SAT Vocabulary Level 1 — Set 248

Set 248 of SAT Vocabulary Level 1 covers 5 words: esteem, confidentiality, eclipse, contempt, demonstration. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. esteem · noun/ɪˈstim/

   respect and admiration for someone or something

   Her contributions to the community have earned her great esteem among her peers.

   Synonyms: admiration, respect, regard

   Origin: Middle French 'estimer' meaning 'to estimate, value, or regard highly', which comes from Latin 'aestimare' meaning 'to value or appraise'.

2. confidentiality · noun/ˌkɑːn.fɪ.denˈtɪː.ə.lə.ti/

   the state of keeping information private or secret

   The lawyer is required to maintain strict confidentiality regarding her clients' personal information.

   Synonyms: secrecy, privacy, discretion

   Origin: from Latin 'confidentialis' meaning 'trustworthy', from 'confidere' meaning 'to trust'

3. eclipse · noun/ɪˈklɪps/

   the occurrence of one celestial body moving into the shadow of another celestial body

   The solar eclipse gathered crowds of people who wanted to witness the rare celestial event.

   Synonyms: occultation

   Origin: from Latin 'eclipsare' meaning 'to darken, to overshadow', which is derived from the Greek 'ekleipsis' meaning 'an omission, a failing to appear'.

4. contempt · noun/kənˈtɛmpt/

   the feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration worthless or deserving scorn

   He looked at the poorly executed work with contempt, believing it unworthy of his time.

   Synonyms: disdain, scorn, derision

   Origin: Late Middle English: from Latin 'contemptus', from 'con-' (intensive) + 'temnere' (to scorn)

5. demonstration · noun/ˌdɛmənˈstreɪʃən/

   the act of showing or proving something through examples or presentations

   The teacher conducted a demonstration of the scientific experiment to help the students understand the concept better.

   Synonyms: exhibition, presentation, display

   Origin: from Latin 'demonstratio', which is derived from 'demonstrāre', meaning 'to point out' or 'to show'