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SAT Vocab > List A5 > Flashcards

List A5 Flashcards

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0
Q

tyranny

A

n. arbitrary or unrestrained exercise of power; despotic abuse of authority
n. tyrant
adj. tyrannical

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1
Q

interlocutor

A

n. someone who takes part in a conversation, esp. formally

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2
Q

hospitable

A

adj. Friendly, kind, and solicitous toward guests; receptive or open

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3
Q

melee

A

n. a noisy, confused fight

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4
Q

acrimony

A

n. bitter, sharp hostility in speech or behavior

adj. acrimonious

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5
Q

martial

A

adj. warlike

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6
Q

fitful

A

adj. occurring in irregular outbursts; occurring in spurts

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7
Q

rapport

A

n. concord; trustful relationship; harmony

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8
Q

nihilism

A

n. a belief that rejects all moral or religious values; the belief that the destruction of political or social institutions is necessary for future improvement

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9
Q

pejorative

A

adj. downgrading, demeaning

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10
Q

chasten

A

v. to correct by punishment or criticism; to restrain

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11
Q

officious

A

adj. interfering; trying to give unwanted advice

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12
Q

cataclysm

A

n. a disastrous event, usually one that brings about great change
adj. cataclysmic

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13
Q

mandate

A

n. a command; an order

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14
Q

colloquy

A

n. a conversation, esp. a formal one

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15
Q

plausible

A

adj. appearing worthy of belief or trust

n. plausibility

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16
Q

demur

A

v. to object; to disagree with something

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17
Q

conviction

A

n. a strong belief or opinion

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18
Q

prowess

A

n. superior skill or ability

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19
Q

reproof

A

n. an expression of disapproval; a rebuke

v. reprove

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20
Q

crop

A

v. to cut or bite the ends off; to trim

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21
Q

theology

A

n. the study of the nature of God and religious truth

n. theologian

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22
Q

own

A

v. to admit, esp. taking personal responsibility for one’s own actions or thoughts

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23
Q

qualm

A

n. a sudden feeling of sickness; an uneasy feeling about the moral rightness of an action

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24
Q

circumlocution

A

n. an indirect or wordy way of expressing an idea

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25
Q

lachrymose

A

adj. causing tears; weeping or inclined to weep

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26
Q

start

A

v. to move suddenly or involuntarily

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27
Q

surly

A

adj. sullen and rude

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28
Q

covet

A

v. to desire strongly

adj. covetous

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29
Q

comport

A

v. to conduct or behave oneself; to be compatible or in agreement with

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30
Q

grapple

A

v. to struggle with something; to grip and hold

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31
Q

awry

A

adv. away from the correct course; wrong; deviant

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32
Q

pliant

A

adj. easily bent; pliable; adaptable or compliant

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33
Q

paean

A

n. a song of joy, triumph, or praise

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34
Q

tribulation

A

n. a great misery or distress

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35
Q

fetter

A

v. to confine, restrain, or keep down; n. chains; shackles

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36
Q

graphic

A

adj. described in vivid and explicit detail

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37
Q

coerce

A

v. to force by threat or intimidation

n. coercion

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38
Q

contemplate

A

v. to look at or think about carefully; to consider as a possibility
n. contemplation
adj. contemplative

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39
Q

auspicious

A

adj. marked by favorable circumstances

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40
Q

comply

A

v. to yield or act in accordance with requests, conditions, etc.
adj. compliant
n. compliance

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41
Q

abide

A

v. to tolerate

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42
Q

repugnant

A

adj. causing disgust or aversion; distasteful; offensive

n. repugnance

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43
Q

depreciate

A

v. to reduce in price or value

n. depreciation

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44
Q

desolate

A

adj. left alone; lonely; deserted

n. desolation

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45
Q

hefty

A

adj. heavy

n. heft

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46
Q

haunt

A

v. to visit often or continually

n. haunts

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47
Q

decadence

A

n. a period of decline, as in morals

n. decadent

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48
Q

disposition

A

n. personality; temperament

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49
Q

ultimatum

A

n. a final demand of statement of terms

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50
Q

humane

A

adj. kind; compassionate

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51
Q

debacle

A

n. an overwhelming defeat or failure

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52
Q

contingent

A

adj. unpredictable because dependent on chance; dependent on something uncertain
n. contingency

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53
Q

speculate

A

v. to form an idea without having definite or complete evidence
n. speculation

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54
Q

renege

A

v. to fail or carry out a promise

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55
Q

exact

A

v. to demand and obtain by force or authority

n. exaction

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56
Q

exalt

A

v. to raise in status or character; to increase the effect or intensity of
adj. exalted

