We have a lot of ways to refer to rural areas, like the country, the backwoods, and in the sticks. But if it’s hinterlands, then boy oh boy is it far from civilization. Originally, the word referred to unsettled areas beyond the coast or a river, but now it commonly refers to remote, rural areas.

📚️ Definition of Hinterland

Hinterland (noun): A remote or undeveloped area lying beyond a coast, city, or river; the rural region situated far from cultural and economic centers. Example: a vast, uninhabited hinterland.

🗣️ Pronunciation of Hinterland

• IPA: /ˈhɪn.tɚ.lænd/ (See IPA key)

• Phonetic: HIN-tur-land

📰 Examples of Hinterland

Here are some examples of the word hinterland:

• Professionals working in cities have largely thrived, while the working class in the hinterland are struggling.

• The word hinterland comes from German, literally meaning “land behind,” and originally described the territory inland from a coastline.

• The government hoped to build a highway through the hinterland to improve access and stimulate commerce.

🗣️ Common Collocations of Hinterland

A collocation is a group of words often found together in usage, for example figment of one’s imagination, extenuating circumstances, or inclement weather.

• vast hinterland

• rural hinterland

• agricultural hinterland

• remote hinterland

Quiz answer: D, backcountry.

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If you’re resilient, then you bounce back. You don’t give up. You keep going, no matter what. When I think of resilience, I always think of a young sapling springing back upright after a windstorm. The other two requirements for success? In my opinion, these are luck and a certain kind of intelligence and judgment relevant to your definition of success.

📚️ Definition of Resilient

Resilient (adjective): Able to recover quickly from difficulties, setbacks, or change; tough and adaptable. Example: a resilient community after the storm.

🗣️ Pronunciation of Resilient

• IPA: /rɪˈzɪl.jənt/ (See IPA key)

• Phonetic: rih-ZIL-yuhnt

📰 Examples of Resilient

Here are some examples of the word resilient:

• The team remained resilient, despite their 0-10 record.

• Tardigrades, micro-animals about 0.5 mm in length, are so resilient that they can survive extreme temperatures, radiation, and even the vacuum of outer space.

• Mizz White is the most resilient person I know—a Black woman who grew up in the Jim Crow South, she moved north in the Great Migration to get her college degree and raise a family.

🗣️ Common Collocations of Resilient

A collocation is a group of words often found together in usage, for example figment of one’s imagination, extenuating circumstances, or inclement weather.

• a resilient economy

• remarkably resilient

• emotionally resilient

• to prove resilient

Quiz answer: B, hardy.

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Terseness is the noun form of the more common adjective, terse. If it’s terse, then it’s short and to the point, and perhaps even a bit rude. Terse has many synonyms you should know as well, such as laconic, concise, curt, and brusque.

📚️ Definition of Terseness

Terseness (noun): The quality of being brief and to the point, sometimes to the degree of seeming abrupt or curt. Example: the terseness of a military command.

🗣️ Pronunciation of Terseness

• IPA: /ˈtɜːrs.nəs/ (See IPA key)

• Respelling: TURS-nuhs

📰 Examples of Terseness

Here are some examples of the word terseness:

• The Judge Alper’s terseness during sentencing reflected her repulsion for the defendant’s lack of remorse.

• An actually intelligible conversation between two texters showing arguably unnecessary terseness:

  • A: wyd?

  • B: bored. hbu

  • A: same. grab boba l8r?

  • B: bet. wya rn

  • A: @ lib. hbu?

  • B: omw home. eta 20 min

  • A: k, lmk when ur free

  • B: fs. ttyl

  • A: cya

• There was a certain terseness in his manner of speech that suggested not distance, but a mind too crowded with thought for excessive explanation.

Quiz answer: D, succinctness.

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Here are the last ten words we learned, each presented in three different question styles to help ensure retention. You'll see every word three times in different formats.

There are thirty questions total — give it a shot, write down your answers, and check against the answers at the bottom.

📖 Review First!

If you’d like to review the last ten words before jumping in, click the links: annihilate, haughty, pernicious, substantiate, nefarious, lethargy, beguiling, guile, intrepid, entente

START

1. A seemingly harmless rumor spreads through the school, slowly ruining reputations and eroding trust among students and staff over the course of a few months. This rumor could best be described as

A) flagrant
B) pernicious
C) vexing
D) abrasive

2. Public health officials warned that the ------- effects of long-term exposure to the pollution from the oil refinery might not become apparent for decades, by which time at least some irreversible damage would already have been done.

