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English > SAT Vocabulary Part 2 > Flashcards

SAT Vocabulary Part 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

SAT Vocabulary

gourmand

A

(n.) someone fond of eating and drinking (My parents; who used to eat little more than crackers and salad; have become real gourmands in their old age.)

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2
Q

SAT Vocabulary

grandiloquence

A

(n.) lofty; pompous language (The student thought her grandiloquence would make her sound smart; but neither the class nor the teacher bought it.)

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3
Q

SAT Vocabulary

grandiose

A

(adj.) on a magnificent or exaggerated scale (Margaret planned a grandiose party; replete with elephants; trapeze artists; and clowns.)

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4
Q

SAT Vocabulary

gratuitous

A

(adj.) uncalled for; unwarranted (Every morning the guy at the donut shop gives me a gratuitous helping of ketchup packets.)

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5
Q

SAT Vocabulary

gregarious

A

(adj.) drawn to the company of others; sociable (Well; if you’re not gregarious; I don’t know why you would want to go to a singles party!)

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6
Q

SAT Vocabulary

grievous

A

(adj.) injurious; hurtful; serious or grave in nature (Electrocuting the inmate without being sure of his guilt would be a truly grievous mistake.)

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7
Q

SAT Vocabulary

guile

A

(n.) deceitful; cunning; sly behavior (Because of his great guile; the politician was able to survive scandal after scandal.)

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8
Q

SAT Vocabulary

hackneyed

A

(adj.) unoriginal; trite (A girl can only hear “I love you” so many times before it begins to sound hackneyed and meaningless.)

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9
Q

SAT Vocabulary

hallowed

A

(adj.) revered; consecrated (In the hallowed corridors of the cathedral; the disturbed professor felt himself to be at peace.)

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10
Q

SAT Vocabulary

hapless

A

(adj.) unlucky (My poor; hapless family never seems to pick a sunny week to go on vacation.)

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11
Q

SAT Vocabulary

harangue

A
  1. (n.) a ranting speech (Everyone had heard the teacher’s harangue about gum chewing in class before.) 2. (v.) to give such a speech (But this time the teacher harangued the class about the importance of brushing your teeth after chewing gum.)
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12
Q

SAT Vocabulary

hardy

A

(adj.) robust; capable of surviving through adverse conditions (I too would have expected the plants to be dead by mid-November; but apparently they’re very hardy.)

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13
Q

SAT Vocabulary

harrowing

A

(adj.) greatly distressing; vexing (The car crash was a harrowing experience; but I have a feeling that the increase in my insurance premiums will be even more upsetting.)

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14
Q

SAT Vocabulary

haughty

A

(adj.) disdainfully proud (The superstar’s haughty dismissal of her costars will backfire on her someday.)

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15
Q

SAT Vocabulary

hedonist

A

(n.) one who believes pleasure should be the primary pursuit of humans (Because he’s such a hedonist; I knew Murray would appreciate the 11 cases of wine I bought him for his birthday.)

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16
Q

SAT Vocabulary

hegemony

A

(n.) domination over others (Britain’s hegemony over its colonies was threatened once nationalist sentiment began to spread around the world.)

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17
Q

SAT Vocabulary

heinous

A

(adj.) shockingly wicked; repugnant (The killings were made all the more heinous by the fact that the murderer first tortured his victims for three days.)

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18
Q

SAT Vocabulary

heterogeneous

A

(adj.) varied; diverse in character (I hate having only one flavor so I always buy the swirled; or should I say heterogeneous; type of ice cream.)

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19
Q

SAT Vocabulary

hiatus

A

(n.) a break or gap in duration or continuity (The hiatus in service should last two or three months—until the cable lines are repaired .)

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20
Q

SAT Vocabulary

hierarchy

A

(n.) a system with ranked groups; usually according to social; economic; or professional class (Women found it very difficult to break into the upper ranks of the department’s hierarchy.)

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21
Q

SAT Vocabulary

hypocrisy

A

(n.) pretending to believe what one does not (Once the politician began passing legislation that contradicted his campaign promises; his hypocrisy became apparent.)

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22
Q

SAT Vocabulary

hypothetical

A

(adj.) supposed or assumed true; but unproven (Even though it has been celebrated by seven major newspapers; that the drug will be a success when tested in humans is still hypothetical.)

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23
Q

SAT Vocabulary

iconoclast

A

(n.) one who attacks common beliefs or institutions (Jane goes to one protest after another; but she seems to be an iconoclast rather than an activist with a progressive agenda.)

