Word of the Day

1. Word of the Day SAT Prep

2. Week 1

3. Word of the Day compunction(noun) – a remorseful feeling; guilt The hardened criminal felt no compunction for the crimes he had committed.

4. Word of the Day disavow (verb) – to deny any knowledge of, responsibility for, or association with somebody or something The CIA disavowed their rogue agent following the assassination attempt on Russia’s president.

5. Word of the Day fastidious (adj.) – difficult to please McKayla’s facial expression during the award ceremony revealed her fastidious nature.

6. Word of the Day lachrymose (adj.) – given to tears or weeping The lachrymose nature of the girl wore on the nerves of her supervisor, as every time the girl was disciplined she burst into tears.

7. Word of the Day abstemious (adj.) – marked by restraint, especially in the consumption of food or alcohol Abstemiousness, a quality thought to be much valued in monks, was not necessarily adhered to in the Middles Ages.

8. Week 2

9. Word of the Day enervate (v.) – to render ineffective or inoperative; to reduce the moral or mental vigor of Through a series of degradations and inflicted humiliations, the employee’s boss succeeded in enervating him.

10. Word of the Day immiscible (adj.) – incapable of mixing or achieving homogeneity Like oil and water, the divorcing couple was simply immiscible, and could not be reconciled.

11. Word of the Day mercurial (adj.) – characterized by rapid and unpredictable changes in mood Both teenagers and premenstrual women are stereotyped as being quite mercurial.

12. Word of the Day exegesis (n.) – an exposition, explanation, or critical interpretation of a text Although we may not have performed well in writing our initial exegesis of our summer reading novels, Ms. Wuester gave us another opportunity.

13. Word of the Day dictum (n.) – a noteworthy statement, as in a formal pronouncement of a principle, proposition, or opinion A doctor must follow the dictum of, “First, do no harm.”

14. Week 3

15. Word of the Day gravity (n.) – dignity or sobriety of bearing; having great seriousness Mr. Darcy, of Pride and Prejudice, was known for his gravity in all situations.

16. Word of the Day livid (adj.) – exceptionally angry The blustering, red-faced father was livid at his son’s deliberate disobedience.

17. Word of the Day insular (adj.) – being, having, or reflecting a narrow and unrefined viewpoint Hank Hill and his friends are viewed as being insular, as they have not had the urban exposure and refinements of those who have travelled.

18. Word of the Day intricacy (n.) – the quality or state of being complex in interrelated parts or elements The plot of the film had great intricacy, and the young man found it difficult to follow with his migraine.

19. Word of the Day incipient (adj.) – beginning to come into being or to become apparent The incipient universe emerged with a big bang.

20. Week 4

21. Word of the Day physiognomy (n.) – the facial features held to show qualities of mind or character by their configuration or expression The physiognomy of the woman’s face let the man know that she didn’t want to speak to anyone.

22. Word of the Day misanthrope (n.) – a person who dislikes or distrusts others or mankind in general After many betrayals, both by friends and ex-wives, the formerly trusting man became a misanthrope.

23. Word of the Day soliloquize (v.) – to talk to oneself Hamlet’s “To Be or Not to Be” speech is one of the most famous examples of a character soliloquizing on stage. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYZHb2xo0OI

24. Word of the Day sundry (adj.) – miscellaneous and various; an indeterminate number The Dollar Tree has an abundance of sundry items for sale for a dollar each.

25. Word of the Day laconic (adj.) – using or involving the use of a minimum of words, to the point of seeming rude or mysterious Mr. Darcy of pride and Prejudice is considered to be quite laconic, even with his friend Bingley, whose manner is all cordiality. • Watch from 1:15 on • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXmn3s-vHzc

26. Week 5

27. Word of the Day adulation (n.) – high praise As the audience applauded lavishly, the singer basked in the adulation of her admirers.

28. Word of the Day benevolent (adj.) – friendly and helpful Seeing that the woman on crutches would have difficulty opening the door, the benevolent man opened it for her.

29. Word of the Day censure (v.) – to criticize harshly (n.) harsh criticism In trying to avoid censure by their employer, the workers often found themselves jumping through hoops

30. Word of the Day deleterious (adj.) – harmful, destructive, and detrimental The teen’s deleterious behavior was a concern to her parents, as they worried that she would soon harm herself or others.

31. Word of the Day ephemeral (adj.) – momentary, transient, and/or fleeting The ephemeral attractions of teens last for very short durations, moving by quickly for the next one to occur

32. Week 6

33. Word of the Day fortuitous (adj.) – happening by luck; fortunate The fortuitous nature of the young woman was envied by all after she found the pot of gold.

34. Word of the Day intrepid (adj.) – adventurous; fearless The intrepid teen was always willing to try new things, including skydiving, which was foolish considering she had such a bright future ahead of her.

35. Word of the Day mundane (adj.) – ordinary; commonplace Gary’s mundane existence led him to thrill-seeking behaviors such as cliff diving.

36. Word of the Day ostentatious (adj.) – showy; displaying wealth Jay Gatsby’s ostentatious behavior was all a performance in order to gain the attentions and affections of Daisy Buchanan.

37. Word of the Day perfidious (adj.) – faithless, disloyal, and untrustworthy Allisoun’sperfidious actions towards her husband, the carpenter, were unforgivable, regardless of how much he loved her.