Commiserate:
Part of Speech – verb
Definition – To feel or express sorrow or
sympathy for; empathize with; pity
Word Root – com, together
Sample Sentence –
“A true friend is one who can commiserate with those he
cares for.”
Voracious:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – exceedingly eager or avid.
Word Root – vor, eater
ous, full of
Sample Sentence –
“Stan was always a voracious reader of science fiction.”
“I used to voraciously collect antique chess boards.”
Circumlocution:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – 1. The use of unnecessarily wordy and indirect
language.
2. Evasiveness in speech or writing.
3. A roundabout expression.
Word Root –circum, around
loqui-, to speak
Sample Sentence – “The politician evaded talking about the
issue through circumlocution.”
Animosity:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – a feeling of strong dislike, ill will, or enmity
that tends to display itself in action.
Word Root – anim, mind
ous, full of
Sample Sentence – “The friends that once had
loved each other now shared a common animosity.”
Belligerent:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – of warlike character; aggressively hostile
Word Root – bell, war
Sample Sentence –
“My sister always talks to my parents with a belligerent
tone.”
“I will not tolerate your belligerence any longer!”
Vacuous:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – 1. Lacking intelligence; stupid.
2. Devoid of matter; empty.
Word Root –vac, empty
ous, full of
Sample Sentence – “I tried explaining it to him, but his
expression remained vacuous and uncomprehending.”
Cosmopolitan:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – belonging to all the world; not limited to just
one part of the world
Word Root – cosm, world
polis, city
Sample Sentence – “His mother was Russian and
his dad was Peruvian…he was a true
cosmopolitan.”
Perambulate:
Part of Speech – verb
Definition – To walk through, about, or over.
Word Root – peri, around
ambul, to walk
Sample Sentence – “As you take the test I will be
perambulating in case you have any questions.”
“He generally perambulated near her table once or twice
each day during lunch.”
Dormant:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – Lying asleep; a state of inactivity.
Word Root – dorm, sleep
Sample Sentence – “The cold weather and darker days
usually make most teens rather dormant during much of
winter break.”
Euphony:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – agreeableness of sound; pleasing effect on the
ear
Word Root – eu, good
phon, sound
Sample Sentence – “Good poetry always seems to have a
euphonious succession of words.”
Patriarchy:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – a social organization in which the father is the
supreme authority (in tribes or families, not necessarily in
government)
Word Root – pater, father
archy, government
Sample Sentence – “Capable women have for
centuries sought to escape the oppression of
traditional patriarchies.”
Symbiotic:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – an interdependent, mutually
beneficial relationship between two organisms.
Word Root – sym, together
bio, life
Sample Sentence – “The two hugged each other in
a momentary symbiotic exchange of encouragement.”
Soliloquy:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – The act of talking while or as if alone.
Word Root – sol, alone
loqui, to speak
Sample Sentence – “Hamlet’s famous soliloquy begins with
the words ‘To be or not to be.’”
Fiduciary:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – 1. A person who holds property or power in
trust for another.
Word Root –fid, trust
Sample Sentence – “The teacher was fiduciary for John’s
flowers, promising to hold them until he could give it to Nikki
in 6th period.”
“The government is responsible for all fiduciary distribution.”
Intransigent:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – refusing to agree or compromise
Word Root – in, not
trans, across
Sample Sentence – “My father’s intransigent
character forced me to date my first girlfriend
secretly.
Equanimity:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – Mental or emotional stability or composure,
especially when under stress.
Word Root – equi, equal
anim, mind
Sample Sentence – “Those who are veteran performers
understand how to operate with equanimity during intense
situations (go dancers, musicians, and athletes!)”
Verisimilitude:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – The appearance or semblance of truth; the
quality of seeming to be true.
Word Root – ver, truth
Sample Sentence – “Good playwrights attempt to depict
their characters with verisimilitude.”
“Teachers’ statements always have the luster of
verisimilitude, but believe only half of what you hear.”
Recapitulate:
Part of Speech – verb
Definition – 1. To repeat in concise form; to make a
summary (recap).
Word Root – re-, again
capit, head
ate, to make
Sample Sentence – “After the teacher gives her lecture,
she always asks a student to recapitulate.”
Verbose:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – Characterized by the use of many or too many
words; wordy
Word Root – verb, word
Sample Sentence – “Your ideas are good, but your writing
is verbose.”
“I try to avoid the more verbose teachers in the hallway so
they don’t chat my ear off for too long.”
Laudable
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – Deserving praise; praiseworthy; commendable
Word Root – laud, praise
Sample Sentence – “Laudando’s efforts this football season
were quite laudable. Good luck next year!”
“He made a laudable attempt at making it known that he
wanted Shelly to ask him to Turnabout, but to no avail – she
asked Kyle.”
Vivacious:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – Lively or animated; full of energy
Word Root – viv, live/life
ous, full of
Sample Sentence – “Jack’s tribe performed the vivacious
pig hunting dance before they inadvertently killed Simon.”