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57
Q

distort

A

v. to alter; to change into an unusual form

n. distortion

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58
Q

efface

A

v. to rub out, as from a surface; to erase

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59
Q

torrent

A

n. a swift-flowing stream; an uncontrolled outpouring

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60
Q

quagmire

A

n. wet, boggy ground; a difficult situation

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61
Q

overt

A

adj. open; not hidden

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62
Q

banish

A

v. to drive away; to force to leave a place by official decree

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63
Q

meritocracy

A

n. a system in which promotion is based on individual ability or achievement

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64
Q

equilibrium

A

n. a state of balance or equality between opposing forces

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65
Q

smug

A

n. showing offensive satisfaction with oneself

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66
Q

bilk

A

v. to swindle; to cheat

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67
Q

n. authoritarian

A

n. demanding unquestioning obedience

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68
Q

conducive

A

adj. tending to bring about

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69
Q

flora

A

n. plants as a group, esp. of a specified region or time

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70
Q

squabble

A

n. a noisy argument, esp. over an unimportant matter

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71
Q

hedge

A

v. to protect against possible loss by taking compensatory measures; to avoid making a direct statement

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72
Q

usurp

A

v. to take over by force (e.g., property or rights) without legal authority
n. usurpation

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73
Q

quandary

A

n. a state of uncertainty, esp. about what course of action to take

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74
Q

infer

A

v. to reason or conclude from evidence

n. inference

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75
Q

sonorous

A

adj. having a full, deep sound; impressive in style of speech
n. sonority

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76
Q

antidote

A

n. a cure for a disease or poison

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77
Q

munificent

A

adj. generous

n. munificence

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78
Q

premises

A

n. land and the buildings that are on it

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79
Q

threadbare

A

adj. old and worn out

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80
Q

refute

A

v. to disprove

81
Q

clemency

A

n. mercy, or leniency towards an offender

82
Q

hover

A

v. to float as if suspended; to be in a state of uncertainty

83
Q

brusque

A

adj. abrupt and curt of manner

84
Q

hoodwink

A

v. to deceive; to mislead

85
Q

turgid

A

adj. excessively ornate or complex in style; swollen, as from fluid
n. turgidity

86
Q

leviathan

A

n. something enormous and powerful; a sea monster

87
Q

opulence

A

n. extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance

adj. opulent

88
Q

refuge

A

n. a shelter or sanctuary

89
Q

masquerade

A

v. to wear a disguise; to put on a false appearance

90
Q

trite

A

adj. worn out, used too often

n. triteness

91
Q

subside

A

v. to settle down

92
Q

misanthrope

A

n. one who hates or mistrusts mankind
adj. misanthropic
n. misanthropy

93
Q

formidable

A

adj. inspiring fear or dread

94
Q

charlatan

A

n. a fake; one who pretends to have expert knowledge

95
Q

antithesis

A

n. direct contrast; opposition

adj. antithetical

96
Q

jovial

A

adj. full of hearty, playful good humor

97
Q

tome

A

n. a large, often scholarly book

98
Q

err

A

v. to make a mistake

adj. erroneous

99
Q

pretentious

A

adj. claiming dignity or importance, esp. when undeserved

n. pretension

100
Q

dreary

A

adj. depressing or boring

101
Q

chronicle

A

n. a recording of events in order of time

n. chronicler

102
Q

impale

A

v. to pierce with something sharp; to make helpless

103
Q

suffrage

A

n. the right to vote

104
Q

androgynous

A

adj. having both male and female characteristics

105
Q

optimum

A

adj. the most favorable point or condition

106
Q

sate

A

v. to satisfy (any appetite or desire) fully

107
Q

stricture

A

n. a restraint or limit

108
Q

grimace

A

n. a facial expression that shows disapproval or pain; v. to make such an expression

109
Q

succumb

A

v. to give in or yield

110
Q

ruse

A

n. an action or device intended to deceive

111
Q

gape

A

v. to open wide; to stare with the mouth open

adj. gaping

112
Q

fickle

A

adj. unreliable in faith; changing in affections

113
Q

declaim

A

v. to recite a speech, poem, etc; to announce formally

114
Q

exert

A

v. to put forth or bring to bear

n. exertion

115
Q

grave

A

adj. serious; dignified; formal

n. gravity

116
Q

grovel

A

v. to beg; to lower oneself to please another

117
Q

obfuscate

A

v. to make difficult to understand; to make indistinct

n. obfuscation

118
Q

discursive

A

adj. covering a wide range of subjects; rambling

119
Q

obligatory

A

adj. legally or morally required

120
Q

limpid

A

adj. perfectly clear; transparent

121
Q

divulge

A

v. to reveal or make known

122
Q

philander

A

v. of a man, to engage in sexual affairs, esp. casually

n. philanderer

123
Q

fatalistic

A

adj. believing that all events are predestined and unavoidable
n. fatalism

124
Q

remiss

A

adj. careless in, or negligent about, attending to a task

125
Q

denigrate

A

v. to disgrace a reputation; to blacken; to belittle

126
Q

coherent

A

adj. logically consistent and orderly
n. coherence
v. cohere

127
Q

misogyny

A

n. hatred of women
n. misogynist
adj. misogynistic

128
Q

disingenuous

A

adj. not straightforward or candid; crafty

129
Q

oasis

A

n. a fertile place in a desert due to the presence of water; any place or thing offering relief from difficulty or dullness

