PHS 11HA: Vocab Lesson 08

Ms. Wezeman (United States of America)
List #8 of vocabulary words frequently encountered on the SAT and ACT. From Vocabulary Power Plus for the New SAT - Book III.
15 words 162 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. agape
    with the mouth wide open as in wonder or awe
    My marketing associate’s mouth hung agape as her eyes darted from side to side, desperately seeking an escape route.
  2. carcinogen
    any substance that produces cancer
    A known carcinogen, inorganic arsenic has also been associated with skin lesions, developmental effects, cardiovascular disease, neurotoxicity and diabetes.
  3. censure
    harsh criticism or disapproval
    He was censured by the council earlier in July for other "grossly offensive" comments that apparently linked disabled children to deformed lambs.
  4. deride
    treat or speak of with contempt
    The United Nations is frequently derided for its air-conditioned offices and untaxed salaries.
  5. gambol
    play or run boisterously
    In winter, a few deer gambol through crunching snow from the surrounding forest, sniff then retreat. New York Times (Mar 13, 2011)
  6. gibe
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    Chow said “small but noticeable portion of people” poked fun at his doing rhythmic gymnastics, with gibes like “gymnastics is a girl sport” or “sissy.”
  7. grotesque
    distorted and unnatural in shape or size
    Canisters are being fired directly at protestor’s faces at close range, leaving grotesque wounds as they cut through flesh and bone. Scientific American (Jun 28, 2013)
  8. hackneyed
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
    Many speakers become so addicted to certain hackneyed phrases that those used to hearing them speak can see them coming sentences away. Lewis, Arthur M. (Arthur Morrow)
  9. immolate
    kill as a sacrifice, especially by fire
    At Rome, under Caligula, more than a hundred and sixty thousand victims were immolated in three months—nearly two thousand a day. O'Sullivan, Vincent
  10. imperious
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    Meanwhile, Bob Nardelli was hired at Home Depot, where he alienated the company’s entrepreneurial employees and angered shareholders with his imperious style.
  11. martinet
    someone who demands exact conformity to rules and forms
    He was an overbearing, hot-tempered martinet, and was hated accordingly. Barnes, James
  12. neologism
    a newly invented word or phrase
    One reason we deploy neologisms is that existing words are bleached by overuse.
  13. olfactory
    of or relating to the sense of smell
    For dogs, “looking around the room” is easier done with the help of olfactory investigation because visual cues could be misleading.
  14. quagmire
    a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot
    The judge, he said at a hearing last week, is mired in an “ethical quagmire” that he called “overwhelming.” New York Times (Mar 7, 2011)
  15. recondite
    difficult to understand
    He looks deep down into the more recondite emotions of the human heart. Birmingham, George A.
Created on Fri Sep 20 17:16:39 EDT 2013 (updated Mon Aug 14 06:08:25 EDT 2017)

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