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24
Q

SAT Vocabulary

idiosyncratic

A

(adj.) peculiar to one person; highly individualized (I know you had trouble with the last test; but because your mistakes were highly idiosyncratic; I’m going to deny your request that the class be given a new test.)

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25
Q

SAT Vocabulary

idolatrous

A

(adj.) excessively worshipping one object or person (Xena’s idolatrous fawning over the band—following them on tour; starting their fan club; filming their documentary—is really beginning to get on my nerves.)

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26
Q

SAT Vocabulary

ignominious

A

(adj.) humiliating; disgracing (It was really ignominious to be kicked out of the dorm for having an illegal gas stove in my room.)

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27
Q

SAT Vocabulary

illicit

A

(adj.) forbidden; not permitted (The fourth-grader learned many illicit words from a pamphlet that was being passed around school.)

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28
Q

SAT Vocabulary

immerse

A

(v.) to absorb; deeply involve; engross (After breaking up with her boyfriend; Nancy decided to immerse herself in her work in order to avoid crying.)

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29
Q

SAT Vocabulary

immutable

A

(adj.) not changeable (The laws of physics are immutable and constant.)

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30
Q

SAT Vocabulary

impassive

A

(adj.) stoic; not susceptible to suffering (Stop being so impassive; it’s healthy to cry every now and then.)

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31
Q

SAT Vocabulary

impeccable

A

(adj.) exemplary; flawless (If your grades were as impeccable as your sister’s; then you too would receive a car for a graduation present.)

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32
Q

SAT Vocabulary

impecunious

A

(adj.) poor (“I fear he’s too impecunious to take me out tonight;” the bratty girl whined.)

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33
Q

SAT Vocabulary

imperative

A
  1. (adj.) necessary; pressing (It is imperative that you have these folders organized by midday.) 2. (n.) a rule; command; or order (Her imperative to have the folders organized by midday was perceived as ridiculous by the others.)
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34
Q

SAT Vocabulary

imperious

A

(adj.) commanding; domineering (The imperious nature of your manner led me to dislike you at once.)

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35
Q

SAT Vocabulary

impertinent

A

(adj.) rude; insolent (Most of your comments are so impertinent that I don’t wish to dignify them with an answer.)

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36
Q

SAT Vocabulary

impervious

A

(adj.) impenetrable; incapable of being affected (Because of their thick layer of fur; many seals are almost impervious to the cold.)

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37
Q

SAT Vocabulary

impetuous

A

(adj.) rash; hastily done (Hilda’s hasty slaying of the king was an impetuous; thoughtless action.)

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38
Q

SAT Vocabulary

impinge

A
  1. (v.) to impact; affect; make an impression (The hail impinged the roof; leaving large dents.) 2. (v.) to encroach; infringe (I apologize for impinging upon you like this; but I really need to use your bathroom. Now.)
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39
Q

SAT Vocabulary

implacable

A

(adj.) incapable of being appeased or mitigated (Watch out: once you shun Grandma’s cooking; she is totally implacable.)

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40
Q

SAT Vocabulary

implement

A
  1. (n.) an instrument; utensil; tool (Do you have a knife or some other sort of implement that I could use to pry the lid off of this jar?) 2. (v.) to put into effect; to institute (After the first town curfew failed to stop the graffiti problem; the mayor implemented a new policy to use security cameras to catch perpetrators in the act.)
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41
Q

SAT Vocabulary

implicate

A

(v.) to involve in an incriminating way; incriminate (Even though Tom wasn’t present at the time of the shooting; he was implicated by the evidence suggesting that he had supplied the shooters with guns.)

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42
Q

SAT Vocabulary

implicit

A

(adj.) understood but not outwardly obvious; implied (I know Professor Smith didn’t actually say not to write from personal experience; but I think such a message was implicit in her instruction to use scholarly sources.)

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43
Q

SAT Vocabulary

impregnable

A

(adj.) resistant to capture or penetration (Though the invaders used battering rams; catapults; and rain dances; the fortress proved impregnable and resisted all attacks.)

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44
Q

SAT Vocabulary

impudent

A

(adj.) casually rude; insolent; impertinent (The impudent young man looked the princess up and down and told her she was hot even though she hadn’t asked him.)

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45
Q

SAT Vocabulary

impute

A

(v.) to ascribe; blame (The CEO imputed the many typos in the letter to his lazy secretary.)

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46
Q

SAT Vocabulary

inane

A

(adj.) silly and meaningless (Some films are so inane that the psychology of the characters makes absolutely no sense.)

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47
Q

SAT Vocabulary

inarticulate

A

(adj.) incapable of expressing oneself clearly through speech (Though he spoke for over an hour; the lecturer was completely inarticulate and the students had no idea what he was talking about.)

