ACT - SAT Vocab Words - M, N, R Flashcards
maelstrom
(n.) a destructive whirlpool which rapidly sucks in objects (Little did the explorers know that as they turned the next bend of the calm river a vicious maelstromwould catch their boat.)
magnanimous
(adj.) noble, generous (Although I had already broken most of her dishes, Jacqueline was magnanimousenough to continue letting me use them.)
malediction
(n.) a curse (When I was arrested for speeding, I screamed maledictions against the policeman and the entire police department.)
malevolent
(adj.) wanting harm to befall others (The malevolentold man sat in the park all day, tripping unsuspecting passersby with his cane.)
malleable
(adj.) capable of being shaped or transformed (Maximillian’s political opinions were so malleablethat anyone he talked to was able to change his mind instantly.)
mandate
(n.) an authoritative command (In the Old Testament, God mandatesthat no one should steal.)
manifest
(adj.) easily understandable, obvious (When I wrote the wrong sum on the chalkboard, my mistake was so manifestthat the entire class burst into laughter.) 2. (v.) to show plainly (His illness first manifesteditself with particularly violent hiccups.)
manifold
(adj.) diverse, varied (The popularity of Dante’s Inferno is partly due to the fact that the work allows for manifoldinterpretations.)
maudlin
(adj.) weakly sentimental (Although many people enjoy romantic comedies, I usually find them maudlinand shallow.)
maverick
(n.) an independent, nonconformist person (Andreas is a real maverickand always does things his own way.)
mawkish
(adj.) characterized by sick sentimentality (Although some nineteenth- century critics viewed Dickens’s writing as mawkish, contemporary readers have found great emotional depth in his works.)
maxim
(n.) a common saying expressing a principle of conduct (Miss Manners’s etiquette maximsare both entertaining and instructional.)
meager
(adj.) deficient in size or quality (My meagerportion of food did nothing to satisfy my appetite.)
medley
(n.) a mixture of differing things (Susannah’s wardrobe contained an astonishing medleyof colors, from olive green to fluorescent pink.)
mendacious
(adj.) having a lying, false character (The mendaciouscontent of the tabloid magazines is at least entertaining.)
mercurial
(adj.) characterized by rapid change or temperamentality (Though he was widely respected for his mathematical proofs, the mercurialgenius was impossible to live with.)
meritorious
(adj.) worthy of esteem or reward (Manfred was given the congressional medal of honor for his meritoriousactions.)
metamorphosis
(n.) the change of form, shape, substance (Winnifred went to the gym every day for a year and underwent a metamorphosisfrom a waiflike girl to an athletic woman.)
meticulous
(adj.) extremely careful with details (The ornate needlework in the bride’s gown was a product of meticuloushandiwork.)
mitigate
(v.) to make less violent, alleviate (When I had an awful sore throat, only warm tea would mitigatethe pain.)
moderate
(adj.) not extreme (Luckily, the restaurant we chose had moderateprices; none of us have any money.) 2.
modicum
(n.) a small amount of something (Refusing to display even a modicumof sensitivity, Henrietta announced her boss’s affair in front of the entire office.)
modulate
(v.) to pass from one state to another, especially in music (The composer wrote a piece that modulatedbetween minor and major keys.)
mollify
(v.) to soften in temper (The police officer mollifiedthe angry woman by giving her a warning instead of a ticket.)
morass
(n.) a wet swampy bog; figuratively, something that traps and confuses (When Theresa lost her job, she could not get out of her financial morass.)
mores
(n.) the moral attitudes and fixed customs of a group of people. (Mores change over time; many things that were tolerated in 1975 are no longer seen as being socially acceptable.)
morose
(adj.) gloomy or sullen (Jason’s morosenature made him very unpleasant to talk to.)
multifarious
(adj.) having great diversity or variety (This Swiss Army knife has multifariousfunctions and capabilities. Among other things, it can act as a knife, a saw, a toothpick, and a slingshot.)
mundane
(adj.) concerned with the world rather than with heaven, commonplace (He is more concerned with the mundaneissues of day-to-day life than with spiritual topics.)
munificence
(n.) generosity in giving (The royal family’s munificencemade everyone else in their country rich.)
mutable
(adj.) able to change (Because fashion is so mutable, what is trendy today will look outdated in five years.)
myriad
(adj.) consisting of a very great number (It was difficult to decide what to do Friday night because the city presented us with myriadpossibilities for fun.)
nadir
(n.) the lowest point of something (My day was boring, but the nadircame when I accidentally spilled a bowl of spaghetti on my head.)
nascent
(adj.) in the process of being born or coming into existence (Unfortunately, my brilliant paper was only in its nascentform on the morning that it was due.)
nebulous
(adj.) vaguely defined, cloudy (The transition between governments meant that who was actually in charge was a nebulousmatter.)
