SAT Direct Hits ALL Flashcards
Ambivalent
Having mixed or opposing feelings at the same time.
Anomaly
Deviation from the norm or what is expected.
Sardonic
Mocking; derisive; taunting; stinging
Dearth, Paucity
A scarcity or shortage of something (x2)
Prattle
To speak in a foolish manner; to babble incessantly
Wry, Droll
Dry; humorous with a clever twist and a touch of irony (x2)
Unorthodox
Not ordinary or typical; characterized by avoiding customary conventions and behaviors
Meticulous, Fastidious
Extremely careful; very EXACTING (x2)
Audacious
Fearlessly, often recklessly daring; very bold
Apathetic
Marked by a lack of interest or concern; nonchalant
Diffident, Self-effacing
Hesitant due to a lack of self-confidence; unassertive; shy; retiring (x2)
Pragmatic
Practical, sensible, NOT idealistic or romantic
Evocation
An imaginative re-creation of something; a calling forth
Presumptuous
Taking liberties, brashly overstepping one’s place, impertinently bold; displaying effrontery
Recalcitrant
Stubbornly resistant and defiant; obstinate; obdurate; refractory (disobedient)
Boon
A timely benefit; blessing
Bane
A source of harm and ruin
Clandestine, Surreptitious
Secret; covert; not open; not ABOVEBOARD (x2)
Affable, Amiable, Genial, Gregarious
Agreeable; marked by a pleasing personality; warm and friendly (x4)
Austere
Having no adornment or ornamentation; bare; not ORNATE
Altruism
Unselfish concern for the welfare of others
Ambiguity
The quality or state of having more than one possible meaning; doubtful; equivocal
Upbraid, Reproach, Castigate
To express disapproval; to scold; to rebuke; to CENSURE (x3)
Nostalgia
A WISTFUL sentimental longing for a place or time in the past
Conjecture
An inference based upon guesswork; a SUPPOSITION
Antiquated
No longer in use; outmoded in design or style
Auspicious, Propitious
Very favorable (x2)
Gaffe
A blunder; a faux pas; a clumsy social or diplomatic error
Impasse
A deadlock, stalemate; failure to reach an agreement
Anachronism
The false agreement of an event, person, scene or language to a time when the person, scene or word did not exist
Belie
To contradict, to prove false, used of appearances that are misrepresentative
Mitigate, Mollify, Assuage, Alleviate
To relieve, to lessen, to ease (x4)
Covet
To strongly desire; to crave
Trite, Hackneyed, Banal, Platitudinous, Insipid
Unoriginal; commonplace; overused; clichツd (x5)
Antecedent
A preceding event; forerunner; precursor
Prudent
Careful; cautious; sensible
Aesthetic
Relating to the nature of beauty, art and taste; having a sense of what is beautiful, attractive or pleasing
Paradox
A seemingly contradictory statement that nonetheless expresses a truth
Enigmatic, Inscrutable
Mysterious; puzzling; unfathomable; baffling (x2)
Acquiesce
To comply; to agree; to give in
Naive, Gullible
Unaffectedly simple; lacking worldly expertise; overly CREDULOUS; unsophisticated; immature; inexperienced; INGENUOUS (x2)
Autonomy
Independence; self-governance
Indigenous, Endemic
Native to an area (x2)
Ubiquitous, Prevalent
Characterized by being everywhere; omnipresent; widespread, PERVASIVE (x2)
Pandemic
An epidemic that is geographically widespread and affects a large proportion of the population
Fortitude
Strength of mind that allows one to endure pain or adversity with courage.