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48
Q

SAT Vocabulary

incarnate

A
  1. (adj.) existing in the flesh; embodied (In the church pageant; I play the role of greed incarnate.) 2. (v.) to give human form to (The alien evaded detection by incarnating himself in a human form.)
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49
Q

SAT Vocabulary

incendiary

A
  1. (n.) a person who agitates (If we catch the incendiary who screamed “bomb” in the middle of the soccer match; we’re going to put him in jail.) 2. (adj.) inflammatory; causing combustion (Gas and lighter fluid are incendiary materials that should be kept out of hot storage areas.)
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50
Q

SAT Vocabulary

incessant

A

(adj.) unending (We wanted to go outside and play; but the incessant rain kept us indoors for two days.)

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51
Q

SAT Vocabulary

inchoate

A

(adj.) unformed or formless; in a beginning stage (The country’s government is still inchoate and; because it has no great tradition; quite unstable.)

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52
Q

SAT Vocabulary

incisive

A

(adj.) clear; sharp; direct (The discussion wasn’t going anywhere until her incisive comment allowed everyone to see what the true issues were.)

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53
Q

SAT Vocabulary

inclination

A

(n.) a tendency; propensity (Sarah has an inclination to see every foreign film she hears about; even when she’s sure that she won’t like it.)

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54
Q

SAT Vocabulary

incontrovertible

A

(adj.) indisputable (Only stubborn Tina would attempt to disprove the incontrovertible laws of physics.)

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55
Q

SAT Vocabulary

incorrigible

A

(adj.) incapable of correction; delinquent (You can buy Grandma nicotine gum all you want; but I think that after sixty-five years of smoking she’s incorrigible.)

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56
Q

SAT Vocabulary

increment

A

(n.) an enlargement; the process of increasing(The workmen made the wall longer; increment by increment.)

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57
Q

SAT Vocabulary

incumbent

A
  1. (n.) one who holds an office (The incumbent senator is already serving his fifth term.) 2. (adj.) obligatory (It is incumbent upon this organization to offer aid to all who seek it.)
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58
Q

SAT Vocabulary

indefatigable

A

(adj.) incapable of defeat; failure; decay (Even after traveling 62 miles; the indefatigable runner kept on moving.)

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59
Q

SAT Vocabulary

indigenous

A

(adj.) originating in a region (Some fear that these plants; which are not indigenous to the region; may choke out the vegetation that is native to the area.)

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60
Q

SAT Vocabulary

indigent

A

(adj.) very poor; impoverished (I would rather donate money to help the indigent population than to the park sculpture fund.)

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61
Q

SAT Vocabulary

indignation

A

(n.) anger sparked by something unjust or unfair (I resigned from the sorority because of my indignation at its hazing of new members.)

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62
Q

SAT Vocabulary

indolent

A

(adj.) lazy (Why should my indolent children; who can’t even pick themselves up off the couch to pour their own juice; be rewarded with a trip to the mall?)

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63
Q

SAT Vocabulary

indomitable

A

(adj.) not capable of being conquered (To be honest; Jim; my indomitable nature means I could never take orders from anyone; and especially not from a jerk like you.)

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64
Q

SAT Vocabulary

induce

A

(v.) to bring about; stimulate (Who knew that our decision to boycott school lunch would induce a huge riot?)

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65
Q

SAT Vocabulary

ineffable

A

(adj.) unspeakable; incapable of being expressed through words (It is said that the experience of playing with a dolphin is ineffable and can only be understood through direct encounter.)

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66
Q

SAT Vocabulary

inept

A

(adj.) not suitable or capable; unqualified (She proved how inept she was when she forgot three orders and spilled a beer in a customer’s lap.)

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67
Q

SAT Vocabulary

inexorable

A

(adj.) incapable of being persuaded or placated (Although I begged for hours; Mom was inexorable and refused to let me stay out all night after the prom.)

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68
Q

SAT Vocabulary

inextricable

A

(adj.) hopelessly tangled or entangled (Unless I look at the solution manual; I have no way of solving this inextricable problem.)

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69
Q

SAT Vocabulary

infamy

A

(n.) notoriety; extreme ill repute (The infamy of his crime will not lessen as the decades pass.)

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70
Q

SAT Vocabulary

infusion

A

(n.) an injection of one substance into another; the permeation of one substance by another (The infusion of Eastern religion into Western philosophy created interesting new schools of thought.)