A) pernicious
B) fastidious
C) querulous
D) truculent

3. INTREPID most nearly means

A) reckless
B) timid
C) stoic
D) fearless

4. Slick Sammy smiled warmly at the young couple, speaking in a slow, friendly way. Within a few minutes, he had told the story of his sick but non-existent cat and convinced the couple to hand over their savings to him. His behavior could best be described as marked by

A) guile
B) bravado
C) audacity
D) avarice

5. The investigators spent years unraveling the ------- Ponzi scheme of Bernie Madoff that had defrauded thousands of investors out of an estimated $65 billion collectively.

A) respectable
B) nefarious
C) articulated
D) charitable

6. After a researcher publishes a controversial claim, she gathers extensive data, peer testimony, and replicated experiments to back up her hypothesis. The action she is taking could be described as an effort to ------- her findings.

A) reduce
B) vindicate
C) substantiate
D) postulate

7. The investigative journalist spent months gathering documents and interviewing witnesses to ------- her claims about corruption within the city council.

A) postulate
B) insinuate
C) substantiate
D) extrapolate

8. Which of the following would be considered the most nefarious?

A) W. E. B. Du Bois, the American civil rights activist
B) Paulo Freire, the Brazilian educator known for the groundbreaking book “The Pedagogy of the Oppressed”
C) Al Capone, the US gangster known as “Scarface”
D) Amelia Earhart, an early American aviator who disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean

9. After years of military tension, forces swept through a small village with overwhelming firepower, leaving no structure standing. This attack ------- the village.

A) replenished
B) limited
C) memorialized
D) annihilated

10. Although the Venus flytrap appears harmless, its leaves are surprisingly -------: bright colors and sweet nectar lure insects onto trigger hairs that snap the trap shut, drawing prey in before they sense any danger.

A) repellent
B) sluggish
C) beguiling
D) transparent

11. SUBSTANTIATE most nearly means

A) dispute
B) corroborate
C) undermine
D) refute

12. When a person’s thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough hormone, a condition known as hypothyroidism, their metabolism slows down dramatically, resulting in a profound -------; this extreme sluggishness is a symptom of the disorder, not simple laziness.

A) lethargy
B) rejection
C) vertigo
D) awareness

Read more

If someone or something is nefarious, it is wicked, criminal, or deeply immoral. The word often describes deliberate wrongdoing, especially that done by notorious criminals, such as Al Capone during the 1920s in the US.

📚️ Definition of Nefarious

Nefarious (adjective): conspicuously wicked, corrupt, or evil, especially in a way that involves serious crime (Ex: a nefarious plot)..

🗣️ Pronunciation of Nefarious

• IPA: /nəˈfɛɹ.i.əs/ (See IPA key)

• Phonetic: nuh-FAIR-ee-uhs

📰 Examples of Nefarious

Here are some examples of the word nefarious:

• Summer action movies tend to have at least one nefarious villain that audiences “love to hate.”

• Investigators surmise that the shell companies were created for nefarious purposes, including arms trafficking and money laundering.

• The article examines how authoritarian regimes have historically employed nefarious propaganda techniques to manufacture public outrage and pit citizens against one another.

🗣️ Common Collocations of Nefarious

A collocation is a group of words often found together in usage, for example figment of one’s imagination, extenuating circumstances, or inclement weather.

• a nefarious plot

• a nefarious scheme

• nefarious activities

• nefarious purposes

• nefarious intentions

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Quiz answer: A, wicked.

🚀 Learn more!

• My colleague Robert’s SAT Vocab book on Amazon

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Lethargy is a fancy word for something we’ve all experienced — the feeling of laziness, of being tired, of lacking energy or enthusiasm. You may experience lethargy if you don’t get enough sleep, if you’re not in the best spirits, or if you’re under the weather.

📚️ Definition of Lethargy

Lethargy (noun): A state of sluggishness, inactivity, and apathy; a lack of energy or enthusiasm. Example: lethargy after a big meal.

🗣️ Pronunciation of Lethargy

• IPA: /ˈlɛθ.ɚ.dʒi/ (See IPA key)

• Respelling: LETH-ur-jee

📰 Examples of Lethargy

Here are some examples of the word lethargy:

• The hot afternoon sun induced lethargy in the entire classroom.