Diminutive
Very small
Minutiae
Minor everyday details
Exhort
To encourage, to urge, to give a pep talk, to IMPLORE
Antipathy
Strong dislike, ill will, the state of detesting someone; ENMITY; RANCOR
Digress
To depart from a subject; to wander; to ramble
Tenacious
Characterized by holding fast to something valued; showing great determination
Indulgent
Characterized by excessive generosity; overly tolerant
Polarize
To create disunity or dissension; to break up into opposing factions or groups; to be divisive
Nebulous
Vague; cloudy; misty; lacking a fully-developed form
Analogy
A similarity or likeness between things - events, ideas, actions, trends - that are otherwise unrelated
Ephemeral, Fleeting, Evanescent
Very brief, lasting for a short time, transient (x3)
Penchant, Predilection, Propensity
A liking or preference for something; a BENT; an INCLINATION (x3)
Capricious, Mercurial, Fickle
Very changeable; characterized by constantly-shifting moods (x3)
Boorish, Uncouth, Crass
Vulgar, characterized by rude behavior and deplorable manners; unrefined (x3)
Indignant
Characterized by outrage at something that is perceived as unjust
Innuendo
A veiled reference; an insinuation
Thwart, Stymie
To stop; to frustrate; to prevent (x2)
Adroit, Deft, Adept
Having or showing great skill, dexterous, nimble (x3)
Admonish
To earnestly caution; to warn another to avoid a course of action
Incontrovertible
Impossible to deny or disprove; demonstrably true
Voracious, Ravenous, Rapacious
Having a huge appetite that cannot be satisfied; INSATIABLE (x3)
Callous
Emotionally hardened; insensitive; unfeeling
Intrepid, Undaunted
Courageous, RESOLUTE, fearless (x2)
Nonchalant
Having an air of casual indifference, UNFLAPPABLE
Convoluted
Winding, twisting, and therefore difficult to understand; intricate
Itinerant
Migrating from place to place, NOT SEDENTARY
Poignant
Moving, touching, heartrending
Impetus
A stimulus or encouragement that results in increased activity
Bucolic, Rustic, Pastoral
Characteristic of charming, unspoiled countryside and the simple, rural life (x3)
Equanimity
Calmness, composure, even-temperedness, poise
Panache, Verve, Flamboyance, ミlan
Great vigor and energy; dash, especially in artistic performance and composition (x4)
Provocative
Provoking discussion; stimulating controversy; arousing a reaction
Placid, Serene
Calm or quiet, undisturbed by tumult or disorder (x2)
Fortuitous
Of accidental but fortunate occurrence; having unexpected good fortune
Dispel
To drive away; scatter, as to a misconception
Amalgam
A mixture; a blend; a combination of different elements
Viable, Feasible
Capable of being accomplished, possible (x2)
Anguish
Agonizing physical or mental pain; torment
Intemperate
Lacking restraint; excessive
Temperate
Exercising moderation and restraint
Superficial
Shallow; lacking in depth; concerned with surface appearances
Laud, Extol, Tout, Acclaim
To praise; to applaud (x4)
Dismissive
Showing overt intentional INDIFFERENCE or disregard; rejecting
Remiss
Negligent, lax, careless
Remit
To send back, pay money, diminish in intensity
Missive
A note sent by an emissary
Disparage
To speak in a slighting or disrespectful way; to belittle
Pompous
Filled with excessive self-importance, PRETENTIOUS; OSTENTATIOUS; boastful
Cryptic
Having a hidden or AMBIGUOUS meaning; mysterious
Disparity
An inequality; a gap; an imbalance
Curtail
To cut short or reduce
Innocuous
Harmless; unlikely to give offense or to arouse strong feelings or hostility; not INIMICAL
Diatribe, Tirade, Harangue
A bitter, abusive denunciation; a thunderous verbal attack; to RANT (x3)
Charlatan
A fake; fraud; imposter; cheat
Skeptic
A person who doubts; asks questions; and lacks faith
Rhetorician
An eloquent writer or speaker; a master of rhetoric (the art of speaking and writing)
Hedonist
A person who believes that pleasure is the chief goal of life
Ascetic
A person who gives up material comforts and leads a life of self-denial, especially as an act of religious devotion
Raconteur
A person who excels in telling Anecdotes
Iconoclast
A person who attacks and ridicules cherished figures, ideas, and institutions
Partisan
