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Words in the News

This Week's Word In The News 

MITIGATION

DEFINITION:
The action of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something.

FOUND IN THE NEWS:
But after years of record investment by the state in such wildfire risk mitigation, two key money sources are drying up, potentially reducing the state’s annual budget for vegetation removal by hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Los Angeles Times, 06/01/2026

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Words in the News Quiz
5 High 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. Feckless

Having one’s true identity concealed.

Lacking purpose or vitality; feeble or ineffective.

To proceed completely around:

A product of disintegration, destruction, or wearing away; debris.


2. Metamorphosis

A circular strand of DNA in bacteria that contains the hereditary information necessary for cell life.

A marked change in appearance, character, condition, or function.

To certify or attest to (the validity of a signature on a document, for example) as a notary public.

Warlike in manner or temperament; pugnacious.


3. Expurgate

Warlike in manner or temperament; pugnacious.

The science and technology of building electronic circuits and devices from single atoms and molecules.

A factor that determines a range of variations; a boundary

To remove erroneous, vulgar, obscene, or otherwise objectionable material from (a book, for example) before publication.


4. Enfranchise

Lacking social polish; tactless.

To endow with the rights of citizenship, especially the right to vote.

Having a bad disposition; surly.

Noninterference in the affairs of others.


5. Oligarchy

Noninterference in the affairs of others.

Lacking or marked by a lack of self-confidence; shy and timid.

To show servile deference.

Government by a few, especially by a small faction of persons or families.


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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.