Explanation &/or

Synonyms

Word

Definition Sentence

-ic, -etic,
-ical, or -al
(suffixes)

relating to; of; like

bombastic, heretic, hypothetical, radical

-in (prefix)

into

incorporate, indulgent, incessant, insurgence

thrust or push
-trud or trus (root)
-ance, -ancy, -ence,
-ency, -ant, -ent
(suffix)

bigot, n.
bigoted, adj.
bigotry, n.
charlatan, n.
charlatanism, n.
charlatanry, n.
despot, n.
despotism, n.

fervent, adj.

intrude, intrusive, unobtrusive, inclusive

act, fact quality, state, result, or
degree; state of; quality of;
process of
a person who is obstinately
convinced of the superiority or
correctness of his/her own
opinions and who is prejudiced
against those who hold different
opinions; intolerant of others
opinions
a person falsely claiming to
have a special knowledge or
skill; a fraud
a ruler or other person who
holds absolute power, typically
in a cruel or oppressive way
having or displaying a
passionate intensity; eager

brilliance, relevance, radiance, relevancy,

independence, insurgency, fervent, brilliant,
insurgent

In his slave narrative, Frederick Douglass

exposes many bigots.

I think the voters will see him as the charlatan he

really is.
The clubs president was more of a despot than
an authoritative leader.
I was told that my speech about gun control was
quite fervent.

fervently, adv.
fortuitous, adj.
fortuitously, adv.
fortuitousness, n.
germane, adj.
germanely, adv.
germaneness, n.
glutton, n.
gluttony, n.
gluttonize, v.
gluttonous, adj.
gluttonously, adv.

happening by accident or
chance rather than design;
accidental; currently means
producing fortunate outcomes
or something that is lucky or
fortunate

It was fortuitous that she came along when I

needed a friend.

relevant or essential to the

subject under consideration

Her comment about car colors was germane to

our discussion about automobiles.

an excessively greedy eater; a

person who is excessively fond
of or always eager for
something; habitual greed or
excess in eating

The gluttonous man at the next table ate his

own dinner as well as his wifes then had dessert.
A glutton for adventure, the woman began
planning her next climb after climbing Mt.
Everest.

grueling, adj.

hedonist, n.
hedonism, n.
hedonistic, adj.

heretic,n.
heresy, n.

hypocrite, n.
hypocrisy, n.

something that is extremely

tiring and demanding
the pursuit of pleasure; sensual
self-indulgence; the ethical
theory that pleasure in the
sense of the satisfying ones
desires is the highest good and
proper aim of human life
a person believing in or
practicing religious heresy; a
person holding an opinion at
odds with what is generally
accepted; a belief or opinion
contrary to orthodox religious
doctrines or principles
a person who claims to have
moral standards or beliefs to
which his/her own behavior
doesnt conform; pretense

incessant, adj.
incessancy, n.

continuing without pause or

interruption which is regarded
as unpleasant

incessantly, adv.
indulgent, adj.
indulgently, adv.
indulger, n.
indulge, v.
insurgent, n. or adj
insurgence, n.
insurgency, n.
listless, adj.
miser, n.
miser, adj.
profuse, adj.
profusely, adv.
profuseness, n.
profusion, n.
skeptic, n.
skepticism, n.
skeptical, adj.

I had to do the most grueling assignment for

English last night.

Daisy Buchanan from Fitzgeralds The Great

Gatsby leads a hedonistic life.

It is heresy to consider changing the rules of

baseball.

Mary is a hypocrite because she told me not to

copy Janes homework because it was wrong but
then did it herself.
The girl in the front row spoke incessantly all
period about her weekend preventing her peers
from learning about embedding text.
The incessant beat of the next door neighbors
music kept me up all night.
The indulgent parents allowed their son to eat a
whole bowl of ice cream.

having a readiness or
overreadiness to be generous to
or lenient with someone; giving
free rein to someone; selfindulgent
rising in active revolt or relating
to a rebels; a rebel or
revolutionary; revolts
lacking energy or enthusiasm
(used to refer to a persons
manner or demeanor)
a person who hoards wealth
and spends as little money as
possible

Harry Potters aunt and uncle indulged his

cousin Dudleys every whim.
The northern states considered the southern
states insurgent when the southern states
seceded and the American Civil War ensued.
Studying until midnight the night before made me
listless and unable to learn the new SAT
vocabulary words this morning.

exuberantly plentiful; abundant;

lavish; extravagant

She profusely apologized when she accidentally

stepped on my foot.

a person inclined to doubt or to

question all accepted opinions;
a person who doubts the truth of
Christianity and other religions
an atheist or agnostic; an
ancient or modern philosopher

I am skeptical when you say that you saw a

ghost.

Ebenezer Scrooge was a miserly man.

skeptically, adv.

superficial, adj.
superficiality, n.
superficialness, n.
superficially, adv.

sycophant,
n.

uniform, n.
uniformly, adj.
uniform, v.

unobtrusive, adj.
unobtrusively, adv.
unobtrusiveness, n.
vulnerable, adj.
vulnerability, n.
vulnerableness, n.
vulnerably, adv.
zealot, n.
zealous, adj.

who denies the possibility of

knowledge, or even rational
belief, in some sphere
existing or occurring at the
surface; situated or occurring on
the skin or immediately beneath
it; appearing to be true or real
only until examined more
carefully; not thorough, deep, or
complete; cursory; not having or
showing any depth of character
or understanding
a person who acts obsequiously
or with fawning attentiveness
toward someone in order to gain
an advantage; a servile flatterer
not changing in form or
character; remaining the same
in all cases and at all times; of
similar form or character to
another or others; denoting a
garment forming part of a
persons uniform.

Due to his superficial reading, he didnt get a

good grade on annotating the underlying meaning
in the story.

The star quarterback was surrounded by

sycophants who were more interested in his
popularity then his friendship.

We built a wall using blocks of stone of uniform

size.

not conspicuous or attracting

attention

The wedding photographer was trying to be

unobtrusive as he took the pictures.

susceptible to physical or
emotional attack or harm; liable
to higher penalties

She was in a vulnerable situation when she was

walking through the alley alone.

a person who is fanatical and

uncompromising in pursuit of
their religious, political, or other
ideals or beliefs; having or
showing zeal

John is an anti-Government zealot.

Explanations, definitions, and sentences are taken from The New Oxford American
Dictionary, 2nd Edition; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005 and from the Longman
Dictionary of American English.