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SAT Vocab > List B4 > Flashcards

List B4 Flashcards

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1
Q

evanescent

A

adj. fading from sight; transient

n. evanescence

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2
Q

fulcrum

A

n. the point on which a lever pivots; a crucial point or agent

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3
Q

flotsam

A

n. wreckage of a ship or its cargo found floating on the sea

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4
Q

lambent

A

adj. flickering, e.g., of a flame or light reflected on a surface

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5
Q

figment

A

n. something that is created; something that is imagined

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6
Q

petty

A

adj. having secondary rank or importance

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7
Q

congenial

A

adj. suited to one’s needs or nature; friendly; sympathetic

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8
Q

pandemic

A

adj. general, widespread; n. a very widespread disease

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9
Q

recidivist

A

n. one who returns to criminal habits

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10
Q

martyr

A

n. one who chooses to die rather than to give up religious beliefs, or who suffers greatly to further a cause

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11
Q

avert

A

v. to turn away

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12
Q

lacuna

A

n. an empty space or missing portion

pl. lacunae

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13
Q

opine

A

v. to express an opinion

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14
Q

inaugurate

A

v. to formally bring into office at the beginning of a term

n. inauguration

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15
Q

jeremiad

A

n. an elaborate and lengthy tale of sadness

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16
Q

venal

A

adj. capable of being bribed or corrupted

n. venality

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17
Q

contempt

A

n. a feeling that something is low or disgusting
adj. contemptuous
adj. contemptible

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18
Q

analogy

A

n. a similarity between things that are otherwise dissimilar
n. analogue
adj. analogous

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19
Q

decree

A

v. to order with the force of law; n. an official order

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20
Q

tacit

A

adj. unspoken but understood; silent

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21
Q

camaraderie

A

n. loyalty; a warm, friendly feeling among members of a group

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22
Q

raconteur

A

n. one who tells stories with skill

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23
Q

hirsute

A

adj. having excessive body hair

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24
Q

hypocrisy

A

n. the pretense of having virtues or beliefs that one does not really have
n. hypocrite
adj. hypocritical

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25
Q

preponderance

A

n. superiority in weight, force, importance or influence

adj. prepnderant

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26
Q

recalcitrant

A

adj. marked by stubborn defiance of authority or guidance

n. recalcitrance

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27
Q

punctilious

A

adj. careful about every detail of behavior

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28
Q

obituary

A

n. a newspaper account of a person’s death, usually including biological information

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29
Q

supercilious

A

adj. feeling or showing proud contempt

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30
Q

turmoil

A

n. extreme confusion; uproar

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31
Q

torrid

A

adj. parched with heat; ardent or passionate

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32
Q

dogmatic

A

adj. arrogantly asserting unproved principles

n. dogmatism

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33
Q

recrimination

A

n. a reply to one charge with a countercharge

v. recriminate

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34
Q

viscous

A

adj. resistant to flow; thick (of a liquid)

n. viscosity

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35
Q

spurious

A

adj. not genuine; false

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36
Q

revile

A

v. to attack with harsh language

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37
Q

abeyance

A

n. a suspension of activity

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38
Q

genesis

A

n. birth; beginning; origin

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39
Q

amenable

A

adj. responsive to advice or authority

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40
Q

blasé

A

adj. indifferent or bored with life; unimpressed as if because of too much worldly experience

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41
Q

pugnacious

A

adj. belligerent, ready to fight

n. pugnacity

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42
Q

stultify

A

v. to make absurdly useless, esp. by degrading; to make appear foolish

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43
Q

inert

A

adj. unable to move or respond; sluggish

n. inertia

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44
Q

subjugate

A

v. to bring under control; to conquer

n. subjugation

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45
Q

sodden

A

adj. thoroughly wet, drenched

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46
Q

castigate

A

v. to criticize severely, esp. in public

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47
Q

convoluted

A

adj. intricate; complicated

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48
Q

deplore

A

v. to feel or express strong disapproval of

adj. deplorable

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49
Q

paramount

A

adj. supreme; ranking higher than others in power or importance

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50
Q

wayward

A

adj. stubbornly going against what is expected or required in order to satisfy one’s own desires

