WORD MATCH
Match each number of each word to the matching phrase. One word has no matching phrase.

1. nonchalance | 2. supercilious | 3. inordinate | 4. phatic | 5. glower | 6. reticent

________ Condescending or contemptuous

________ To scowl or sulk

________ Excessive or immoderate

________ Indifference or insouciance

________ Shy or silent

QUOTE MATCH
Complete each quote using the words from the word bank.

1. inordinate | 2. glowering | 3. nonchalant | 4. reticence | 5. supercilious

“A sound marriage is not based on complete frankness; it is based on a sensible ________.” —Morris L. Ernst

“The sweaty players in the game of life always have more fun than the ________ spectators.” —William Feather

“The sky was red, but not warm red of a sunset. This was an angry, ________ red, the color of an infected wound.” —Neil Gaiman

“What a foolish thing, the human heart, being both fragile and reckless. No wonder we spend such an ________ amount of time in pain.” —Eliza Crewe

“I have often said that I wish I had invented blue jeans: the most spectacular, the most practical, the most relaxed and ________. They have expression, modesty, sex appeal, simplicity - all I hope for in my clothes.” —Yves Saint Laurent

ROOT QUIZ
For each of the following words, fill in the meaning of each prefix, suffix, and base. For bonus points, define the word and list other words with the same roots.

GLO- (________) + -ER (to do)

NON- (not) + CAL- (________) + -ANCE (act or state)

FAT- (________) + -IC (pertaining to)

RE- (intensely) + TAC- (________) + -ENT (state of)

IN- (not) + ORDIN- (________) + –ATE (being)

Scroll down for answers. But first, get a feeling for the meaning of PATHOS…

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BREAKDOWN: IN- (not) + FAM- (to speak or tell) + -Y (state of)

• infamous means notorious or well-known for something bad

See also: confabulate, ineffable

“If opinion hath lighted the lamp of thy name, endeavor to encourage it with thy own oil, lest it go out and stink; the chronical disease of Popularity is shame; if thou be once up, beware; from fame to infamy is a beaten road.” —Francis Quarles

BREAKDOWN: FAT- (to speak or acknowledge) + -IC (pertaining to)

“Every social order, however small or transient, develops its own ‘idiom,’ because any exchange of signs involves the respective participants taking up the words, phrases and expressions of the others for both phatic purposes and as a ‘multiplier’ of meanings—if I repeat what another has said with slight changes in wording and tone, I not only say what I have said, but create a complex relationship between what I have said and what the other has said (and whatever others he was responding to have said—and left unsaid), a relationship that remains largely tacit but all the more difficult to shake or exit for that very reason.” —Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges

[Fun Word Friday introduces more advanced or technical words that are based on word roots. Yes, these words may still be tested on standardized exams. Try to use this word in a sentence today!]

BREAKDOWN: RE- (intensely) + TAC- (to be silent) + -ENT (state of)

• reticence is the act, state, or habit of being quiet, reserved, or unwilling to share one’s thoughts

“Those who have had anything useful to say have said it far too often, and those who have had nothing to say have been no more reticent.” —B. F. Skinner

• superciliousness is haughtiness or arrogance

BREAKDOWN: The word supercilious comes directly from the Latin supercilium meaning both eyebrow and pride. In fact, the word derives from clear roots:

SUPER- (above) + CILIA- (eyelash, eyelid) + -OUS (inclined to)

The figurative nature of this combination of roots deserves attention: supercilious is meant to evoke the arrogance, condescension, or disdain expressed by raising an eyebrow. Ultimately, this word can be traced back to the root CEL- meaning to hide or cover in words like apocalypse, cell, or clandestine.

“Every word which is used to express a moral or intellectual fact, if traced to its root, is found to be borrowed from some material appearance. Right means straight; wrong means twisted. Spirit primarily means wind; transgression, the crossing of a line; supercilious, the raising of the eyebrow. We say the heart to express emotion, the head to denote thought; and thought and emotion are words borrowed from sensible things, and now appropriated to spiritual nature.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not necessarily derived from classical roots.]

BREAKDOWN: NON- (not) + CAL- (warm) + -ANCE (act or state)

• nonchalant means coolly indifferent; casually calm and relaxed

See also: incalescent

“Practice in everything a certain nonchalance that shall conceal design and show that what is done and said is done without effort and almost without thought.” —Baldassare Castiglione

BREAKDOWN: GLO- (to shine) + -ER (to do)

• glower as a noun is an intense angry look or glare

“Aziraphale collected books. If he were totally honest with himself he would have to have admitted that his bookshop was simply somewhere to store them. In order to maintain his cover as a typical second-hand book seller, he used every means short of actual physical violence to prevent customers from making a purchase. Unpleasant damp smells, glowering looks, erratic opening hours - he was incredibly good at it.” —Terry Pratchett

WORD MATCH
Match each number of each word to the matching phrase. One word has no matching phrase.

