Pow Word Up! Websites

Pow Word Up! Websites


Table of Contents

Introduction3

Grade Level Unit Assignments4

List Vocabulary5-34

List Assessments35-64

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The notorious SAT does not usually cross a student’s mind until high school; however, preparation for success on this highly scrutinized test begins long before freshman year. Statistics show an increasing discrepancy in the rise of SAT and ACT math averages compared to verbal averages. While there is no single answer to this disparity, a certain solution is advanced verbal acuity.

The following vocabulary lists include the most frequently cited words on the SAT/PSAT. Each list includes five words to be reviewed and assessed in a designated list. Teams will determine how to introduce and review the words for each list. Students will then be assessed, building-wide, using the included List assessments. Rewards will be given throughout the year based on evidence of student mastery.

Each team will have access to necessary materials/resources and instructions for introduction and review of the vocabulary words on the P:drive. The words, definitions, synonyms, antonyms, and sample sentences are included. A unique set of flashcards for individual units has been created on where students can review the words, practice by playing games, and take sample quizzes. Teams will decide how to introduce and manage the assessment of the units. Quizzes have been created online at and are also available on the P:drive.

Pow Word Up! By Grade Level

6th Grade

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List 1

List 2

List 3

List 4

List 5

List 6

List 7

List 8

List 9

List 10

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7th Grade

1

List 11

List 12

List 13

List 14

List 15

List 16

List 17

List 18

List 19

List 20

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8th Grade

1

List 21

List 22

List 23

List 24

List 25

List 26

List 27

List 28

List 29

List 30

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List 1

WORD / DEFINITION / SYNONYM(S) / ANTONYM(S) / EXAMPLE SENTENCE
altruistic
ak tru IS tik / unselfishly concerned for the welfare of others, generous / unselfish / belligerent; stingy; selfish / Teachers and nurses are usually very altruistic people since they seek ways to help people.
ambivalent
am BIV uh lunt / having contrary feelings or attitudes, uncertain as to course of action / undecided / certain; firmly convinced / I am ambivalent about a permanent relationship with him, because I like him one day and don’t the next.
angular
ANG gyuh ler / lean; sharp cornered; gaunt / pointed / rotund / The patient has lost so much weight that his face has become quite angular.
arrogant
AIR uh gunt / overbearingly assuming; insolently proud / presumptuous; haughty; imperious; brazen / meek; modest / Because the girl was so arrogant, she had few friends.
aversion
uh VER shun / strong disinclination, disliking / hesitance, loathing; reluctance / inclination / I have an aversion to getting married.

List 2

WORD / DEFINITION / SYNONYM(S) / ANTONYM(S) / EXAMPLE SENTENCE
discern
deh SURN / to differentiate between two or more things / distinguish / to ignore; to be oblivious / Because of the fog, I was barely able to discern the landing strip.
disdain
dis DANE / intense dislike; to treat with scorn or contempt; to reject as unworthy / to be arrogant, haughty, high-handed, insolent, lordly / favor; admiration; to love / Never having to do manual labor, he disdained the idea of becoming a cotton picker.
disparage
deh SPAR ij / to degrade, to speak of someone or something in a derogatory manner / belittle, decry, deprecate / to praise profusely / His disparaging remarks about me caused the committee to give the job to another person.
disparity
deh SPAR eh tee / inequality, the condition or fact of being unequal in age, rank, or degree / discrepancy / similarity / The couple got married even though there was a great disparity in their ages.
embellish
em BEL ish / to decorate, to make beautiful with ornamentation / deck, garnish, ornament, adorn / to abbreviate / He would embellish his narratives with anecdotes about famous people.

List 3

WORD / DEFINITION / SYNONYM(S) / ANTONYM(S) / EXAMPLE SENTENCE
engender
en JEN der / to cause, to produce, to create / bring about / to squelch / His angry words engendered strife in his relationship with his wife.
innocuous
eh NOK yoo us / harmless, producing no injury / inoffensive / dangerous; injurious / Since the drink is innocuous, it is okay for us to have some.
insipid
in SIP id / boring and stupid / banal, flat, inane, jejune, vapid / spirited and animated; zestful / I am bored by your insipid talk.
lament
luh MENT / to mourn or to express sorrow in a demonstrative manner / bemoan, bewail, deplore / to rejoice / She lamented the death of her father.
laud
LAWD / to praise, to extol / revere / to defame / Her performance was lauded by all of the critics.