• Research consistently shows that too much screen time can lead to lethargy, as the blue light from devices can disrupt sleep cycles. (And of course, you can buy special glasses or apps to reduce this blue light.)

• “Lethargy, bordering on sloth, should remain the cornerstone of an investment style.” — Warren Buffett, the legendary investor advocating a buy-and-hold investment strategy.

Quiz answer: C, torpor.

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If someone or something is beguiling, it is appealing, charming, or enchanting, but often in a way that hides something. The Sirens of Greek mythology could be called beguiling, as could a slick salesperson in a popular tourist area.

Yesterday, we learned guile, which is the root of today’s word beguiling. Notice how one word can function as a building block for another word by adding some word parts (a prefix and suffix in this case). To learn more roots, I recommend Roots2Words.

📚️ Definition of Beguiling

Beguiling (adjective): Charming or enchanting, often in a way that deceives or distracts. Example: a beguiling smile.

🗣️ Pronunciation of Beguiling

• IPA: /bɪˈɡaɪ.lɪŋ/ (See IPA key)

• Respelling: bih-GUY-ling

📰 Examples of Beguiling

Here are some examples of the word beguiling:

Here are some examples of the word beguiling:

• In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus’s sailors couldn’t resist the beguiling song of the Greek sirens, female humanlike creatures who would lure ships into dangerous areas with cliffs and rocks.

• The man selling shampoo containing real gold was so beguiling that my friend ended up paying $100 for a bottle. (Based on a true story!)

• “Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling, By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore...” — Edgar Allan Poe, “The Raven” (1845)

Quiz answer: A, enchanting.

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Guile is the quality of using clever, deceptive cunning, for example, like how a scammer might convince a grandmother that she absolutely must send gift card codes to “protect” her retirement fund.

📚️ Definition of Guile

Guile (noun): Sly or cunning intelligence; the use of clever and sometimes deceitful tactics to achieve a goal, often through trickery rather than force. Example: crypto scammers operating with incredible levels of guile.

🗣️ Pronunciation of Guile

• IPA: /ɡaɪl/ (See IPA key)

• Respelling: GYLE

📰 Examples of Guile

Here are some examples of the word guile:

• We went into the timeshare sales presentation prepared for high-pressure appeals to sign away our life savings, but in the end, it was the presenter’s guile that almost got us.

• In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus is known for his guile. One of the best examples of this guile is his escape from the giant Cyclops Polyphemus, in which he told Polyphemus that his name was “Nobody,” so when the other Cyclopes ask Polyphemus who is attacking him, Polyphemus bellows that “Nobody is attacking him.” And his fellow Cyclopes don’t bother to come to help!

• “It is by guile, not by strength, that the cunning fox outwits the stronger hound.” — Inspired by Aesop’s Fables

Quiz answer: D, cunning.

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📚️ Definition of Intrepid

Intrepid (adjective): Fearless, bold, and resolute, especially when facing danger or difficulty. Example: an intrepid explorer.

🗣️ Pronunciation of Intrepid

• IPA: /ɪnˈtrɛp.ɪd/ (See IPA key)

• Respelling: in-TREH-pid

📰 Examples of Intrepid

Here are some examples of the word intrepid:

• Intrepid Ignatius faced the playground bully like David faced the giant Goliath, and with similar success..

• “Fortune favors the intrepid.” — adapted from Virgil’s Aeneid (originally “Audentes fortuna iuvat”)

Quiz answer: A, dauntless.

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Sending out a freebie today to see if my readers like it.

Here are the last ten words we learned, each presented in three different question styles to help ensure retention. You'll see every word three times in different formats: first as a straight synonym match, then in a real-world scenario where you have to feel your way to the answer, and finally as a definition where you pick the matching word.

There are thirty questions total — give it a shot, write down your answers, and check against the answers at the bottom.

📖 Review First!

