1. My mother’s admonitory look motivated
me to change my behavior immediately or
face very unpleasant consequences.
• Admonitory – (adj)
• Parts: ad(to); monit (warn); ory (pertaining to)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: giving or conveying a warning or reprimand;
Expressing cautionary advice or warning
• Synonyms: warning, foreboding, dissuading,threatening
• Antonyms: urging, encouraging, fostering
• Variant forms: admonish (v) admonition (n)
• Context Phrase:
2. Winning the Presidency is definitely
the apogee of his political career.
• Apogee - n
• Parts: apo (away); geo (earth)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: The highest point in the development of
something; The point in the orbit of the moon or a
satellite at which it is furthest from the earth,
• Synonyms: apex, zenith, acme, culmination
• Antonyms: perigee, base, depth, bottom, abyss, nadir
• Variant forms: apogean (adj)
• Context Phrase:
3. The cacophonous birds in the chimney
annoyed me as I tried to watch television.
• Cacophonous- adj
• Parts: caco (bad); phon (sound); ous (full of)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Having a harsh, unpleasant sound;
Figuratively, an unpleasing mixture or combination
(cacophonous display of furniture)
• Synonyms: jarring, grating, irritating, discordant
• Antonyms: pleasant, euphonious, soothing, harmonious
• Variant forms: cacophony (n)
• Context Phrase:
4. I expected a simple answer to my
question, but the professor’s desultory
response left me very confused.
• desultory – adj.
• Parts: de (down, from); sult (jump);ory (pertaining to)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Moving or jumping from one thing to
another; Occurring haphazardly; Lacking a plan or
purpose
• Synonyms: disconnected, rambling, discursive, random
• Antonyms: firm, methodical, coherent, straightforward
• Variant forms: desultorily (adv); desultoriness (n)
• Context Phrase:
5. Rather than trying to resolve their
differences, the committee members
quickly became defensive and discordant.
• Discordant – (adj)
• Parts: dis(apart, away); cord(heart); ant (characterized by
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Disagreeing or incongruous; characterized by
quarreling and conflict; Harsh and jarring because of
lack of harmony; Appearing strange and out of place
• Synonyms: cacophonous, conflicting, disagreeable
• Antonyms: agreeable, harmonious, cooperative
• Variant forms:disconcordance(n); discord (n)
• Context Phrase:
6. Although the Constitution declares that “All
men are created equal,” is it realistic to think
that our society can ever be truly egalitarian?
• Egalitarian - adj
• Parts: aequalis(equal); ian (related to)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Of, relating to, or believing in the principle
that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and
opportunities
• Synonyms: classless, democratic
• Antonyms: na
• Variant forms: egalitarianism (n)
• Context Phrase:
7. The euphoria of winning the conference
championship vanished quickly when we
lost the first game in the state playoffs.
• Euphoria - noun
• Parts: eu (good); phor (bear, produce, yield) ia (state)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: A feeling or state of intense excitement and
happiness or well being
• Synonyms: rapture, ecstasy, joy, elation, ebullience
• Antonyms: doldrums, trouble, despair, unhappiness
• Variant forms: euphoric (adj.)
• Context Phrase:
8. The politician’s youthful looks and
gregarious personality make him very
popular with voters.
• Gregarious – adj.
• Parts: greg (flock, gather); ious (full of)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Fond of company; Seeking and enjoying the
company of others; Tending to move in or form a group,
as a herd or flock with others of the same kind
• Synonyms: sociable, outgoing, extroverted, friendly
• Antonyms: unsociable, unfriendly, inhospitable
• Variant forms: gregariously (adv); gregariousness (n)
• Context Phrase:
9. They talked about inconsequential things
to avoid discussing the seriousness of the
situation.
• Inconsequential – (adj)
• Parts: in(not); con(together);secu(follow);ial(related to)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Not important or significant; Without result
or effect
• Synonyms: petty, trivial, insignificant, trifling, useless
• Antonyms: important, necessary, essential, serious
• Variant forms: inconsequently (adv) inconsequence (n)
• Context Phrase:
10. I thought I could assemble the entertainment
center quickly, but the inscrutable directions
made that task impossible.
• inscrutable – adj.