List 4

WORD / DEFINITION / SYNONYM(S) / ANTONYM(S) / EXAMPLE SENTENCE
obscure
ub SKYOOR / difficult to see, vague / ambiguous, cryptic, enigmatic, equivocal / clear; apparent / Because the meaning of the play was obscure, I was unable to enjoy it.
ostentatious
os ten TAY shus / showy, pretentious / pompous / modest / The ostentatious socialite wore her mink fur coat even during the warmest days of August.
prodigal
PROD uh gul / wasteful, a person given to extravagance / lavish, lush, luxuriant, profuse / thrifty / The prodigal son squandered his inheritance.
repudiate
reh PYOO dee ate / to reject; to disown, to disavow / renounce / to adopt / He announced that he would repudiate all debts that had been created by his wife.
reticence
RET uh suns / restraint in speech, reluctance to speak / reserve, taciturnity / candor / A lawyer must have great reticence in discussing matters that could violate his client’s rights.

List 5

WORD / DEFINITION / SYNONYM(S) / ANTONYM(S) / EXAMPLE SENTENCE
revere
reh VERE / to honor, to regard with respect / adore, venerate, worship / to despise / Many Catholics revere the Pope.
serene
suh REEN / calm, placid / tranquil / agitated / The mountain on a clear spring morning is a serene setting.
subtle
SUT ul / delicate, elusive, not obvious / understated / obvious; gross; blunt / To avoid being obtrusive in the elegant restaurant, he used subtle gestures to the waiter to his table.
superfluous
soo PUR floo us / beyone what is needed or required, an overflow / unessential / necessary / The meeting lasted so long because of many superfluous comments by some of the speakers.
taciturn
TAS eh turn / quiet, not verbose / reserved, reticent / loquacious; talkative / A shy person is usually taciturn.

List 6

WORD / DEFINITION / SYNONYM(S) / ANTONYM(S) / EXAMPLE SENTENCE
antithesis
an TI thuh sis / a direct opposite, a contrast / converse / duplicate; same / Good is the antithesis of evil.
ascend
uh SEND / to move upward, to rise from a lower station / rise / to descend; to go down / The climbers ascended the mountain.
austere
aw STEER / strict, stern; unadorned ascetic / severe / indulgent / Pioneers usually led an austere existence.
autonomous
aw TON uh muhs / independent, self-contained / self-sufficient / dependent / One who is autonomous needs no help from others
banal
BANE ul
buh NAL / common, ordinary, lacking freshness, hackneyed / inane, insipid, jejune, vapid / fresh, unique, extraordinary / Because of his use of overused trite remarks, his speeches are banal.

List 7

WORD / DEFINITION / SYNONYM(S) / ANTONYM(S) / EXAMPLE SENTENCE
benign
buh NINE / not causing harm, of gentle disposition, beneficial / harmless / malignant, harmful / The minister was loved because of his benign attitude toward all typed of people.
capricious
kuh PRISH us / changing suddenly, fickle / inconstant, mercurial, unstable / stable / Her capricious moods are difficult to anticipate.
dawdle
DOD ul / to waste time, to spend time idly, to move in a lackadaisical manner / dally, loiter, procrastinate / to rush / Since we have a deadline, do not dawdle over your work.
defamation
def uh MAY shun / act of harming or ruining another’s reputation / slander / adulation / The defamation of another’s character is a horrible thing.
esoteric
es uh TER ik / understood only by a small group or a select few / arcane / obvious / The English teachers were having an esoteric discussion about the correct usage of some obscure word.

List 8

WORD / DEFINITION / SYNONYM(S) / ANTONYM(S) / EXAMPLE SENTENCE
exacerbate
ig ZAS ur bate / to aggravate, to irritate, to vex / make worse / to ameliorate; to soothe / You will only exacerbate the situation if you try to call her.
extol
ik STOLE / to praise, to glorify / exalt / to defame / The teacher would always extol students who tried to do their best.
fastidious
fa STID ee us / reflecting a meticulous or demanding attitude, critical to an extreme / finicky / not meticulous / He considered her fastidious because she was offended by insignificant mistakes or errors.
furtive
FUR tiv / secret in an underhanded way, stealthy / clandestine, covert, stealthy, surreptitious, underhanded / bold / During the test, he made some furtive glances at other classmates’ papers.
gregarious
greh GAR ee us / sociable and outgoing / unreserved / shy; reserved / He became much more gregarious after he developed an interest in girls.

List 9

WORD / DEFINITION / SYNONYM(S) / ANTONYM(S) / EXAMPLE SENTENCE
hypocrite
HIP uh krit / one who is insincere or deceitful / insincere / sincere person / Saying one thing and then doing the other is the mark of a hypocrite.
innate
eh NATE / existing from birth, inborn / inborn / learned / He has innate athletic talents that cannot be taught.
lethargic
luh THAR jik / sluggish, languid / stuporous, torpid / energetic / Having had too much to drink, he was very lethargic the morning after the party.
melancholy
MEL un kol ee / depression of spirits / sad / happiness / After Dad lost his job, he fell into a state of melancholy.
opaque
oh PAKE / not allowing the passage of light, not transparent; hard to understand / dark / transparent / I am placing something opaque in the window so that no one will be able to see into this room.