Brush up before you start the quiz! Here they are: refute · insurrection · tenable · veracity · supersede · wan · hew · efface · misconstrue · maternal

1. After decades of rivalry and border disputes, India and Bangladesh signed agreements in 2015 to simplify their shared border and improve cooperation on trade and transportation. This new understanding could best be described as an
A) embargo
B) entente
C) ultimatum
D) insurrection

2. Which of the following words best describes a person who looks pale, weak, or sickly?
A) ruddy
B) wan
C) flushed
D) robust

3. A house’s roof leak goes unnoticed for months, slowly rotting the beams and spreading mold through the whole house. You would describe the damage as
A) negligible
B) benign
C) pernicious
D) innocuous

4. Which of the following words best describes the effect of a small dose of toxic chemicals in drinking water that slowly damages a community’s health?
A) pernicious
B) benign
C) innocuous
D) trivial

5. Which of the following words best describes, for example, an aristocrat who refuses to make eye contact with servants and looks down his nose at his social inferiors?
A) humble
B) deferential
C) modest
D) haughty

6. PERNICIOUS most nearly means
A) destructive
B) benign
C) innocuous
D) trivial

7. Which of the following words best describes the act of completely destroying something so that nothing remains, for example, a powerful nuclear weapon that levels an entire city?
A) preserve
B) repair
C) annihilate
D) restore

8. Which of the following words best describes a researcher who backs up her hypothesis with multiple independent experiments and rigorous statistical analysis?
A) contradict
B) substantiate
C) refute
D) speculate

9. ANNIHILATE most nearly means
A) obliterate
B) preserve
C) repair
D) restore

10. Jemma’s argument for expanding into the new market was backed by solid data, so even the naysayers admitted it was
A) tenable
B) flimsy
C) hollow
D) baseless

11. VERACITY most nearly means
A) deception
B) ambiguity
C) ignorance
D) truthfulness

12. SUPERSEDE most nearly means
A) preserve
B) restore
C) inherit
D) replace

13. The senator produced bank records and a video timeline proving she was nowhere near the diner at which she was accused of accepting a bribe. She had clearly
A) refuted the accusation
B) corroborated the accusation
C) endorsed the accusation
D) ignored the accusation

14. WAN most nearly means
A) pale and weak
B) ruddy
C) robust
D) flushed

15. Which of the following words best describes the hypothesis that holds up after rigorous peer review and continues to make accurate predictions?
A) baseless
B) flimsy
C) tenable
D) hollow

16. Every detail of Samson’s account held up under scrutiny and matched the physical evidence, so the defense had to acknowledge its
A) ambiguity
B) duplicity
C) veracity
D) fiction

17. Which of the following words best describes the way that Netflix and other streaming services have pretty much replaced traditional cable television?
A) supersede
B) preserve
C) restore
D) inherit

18. SUBSTANTIATE most nearly means
A) contradict
B) speculate
C) refute
D) back up with evidence

19. The politician’s lawyers demanded that the reporter produce documents and bank records before publishing in order to
A) speculate on the claim
B) refute the claim
C) ignore the claim
D) substantiate the claim

20. Celia largely ignored her staff, dismissed their ideas, and looked distracted when they spoke. You would describe her as
A) gracious
B) humble
C) deferential
D) haughty

21. After a week of no sleep, Rasha’s face was washed-out and gray, with little color in her cheeks. In comparison with her previous radiant self, she looked positively
A) ruddy
B) wan
C) radiant
D) robust

22. ENTENTE most nearly means
A) friendly agreement
B) hostile standoff
C) armed conflict
D) trade embargo

23. The Chicxulub impact 66 million years ago wiped out approximately 75% of all species on Earth. The event effectively
A) preserved most species
B) restored most species
C) annihilated most species
D) repaired most species

24. Ranson’s new building code replaced the outdated 1985 rules that had guided construction permits. The new code now
A) preserves the old rules
B) restores the old rules
C) supersedes the old rules
D) inherits the old rules

25. In 1998, Andrew Wakefield of the Royal Free Hospital and Medical School in London published a poorly designed study claiming a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Dozens of later researchers, including large-scale studies involving hundreds of thousands of children in countries such as Denmark and Japan, debunked the findings, but the alleged connection unfortunately took hold in the minds of many people. Wakefield’s findings were
A) corroborated
B) endorsed
C) refuted
D) reiterated

26. REFUTE most nearly means
A) endorse
B) corroborate
C) ignore
D) disprove

27. Which of the following words best describes the quality of being truthful or accurate?
A) duplicity
B) veracity
C) ambiguity
D) fiction