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71
Q

SAT Vocabulary

ingenious

A

(adj.) clever; resourceful (Her ingenious use of walnuts instead of the peanuts called for by the recipe was lauded by the other garden club members who found her cake delicious.)

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72
Q

SAT Vocabulary

ingenuous

A

(adj.) not devious; innocent and candid (He must have writers; but his speeches seem so ingenuous it’s hard to believe he’s not speaking from his own heart.)

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73
Q

SAT Vocabulary

inhibit

A

(v.) to prevent; restrain; stop (When I told you I needed the car last night; I certainly never meant to inhibit you from going out.)

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74
Q

SAT Vocabulary

inimical

A

(adj.) hostile; enemylike (I don’t see how I could ever work for a company that was so cold and inimical to me during my interviews.)

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75
Q

SAT Vocabulary

iniquity

A

(n.) wickedness or sin (“Your iniquity;” said the priest to the practical jokester; “will be forgiven.”)

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76
Q

SAT Vocabulary

injunction

A

(n.) an order of official warning (After his house was toilet-papered for the fifth time; the mayor issued an injunction against anyone younger than 21 buying toilet paper.)

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77
Q

SAT Vocabulary

innate

A

(adj.) inborn; native; inherent (His incredible athletic talent is innate; he never trains; lifts weights; or practices.)

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78
Q

SAT Vocabulary

innocuous

A

(adj.) harmless; inoffensive (In spite of their innocuous appearance; these mushrooms are actually quite poisonous.)

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79
Q

SAT Vocabulary

innovate

A

(v.) to do something in an unprecedented way (Because of the stiff competition; the company knew it needed to pour a lot of energy into innovating new and better products.)

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80
Q

SAT Vocabulary

innuendo

A

(n.) an insinuation (During the debate; the politician made several innuendos about the sexual activities of his opponent.)

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81
Q

SAT Vocabulary

inoculate

A

(v.) to introduce a microorganism; serum; or vaccine into an organism in order to increase immunity to illness; to vaccinate (I’ve feared needles ever since I was inoculated against 37 diseases at age one; but I have also never been sick.)

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82
Q

SAT Vocabulary

inquisitor

A

(n.) one who inquires; especially in a hostile manner (The inquisitor was instructed to knock on every door in town in order to find the fugitive.)

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83
Q

SAT Vocabulary

insatiable

A

(adj.) incapable of being satisfied (My insatiable appetite for melons can be a real problem in the winter.)

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84
Q

SAT Vocabulary

insidious

A

(adj.) appealing but imperceptibly harmful; seductive (Lisa’s insidious chocolate cake tastes so good but makes you feel so sick later on!)

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85
Q

SAT Vocabulary

insinuate

A

(v.) to suggest indirectly or subtly (I wish Luke and Spencer would stop insinuating that my perfect report card is the result of anything other than my superior intelligence and good work habits.)

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86
Q

SAT Vocabulary

insipid

A

(adj.) dull; boring (The play was so insipid; I fell asleep halfway through.)

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87
Q

SAT Vocabulary

insolent

A

(adj.) rude; arrogant; overbearing (That celebrity is so insolent; making fun of his fans right to their faces.)

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88
Q

SAT Vocabulary

instigate

A

(v.) to urge; goad (The demagogue instigated the crowd into a fury by telling them that they had been cheated by the federal government.)

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89
Q

SAT Vocabulary

insular

A

(adj.) separated and narrow-minded; tight-knit; closed off (Because of the sensitive nature of their jobs; those who work for the CIA must remain insular and generally only spend time with each other.)

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90
Q

SAT Vocabulary

insurgent

A

(n.) one who rebels (The insurgent snuck into and defaced a different classroom each night until the administration agreed to meet his demands.)

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91
Q

SAT Vocabulary

integral

A

(adj.) necessary for completeness (Without the integral ingredient of flour; you wouldn’t be able to make bread.)

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92
Q

SAT Vocabulary

interject

A

(v.) to insert between other things (During our conversation; the cab driver occasionally interjected his opinion.)

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93
Q

SAT Vocabulary

interlocutor

A

(n.) someone who participates in a dialogue or conversation (When the officials could not come to an agreement over the correct cover of the flags; the prime minister acted as an interlocutor.)

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94
Q

SAT Vocabulary

interminable

A

(adj.) without possibility of end (The fact that biology lectures came just before lunch made them seem interminable.)

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95
Q

SAT Vocabulary

intimation

A

(n.) an indirect suggestion (Mr. Brinford’s intimation that he would soon pass away occurred when he began to discuss how to distribute his belongings among his children.)

