M – N: SAT Words 161
monarch(MAH nahrk) n.1. hereditary ruler, such as a king or queen; 2. the
best; 3. the top performer in a certain field
- Henry VIII and Edward VIII were the highest numbered monarchsof England.
- Elvis Presley is called the king, which makes him the monarchof rock.
- Wal-Mart is the monarchof retail sales.
monopoly(muh NAH pi lee) n.1. exclusive control of a type of product or
service; 2. exclusive possession of something - Before its being broken up into the so-called “Baby Bells,” AT&T had a
monopolyin the telecommunications business. - Under President Teddy Roosevelt, antitrust legislation was passed to pro-
hibit monopoliesfrom getting a strangle hold on any one industry. - Two-year-olds Jakob and Myles have a monopolyof their mothers’ time.
[monopolies pl.] [Syn. trust, cartel]
morality(maw RAL i tee) n.1. code of proper behavior according to traditions,
religious laws, etc.; 2. the property of rightness in conduct or ethics - The code of moralityin the Western world is based on the Judaeo-Christian
tradition. - The treatment of certain prisoners in Iraq violated the dictates of morality.
morose (maw ROHS) adj.1. bad tempered; sullen; gloomy; 2. distinguished by
gloom
•A morosecomic character walks around with a dark cloud over his head
wherever he goes.- When asked what the probability was of staying out of the course of the
storm, the pilot’s facial expression was morose.
motivation(MOH ti VAY shin) n.an incitement or impelling; the cause that
makes someone do something - Looking down the barrel of a gun is usually an adequate motivationto
hand over your money. - A method actor needs some sort of motivationto get into the role of the
character he’s playing.
motive(MOH tiv) n.an inner drive that causes a person to do something, or to
act in a certain way; goal - Greed is often a good motivefor robbery.
- The motivefor Arnold’s saving every nickel he earned was his desire to pur-
chase an automobile.
muffle(MUH fil) vt.1. to dull a sound; stifle; 2. to wrap in a shawl or blanket
to deaden a sound - Each motor vehicle contains a special part designed to mufflethe roar that
the engine makes, but we won’t tell you its name. - A scarf wrapped around someone’s mouth and lower face is often referred to
as a muffler, in that it mufflesany speech coming from the wearer’s mouth. - Murderers on TV often use silencers to mufflethe sound of the gunshot.
[-d. muffling]