28. TENABLE most nearly means
A) defensible
B) baseless
C) flimsy
D) hollow

29. HAUGHTY most nearly means
A) arrogant
B) humble
C) modest
D) deferential

30. In the early 1900s, before World War I, Russia, France, and Britain formed the Triple -------, an informal understanding meant to counterbalance the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.
A) Embargo
B) Ultimatum
C) Entente
D) Insurrection

END

Answer Key

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1) B
2) B
3) C
4) A
5) D

6) A
7) C
8) B
9) A
10) A

11) D
12) D
13) A
14) A
15) C

16) C
17) A
18) D
19) D
20) D

21) B
22) A
23) C
24) C
25) C

26) D
27) B
28) A
29) A
30) C

If you got them all right, please brag below.

When countries, governments, or rival powers enter into an entente, they make an informal agreement or understanding, often to reduce conflict or work together temporarily, perhaps against a common enemy. The Triple Entente before World War I, among Britain, France, and Russia, was a well-known entente. Ententes are generally less formal than treaties.

📚️ Definition of Entente

Entente (noun): A friendly understanding or informal alliance between nations, groups, or individuals. Example: an entente between nation.

🗣️ Pronunciation of Entente

• IPA: /ɑnˈtɑnt/ (See IPA key)

• Respelling: awn-TAWNT

📰 Examples of Entente

Here are some examples of the word entente:

• The spat between the two countries over tariffs could weaken the entente they’ve enjoyed for the last decade.

• The Triple Entente of the pre-World War I era was formed among France, Russia, and Great Britain to act as a counterbalance to the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.

• An entente is only as strong as its ability to advance the interests of each of its member states.

Quiz answer: D, accord.

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If you annihilate something or someone, you pretty much destroy it completely or for all intents and purposes completely. Like one team could annihilate their opponent in a game or a town could be annihilated figuratively by a natural disaster.

📚️ Definition of annihilate

(verb) to destroy completely; to cause to cease to exist. destroy significantly (Ex: annihilate a city).

🗣️ Pronunciation of annihilate

• IPA: əˈnaɪ.ə.leɪt (See IPA key)

• Phonetic: uh-NY-uh-layt

📰 Examples Of annihilate

annihilate used in a sentence:

• The famed futbol team was ignominiously annihilated in the final match with another great team.

• Though the city was wasn’t quite annihilated by the fires, it was certainly devastated, and most residents were displaced for months.

• The candidate intended to annihilate — without mercy — the incumbent who had held office for 18 years.

💬 Quotes With annihilate

• The sides of the volcano became veiled and disappeared from the view of the spectators, while a stream of fire ran down the mountain and threatened to annihilate them. — R. L. Packard, Remarkable Volcanic Eruptions in the Philippines (1900)

Quiz answer: B, destroy completely.

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If somebody is haughty, then they act stuck up and think that they are better than everybody else. They also have a bad attitude towards other people they think are inferior.

📚️ Definition of haughty

haughty (adjective): having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy (Ex: a haughty jewelry salesperson).

🗣️ Pronunciation of haughty

• IPA: ˈhɔː.ti (See IPA key)

• Phonetic: HAW-tee

📰 Examples Of haughty

Examples of the word haughty:

• I’m not excited about the party because I think there will be a lot of haughty people there.

• My friend Jermaine was very chill and down to earth in college, but over the years as he became more and more successful, he became insufferably haughty.

🧠 Quick Info

• Word: haughty

• Part of speech: adjective

• Definition: having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy (Ex: a haughty jewelry salesperson).

• Pronunciation: ˈhɔː.ti (HAW-tee)

• Common collocations: haughty attitude

Test Yourself on “impute”

The SAT Word of the Day on April 10 was “impute.” What does the word mean?

Every word you learn is another tool in your toolkit — keep going, and watch it all add up! 💪

If something is pernicious, then it is very, very dangerous and harmful, and even more so because you don't even realize how dangerous it is, like breathing in carbon monoxide.

📚️ Definition of pernicious

pernicious (adjective): highly harmful or destructive, especially in a way that is hard to notice (Ex: a pernicious influence). deadly.

🗣️ Pronunciation of pernicious

• IPA: pərˈnɪʃ.əs (See IPA key)

• Respelling: per-NIH-shuhs4

📰 Examples of pernicious

Here are some examples of the word pernicious:

• Once it was discovered that the pesticide had a pernicious effect on certain crops, most farmers quickly abandoned it for chemicals that were more “plant-friendly.”