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96
Q

SAT Vocabulary

intractable

A

(adj.) difficult to manipulate; unmanageable (There was no end in sight to the intractable conflict between the warring countries.)

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97
Q

SAT Vocabulary

intransigent

A

(adj.) refusing to compromise; often on an extreme opinion (The intransigent child said he would have 12 scoops of ice cream; or he would bang his head against the wall until his mother fainted from fear.)

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98
Q

SAT Vocabulary

intrepid

A

(adj.) brave in the face of danger (After scaling a live volcano prior to its eruption; the explorer was praised for his intrepid attitude.)

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99
Q

SAT Vocabulary

inundate

A

(v.) to flood with abundance (Because I am the star of a new sitcom; my fans are sure to inundate me with fan mail and praise.)

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100
Q

SAT Vocabulary

inure

A

(v.) to cause someone or something to become accustomed to a situation (Twenty years in the salt mines inured the man to the discomforts of dirt and grime.)

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101
Q

SAT Vocabulary

invective

A

(n.) an angry verbal attack (My mother’s irrational invective against the way I dress only made me decide to dye my hair green.)

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102
Q

SAT Vocabulary

inveterate

A

(adj.) stubbornly established by habit (I’m the first to admit that I’m an inveterate coffee drinker—I drink four cups a day.)

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103
Q

SAT Vocabulary

inviolable

A

(adj.) secure from assault (Nobody was ever able to break into Batman’s inviolable Batcave.)

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104
Q

SAT Vocabulary

irascible

A

(adj.) easily angered (At the smallest provocation; my irascible cat will begin scratching and clawing.)

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105
Q

SAT Vocabulary

iridescent

A

(adj.) showing rainbow colors (The bride’s large diamond ring was iridescent in the afternoon sun.)

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106
Q

SAT Vocabulary

irreverence

A

(n.) disrespect (The irreverence displayed by the band that marched through the chapel disturbed many churchgoers.)

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107
Q

SAT Vocabulary

irrevocable

A

(adj.) incapable of being taken back (The Bill of Rights is an irrevocable part of American law.)

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108
Q

SAT Vocabulary

jubilant

A

(adj.) extremely joyful; happy (The crowd was jubilant when the firefighter carried the woman from the flaming building.)

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109
Q

SAT Vocabulary

judicious

A

(adj.) having or exercising sound judgment (When the judicious king decided to compromise rather than send his army to its certain death; he was applauded.)

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110
Q

SAT Vocabulary

juxtaposition

A

(n.) the act of placing two things next to each other for implicit comparison (The interior designer admired my juxtaposition of the yellow couch and green table.)

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111
Q

SAT Vocabulary

knell

A

(n.) the solemn sound of a bell; often indicating a death (Echoing throughout our village; the funeral knell made the stormy day even more grim.)

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112
Q

SAT Vocabulary

kudos

A

(n.) praise for an achievement (After the performance; the reviewers gave the opera singer kudos for a job well done.)

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113
Q

SAT Vocabulary

laceration

A

(n.) a cut; tear (Because he fell off his bike into a rosebush; the paperboy’s skin was covered with lacerations.)

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114
Q

SAT Vocabulary

laconic

A

(adj.) terse in speech or writing (The author’s laconic style has won him many followers who dislike wordiness.)

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115
Q

SAT Vocabulary

languid

A

(adj.) sluggish from fatigue or weakness (In the summer months; the great heat makes people languid and lazy.)

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116
Q

SAT Vocabulary

larceny

A

(n.) obtaining another’s property by theft or trickery (When my car was not where I had left it; I realized that I was a victim of larceny.)

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117
Q

SAT Vocabulary

largess

A

(n.) the generous giving of lavish gifts (My boss demonstrated great largess by giving me a new car.)

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118
Q

SAT Vocabulary

latent

A

(adj.) hidden; but capable of being exposed (Sigmund’s dream represented his latent paranoid obsession with other people’s shoes.)

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119
Q

SAT Vocabulary

laudatory

A

(adj.) expressing admiration or praise (Such laudatory comments are unusual from someone who is usually so reserved in his opinions.)

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120
Q

SAT Vocabulary

lavish

A
  1. (adj.) given without limits (Because they had worked very hard; the performers appreciated the critic’s lavish praise.) 2. (v.) to give without limits (Because the performers had worked hard; they deserved the praise that the critic lavished on them.)
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121
Q

SAT Vocabulary

legerdemain

A

(n.) deception; slight-of-hand (Smuggling the French plants through customs by claiming that they were fake was a remarkable bit of legerdemain.)

