a brief evocative description, account, or episode
example
The author included a beautiful vignette of her childhood summers spent at the family lake house, capturing the essence of those joyful days.
synonyms
sketchscenarioepisode
word origin — The word 'vignette' comes from the French word 'vignette', meaning 'little vine', which referred to decorative illustrations at the beginning or end of a book and later came to mean a short literary piece.
SAT Vocabulary Level 2 — Set 204
Set 204 of SAT Vocabulary Level 2 covers 5 words: vignette, resilience, woe, folly, predecessor. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.
vignette · noun/vɪnˈjɛt/
a brief evocative description, account, or episode
The author included a beautiful vignette of her childhood summers spent at the family lake house, capturing the essence of those joyful days.
Synonyms: sketch, scenario, episode
Origin: The word 'vignette' comes from the French word 'vignette', meaning 'little vine', which referred to decorative illustrations at the beginning or end of a book and later came to mean a short literary piece.
resilience · noun/rɪˈzɪl.jəns/
the ability to recover quickly from difficulties or adapt to change
Her resilience in the face of adversity inspired everyone around her to keep pushing forward.
Synonyms: elasticity, toughness, flexibility
Origin: from Latin 'resilientem' (present participle of 'resilire') meaning 'to spring back, rebound'
woe · noun/woʊ/
deep sorrow or anguish caused by misfortune
Her heart was filled with woe after she lost her beloved pet, leaving her in deep distress.
Synonyms: sorrow, misery, grief
Origin: Middle English 'woe', from Old English 'wōe', of Germanic origin; related to Dutch 'wee' and German 'weh'.
folly · noun/ˈfɑli/
lack of good sense or intelligence
It was sheer folly to invest all his savings in a risky venture without doing proper research.
Synonyms: foolishness, absurdity, stupidity
Origin: from Middle English 'folye,' from Old French 'folie,' meaning 'madness, foolishness,' derived from Latin 'follia,' from 'follis' meaning 'bellows' or 'windbag.'
predecessor · noun/ˈpriːdəsɛsər/
a person or thing that precedes another in time or position
The new CEO implemented several innovative strategies that built upon the foundation laid by her predecessor.
Synonyms: forerunner, precursor, antecedent
Origin: From Latin 'praedecessor', from 'prae-' meaning 'before' + 'decessor' meaning 'gone away, departed'.