C-Suite Vocabulary — Say It Better flashcards
10 of 35 cards free to study here · 10 topics · the whole deck is built into Willys
Thirty-five plain sentences from meetings and memos, each sharpened with one C-Suite word: the word, the tighter sentence, and why it says more than the plain version.
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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Sharpen it: “I'm not as optimistic as you are about the launch in Brazil.”sanguineJudgment & Prudence
“I'm less sanguine than you are about the Brazil launch.”
Sanguine means cheerfully confident, especially about something others find worrying, so it hints the worry is real: a pointed word, not a neutral one. -
Sharpen it: “Your point about parking isn't really related to what we're deciding today.”germaneArgument & Evidence
“Parking isn't germane to today's decision.”
Germane means relevant and fitting to the matter being discussed, so it says the point is off topic, narrower and sharper than "not related." -
Sharpen it: “Our office location has nothing to do with how good our hires are; they're separate questions.”orthogonalPrecision & Nuance
“Office location and hire quality are orthogonal.”
Orthogonal borrows from geometry, where lines at right angles run independently; it says the two questions don't touch, so neither need wait on the other. -
Sharpen it: “We can't really defend that position.”untenableCertainty & Doubt
“That position is untenable.”
Untenable means it has reached the point where it can no longer be justified or carried on: one word for the whole thought, without the hedge of "can't really." -
Sharpen it: “The authority someone has should match what they're accountable for.”commensurateScale & Consequence
“Authority must be commensurate with accountability.”
Commensurate means in proportion, scaled to whatever it is set against: exactly the relation you want between authority and accountability. It usually takes with. -
Sharpen it: “This drop in store visits isn't the normal up-and-down kind; it's a long-term change.”secularChange & Trajectory
“The drop in store visits is secular.”
Secular means long-term and driven by deep change, not by the business cycle; it tells the room that waiting for the cycle to turn won't help. -
Sharpen it: “I'd like to add a condition to my yes: only if the price holds.”qualifyConcession & Diplomacy
“Let me qualify my yes: only if the price holds.”
To qualify a statement is to add a condition that limits it; it signals you are narrowing the claim on purpose, not retreating from it. -
Sharpen it: “You're treating two different problems like they're the same problem.”conflateVagueness & Weak Thinking
“You're conflating two different problems.”
Conflate names the exact error, wrongly treating two things as one, so it critiques the reasoning rather than the person. -
Sharpen it: “Since she approved the vendor, it's her duty to explain the overrun.”incumbentForce & Obligation
“Since she approved the vendor, it is incumbent on her to explain the overrun.”
Incumbent on means resting on someone as a duty; it places the obligation formally, which is why it suits minutes and memos. -
Sharpen it: “It's not my call; it's someone else's area.”purviewScope & Restraint
“My purview doesn't extend to that call.”
Purview is the field of matters and decisions that are yours to handle, so it draws the boundary without sounding like a dodge.
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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 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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