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Complete SAT Vocab > SAT - D's > Flashcards

SAT - D's Flashcards

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1
Q

Debilitate

A

V. weaken; enfeeble.

Michael’s severe bout of the flu debilitated him so much that he was too tired to go to work for a week.

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2
Q

Debunk

A

V. expose as false, exaggerated, worthless, etc

Pointing ou that he consistently had voted against strengthening anti-pollution legislation, reporters debunked the candidate’s claim that he was a feverent enviromentalist.

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3
Q

Decorum

A

N. propriety; orderliness and good taste in manners.

Even the best-mannered students have trouble behaving with decorum on the last day of school.

Decorous, Adj.

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4
Q

Deference

A

N. courteous regard for another’s wish.

In deference to the minister’s request, please do not take photographs during the wedding service.

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5
Q

Dehydrate

A

V. remove water from; dry out.

Running under a hot sun quickly dehydrates the body; joggers soon learn to carry water bottles and to drink from them frequently.

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6
Q

Deleterious

A

Adj. harmful.

If you believe that smoking is deleterious to your health (and the Surgeon General certainly does), then quit!

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7
Q

Delineate

A

V. portray; depict; sketch.

Using only a few descriptive phrases, Austen delineates the character of Mr. Collins so well that we can predict his every move.

Delineation, N.

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8
Q

Denounce

A

V. condemn; criticize.

The reform candidate denounced the corrupt city officers for having betrayed the public’s trust.

Denunciation, N.

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9
Q

Deplore

A

V. regret; disapprove of.

Although I deplore the vulgarity of your language, I defend your right to express yourself freely.

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10
Q

Depravity

A

N. extreme corruption, wickedness.

The depravity of Caligula’s behavior came to sicken even those who had willingly participated in his earlier, comparatively innocent orgies.

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11
Q

Deprecate

A

V. express disapproval of; protest against; belittle.

A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Pot deprecated the modern tendency to address new acquaintances by their first names.

Deprecatory, Adj.

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12
Q

Deride

A

V. ridicule; make fun of.

The critics derided his pretentious dialogue and refused to consider his play seriously.

Derision, N.

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13
Q

Derivative

A

Adj. unoriginal, derived from another source.

Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in nature, the critics thoght she had promise and eventually would find her voice.

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14
Q

Desiccate

A

V. dry up.

A tour of this smokehouse will give you an idea of how the pioneers used to desiccate food in order to preserve it.

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15
Q

Despondent

A

Adj. depressed; gloomy.

To the dismay of his parents, William becamse seriously despondent after he broke up with Jan; they despaired of finding a cure for his gloom.

Despondency, N.

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16
Q

Detached

A

Adj. emotionally removed; calm and objective; physically unconnected,

A psychoanalyst must maintain a detached point of view and stay uninvolved with his or her patient’s personal lives.

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17
Q

Deterrent

A

N. something that discourages; hindrance.

Does the threat of capital punishment serve as a deterrent to potential killers?

Deter, V.

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18
Q

Detrimental

A

Adj. harmful; damaging.

The candidate’s acceptance of major financial contributions from a well-known racist ultimately proved detrimental to his campaign, for he lost the backing of many of his early grassroots supporters.

Detriment, N.

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19
Q

Devious

A

Adj. roundabout; erratic; not straightforward.

The Joker’s plan was so devious that it was only with great difficulty we could follow its shifts and dodges.

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20
Q

Devise

A

V. to think up; invent; plan.

How clever he must be to have devised such a devious plan!

21
Q

Diffidence

A

N. shyness.

You must overcome your diffidence if you intend to becomes a salesperson.

22
Q

Diffuse

A

Adj. wordly; rambling; spread out (like a gas).

If you pay authors by the word, you tempt them to produce diffuse manuscripts rather than brief ones.

Diffusion, N.

23
Q

Disgression

A

N. wandering away from the subject.

Nobody minded when Professor Renoir’s lectures wandered away from their official themes; his disgressions were always more fascinating than the topic of the day.

Disgress, V.

24
Q

Dilatory

A

Adj. delaying.

If you are dilatory in paying bills, your credit rating may suffer.

