Direct Vocab 10 Flashcards
Congratulations if you did these Direct Vocab decks in order. At this level of knowledge, you should be efficient, confident, and able to get every vocabulary question on the SAT.
Define:
astute
(adj.) very clever, crafty
Define:
asylum
- (n.) a place of refuge, protection, a sanctuary
- (n.) an institution in which the insane are kept
Define:
atone
(v.) to repent, make amends
Define:
atrophy
(v.) to wither away, decay
Define:
attain
(v.) to achieve, arrive at
Define:
attribute
- (v.) to credit, assign
- (n.) a facet or trait
Define:
atypical
(adj.) not typical, unusual
Define:
audacious
(adj.) excessively bold
Define:
audible
(adj.) able to be heard
Define:
augment
(v.) to add to, expand
Define:
auspicious
(adj.) favorable, indicative of good things
Define:
austere
(adj.) very bare, bleak
Define:
avarice
(n.) excessive greed
Define:
avenge
(v.) to seek revenge
Define:
aversion
(n.) a particular dislike for something
Define:
buffet
- (v.) to strike with force
- (n.) an arrangement of food set out on a table
Define:
burnish
(v.) to polish, shine
Define:
buttress
- (v.) to support, hold up
- (n.) something that offers support
Define:
coup
(n.) a brilliant, unexpected act
Define:
covet
(v.) to desire enviously
Define:
covert
(adj.) secretly engaged in
Define:
credulity
(n.) readiness to believe
Define:
crescendo
(n.) a steady increase in intensity or volume
Define:
criteria
(n.) standards by which something is judged
Define:
culmination
(n.) the climax toward which something progresses
Define:
culpable
(adj.) deserving blame
Define:
cultivate
(v.) to nurture, improve, refine
Define:
cumulative
(adj.) increasing, building upon itself
Define:
cunning
(adj.) sly, clever at being deceitful
Define:
cupidity
(n.) greed, strong desire
Define:
cursory
(adj.) brief to the point of being superficial
Define:
curt
(adj.) abruptly and rudely short
Define:
curtail
(v.) to lessen, reduce
Define:
dogmatic
(adj.) aggressively and arrogantly certain about unproved principles
Define:
dormant
(adj.) sleeping, temporarily inactive
Define:
dour
(adj.) stern, joyless
Define:
dubious
(adj.) doubtful, of uncertain quality
Define:
duplicity
(n.) crafty dishonesty
Define:
duress
(n.) hardship, threat
Define:
dynamic
(adj.) actively changing
Define:
exorbitant
(adj.) excessive
Define:
expedient
(adj.) advisable, advantageous, serving self-interest
Define:
expiate
(v.) to make amends for, atone
Define:
expunge
(v.) to obliterate, eradicate
Define:
expurgate
(v.) to remove offensive or incorrect parts, usually of a book
Define:
extant
(adj.) existing, not destroyed or lost
Define:
extol
(v.) to praise, revere
Define:
extraneous
(adj.) irrelevant, extra, not necessary
Define:
extricate
(v.) to disentangle
Define:
exult
(v.) to rejoice
Define:
frivolous
(adj.) of little importance, trifling
Define:
frugal
(adj.) thrifty, economical
Define:
furtive
(adj.) secretive, sly
Define:
grievous
(adj.) injurious, hurtful; serious or grave in nature
Define:
guile
(n.) deceitful, cunning, sly behavior
Define:
hypocrisy
(n.) pretending to believe what one does not
Define:
hypothetical
(adj.) supposed or assumed true, but unproven
Define:
inundate
(v) to flood with abundance
Define:
inure
(v.) to cause someone or something to become accustomed to a situation
Define:
invective
(n.) an angry verbal attack
Define:
inveterate
(adj.) stubbornly established by habit
Define:
inviolable
(adj.) secure from assault
Define:
irascible
(adj.) easily angered
Define:
iridescent
(adj.) showing rainbow colors
Define:
irreverence
(n.) disrespect
Define:
irrevocable
(adj.) incapable of being taken back
Define:
lucid
(adj.) clear, easily understandable
Define:
luminous
(adj.) brightly shining
Define:
lurid
(adj.) ghastly, sensational
Define:
mundane
(adj.) concerned with the world rather than with heaven, commonplace
Define:
munificence
(n.) generosity in giving
Define:
mutable
(adj.) able to change
Define:
myriad
(adj.) consisting of a very great number
Define:
nuance
(n.) a slight variation in meaning, tone, expression
Define:
nurture
(v.) to assist the development of
Define:
ostensible
(adj.) appearing as such, seemingly
Define:
ostentatious
(adj.) excessively showy, glitzy
Define:
ostracism
(n.) exclusion from a group
Define:
prowess
(n.) extraordinary ability
Define:
prudence
(n.) cautious, circumspect
Define:
prurient
(adj.) eliciting or possessing an extraordinary interest in sexual activity
Define:
puerile
(adj.) juvenile, immature
Define:
pugnacious
(adj.) quarrelsome, combative
Define:
pulchritude
(n.) physical beauty
Define:
punctilious
(adj.) eager to follow rules or conventions
Define:
pungent
(adj.) having a pointed, sharp quality often used to describe smells
Define:
punitive
(adj.) involving punishment
Define:
putrid
(adj.) rotten, foul
Define:
resplendent
(adj.) shiny, glowing
Define:
restitution
(n.) restoration to the rightful owner
Define:
restive
(adj.) resistant, stubborn, impatient
Define:
retract
(v.) withdraw
Define:
revel
(v.) to enjoy intensely
Define:
sublime
(adj.) lofty, grand, exalted
Define:
submissive
(adj.) easily yielding to authority
Define:
succinct
(adj.) marked by compact precision
Define:
superfluous
(adj.) exceeding what is necessary
Define:
trepidation
(n.) fear, apprehension
Define:
trite
(adj.) not original, overused
Define:
vituperate
(v.) to berate