Week 1
Antidote n. something that relieves or prevents; a remedy that counteracts poison
- Advil is an effective antidote for a pain in the neck!
- Interesting, hard work is an effective antidote for boredom.
Congruent adj. having identical shape and size; in agreement
- Five congruent rings make up the Olympic symbol.
- The class goals and individual goals are congruent: success for each student!
* Torpid adj. lacking energy; relating to inactivity; feeling sluggish
- The torpid days of summer are gone and it’s time for school!
- The opposite of torpid is fervent and zealous!
Week 2
* Exuberant adj. overflowing with vitality and good spirits
- Students and teachers were exuberant during the first week of school and enthusiastic about learning.
- Every morning, Richard leaps from bed exuberantly, anticipating the adventures of the day!
Gregarious adj. sociable, outgoing, friendly, talkative
- Gregarious children often turn into taciturn teenagers.
- People who are gregarious usually enjoy raucous family gatherings and parties.
Integer n. any positive or negative whole number or zero
- Zero is considered to be neither positive nor negative and is an integer.
- Fractions or numbers that contain fractions are not integers.
Week 3
Intrepid adj. fearless
- As a young sportscaster, Steve was intrepid with his hot sports opinions; however, his courage has faltered over the years.
- The intrepid young driver braved the tiny lanes and traffic on LBJ even though he was inexperienced.
- The student became an intrepid writer, tackling difficult and controversial topics.
Melancholy adj. a feeling of sadness and gloominess
- Filled with cheer and laughter, the state fair is no place for melancholic faces.
- Tyler sank into a melancholy mood when his mom served mushy cauliflower and smelly turnips for dinner.
Prolific adj. abundant; producing a great deal; fertile
- Despite Mona’s prolific efforts at writing, she never shares her short stories with friends.
- A prolific artist, Donna paints hundreds of watercolors each year.
Week 4
Quell vb. to subdue; to quiet down
- Mr. Medina fearlessly quelled the discordant din in the cafeteria.
- The weather forecaster promised that landfall would quell the hurricane winds.
Plethora n. excess; abundance
- The kindergarten rooms are crowded with a plethora of materials, books, and children!
- A plethora of tropical storms and hurricanes has made this an interesting month for weather.
Prudent adj. careful, cautious, and wise
- Prudent residents of the coast left the city when advised to evacuate due to Hurricane Ike.
- It’s economically prudent to recycle as well as good for the environment with the potential of alleviating tons of garbage in landfills.
Week 5
Assuage vb. to lessen pain or conflict; pacify
- To assuage the pain of a sunburn, try aloe vera gel.
- The delectable buffet provided by the MISD catering department assuaged the ravenous hunger of the crowd at the meeting.
Cacophony lack of harmony; loud and unpleasant noise; a racket
- The clash of metal on the rocks created a cacophony that was hard to bear.
- A cacophony poured out of the school cafeteria that caused the school principal to become even more cantankerous!
Pariah n. a social outcast
- When he started riding his new motorcycle through the neighborhood at 6 a.m. Saturday mornings, Ed became the neighborhood pariah.
- Her fanatical and fervent support of communism made her a pariah in the Democratic party.
Week 6
Acute adj. keen-minded, sharp; an angle between 0 and 90 degrees
- Mr. Royle’s acute mind allowed him to keep all the details in focus and solve the problem.
- Annie had a dull toothache yesterday, but the pain is more acute today.
- An acute angle is the opposite of an obtuse angle.
Debacle n. a failure or breakdown; fiasco, disaster
- The recent debacle on Wall Street is a national disaster that must be addressed by the government to avoid long-lasting repercussions.
- The football game was a debacle. The offense couldn’t move and the defense couldn’t stop the Redskins.
Supercilious adj. disdainful; full of pride; looking down on others
- Most people were rebuffed by her supercilious manner.
- A supercilious attitude is far from endearing and indicates a disregard for the feelings of others.
Week 7
Conflagration n. a huge fire, an inferno
- Flames from the conflagration lit up the sky for miles around.
- Creating a conflagration of books was the job of the firemen in Fahrenheit 451.
- During the recent conflagration, 3,000 homes burned to the ground.
Odious adj. loathsome; evil; revolting in a disgusting way
- His odious dinner habits were detrimental to his popularity.
- History is filled with odious people such as Jeffrey Dahmer whose nefarious crimes are both unspeakable and unfathomable.
Profuse adj. abundant; more than enough
- Please accept my profuse thanks for your hospitality and warmth.
- A profusion of options in our extra curricular activities gives students a plethora of choices.
