Words in the News

This Week's Word In The News 

DENIALISM

DEFINITION:
Bianco’s investigation, which includes all the ballots cast in Riverside County in November, raises questions about how he would handle the election denialism movement if he is elected governor.

FOUND IN THE NEWS:
The practice of denying the existence, truth, or validity of something despite proof or strong evidence that it is real, true, or valid.
The Los Angeles Times, 03/23/2026

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Words in the News Quiz
5 Middle School Words

Click on the correct answer in the quiz below.
Then see if you can find the word in your newspaper -- the print edition, the website or the digital edition and copy the sentence for context. NOTE: High School words are much harder to find!


1. Plateau

To grow well or luxuriantly; thrive

Something that is passed down from preceding generations; a tradition.

An elevated, comparatively level expanse of land; a tableland.

The locus of points for which the sum of the distances from each point to two fixed points is equal


2. Vacillate

A dense evergreen forest occupying a tropical region with an annual rainfall of at least 100 inches.

To swing indecisively from one course of action or opinion to another.

The right or privilege of voting; franchise.

A person with masterly skill or technique in the arts.


3. Gargoyle

A conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image.

A grotesque ornamental figure or projection.

The act of reasoning from factual knowledge or evidence.

Relating to a system of writing, such as that of ancient Egypt, in which pictorial symbols are used to represent meaning or sounds or a combination of meaning and sound.


4. Introspection

A cult or religious movement, a group sharing particular (often unorthodox) political and/or religious beliefs.

To honor the memory of with a ceremony

Self-examination.

A picture or decorative design made by setting small colored pieces, as of stone or tile, into a surface.


5. Omnivore

A rebirth or revival.

The repetition of the same sounds or of the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables

An intricate structure of interconnecting passages through which it is difficult to find one’s way; a maze.

One that takes in everything available, as with the mind.


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Common Core State Standard
LS.CCS.4/5/6 Grades 3-12: Students are asked to determine the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words through multiple choice vocabulary quizzes. Quizzes are designed to help students demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in words, acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words, and gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression. Students are then asked to find the words within the newspaper and copy the sentence for context to its overall meaning or function in a sentence.