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26. Pretentiousness
Acting fancy or showing off to look important; the quality of being self-important or showy.
Root: Latin praetendere = to pretend, show off.
Suffix: -ness = state or quality of.
Example: “His pretentiousness showed when he brought a golden spoon to eat instant ramen.”
Mnemonic: Pretentious = acting like a celebrity at school lunch.
27. Ineluctable
Something you can’t run away from; impossible to avoid or resist.
Root: Latin eluctari = to struggle out.
Prefix: in- = not.
Example: “Homework was ineluctable - he found it waiting even on vacation.”
Mnemonic: Ineluctable = like Monday mornings, totally unavoidable.
28. Equivocal
When words are unclear and can mean more than one thing; open to multiple interpretations, ambiguous.
Root: Latin aequus = equal + vocare = to call/speak.
Suffix: -al = related to.
Example: “Her equivocal answer - ‘maybe’ - felt like trying to read a blurry road sign.”
Mnemonic: Equivocal = like Drake lyrics, open to anything.
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29. Inconsequential
Too small to matter; not important or significant.
Root: Latin consequi = to follow.
Prefix: in- = not.
Suffix: -al = related to.
Example: “The typo in his essay was so inconsequential that even Grammarly yawned.”
Mnemonic: Inconsequential = losing one fry from your meal.
30. Manifestation
Clear sign or proof that something is real; visible expression of something.
Suffix: -tion = act or result of.
Example: “His stack of empty chip bags was a manifestation of his weekend gaming marathon.”
Mnemonic: Manifestations = clear signs, like TikTok trends everywhere.
31. Obscure
Hard to understand or unclear; not clearly expressed or easy to see.
Root: Latin obscurus = dark, hidden.
Prefix: ob- = over, against.
Example: “His handwriting was so obscure that even detectives couldn’t crack the code.”
Mnemonic: Obscure = dark, hard to see or get.
32. Rectify
To fix something or make it right; to correct.
Root: Latin rectus = right, straight.
Suffix: -fy = to make or cause.
Example: “He tried to rectify forgetting her birthday by showing up with five cakes.”
Mnemonic: Rectify = make it right, fix mistakes.
33. Ameliorate
To make a bad situation better; to improve.
Root: Latin melior = better.
Suffix: -ate = cause to be.
Example: “Free pizza helped ameliorate the stress of midterms for the whole class.”
Mnemonic: Ameliorate = make things a little better.
34. Unattainable
Something you can’t reach or achieve; impossible to get.
Root: Latin tangere = to touch.
Prefix: un- = not.
Suffix: -able = able to.
Example: “The cookie jar on the top shelf was unattainable for the toddler without a ladder.”
Mnemonic: Unattainable = can’t be reached or achieved.
35. Superfluous
Unnecessary or extra; more than enough.
Root: Latin super = over + fluere = to flow.
Prefix: super- = over, beyond.
Suffix: -ous = full of.
Example: “His 27 highlighters were superfluous for one worksheet.”
Mnemonic: Superfluous = extra stuff you don’t need.
36. Amorphous
Without a clear shape or form; lacking structure.
Root: Greek morphē = form, shape.
Prefix: a- = without, not.
Example: “His plan was so amorphous it looked more like a cloud than a roadmap.”
Mnemonic: Amorphous = no form, shapeless.
37. Misconstrued
Understood the wrong way; interpreted incorrectly.
Root: Latin construere = to build.
Prefix: mis- = wrong, bad.
Example: “She misconstrued his wave as a high-five and left him hanging in public.”
Mnemonic: Misconstrued = built the wrong meaning.
38. Prohibitive
Too costly or restrictive; excessively expensive or forbidding.
Root: Latin prohibere = to forbid, prevent.
Suffix: -ive = having the quality of.
Example: “The price of front-row concert seats was so prohibitive you’d think they came with the band’s autographs on gold.”
Mnemonic: Prohibitive = price so high, it forbids you.
39. Stipulate
To demand or require as part of a deal; to specify clearly.
Root: Latin stipula = straw (symbol of contract).
Suffix: -ate = to make or cause.
Example: “The teacher stipulated that anyone late to class must sing the alphabet song.”
Mnemonic: Stipulate = set the rules clearly.
40. Induce
To cause something to happen; to bring about.
Root: Latin inducere = to lead in.
Prefix: in- = into.
Example: “The smell of cookies induced a stampede to the kitchen.”
Mnemonic: Induce = cause it to happen.
41. Engender
To cause something to happen; to bring about.
Root: Latin generare = to produce, create.
Prefix: en- = cause to.
Example: “His corny jokes engendered more groans than laughs.”
Mnemonic: Engender = generate, cause to start.
42. Dispersed
Spread out or scattered over a wide area.
Root: Latin dispergere = to scatter.
Prefix: dis- = apart.
Suffix: -ed = past action.
Example: “When the chips bag ripped, crumbs dispersed everywhere like confetti.”
Mnemonic: Dispersed = spread out everywhere.
43. Supplant
To take the place of something, often by force.
Root: Latin supplantare = to trip up, overthrow.
Prefix: sup- = under.
Example: “Smartphones supplanted flip phones faster than you could text on one.”
Mnemonic: Supplant = replace completely.
44. Austere
Plain, strict, or without luxury.
Root: Greek austēros = harsh, severe.
Example: “Her austere dorm had just a bed and a lamp.”
Mnemonic: Austere = simple, no extras.
45. Equitable
Fair and equal; treating everyone the same.
Root: Latin aequus = equal, fair.
Suffix: -able = able to.
Example: “The teacher was equitable, giving both teams equal pizza.”
Mnemonic: Equitable = fair and balanced.
46. Augment
To make something larger; increase.
Root: Latin augmentare = to increase.
Suffix: -ment = result or action.
Example: “He augmented his burger with three extra patties.”
Mnemonic: Augment = add more, increase.
47. Conventional
Normal, traditional, or usual.
Root: Latin convenire = to come together, agree.
Suffix: -al = related to.
Example: “Wearing pajamas to prom was not conventional.”
Mnemonic: Conventional = normal and traditional.
48. Idiosyncratic
Unusual or unique to one person; peculiar.
Root: Greek idios = one’s own + synkrasis = mixture.
Suffix: -ic = related to.
Example: “His idiosyncratic habit was eating fries with ice cream.”
Mnemonic: Idiosyncratic = your own weird habit.
49. Coalesce
To come together and unite into one.
Root: Latin coalescere = to grow together.
Prefix: co- = together.
Example: “Raindrops coalesced into one giant blob on the window.”
Mnemonic: Coalesce = join together.
50. Synopsis
A short summary or overview.
Root: Greek syn = together + opsis = seeing.
Suffix: -sis = process or action.
Example: “Her synopsis of the movie was: ‘explosions and more explosions.’”
Mnemonic: Synopsis = short summary.