way to, without taking sides, describe policies or rhetoric that are more likely to divide us than unite us: union versus management, between the sexes, races, classes, etc.
Magic pill. I use that term to caution against too quickly embracing the miracle du jour. My Ph.D. specialized in the evaluation of innovation. In the almost 50 years since I began graduate school, I’ve seen so many innovators cite a study showing remarkable gains but with findings that rarely can be duplicated by other investigators and even more rarely are successful on a national scale. That’s why I look to initiatives that have been around long enough to been studied by many and on which a meta-evaluation has been conducted.

Seed corn. That’s a vivid term for the material needed to spawn growth. I use it in a context such as, “To impose so many costs on new businesses eats America's seed corn.”
Ideological diversity. We’re told to celebrate diversity and many of us claim to. But we tend to stop celebrating and start censoring or censuring dare an idea veer from the orthodoxy. Wisdom resides across the ideological spectrum and so I use the term “ideological diversity” to encourage a mindset that isn't overly censoring.

Gamification  I’m impressed by the power of video games to motivate without the need for financial remuneration. Key to that motivation are points and badges. For example, reach 100,000 points and you’re a Ninja. So a number of my recommendations in education and psychology include gamification.
Cosmic justice. To me, that is the highest goal  As often as possible, I try to think of the implications of an action, not just on all stakeholders, but on how it comports with universal justice, with a cosmos that, if there were a God, would make him or her nod.
Marty Nemko's bio is in Wikipedia. His newest book, his 8th, is The Best of Marty Nemko.