Weekly Vocabulary

Weekly Vocabulary: Lesson #1

Name:  __________________

1. Edify (verb)
   
   definition: to instruct or improve someone morally or intellectually
   synonym: educate/instruct
   antonym: confuse/befuddle
   sentence: A teacher’s main task is to edify her students.
    
2. Felicity (noun)
   
   definition: joyfulness; happiness
   synonym: cheerfulness/delight
   antonym: sorrow/misery
   sentence: My dog yapped and wagged her tail with great felicity when I arrived from school.
    
3. Veracity  (noun)
   
   definition: the state of being truthful and straightforward
   synonym: trustworthiness/honesty
   antonym: deceit/dishonesty
   sentence: The police doubted the veracity of the suspect’s alibi.
    
4. Paragon (noun)
   
   definition: the perfect example of something
   synonym: epitome/model
   antonym: emperfection/flaw
   sentence: The magazine editors described the actress as a paragon of beauty.
    
5. Kitsch (noun)
   
   definition: low quality, but with style that many people find amusing in an ironic way.
   synonym: tackiness/campiness
   antonym: sophistication/class
   sentence: The restaurant is decorated with kitsch from old TV shows.

Word Part for the Week

• vita
  • definition: life
  • origin: Latin
  • words containing life: vitamin, vital, vitality, revitalize

Weekly Vocabulary: Lesson #2

Name:  __________________

1. cognizant (adj.)
   
   definition: being aware of something
   synonym: conscious/knowing
   antonym: ignorant/unknowing
   sentence: He was cognizant of the difficulty of the Mount Everest climb.
    
2. ethereal (adj.)
   
   definition: extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world
   synonym: angelic/airy
   antonym: substantial/earthly
   sentence: An ethereal, ghostly image of a woman suddenly appeared at the edge of the forest.
    
3. ephemeral (adj.)
   
   definition: lasting a very short time
   synonym: momentary/fleeting
   antonym: permanent/enduring
   sentence: Due to summer classes, my vacation was rather ephemeral this year.
    
4. decry (verb)
   
   definition: to publicly denounce or criticize
   synonym: condemn/vilify
   antonym: praise/compliment
   sentence: The conservative minister used his sermon to decry loud music and dancing, leading to a ban of the high school prom.
    
5. fetter (verb)
   
   definition: to restrain or chain
   synonym: restrict/shackle
   antonym: free/release
   sentence: The young man was fettered by his lack of education.

Word Part for the Week

• demo
  • definition: people
  • origin: Greek
  • words containing demo: democracy, demographics, undemocratic, demography

Weekly Vocabulary: Lesson #3

Name:  __________________

1. sacrosanct (adj.)
   
   definition: regarded as too important to be changed/interfered with
   synonym: sacred/holy
   antonym: profane/disrespected
   sentence: An individual’s freedom of speech is held as sacrosanct in the U.S.
    
2. livid (adj.)
   
   definition: extremely angry
   synonym: furious/incensed
   antonym: happy/calm
   sentence: The Hollywood starlet was livid at being left off the guest list.
    
3. opaque (adj.)
   
   definition: not able to be seen through/not transparent
   synonym: cloudy/hidden
   antonym: clear/open
   sentence: The opaque glass used in the bathroom insured people’s privacy.
    
4. trite (adj.)
   
   definition: lacking originality or flair
   synonym: tired/overused
   antonym: fresh/unique
   sentence: A good writer works to avoid trite ideas.
    
5. opulent (adj.)
   
   definition: showing great wealth and luxury
   synonym: lavish/sumptuous
   antonym: poor/destitute
   sentence: The prom couples enjoyed the opulent comfort of their limousine.

Word Part for the Week

• stereo
  • definition: solid
  • origin: Greek
  • words containing stereo: stereoscope, stereotype, stereophonics

Weekly Vocabulary: Lesson #4

Name:  __________________

1. boon (n)
   
   definition: a helpful or beneficial thing
   synonym: bonus/windfall
   antonym: curse/loss
   sentence: The You Tube celebrity’s shout-out was a boon to my sister’s small business.
    
