Common SAT Words Flashcards
0
Q
Conjecture
A
Inference; guesswork
At this point, Kim’s hypothesis is still conjecture. She doesn’t have conclusive evidence.
1
Q
Candid
A
Completely honest, straightforward
2
Q
Didactic
A
Instructive
The tapes were entertaining and didactic, both amusing and instructing the children
3
Q
Effusive
A
Showing excessive emotion; overflowing
Ben delivered an effusive speech, crying, hugging, blowing kisses, and crying some more.
4
Q
Extrapolate
A
To infer or estimate by extending or projecting projecting known information
5
Q
Insinuate
A
To imply or communicate stealthily
6
Q
Loquacious
A
Very talkative
7
Q
Lucid
A
Easy to understand; clear
8
Q
Rhetoric
A
The art of using language effectively and persuasively
Most politicians are well-versed in the art of using rhetoric.
9
Q
Acumen
A
Quickness, accuracy, and keenness of judgement or insight
Judge Ackerman’s legal acumen was very well regarded.
10
Q
Adroit
A
Skilled; dexterous; deft
11
Q
Ascertain
A
To find out, as through investigation or experimentation
12
Q
Astute
A
Shrewd; clever
13
Q
Circumspect
A
Careful; prudent; discreet
Ned’s circumspect manner made him a good candidate for the position.
14
Q
Disseminate
A
To scatter wildly, as in sowing seed
The news about Dave disseminated quickly throughout the school.
15
Q
Erudition
A
Deep extensive learning
The professor’s erudition was such that she could answer any question.
16
Q
Pedantic
A
Excessively concerned with book learning and formal rules
Pedro’s pedantic tendencies prompted him to correct all of our grammar.
17
Q
Perspicacious
A
Shrewd; clear sighted
The detective’s perspicacious mind allowed him to solve many cases.
18
Q
Pragmatic
A
Practical
Matt took a very pragmatic approach to accomplish the task.
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.
20
Q
Prolific
A
Very productive; producing great qualities
21
Q
Prospectus
A
Formal proposal
Before writing my thesis, I had to submit a detailed prospectus to the department for approval.
22
Q
Rudimentary
A
Basic; elementary; in the earliest stages of development
23
Q
Abstruse
A
Difficult to understand
24
Callous
Emotionally hardened; unfeeling
25
Convoluted
Intricate; complex
26
Disaffected
Having lost faith or loyalty; discontent
27
Enigma
A puzzle, mystery, or riddle
28
Inscrutable
Difficult to fathom; impenetrable
29
Reticent
Inclined to keep silent; reserved
Andy's reticent nature made him afraid to ask questions.
30
Staid
Unemotional; serious
The coach did not celebrate the victory wildly, on account of his staid demeanor.
31
Arcane
Known or understood by only a few
The archive includes an arcane treasure trove of nautical charts from the Age of Discovery
32
Assimilate
To absorb or become absorbed; to make or become similar
33
Autonomy
Independence; self-determination
34
Cosmopolitan
Worldly; widely sophisticated
Inga was surprisingly cosmopolitan considering she had never left her tiny hometown.
35
Derivative
Something that comes from another source
HFC is a derivative of corn.
36
Esoteric
Intended for or understood by only a small group
The play was esoteric; anyone not from Estonia would find it difficult to follow.
37
Gaffe
A clumsy social error; a faux pas
38
Idiosyncrasy
Characteristic peculiar to an individual or group
39
Insular
Isolated; narrow or provincial
The old man harbors an insular attitude towards foreigners.
40
Potentate
One who has the power and position to rule over others; monarch
And omnipotent potentate is a person to be reckoned with.
41
Castigate
To scold, rebuke, or harshly criticize
42
Censure
To issue official blame
The company censured a rogue accountant for the faulty products.
43
Denounce
To openly condemn
Martin Luther King, Jr. Denounced racism as immoral.
44
Reclusive
Seeking or preferring seclusion or isolation.
Arachnids are reclusive creatures, rarely venturing away from their webs.
45
Relinquish
To retire from; give up or abandon
46
Renounce
To give up (a title for example), especially by formal announcement
Joe renounced his position to pursue other matters.
47
Vituperative
Marked by harshly abusive condemnation
The vituperative speech left the audience feeling abused.
48
Circumscribe
To draw a circle around; to restrict
The archaeologist circumscribed the excavation area on the map
49
Contiguous
Sharing an edge or boundary; touching
The continental US consists of 48 contiguous states.
50
Conciliatory
Appeasing; soothing; showing willingness to reconcile
After a long argument, Connor switched to a more conciliatory tone
51
Credible
Capable of being believed; plausible
52
Exonerate
To free from blame
George was exonerated of all charges
53
Incontrovertible
Indisputable; not open to question
The videotape of the crime provided incontrovertible evidence of the suspect's guilt.
54
Indict
To officially charge with wrongdoing or a crime
President Nixon's aides were indicted during the Watergate scandal.
55
Litigious
Prone to engage in lawsuits
John was a litigious man; he sued his dry cleaner for losing his pants.
56
Partisan (adj)
Devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause.
57
Parity
Equality, as in amount, status, or value (antonym: disparity)
Judges at the Olympics most score each athlete with parity.