Neologism:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – A new word, usage, or phrase
Word Root – neo, new
logos, word
Sample Sentence – “Gerschlunk!” said Nicole as she
dropped her books….she relied on neologisms instead of
actual curse words.
Jessie might say “This cake tastes very….ummm….scrumdiddly-umptious!” because no real word contains the
enthusiasm she expresses with her neologism.
Vociferous:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – crying out noisily; clamorous;
Word Root – voc, voice
ous, full of
Sample Sentence – “Ralph gave vociferous
objections to the boys ignoring the fire.”
Amorphous:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – lacking definite form; having no specific shape
Word Root – a, not/without
morph, shape
ous, full of
Sample Sentence – “He puffed an amorphous cloud of
smoke in her face before she could even confront him.”
“His personality was as unpredictable and amorphous as the
wind.”
Corporeal:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – Of the nature of the physical body; bodily.
Word Root – corp, body
Sample Sentence – “Comfort food might meet her
corporeal needs, but what could heal her spirit?”
“The angel took on a corporeal form to finally appear to the
man whom he had always looked after.”
Posthumous:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – arising, occurring, or continuing after ones
death.
Word Root – post, after
Sample Sentence – “Tupac is the only person I know who
still magically seems to be publishing new albums
posthumously.”
Euphemism:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – The substitution of a mild or indirect phrase for
one that is usually considered harsh or blunt.
Word Root – eu, good
Sample Sentence – “You’re about to buy the farm!” my
father would euphemize as he was about to beat me at RBI
Baseball, again.
Contravene:
Part of Speech – verb
Definition – To come or be in conflict with; to infringe or
trangress.
Word Root – contra, against
Sample Sentence – “If you morally disagree with a law, is it
still okay to contravene it?”
“The good-for-nothing husband contravened every sentence
of his wife’s with an excuse.”
Verbatim:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – Corresponding word for word with the original
source or text.
Word Root – verb, word
Sample Sentence – “Mr. Catapano quoted ‘The Raven’
verbatim last semester.”
“The secretary took down her boss’s words verbatim.”
Circumspect:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – watchful and discreet; cautious;
prudent.
Word Root – circum, around
spect, look
Sample Sentence – “Fearing potential danger, he
entered the dark alley with very circumspect
behavior.”
Autocracy:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – Government in which one person has
uncontrolled/unlimited authority over others.
Word Root – auto, self
cracy, rule/govern
Sample Sentence – “America fears nothing more
than becoming an autocracy.”
Monogamous:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – Marriage with only one other person at a time.
Word Root – mono, one
gamy, marriage
ous, full of
Sample Sentence – “Hopefully you have been faithful in
each of your relationships….this will easily lead to a
monogamous mindset when you’re with your future spouse.”
Mortify:
Part of Speech – verb
Definition – To humiliate or shame, as by injuring a person’s
pride and self-respect.
Word Root – mort, death
Sample Sentence – “The ambitious mother mortified her
daughter when she called the teacher herself!”
Egotistical:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – given to talking about oneself; vain; boastful;
opinionated; indifferent to the well-being of others.
Word Root – ego, I
Sample Sentence – “Laura was always an egotistical teen,
so self-absorbed, telling and retelling that stupid story about
her and the raft.”
Confluence:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – The flowing together of two or more streams; a
coming together of people or things.
Word Root – con, together
flu, flow
Sample Sentence – “A confluence of negative events
transpired that caused the downfall of Jack and Jill’s
relationship.”
Jurisdiction:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – The right, power, or authority to administer
justice.
Word Root – jur, rule/law
dict, speak
Sample Sentence – “Who has jurisdiction to enforce the
laws in Hoffman Estates?”
Centrifugal:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – moving or directed outward from the center
Word Root – centri, center
(fug, flee)
Sample Sentence – “A finely-tuned combination of gravity
and centrifugal force keep Earth in orbit around the sun.”
Invocation:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – Any petition or supplication for help or aid,
usually to a deity.
Word Root – voc, voice
in, in
Sample Sentence – “He muttered a petty invocation
before stepping foot onto the battlefield.”
Concentric:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – Having a common center, usually in
circles or spheres.
Word Root – con, together
centric, center
Sample Sentence – “He threw the pebble into the
lake, watching as the peaceful concentric circles
drifted outwards.
Ambulatory:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – of, pertaining to, or capable of walking.
Word Root – ambul, walk
Sample Sentence – “He asked to go to the
bathroom, but really went on his daily ambulatory
exploration of the hallways until he got caught.”
“She preferred the wheel-chair’s comforts, but was
still somewhat ambulatory when she needed to be.”
Acronym:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – A word formed from the initial letters of a group
of words.
Word Root – acro, high
nym, name
Sample Sentence – “OPEC, NAFTA, NAACP, NCAA, UN,
USA, and AWOL are all acronyms.”
Benediction:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – An utterance of good wishes, usually spoken at
the end of a religious service.
Word Root – bene, good
dict, speak, say
Sample Sentence – “On the last day of the school, the
teacher couldn’t help but conclude the year by giving a warm
benediction and plenty of candy to his class.”
