Core Vocabulary II Flashcards
From Direct Hits Core Vocabulary of the SAT
Polarize
(v.) to break up into two opposing groups
– polar opposites, north pole south pole
Trivial
(adj.) unimportant; insignificant
– trivia is sadly useless (but interesting!) information
Diminutive
(adj.) very small
– diminish is to make something small
Exhort
(v.) to strongly encourage
– ‘ex’ out, let out horto hortare, to encourage
Antipathy
(n.) a firmly established feeling of dislike
– ‘anti’ against, pathos, feeling
Animosity
(n.) strong hostility or unfriendliness
Crass
(adj.) gross in the state of mind; lacking sensitivity
– crass is gross
Tenacious
(adj.) tending to keep a firm hold of something
– teneo, tenere
Rancor
(n.) bitterness or resentfulness
Indulgent
(adj.) having a tendency to be overly generous or lenient with someone
Digress
(v.) to depart from the main subject in speech or writing
Analogy
(n.) a similarity
Nebulous
(adj.) vague; cloudy; lacking a fully developed form
Fleeting
(adj.) very brief; lasting for a very short time
Divisive
(adj.) tending to cause disagreement or disunity between people
– divide
Minutiae
(n.) minor everyday details
Penchant
(n.) a liking or preference
– I have a liking for this pendant
Ephemeral
(adj.) very brief; lasting for a very short time
– pharmacy, ambulances. The sounds of the ambulance that passes by our house
Capricious
(adj.) very changeable
Predilection
(n.) a liking or preference; a bias in favor of something
– direction
Uncouth
(adj.) lacking good manners or grace
Indignant
(adj.) feeling anger at what is seen as unfair
Innuendo
(n.) an indirect hint or suggestion
Thwart
(v.) to prevent (someone) from accomplishing something
– this wart prevents me from going out
Stymie
(v.) to prevent or hinder the progress of
– a starmie in the sewer blocks waterflow
Adroit
(adj.) very skilled
– apparently android phones are very skilled
Boorish
(adj.) rough and bad-mannered
– booo! at boorish people!
Adept
(adj.) very skilled
– adapted to this type of job
Admonish
(v.) to warn someone firmly
– ‘ad’ toward, moneo monere, to warn
Incontrovertible
(adj.) indisputable
– ‘in’ not, convertible, changeable