Political Critique Vocabulary

noun nonsense or rubbish; something that is false or meaningless

• The report was dismissed as pure bushwa by the scientific community.
• I can't believe you fell for that bushwa story!
• Stop talking bushwa and tell me the truth.
• His promises turned out to be nothing but political bushwa.

adjective expressing strong disapproval; censorious

• The judge's condemnatory remarks made it clear that he did not tolerate any form of misconduct in his courtroom.
• Her condemnatory tone towards her co-worker was quite harsh.
• I can't believe how condemnatory she was about the situation.
• The artist's painting was a condemnatory depiction of society's flaws.

adjective of small amount or value; insignificant

• The paltry sum of money was not enough to cover the cost of the project.
• I can't believe they only offered me a paltry amount for my car.
• That tip was so paltry, I don't think I'll be coming back to this restaurant.
• His paltry attempts at fixing the situation only made things worse.

adjective describing someone who is excessively proud of themselves and their achievements

• The author's self-congratulatory tone in the preface of the book was off-putting to some readers.
• She couldn't help but feel a bit self-congratulatory after acing her final exam.
• He was being so self-congratulatory about his promotion, it was starting to annoy his coworkers.
• The team's self-congratulatory attitude after winning the championship game was palpable.

noun an object that has no use or value to its owner but may have value to others

• The company decided to sell off the white elephant property that was draining their resources.
• That old mansion is a total white elephant - no one wants to buy it.
• I heard that car is a real white elephant, always breaking down.
• Her collection of ceramic frogs is a real white elephant in the room.