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122
Q

SAT Vocabulary

lenient

A

(adj.) demonstrating tolerance or gentleness (Because Professor Oglethorpe allowed his students to choose their final grades; the other teachers believed that he was excessively lenient.)

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123
Q

SAT Vocabulary

lethargic

A

(adj.) in a state of sluggishness or apathy (When Jean Claude explained to his boss that he was lethargic and didn’t feel like working that day; the boss fired him.)

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124
Q

SAT Vocabulary

liability

A
  1. (n.) something for which one is legally responsible; usually involving a disadvantage or risk (The bungee-jumping tower was a great liability for the owners of the carnival.) 2. (n.) a handicap; burden (Because she often lost her concentration and didn’t play defense; Marcy was a liability to the team.)
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125
Q

SAT Vocabulary

libertarian

A

(adj.) advocating principles of liberty and free will (The dissatisfied subjects overthrew the monarch and replaced him with a libertarian ruler who respected their democratic principles.)

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126
Q

SAT Vocabulary

licentious

A

(adj.) displaying a lack of moral or legal restraints (Marilee has always been fascinated by the licentious private lives of politicians.)

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127
Q

SAT Vocabulary

limpid

A

(adj.) clear; transparent (Mr. Johnson’s limpid writing style greatly pleased readers who disliked complicated novels.)

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128
Q

SAT Vocabulary

linchpin

A

(n.) something that holds separate parts together (The linchpin in the prosecution’s case was the hair from the defendant’s head; which was found at the scene of the crime.)

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129
Q

SAT Vocabulary

lithe

A

(adj.) graceful; flexible; supple (Although the dancers were all outstanding; Jae Sun’s control of her lithe body was particularly impressive.)

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130
Q

SAT Vocabulary

litigant

A

(n.) someone engaged in a lawsuit (When the litigants began screaming at each other; Judge Koch ordered them to be silent.)

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131
Q

SAT Vocabulary

lucid

A

(adj.) clear; easily understandable (Because Guenevere’s essay was so lucid; I only had to read it once to understand her reasoning.)

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132
Q

SAT Vocabulary

luminous

A

(adj.) brightly shining (The light of the luminous moon graced the shoulders of the beautiful maiden.)

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133
Q

SAT Vocabulary

lurid

A

(adj.) ghastly; sensational (Gideon’s story; in which he described a character torturing his sister’s dolls; was judged too lurid to be printed in the school’s literary magazine.)

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134
Q

SAT Vocabulary

maelstrom

A

(n.) a destructive whirlpool which rapidly sucks in objects (Little did the explorers know that as they turned the next bend of the calm river a vicious maelstrom would catch their boat.)

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135
Q

SAT Vocabulary

magnanimous

A

(adj.) noble; generous (Although I had already broken most of her dishes; Jacqueline was magnanimous enough to continue letting me use them.)

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136
Q

SAT Vocabulary

malediction

A

(n.) a curse (When I was arrested for speeding; I screamed maledictions against the policeman and the entire police department.)

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137
Q

SAT Vocabulary

malevolent

A

(adj.) wanting harm to befall others (The malevolent old man sat in the park all day; tripping unsuspecting passersby with his cane.)

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138
Q

SAT Vocabulary

malleable

A

(adj.) capable of being shaped or transformed (Maximillian’s political opinions were so malleable that anyone he talked to was able to change his mind instantly.)

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139
Q

SAT Vocabulary

mandate

A

(n.) an authoritative command (In the Old Testament; God mandates that no one should steal.)

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140
Q

SAT Vocabulary

manifest

A
  1. (adj.) easily understandable; obvious (When I wrote the wrong sum on the chalkboard; my mistake was so manifest that the entire class burst into laughter.) 2. (v.) to show plainly (His illness first manifested itself with particularly violent hiccups.)
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141
Q

SAT Vocabulary

manifold

A

(adj.) diverse; varied (The popularity of Dante’s Inferno is partly due to the fact that the work allows for manifold interpretations.)

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142
Q

SAT Vocabulary

maudlin

A

(adj.) weakly sentimental (Although many people enjoy romantic comedies; I usually find them maudlin and shallow.)

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143
Q

SAT Vocabulary

maverick

A

(n.) an independent; nonconformist person (Andreas is a real maverick and always does things his own way.)

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144
Q

SAT Vocabulary

mawkish

A

(adj.) characterized by sick sentimentality (Although some nineteenth- century critics viewed Dickens’s writing as mawkish; contemporary readers have found great emotional depth in his works.)

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145
Q

SAT Vocabulary

maxim

A

(n.) a common saying expressing a principle of conduct (Miss Manners’s etiquette maxims are both entertaining and instructional.)

