Abjure- (v.) to reject or renounce
Abrogate- (v.) to abolish, usually by authority
Acerbic- (adj.) biting, bitter in tone or taste
Put the word to use!
Abjure:
0 Define it in your own words.
0 Write a sentence using the word that describes your weekend.
Abrogate:
0 Draw a picture that depicts/reflects the word.
0 List two synonyms and one antonym.
Acerbic:
0 Briefly describe a memory that reminds you of this word.
0 Write a sentence that uses this word as a predicate adjective.
(Predicate adjective- an adjective that modifies/describes the
subject of the sentence.
ex. The king is happy.)
Pair and Share!
0 With a partner, select one of the SAT words, and write
the selected word on a note card. Next, find an item in
the classroom that the word relates to, and tape your
notecard to this item.
SAT Words for 8/17/15
Acumen-(n.) keen insight
Adumbrate-(v.) to sketch out in a vague way
Alacrity-(n.) eagerness, speed
Describe how one of the
following people embodies
acumen.
Write a sentence about an experience that you had while
traveling that reminds you of the word adumbrate.
Ex. When I asked the gas station clerk for directions, she
began to adumbrate, and, as a result of her faulty
directions, I continued to drive aimlessly.
This week’s “Character Word of the Week” is
punctuality. Use the word alacrity in a sentence
that relates to being an excellent student.
Ex.
Punctuality and an alacrity for learning are great
qualities for a student wishing to excel in the academic
sphere to have.
Vocabulary 8/20/15
anathema
(n.) a cursed, detested person (I never want to see that murderer. He
is an anathema to me.)
antipathy
(n.) a strong dislike, repugnance (I know you love me, but because
you are a liar and a thief, I feel nothing but antipathy for you.)
approbation
(n.) praise (The crowd welcomed the heroes with approbation.)
Anathema:
0 Name a person in media that could be considered an
anathema.
Antipathy:
0 Describe an experience that you had that relates to
having antipathy towards someone or something.
Approbation:
0 What do you like to receive approbation for?
Pair and Share
0 With a partner, select one of the SAT words, and write
the selected word on a note card. Next, find an item in
the classroom that the word relates to, and tape your
notecard to this item.
blandish
0 (v.) to coax by using flattery (Rachel’s assistant tried
to blandish her into accepting the deal.)
boon
0 (n.) a gift or blessing (The good weather has been
a boon for many businesses located near the beach.)
brusque
0 (adj.) short, abrupt, dismissive (The
captain’s brusque manner offended the passengers.)
Put the words to use!
1. Describe an instance when you attempted to blandish
someone.
2. What is a boon that you were recently gifted with?
3. What actions or situations would cause you to be
brusque with someone?
Today’s SAT Words
buffet
1. (v.) to strike with force (The strong winds buffeted the ships,
threatening to capsize them.)
2. (n.) an arrangement of food set out on a table (Rather than
sitting around a table, the guests took food from our buffet and
ate standing up.)
burnish
(v.) to polish, shine (His mother asked him to burnish the
silverware before setting the table.)
buttress
1. (v.) to support, hold up (The column buttresses the roof above
the statue.)
2. (n.) something that offers support (The buttress supports the
roof above the statues.)
Put the Words to Use!
1. Use both the verb and noun forms of buffet in a
sentence.
2. List some items around your house that you might
burnish.
3. Buttress can also be a verb that means to reinforce.
In what ways do you buttress your opinion in an
argument or debate?
Today’s SAT Words
cacophony
(n.) tremendous noise, disharmonious sound (The elementary
school orchestra created a cacophony at the recital.)
cajole
(v.) to urge, coax (Fred’s buddies cajoled him into attending
the bachelor party.)
calumny
(n.) an attempt to spoil someone else’s reputation by
spreading lies (The local official’s calumny ended up
ruining his opponent’s prospect of winning the election.)
1. List three settings in which the noise level or
combination of noises creates a cacophony.
2. How could someone cajole you into doing
something that you do not want to do?