nefarious
(adj.) heinously villainous (Although Dr. Meanman’s nefariousplot to melt the polar icecaps was terrifying, it was so impractical that nobody really worried about it.)
negligent
(adj.) habitually careless, neglectful (Jessie’s grandfather called me a negligentfool after I left the door to his apartment unlocked even though there had been a recent string of robberies.)
neophyte
(n.) someone who is young or inexperienced (As a neophytein the literary world, Malik had trouble finding a publisher for his first novel.)
nocturnal
(adj.) relating to or occurring during the night (Jackie was a nocturnal person; she would study until dawn and sleep until the evening.)
noisome
(adj.) unpleasant, offensive, especially to the sense of smell (Nobody would enter the stalls until the horse’s noisomeleavings were taken away.)
nomadic
(adj.) wandering from place to place (In the first six months after college, Jose led a nomadiclife, living in New York, California, and Idaho.)
nominal
(adj.) trifling, insignificant (Because he was moving the following week and needed to get rid of his furniture more than he needed money, Jordan sold everything for a nominalfee.)
nonchalant
(adj.) having a lack of concern, indifference (Although deep down she was very angry, Marsha acted in a nonchalantmanner when she found out that her best friend had used her clothing without asking.)
nondescript
(adj.) lacking a distinctive character (I was surprised when I saw the movie star in person because she looked nondescript.)
notorious
(adj.) widely and unfavorably known (Jacob was notoriousfor always arriving late at parties.)
novice
(n.) a beginner, someone without training or experience (Because we were all novicesat yoga, our instructor decided to begin with the basics.)
noxious
(adj.) harmful, unwholesome (Environmentalists showed that the noxious weeds were destroying the insects’ natural habitats.)
nuance
(n.) a slight variation in meaning, tone, expression (The nuancesof the poem were not obvious to the casual reader, but the professor was able to point them out.)
nurture
(v.) to assist the development of (Although Serena had never watered the plant, which was about to die, Javier was able to nurtureit back to life.)
rail
(v.) to scold, protest (The professor railedagainst the injustice of the college’s tenure policy.)
rancid
(adj.) having a terrible taste or smell (Rob was double-dog-dared to eat the rancidegg salad sandwich.)
rancor
(n.) deep, bitter resentment (When Eileen challenged me to a fight, I could see the rancorin her eyes.)
rapport
(n.) mutual understanding and harmony (When Margaret met her paramour, they felt an instant rapport.)
rash
(adj.) hasty, incautious (It’s best to think things over calmly and thoroughly, rather than make rashdecisions.)
raucous
(adj.) loud, boisterous (Sarah’s neighbors called the cops when her house party got too raucous.)
raze
(v.) to demolish, level (The old tenement house was razedto make room for the large chain store.)
rebuke
(v.) to scold, criticize (When the cops showed up at Sarah’s party, they rebukedher for disturbing the peace.)
recalcitrant
(adj.) defiant, unapologetic (Even when scolded, the recalcitrantyoung girl simply stomped her foot and refused to finish her lima beans.)
recapitulate
(v.) to sum up, repeat (Before the final exam, the teacher recapitulatedthe semester’s material.)
reciprocate
(v.) to give in return (When Steve gave Samantha a sweater for Christmas, she reciprocatedby giving him a kiss.)
reclusive
(adj.) solitary, shunning society (Reclusive authors such as J.D. Salinger do not relish media attention and sometimes even enjoy holing up in remote cabins in the woods.)
reconcile
(v.) to return to harmony (The feuding neighbors finally reconciledwhen one brought the other a delicious tuna noodle casserole.) 2. (v.) to make consistent with existing ideas (Alou had to reconcilehis skepticism about the existence of aliens with the fact that he was looking at a flying saucer.)
rectitude
(n.) uprightness, extreme morality (The priest’s rectitudegave him the moral authority to counsel his parishioners.)
redoubtable
(adj.) formidable (The fortress looked redoubtableset against a stormy sky.) 2. (adj.) commanding respect (The audience greeted the redoubtablespeaker with a standing ovation.)
refract
(v.) to distort, change (The light was refractedas it passed through the prism.)
refurbish
(v.) to restore, clean up (The dingy old chair, after being refurbished, commanded the handsome price of $200.)
refute
(v.) to prove wrong (Maria refutedthe president’s argument as she yelled and gesticulated at the TV.)
regurgitate
(v.) to vomit (Feeling sick, Chuck regurgitatedhis dinner.) 2. (v.) to throw back exactly (Margaret rushed through the test, regurgitatingall of the facts she’d memorized an hour earlier.)
relegate
(v.) to assign to the proper place (At the astrologyconference, Simon was relegated to the Scorpio room.) 2. (v.) to assign to an inferior place (After spilling a drink on a customer’s shirt, the waiter found himself relegatedto the least lucrative shift.)
relish
(v.) to enjoy (Pete always relishedhis bedtime snack.)