1. umbraphile | 2. laud | 3. stigma | 4. nefarious | 5. ulterior | 6. echelon

________ Selfish or shrouded

________ To extol or admire

________ Rank, rung, or row

________ Blemish or blame

________ Sinister or sinful

QUOTE MATCH
Complete each quote using the words from the word bank.

1. ulterior | 2. echelon | 3. nefarious | 4. destigmatize | 5. lauded

“The devil appears in many forms, but the most ________ of all are tax forms.” —Jarod Kintz

“If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ________ motives. Do good anyway.” —Mother Teresa

“Reading science, math, and philosophy one hour per day will likely put you at the upper ________ of human success within seven years.” —Naval Ravikant

“More and more, I come to value charity and love of one’s fellow being above everything else... All our ________ technological progress-our very civilization-is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal.” —Albert Einstein

“Another way to ________ discomfort is to remind yourself that you’re not alone in this experience. With about 7 billion people on the planet... not just one but scores of people are going through the same thing at this very moment.” —Olivia Fox Cabane

ROOT QUIZ
For each of the following words, fill in the meaning of each prefix, suffix, and base. For bonus points, define the word and list other words with the same roots.

LAUD- (________)

UMBR- (________) + -PHILE (lover of)

NE- (________) + -FARIOUS (in ways)

ULT[ER]- (________) + -IOR (pertaining to)

STIG- (________) + -MA (object of)

Scroll down for answers. But first, come to a positive resolution on the meaning of the word DENOUEMENT…

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BREAKDOWN: IN- (not) + ORDIN- (row, rank, or series) + –ATE (being)

• inordinacy is a state of excessiveness, irregularity, or disorder

See also: exordium

“If one could conclude as to the nature of the Creator from a study of creation, it would appear that God has an inordinate fondness for stars and beetles.” —J.B.S. Haldane

BREAKDOWN: UMBR- (shadow) + -PHILE (lover of)

See also: adumbrate, umbrage

“[In August 2026,] there was a total solar eclipse that drew umbraphiles (“shadow lovers”) to Iceland and Spain to witness the path of totality.” —Melissa Kirsch

[Fun Word Friday introduces more advanced or technical words that are based on word roots. Yes, these words may still be tested on standardized exams. Try to use this word in a sentence today!]

BREAKDOWN: NE- (negative) + -FARIOUS (in ways)

• nefariousness is ill intent or action

See also: nullify

“You know, people always warn children about taking candy from strange adults. But they never warn us adults about taking candy from strange children. All those sweet-looking kids who sell boxes of candy bars on the street to help pay for schooling - how do we know what’s in those bars? And don’t even get me started on that nefarious institution designed to lure unsuspecting customers into buying mysterious frosted goodies: the bake sale.” —Pseudonymous Bosch

BREAKDOWN: The word echelon, like so many others, comes to English fully-formed from the French word échelon meaning rung of a ladder or step up. Its origins can be traced back to the Latin scala meaning ladder or flight of stairs and ultimately to the root SCAN- meaning climb or rise in words like ascend and transcendental.

“The common denominator in all these conditions—whether in the lungs, the muscles, or the bones—is overwhelming pain. And that is perhaps the first and most fundamental thing that all novice oarsmen must learn about competitive rowing in the upper echelons of the sport: that pain is part and parcel of the deal. It’s not a question of whether you will hurt, or of how much you will hurt; it’s a question of what you will do, and how well you will do it, while pain has her wanton way with you.” —Daniel James Brown

[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not necessarily derived from classical roots.]

BREAKDOWN: ULT[ER]- (beyond) + -IOR (pertaining to)

See also: penultimate, ultracrepidarian

“It’s not our job to play judge and jury, to determine who is worthy of our kindness and who is not. We just need to be kind, unconditionally and without ulterior motive, even—or rather, especially—when we’d prefer not to be.” —Josh Radnor

BREAKDOWN: STIG- (to stick or sting) + -MA (object of)

• stigmatize means to show strong disapproval or apply a negative attitude or stereotype

• destigmatize means to remove a societal or cultural brand of shame, blame, or negative judgment

“Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker. Expose your ideas to the dangers of controversy. Speak your mind and fear less the label of ‘crackpot’ than the stigma of conformity. And on issues that seem important to you, stand up and be counted at any cost.” —Thomas J. Watson

WORD MATCH

Match each number of each word to the matching phrase. One word has no matching phrase.

