"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 31

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
25 words 330 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. diatribe
    thunderous verbal attack
    “That was quite a diatribe, Simon,” Jaz said.
  2. cathartic
    emotionally purging
    “It must have been really cathartic for you. I didn’t know you felt so strongly about TV.”
  3. rhetoric
    high-flown style; excessive use of verbal ornamentation
    “How a guy can let his own rhetoric take him away from the truth.”
  4. vitriolic
    harsh, bitter, or malicious in tone
    Really polemical. And vitriolic too.
  5. pugilism
    boxing with bare hands
    “Hey you two, break it up. I’ll go find some boxing gloves if you guys want to take up pugilism.
  6. concoct
    invent
    I’m beginning to wonder if he’s some kind of mythical creature that you guys concocted.
  7. histrionic
    characteristic of acting or a stage performance
    A lot of females do seem to be into histrionics.
  8. wrath
    belligerence aroused by a real or supposed wrong
    Anyway, since I’m a female myself, I’m less likely to incur the wrath of the thought police.
  9. intangible
    incapable of being perceived by the senses, especially touch
    She seems so pure and good. But not in some intangible way.
  10. corporeal
    having material or physical form or substance
    She’s certainly a fully corporeal girl.
  11. inherent
    existing as an essential constituent or characteristic
    Was it inherent, a genetic trait that is a concomitant of beauty?
  12. concomitant
    an event or situation that happens at the same time
    Was it inherent, a genetic trait that is a concomitant of beauty?
  13. winsome
    charming in a childlike or naive way
    Whatever the reason for the behavior was, they all did it; they sort of curled up like cats, looking totally winsome.
  14. pinnacle
    the highest level or degree attainable
    I was really looking forward to this class because the professor is like world class. He’s at the pinnacle of the astrophysics field.
  15. intricate
    having many complexly arranged elements; elaborate
    Professor Naxos was just coming to the end of quite an intricate line of reasoning in quantum theory.
  16. nefarious
    extremely wicked
    No nefarious subterfuge was involved.
  17. subterfuge
    something intended to misrepresent the nature of an activity
    No nefarious subterfuge was involved.
  18. flustered
    thrown into a state of agitated confusion
    Of course, he’s completely flustered and apologetic. Notes and books are strewn all over the place.
  19. gauche
    lacking social poise or refinement
    “It might be a little gauche, but that is one heck of an original way to meet a woman.”
  20. prestigious
    having an excellent reputation; respected
    “What she means is that she’s had articles published in Physical Review Letters, the most prestigious journal in the field,” Simon said.
  21. tenable
    based on sound reasoning or evidence
    Well it’s still the most tenable approach we have.
  22. moribund
    being on the point of death
    Nobody’s been able to make any progress at all in that area. The whole field has been practically moribund.
  23. complementary
    serving to fill out, enhance, or supply what is lacking
    I bat ideas around in cosmology and other areas with Axel. And he often gives me ideas for my psych projects. Our interests are very complementary.
  24. metaphysical
    without material form or substance
    We’re both into cosmology, the origin of life, evolution, the place of mind in the universe. Axel is more into the physics of it, while I’m more interested in the psychological and even metaphysical aspects of such areas.
  25. genesis
    a coming into being
    Real down-to-earth things, like the genesis of consciousness and the fate of the cosmos
Created on Tue Aug 19 08:53:33 EDT 2014 (updated Tue Aug 19 16:59:15 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.