• The videos had a pernicious influence on the children.

• Requiring residents of a nation to carry with them at all times a form of valid, government-issued identification may not immediately seem pernicious, but the ramifications certainly are; imagine leaving the house without your ID for quick errand, getting pulled over by the police and subsequently detained.

💬 Quotes featuring pernicious

• I verily believe that buttoning himself up in so downy and blanket-like a coat had a pernicious effect upon him; upon the same principle that too much oats are bad for horses. — Herman Melville, Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street (1853). The quote refers to Turkey, a minor character in the story who becomes cranky in the afternoons.

🧠 At a glance

• Word: pernicious

• Part of speech: adjective

• Definition: highly harmful or destructive, especially in a way that is hard to notice (Ex: a pernicious influence). (rare) deadly.

• Pronunciation: /pərˈnɪʃ.əs/ or (per-NIH-shuhs4)

• Etymology: From Middle English, from Old French pernicios, from Latin perniciōsus (“destructive”), from perniciēs (“destruction”), from per (“through”) + nex (“slaughter, death”). — Wiktionary

• Common collocations: pernicious influence; pernicious effect

Quiz answer: C, deleterious.

Thanks for learning today.

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Heads up, I’ll be modifying the format in coming words of the day, pulling directly from my personal database. You may notice some differences, subtle or obvious.

The first sense of the word substantiate in English meant to give substance to, as something abstract, for example, to take an idea or emotion, and make it real, as in a work of art. However, nowadays, we use substantiate mostly to mean to prove or back up with evidence.

📚️ Definition of substantiate

substantiate (verb): verify; support with proof or evidence (Ex: substantiate a claim). (rare) make real or concrete; give bodily form to (Ex: substantiate an emotion in a sculpture).

🗣️ Pronunciation of substantiate

• IPA: səbˈstæn.ʃi.eɪt (See IPA key)

• Respelling: suhb-STAN-shee-ayt

📰 Examples of substantiate

Here are some examples of the word substantiate:

• I was able to substantiate my claim that I was at home all day today by getting my housemate to vouch for me.

• We used two methods to substantiate our findings.

Quiz answer: D, verify.

🚀 Learn more!

• My colleague Robert’s SAT Vocab book on Amazon

• Dr. P’s guide to building a perfect college list

Here are the last ten words we learned, each presented in three different question styles to help ensure retention. You'll see every word three times in different formats: first as a straight synonym match, then in a real-world scenario where you have to feel your way to the answer, and finally as a definition where you pick the matching word.

There are thirty questions total — give it a shot, write down your answers, and check against the answers at the bottom.

📖 Review First!

Brush up before you start the quiz! Here they are: refute · insurrection · tenable · veracity · supersede · wan · hew · efface · misconstrue · maternal

1. A tabloid publishes a story claiming a senator took bribes from a foreign government (in Australia). The senator then produces detailed credit card receipts, witness statements, and a video timeline that prove she was actually in a different country (Austria) at the time. She has clearly
A) corroborated the story
B) refuted the story
C) endorsed the story
D) ignored the story

2. Which of the following words best describes a violent uprising or revolt against an established authority or government, for example, when an armed group of citizens storms a government building in an attempt to overthrow those in charge?
A) insurrection
B) diplomacy
C) referendum
D) filibuster

3. Your colleague argues that your business should expand into a new market based on six months of solid sales data, customer interviews, and competitor analysis. Even those who disagree concede that her position is well-supported and worth taking seriously. You would describe her argument as
A) flimsy
B) tenable
C) baseless
D) hollow

4. TENABLE most nearly means
A) baseless
B) flimsy
C) hollow
D) defensible

5. Which of the following words best describes the quality of being truthful or accurate, for example, the trustworthiness of an eyewitness whose detailed account of an accident matches surveillance footage and other witnesses’ statements?
A) duplicity
B) ambiguity
C) fiction
D) veracity

6. TENABLE most nearly means
A) defensible
B) indefensible
C) chaotic
D) hollow

7. Which of the following words best describes the act of replacing something with a newer or more effective version, taking the place of what came before, for example, the way that streaming services like Netflix have largely replaced traditional cable television for many households?
A) preserve
B) restore
C) supersede
D) inherit