58
Rectitude
Moral uprightness; righteousness
Thanks to his unerring sense of fairness and justice, Viktor was a model of moral rectitude
59
Remiss
Lax in attending to duty; negligent
Cassie was remiss in her secretarial duties
60
Repudiate
To reject the validity or authority of
I repudiated the teachers arguments
61
Sanctimonious
Feigning piety or righteousness
The sanctimonious scholar had actually been plagiarizing others for years
62
Scrupulous
Principled, having a strong sense of right and wrong; conscientious and exacting
The business man was unscrupulous
63
Solicitous
Concerned
The parents asked solicitous questions about the college admissions process
64
Substantiate
To support with proof or evidence; verify
The argument was substantiated by the evidence
65
Veracity
Adherence to the truth; truthfulness
Sam was known for his veracity, which made his lies all the more shocking
66
Vindicate
To free from blame
The suspect was vindicated after someone else confessed to the crime.
67
Cajole
To urge with repeated appeals, teasing, or flattery
The man cajoled his coworker into finally going out with him.
68
Chicanery
Trickery
The politician was accused of cheap chicanery to sway the electorate
69
Obsequious
Fawning and servile
Kevin was so obsequious that it embarrassed his teacher.
70
Sycophant
Insincere, obsequious flatterer
Sycophants suck up to others
71
Altruism
Unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness
John, a model of altruism, gave his possessions to charity
72
Eminent
Distinguished; prominent
Merrill is one of the most eminent chefs working today.
73
Empathy
Identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives
74
Extol
To praise highly
The president extolled the virtues of family life
75
Laudatory
Full of praise
76
Magnanimous
Courageously or generously noble in mind and heart.
77
Philanthropic
Humanitarian; benevolent; relating to monetary generosity
78
Reciprocate
To mutually take or give; to respond in kind
79
Defunct
No longer existing or functioning
The theory became defunct when evidence showed the opposite to be true
80
Eradicate
To get rid of as if by tearing it up by the roots; abolish
81
Quell
To put down forcibly; suppress
Nell quelled the fight over the money by throwing it in the fire place
82
Raze
To level to the ground; demolish
The city was razed by the bombing
83
Squelch
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
Supplant
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
Stymie
To thwart or stump
Jill was stymied by the puzzle.
86
Abase
To lower in rank, prestige, or esteem
The remark was an attempt to abase the teacher
87
Deride
To mock contemptuously
The man was derided for showing up at a rock concert in a suit and tie
88
Derogatory
Insulting or intending to insult
Derogatory remarks
89
Disparage
To speak of negatively; belittle
Wanda disparaged Dan by calling him a liar
90
Effrontery
shameless or impudent boldness; barefaced audacity
She had the effrontery to ask for two free samples.
91
Ignominy
Great personal dishonor or humiliation; disgraceful conduct
He deserves all the blame and ignominy that befalls him.
92
Impugn
To attack as false or questionable
The candidate impugned his opponent's character
93
Mar
To damage, especially in a disfiguring way
The woman's face was marred by acid
94
Pejorative (adj)
Disparaging, belittling, insulting
Teachers must avoid using pejorative terms to describe their students
95
Vex
To annoy or bother; to perplex
She was vexed at the math problem because it vexed her
96
Vindictive
Disposed to seek revenge; revengeful; spiteful
The vindictive man plotted his revenge against McDonalds for messing up his order
97
Bombastic
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
Ebullience
Intense enthusiasm
A sense of ebullience swept over the crowd when their team won
99
Exorbitant
Exceeding all bounds, as of custom or fairness
I wanted to buy a Mercedes, but the price was exorbitant. (Exorbitant price, exorbitant luxury)
100
Exuberant
Full of unrestrained enthusiasm or joy
He was exuberant when he won the award
101
Embellish
To ornament or decorate; to exaggerate
The details of his story have probably been embellished
102
Flagrant
Extremely or deliberately shocking or noticeable
The truck flagrantly displayed a set of testicles suspended from the rear bumper
103
Gratuitous
Given freely; unearned; unnecessary
The film was full of gratuitous sex and violence
104
Lavish (adj)
Extravagant
The wedding was a lavish affair
105
Lugubrious
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
Opulent
Displaying great wealth
107
Ornate
Elaborately decorated
108
Penchant
A strong inclination or liking
Penny had a penchant for chocolate covered ants
109
Ubiquitous
Being or seeming to be everywhere at the same time; omnipresent
Ubiquitous fog, ubiquitous ants, ubiquitous corruption, ubiquitous technology
110
Vicarious
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
Vignette
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
Amalgam
A combination of diverse elements; a mixture
The song was an amalgam of many styles
113
Inundate
To overwhelm as if with a flood; to swamp
The day after the ad, the business was inundated with phone calls
114
Multifarious
Diverse; various
The multifarious achievements of Leonardo da Vinci are unparalleled.
115
Multiplicity
State of being various or manifold; a great number
A multiplicity of views is essential to a healthy democracy
116
Alleviate
To ease a pain or burden
117
Cathartic
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
Curative
Able to heal or cure
The aloe had a curative effect on his dick rash
119
Palliative
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
Therapeutic
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
Complement (n)
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
Epitome
A representative or example of a type
He is the epitome of a gay, homeless, lawn mower mechanic
123
Felicitous
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
Belie
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
Debunk
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
Dubious
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
Duplicitous
Deliberately deceptive
The duplicitous young child who had attempted to steal an entire piece of bubblegum was promptly beheaded by Soviet authorities.
128
Fallacy
A false notion
The idea that water isn't wet is a fallacy.
129
Mendacious
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
Specious
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
Ambivalent
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
Apathetic
Feeling or showing little emotion or concern
The apathetic students did not do their homework, but were disciplined by being castrated.
133
Capricious
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
Equivocal
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
Impetuous
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
Impetus
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
Sporadic
Occurring at irregular intervals; having no pattern or order in time
138
Vacillate
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
Whimsical
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
Flag (v)
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
Jaded
Worn out; wearied