25
Q

Diligence

A

N. steadiness of effort; persistent hard work.

Her employers were greatly impressed by her diligence and offered her a partnership in the firm.

Diligent, Adj.

26
Q

Diminution

A

N. lessening; reduction in size.

Old Jack was as sharp at eighty as he had been at fifty; increasing age led to no diminution of his mental acuity.

27
Q

Discerning

A

Adj. mentally quick and observant; having insight.

Though no genius, the star was sufficiently discerning to tell her true friends from the countless phonies who flattered her.

28
Q

Disclose

A

V. reveal.

Although competitors offered him bribes, he refused to disclose any information about his company’s forthcoming product.

Disclosure, N.

29
Q

Discordant

A

Adj. not harmonious; conflicting.

Nothing is quite so discordant as the sound of a junior high school orchestra tuning up.

30
Q

Discount

A

V. disregard; dismiss.

Be prepared to discount what he has to say about his ex-wife.

31
Q

Discourse

A

N. formal conclusion; conversation.

The young Plato was drawn to the Agora to hear the philosophical discourse of Socrates and his followers.

32
Q

Discrepancy

A

N. lack of consistency; difference.

The police noticed some discrepancies in his description of the crime and did not believe him.

33
Q

Discriminating

A

Adj. able to see differences; prejudiced.

A superb interpreter of Picasso, she was sufficiently discriminating to judge the most complex works of modern art.

Discrimation, N.

34
Q

Disdain

A

V. view with scorn of contempt.

In the film Funny Face, the bookish heroine disdained fashion models for their lack of intellectual interests.

Also N.

35
Q

Disclination

A

N. unwillingness.

Some mornings I feel a great disclination to get out of bed.

36
Q

Dismiss

A

V. put away from consideration; ;reject.

Believing in John’s love for her, she dismissed the notion that he might be unfaithful.

37
Q

Disparage

A

V. belittle.

A doting mother, Emma was more likely to praise her son’s crude attempts at art than to disparage them.

38
Q

Disparity

A

N. difference; condition of inequality.

Their disparity in rank made no difference at all to the prince and Cinderella.

39
Q

Disperse

A

V. scatter.

The police fired tear gas into the crowd to disperse the protesters.

Dispersion, N.

40
Q

Disputatious

A

Adj. argumentative; fond of arguing.

Convinced he knew more than the lawyers, Alan was a disputatious client, ready to argue about the best way to conduct the case.

Disputant, N.

41
Q

Disseminate

A

V. distribute; spread; scatter (like seeds).

By their use of the Internet, propagandists have been able to disseminate their pet doctrines to new audiences around the globe.

42
Q

Distend

A

V. expand; swell out.

I can tell when he is under stress by the way the veins distend on his forehead.

43
Q

Divergent

A

Adj. differing; deviating.

Since graduating from medical school, the two doctors have taken divergent paths, one going on to becoming a nationally prominent surgeon, the other dedicating himself to a small family practice in his home town.

Diversity, N.

44
Q

Doctrine

A

N. teachings, in general; particular principle (religious, legal, etc.)

He was so committed to the doctrine of his faith that he was unable to evaluate them impartially.

45
Q

Document

A

V. provide written evidence.

She kept all the receipts from her business trip in order to document her expenses for the firm.

Also N.

46
Q

Dogmatic

A

Adj. opinionated; arbitrary; doctrinal.

We tried to discourage Doug from being so dogmatic, but never could convince him that his opinions might be wrong.

47
Q

Dubious

A

Adj. questionable; filled with doubt.

Many critcs of the SAT contend test is of dubious worth; Jay claimed that he could get a perfect 2400 on the new SAT, but Ellen was dubious; she knew he hadn’t cracked a book in three years.

48
Q

Dupe

A

N. someone easily fooled.

While the gullible Watson often was made a dupe by unscrupulous parties, Sherlock Holmes was far more difficult to fool.

Also V.

49
Q

Duplicity

A

N. double-healing; hypocrisy.

When Tanya learned that Mark had been two-timing her, she was furious at his duplicity.

Complete SAT Vocab (23 decks)

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