3. What are the dangers of calumny? Is the presence of
calumny a major issue amongst high school students
and social groups?
Today’s SAT Words
capricious
(adj.) subject to whim, fickle (The young girl’s capricious tendencies made it
difficult for her to focus on achieving her goals.)
clemency
(n.) mercy (After he forgot their anniversary, Martin could only beg Maria
for clemency.)
cogent
(adj.) intellectually convincing (Irene’s arguments in favor of civil rights were
so cogent that I could not resist them.)
Put the Words to Use!
1. Name a character from a movie or a book that is capricious
2. How do the characters that are accused of witchcraft within The Crucible
gain clemency?
3. Imagine that you are Puritan in the 1600s that has been accused of
witchcraft. What cogent argument could you propose that would convince
someone that you were not a witch/warlock?
Today’s SAT Words
conundrum
(n.) puzzle, problem (Interpreting Jane’s behavior was a
constant conundrum.)
credulity
(n.) readiness to believe (His credulity made him an easy
target for con men.)
cursory
(adj.) brief to the point of being superficial (Late for the
meeting, she cast a cursory glance at the agenda.)
Put the Words to Use!
1. What current conundrum is plaguing your life?
2. How does the credulity of the Puritan society result
in the witch trials and the downfall of their
community?
3. Who might you have a cursory conversation with?
Vocabulary Review
Use your vocabulary words to fill in the blanks in the sentences.
1. The court gave the young juvenile ___________ for his
crime, and presented him with a lighter sentence.
2. The young musicians created a huge ___________ when
they attempted to tune their instruments.
3. The politician used _______________ to slander his
opponent.
4. I attempted to have a ___________ conversation with
the sales representative, but she continued to talk.
Vocabulary Review:
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate vocabulary
words. (Quiz: 10/7 for Even, 10/8 for Odd)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Mrs. Baker enjoyed the large ______________ that was arranged in an assortment of cheeses,
fruits, meats, and baked goods.
The woman receiving the speeding ticket attempted to ________________ the police officer
into reducing the speed on the document, but the police officer was relentless.
The _________________ of world peace is an issue that will probably never be resolved due to
the differences in culture and values across the world.
The lawyer attempted to _____________ her argument and absolve her client of guilt by
calling a very important witness to the stand.
Brandon’s ____________ caused him to often be the victim of his friends’ jokes and hoaxes;
they knew that he would believe anything.
The homecoming queen representative attempted to use _____________ to ruin her
opponents reputation and steal their votes; however, she underestimated her classmates’
ability to not fall victim to ______________, and see through her lies.
The student’s ______________ answer impressed the teacher, and persuaded her into giving
him bonus points on his assignment.
The servant began to _____________ the golden ________________ that supported the holy
temple.
All of Jamie’s friends noticed her _______________ nature, and inability to stick with any
hobby or interest for long periods of time.
Today’s SAT Words
decry
(v.) to criticize openly (The kind video rental clerk decried the policy of
charging customers late fees.)
defile
(v.) to make unclean, impure (She defiled the calm of the religious
building by playing her banjo.)
deleterious
(adj.) harmful (She experienced the deleterious effects of running a
marathon without stretching her muscles enough beforehand.)
Put the Words to Use!
1. What are some instances when people decry an
issue or belief?
2. List five things that are defiled.
3. What are some behaviors that are deleterious to
success?
Today’s SAT Words
0 demure
(adj.) quiet, modest, reserved (Though everyone else at
the party was dancing and going crazy, she remained
demure.)
0 deprecate
(v.) to belittle, depreciate (Always over-modest, he
deprecated his contribution to the local charity.)
0 desiccated
(adj.) dried up, dehydrated (The skin of the desiccated
mummy looked like old paper.)
Put the Words to Use
0 1. Why are women encouraged by society to be
demure?
0 2. What does it mean to be self-deprecating? Why do
comedians often use this technique of comedy?
0 3. List three things that are desiccated.