List 10

WORD / DEFINITION / SYNONYM(S) / ANTONYM(S) / EXAMPLE SENTENCE
prolific
pro LiF ik / abundantly fruitful, marked by great productivity / fecund, fertile / barren; unfruitful / Since he has written a great number of books in a short period, Stephen King is known as a prolific writer.
reprove
reh PROOV / to scold or to rebuke for a misdeed usually with kindly intent / admonish, castigate, chastise, chide, rebuke, reproach / to approve; to applaud / A teacher sometimes needs to reprove a student for talking during class.
symmetry
SIM eh tree / balanced proportions / balance / lack of balance / The symmetry of the gardens of Versailles creates a beautiful and balanced atmosphere.
tranquil
TRANG kwul / peaceful, calm / placid, serene / agitated / Weather in Texas can quickly change from tranquil to turbulent.
venerate
VEN uh rate / to honor, to revere / adore, worship / scorn / Although I did not always agree with President Kennedy, I venerate his memory.

List 11

WORD / DEFINITION / SYNONYM(S) / ANTONYM(S) / EXAMPLE SENTENCE
abstruse
ab STRUSE / difficult to understand, recondite, concealed / complex, complicated, intricate, knotty / readily understood; clear / Some concepts of Einstein were so abstruse that many physicists could not understand them.
affable
AF uh bul / friendly, courteous, amiable / cordial, genial, gracious, sociable / surly; aloof; unfriendly / He had a very affable nature, always saying “Hello” to everyone.
audacity
aw DAS uh tee / excessive boldness, rashness, daring / cheek, chutzpah, effrontery, gall, hardihood, temerity / meekness / I was surprised that he had the audacity to approach the Queen.
contrite
kun TRITE / extremely apologetic, remorseful, repentant / penitent / unrepentant / Her contrite tears were not enough to convince her father not to ground her for her disobedience.
credulous
KREJ uh lus / believing on slight evidence, gullible / naive / suspicious / Because the lady’s horoscope said that she should stay inside, the credulous woman did not go to work.

List 12

WORD / DEFINITION / SYNONYM(S) / ANTONYM(S) / EXAMPLE SENTENCE
depravity
deh PRAV eh tee / moral corruption, a wicked or perverse act / abasement, corruption, debasement, debauchery / noble behavior / The depravity of his behavior shocked everyone.
deprecate
DEP ruh kate / to disapprove regretfully, to belittle, to express mild disapproval / criticize / to endorse / Do not deprecate her act unless you fully understand her situation.
didactic
die DAK tik / instructive, designed to teach / instructive / uninstructive / Because of the coach’s didactic approach, his players learned many blocking techniques.
dormant
DOR munt / inactive, sleeping / abeyant, latent, quiescent / active / Most flowers remain dormant in the winder and bloom in the spring.
enigmatic
en ig MAT ik / mysterious, inexplicable, puzzling / abstruse, ambiguous, cryptic, equivocal, obscure / clear / The disappearance of Amelia Earhart is an enigma to this day.

List 13

WORD / DEFINITION / SYNONYM(S) / ANTONYM(S) / EXAMPLE SENTENCE
erudite
ER yoo dite / scholarly / intellectual / ignorant / The erudite professor had spent many years studying the theory of relativity.
exotic
ig ZOT ik / foreign, unfamiliar / foreign / native / The circus features exotic animals from Africa.
fuse
FYOOZ / to mix or to join (usually by melting) / amalgamate, blend, coalesce, commingle, merge / to divide / Zinc and copper can be fused into hard, bright brass.
immutable
eh MYOO tuh bul / unchanging / indisputable / fickle / Her love for her husband was immutable.
incorrigible
in KOR eh juh bul / incapable of being reformed or improved / irredeemable / amenable to improvement / He was expelled from school because of his incorrigible conduct.

List 14

WORD / DEFINITION / SYNONYM(S) / ANTONYM(S) / EXAMPLE SENTENCE
loathe
LOETH / to detest / abhor, abominate / to adore / The fact that I loathe your brother does not mean that we cannot be friends.
mitigate
MIT uh gate / to cause to become less harsh or hostile; to make less severe / allay, alleviate, assuage, lighten / to intensify; to aggravate / He apologized in order to mitigate her dislike for him.
nullify
NUL eh fie / to cause not to be in effect, to negate / abrogate, annul, invalidate / to make effective / I am seeking to nullify the contract because he has not complied with it.
pacifistic
pas uh FIS tik / opposed to war or use of force / appeased, conciliated, mollified, placated, propitiated / martial / The man refused to fight because of his pacifistic beliefs.
pretentious
preh TEN shus / making an extravagant outward show, self-important / ostentatious, pompous / meek; humble; shy / Isn’t it a little pretentious to spend two million dollars on a wedding?

