April 3, 2017
LASSITUDE
(LAS uh tood - noun)
Definition:
weariness; listlessness; a tired
feeling
Sentences:
Because of depression over his injury, Ron
lapsed into a state of lassitude.
Overcome by lassitude, I sat on the porch
all day and watched the grass grow.
The long flight and jet lag brought on a
lassitude that lasted several days.
Synonyms:
lethargy; torpor; languor
Antonyms:
vigor; vitality; vim; energy
Memory Clue:
Link LASSITUDE with LAZY DUDE
“A LAZY DUDE with LASSITUDE”
April 17, 2017
AMBIVALENCE
(am BIV ah lents - noun)
Definition:
indecision; experiencing
contradictory emotions; having
conflicting feelings or opinions
(Adjective form is ambivalent)
Sentences:
The manager’s ambivalence toward his
star outfielder confused the sportswriters.
Senator Todd changed her mind so
often that she became notorious for her
ambivalence.
Carl’s ambivalent feelings of both
respect and disgust for his boss made
him regret accepting the promotion.
Synonyms:
uncertain; equivocal (for ambivalent)
Memory Clue:
One of the meanings of the prefix,
AMBI- is BOTH.
If you didn’t know that, you might
have known the prefix BI, meaning
TWO. The idea of BOTH or TWO is
behind the meaning of AMBIVALENCE
– having two contradictory
emotions or opinions.
April 24, 2017
AMBIGUOUS
(am BIG yoo us – adjective)
Definition:
permitting more than one
interpretation; not clearly
defined; unclear in meaning
(Noun form is ambiguity)
Sentences:
Listening to Mr. Archer’s ambiguous
remarks, we weren’t sure whether he
agreed with us.
Because of the ambiguity of the test
question, our teacher eliminated it when
she scored our exams.
By leaving the passage ambiguous, the
poet wants the reader to decide what it
means.
Memory Clue:
Remember last week’s AMBI- word,
AMBIVALENCE.
The same AMBI- meaning, both or in two
ways, applies to AMBIGUOUS, having
more than one interpretation. It also
applies to AMBIDEXTROUS (able to use
both hands equally well; being right
and left-handed)
Another meaning of the prefix AMBI- is
around, or surrounding. This meaning
applies to AMBIENT (surrounding or
circulating) and AMBIANCE (the
feeling, atmosphere, or mood
surrounding a place.)