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51
Q

vestige

A

n. a trace of something that once existed but has disappeared

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52
Q

pseudonym

A

n. a fictitious name assumed by an author

adj. pseudonymous

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53
Q

itinerary

A

n. a route or proposed route for a journey

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54
Q

veritable

A

adj. being truly named, real or genuine

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55
Q

inconsequential

A

adj. unimportant

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56
Q

relic

A

n. a surviving trace of a culture or period that no longer exists

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57
Q

litigant

A

n. one who is engaged in a lawsuit
v. litigate
n. litigation
adj. litigious

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58
Q

bemuse

A

v. to confuse or stupefy

n. bemusement

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59
Q

scaffold

A

n. a temporary platform used in work on a building

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60
Q

mitigate

A

v. to improve by lessening the severity of

n. mitigation

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61
Q

stringent

A

adj. imposing strict standards of performance; constricted

n. stringency

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62
Q

reprieve

A

v. to postpone or cancel punishment

n. reprieve

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63
Q

pore

A

v. to read or study carefully

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64
Q

assiduous

A

adj. diligent; hard-working; constant

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65
Q

acquit

A

v. to declare free of guilt; to clear

n. acquittal

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66
Q

tightfisted

A

adj. stingy; miserly

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67
Q

woe

A

n. a deep distress of misery; misfortune

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68
Q

quiescent

A

adj. inactive, often suggesting a temporary state

n. quiescence

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69
Q

cohesion

A

n. the act of state of uniting or sticking together

adj. cohesive

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70
Q

utilitarian

A

adj. stressing practical use over other values

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71
Q

bandy

A

v. to pass (gossip, rumor, etc.) about freely and carelessly

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72
Q

definitive

A

adj. complete

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73
Q

fracas

A

n. a noisy fight

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74
Q

taciturn

A

adj. almost always silent; not liking to talk

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75
Q

dilemma

A

n. a situation in which one must choose between two equally bad alternatives

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76
Q

laudable

A

adj. worthy of praise

v. laud

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77
Q

pertinent

A

adj. relevant

v. pertain

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78
Q

ramshackle

A

adj. about to fall apart or fall down

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79
Q

temper

A

v. to bring down in tone; to moderate; to soften

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80
Q

beset

A

v. to attack from all sides; to trouble persistently

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81
Q

excavate

A

v. to expose to view by digging out

n. excavation

82
Q

tenable

A

adj. able to be maintained or defended, either in an argument or debate or against an attack

83
Q

profligate

A

adj. immorally wasteful

84
Q

tact

A

n. skill in dealing with others, esp. in difficult situations

85
Q

acute

A

adj. sharp; clever; severe

n. acuity

86
Q

tabulate

A

v. to count

n. tabulation

87
Q

travail

A

n. painfully difficult work; pain or suffering from mental or physical hardship

88
Q

abhor

A

v. to detest; to shrink from the disgust

adj. abhorrent

89
Q

propitiate

A

v. to appease or placate

90
Q

upbraid

A

v. to criticize sharply, esp. by a figure of authority

91
Q

quarantine

A

n. enforced isolation to prevent the spread of disease; v. to isolate for such purpose

92
Q

ricochet

A

v. to rebound at least once from a surface

93
Q

salubrious

A

adj. favorable to good health

94
Q

anodyne

A

n. a pan-filler or anesthetic

95
Q

uncouth

A

adj. uncultured; crude

96
Q

torpid

A

adj. inactive; sluggish; dormant

n. torpor

97
Q

epidemioogy

A

n. the branch of medicine that studies that causes, spread, and control of disease in population
adj. epidemiological
n. epidemiologist

98
Q

despondent

A

adj. so sad as to lack all hope

n. despondency

99
Q

decimate

A

v. to destroy or kill a large part of (a group)

n. decimation

100
Q

aggrandize

A

v. to enlarge; increase in size, power or rank

101
Q

sanctimonious

A

adj. pretending holiness; hypocritically devout

n. sanctimony

102
Q

pusillanimous

A

adj. cowardly

103
Q

mar

A

v. to damage

104
Q

scapegoat

A

n. one who takes blame

105
Q

impasse

A

n. a dead-end

adj. impassable

106
Q

beguile

A

v. to deceive by charm

adj. beguiling

107
Q

vendetta

A

n. a bitter feud or quarrel; fight

108
Q

vagrant

A

n. a person who wanders from place to p[lace, esp. one who lives on the streets and constitutes a public nuisance