A supporter of a person, party or cause; a person with strong and perhaps biased beliefs
Polymath
A person whose expertise spans a significant number of subject areas
Dilettante
An amateur or dabbler; a person with SUPERFICIAL interest in an art of a branch of knowledge; a trifler
Mentor
An advisor, a teacher, a guide
Acolyte
Devoted follower
Demagogue
A leader who appeals to the fears, emotions and prejudices of the populace
Automaton
A self-operating machine; a mindless follower; a person who acts in a mechanical fashion
Recluse
A person who lives a secluded or solitary life
Bungler
A person who is clumsy or inept; a person who makes mistakes because of incompetence
Clairvoyant
Having the supposed power to see objects and events that cannot be perceived with the five traditional senses; as a noun, a SEER
Prognosticator
A person who makes predictions based upon current information and data
Pundit
An expert commentator; an authority who expresses his or her opinon; usually on political issues
Zealot
A very enthusiastic person; a champion; a true believer, perhaps to an excessive degree; a fanatic
Neophyte, Novice, Greenhorn
A beginner; someone new to a field or activity (x3)
Dissembler, Prevaricator
A liar and deceiver (x2)
Proponent
One who argues in support of something; an ADVOCATE; a champion of a cause
Oracle
A person considered to be ORACULAR, a source of wise counsel or prophetic opinions
Misanthrope
A person who hates or distrusts humankind
Innovator
A person who introduces something new
Sycophant
A person who seeks favor by flattering people of influence; a TOADY; someone who behaves in an OBSEQUIOUS or SERVILE manner
Stoic, Stolid
Seemingly INDIFFERENT to or unaffected by joy, grief, pleasure or pain; impassive and emotionless (x2)
Reprobate
A morally unprincipled person
Renegade
A disloyal person who betrays his or her cause; a traitor; a deserter
Draconian
Characterized by very strict laws, rules and punishments
Laconic
Very brief; concise; SUCCINCT; TERSE
Spartan
Plain; simple; AUSTERE
Halcyon
Idyllicaly 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 EXPURGIATE
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
Expunge, Excise, Expurgate
To take OUT; to delete; to remove (x3)
Eccentric
Literally OUT of the center; departing from a recognized, conventional, or established norm; an odd, UNCONVENTIONAL person
Extricate
To get OUT of a difficult situation or entanglement
Exemplary
Standing OUT from the norm; outstanding; worthy of imitation
Enumerate
To count OUT; to list; to tick off the reasons for
Elusive
OUT of reach and therefore difficult to catch, define, or describe
Exorbitant
Literally OUT of orbit and therefore unreasonably expensive
Redundant
Needlessly repetitive; saying things AGAIN and AGAIN
Repudiate, Recant, Renounce
To take BACK; to reject; to DISAVOW (x3)
Relinquish
To surrender or give BACK a possession, right, or privilege
Resilient
Bouncing BACK from ADVERSITY or misfortune; recovering quickly
Reaffirm
To assert AGAIN; to confirm; to state positively
Reticent
Holding BACK one’s thoughts, feelings and personal affairs; restrained or reserved
Rebuff
To repel or drive BACK; to bluntly reject
Renovate
To make new AGAIN; to restore by repairing and remodeling
Rejuvenate
To make young AGAIN; to restore youthful vigor and appearance
Resurgent
Rising AGAIN; sweeping or surging BACK
Repugnant
Abhorrent; offensive to the mind or senses; causing distaste or AVERSION
Deleterious
Going DOWN in the sense of having a harmful effect; injurious
Decry
To put DOWN in the sense of openly condemning; to express strong disapproval
Despondent, Morose
DOWNCAST; very dejected; FORLORN (x2)
Denounce
To put DOWN in the sense of a making a formal accusation; to speak against
Demise
Sent DOWN in the sense of ending in death; the cessation of existence or activity
Debunk
To put DOWN by exposing false and exaggerated claims
Deride (–> Derisive)
To put DOWN with contemptuous jeering; to ridicule or laugh at
Devoid
DOWN in the sense of being empty; completely lacking in substance or quality; BEREFT; vacant
Impeccable
Having NO flaws; perfect
Implacable
Not capable of being PLACATED or appeased