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Words in the News

This Week's Word In The News 

LITIGANT

DEFINITION:
Someone involved in a lawsuit.

FOUND IN THE NEWS:
With the widespread and transformative use of artificial intelligence — particularly generative AI — in daily life, federal and state courts in New Mexico are finding self-represented litigants and some attorneys filing legal cases containing false or misleading information.
►The Albuquerque Journal, 04/13/2026

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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. Gargoyle

► The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness.

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

► A grotesque ornamental figure or projection.

► One that is inconvenient, annoying, or vexatious; a bother.

2. Spectrum

► Sharing the same opinions or views; being in complete harmony or accord.

► A drawing consisting of the outline of something, especially a human profile, filled in with a solid color.

► The distribution of energy emitted by a radiant source, arranged in order of wavelengths.

► The science and art of using all the forces of a nation to execute approved plans as effectively as possible during peace or war.

3. Toxin

► A proportional part or share.

► Conversation between characters in a drama or narrative

► The right or privilege of voting; franchise.

► A poisonous substance, especially a protein, that is produced by living cells or organisms.

4. Hieroglyphic

► 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.

► Marked by hearty conviviality and good cheer.

► Using or marked by the use of few words; terse or concise.

► The main character in a drama or other literary work.

5. Chronology

► Using or marked by the use of few words; terse or concise.

► The main character in a drama or other literary work.

► A rebirth or revival.

► The arrangement of events in time

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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.