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SAT Vocab > Common SAT Words > Flashcards

Common SAT Words Flashcards

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0
Q

Conjecture

A

Inference; guesswork

At this point, Kim’s hypothesis is still conjecture. She doesn’t have conclusive evidence.

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1
Q

Candid

A

Completely honest, straightforward

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2
Q

Didactic

A

Instructive

The tapes were entertaining and didactic, both amusing and instructing the children

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3
Q

Effusive

A

Showing excessive emotion; overflowing

Ben delivered an effusive speech, crying, hugging, blowing kisses, and crying some more.

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4
Q

Extrapolate

A

To infer or estimate by extending or projecting projecting known information

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5
Q

Insinuate

A

To imply or communicate stealthily

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6
Q

Loquacious

A

Very talkative

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7
Q

Lucid

A

Easy to understand; clear

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8
Q

Rhetoric

A

The art of using language effectively and persuasively

Most politicians are well-versed in the art of using rhetoric.

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9
Q

Acumen

A

Quickness, accuracy, and keenness of judgement or insight

Judge Ackerman’s legal acumen was very well regarded.

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10
Q

Adroit

A

Skilled; dexterous; deft

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11
Q

Ascertain

A

To find out, as through investigation or experimentation

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12
Q

Astute

A

Shrewd; clever

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13
Q

Circumspect

A

Careful; prudent; discreet

Ned’s circumspect manner made him a good candidate for the position.

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14
Q

Disseminate

A

To scatter wildly, as in sowing seed

The news about Dave disseminated quickly throughout the school.

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15
Q

Erudition

A

Deep extensive learning

The professor’s erudition was such that she could answer any question.

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16
Q

Pedantic

A

Excessively concerned with book learning and formal rules

Pedro’s pedantic tendencies prompted him to correct all of our grammar.

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17
Q

Perspicacious

A

Shrewd; clear sighted

The detective’s perspicacious mind allowed him to solve many cases.

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18
Q

Pragmatic

A

Practical

Matt took a very pragmatic approach to accomplish the task.

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19
Q

Precocious

A

Exhibiting unusually early intellectual aptitude or maturity

Magnus’ precocious intellect made him one of the world’s best chess players before he could even drive.

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20
Q

Prolific

A

Very productive; producing great qualities

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21
Q

Prospectus

A

Formal proposal

Before writing my thesis, I had to submit a detailed prospectus to the department for approval.

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22
Q

Rudimentary

A

Basic; elementary; in the earliest stages of development

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23
Q

Abstruse

A

Difficult to understand

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24
Q

Callous

A

Emotionally hardened; unfeeling

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25
Q

Convoluted

A

Intricate; complex

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26
Q

Disaffected

A

Having lost faith or loyalty; discontent

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27
Q

Enigma

A

A puzzle, mystery, or riddle

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28
Q

Inscrutable

A

Difficult to fathom; impenetrable

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29
Q

Reticent

A

Inclined to keep silent; reserved

Andy’s reticent nature made him afraid to ask questions.

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30
Q

Staid

A

Unemotional; serious

The coach did not celebrate the victory wildly, on account of his staid demeanor.

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31
Q

Arcane

A

Known or understood by only a few

The archive includes an arcane treasure trove of nautical charts from the Age of Discovery

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32
Q

Assimilate

A

To absorb or become absorbed; to make or become similar

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33
Q

Autonomy

A

Independence; self-determination

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34
Q

Cosmopolitan

A

Worldly; widely sophisticated

Inga was surprisingly cosmopolitan considering she had never left her tiny hometown.

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35
Q

Derivative

A

Something that comes from another source

HFC is a derivative of corn.

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36
Q

Esoteric

A

Intended for or understood by only a small group

The play was esoteric; anyone not from Estonia would find it difficult to follow.

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37
Q

Gaffe

A

A clumsy social error; a faux pas

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38
Q

Idiosyncrasy

A

Characteristic peculiar to an individual or group

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39
Q

Insular

A

Isolated; narrow or provincial

The old man harbors an insular attitude towards foreigners.

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40
Q

Potentate

A

One who has the power and position to rule over others; monarch

And omnipotent potentate is a person to be reckoned with.

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41
Q

Castigate

A

To scold, rebuke, or harshly criticize

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42
Q

Censure

A

To issue official blame

The company censured a rogue accountant for the faulty products.

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43
Q

Denounce

A

To openly condemn

Martin Luther King, Jr. Denounced racism as immoral.

