Direct Hits 4 Every SAT Word Has A History Flashcards
draconian
characterized by very strict laws, rules, and punishments
laconic
very brief; concise; succinct; terse
spartan
plain; simple; austere
halcyon
idyllically calm and peaceful; an untroubled golden time of satisfaction, happiness, and tranquility
sophistry
a plausible but deliberately misleading or fallacious argument designed to deceive someone
chimerical
given to fantastic schemes; existing only in the imagination; impossible; vainly conceived
ostracize
to deliberately exclude from a group; to banish
impecunious
poor; penniless; not affluent
nefarious
famous for being wicked; villainous; vile
jovial
good-humored; cheerful; jocular
dirge
a funeral hymn; a slow, mournful, lugubrious musical composition
maudlin
tearful; excessively sentimental, but not mawkish
quixotic
foolishly impractical in the pursuit of ideals; impractical idealism
pandemonium
a wild uproar; tumult
martinet
a strict disciplinarian; a person who demands absolute adherence to forms and rules
fiasco
a complete failure; a debacle
bowdlerize
to remove or delete parts of a book, song or other work that are considered offensive; to expurgate
galvanize
to electrify; to stir into action as if with an electric shock
picayune
small value or importance; petty; trifling
gerrymander
to divide a geographic area into voting districts so as to give unfair advantage to one party in elections
maverick
an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party; a nonconformist
juggernaut
an irresistible force that crushes everything in its path
serendipity
discovery by fortunate accident
zenith
the highest point; the peak; the apex
nadir
the lowest point; the bottom