Homogeneous:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – Composed of elements that are all of the same
kind.
Word Root – homo, same
gen, kind
ous, full of
Sample Sentence – “We are all high school sophomores
from the Schaumburg area…our class is pretty
homogeneous.
Extrovert:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – An outgoing, gregarious person.
Word Root – extra, beyond, outside of
vert, turned
Sample Sentence – “I was quite the introvert
as a freshman, but quite an extrovert by the
time I graduated.”
Eccentric:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – Deviating from the customary practice;
irregular; peculiary
Word Root – ex, outside of
centric, center
Sample Sentence –
“Old Man Wiley is known for his particularly
eccentric views on environmentalism…he thinks
trees are trying to kill us!”
Pachyderm:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – A thick-skinned, hoofed mammal
(usually an elephant, rhino, hippo, or triceratops)
Word Root – pachy, thick
derm, skin
Sample Sentence – “My sister likes the lions and
tigers, but I like seeing the pachyderms the most at
the zoo.”
Periphery:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – The external boundary of any area; usually the
unimportant, minor elements of a given subject.
Word Root – peri, around / enclosing
Sample Sentence – “I’d talk about Shakespeare’s
motivations for writing Julius Caesar, but that’s more on the
periphery of what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Subterranean:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – existing or operating below the surface of the
earth; out of sight.
Word Root – sub, under
terra, land
Sample Sentence – “My explorations led me to discover a
massive subterranean cavern that I’m certain no one had
ever seen before.”
Automaton:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – a person or animal that acts in a
monotonous, routine manner, without active
intelligence.
Word Root – auto, self
Sample Sentence – “I’m tired of being some automaton
shoved in the corner of an office doing mindless and
meaningless work all day.”
Magnanimous:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – generous in forgiving insults; noble or
high-minded; not petty.
Word Root – magn, great
anim, mind
ous, full of
Sample Sentence – “Our kind and forgiving king is
a just and magnanimous ruler.”
Nascent:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – beginning to develop or exist.
Word Root – nasc, birth
Sample Sentence – “The dictator’s hunger
for power threatened the nascent republic’s
very existence.”
Potentate:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – A person who possesses great power,
as a sovereign, monarch, or ruler.
Word Root – potent, power
ate, to make
Sample Sentence – “All the potentates of the world
conferred together to solve the global hunger crisis
that abounded.”
Extemporaneous:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – Speaking or performing with little or no
advanced preparation.
Word Root – ex, outside of
temp, time
ous, full of
Sample Sentence – “Because Eugene had such a
busy schedule, his speech in English the following
day was performed rather extemporaneously.
Gregarious:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – fond of the company of others;
sociable
Word Root – greg, herd
ous, full of
Sample Sentence – “Jack was too gregarious of a
person pass up an exciting Friday night for staying
home and studying.”
Interregnum:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – any period of time between the end of one
ruler’s reign and the beginning of the next; any period of
freedom from the usual authority.
Word Root – inter, between
reg, rule / guide
Sample Sentence – “The king’s unexpected death and lack
of heirs brought a prolonged interregnum to the usually
peaceful kingdom.”
Unequivocal:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – Very clear; having only one possible
interpretation or meaning.
Word Root – un, not
equi, equal
voc, voice
Sample Sentence – “Then, with an unequivocal
shout, Tommy enthusiastically announced he and
Sandra just got engaged.”
Interminable:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – Monotonously or annoyingly unending.
Word Root – in, not
term, end
Sample Sentence – The anxious seniors
commented that their final year of high school
seemed interminable.
Retrospection:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – The action or process of looking back on things
past.
Word Root – retro, back / behind
spect, look
Sample Sentence – In retrospection, Mr. Braintwizzler
realized that he probably should not have kicked his cat into
the fireplace this morning.
Pseudonym:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – A false name, usually used by authors.
Word Root – pseudo, false
nym, name
Sample Sentence – Female authors often wrote
under male pseudonyms to get their works
published.
Immutable:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – Unchangeable, changeless.
Word Root – in, not
mut, change
Sample Sentence – Caesar proudly claims
that he has an immutable nature – nothing
can change him.
Prerogative:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – An exclusive right or privilege
exercised by one in authority.
Word Root – pre, before
rogat, ask
Sample Sentence – It was the teacher’s
prerogative to stop the class discussion before it
went to far.
Cognizance:
Part of Speech – noun
Definition – Awareness, realization, or
knowledge.
Word Root – cogn, to know
Sample Sentence – I don’t remember
anything in my childhood that happened prior
to when I had cognizance.
Polyglot:
Part of Speech – adjective (or could be a noun)
Definition – containing or made up of several
languages.
Word Root – poly, many
glot, tongue
Sample Sentence – The Olympics is always a
polyglot festival of athletics and sportsmanship.
Amorous:
Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – Showing or expressing love
Word Root – amor, love
Sample Sentence – He wrote her a very
amorous poem in hopes that she would read
it and say “yes” to his invitation to
Homecoming.