Middle School SAT Vocabulary

1. Middle School SAT Vocabulary List 9

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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

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

9. 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

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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. List 9 Review