Page 132 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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G – H: SAT Words
hedonism (HEED ’n IZ m) n. 1. (philosophy) the belief that the happiness of
the individual or the society is of paramount importance; 2. (psychology) the theory
that a person always acts to seek pleasure and avoid pain; 3. a self-indulgence in
seeking one’s own pleasure as a way of life
• The philosophy of hedonism is most closely associated with the ancient
Greek philosopher, Epicurus (342–270 B.C.E.), who taught that all our
actions should maximize pleasure and minimize pain.
• Psychological hedonism views humans as built or programmed to exclusively
desire pleasure.
• Spending one’s entire life on a luxury cruise ship in the Caribbean is
probably the ultimate goal of modern hedonism.
[hedonistic adj., hedonistically adv., hedonist n.]

QUICK REVIEW #42
Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most
nearly the same thing.
1. glutton a. trite
2. gracious b. avarice

3. grandiose c. tirade
4. gratuity d. annoy
5. greed e. torment
6. grudging f. reap
7. hackneyed g. magnificent
8. harangue h. reluctant
9. harass i. self-indulgence
10. harvest j. epicure
11. heckle k. tip

12. hedonism l. kind
heed (HEED) vt. pay close attention to; to take careful notice of; obey
• A mother expects her child to heed her—at least until he turns 18.
• Ice skaters may be ejected if they do not heed the skating rink’s regulations.
• Before going into the theater, make sure to heed the rules regarding bring-
ing in outside food.
[-ed, -ing, -ful adj., -fully adv.]