Parts: ad (to, very)naut (sail—seasick)

1. 1. After showing numerous pictures and talking of their children’s achievements ad nauseam, the couple found themselves ignored by everyone else at the party. • Ad nauseam – (adv.) • Parts: ad (to, very)naut (sail—seasick) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Referring to something that has been done or repeated so often that it has become annoying or tiresome; To a disgusting or ridiculous degree • Synonyms:excessively, endlessly, repeatedly • Antonyms: sparingly, infrequently, seldom, occasionally • Variant forms: na • Context Phrase:

2. 2. Mrs. Dubose cast aspersions about his father as Jem walked by her front porch. • aspersions – n. • Parts: as(to, toward);spergere(strew, sprinkle);ion(act of) • Educated Guess: • Definition: An attack on the reputation or integrity of someone or something • Synonyms: calumny, slander, invective, epithet, libel • Antonyms: compliment, commendation, tribute • Variant forms: asperse (v) • Context Phrase:

3. 3. The capricious performance of this team keeps changing its place in the conference standings. • Capricious- adj. • Parts:capit(head);ious(full of)literally head full of thoughts • Educated Guess: • Definition: Given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior; Characterized by or subject to whim • Synonyms: impulsive, unpredictable, fickle, erratic • Antonyms:steady, consistent, reliable, dependable • Variant forms:capriciously (adv); capriciousness (n) • Context Phrase:

4. 4. Our goal is to achieve concord among these belligerent nations without their going to war. • concord (n) • Parts: con (together, with); cord (heart) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Agreement or harmony between people or groups • Synonyms: agreement, harmony, pact • Antonyms: discord, dissention, conflict, disagreement • Variant forms: concordance (n) • Context Phrase:

5. 5. Macbeth is credulous regarding the witches’ prophecy because it appeals to his ambition. • Credulous – (adj.) • Parts: cred (believe); ous (full of) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Having or showing too great a readiness to believe things; disposed to believe too readily • Synonyms: gullible, naïve, unsuspecting, trusting • Antonyms: suspicious, doubtful, skeptical, distrustful • Variant forms:credulity (n); credulously (adv) • Context Phrase:

6. 6. He enjoys singing for his family, but he is too diffident to perform on television. • diffident - adj • Parts: dif (apart, away ); fid (faith, trust); ent (that which) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Modest or shy because or lack of self-confidence • Synonyms: timid, shy, bashful • Antonyms: confident, dauntless, courageous • Variant forms: diffidence (n); diffidently (adv) • Context Phrase:

7. 7. If you will elucidate the reasons for your decision, perhaps I will understand and be less angry. • Elucidate – verb • Parts: e (out); luc (light); ate (make, cause) • Educated Guess: • Definition: To make something clear or plain • Synonyms: clarify, explain, expound, illuminate • Antonyms: obscure, confuse, mystify, muddle • Variant forms: elucidation (n); elucidative (adj.) • Context Phrase:

8. 8. The court will expunge these charges if the youth completes his community service satisfactorily. • expunge – v. • Parts: ex (out); pung (point, stab) • Educated Guess: • Definition: To erase or remove completely something that is unpleasant or unwanted • Synonyms: remove, delete, erase, eliminate • Antonyms: add, increase, augment, affix, extend • Variant forms: expunction (n); expungement (n) • Context Phrase:

9. 9. The physician decided to try homeopathy rather than surgery to cure his patient. • Homeopathy – noun • Parts: homeo (same, like); path (disease); y (result of) • Educated Guess: • Definition: A system of medical treatment based on the use of minute quantities of remedies that in massive doses produce effects similar to those of the disease being treated. • Synonyms: na • Antonyms:allopathy (treatment by conventional means) • Variant forms: homeopathic (adj); homeopath (n) • Context Phrase:

10. 10. The star player thought her coach would be indifferent to her bad attitude in class, so she was shocked to be suspended from the team. • indifferent – adj. • Parts:in(not);dif(apart, away);fer(carry); ent(that which) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Having no particular interest; having no partiality for or against; Neither good nor bad • Synonyms: unconcerned, apathetic, impartial, fair • Antonyms: concerned, caring, sympathetic, earnest • Variant forms: indifference (n); indifferently (adv) • Context Phrase:

11. 11. When I calmed down, I regretted the irascible comments I had made. • Irascible – ( adj.) • Parts: irasci>ire (anger); ible (capable of) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Easily made angry; characterized by or arising from anger • Synonyms: irritable, fractious, hot-tempered, testy • Antonyms: pleasant, agreeable, tranquil, tolerant • Variant forms: irascibility (n); irascibly (adv.) • Context Phrase:

12. 12. She resigned from the Mediation Club when she realized how maladroit she was in conflict resolution. • maladroit (adj.) • Parts: mal (bad); adroit (skilful) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Ineffective or bungling; characterized by a lack of skill; characterized by a lack of perception or judgment • Synonyms: clumsy, inept, incompetent • Antonyms: dexterous, skilled, capable, adroit, competent • Variant forms: maladroitly (adv.); maladroitness (n) • Context Phrase:

13. 13. His myopic perspective limits the company’s potential to succeed. • myopic – adj. • Parts: myo (muscle); opt (eye); ic (related to) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Lack of imagination, foresight, or intellectual insight; Short sightedness or lack of discernment in thinking or planning • Synonyms: nearsighted, shortsighted, obtuse, limited • Antonyms: farsighted, keen, visionary, imaginative • Variant forms: myopia (n); myopically (adv.) • Context Phrase:

14. 14. Narcissus fell in love with the reflection of himself in the pellucid water. • pellucid - adjective • Parts: pel>per(through, thoroughly); luc (clear, light) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Translucently clear; Easily understood; Clear and pure in tone or sound • Synonyms: transparent, crystalline, candid, plain • Antonyms: muddy, obscure, turbid, dark, opaque • Variant forms: pellucidly (adv) • Context Phrase:

15. 15. To prepare for my travels in Europe, I purchased a polyglot dictionary. • polyglot - adjective • Parts: poly (many); glot (tongue, language) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Speaking, writing, written in, or composed of several languages; A person with a reading, writing, or speaking knowledge of several languages (n.) • Synonyms: multilingual (adj) • Antonyms: na • Variant forms: polyglotism (n); polyglotic (adj) • Context Phrase:

16. 16. Faced with the evidence, he decided to proffer his resignation rather than be fired. • Proffer - verb • Parts: pro (forth); ob (to); fer (carry, bring) • Educated Guess: • Definition: To hold out something for someone • Synonyms: offer, propose, submit, tender, suggest • Antonyms: refuse, deny, reject, withdraw, withhold • Variant forms: profferer (n) • Context Phrase:

17. 17. This plane is designed to reconnoiter the area without being detected by radar. • reconnoiter – (verb) • Parts: re (back, again); cogn (know) • Educated Guess: • Definition: To make a military observation of a region; to make a preliminary inspection of; An act of military observation of a region • Synonyms: examine, scout, inspect, survey, spy • Antonyms: na • Variant forms: reconnaissance (n) • Context Phrase:

18. 18. The caricature exaggerates his salient feature, which is his ears. • Salient - adj • Parts: sal (jump, leap); ent (that which) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Most noticeable or important; strikingly conspicuous, Projecting or jutting beyond a line or surface. • Synonyms: pronounced, significant, obvious • Antonyms: inconspicuous, minor, unimportant • Variant forms: salience (n); saliency (n) saliently (adv) • Context Phrase:

19. 19. With this information to substantiate the charges, the jury will probably find her guilty. • Substantiate – verb • Parts: sub (under); stan (stand); ate (make, cause) • Educated Guess: • Definition: To provide evidence to support or prove the truth of something; To give material form to • Synonyms: verify, corroborate, confirm, attest, embody • Antonyms: contradict, disprove, invalidate, deny • Variant forms: substantively (adv) • Context Phrase:

20. 20. He vacillates between joining the military and attending college, but he must decide by May. • vacillate - verb. • Parts: vacillare (sway, waver); ate (make, cause) • Educated Guess: • Definition: To sway from one side to the other, To swing indecisively from one course of action or opinion to another. • Synonyms: waver, oscillate, fluctuate, equivocate • Antonyms:commit, decide, resolve, settle • Variant forms: vacillation (n); vacillator (n) • Context Phrase: