C-Suite Vocabulary — Set 2: Meanings flashcards
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The next 100 of the 300 C-Suite words, from seminal and salient to tacit and canny: pronunciation, the sense leaders use and three example sentences set at work, the most common use first.
Learn deck · part of C-Suite Vocabulary · written against: The precise words of senior leadership: board, strategy and negotiation; extends the Willys app's Executive Register list; our own word selection. Updated 2026-10-10.
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conscientious (adj.) · kahn-shee-EN-shuhsdoing one's work with thorough, accurate care because one feels a duty to the people who depend on itJudgment & Prudence
She is the most conscientious analyst on the team; her numbers are always checked.
A conscientious board member reads the whole pack, not just the summary.
Hiring managers want people who are conscientious about deadlines and follow-up. -
inference (n.) · IN-fuh-ruhnsa conclusion drawn from evidence and reasoning rather than stated outright; the act of drawing itArgument & Evidence
The obvious inference from the survey is that price is not the problem.
"Don't draw inferences from one bad week of sales data."
The memo blurs observation and inference, so readers can't tell fact from guess.
Don't confuse with: implication; a speaker implies, and a listener draws an inference. -
nuanced (adj.) · NOO-ahnstshowing awareness of fine distinctions and shades of meaning rather than broad generalizationsPrecision & Nuance
The new CFO gave a nuanced answer that weighed both risks and upside.
"The picture is more nuanced: churn is up in one region only."
Investors welcomed her nuanced view of the competition after years of bluster. -
moot (adj., v.) · MOOTalready settled by events, leaving nothing worth arguing over; to float an idea and get people talking about itCertainty & Doubt
Once the buyer withdrew, the question of price was moot.
"The deadline argument is moot now; the client extended it."
Two directors mooted a merger with Calder during the budget review.
Watch out: Merriam-Webster gives the older sense, "open to question," first; this one is chiefly North American. -
seminal (adj.) · SEM-uh-nuhlbreaking new ground that later work then builds onScale & Consequence
Her seminal study of supply-chain risk is still taught in business schools.
The company's whole move to subscriptions grew out of one seminal pilot.
That 2019 offsite proved seminal, shaping every major decision since. -
protracted (adj.) · proh-TRAK-tidstretched out beyond its schedule or any real need, often to the point of tediumChange & Trajectory
After protracted negotiations, the two firms finally agreed on a price.
"A protracted legal fight would cost more than settling."
The search for a new CFO became protracted when two finalists withdrew. -
waive (v.) · WAYVto set aside, by your own choice, a right, claim, fee or rule that you could hold others toConcession & Diplomacy
The vendor agreed to waive the setup fee if we signed for three years.
Both parties waived the thirty-day notice period so the sale could close on Friday.
"We'll waive the usual two-interview rule for internal candidates."
Don't confuse with: wave; you waive a fee, but you wave someone through. -
convoluted (adj.) · KAHN-vuh-loo-tidso tangled and roundabout that anyone trying to follow it soon loses the threadVagueness & Weak Thinking
The returns policy is so convoluted that customers simply give up.
"This explanation is convoluted; give me the answer in two sentences."
The deal's convoluted tax structure took the lawyers a week to explain. -
requisite (adj.) · REK-wuh-zitneeded to meet the demands of a job, process or rule; essentialForce & Obligation
Candidates without the requisite experience will not be shortlisted.
"Do we have the requisite approvals to start building?"
Only bidders with the requisite security clearance may see the full contract. -
discretionary (adj.) · dih-SKRESH-uh-nair-eefor whoever is in charge to settle as they think right, with no rule laying it down; (of spending) optionalScope & Restraint
Bonuses at the firm are discretionary, decided by each manager.
"I have a small discretionary budget for team events."
When prices rise, households cut discretionary spending like travel first.
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About these cards
Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.
Checked against:
- Senses, parts of speech and pronunciations checked against Merriam-Webster.com, the American Heritage Dictionary, Dictionary.com and the Oxford Learner's, Longman and Cambridge learner's dictionaries; all definitions, notes and example sentences are original.
- Includes and extends the Executive Register word list first published with the Willys app; word selection is our own.
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