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44
Q

Reclusive

A

Seeking or preferring seclusion or isolation.

Arachnids are reclusive creatures, rarely venturing away from their webs.

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45
Q

Relinquish

A

To retire from; give up or abandon

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46
Q

Renounce

A

To give up (a title for example), especially by formal announcement

Joe renounced his position to pursue other matters.

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47
Q

Vituperative

A

Marked by harshly abusive condemnation

The vituperative speech left the audience feeling abused.

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48
Q

Circumscribe

A

To draw a circle around; to restrict

The archaeologist circumscribed the excavation area on the map

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49
Q

Contiguous

A

Sharing an edge or boundary; touching

The continental US consists of 48 contiguous states.

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50
Q

Conciliatory

A

Appeasing; soothing; showing willingness to reconcile

After a long argument, Connor switched to a more conciliatory tone

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51
Q

Credible

A

Capable of being believed; plausible

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52
Q

Exonerate

A

To free from blame

George was exonerated of all charges

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53
Q

Incontrovertible

A

Indisputable; not open to question

The videotape of the crime provided incontrovertible evidence of the suspect’s guilt.

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54
Q

Indict

A

To officially charge with wrongdoing or a crime

President Nixon’s aides were indicted during the Watergate scandal.

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55
Q

Litigious

A

Prone to engage in lawsuits

John was a litigious man; he sued his dry cleaner for losing his pants.

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56
Q

Partisan (adj)

A

Devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause.

57
Q

Parity

A

Equality, as in amount, status, or value (antonym: disparity)

Judges at the Olympics most score each athlete with parity.

58
Q

Rectitude

A

Moral uprightness; righteousness

Thanks to his unerring sense of fairness and justice, Viktor was a model of moral rectitude

59
Q

Remiss

A

Lax in attending to duty; negligent

Cassie was remiss in her secretarial duties

60
Q

Repudiate

A

To reject the validity or authority of

I repudiated the teachers arguments

61
Q

Sanctimonious

A

Feigning piety or righteousness

The sanctimonious scholar had actually been plagiarizing others for years

62
Q

Scrupulous

A

Principled, having a strong sense of right and wrong; conscientious and exacting

The business man was unscrupulous

63
Q

Solicitous

A

Concerned

The parents asked solicitous questions about the college admissions process

64
Q

Substantiate

A

To support with proof or evidence; verify

The argument was substantiated by the evidence

65
Q

Veracity

A

Adherence to the truth; truthfulness

Sam was known for his veracity, which made his lies all the more shocking

66
Q

Vindicate

A

To free from blame

The suspect was vindicated after someone else confessed to the crime.

67
Q

Cajole

A

To urge with repeated appeals, teasing, or flattery

The man cajoled his coworker into finally going out with him.

68
Q

Chicanery

A

Trickery

The politician was accused of cheap chicanery to sway the electorate

69
Q

Obsequious

A

Fawning and servile

Kevin was so obsequious that it embarrassed his teacher.

70
Q

Sycophant

A

Insincere, obsequious flatterer

Sycophants suck up to others

71
Q

Altruism

A

Unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness

John, a model of altruism, gave his possessions to charity

72
Q

Eminent

A

Distinguished; prominent

Merrill is one of the most eminent chefs working today.

73
Q

Empathy

A

Identification with and understanding of another’s situation, feelings, and motives

74
Q

Extol

A

To praise highly

The president extolled the virtues of family life

75
Q

Laudatory

A

Full of praise

76
Q

Magnanimous

A

Courageously or generously noble in mind and heart.

77
Q

Philanthropic

A

Humanitarian; benevolent; relating to monetary generosity

78
Q

Reciprocate

A

To mutually take or give; to respond in kind

79
Q

Defunct

A

No longer existing or functioning

The theory became defunct when evidence showed the opposite to be true

80
Q

Eradicate

A

To get rid of as if by tearing it up by the roots; abolish

81
Q

Quell

A

To put down forcibly; suppress

Nell quelled the fight over the money by throwing it in the fire place

82
Q

Raze

A

To level to the ground; demolish

The city was razed by the bombing

83
Q

Squelch

A

To crush as if by trampling; squash

Sam had an idea for a prank, but his brother squelched it, calling it a dumb idea

84
Q

Supplant

A

To usurp (to seize and hold by force or without legal right) the place of, especially through intrigue or underhanded tactics

The king was supplanted by his nephew

85
Q

Stymie

A

To thwart or stump

Jill was stymied by the puzzle.