remedial
(adj.) intended to repair gaps in students’ basic knowledge (After his teacher discovered he couldn’t read, Alex was forced to enroll in remedialEnglish.)
remiss
(adj.) negligent, failing to take care (The burglar gained entrance because the security guard, remissin his duties, forgot to lock the door.)
renovate
(v.) restore, return to original state (The renovatedantique candelabra looked as good as new.) 2. (v.) to enlarge and make prettier, especially a house (After getting renovated, the house was twice as big and much more attractive.)
renown
(n.) honor, acclaim (The young writer earned international renownby winning the Pulitzer Prize.)
renunciation
(n.) to reject (Fiona’s renunciationof red meat resulted in weight loss, but confused those people who thought she’d been a vegetarian for years.)
repentant
(adj.) penitent, sorry (The repentantDennis apologized profusely for breaking his mother’s vase.)
replete
(adj.) full, abundant (The unedited version was repletewith naughty words.)
repose
(v.) to rest, lie down (The cat, after eating an entire can of tuna fish, reposedin the sun and took a long nap.)
reprehensible
(adj.) deserving rebuke (Jean’s cruel and reprehensibleattempt to dump her boyfriend on his birthday led to tears and recriminations.)
reprieve
(n.) a temporary delay of punishment (Because the governor woke up in a particularly good mood, he granted hundreds of reprievesto prisoners.)
reproach
(v.) to scold, disapprove (Brian reproachedthe customer for failing to rewind the video he had rented.)
reprobate
(adj.) evil, unprincipled (The reprobatecriminal sat sneering in the cell.)
reprove
(v.) to scold, rebuke (Lara reprovedher son for sticking each and every one of his fingers into the strawberry pie.)
repudiate
(v.) to reject, refuse to accept (Kwame made a strong case for an extension of his curfew, but his mother repudiatedit with a few biting words.)
repulse
(v.) to disgust (Antisocial Annie tried to repulsepeople by neglecting to brush her teeth.) 2. (v.) to push back (With a deft movement of her wrist and a punch to the stomach, Lacy repulsedJack’s attempt to kiss her.)
reputable
(adj.) of good reputation (After the most reputablecritic in the industry gave the novel a glowing review, sales took off.)
requisition
(n.) a demand for goods, usually made by an authority (During the war, the government made a requisitionof supplies.)
rescind
(v.) to take back, repeal (The company rescindedits offer of employment after discovering that Jane’s resume was full of lies.)
reservoir
(n.) reserves, large supply (Igor the Indomitable had quite a reservoirof strengh and could lift ten tons, even after running 700 miles, jumping over three mountains, and swimming across an ocean.) 2. (n.) a body of water used for storing water (After graduation, the more rebellious members of the senior class jumped into the town reservoirused for drinking water.)
resilient
(adj.) able to recover from misfortune; able to withstand adversity (The resilientballplayer quickly recovered from his wrist injury.)
resolute
(adj.) firm, determined (With a resoluteglint in her eye, Catherine announced that she was set on going to college in New York City even though she was a little frightened of tall buildings.)
resolve
(v.) to find a solution (Sarah and Emma resolvedtheir differences and shook hands.) 2. (v.) to firmly decide (Lady Macbeth resolvedto whip her husband into shape.)
respite
(n.) a break, rest (Justin left the pub to gain a brief respitefrom the smoke and noise.)
resplendent
(adj.) shiny, glowing (The partygoers were resplendentin diamonds and fancy dress.)
restitution
(n.) restoration to the rightful owner (Many people feel that descendants of slaves should receive restitutionfor the sufferings of their ancestors.)
restive
(adj.) resistant, stubborn, impatient (The restiveaudience pelted the band with mud and yelled nasty comments.)
retract
(v.) withdraw (As the media worked itself into a frenzy, the publicist hurriedly retractedhis client’s sexist statement.)
revel
(v.) to enjoy intensely (Theodore reveled in his new status as Big Man on Campus.)
revere
(v.) to esteem, show deference, venerate (The doctor saved countless lives with his combination of expertise and kindness and became universally revered.)
revoke
(v.) to take back (After missing the curfew set by the court for eight nights in a row, Marcel’s freedom of movement was revoked.)
rhapsodize
(v.) to engage in excessive enthusiasm (The critic rhapsodizedabout the movie, calling it an instant classic.)
ribald
(adj.) coarsely, crudely humorous (While some giggled at the ribaldjoke involving a parson’s daughter, most sighed and rolled their eyes.)
rife
(adj.) abundant (Surprisingly, the famous novelist’s writing was rifewith spelling errors.)
ruminate
(v.) to contemplate, reflect (Terry liked to ruminatewhile sitting on the banks
ruse
(n.) a trick (Oliver concocted an elaborate rusefor sneaking out of the house to meet his girlfriend while simultaneously giving his mother the impression that he was asleep in bed.)
