🌫️ Occluded — SAT Vocabulary You May Have Heard at the Dentist's
OCCLUDED most nearly means: A) illuminated; B) secluded; C) blocked; D) revealed. Answer inside. 👉️
Mnemonic: OCCLUDE (block) is somewhat the opposite of INCLUDE (allow in), but still different from EXCLUDE (prevent from inclusion).
📚️ Definition of Occluded
Occluded (adjective / past participle): Blocked, obstructed, or closed off so that something, such as light, air, or a passageway, cannot pass through or be seen. Example: an occluded artery.
🗣️ Pronunciation of Occluded
IPA: /əˈkluː.dɪd/ (See IPA key)
Respelling: uh-KLOO-did
📰 Examples of Occluded
Here are some examples of the word occluded:
The cardiologist suspected that an occluded coronary artery had been restricting blood flow in the patient.
For future meteorologists: An occluded front forms when a fast-moving cold front overtakes a warm front, lifting warm air above the ground and often causing prolonged, heavy precipitation.
An occluded tooth is simply one that touches another tooth when you bite down. The actual way that teeth fit together when you bite is referred to as occlusion.
Quiz answer: C, blocked.
🧠 Summary of Occluded
Definition: Occluded means blocked, obstructed, or closed off—preventing something from passing through or being perceived.
Examples: Clogged arteries in medicine, weather fronts in meteorology, and even a tall classmate blocking your view of the whiteboard all involve some form of occlusion.
Real-world connection: Doctors, meteorologists, and dentists all use occluded regularly. Whenever something is physically closed, shut off or obscured, this is the precise word for it.
SAT relevance: Occluded could appear in a science-oriented reading passage about weather systems or biology.

