1. sublime Adjective: exalted, awe-inspiring Sample sentences: –His sublime performance won a standing ovation from the audience and accolades from the judges. (Hint: Think of a delicious key lime pie.) 16

2. fastidious Adjective: meticulous, careful about every detail Sample sentences: –Her room was a mess, but she was fastidious in her personal appearance. –She was such a fastidious housekeeper that you could eat off her kitchen floor. (Hint: He worked so hard he skipped lunch – fasting is tedious.) 17

3. indolence Noun: laziness –Adjective: indolent –Adverb: indolently Sample sentences: –His indolence thwarted his ambitions. –He had great dreams, but was too indolent to act on them. (Hint: It is not true that adolescents suffer from indolence.) 18

4. exemplary Adjective: commendable, worthy of imitation Sample sentences: –His exemplary behavior both on and off the field made him a role model for young boys. (Hint: A good example is exemplary.) 19

5. irascible Adjective: irritable, hot-tempered Sample sentences: –The irascible old man lost his temper when the train was late. (Hint: The irascible rascal had a bad temper.) 20

6. reticent adjective: holding back, not saying more than necessary Sample sentences: –On most topics she spoke freely, but she was reticent on the subject of her health. (Hint: 50cent talks too much, but Reti-cent talks less.) 21

7. fallacy Noun: a mistaken belief Adjective: false Sample sentences: –It was a fallacy to think that the earth was flat. –Many fallacies confuse consumers regarding healthy food choices. (Hint: Fallacies are false.) 22

8. augment Verb: to increase –Noun: augmentation Sample sentences: –Little by little he augmented his collection of toy trains until it filled several rooms. –Heavy rains gradually augmented pressure on the dam until it burst. (Hint: Segment means to take things apart; augment means to add to them.) 23

9. amass Verb: to collect in large amounts Sample sentences: –He gradually augmented his savings until he had amassed a fortune. (Hint: Think of a land mass – it is huge, and when you amass something, you have a huge amount.) 24

10. bizarre Adjective: strange Sample sentences: –We saw some bizarre things at the bazaar 25

11. clemency Noun: mercy –Adjective: clement, inclement Sample sentences: –He begged for clemency, but the judge showed no mercy. –The inclement weather forced us to cancel the picnic. 26

12. confound Verb: to cause confusion Sample sentences: –Algebra is easy, but trigonometry confounds me. (Hint: Confusion + found = confound.) 27

13. daunt Verb: to intimidate, cause to lose courage –Adjective: undaunted, daunting Sample sentences: –Do not let the college application process daunt you. –Undaunted by the dangers and hardships ahead, he set out to climb Mt. Everest. –Swimming the channel was a daunting challenge, but Gertrude Ederle took it on. (Hint: Haunt rhymes with daunt. Don’t be afraid of the haunted house.) 28

14. discrepancy Noun: inconsistency between facts and claims Sample sentences: –The auditor found a discrepancy in the books. –There was a huge discrepancy between his resume and his employment history. 29

15. equilibrium Noun: balance, stability Sample sentences: –Alcohol impairs your equilibrium, so you are more likely to fall when intoxicated. –The U.S. government works best when the three branches operate in a state of equilibrium. 30