Vocabulary Mnemonics

Nov. 15 2025

Matt’s words

Arcadian (adj): idyllically pastoral or bucolic; calm

                 (n): a person who lives a simple, quiet life

This small town lies within the largest stand of Ponderosa pine forests in the U.S. and is dotted with lakes and creeks, providing an arcadian backdrop to your stay. –Arizona Republic

Mnemonic: The word begins like “arcade,” a noisy, boisterous place. Arcadian is the opposite of that.

Absquatulate (v): to leave abruptly

As soon as the curtain went down, Matt absquatulated from the theatre.

Mnemonic: A squatter is someone who hunkers down and stay for a long time in a place. The “a” at the beginning means the opposite, so someone who absquatulates gets out of Dodge really fast.

Antepenultimate (adj or n): third from the last

It’s the antepenultimate day before Christmas. I need to get my shopping done.

Mnemonic: “Ante” means before, and “penultimate” means the one right before the ultimate/last. So antepenultimate is two days before, or third from the last.

Apotheosis (n): the high point or peak of something; quintessence or perfect example of something

The homecoming win was the apotheosis of the football season.

Mnemonic: “Theo,” as in theology, so there’s a God connection. Think of the highest power.

Apothecary (n): pharmacy or pharmacist

The bottles of bitters are sold at the apothecary, as well as online and select stores. –JS online

Mnemonics: You go to the apothecary. You “carry” your drugs, and they take you to your “high”est point, your apotheosis.

Dr. Mom’s words

Expatriate (n): a person who lives outside his/her native country; also an adj: “expatriate writer…”

(v): to settle oneself abroad

The number of expatriates living in London is astounding.

Mnemonic: Break the word into “ex” and “patriot.” If you’re a patriot within your native country but you leave, you may still be a patriot, but from afar.

Suss, suss out, sus:

(v): to realize or grasp something, to figure out to investigate

I finally sussed (or sussed out) why I shouldn’t travel by myself to…

(adj): shrewd or wary, suspicious; dubious

She says they’re just friends, but she’s been acting pretty sus around my boyfriend.

Mnemonic: In both cases, think of suspect or suspicious, and you won’t go wrong.

Scrupulosity (n): meticulous attention to detail, or ethical or diligent behavior; taken to the extreme, in psychology, this is a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder characterized by intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors related to religious or moral beliefs

The editor’s scrupulosity in reviewing the manuscript ensured there were no errors.

Her scrupulosity made her question every decision she made lest she decide wrongly.

Mnemonic: Unscrupulous means having or showing no moral principles, or not being honest or fair. Scrupulous, on the other hand, means having moral integrity. If you’re talking about taking this to the extreme, it’s scrupulosity.

Assiduous (adj): showing great attention, and effort, or being careful; it suggests dogged determination or tireless persistence

The researchers were assiduous in their search for all the latest facts and figures.

Mnemonic: From the Latin, assiduous means “to sit beside or with” because a person who is assiduous can “sit with a task” for as long as it takes to get it done. Dogged and tireless persistence. The word sounds “Uh, sit with us.” We have all the time we need to finish this task.

Jargonaut (n): a person who uses jargon, especially to an excessive degree

The consultant we hired was unfortunately a complete jargonaut and left the entire team embarrassingly and utterly baffled.

Mnemonic: It’s a portmanteau of “jargon” (specialized, often excessive esoteric language) and “argonaut” (a traveler). Like an astronaut, who travels through the sky, a jargonaut travels through the jargon.

COLOSSAL COMPILATION:

Analyzing the reasons I had to hastily absquatulate my post as an expatriate apothecary in an arcadian setting, I eventually sussed out that it was my scrupulosity in the form of assiduous jargonaut behavior, that reached its apotheosis on my antepenultimate day, necessitating my exit.