2. jettison (v)
   
   definition: to toss away something that’s no longer wanted
   synonym: discard/ditch
   antonym: cherish/keep
   sentence: The show’s ratings were so low the network decided to jettison the program.
    
3. prattle (v)
   
   definition: to talk at length in a foolish way.
   synonym: chatter/babble
   antonym: declare/state
   sentence: I quickly grew weary of hearing the woman prattle about her cute kids.
    
4. commodious (adj.)
   
   definition: roomy and comfortable
   synonym: spacious/ample
   antonym: tiny/cramped
   sentence: The house is commodious, but it’s too run down to justify the high price.
    
5. nadir (n)
   
   definition: the lowest point in the fortunes of a person or organization
   synonym: bottom/pit
   antonym: zenith/peak
   sentence: After being fired, Charles realized his professional life was at its nadir.

Word Part for the Week

• ism
  • definition: doctrine
  • origin: Greek
  • words containing ism: Marxism, capitalism, Cubism, nihilism, pluralism

Weekly Vocabulary: Lesson #5

Name:  __________________

1. prodigious (adj)
   
   definition: impressively great in extent, size, or degree
   synonym: immense/huge
   antonym: small/meager
   sentence: Studying for final exams often seems like a prodigious task.
    
2. reverent (adj)
   
   definition: feeling or showing deep, solemn respect
   synonym: admiring/devout
   antonym: disrespectful/rude
   sentence: The soldiers’ reverent silence during the speech impressed their commander.
    
3. insolvent (v)
   
   definition: unable to pay one’s debts
   synonym: broken/bankrupt
   antonym: rich/wealthy
   sentence: The court declared my aunt’s video rental business insolvent.
    
4. savant (n.)
   
   definition: an especially intelligent person
   synonym: genius/scholar
   antonym: dolt/simpleton
   sentence: You know that girl with the perfect S.A.T. score? She’s a savant in the making.
    
5. spurn (v)
   
   definition: to reject with hatred
   synonym: scorn/rebuff
   antonym: welcome/accept
   sentence: Mikey is such a picky eater that he spurns everything except chicken nuggets and French fries.

Word Part for the Week

• cogn
  • definition: know
  • origin: Greek
  • words containing cogn: recognize, cognizant, incognito, precognition

Weekly Vocabulary: Lesson #6

Name:  __________________

1. Fastidious (adj)
   
   definition: very attentive to detail
   synonym: Perfectionist/fussy
   antonym: Careless/sloppy
   sentence: Arrogant and fastidious, the diva made no friends on her music tour.
    
2. Duplicity (n)
   
   definition: deceitfulness and dishonesty
   synonym: Deception/fraud
   antonym: Honesty/truthfulness
   sentence: The crooked accountant used financial duplicity to embezzle money from his clients.
    
3. Hackneyed (adj)
   
   definition: Lacking significance because of overuse
   synonym: Unoriginal/trite
   antonym: Fresh/new
   sentence: Despite the movie’s hackneyed plot, I still enjoyed the chemistry between the two stars.
    
4. Esoteric (adj)
   
   definition: Understood by only a small specialized audience
   synonym: Obscure/complex
   antonym: Simple/common
   sentence: Julia loved to discuss the esoteric elements of chaos theory.
    
5. Cherubic (adj)
   
   definition: Having the childlike innocence or plump prettiness of a young angel
   synonym: Adorable/sweet
   antonym: Devilish/scary
   sentence: With his cherubic face and good manners, Pedro always was able to trick his parents.