Today’s SAT Words
discursive
(adj.) rambling, lacking order (The professor’s discursive lectures seemed
to be about every subject except the one initially described.)
dissemble
(v.) to conceal, fake (Not wanting to appear heartlessly greedy,
she dissembled and hid her intention to sell her ailing father’s stamp
collection.)
dither
(v.) to be indecisive (Not wanting to offend either friend, he dithered about
which of the two birthday parties he should attend.)
Put the Words to Use!
1. Why does someone’s speech become discursive
when they lie?
2. What are some things that people often dissemble?
3. Who is more likely to dither about something?
Women or men?
0 egregious
(adj.) extremely bad (The student who threw sloppy joes
across the cafeteria was punished for his egregious
behavior.)
0 enervate
(v.) to weaken, exhaust (Writing these sentences enervates
me so much that I will have to take a nap after I finish.)
0 ephemeral
(adj.) short-lived, fleeting (She promised she’d love me
forever, but her “forever” was only ephemeral: she left me
after one week.)
Put the Words to Use!
0 1. What are some behaviors or acts in our society that
are considered egregious?
0 2. How can an athlete successfully enervate their
opponent during a game or match?
0 3. Why is young love often ephemeral?
Vocabulary Review
1. Donald Trump began to ___________ his opponent’s
2.
3.
4.
5.
reputation by downplaying his credentials and
experience.
Mary didn’t know where she wanted to attend college,
and always started to ___________ whenever someone
asked.
The ____________ woman never gave her opinion unless she
was asked, and always spoke softly.
The runner was ____________ by the strenuous race, and
ended up losing.
Afraid of standing up against popular opinion, the young
man _______________ his feelings from the rest of the group.
Today’s SAT Words
0 expiate
(v.) to make amends for, atone (To expiate my
selfishness, I gave all my profits to charity.)
0 expunge
(v.) to obliterate, eradicate (Fearful of an IRS
investigation, Paul tried to expunge all incriminating
evidence from his tax files.)
0 extant
(adj.) existing, not destroyed or lost (My mother’s
extant love letters to my father are in the attic trunk.)
Put the Words to Use!
1. What is the best way to expiate any wrongdoing that
you have done onto someone else?
2. What is something that you would like to expunge
from your life?
3. List three extant memories or artifacts from your
childhood.
Today’s SAT Words
fallacious
(adj.) incorrect, misleading (Emily offered me cigarettes on the fallacious assumption that I
smoked.)
fastidious
(adj.) meticulous, demanding, having high and often unattainable standards (Mark is
so fastidious that he is never able to finish a project because it always seems
imperfect to him.)
fatuous
(adj.) silly, foolish (He considers himself a serious poet, but in truth, he only writes fatuous
limericks.)
Put the Words to Use!
1. Name someone who often exhibits fallacious
behavior.
2. What type of activities prompt you to be fastidious?
3. Who is the most fatuous person that you know?
Today’s SAT Words
fecund
(adj.) fruitful, fertile (The fecund tree bore enough apples to last
us through the entire season.)
feral
(adj.) wild, savage (That beast looks so feral that I would fear
being alone with it.)
fractious
(adj.) troublesome or irritable (Although the child insisted he
wasn’t tired, his fractious behavior—especially his decision
to crush his cheese and crackers all over the floor—
convinced everyone present that it was time to put him to
bed.)
Put the Words to Use!
1. How can you ensure that you have a fecund
semester?
2. Name someone or something that could possibly be
considered feral.
3. What behavior do you find most fractious?
Today’s SAT Words
garrulous
(adj.) talkative, wordy (Some talk-show hosts are
so garrulous that their guests can’t get a word in
edgewise.)
grandiloquence
(n.) lofty, pompous language (The student thought
her grandiloquence would make her sound smart, but
neither the class nor the teacher bought it.)
gregarious
(adj.) drawn to the company of others, sociable (Well, if you’re
not gregarious, I don’t know why you would want to go to a
singles party!)
Put the Words to Use!
1. Why is being garrulous often considered a negative
thing?
2. Name three authors that we have read that use
grandiloquence.
3. What situations require you to be gregarious?