86
Q

Abase

A

To lower in rank, prestige, or esteem

The remark was an attempt to abase the teacher

87
Q

Deride

A

To mock contemptuously

The man was derided for showing up at a rock concert in a suit and tie

88
Q

Derogatory

A

Insulting or intending to insult

Derogatory remarks

89
Q

Disparage

A

To speak of negatively; belittle

Wanda disparaged Dan by calling him a liar

90
Q

Effrontery

A

shameless or impudent boldness; barefaced audacity

She had the effrontery to ask for two free samples.

91
Q

Ignominy

A

Great personal dishonor or humiliation; disgraceful conduct

He deserves all the blame and ignominy that befalls him.

92
Q

Impugn

A

To attack as false or questionable

The candidate impugned his opponent’s character

93
Q

Mar

A

To damage, especially in a disfiguring way

The woman’s face was marred by acid

94
Q

Pejorative (adj)

A

Disparaging, belittling, insulting

Teachers must avoid using pejorative terms to describe their students

95
Q

Vex

A

To annoy or bother; to perplex

She was vexed at the math problem because it vexed her

96
Q

Vindictive

A

Disposed to seek revenge; revengeful; spiteful

The vindictive man plotted his revenge against McDonalds for messing up his order

97
Q

Bombastic

A

A pejorative term for pompous and inflated speech or writing. Adjective: bombastic.

Unlike eloquence, a favorable term for forceful and persuasive discourse, bombast generally refers to “empty rhetoric” or “a windy grandeur of language” (Eric Partridge).

98
Q

Ebullience

A

Intense enthusiasm

A sense of ebullience swept over the crowd when their team won

99
Q

Exorbitant

A

Exceeding all bounds, as of custom or fairness

I wanted to buy a Mercedes, but the price was exorbitant. (Exorbitant price, exorbitant luxury)

100
Q

Exuberant

A

Full of unrestrained enthusiasm or joy

He was exuberant when he won the award

101
Q

Embellish

A

To ornament or decorate; to exaggerate

The details of his story have probably been embellished

102
Q

Flagrant

A

Extremely or deliberately shocking or noticeable

The truck flagrantly displayed a set of testicles suspended from the rear bumper

103
Q

Gratuitous

A

Given freely; unearned; unnecessary

The film was full of gratuitous sex and violence

104
Q

Lavish (adj)

A

Extravagant

The wedding was a lavish affair

105
Q

Lugubrious

A

Mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree.

Lucia’s lugubrious eulogy for her pet lobster was ridiculous.

Lugubrious songs of lost love

106
Q

Opulent

A

Displaying great wealth

107
Q

Ornate

A

Elaborately decorated

108
Q

Penchant

A

A strong inclination or liking

Penny had a penchant for chocolate covered ants

109
Q

Ubiquitous

A

Being or seeming to be everywhere at the same time; omnipresent

Ubiquitous fog, ubiquitous ants, ubiquitous corruption, ubiquitous technology

110
Q

Vicarious

A

Felt or undergone as if one were taking part in the experience or feelings of another;
performed, exercised, received, or suffered in place of another: vicarious punishment;
taking the place of another person or thing; acting or serving as a substitute;
felt or enjoyed through imagined participation in the experience of others: a vicarious thrill.

111
Q

Vignette

A

A short scene or story;
a decorative design or small illustration used on the title page of a book or at the beginning or end of a chapter;
an engraving, drawing, photograph, or the like that is shaded off gradually at the edges so as to leave no definite line at the border;
a decorative design representing branches, leaves, grapes, or the like, as in a manuscript;
any small, pleasing picture or view;
a small, graceful literary sketch

112
Q

Amalgam

A

A combination of diverse elements; a mixture

The song was an amalgam of many styles

113
Q

Inundate

A

To overwhelm as if with a flood; to swamp

The day after the ad, the business was inundated with phone calls

114
Q

Multifarious

A

Diverse; various

The multifarious achievements of Leonardo da Vinci are unparalleled.

115
Q

Multiplicity

A

State of being various or manifold; a great number

A multiplicity of views is essential to a healthy democracy

116
Q

Alleviate

A

To ease a pain or burden

117
Q

Cathartic

A

Relaxing after an emotional outburst; pertaining to catharsis (the purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions, especially through certain kinds of art, as tragedy or music.)

