46.
PERPETUAL
adj. <per-PEH-choo-uhl>
46. PERPETUAL
continuing forever or indefinitely
Kayla was worried that if she didn't go to a good college, she
would live in a perpetual state of poverty.
Word Alert: To perpetuate is to make something perpetual.
47. ELITIST
adj. <ih-LEET-ist>
47. ELITIST
believing one is superior (often wrongly)
Roger is an elitist: he refuses to talk to anyone who didn't go to
an Ivy League school.
Cocky
elitist (47), pretentious (52), condescend (117), grandiose (150),
bombastic (155), patronize (356), pompous (452), haughty (463)
Word Alert: Elite means superior in status (without the negative
connotation); as a noun it means a group that is superior in status.
48. ASSESS
48. ASSESS
to make a judgment about
v. <uh-SESS>
1 need all the facts before I can assess the situation.
49. PARADOX
n. <PAIR-uh-doks>
49. PARADOX
a seemingly contradictory statement that may
nonetheless be true
"1 always lie when 1 tell the truth," is a paradox.
50. MELANCHOLY
adj. <MEL-uhn-kaw-lee>
50. MELANCHOLY
sad; gloomy
Kurt has a melancholy disposition; he spends all day sulking and
writing poems about sadness and death.
Cry Baby
melancholy (50), lament (51), despair (116), morose (284),
despondent (443)
Word Alert: Melancholy can also be a noun meaning sadness.
51.
LAMENT
v.
51. LAMENT
to regret; to show grief for
<luh-MENT>
When you get older, you will lament your wasted opportunities.
Cry Baby
melancholy (50), lament (51), despair (116), morose (284),
despondent(443)
Word Alert: Something lamentable is something regrettable.
52.
PRETENTIOUS
52. PRETENTIOUS
excessively showy;
claiming unjust standing*
adj. <prih-TEN-shuhs>
Karl pretentiously thinks he's more sophisticated than we are
because he listens to really obscure music.
Cocky
elitist (47), pretentious (52), condescend (117), grandiose (150),
bombastic (155), patronize (356), pompous (452), haughty (463)
Word Alert: A pretense is false appearance.
53.
PARTISAN
adj. <PAHR-tuh-zuhn>
53. PARTISAN
devoted or biased in support of a group
This sportswriter is partisan against my favorite team; he only
writes about their failures, never their triumphs
Word Alert: If the prefix non- means not, what would nonpartisan mean?
54.
AUTONOMY
54. AUTONOMY
independence
n. <aw-TAWN-uh-mee>
Every high school student dreams of moving away from home to
get some autonomy.
Word Alert: Someone autonomous possesses autonomy.
55.
AMBIGUOUS
adj. <am-BIG-yoo-uhs>
55. AMBIGUOUS
vague or unclear
The ending of the movie was ambiguous; the audience couldn't
definitively tell whether the main character was good or evil.
Wltatthe-?
ambiguous (55), equivocal (78), enigmatic (97), esoteric (129),
abstruse (247), nebulous (340)
56.
PEDANTIC
adj. <puh-DAN-tiO
56. PEDANTIC
insisting on following minor rules; overly dry
and academic
My teacher is so pedantic he cares more about whether I misuse
commas in my essays than whether my argument is good.
Word Alert: A pedant is someone who is pedantic.
Pedantry is the act of being pedantic.
Word Alert: Thepeda- root has to do with leaching, so pedagogical
means related to teaching but without a negative connotation.
57. COMPLACENT
adj. <kuhm-PLAY-suhnt>
57. COMPLACENT
self-satisfied to the point of inactivity;
unconcerned
The talented athlete grew so complacent, he began to skip
practice.
Synonyms: smug (184)
58. NOVEL
58. NOVEL
strikingly new or different
adj. <NOV-uhl>
Bob came up with a novel design for a car that is entirely
powered by donuts and tacos.
Synonyms: innovative (2)
Word Alert: Novel and innovative (2) come from the same root.
59. REFUTE
59. REFUTE
to disprove
v. <reh-FYOOT>
The success of A-List students refutes the notion that you cannot
improve your SAT score.
Synonyms: debunk (110), repudiate (267)
60. IDIOSYNCRATIC
adj. <id-ee-oh-sin-KRAT-ik>
60. IDIOSYNCRATIC
peculiar to an individual
Chapman has an idiosyncratic habit of always showering in the
dark.
Word Alert: An idiosyncrasy is an idiosyncratic characteristic or
behavior.