• Parts: in(not); scrutari (to search); able (capable of)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Impossible to understand or interpret
• Synonyms: mysterious, enigmatic, impenetrable, vague
• Antonyms:clear, plain understandable, obvious, explicit
• Variant forms: inscrutably (adv); inscrutability (n)
• Context Phrase:
11. The longevity of women is one reason
there are more elderly women than men.
• Longevity – ( n)
• Parts: longus (long); ev (time, age); ity (state, condition)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Duration of long life; Long duration of
service
• Synonyms: na
• Antonyms: na
• Variant forms: na
• Context Phrase:
12. My mother’s houseplants look green
and healthy, but mine look brown and
moribund.
• Moribund – (adj)
• Parts: mor (from moribundud—die)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: At the point of death; Lacking vitality or
vigor
• Synonyms: lifeless, failing, fading, lethargic, listless
• Antonyms: energetic, vivacious, animated
• Variant forms: moribundity (n)
• Context Phrase:
13. He claimed that his predictions would be
fulfilled because he had the gift of
necromancy.
• Necromancy - noun
• Parts: necro (death); mancy (divination)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: The practice of communicating with the
spirits of the dead in order to predict the future
• Synonyms: witchcraft, sorcery, wizardry, black magic
• Antonyms:na
• Variant forms: necromancer (n), necromantic (adj)
• Context Phrase:
14. The government delivered the
panegyric at the ceremony to name the
school for the local hero.
• Panegyric - n
• Parts: pan (all entire); agora (assembly)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: A public speech or published text in praise of
someone or something; Elaborate praise or laudation
• Synonyms: commendation, eulogy, tribute, encomium
• Antonyms: centure, blame, disdain, scorn
• Variant forms: panegyrical (adj) panegyrize (v)
• Context Phrase:
15. Tired of the platitudes associated with
graduation, she composed a creative
valediction.
• platitudes - (v)
• Parts: plat (flat); tude (state, quality of)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: A remark or statement, especially one with
moral content, that has been used too often to be
interesting or thoughtful; Quality of being dull
• Synonyms: triteness, cliché, truism, maxim
• Antonyms: originality, creativity
• Variant forms: platitudinize (v); platitudinous (adj)
• Context Phrase:
16. The prima donna became hysterical
when the director did not choose her for
the leading role.
• Prima donna - n
• Parts: prim (first); donna (lady)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: The main female singer in an opera or opera
company; A very temperamental person with an inflated
view of her own talent or importance
• Synonyms: egotist
• Antonyms: na
• Variant forms: na
• Context Phrase:
17. We regarded her as the quintessential
scholar--intelligent, articulate, and
dedicated.
• Quintessential - adj.
• Parts: quint (five); essentia (essence), ial (related to)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Representing the perfect or typical example
of a quality or class; (In ancient philosophy, quintessence was the fifth and highest essence
after earth, air, fire and water. It was thought to be the substance of heavenly bodies and latent in all things)
• Synonyms: consummate, ideal, perfect
• Antonyms: mediocre, imperfect, defective, inferior
• Variant forms: Quintessence (n); quintessentially (adv)
• Context Phrase:
18. The student’s risible impersonation of
Shakespeare annoyed the teacher but
entertained his classmates.
• risible - adj.
• Parts: ris (laugh); ible (able to)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Capable of laughing or inclined to laugh; Apt
to incite laughing; Pertaining to or used in laughing
• Synonyms: laughable, ludicrous, humorous, funny
• Antonyms: serious, sober, somber
• Variant forms: risibility (n); risibly (adv)
• Context Phrase:
19. The dictator’s plan to subjugate the
neighboring countries prompted UN
intervention.
• Subjugate – (v.)
• Parts: sub (under); jugum (yoke, collar); ate (make)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: To bring under domination or control;
especially by conquest; to make someone or something
subordinate to
• Synonyms: conquer, dominate, subordinate, enslave
• Antonyms: support, aid, liberate
• Variant forms: subjugation (n.) subjugator (n)
• Context Phrase:
20. The hopeful doctors watched as the line
on the cardiac monitor began to undulate.
• undulate - v
• Parts: und (wave); ate (make, cause)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: To cause to move in a smooth, wavelike
motion; To give a wavelike appearance or form to
something
• Synonyms: wave, ripple, sway
• Antonyms: na
• Variant forms: undulation (n); undulatory (adj)
• Context Phrase: