Definition
The setting of a word or event
Context
"The chef's culinary skills were evident in the exquisite, gourmet, and sumptuous dishes he prepared."
Exquisite, sumptuous
"You are not Celine and you will never be Celine! So quit your delusions!"
Reality
"The girl who used to be very vociferous doesn't talk much anymore."
Talkative
Use of context clues
Using surrounding words or sentences to figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word
Information that helps someone understand something
Clue
"Her laughter was infectious, spreading joy and merriment to everyone around her."
Spreading, contagious
"He knew she loathed his guts. But, he continued to love her in every waking moment."
Hated, despised
"His refusal to make child support payments was contumacious, being willfully disobedient to authority."
Stubborn
The opposite meaning of a word
Antonym
Word that has the opposite meaning of another word
Antonym
"The private files were marked as confidential."
Private
"The man was truly an enigma, unlike the other citizens here who are such open-books."
Mysterious, puzzling
"He was so parsimonious that he refused to give his own sons the few pennies they needed to buy pencils for school. It truly hurt him to part with his money."
Ungenerous, greedy
What is Ms. Turner's last name?
Turner
Word that has the same meaning as another word
Synonym
"She hated his guts. She despised him so much she started to ignore him."
Hated
"Rather than be involved in clandestine meetings, they did everything quite openly."
"When New Year came, multiple incandescent fireworks were seen in the nightsky."
Strikingly bright, radiant
What type of context clue provides a direct explanation or definition of an unknown word?
Definition context clue
Hints found within a sentence, paragraph, or passage that a reader can use to understand the meanings of new or unfamiliar words
Context clues
"I was just a normal girl in a village doing alright. Just like anybody else, I was just a plain-Jane."
Normal
"A government official should not be corrupt or the country will suffer."
Dishonest, deceitful
"Unlike his stoic and well-behaved brother, he was a mercurial temperament."
Temperamental, unpredictable
What should we use to help us understand what a word means in a sentence?
Context clues