1.He absconded with the Wells Fargo heist, but the FBI eventually captured him. Absconded - verb Parts: ab(away); condere(place, hide) Educated Guess: Definition: to leave quickly and secretly and hide oneself, usually to avoid arrest and prosecution for theft Synonyms: flee, vanish, bolt Antonyms: surrender Variant forms: absconder (n) Context Phrase:

2.Divorce is no longer an anomaly among members of England’s royal family. Anomaly - noun Parts: an (not) homo (same) y (result of) Educated Guess: Definition: Something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected Synonyms: abnormality, irregularity, oddity, deviance Antonyms: norm, convention, standard Variant forms: anomalous (adj.) Context Phrase:

3. Many people expect the pope to beatify Mother Teresa, a nun and missionary who died in 1997. Beatify (verb) Parts: beatus (blessed); fy (make) Educated Guess: Definition: to make blissfully happy; In the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope’s decision to declare a dead person is in a state of bliss, a step toward sainthood Synonyms: exhilarate, delight, exult, sanctify Antonyms deject, depress, damn, vilify Variant forms: beatific (adj) beatification(n) beatitide (n) Context Phrase:

4. The miners clamored for higher pay and better working conditions. Clamored: verb Parts: clam (shout, cry out); or (action of) Educated Guess: Definition: To make insistent demands or complaints; To exclaim insistently and nosily; A loud outcry; a vehement expression of protest Synonyms: demand, protest, outcry Antonyms: na Variant forms: clamorous (adj) Context Phrase:

5.My purchasing a new car is contingent upon my selling the one I have currently. Contingent - adjective Parts: con (together, with); ting (touch); ent (full of) Educated Guess: Definition: Likely but not certain to occur; dependent upon conditions not yet established; Happening by chance or accident;a small group sent to join a larger one Synonyms: possible, conditional, dependent Antonyms: certain, definite Variant forms: contingency (noun) Context Phrase:

6. The aromas wafting from the kitchen assured us that dinner would be delectable. Delectable - adj Parts: de (from) lect (choose, please) able (capable of) Educated Guess: Definition: greatly pleasing to taste; Something delightful or delicious (n) Synonyms: delightful, delicious, scrumptious, delicacy Antonyms: unpleasant, unsavory, distasteful Variant forms:delectability (n), delectabley (adv.) Context Phrase:

7. Which entertainer is known by the epithet (“The Gloved one” 7. Which entertainer is known by the epithet (“The Gloved one”?) (Michael Jackson) Epithet - noun Parts: epi (on, upon); thet (put, place) Educated Guess: Definition: a term used to characterize a person or thing such as Alexander the Great, A term used as a descriptive sub. for the name or title, an abusive word Synonyms: degradation, slur, aspersion, invective Antonyms: compliment, euphemism Variant forms: na Context Phrase:

8. The ingenious person who came up with the idea of Post It Notes is now a multimillionaire. Ingenious-adj. Parts:in (in); gen (start, origin) ious (full of) Educated Guess: Definition: possessing or showing great skill in creating or devising, original and imaginative in design, construction or execution Synonyms:skillful, skilled, adept, creative, innovative Antonyms:unimaginative, ordinary, routine Variant forms:ingenuity (n) Context Phrase:

9. The vows of priesthood are inviolable; the decision to take them requires careful thought. Inviolable (adj) Parts: in (not); violare (violate); able (capable of) Educated Guess: Definition: Never to be broken, infringed, or dishonored Synonyms: sacred, absolute, unconditional, permanent Antonyms: temporary, tenuous, changeable Variant forms: inviolability (n); inviolably (adv) Context Phrase:

10. The fragrance of flowers and the mellifluous singing of birds signal that spring has arrived. Mellifluous (adj) Parts: mell (honey); flu (flow); ous (full of) Educated Guess: Definition: Sweet or musical; pleasant to hear. Synonyms: euphonious, melodious, melodic, lyrical Antonyms: cacophonous, harsh, unpleasant, grating Variant forms: Mellifluence (n) mellifluent (adj) Context Phrase:

11. The judge must not allow her emotions to obfuscate her responsibility to be impartial.. Obfuscate - verb Parts:ob (against); fusc (darken); ate (cause, make) Educated Guess: Definition: To darken, to render obscure, unclear or unintelligible; to confuse Synonyms:confuse, obscure, bewilder, stupefy, hide Antonyms: clarify, elucidate, simplify, explain Variant forms: obfuscation (n) obfuscatory (adj) Context Phrase:

12. Struggling with painful injuries, he remained pertinacious in his pursuit of Olympic gold. Pertinacious – adj. Parts: per (through); tin (hold, keep); acious (inclined to) Educated Guess: Definition: Holding firmly to a purpose, belief, or opinion; Stubbornly or perversely persistent Synonyms: tenacious, persistent, obstinate, adamant Antonyms: unsteady, weak, indecisive, vacillating Variant forms: pertinacity (n) pertinaciously (adv) Context Phrase:

13. A negative attitude is often a precursor to defeat in almost any new challenge. Precursor – noun Parts: pre (before); curs (run); or (that which) Educated Guess: Definition: That which precedes, indicates, or announces someone or something to come; One that precedes another Synonyms: forerunner, harbinger, predecessor, envoy Antonyms: consequence, result, reaction Variant forms: precursory (adj) Context Phrase:

14. The pugnacious man who had alienated his neighbors was not invited to the picnic.. Pugnacoius – adj. Parts: pug (fight); acious (inclined to) Educated Guess: Definition: Eager to fight, argue or quarrel; Having a quarrelsome disposition Synonyms: aggressive, belligerent, hostile, militant Antonyms: submissive, tolerant, timid, cowardly Variant forms: pugnacity (n); pugnaciously (adv) Context Phrase:

15. The fans protested the referee’s reprehensible call by shouting at him throughout the game. Reprehensible – adj. Parts: re (back, again); prehens (grasp); ible (capable of) Educated Guess: Definition: Deserving of criticism, rebuke, blame, or disapproval Synonyms:blameworthy,contemptible,despicable, wrong Antonyms: blameless, innocent, praiseworthy Variant forms: reprehensibility (n) reprehensibly (adv) Context Phrase:

16. The corrupt politician created sinecures for those who had contributed to his campaign.. Sinecure – noun. Parts: sin (without); cur (care) Educated Guess: Definition: A position or office requiring little or no work but providing status and/or salary Synonyms: na Antonyms: na Variant forms: na Context Phrase:

17. During our trip to Disneyland in California, we planned a sojourn to the Grand Canyon. Sojourn – n. Parts: sub (under) dirunum (day) Educated Guess: Definition: a temporary stay; a brief residence; To stay somewhere temporarily Synonyms: vacation, visit, stopover, rest, holiday Antonyms: na Variant forms: sojourner (noun) Context Phrase:

18. When the media reported the surreptitious business deals with the legislator’s brother, the public reacted. Surreptitious – adj. Parts: sub (under); rapt (seize, grasp); ious (full of) Educated Guess: Definition: Performed, made, or acquired secretly; Kept secret because it would not be approved of Synonyms: secret, covert, furtive, stealthy, devious Antonyms: candid, open, straightforward, public Variant forms: surreptitiously (adv) Context Phrase:

19. Transfixed by the animated storyteller, the children sat quietly for an hour. Transfix– verb. Parts: trans (across); fix (put, place) Educated Guess: Definition: To paralyze with horror, wonder, or astonishment; To pierce with a sharp instrument or weapon Synonyms: fascinate, mesmerize, enchant, bewitch Antonyms: bore, tire, exhaust, jade Variant forms: na Context Phrase:

20. Miss Hannigan, unscrupulous head of the orphanage, plotted with her brother to claim the reward for finding Annie’s parents. Unscrupulous – adj. Parts: un (not); scrupulus ( rough pebble) ous (full of) Educated Guess: Definition: Devoid of moral concerns, having or showing no moral principles; Not honest or fair Synonyms: unprincipled; amoral, unethical, corrupt Antonyms: moral, honest, honorable, ethical Variant forms:unscrupulously(adv);unscrupulousness (n) Context Phrase: