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 / 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.”

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.”

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!)”

Elucidate: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.”

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.”

LaudablePart 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.”

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.”

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.”

Acumen: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.

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.”

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.”

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.

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.

Egocentric: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!”

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.”

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.”

Temporal: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.”

Veracity: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.”

Incontrovertible: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.”

Loquacious: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.”

Monochrome: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.”

Autonomy: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.”

Orthography: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.”

Retrospection: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.”

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.

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.

Amorous:Part of Speech – adjective

Definition – Showing or expressing love

Word Root – amor, loveous, 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.

Ambivalent: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.

Penultimate: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.

Malcontent: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.”

Ambiguous: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.

Bicentennial: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.

Meritocracy: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.

Pacify: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.

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.”

Antipathy: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.

Ingrate: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.

Cacophony: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.

Antebellum: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.

Eugenics: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.

Convivial: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.

Agnostic: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.