Flowers for Algernon Selected vocabulary terms Refute The

“Flowers for Algernon” Selected vocabulary terms

Refute The verb refute is to prove that something is wrong. When the kids you're babysitting swear they brushed their teeth, you can refute their claim by presenting the dry toothbrushes.

Invariably describes things that don't change and never vary — they're predictable. Many people invariably start each morning with a hot cup of coffee.

Regression When you experience regression, you "go back" in some way. If you've been trying to break your sugar habit but one day eat several pieces of cake, that's regression.

Verify When you verify something, you show that it's true. Do you have a photograph to verify your claim that there's a dinosaur in your backyard?

obscure If something is obscure, it's vague and hard to see. Be careful if you're driving in heavy rain — the painted lines can be obscure.

deterioration If something is in a state of deterioration, it's getting worse. A crumbling old house with a caved-in roof and foot-tall weeds growing through the deck is going through deterioration.

hypothesis In science, a hypothesis is an idea or explanation that you then test through study and experimentation. Outside science, a theory or guess can also be called a hypothesis.

introspective Someone who is introspective spends considerable time examining his own thoughts and feelings. If you take to your diary after an unhappy break-up, you are being introspective.

naiveté If you suggest that world peace could be achieved by handing out cookies in warring nations, you would be revealing a certain amount of naiveté. This is a lack of wisdom and sophistication.

simultaneously Use the adverb simultaneously to describe actions that occur at the same time. You are reading this sentence and simultaneously learning a new word!

incredulously If you do something incredulously, you're doing it in a doubting or disbelieving way. If you look at someone incredulously, you can't believe what they're saying or doing.

tangible When you can touch something, it's tangible: "I need tangible proof that aliens exist — I want to shake their little green hands!"