1. exemplar | 2. ambidextrous | 3. valorize | 4. appositive | 5. earnest | 6. harrowing

_______ To emphasize or oversell

_______ Torturous or traumatic

_______ Serious or sober

_______ Epitome or archetype

_______ Nearby noun phrase

QUOTE MATCH

Complete each quote using the words from the word bank.

1. ambidexterity | 2. earnest | 3. exemplary | 4. valor | 5. apposite

“Men who are in _______ are not afraid of consequences.” —Marcus Garvey

“Courage does not always roar. _______ does not always shine.” —Tomi Adeyemi

“In fact, punk rock means _______ manners to your fellow human beings.” —Joe Strummer

“One must choose the _______ moment to crush one’s political opponent. Not when he has nothing to say. But when he is attempting to say something.” —Timur Vermes

“Forecasting the future requires a certain amount of mental _______. Just as a piano player must control her left and right hands as she glides around the keyboard playing Monk, you need to learn how to think in two ways at once—both monitoring what’s happening in the present and thinking through how the present relates to the future.” —Amy Webb

ROOT QUIZ

For each of the following words, fill in the meaning of each prefix, suffix, and base. For bonus points, define the word and list other words with the same roots.

VAL- (_______) + -OR (quality) + -IZE (_______)

EX- (out) + EMP- (_______) + -AR (one who does)

A- (to) + POS- (_______) + SIT- (position) + -IVE (pertaining to)

HAR- (_______) + -OW (action) + -ING (act or state)

AMBI- (_______) + DEXTER- (_______) + -OUS (having qualities of)

Scroll down for answers. But first, learn the value of the word BAUBLE…

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BREAKDOWN: LAUD- (praise)

• laud as a noun is glorification or acclaim; a hymn of praise

• laudation is the act of delivering high praise

See also: laudable, laudatory

“Expectation. That is the true soul of art. If you can give a man more than he expects, then he will laud you his entire life. If you can create an air of anticipation and feed it properly, you will succeed.” —Brandon Sanderson

BREAKDOWN: A- (to) + POS- (put) + SIT- (position) + -IVE (pertaining to)

• appositive as an adjective means placed side-by-side

• apposite means fitting, suitable, or appropriate

• appose is to put or apply one thing to another; to arrange things side by side

See also: composure, depose, indispose, juxtaposition, predispose, posit, repose, transpose

“Take any noun, put it with any verb, and you have a sentence. It never fails... Strunk and White caution against too many simple sentences in a row, but simple sentences provide a path you can follow when you fear getting lost in the tangles of rhetoric—all those restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses, those modifying phrases, those appositives and compound-complex sentences.” —Stephen King

[Fun Word Friday introduces more advanced or technical words that are based on word roots. Yes, these words may still be tested on standardized exams. Try to use this word in a sentence today!]

BREAKDOWN: HAR- (to make war or ravage) + -OW (action) + -ING (act or state)

• harrow means to cause great pain or anguish; to till soil

• a harrow is a farm tool used to break up soil

“Once upon a time, began the story of you. Many perilous, wonderful, harrowing, brilliant, delightful, profound things happened. And yet—the most exciting twists and best turns are yet to come. And it absolutely does not matter how old or young you are. Like a bright carpet of wonders, enjoy the unrolling of your story.” —Vera Nazarian

• earnest as a noun means sincerity, truth, or zeal; alternately, something given in advance to show intent to pay or provide the rest

BREAKDOWN: Earnest is well-known as a name, especially among Hemingway and Sesame Street fans. This virtue name is based on the quality of seriousness or zeal called eornost in Old English. Tracing the word back to the Proto-Germanic ernustuz meaning firmness or struggle reveals its roots arniz (efficient, sure) and the Indo-European er- (to set in motion).

“Speak not injurious words neither in jest nor earnest; scoff at none, although they give occasion.” —George Washington

[Our Wednesday Wildcards are fascinating and important words that are not necessarily derived from classical roots.]

BREAKDOWN: EX- (out) + EMP- (to take or buy) + -AR (one who does)

• exemplary means exceptional, worthy of imitation, or serving as an example for others

See also: redemptive

“All parents want their offspring to be exemplars of virtue and achievement and happiness. But most of all, we want desperately for you to be safe—safe from disease and violence and self-destruction.” —Estelle Ramey