8. Which of the following words best describes a person who looks pale, weak, or sickly, often with a tired or washed-out appearance, for example, a student with the flu whose face has lost some color?
A) ruddy
B) robust
C) flushed
D) wan

9. SUPERSEDE most nearly means
A) preserve
B) restore
C) replace
D) inherit

10. Centuries of foot traffic from tourists and locals across the cathedral’s stone floor had slowly worn down the carved inscriptions until they were barely visible. People’s feet had inadvertently
A) effaced the inscriptions
B) imbued the stones
C) hewn the floor
D) redressed the wear

11. MISCONSTRUE most nearly means
A) misinterpret
B) clarify
C) confirm
D) articulate

12. HEW most nearly means
A) polish
B) weave
C) chop
D) melt

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📚️ Definition of Refute

Refute (verb): To prove a statement or theory to be wrong or false, typically by using evidence or argument. Example: refute someone’s ridiculous argument.

🗣️ Pronunciation of Refute

• IPA: /rɪˈfjuːt/ (See IPA key)

• Respelling: rih-FYOOT

📰 Examples of Refute

Here are some examples of the word refute:

• Michael Joshua, ESQ called a surprise witness whose testimony would refute just about every single assertion made by the prosecution.

• Galileo’s observations of Jupiter’s moons helped to refute the notion that the Earth was the center of the universe.

• “He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion...” — John Stuart Mill (Simplification: This is partly saying that just because no one has proved you wrong doesn’t necessarily mean you’re right.)

Quiz answer: B, disprove.

🚀 Learn more!

• My colleague Robert’s SAT Vocab book on Amazon

• Dr. P’s guide to building a perfect college list

📚️ Definition of Supersede

Supersede (verb): To take the place of (someone or something previously in authority or use); to replace or set aside, often by something newer or more authoritative. Example: the new law that supersedes the previous one.

🗣️ Pronunciation of Supersede

• IPA: /ˌsuːpərˈsiːd/ (See IPA key)

• Respelling: soo-per-SEED

📰 Examples of Supersede

Here are some examples of the word supersede:

• The new qPhone 94 will supersede last year’s 93 as the most expensive mass-produced smartphone.

• In 1582, the Gregorian calendar superseded the Julian calendar in much of Europe.

• My mother always says her decisions supersede any objections my siblings and I come up with.

• It is the law of progress that everything new must, in time, be supersededby something newer still.

Quiz answer: D, supplant.

🚀 Learn more!

• My colleague Robert’s SAT Vocab book on Amazon

• Dr. P’s guide to building a perfect college list

📚️ Definition of Veracity

Veracity (noun): Conformity to facts; accuracy; habitual truthfulness. Example: doubting the veracity of a statement.

🗣️ Pronunciation of Veracity

• IPA: /vəˈræs.ə.ti/ (See IPA key)

• Respelling: vuh-RASS-uh-tee

📰 Examples of Veracity

Here are some examples of the word veracity:

• The journalist ensured the veracity of statistic she cited, as good journalists do.

• I had serious doubts about the veracity of Jake’s claim that he’d found a dinosaur fossil in his backyard.

• “Veracity is the heart of morality.” — Thomas Henry Huxley

• Verifying the veracity of online content is essential, especially because so many apocryphal claims spread quickly.

Quiz answer: D, truthfulness.

🚀 Learn more!

• My colleague Robert’s SAT Vocab book on Amazon

• Dr. P’s guide to building a perfect college list

📚️ Definition of Tenable

Tenable (adjective): Able to be defended against attack or objection; capable of being held or maintained; sound or reasonable. Example: a tenable position in a debate.

🗣️ Pronunciation of Tenable

• IPA: /ˈtɛn.ə.bəl/ (See IPA key)

• Respelling: TEN-uh-buhl

📰 Examples of Tenable

Here are some examples of the word tenable:

• The prosecution’s case agaist the defendant was no longer tenable after the new DNA evidence was uncovered.

• Many medieval scientific theories, for example, the belief that disease was caused by “bad air,” seemed tenable at the time, but modern science has demolished any claim to their veracity.

• Like a strong bridge, a tenable argument must bear the weight of opposing forces.

Quiz answer: B, defensible.

🚀 Learn more!

• My colleague Robert’s SAT Vocab book on Amazon

• Dr. P’s guide to building a perfect college list