1. Ten Steps Context Clues
Vocabulary
Dung, Zahra, Chamari, Valerie, Justin, Natinee, Ali, Musaed, Tesia,
Ramatou, Natinee, Hussain, Hawra, Sang A, El Hadj, Hoa, Kant,
Dung, Zahra, Chamari, Valerie, Justin, Natinee, Ali, Musaed, Tesia,
Thanks to 5CDFall2014:
Thanks to Kant,
Sang A, El Hadj, Hoa, Hawra, Natinee, Hussain, Vy, Aziz B., Inoussa
Vy, Aziz B., Inoussa

2. Mundane (adj.)
/ˈmʌndeɪn/
1. Ordinary and not interesting or exciting, especially because of
happening regularly.
Synonyms: normal, ordinary, tedious, etc.
E.g. mundane activities/ tasks/ matters.
2. Relating to the world and practical matters instead of religious
or spiritual ones.
E.g. mundane affairs, the boundaries of the mundane world.

3. Euphemism (n.)
/ˈyoo͞fəˌmizəm/
Definition: a word or expression that people use when
they want to talk about something unpleasant or
embarrassing without mentioning the thing itself, a
nice way of saying something.

4. Alleviate (v.)
/əˈlēvēˌāt/
Definition: to make something less painful, severe, or
serious.
Synonyms: ease, relieve, lessen, etc.
E.g. The doctor has prescribed some drugs to alleviate the
pain.

5. TURMOIL (N):
a state of great
disturbance, confusion, or
uncertainty.
“Egypt was in turmoil”
Synonyms:
confusion,
turbulence,
disorder,
agitation,
disquiet,
chaos

6. Enhance (v) • intensify, increase, or
further improve the
quality, value, or extent
of.
“Make up enhances her
beautiful eyes”
Synonymous:
increase, intensify,
amplify, elevate,
exalt

7. Culpable (adj) • Deserving of blame or
censure as being wrong,
evil, improper, or harmful.
Synonymous:
to blame,
guilty,
responsible
“If you choose to do drugs, you are culpable for
what you do while you are under their effect”

8. ADVENT (n)
“Coming into place or view/ Arrival/the
beginning of an event/arrival of a person,
invention of something”
Ex: Advent of holiday season
Synonyms : Onset, Beginning,
Commencement, Start, Arrival
Antonyms: Departure, End, Leave

9. BENEVOLENT (adj)
“Desiring to help others/Charitable/Good
will/Kind”
Ex: There are no words to express Mother Teresa's
benevolent attitudes.
Synonyms : Kind, Generous,
Humane, Benign, Caring
Antonyms: Cruel, Hateful, Merciless
Related words: Benevolently(Adj)
Benevolence (N)

10. DILEMMA (n)
“a situation requiring a choice between
equally undesirable alternatives/any difficult
or perplexing situation or problem”
Ex: I don’t know whether to study for my test tomorrow
or go out with my friends. What a dilemma!
Synonyms : Puzzle, Mess, Difficulty,
Impasse, Quandary
Antonyms: Good fortune, Solution,
Benefit

11. GIST
(n) The main or essential part of a matter.
E.g.: What was the gist of his speech?
Retrieved from:
www.dictionary.com
http://learningsupportatmuritaischool.blogspot.com/2014/01/what-if-you-could-get-gist-of-webpage.html
http://cdn.brainpop.com/topics/mainidea/screenshot1.png Valerie G. 5D

12. Fabrication
(n) - The making up or inventing of false stories.
- A false story that is made up or invented.
E.G.: The story was a complete fabrication.
Retrieved from:
www.wordreference.com
http://www.preparednesspro.com/everything-you-wanted-to-know-on-the-federal-agents-raid-on-the-lds-cannery-storyou
www.lifehacker.com
Valerie G. 5D

13. Corroborate
(v) To support by giving proof; confirm
E.G.: Corroborated my account of the accident
(n) Corroboration
E.G.: The police are looking for corroboration of your statement.
Retrieved from:
www.wordreference.com
www.thefreedictionary.com
www.freetestprep.net
Valerie G. 5D

14. nebulous (adj.)
：not clear : difficult to see, understand, describe,
etc.
A nebulous answer; a nebulous point; a nebulous
idea

15. e ecstatic (adj)
: very happy or excited
: feeling or showing
ecstasy (n)

16. endow
1: to give a large amount of money to a
school, hospital, etc., in order to pay for the
creation or continuing support of
(something)
2:to freely or naturally provide (someone or
something) with something — usually used as (be)
endowed

17. 1: to cause (someone) to decide not to do
something
Some potential buyers will be deterred by the price.
2: to prevent (something) from happening
He played an important role in international efforts
to deter[=prevent] nuclear war.

18. METICULOUS
Reliable scientific theories are based not upon careless work, but rather upon
meticulous research and experimentation.
eticulous (adjective) taking or showing extreme care about minutes details.
This bathroom is meticulously
(adv) kept. There is no dirt
anywhere!

19. STRINGENT
(ADJ)
In the early days of automobile manufacturing,
stringent laws controlled motorist ’s speed. In
contrast, the laws designed to protect consumers
from faulty products were extremely weak.
Stringent: strict , severe

20. Assimilate(v)
Assimilation (n)
To assimilate is defined as to become like
others, or help another person to adapt to
a new environment.

21. PROXIMITY (N)
nearness in place, time, order, occurrence, or relation
An example of
proximity is standing
next to someone.

22. VIRAL (ADJ)
The definition of viral is something that
has become very popular very quickly
on the Internet.
An example of viral is a video that is released and watched
by a million people within a few days.

