Middle School SAT Vocabulary List 9

List 9 Words  Anomaly  Antagonistic  Condescending  Exasperated  Illuminate Laceration Nurture Pariah Savant Volatile Study the definitions, synonyms, & antonyms, and know how to use them in a sentence.

Anomaly  (n) something that is noticeable because it is different from what is usual  The Incredible Hulk’s blood work is an anomaly. We’ve never seen DNA like this before.  Synonyms: irregularity, difference, variance  Antonym: consistency  Also: anomalies

Antagonistic  (adj) unfriendly; wanting to argue or disagree  My sister is always antagonizing me and trying to get me to argue with her.  Synonyms: hostile, opposed, incompatible  Antonym: friendly  Also: antagonizing, antagonist

Condescending  (adj) behaving as though you think you are better, more intelligent, or more important than other people; used to show disapproval  Your condescending attitude makes you look like a snob.  Synonyms: patronizing, disdainful  Antonyms: admiring, reverent  Also: condescension, condescendingly

Exasperated  (adj) very annoyed and upset  The mother is completely exasperated because she has been stuck in the house with three moody toddlers.  Synonyms: infuriated, maddened, frustrated  Antonym: unperturbed  Also: exasperate

Illuminate  (v) to make a light shine on something or to fill a place with light; to make something much clearer and easier to understand  Can you illuminate the room with a candle please?  Synonyms: enlighten, explain, inform  Antonym: confuse  Also: luminary, illumination

Laceration  (n) a cut in your skin  The swordfight left a laceration on his forearm.  Synonyms: gash, slash  Antonyms: n/a  Also: lacerate

Nurture  (v) to help a plan, idea, feeling, etc. to develop; to feed and take care of a child or a plant while it’s growing  Nurses who work in the neonatal unit are usually very nurturing and take care of the babies.  Synonyms: cherish, encourage, foster  Antonym: abandon  Also: nurturing, nurtured

Pariah  (n) someone who everyone hates and avoids  The pariah was exiled from the community.  Synonyms: outsider, recluse, exile  Antonym: insider  Also: n/a

Savant  (n) someone who knows a lot about a subject; someone who has mental problems and may have lower intelligence than average but who can do one thing very well  They call him an idiot savant because he can name every area code in the U.S. and the state where it is located, but he can’t find his way home.  Synonyms: guru, sage, expert  Antonym: ignoramus  Also: n/a

Volatile  (adj) a situation likely to change suddenly and without warning; someone who is volatile can become suddenly violent  The students had to wear safety goggles because the chemicals were very volatile.  Synonyms: unstable, unpredictable, explosive  Antonym: docile  Also: volatility, volatileness

Assignment-List 9  Using at least five of the words, write a short story about a character who is exiled from his community.  You MUST use them correctly in order to receive credit.  It’s best to choose the words that you need to study.

List 9 Review  Click on each synonym for the correct vocabulary word.  Click on the picture on the word slides to take you back to the review.

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