1. The accelerated physics class is
designed for students who demonstrate
intellectual acuity.
• Acuity – (noun)
• Parts: ac(sharp); ity (state, quality)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Keenness or sharpness of thought, vision, or
hearing
• Synonyms: sharpness, acuteness
• Antonyms: dullness
• Variant forms: acute (adj) as in acute awareness
• Context Phrase:
2. The planet is least warm when it is at
aphelion.
• Aphelion - n
• Parts: ap (from, away); helios (sun)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: The point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid, or
comet at which it is furthest from the sun
• Synonyms: na
• Antonyms: perihelion
• Variant forms: na
• Context Phrase:
3. We were shocked that the old book we had
purchased at the yard sale for only one dollar is a
bona fide first edition and , therefore, worth
thousands of dollars.
• Bona fide- adj
• Parts: bon (good); fid ( faith)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Done or made in good faith, Authentic, In
law, without intention to deceive (adv)
• Synonyms: real, genuine, sincere, attested, reliable
• Antonyms: fake, forged, fraudulent, bogus, phony
• Variant forms: bona fides (n) a person’s honesty
• Context Phrase:
4. I called to commiserate with my friend
who was also cut from the team on the last
day of tryouts.
• Commiserate – verb
• Parts: com (together); miser (pity, wretch); ate (cause)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: to express or feel sympathy, pity, or sorrow
• Synonyms: sympathize, condole, empathize
• Antonyms: ignore, reject
• Variant forms: Commiseration (n) commiseratively (adv)
• Context Phrase:
5. The cornucopia centerpiece symbolizes
autumn and a plentiful harvest.
• cornucopia - noun
• Parts: corn (horn)copia (plenty) “a horn of plenty”
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: a symbol of prosperity consisting of a goat’s
horn overflowing with fruits, flowers, etc., horn shaped
container, an abundant supply of good things
• Synonyms: abundance, plethora, superfluity
• Antonyms: dearth, scarcity, shortage
• Variant forms:na
• Context Phrase:
6. How disappointing for the committee to
deprecate the plan we had struggled to
create!
• Deprecate - verb
• Parts: de (down, away); precari (pray)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: To express disproval of
• Synonyms: depreciate, belittle, disparage, disapprove
• Antonyms: approve, sanction, endorse, support
• Variant forms: deprecation(n), deprecatingly (adv)
• Context Phrase:
7. I asked for his opinion of the verdict,
but I had to endure a diatribe against the
judicial system.
• Diatribe - noun
• Parts: dia ( through); tribein (rub) literally, wearing away
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: A forceful, bitter, abusive criticism or attack
of someone or something
• Synonyms: denunciation, invective, condemnation
• Antonyms: commendation, praise, approval
• Variant forms: na
• Context Phrase:
8. Her collection of books by many
authors and on every imaginable subject is
proof of her eclectic literary taste.
• Eclectic - adj
• Parts: ec (out, from); lect (choose)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Deriving ideas, style, or taste from a diverse
range of sources, choosing the best from diverse
systems, sources, or styles, person who does such
• Synonyms: catholic (all embracing) inclusive, divergent
• Antonyms: limited, restricted, specialized
• Variant forms: eclectically (adv), eclecticism (n)
• Context Phrase:
9. To encourage his team to develop esprit de
corps, the coach and players wore t-shirts with
the motto “ all for one and one for all” during
every practice.
• Esprit de corps – (n)
• Parts: esprit (spirit)de (of) corps (body)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: A common spirit of pride, comradeship,
enthusiasm, and devotion to a cause among members of
a group
• Synonyms: camaraderie, loyalty, unity
• Antonyms: disloyalty
• Variant forms: na
• Context Phrase:
10. The queen’s coronation was a
grandiloquent celebration of the transfer of
power.
• grandiloquent – adj.
• Parts: grand (great); loqu (speak); ent (full of)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Pompous or extravagant in language, style, or
manner, especially in a way that is intended to impress.
• Synonyms: grandiose, pompous, uppity, bombastic
• Antonyms: unpretentious, simple, humble, servile, lowly
• Variant forms: grandiloquence (n), grandiloquently (adv)
• Context Phrase:
11. The movie star appeared incognito at
the premier of her film.
• Incognito – ( adj. or adv.)
• Parts: in (not); cogn (know)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Having one’s true identity concealed
A state of disguise (n), a person in disguise (n)
• Synonyms: disguised, camouflaged, veiled, deceptively
• Antonyms: unhidden, openly, identified, unmasked
• Variant forms: incognita (feminine)
• Context Phrase:
12. Training to compete for an Olympic
gold medal requires an inordinate amount
of time and commitment.
• inordinate – adj.
• Parts: in(not); ordin(order, arrange); ate(characterized by
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Exceeding reasonable limits; Not restrained
by prescribed rules or bounds
• Synonyms: excessive, immoderate, unlimited
• Antonyms: moderate, reasonable, short, sufficient
• Variant forms: inordinately (adv)
• Context Phrase:
13. The police chief’s explanation of the
situation failed to mollify the protestors.
• Mollify - verb
• Parts: moll (lessen); fy (make, do)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: To lessen the anger or anxiety of someone,
To reduce the violence or intensity of
• Synonyms: placate, appease, ameliorate, abate, alleviate
• Antonyms: enrage, infuriate, incite, taunt, agitate
• Variant forms: mollification (n) mollifier (n)
• Context Phrase:
14. His use of sophisticated vocabulary
conveyed his interest in philology.
• Philology - noun
• Parts:phil(love of, fondness); log(word); y (result of)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: The branch of knowledge that deals with the
structure, historical development, and relationships of a
language or languages, literary or classical scholarship
• Synonyms: lingusitics
• Antonyms: na
• Variant forms: philologer (n); philologist (n)
• Context Phrase:
15. Being quiescent and waiting for better working
conditions had yielded no change, so the workers
decided to organize for a strike.
• quiescent - adj
• Parts: quiescere (quiet); ent (full of)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: In a state or period of inactivity or dormancy
• Synonyms: inactive, dormant, latent, placid, calm
• Antonyms: active, dynamic, vivacious, spirited
• Variant forms: quiescence (n), quiescently (adv.)
• Context Phrase:
16. Many people are concerned about the
moral and ethical ramifications of cloning
human beings.
• ramification – n.
• Parts: ramus(branch)fic (make,do)ation (act of)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: a development or consequence, often
unwelcome, resulting from or complicating a problem,
plan or statement
• Synonyms: result, effect, implication, extension, offshoot
• Antonyms: cause
• Variant forms: ramify (v)
• Context Phrase:
17. I wish I could think of a retort when
someone says something to embarrass me, but
I usually just stand there speechless.
• Retort – n.
• Parts: re (back); tort (twist)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: a sharp, quick, incisive reply that turns the
first speaker’s words to his disadvantage, to reply to a
remark in a sharp, angry, witty way
• Synonyms: comeback, rejoinder, rejoin, reply, respond
• Antonyms: na
• Variant forms: retorter (n)
• Context Phrase:
18. To protect national security, the
President decided to hold the meeting sub
rosa.
• sub rosa - adv.
• Parts: sub (under); rosa (rose) the practice of hanging a rose over a secret meeting
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Done or happening in secret; intended to be
secret (adj)
• Synonyms: private, clandestine, confidential, secretive
• Antonyms: public, open
• Variant forms: na
• Context Phrase:
19. Suffering from triskaidekaphobia, the
tourist refused to stay on the thirteenth
floor of the hotel.
• Triskaidekaphobia – (n.)
• Parts: tris(three), kai (and), deca (ten); phobia (fear of)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: An extreme superstition regarding the
number thirteen
• Synonyms: na
• Antonyms: na
• Variant forms: na
• Context Phrase:
20. In handcuffs and shackles, the
defendant vociferated to the jury that had
just found him guilty.
• vociferated - verb
• Parts: voc (call, voice); fer (carry); ate (become)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: To shout, complain, or argue loudly or
vehemently; to cry out in protest
• Synonyms: bellow, shout, clamor, protest, yell
• Antonyms: acquiesce, agree, accept, concur, concede
• Variant forms: vociferous (adj); vociferously (adv)
• Context Phrase: