SAT Vocabulary Building

Question 1

palindrome

Answer 1

(n) a word or phrase which reads the same backward and forward

Question 2

adage

Answer 2

(n) an old saying now accepted as being truthful

Question 3

hackneyed

Answer 3

(adj) made common by overuse

Question 4

hyperbole

Answer 4

(n) an exaggeration, not to be taken seriously

Question 5

lurid

Answer 5

(adj) 1. glowing through haze; 2. shocking; sensational

Question 6

throe

Answer 6

(n) spasm or pang

Question 7

vitiate

Answer 7

(v) 1. to spoil; 2. to cause moral weakness

Question 8

precipitate

Answer 8

(v) to cause to happen (adj) happening quickly

Question 9

edify

Answer 9

(v) to instruct and improve the mind

Question 10

livid

Answer 10

(adj) 1. discolored, as if bruised; 2. extremely angry; furious

Question 11

eminence

Answer 11

(n) 1. a lofty place; 2. superiority

Question 12

vehement

Answer 12

(adj) 1. using great force; 2. described by strong feelings

Question 13

amorphous

Answer 13

(adj) 1. with no shape; 2. unorganized

Question 14

consort

Answer 14

(n) a companion; a spouse (v) to associate

Question 15

immaculate

Answer 15

(adj) perfectly clean; correct

Question 16

untoward

Answer 16

(adj) unfortunate

Question 17

astringent

Answer 17

(n) a substance that contracts bodily tissues (adj) harsh; biting

Question 18

chary

Answer 18

(adj) cautious

Question 19

educe

Answer 19

(v) 1. to draw out; 2. to infer from information

Question 20

whet

Answer 20

(v) 1. to sharpen by rubbing; 2. to stimulate

Question 21

deposition

Answer 21

(n) 1. a removal from office or power; 2. a testimony

Question 22

relegate

Answer 22

(v) 1. to assign to an inferior position; 2. to commit to an action

Question 23

lucid

Answer 23

(adj) 1. shiny; 2. clear-minded

Question 24

modulate

Answer 24

(v) 1. to regulate or adjust; 2. to vary the pitch

Question 25

hone

Answer 25

(n) something used to sharpen (v) to sharpen

Question 26

cascade

Answer 26

(n) 1. a small series of waterfalls; 2. something falling in a descending arrangement similar to a waterfall

Question 27

coy

Answer 27

(adj) 1. modest; bashful; 2. pretending shyness to attract

Question 28

effervescence

Answer 28

(n) 1. liveliness; spirit; enthusiasm; 2. bubbliness

Question 29

fervid

Answer 29

(adj) 1. intensely hot; 2. fervent; impassioned

Question 30

imperious

Answer 30

(adj) 1. arrogant; 2. urgent

Question 31

miscreant

Answer 31

(adj) evil (n) an evil person; villain

Question 32

chafe

Answer 32

(v) 1. to annoy; to irritate; 2. to wear away or make sore by rubbing

Question 33

duress

Answer 33

(n) 1. imprisonment; 2. the use of threats

Question 34

goad

Answer 34

(n) a driving impulse (v) to push into action

Question 35

ideology

Answer 35

(n) 1. speculation; 2. representative way of thinking

Question 36

salient

Answer 36

(adj) 1. projecting; 2. noticeable

Question 37

recluse

Answer 37

(adj) solitary (n) a person who lives in seclusion

Question 38

censure

Answer 38

(n) a strong expression of disapproval

Question 39

servile

Answer 39

(adj) a slave-like manner

Question 40

burlesque

Answer 40

(v) to imitate in a non-serious manner (n) a comical imitation

Question 41

visionary

Answer 41

(adj) not realistic; impractical

Question 42

waive

Answer 42

(v) 1. to give up; 2. to put off until later

Question 43

prattle

Answer 43

(n) childish babble (v) to babble while speaking

Question 44

auspicious

Answer 44

(adj) 1. of good omen; 2. successful

Question 45

fathom

Answer 45

(v) to understand (n) a nautical depth equal to 6 feet

Question 46

ken

Answer 46

(v) to know (n) one’s understanding

Question 47

covetous

Answer 47

(adj) 1. greedy; 2. eagerly desirous

Question 48

malign

Answer 48

(adj) having an evil disposition toward others (opposite: benign) (v) to speak evil of