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146
Q

SAT Vocabulary

meager

A

(adj.) deficient in size or quality (My meager portion of food did nothing to satisfy my appetite.)

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147
Q

SAT Vocabulary

medley

A

(n.) a mixture of differing things (Susannah’s wardrobe contained an astonishing medley of colors; from olive green to fluorescent pink.)

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148
Q

SAT Vocabulary

mendacious

A

(adj.) having a lying; false character (The mendacious content of the tabloid magazines is at least entertaining.)

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149
Q

SAT Vocabulary

mercurial

A

(adj.) characterized by rapid change or temperamentality (Though he was widely respected for his mathematical proofs; the mercurial genius was impossible to live with.)

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150
Q

SAT Vocabulary

meritorious

A

(adj.) worthy of esteem or reward (Manfred was given the congressional medal of honor for his meritorious actions.)

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151
Q

SAT Vocabulary

metamorphosis

A

(n.) the change of form; shape; substance (Winnifred went to the gym every day for a year and underwent a metamorphosis from a waiflike girl to an athletic woman.)

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152
Q

SAT Vocabulary

meticulous

A

(adj.) extremely careful with details (The ornate needlework in the bride’s gown was a product of meticulous handiwork.)

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153
Q

SAT Vocabulary

mitigate

A

(v.) to make less violent; alleviate (When I had an awful sore throat; only warm tea would mitigate the pain.)

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154
Q

SAT Vocabulary

moderate

A
  1. (adj.) not extreme (Luckily; the restaurant we chose had moderate prices; none of us have any money.) 2. (n.) one who expresses moderate opinions (Because he found both the liberal and conservative proposals too excessive; Mr. Park sided with the moderates.)
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155
Q

SAT Vocabulary

modicum

A

(n.) a small amount of something (Refusing to display even a modicum of sensitivity; Henrietta announced her boss’s affair in front of the entire office.)

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156
Q

SAT Vocabulary

modulate

A

(v.) to pass from one state to another; especially in music (The composer wrote a piece that modulated between minor and major keys.)

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157
Q

SAT Vocabulary

mollify

A

(v.) to soften in temper (The police officer mollified the angry woman by giving her a warning instead of a ticket.)

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158
Q

SAT Vocabulary

morass

A

(n.) a wet swampy bog; figuratively; something that traps and confuses (When Theresa lost her job; she could not get out of her financial morass.)

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159
Q

SAT Vocabulary

mores

A

(n.) the moral attitudes and fixed customs of a group of people. (Mores change over time; many things that were tolerated in 1975 are no longer seen as being socially acceptable.)

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160
Q

SAT Vocabulary

morose

A

(adj.) gloomy or sullen (Jason’s morose nature made him very unpleasant to talk to.)

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161
Q

SAT Vocabulary

multifarious

A

(adj.) having great diversity or variety (This Swiss Army knife has multifarious functions and capabilities. Among other things; it can act as a knife; a saw; a toothpick; and a slingshot.)

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162
Q

SAT Vocabulary

mundane

A

(adj.) concerned with the world rather than with heaven; commonplace (He is more concerned with the mundane issues of day-to-day life than with spiritual topics.)

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163
Q

SAT Vocabulary

munificence

A

(n.) generosity in giving (The royal family’s munificence made everyone else in their country rich.)

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164
Q

SAT Vocabulary

mutable

A

(adj.) able to change (Because fashion is so mutable; what is trendy today will look outdated in five years.)

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165
Q

SAT Vocabulary

myriad

A

(adj.) consisting of a very great number (It was difficult to decide what to do Friday night because the city presented us with myriad possibilities for fun.)

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166
Q

SAT Vocabulary

nadir

A

(n.) the lowest point of something (My day was boring; but the nadir came when I accidentally spilled a bowl of spaghetti on my head.)

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167
Q

SAT Vocabulary

nascent

A

(adj.) in the process of being born or coming into existence (Unfortunately; my brilliant paper was only in its nascent form on the morning that it was due.)

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168
Q

SAT Vocabulary

nebulous

A

(adj.) vaguely defined; cloudy (The transition between governments meant that who was actually in charge was a nebulous matter.)

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169
Q

SAT Vocabulary

nefarious

A

(adj.) heinously villainous (Although Dr. Meanman’s nefarious plot to melt the polar icecaps was terrifying; it was so impractical that nobody really worried about it.)

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170
Q

SAT Vocabulary

negligent

A

(adj.) habitually careless; neglectful (Jessie’s grandfather called me a negligent fool after I left the door to his apartment unlocked even though there had been a recent string of robberies.)