Word Part for the Week

• sur
  • definition: over
  • origin: Latin
  • words containing sur: surplus, surpass, surcharge, surface, surname, surmount

Weekly Vocabulary: Lesson #7

Name:  __________________

1. Abate (v)
   
   definition: to become less intense or widespread
   synonym: ease/diminish
   antonym: increase/worsen
   sentence: In time, his anger will abate, and he’ll forgive you.
    
2. Clemency (n)
   
   definition: a decision not to punish someone
   synonym: mercy/forgiveness
   antonym: mercilessness/hard-heartedness
   sentence: The president granted clemency to his former business partner, a man convicted of embezzlement.
    
3. Lurid (adj)
   
   definition: presented in shocking or sensational terms
   synonym: tawdry/sordid
   antonym: discreet/restrained
   sentence: Lurid headlines are effective at grabbing the public’s attention.
    
4. Gall (n)
   
   definition: bold, disrespectful behavior
   synonym: nerve/cheekiness
   antonym: humility/kindness
   sentence: Can you believe Andrea had the gall to yell at her parents after they bailed her out of jail?
    
5. Kinetic (adj)
   
   definition: of, relating to, or resulting from motion
   synonym: animated/active
   antonym: still/lethargic
   sentence: Kinetic learners are students who learn best when they are allowed to move around and be active.

Word Part for the Week

• alter
  • definition: other
  • origin: Latin
  • words containing alter: alteration, alternative, alter ego, alternator, altercation, altruism

Weekly Vocabulary: Lesson #8

Name:  __________________

1. mottled (adj)
   
   definition: covered with spots or patches of color
   synonym: speckled/stippled
   antonym: solid/unblemished
   sentence: The horse’s rare red-and-white mottled coat was highly prized by the animal’s owner.
    
2. accentuate (v)
   
   definition: to make more noticeable
   synonym: emphasize/highlight
   antonym: hide/cover
   sentence: Katie’s new haircut really accentuates her high cheekbones.
    
3. nascent (adj)
   
   definition: just beginning to come into existence
   synonym: dawning/fledgling
   antonym: ending/concluding
   sentence: No families have yet moved into the nascent subdivision built around the corner.
    
4. disparage (v)
   
   definition: to regard as being worthless
   synonym: belittle/scorn
   antonym: value/cherish
   sentence: At the height of the campaign, it was common to hear the candidates verbally disparage each other.
    
5. pariah (n)
   
   definition: a person who is, or should be, excluded
   synonym: outcast/outsider
   antonym: insider/citizen
   sentence: The star athlete became a social pariah after being convicted of numerous domestic violence charges.

Word Part for the Week

• astr
  • definition: star
  • origin: Greek
  • words containing astr: astronomy, astrology, asteroid, disaster, asterisk

Weekly Vocabulary: Lesson #9

Name:  __________________

1. sequester (v)
   
   definition: to remove or hide away
   synonym: isolate/seclude
   antonym: embrace/include
   sentence: The judge ordered police officers to sequester the witness in a safe house.
    
2. caustic (adj)
   
   definition: sarcastic in a scathing way
   synonym: bitter/acidic
   antonym: sweet/helpful
   sentence: Mildred’s caustic personality makers her ill-suited to be a flight attendant.
    
3. unwieldy (adj)
   definition: difficult to carry or move because of size, shape, or weight
   synonym: bulky/cumbersome
   antonym: light/convenient
   sentence: It took my brothers three hours to move the unwieldy entertainment center out of our apartment.
    
4. coalesce (v)
   
   definition: to come together and form one mass or whole
   synonym: merge/fuse
   antonym: divide/separate
   sentence: Gloria can take random items from any closet and coalesce them into an attractive outfit.
    
5. expedite (v)
   
   definition: to make happen sooner or more quickly
   synonym: accelerate/hasten
   antonym: delay/hinder
   sentence: For an extra fee, Amazon will  expedite the shipping of your order.

Word Part for the Week

• dyna
  • definition: power
  • origin: Greek
  • words containing dyna: dynamite, dynamo, dynamic, dynasty, dynamiter