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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 .”

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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!”

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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.”

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Part of Speech – noun / adjective
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 .”

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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.”

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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.”

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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!)”

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Part of Speech – verb
Definition – 1. To make clear; to explain
Word Root – luc , light ate , to make
Sample Sentence – “Allow me to elucidate the reasons why
I’m breaking up with you on Valentine’s Day.”

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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 .”

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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.”

Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – Deserving praise; praiseworthy; commendable
Word Root – laud , praise
Sample Sentence – “Conant’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.”

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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.”

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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.”

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Part of Speech – noun
Definition – Keen insight
Word Root – acu , sharp
Sample Sentence –
Hannibal Lecter : Why do you think he removes their skins, Agent Starling? Enthrall me with your acumen.
Clarice Starling : It excites him. Most serial killers keep some sort of trophies from their victims.
Hannibal Lecter : I didn't.
Clarice Starling : No. No, you ate yours.

:
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 .”

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – Having little regard for anything other than one’s own interests.
Word Root – ego , I / self centric , center
Sample Sentence – “Nobody can stand Sharon and her perpetually egocentric mentality. Get over yourself!”

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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.”

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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.”

Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – of or pertaining to time; especially the present and passing moment.
Word Root – temp , time
Sample Sentence – “He’s old! But I don’t mean his age in the temporal sense….he’s just mature for his age.”

Part of Speech – noun
Definition – accuracy; conformity to truth or fact.
Word Root – ver , truth
Sample Sentence – “I always do some research after a politician’s speech to check the veracity of the claims that they make.”

Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – not open to question or dispute; indisputable
Word Root – in , not contra , against vert , turn
Sample Sentence – “No call in football can be overturned unless there is incontrovertible evidence that the call was wrong.”

Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – tending to talk much; talkative
Word Root – loqu , speak ous , full of
Sample Sentence – “A new teacher might have trouble dealing with a loquacious group of students.”

Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – One color; being made in shades of the same color
Word Root – mono , one chrome , color
Sample Sentence – “Picasso made be most famous for his blue monochrome paintings.”

Part of Speech – noun
Definition – Independence or freedom, usually regarding one’s actions.
Word Root – auto , self
Sample Sentence – “The boys on the island were both blessed and cursed with complete autonomy .”

Part of Speech – noun
Definition – The art of writing words with the proper letters; correct spelling.
Word Root – ortho , straight graph , write
Sample Sentence – “Most students focus on orthography when they are young, but neglect the practice when they are older.”

Part of Speech – noun
Definition – The action of looking back on the past.
Word Root – retro , back/behind spect , look
Sample Sentence – “In retrospection, I probably never should have made so much fun of my little sister.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – Showing or expressing love
Word Root – amor , love ous, full of
Sample Sentence – He wrote her a very amorous poem in hopes that she would read it and say “yes” to his invitation to
Homecoming.

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Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – uncertainty or fluctuation, especially when one is drawn to do two opposite things.
Word Root – ambi , both
Sample Sentence – Americans today sadly have an ambivalent attitude toward divorce.

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Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – The second to last
Word Root – ultima , last
Sample Sentence – Go down the list of directions, but skip the penultimate direction.

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Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – not satisfied or content with current circumstances.
Word Root – mal , bad
Sample Sentence – Cassius and his allies are malcontent with Caesar’s calling himself
“Dictator-for-Life.”

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Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – can have several possible meanings or interpretations; lacking clearness.
Word Root – ambi , both
Sample Sentence – The omens in Julius
Caesar have very ambiguous meanings.

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Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – referring to a period of 200 years
Word Root – bi , two cent , 100 enni , year
Sample Sentence – American celebrated its bicentennial anniversary in 1976.

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Part of Speech – noun
Definition – a system of merit based on skill and talent.
Word Root – cracy , rule/govern
Sample Sentence – Many thinkers today suggest that politics should be a meritocracy rather than a shouting match.

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Part of Speech – verb
Definition – to bring or restore to a state of peace.
Word Root – pac , peace
Sample Sentence – The coach tried to pacify parent complaints, but was largely unsuccessful.

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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.”

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Part of Speech – noun
Definition – a feeling of natural aversion toward something.
Word Root – anti , against pathy, feeling
Sample Sentence – Cassius has an innate antipathy for anyone who might rule over him.

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Part of Speech – noun
Definition – an unthankful person
Word Root – in , not grat, pleasing
Sample Sentence – Antony was a lousy ingrate who didn’t appreciate what Brutus did for him.

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Part of Speech – noun
Definition – a discordant and meaningless mixture of sounds.
Word Root – phon , sound
Sample Sentence – David’s dad tried to enjoy his son’s class’s recorder concert, but all the children’s sounds were just cacophony.

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Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – referring to before a war
Word Root – bell, war
Sample Sentence – The American
Antebellum period contained an affluent but tense atmosphere.

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Part of Speech – noun
Definition – the improving of the human species through selective breeding practices.
Word Root – eu , good gen , kind
Sample Sentence – The Nazis infamously sponsored eugenics by encouraging Aryan reproduction and inhibiting Jewish reproduction.

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Part of Speech – adjective
Definition – friendly or agreeable; festive
Word Root – con , together viv , live
Sample Sentence – The music, food, and laughter made Jensen feel more comfortable in the convivial atmosphere.

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Part of Speech – noun
Definition – a person who denies or doubts the possibility of ultimate knowledge.
Word Root – a , not gno , know
Sample Sentence – Drummond and
Hornbeck are Inherit the Wind’s two staunch agnostics.