List 15

WORD / DEFINITION / SYNONYM(S) / ANTONYM(S) / EXAMPLE SENTENCE
prologue
PRO log / introductory remarks in a speech, play, or literary work, introductory action / foreword / finale / The play had a prologue that set the scene for the opening act.
recant
reh KANT / to withdraw or to repudiate a statement or belief, revoke / abjure, forswear, renounce, retract / to avow; to reaffirm belief / The prosecutor’s case was greatly weakened when his main witness recanted his testimony.
servile
SUR vil
SUR vile / overly submissive / obsequious, slavish, subservient / authoritative / Some young laborers are servile to their employers because they have no other opportunity.
trepidation
trep eh DAY shun / fear, trembling, agitation / anxiety / fearlessness / Since I did not have time to study, I have a lot of trepidation about this examination.
vilify
VIL eh fie / to malign, to defame, to utter abusive statements against / asperse, calumniate, denigrate, traduce / to praise; to acclaim / It is not right to vilify someone just because he disagrees with you.

List 16

WORD / DEFINITION / SYNONYM(S) / ANTONYM(S) / EXAMPLE SENTENCE
aesthetic
ush THEH tic / relating or pertaining to a sense of beauty or art / artistic / He is considered to have aesthetic tastes because he loves beauty and the arts.
aloof
uh LOOF / apart, indifferent / detached, incurious, unconcerned / integrated, friendly / The woman remained aloof during the party, separating herself from everyone else.
archaic
are KAY ik / antiquated, old, out of use / antiquated, antique, obsolete, venerable / contemporary; modern / Words such as “thou,” which are no longer part of normal vocabulary, are archaic.
assuage
uh SWAYJ / to ease, to mitigate, to make less painful or burdensome, to calm / allay, alleviate, lighten, soothe / to irritate; to intensify / Your kind words should assuage her suffering. The medicine should assuage his pain.
belie
buh LIE / to contradict, to give a false impression / contradict / to support; to agree with / Her first words appeared to belie all the wonderful things I had heard about her.

List 17

WORD / DEFINITION / SYNONYM(S) / ANTONYM(S) / EXAMPLE SENTENCE
contentious
kun TEN shus / quarrelsome, stirring controversy / bellicose, belligerent, pugnacious / congenial; harmonious / My contentious child will not listen to any form of reason.
daunt
DAWNT / to intimidate, to dismay / discourage / to hearten / I am not daunted by your threats.
debilitate
deh BIL uh tate / to weaken, to enfeeble / sap / to invigorate / I was debilitated by my bout with pneumonia.
discord
DIS kord / lack of agreement, tension, strife / contention, dissension, variance / harmony; agreement / There is a lot of discord in the nation over environmental issues.
dissemination
deh sum un NAY shun / the act of spreading widely; scattering / distribution / consolidation / The dissemination of these ideas can best be achieved through television.

List 18

WORD / DEFINITION / SYNONYM(S) / ANTONYM(S) / EXAMPLE SENTENCE
dogmatic
dog MAT ik / strongly opinionated in an unwarranted manner / dictatorial, doctrinaire, magisterial, oracular / unopinionated; wishy-washy / He was so dogmatic that having an intelligent discussion with him was impossible.
duplicity
doo PLIS eh tee / double-dealing, hypocrisy / deceit / sincerity; single-mindedness / His duplicity was exposed when the girl he was seeing found out he was married.
egocentric
ee go SEN trik / self-centered, selfish / self-centered / modest; selfless / Egocentric people rarely show any concern for others.
euphemism
YOO fuh muz um / substitution of an inoffensive term for one that is offensive / course expression / People frequently use a euphemism for the word “died.” The commonly say someone “passed away.”
gluttonous
GLUT uh nus / greedy for food and drink / rapacious, ravenous, voracious / temperate / I am so gluttonous that I would have great difficulty dieting.

List 19

WORD / DEFINITION / SYNONYM(S) / ANTONYM(S) / EXAMPLE SENTENCE
mundane
mun DANE / ordinary, commonplace / dull / unusual, outstanding / After I take care of these mundane matters, we can do something exciting.
ominous
OM uh nus / threatening / fateful, portentous / harmless; non-threatening / The ominous clouds were harbingers of the tornado.
petulance
PECH uh luns / unreasonable touchiness or irritability / irritability / serenity / Petulance is sometimes the trait of a child who is not getting his way.
pompous
POM pus / exaggerated show of dignity or self-importance, bombastic / ostentatious, pretentious / humble; meek / It is very pompous of him to believe that his ideas should always receive the first consideration.
precocious
preh KOE shus / exceptionally early in development or occurrence / bright, gifted / backward / A child prodigy is a young person who is very precocious.

List 20