23. Deficient (dəˈfiSHənt)
(Adjective)
1. Lacking some element or characteristic; defective : deficient in taste
Synonyms : lacking, wanting, inadequate, insufficient
2.Insufficient; inadequate : deficient knowledge, deficient leadership
Synonyms : defective, flawed, imperfect, weak, inferior
Example : This diet is deficient in vitamin B.

24. Indispensable
[ˌindəˈspensəb(ə)l ]
(Adjective)
Essential, absolutely necessary
Example : If she had filled the need for a pet back then, would children
have been as indispensable for her?
Most people think that their cell phones are INDISPENSABLE!
Synonyms : needed

25. Adversary [ad' vər ser'ē]
 Noun
The definition of an adversary is a person who fights
against something or someone, or is a person who is
considered to be a competitor or enemy.
An example : For Batman, the Joker is an adversary.
Synonyms : opponent, rival, enemy, combat

26. Simulate (V):
To make in imitation of or To create a
representation or model of a physical system or
particular situation.
EX: Simulate
the dynamics
of the space flight.
By Hussain Alawa.

27. Succinct (Adj):
Expressed in few words.
Marked by brevity and clarity.
EX: A pocket guide that
provides succinct
explanations for rules
of grammar and
punctuation.
By Hussain Alawa.

28. Impoverished (Adj):
1-reduced to poverty.
2-make a person or area poor.
EX: the Impoverished
cities cannot improve
itself unless
others help them.
By Hussain Alawa.

29. Lucrative(adjective)
definition: producing a great deal of profit.
Example: a lucrative career as a stand-up
comedian

30. Flamboyant(adjective)
• Definition: of a person or their behavior) tending to
attract attention because of their exuberance,
confidence, and stylishness
• Example: a flamboyant display of aerobatics

31. Espouse(verb)
• Definition: adopt or support (a cause, belief, or way of
life).
• Example : he turned his back on the modernism he had
espoused in his youth

32. GGrrootteessqquuee
• [ADJ] You say that something is grotesque
when it is so unnatural, unpleasant, and
exaggerated that it upsets or shocks you.
• Ex) the grotesque disparities between the
wealthy few and nearly everyone else.
• [NOUN] A grotesque is a person who is very
ugly in a strange or unnatural way,
especially one in a novel or painting.
• Ex) Grass's novels are peopled with
outlandish characters: grotesques, clowns,
scarecrows, dwarfs.

33. Lethargic
• [ADJ] If you are lethargic, you do
• not have much energy or enthusiasm.
• Ex) He felt too miserable and
• lethargic to get dressed.

34. Fiasco
• [NOUN] If you describe an event or attempt to do
something as a fiasco, you are emphasizing that it
fails completely.
• Ex) The blame for the Charleston fiasco did not
• lie with him.

35. obscure (adj): (of meaning)
not clear, hard to understand,
dark, unknown
Ex: - My boss gave me an obscure
explanation, I don’t understand
what she really wants me to do.
- The meaning of the sentence is
obscure.
obscurely (adv)
obscureness (noun)
obscure (verb)

36. condone (v): forgive,
overlook
Ex: The teacher cannot
condone the behavior that
plagiarize from material
sources.

37. lucid (adj): clear, easily
understood
Noun: lucidity, lucidness
Adverb: lucidly
Antonym: obscure,
unclear
Ex: That was a lucid
direction, I believe that I
can find the way there.

38. COVERT (a)
/kəvərt/
1. Not openly shown
2. Not openly acknowledge or displayed
Ex: Justin stole a covert glance at Ali
The covert activities of spy were found out
Synonyms : hidden, isolated, secret, sheltered, furtive
hideout, lair, nest
Antonyms : open, overt, public

39. ENIGMA (n)
/iˈnigmə/
1. A person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or
difficult to understand
2. Not openly acknowledge or displayed
Ex: His life is an enigma; Nobody could understand.
Enigmatic (a)
Synonyms : mystery, puzzle, riddle
Antonyms : clear, accessible, obvious

40. BLATANT
(a)
/ˈblātnt/
1. Completely obvious.
2. (of bad behavior) done openly and
unashamedly
Ex: What a blatant lie
Synonyms : Obvious, undisguised, unconcealed
Antonyms : shamefaced, inconspicuous

41. Simultaneous (Adjective): when two or several
things happen at the same time.
Simultaneously (Adverb).
Example: the sun is shining and it is raining
simultaneously.
Listening and cooking at the same time is a
simultaneous action.
They are kicking each other simultaneously Mr. Obama is listening and using
his phone simultaneously

42. Incentive (noun) :
something that can encourage a person
to do something
or to work hard
Example:
Raising the employees wage will be an incentive for them to
work harder.
This money is an incentive, meaning that it encourages the boy to study
hard.

43. Adaptation (noun)
Adapt (verb):
To change your behavior so that it is easier to live in a
particular place
Synonym: Adjustment (noun)
To live peacefully in a foreign country you need to adapt to
the culture.
This animal can adapt itself in any space.

44. Divulge (v)
• Means : To give someone information that should be
secret
• Example : it is not company policy to divulge personal
details of employees
• Synonym : Reveal

45. Unabated /ˌʌnəˈbeɪtəd/ Adj
Continuing at full strength or force without becoming
weaker; unstopped
e.g: the storm continued unabated late into the night.

46. Nepotism /ˈnɛpəˌtɪzəm/ noun
the unfair practice by a powerful person of giving jobs
and other favors to relatives.

47. Allocate: /ˈæləˌkeɪt/ verb
Allocation (noun)
 to divide and give out (something) for a special
reason or to particular people, companies, etc
e.g: 50 million dollars has been allocated to fight
Ebola.
We can allocate money, time, and resources.