WORD OF THE DAY
Everyone likes an avuncular guy, that is someone who is kind and patient and generally indulgent with people younger than he is. The Dalai Lama is an avuncular fellow. So is Santa Claus. Unless you haven't been good.
The word avuncular originally comes from the Latin avunculus, meaning "maternal uncle," and strictly speaking the term describes the relationship between an uncle and his nephew. Uncles, by their very definition, are supposed to be avuncular to their nephews. For many uncles though, Santa Claus is pretty hard to compete with.
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Vocabulary lists containing avuncular
What better way to prepare for the sentence completion and passage-based questions on the SAT than to commit yourself to completing our alphabetically organized SAT lists?
Find lists of SAT words organized by every letter of the alphabet here: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K & L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, and W, X, Y & Z.
Some words have lots of synonyms, but the words on this list require a phrase or even sentence to replace them. Say exactly what you mean with these evocative words that have no equals.
Laura Hillenbrand recounts the tumultuous and amazingly true story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who, after surviving 40 days adrift at sea, became a prisoner of war in Japan during World War II.
No time to scour the headlines or watch the news? No problem! We’ve rounded up the top words heard, read, debated, and discussed this week. This week was one of progress. Investigators looking into Russian interference in the '16 Presidential election indicted Russian entities accused of sowing discord in the American political system. Progress was made on scientific fronts as well. Apilot program designed to harness the energy of passing trains is underway, and a treatment to desensitize peanut allergy sufferers appears to offer real hope. And finally, progress was made in your cereal bowl. Lucky Charms announced that it will add a magical unicorn to its marshmallow lineup. We live in miraculous times. Take a look back at the week that was, vocabulary style.
Andy Smarick, a Thomas B. Fordham education research fellow, partner at Bellwether Education Partners, and former deputy commissioner of education of the State of New Jersey, writes about "the invaluableness of 'obscure' words and the SAT" in a blog post exploring some excellent vocabulary distinctions. Read our excerpt from his blog here.
