Vocabulary Mnemonics

February 22, 2024

Matt’s words

Antipathy: (n) a natural, basic, or habitual repugnance; dislike

“The longstanding rivalry between the Yankees and Red Sox has caused the two baseball teams to have antipathy for each other.”

Mnemonic: Break the word in two. Anti = against (as in antifreeze), and pathos = feelings, compassion. You have negative feelings for something.

Pusillanimous: (adj) lacking courage or resolution; cowardly

“The pusillanimous man was so intimidated by women that it would take months for him to ask one on a date.”

Mnemonic: The beginning looks like pussycat. Pussycats are generally shy and cowardly. They don’t have much courage.

Misnomer: (n) an error in naming a person or thing; for example, a “shooting star” is actually a meteor, and a “lead” pencil is made of graphite

“The soldier wounded by friendly fire said the term was a misnomer because the shots fired weren’t very friendly.”

Mnemonic: mis = wrong, and nomer = name (as in Spanish nombre)

Tyro: (n) a beginner in learning anything; a novice

“Mom is a tyro on the computer, so it can take her hours to check her email.”

Mnemonic: The word “tire” comes to mind when hearing this word. At the beginning of a car race a beginning driver, when he sees the green light, gives the car too much gas. His tires spin a million times, but he won’t go anywhere. So, when you see “tyro,” think of a beginning driver spinning his wheels because of his lack of experience.

Sanguine: (adj) cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident

“Sally studied dutifully for her test, so she was completely sanguine as she walked to class.”

Mnemonic: A cheerful, optimistic person will sing to himself, and “sang” is at the beginning of sanguine. So just remember that sanguine, cheerful people sang all day.

Dr. Mom’s words

Aberrant (adj): deviating from normal or correct; abnormal; atypical

“Though typically an early bird, Mom displayed aberrant behavior by sleeping in until noon after a late night study session.”     

Mnemonic: You can see “bear” and “ant” in the word. Picture a little ant that looks like a furry bear. This would be very abnormal and strange.

Burgeon (v): to rapidly grow or to flourish; to make or become larger; magnify; amplify

“One’s knowledge of new vocabulary words is sure to burgeon with practice, daily review, and regular usage.

Mnemonic: “Burgeon like a sturgeon.” A sturgeon grows to become a very large fish. You’ve put a baby sturgeon in an aquarium, and it grows rapidly until it fills the entire thing.

Captious: (adj) apt to notice and make much of trivial faults or defects; also, apt or designed to ensnare or perplex, especially in argument; difficult to please

“The professor is disliked because her captious questions during class seem designed to trip up and embarrass her students.”

Mnemonic: Crete is a Greek island, one of 29,372! You can’t possibly remember all their names, so you say, “I have a Crete here, a Crete there, a Crete, Crete, Crete, everywhere! You keep accumulating Cretes; the number gradually increases until you accrete all the Cretes.

Denizen (n): an inhabitant or resident, or a regular frequenter of a place

“The denizens of the local library sometimes make themselves so comfortable there that newcomers are reluctant to enter.”

Mnemonic: The “den” at the beginning of the word makes you think of being in your den at home thinking “zen” thoughts. Imagine you’re in your own cozy habitation where you feel completely comfortable meditating and just being yourself.

Embellish (v): to adorn as if by ornamentation; to add detail or “bling” to.

“Mom embellished her ball gown by adding sequins and feathers, perhaps unwisely stepping over the line into gaudiness.”

Mnemonic: Picture a Christmas tree adored with a zillion little bells. It is adorned, or “blinged up” with these decorations. The tree is embellished with bells.

Sentences:

“Even if you’ve always felt antipathy toward embellishing your speech, or you’ve been pusillanimous about using a misnomer, intrepidly forge ahead using your new words. If you follow this sage counsel, your burgeoning vocabulary—even though you’re a tyro and the words might seem esoteric—it will make you feel sanguine.”