130
Q

blatant

A

adj. offensively obvious; unpleasantly noisy

131
Q

sheer

A

afj. transparently thin; utter or complete; nearly vertical

132
Q

flux

A

n. flow; continuous change or movement

133
Q

dais

A

n. a raised platform

134
Q

frivolous

A

adj. of little importance

n. frivolity

135
Q

galvanize

A

v. to rouse; to stir; to spur

adj. galvanic

136
Q

mendacious

A

adj. lying; false, esp. habitually

137
Q

averse

A

adj. opposed, reluctant; repelled

138
Q

chastise

A

v. to punish by beating; to scold or condemn sharply

139
Q

impassive

A

adj. not feeling emotion; not showing emotion

140
Q

prosperity

A

n. wealth; good fortune

adj. prosperous

141
Q

gnarled

A

adj. twisted; knotty

142
Q

oligarchy

A

n. a government in which only few people have power
n. oligarch
adj. oligarchic

143
Q

prudent

A

adj. marked by careful planning; discreet

n. prudence

144
Q

incapacitate

A

adj. to make unable to function in normal activities; disable

145
Q

prevail

A

v. to triumph over; to be or become most common

146
Q

servile

A

adj. slavish; abjectly submissive

n. servility

147
Q

carnage

A

n. massacre; slaughter; bloodshed

148
Q

cogent

A

adj. appealing forcibly to the mind; convincing

149
Q

forgery

A

n. something counterfeit; an illegally produced imitation

v. forge

150
Q

treatise

A

n. a formal piece of writing, usually long, on a particular subject

151
Q

nexus

A

n. a connection or intersection

152
Q

chronic

A

adj. continuing for a long time; recurrent

153
Q

forbear

A

v. to be patient or avoid doing

154
Q

bliss

A

n. perfect happiness

155
Q

putative

A

adj. put forth or accepted as true or inadequate grounds; supposed

156
Q

deity

A

n. a god

157
Q

gingerly

A

adv. very carefully; cautiously

158
Q

loathe

A

v. to dislike something greatly
n. loathing
adj. loathsome

159
Q

ebullient

A

adj. in high spirits; boiling or seeming to boil

n. ebullience

160
Q

chasm

A

n. a large gap

161
Q

eerie

A

adj. causing inexplicable fear or uneasiness, often because of an apparently supernatural origin

162
Q

conventional

A

adj. following ordinary practice; unoriginal

163
Q

fallacy

A

n. a false notion, esp. one based in incorrect reasoning

adj. fallacious

164
Q

hibernate

A

v. to sleep through the winter

165
Q

volatile

A

adj. tending to vary widely; unstable; quickly evaporating

n. volatility

166
Q

prevaricate

A

v. to avoid telling the truth

n. prevarication

167
Q

encrypt

A

v. to put into code

n. encryption

168
Q

nostalgia

A

n. a general longing for the past or to return home

adj. nostalgic

169
Q

reimburse

A

v. to repay

170
Q

increment

A

n. an increase in quantity; v. to increase

171
Q

peruse

A

v. to read carefully

172
Q

arbitrate

A

v. to settle a dispute or a fight between two parties

n. arbitration

173
Q

anthropomorphism

A

n. the attribution of human characteristics to animals or inanimate objects
adj. anthropomorphic
v. anthropomorphize

174
Q

cache

A

n. a hiding place for storage of provisions or valuables

175
Q

corpulent

A

adj. very fat; obese

n. corpulence

176
Q

livid

A

adj. extremely angry; discolored, as from a bruise; pale, ashen

177
Q

austere

A

adj. stern or severe in appearance; without luxury

n. austerity

178
Q

myriad

A

n. an indefinitely large number

179
Q

impinge

A

v. to have an effect on something, esp. a negative one; to encroach

180
Q

android

A

n. an automaton that resembles a human being

181
Q

turbid

A

adj. cloudy, muddy; in a state of turmoil

n. turbidity

182
Q

dismay

A

v. to destroy courage or resolution; to cause to lose enthusiasm; to disillusion

183
Q

facade

A

n. an outward appearance; the face of a building

184
Q

cadence

A

n. a rhythmic beat

185
Q

encumber

A

v. to burden or weigh down

n. encumbrance

186
Q

caricature

A

n. a drawing or description that ridiculously exaggerates features

187
Q

occasion

A

v. to cause; to provide an appropriate opportunity for

188
Q

impostor

A

n. a person using a false identity

189
Q

ingratiate

A

v. to bring oneself into another’s favor or good graces by conscious effort

190
Q

sanctify

A

v. to make holy; to make legitimate or binding

191
Q

abash

A

v. to embarrass

192
Q

avant-garde

A

n. a group active in inventing and applying new techniques, esp. in the arts

193
Q

enervate

A

v. to weaken

194
Q

liberal

A

adj. generous; giving freely

195
Q

vulgar

A

adj. lacking refinement or taste; crude

n. vulgarity

196
Q

fictitious

A

adj. not real; false

197
Q

pastiche

A

n. something (esp. a work of art, literature, or music) created from many different sources

198
Q

factitious

A

adj. produced artificially; not genuine

199
Q

malignant

A

adj. very harmful; threatening death; cancerous (of a tumor)

n. malignancy

SAT Vocab (24 decks)

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