"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 8

Philip Geer's "Simon's Saga" includes 820 SAT-level words and gives students an entertaining glimpse into college life.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12, Episode 13, Episode 14, Episode 15, Episode 16, Episode 17, Episode 18, Episode 19, Episode 20, Episode 21, Episode 22, Episode 23, Episode 24, Episode 25, Episode 26, Episode 27, Episode 28, Episode 29, Episode 30, Episode 31, Episode 32, Episode 33, Episode 34, Episode 35, Episode 36, Episode 37
20 words 1061 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. synthesis
    the combination of ideas into a complex whole
    Come to think of it, she’s sort of a synthesis of Axel and me, who are the antithesis of each other.
  2. antithesis
    exact opposite
    Come to think of it, she’s sort of a synthesis of Axel and me, who are the antithesis of each other.
  3. paragon
    a perfect embodiment of a concept
    Have I made Jaz sound like a paragon?
  4. attribute
    a quality belonging to or characteristic of an entity
    With all of these attributes, Jaz is going to end up being a great psychologist some day.
  5. criterion
    the ideal in terms of which something can be judged
    She meets all of the criteria for it.
  6. amiable
    diffusing warmth and friendliness
    I’m naturally amiable.
  7. surmise
    infer from incomplete evidence
    So, I would surmise that Jaz likes my friendly, open personality.
  8. pulchritude
    physical beauty, especially of a woman
    I’m no match for Jaz’s pulchritude, but girls do seem to find me kind of cute.
  9. skewed
    having an oblique or slanting direction or position
    I don’t want you to get a skewed view of the scene here.
  10. acme
    the highest point of something
    As I said, Ax is at the acme in the brains department.
  11. titan
    a person of exceptional importance and reputation
    He’s a titan even among the erudite crowd.
  12. obscure
    not clearly understood or expressed
    You’ll see how true this is later on when my tale wanders into some more obscure areas.
  13. conform
    be similar, be in line with
    I don’t believe that my vocabulary has to conform completely to the way people are talking now.
  14. scenario
    a postulated sequence of possible events
    Anyway, the scene is so neat because a typical scenario runs like this: I’ve got a political science term paper due in a week.
  15. negligent
    characterized by undue lack of attention or concern
    I’ve been a little bit negligent in keeping up with Professor Chandler’s discourses on the emergence of a new political consensus in America
  16. discourse
    an extended communication dealing with some particular topic
    I’ve been a little bit negligent in keeping up with Professor Chandler’s discourses on the emergence of a new political consensus in America
  17. consensus
    agreement in the judgment reached by a group as a whole
    I’ve been a little bit negligent in keeping up with Professor Chandler’s discourses on the emergence of a new political consensus in America
  18. immerse
    devote fully to
    Man, he’s so immersed in this subject, it’s all he’s been talking about.
  19. ponder
    reflect deeply on a subject
    It’s because these guys know that Axel’s so smart that in one hour he can give them enough to ponder for the rest of the year.
  20. acumen
    shrewdness shown by keen insight
    Anyway, this professor comes over and chews the fat with Axel for a few hours, making good use of his vast knowledge and remarkable acumen.
Created on Mon Aug 18 18:05:49 EDT 2014 (updated Tue Aug 19 13:10:21 EDT 2014)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.