Week 8
Ambiguous adj. hard to understand; unclear; open to more than one interpretation
- The reasons for the Wall Street disaster are ambiguous. Nobody seems to fully understand the cause.
- At times an author will purposefully write an ambiguous passage, leaving it open to each person’s interpretation.
Frivolous adj. not having substance; silly; trivial; trifling
- If you ask a silly question, you’ll probably get a frivolous answer.
- Some of the books written by Dr. Seuss are far from frivolous and, instead, are filled with meaning and wisdom.
Sagacious adj. wise
- My little brother says the most sagacious things; he may be a budding genius.
- The teacher wrote, “This sagacious essay is full of impressive insights.”
- The sagacious teacher knew that the student was not telling the whole truth.
Week 9
Contusion n. bruise, injury
- Tony Romo received multiple injuries against Arizona including contusions and a broken finger.
- A fall from a stepladder left Mrs. Bonham with minor contusions, a fractured arm, and a bruised ego.
Lassitude n. tired feeling, usually resulting from depression or too much work
- Overcome by lassitude after a hard week at work, I squandered the day away complacently watching the grass grow.
- Michael felt an overwhelming lassitude at school after a late night hockey practice.
Venerate v. to feel or show deep respect for, especially due to age or traditions.
- MHS students venerate their Skeeter mascot and expect others to do the same.
- Lawyers and politicians were venerated in the past because of the position they hold; that is not the case now.
Week 10
Candor n. honesty, sincerity
- Politicians rarely speak with total candor because they don’t want to offend anyone.
- Jeff made his points politely but with candor.
Ominous adj. pertaining to an evil omen; foreboding
- The dark, ominous clouds created the perfect trick-or-treat setting.
- As he walked up the sidewalk to the creepy house, an ominous feeling of foreboding followed him.
Whimsical adj. fanciful
- Whimsical costumes make Halloween especially fun for children.
- The candidate’s rhetoric is scary with whimsical solutions that obviously will only worsen the economic crisis.
- The student’s whimsical reason for forgetting his homework was entertaining but didn’t satisfy his teacher.
Week 11
Brevity n. briefness or conciseness in speech or writing
- When time is short, brevity is a virtue.
- The preacher’s brevity is appreciated when the Cowboys play at noon!
Lackluster adj. lacking vitality and energy; boring
- Lackluster grades may prevent a student from going to a top-rated college.
- The lackluster performance by the Cowboys week after week will again keep them from reaching the playoffs.
Relic n. a custom or object that has been around for a very, very long time
- The King Tut exhibit displays a plethora of relics from ancient Egyptian times.
- In some ways Aunt Susie seems like a relic from the past, but she can quote the latest rap lyrics verbatim.
Week 12
Chastise vb. to punish or scold harshly
- Wade chastised the boys vociferously for their lackluster performance.
- For a teenager, taking away his phone is the worst chastisement possible.
Eloquence n. ease with speaking; speech that can influence people’s feelings
- Even the most eloquent sermons and graduation speeches are often forgotten.
- Among American presidents, Lincoln wins the prize for eloquence.
- The coach spoke eloquently about the need to win all of the remaining games to make the playoffs.
Judicious adj. showing wisdom in judging people and situations
- By keeping to a budget, she is able to make judicious use of her limited income.
- John chose a college without thinking much about it, but Nora is trying to be more judicious in her choice.
Week 13
Colloquial adj. pertaining to common everyday speech; conversational
- The book is filled with colloquial expressions that reflect the speech of people in the deep South.
- An example of a colloquial greeting is “Hey, dude, what’s up?”
Debunk vb. to prove wrong or false
- Ghosthunters is a TV show that tries to debunk hauntings.
- The UFO sighting was debunked by the man who threw the Frisbee for the photographer.
- The findings from the science experiment were debunked by the students when they were unable to replicate the results.
Wary adj. cautious, careful
- If Marion Barber is not more wary about running into huge linemen, he won’t last more than a few seasons as a running back.
- Be wary of offers that sound too good to be true (because they usually are).
Week 14
Autonomous adj. independent
- Some students like to work in teams while others prefer to work autonomously.
- While it is satisfying to be autonomous and living on your own, the responsibility can be overwhelming.
Extol vb. to praise highly; laud
- Extolling the efforts of students never fails to motivate them to keep up the good work.
- Some historical figures were exuberantly extolled until their less than admirable qualities became known.
Savory adj. highly pleasing, especially to the sense of taste
- We savored the Thanksgiving meal and enjoyed each bite.
- Sage is a savory spice that makes turkey and dressing so delectable.
- A savory meal is the antidote for a ravenous appetite.
* Each week there will be one repeat word from last year.
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