109
Q

zest

A

n. hearty enjoyment; flavor or interest

110
Q

noxious

A

adj. harmful to health or the mind

111
Q

impotent

A

adj. powerless; helpless; ineffective

112
Q

charade

A

n. an obvious pretense or deception

113
Q

resuscitate

A

v. to revive, esp. from apparent death or unconsciousness

n. resuscitation

114
Q

static

A

adj. not moving

n. stasis

115
Q

scintilla

A

n. a small amount; a park

116
Q

refuse

A

n. garbage

117
Q

undulate

A

v. to move in a wave-like motion

n. undulation

118
Q

specter

A

n. a ghost; a disturbing image or prospect

adj. spectral

119
Q

seethe

A

v. to be violently excited; to boil

120
Q

suffuse

A

v. to spread through or over (as with light or color) devout

121
Q

devout

A

adj. devoted to religion; sincere

n. devotion

122
Q

amend

A

v. to improve through change or ccorrection

n. amends

123
Q

repartee

A

n. a quick, witty reply; a series of such replies

124
Q

unctuous

A

adj. oily; showing insincere earnestness

125
Q

rummage

A

v. to search thoroughly by handling or disarranging the contents of

126
Q

contiguous

A

adj. sharing a common boundary; adjoining

n. contiguity

127
Q

allege

A

v. to assert to be true, esp. without or before proof

n. allegation

128
Q

tax

A

v. to make difficult or excessive demands upon

129
Q

solace

A

n. comfort in a time of distress

v. solace

130
Q

biennial

A

adj. happening every two years

131
Q

schema

A

n. an outline or model, often drawn as a diagram

pl. schemata

132
Q

negligible

A

adj. of little value or importance

133
Q

gullible

A

adj. easily deceived; credulous

n. gullibility

134
Q

avid

A

adj. having a passionate desire

n. avidity

135
Q

lackadaisical

A

adj. showing lack of interest of spirit

136
Q

abyss

A

n. a deep, bottomless chasm; immeasurable depth

adj. abysmal

137
Q

transfix

A

v. to pierce, as with a pointed weapon; to render motionless, as with fear

138
Q

virulent

A

adj. extremely infectious or harmful; bitterly hostile

n. virulence

139
Q

stalwart

A

adj. firm and resolute; having imposing physical strength

140
Q

redoubtable

A

adj. fearsome; formidable

141
Q

senescent

A

adj. aging; growing weak with age

142
Q

purloin

A

v. to steal, oft. in violation of a trust

143
Q

adjunct

A

n. something attached to another in a subordintate position

144
Q

rampant

A

adj. unrestrained

145
Q

municipial

A

adj. relating to local government

n. municipality

146
Q

protégé

A

n. one whose welfare, training, or career is promoted by another person

147
Q

status quo

A

n. the existing state of affairs at a particular time

148
Q

sylvan

A

adj. characteristic of woods or forests

149
Q

connive

A

v. to cooperate secretly in wrongful action

n. connivance

150
Q

extrapolate

A

v. to predict by extending known information

n. extrapolation

151
Q

scenario

A

n. an outline for a planned series of events, either real or imagined; a summary of a work of fiction

152
Q

ponder

A

v. to think over with great care

153
Q

euphemism

A

n. the substitution of an agreeable word or phrase to replace one that might offend
adj. euphemistic

154
Q

legacy

A

n. something passed down to a descendant

155
Q

ensconce

A

v. to settle securely or snugly

156
Q

credulous

A

adj. tending to believe too easily

n. credulity

157
Q

brood

A

v. to be deep in thought; to think over moodily and at length

158
Q

codify

A

v. to organize something (such as laws or rules) into a system

159
Q

penury

A

n. lack of money, property, or necessities

160
Q

manifesto

A

n. a public declaration of principles, often political

161
Q

indolent

A

adj. lazy

n. indolence

162
Q

dilettante

A

n. one who engages an art with only superficial skill; an amateur

163
Q

exposition

A

n. a statement intended to give background information or to explain something difficult
adj. expository

164
Q

disinterested

A

adj. free from bias

165
Q

meticulous

A

adj. extremely or excessively careful about details; finicky

166
Q

relent

A

v. to become less severe; to give in

167
Q

edification

A

n. intellectual or moral improvement; enlightenment
adj. edifying
v. edify

168
Q

factious

A

adj. causing dissension

169
Q

bequeath

A

v. to pass down to; to hand down, esp. in a will

n. bequest

170
Q

plenitude

A

n. fullness in quantity or degree; the state of being full or complete

171
Q

imbroglio

A

n. a confused misunderstanding or disagreement

172
Q

espouse

A

v. to give loyalty or support to; to adopt

173
Q

pedestrian

A

adj. done on foot; ordinary; commonplace

174
Q

dichotomy

A

n. division into two contradictory part

adj. dichotomous

175
Q

effigy

A

n. a representation of a person or group used esp. to demonstrate hatred

176
Q

burgeon

A

v. to sprout or grow rapidly

177
Q

insurrection

A

n. a rebellion

178
Q

jocular

A

adj. characterized by joking

179
Q

gourmand

A

n. a glutton; one who delights in eating well

180
Q

terse

A

adj. without necessary words; succinct

181
Q

adroit

A

adj. naturally skillful, esp. dealing with difficult circumstances

182
Q

gainsay

A

v. to deny; to declare false

183
Q

feckless

A

adj. careless; irresponsbile

184
Q

intransigient

A

adj. refusing to compromise or agree

185
Q

appropriate

A

v. to set apart for a specific use; to take possession of, often without permission
n. appropriation

186
Q

tautology

A

n. needless repetition of an idea in different words (e.g., “widow woman”)

187
Q

strident

A

adj. loud, shrill, or harshly grating; forcefully assertive or harshly critical

188
Q

extenuate

A

v. to lessen the seriousness of, esp. by giving partial excuses
n. extenuation
adj. extenuating

189
Q

latent

A

adj. present but hidden; dormant

n. latency

190
Q

relinquish

A

v. to surrender or release

191
Q

gait

A

n. the manner of moving on foot; rate or manner of proceeding

192
Q

emblematic

A

adj. symbolic, representative of more

193
Q

doldrums

A

n. an area in the ocean of calm winds; a state of boredom or listlessness

194
Q

anomaly

A

n. a departure from the regular pattern

adj. anomalous

195
Q

ineluctable

A

adj. unable to be avoided; inescapable

196
Q

best

A

v. to defeat

197
Q

importune

A

v. to beg desperately and repeatedly

198
Q

distribe

A

n. prolonged and bitter speech or writing

199
Q

bona fide

A

adj. genuine

200
Q

countenance

A

n. appearance, esp. the expression of the face; v. to tolerate

SAT Vocab (24 decks)

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