John found that beating his wife and children had a cathartic effect

118
Q

Curative

A

Able to heal or cure

The aloe had a curative effect on his dick rash

119
Q

Palliative

A

to relieve or lessen without curing; mitigate; alleviate.

The bag of lollipops and a written apology from the government was palliative to the young child who had just had his lower torso blown off by a US drone strike.

120
Q

Therapeutic

A

Having or exhibiting healing powers

Urinating on an electrified wire didn’t have the therapeutic effect on Fred’s hangover that he had hoped.

121
Q

Complement (n)

A

Something that completes, goes with, or brings to perfection.

The collection of ropes, chains, whips, and dildos that Santa gave little Jimmy for Christmas, was the perfect complement to the junior rape dungeon he had received the previous year.

122
Q

Epitome

A

A representative or example of a type

He is the epitome of a gay, homeless, lawn mower mechanic

123
Q

Felicitous

A

Well suited for the occasion; apt; appropriate

The motorcycle rally was a felicitous complement to the funeral procession.

The actor made a felicitous speech when he won the award.

124
Q

Belie

A

To misrepresent or disguise

Obama’s apparent attempts at actually improving this country merely serve to belie his true intention of serving Allah by destroying America.

125
Q

Debunk

A

To expose untruths, shams, or exaggerated claims.

The minister debunked the silly scientist’s “data” to support evolution by waving a bible in the air while plugging his ears and shouting, “THE FLESH AND BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD AND SAVIOR SHALL FOREVER REJECT YOU, ATHEIST!!!! YOU SHALL FOREVER BURN IN HELL!!’n”

126
Q

Dubious

A

Doubtful; of unlikely authenticity

The woman’s dubious claim that she had been in the top 15% of her class was rejected by the interviewer, in favor of the more reasonable claim by a man who said he had won 6 Nobel prizes and 3 Pulitzers before he was 18.

127
Q

Duplicitous

A

Deliberately deceptive

The duplicitous young child who had attempted to steal an entire piece of bubblegum was promptly beheaded by Soviet authorities.

128
Q

Fallacy

A

A false notion

The idea that water isn’t wet is a fallacy.

129
Q

Mendacious

A

Lying; untruthful

Henry’s mendacious claims led police to believe that he had in fact attempted to burn his waffles. His family was therefore beheaded.

130
Q

Specious

A

Having the ring of truth or plausibility but actually false

His specious claims that he “had a family” and “loved his wife” did not deter the rebel soldiers from cutting his limbs off.

131
Q

Ambivalent

A

Simultaneously feeling opposing feelings; uncertain

Bob was ambivalent about lesbians. On one hand, they were queers, but on the other hand, they made for some great porn.

132
Q

Apathetic

A

Feeling or showing little emotion or concern

The apathetic students did not do their homework, but were disciplined by being castrated.

133
Q

Capricious

A

Impulsive and unpredictable

The capricious little kitten frolicked in a beautiful meadow full of butterflies and sunshine, before the sky turned black and it began to rain razor blades, bricks, and acid, crushing, cutting, and brutally killing every last living creature.

134
Q

Equivocal

A

Open to two or more interpretations and often intended to mislead; ambiguous

The priest equivocally stated in his sermon that he “looooved little boys…”

135
Q

Impetuous

A

of, pertaining to, or characterized by sudden or rash action, emotion, etc.; impulsive: an impetuous decision; an impetuous person;
having great impetus; moving with great force; violent: the impetuous winds.

Mr. Garcia was arrested on multiple occasions for public defection and assault with an offensive odor, which he expelled with his impetuous flatulence.

136
Q

Impetus

A

An impelling force or stimulus

Several electric shocks and a series of sharp jabs from a hot poker finally provided the impetus required to get the US citizen to walk somewhere.

137
Q

Sporadic

A

Occurring at irregular intervals; having no pattern or order in time

138
Q

Vacillate

A

to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute: His tendency to vacillate makes him a poor leader; to sway unsteadily; waver; totter; stagger; to oscillate or fluctuate.

The torture specialist vacillated between preferring to burn his victims and preferring to poke their eyes out.

139
Q

Whimsical

A

Characterized by whim; unpredictable

His seemingly whimsical decision to move to Thailand was in fact inspired by his desire to get a sex change so that he could one day “get an abortion.”

140
Q

Flag (v)

A

To decline in strength or vigor; to tire; to droop

His sexual performance began to flag following the removal of his lower abdomen and parts of his brain.

141
Q

Jaded

A

Worn out; wearied

SAT Vocab (27 decks)

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