"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 3

Philip Geer's "Simon's Saga" includes 820 SAT-level words and gives students an entertaining glimpse into college life.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12, Episode 13, Episode 14, Episode 15, Episode 16, Episode 17, Episode 18, Episode 19, Episode 20, Episode 21, Episode 22, Episode 23, Episode 24, Episode 25, Episode 26, Episode 27, Episode 28, Episode 29, Episode 30, Episode 31, Episode 32, Episode 33, Episode 34, Episode 35, Episode 36, Episode 37
20 words 1637 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. diligent
    characterized by care and perseverance in carrying out tasks
    She’s a very diligent student.
  2. affable
    diffusing warmth and friendliness
    “And you know, come to think of it, a little chat can never do any harm. I guess I’m just a naturally affable guy.”
  3. gambit
    a strategic maneuver
    “I hope you don’t take this as a gambit by me to pick you up,” said Simon.
  4. circumspect
    careful to consider potential consequences and avoid risk
    The girl laughed, but seemed rather circumspect.
  5. speculate
    talk over conjecturally, or review in an idle or casual way
    “If I may be allowed to speculate, you’re an art major, right?”
  6. conjecture
    the formation of conclusions from incomplete evidence
    Your conjecture is accurate.
  7. astute
    marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
    How astute. How could you tell?
  8. inexplicable
    incapable of being explained or accounted for
    And then, for some inexplicable reason, he violated, in one moment, two of his own cardinal rules
  9. cardinal
    serving as an essential component
    And then, for some inexplicable reason, he violated, in one moment, two of his own cardinal rules
  10. embellish
    add details to
    one, never embellish your line—keep it simple, sincere, and direct; two, focus completely on the job at hand.
  11. aesthetic
    characterized by an appreciation of beauty or good taste
    “Maybe it’s because you tickled my aesthetic sensibility,” he said.
  12. sensibility
    mental responsiveness and awareness
    “Maybe it’s because you tickled my aesthetic sensibility,” he said.
  13. admonish
    scold or reprimand; take to task
    Simon admonished himself for his pretentious and pedantic language.
  14. pretentious
    intended to attract notice and impress others
    Simon admonished himself for his pretentious and pedantic language.
  15. pedantic
    marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning
    Simon admonished himself for his pretentious and pedantic language.
  16. exotic
    strikingly strange or unusual
    Sometimes all these exotic words just seemed to come tumbling spontaneously out of his mouth.
  17. spontaneously
    without advance preparation
    Sometimes all these exotic words just seemed to come tumbling spontaneously out of his mouth.
  18. inscribe
    write, engrave, or print as a lasting record
    Three years ago, Axel said that he would make sure the words were inscribed in my memory, Simon thought.
  19. inopportune
    not suitable for a purpose
    Unfortunately, this time they had come out of his mouth at a very inopportune moment.
  20. forlorn
    marked by or showing hopelessness
    Not fancy, but at least it bought some time, and if there was time, there was hope, however forlorn.
Created on Mon Aug 18 17:31:16 EDT 2014 (updated Tue Aug 19 12:26:53 EDT 2014)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.