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171
Q

SAT Vocabulary

neophyte

A

(n.) someone who is young or inexperienced (As a neophyte in the literary world; Malik had trouble finding a publisher for his first novel.)

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172
Q

SAT Vocabulary

nocturnal

A

(adj.) relating to or occurring during the night (Jackie was a nocturnal person; she would study until dawn and sleep until the evening.)

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173
Q

SAT Vocabulary

noisome

A

(adj.) unpleasant; offensive; especially to the sense of smell (Nobody would enter the stalls until the horse’s noisome leavings were taken away.)

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174
Q

SAT Vocabulary

nomadic

A

(adj.) wandering from place to place (In the first six months after college; Jose led a nomadic life; living in New York; California; and Idaho.)

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175
Q

SAT Vocabulary

nominal

A

(adj.) trifling; insignificant (Because he was moving the following week and needed to get rid of his furniture more than he needed money; Jordan sold everything for a nominal fee.)

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176
Q

SAT Vocabulary

nonchalant

A

(adj.) having a lack of concern; indifference (Although deep down she was very angry; Marsha acted in a nonchalant manner when she found out that her best friend had used her clothing without asking.)

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177
Q

SAT Vocabulary

nondescript

A

(adj.) lacking a distinctive character (I was surprised when I saw the movie star in person because she looked nondescript.)

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178
Q

SAT Vocabulary

notorious

A

(adj.) widely and unfavorably known (Jacob was notorious for always arriving late at parties.)

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179
Q

SAT Vocabulary

novice

A

(n.) a beginner; someone without training or experience (Because we were all novices at yoga; our instructor decided to begin with the basics.)

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180
Q

SAT Vocabulary

noxious

A

(adj.) harmful; unwholesome (Environmentalists showed that the noxious weeds were destroying the insects’ natural habitats.)

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181
Q

SAT Vocabulary

nuance

A

(n.) a slight variation in meaning; tone; expression (The nuances of the poem were not obvious to the casual reader; but the professor was able to point them out.)

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182
Q

SAT Vocabulary

nurture

A

(v.) to assist the development of (Although Serena had never watered the plant; which was about to die; Javier was able to nurture it back to life.)

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183
Q

SAT Vocabulary

obdurate

A

(adj.) unyielding to persuasion or moral influences (The obdurate old man refused to take pity on the kittens.)

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184
Q

SAT Vocabulary

obfuscate

A

(v.) to render incomprehensible (The detective did want to answer the newspaperman’s questions; so he obfuscated the truth.)

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185
Q

SAT Vocabulary

oblique

A

(adj.) diverging from a straight line or course; not straightforward (Martin’s oblique language confused those who listened to him.)

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186
Q

SAT Vocabulary

oblivious

A

(adj.) lacking consciousness or awareness of something (Oblivious to the burning smell emanating from the kitchen; my father did not notice that the rolls in the oven were burned until much too late.)

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187
Q

SAT Vocabulary

obscure

A

(adj.) unclear; partially hidden (Because he was standing in the shadows; his features were obscure.)

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188
Q

SAT Vocabulary

obsequious

A

(adj.) excessively compliant or submissive (Mark acted like Janet’s servant; obeying her every request in an obsequious manner.)

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189
Q

SAT Vocabulary

obsolete

A

(adj.) no longer used; out of date (With the inventions of tape decks and CDs; which both have better sound and are easier to use; eight-track players are now entirely obsolete.)

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190
Q

SAT Vocabulary

obstinate

A

(adj.) not yielding easily; stubborn (The obstinate child refused to leave the store until his mother bought him a candy bar.)

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191
Q

SAT Vocabulary

obstreperous

A

(adj.) noisy; unruly (Billy’s obstreperous behavior prompted the librarian to ask him to leave the reading room.)

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192
Q

SAT Vocabulary

obtuse

A

(adj.) lacking quickness of sensibility or intellect (Political opponents warned that the prime minister’s obtuse approach to foreign policy would embroil the nation in mindless war.)

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193
Q

SAT Vocabulary

odious

A

(adj.) instilling hatred or intense displeasure (Mark was assigned the odious task of cleaning the cat’s litter box.)

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194
Q

SAT Vocabulary

officious

A

(adj.) offering one’s services when they are neither wanted nor needed (Brenda resented Allan’s officious behavior when he selected colors that might best improve her artwork.)

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195
Q

SAT Vocabulary

ominous

A

(adj.) foreboding or foreshadowing evil (The fortuneteller’s ominous words flashed through my mind as the hooded figure approached me in the alley.)

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196
Q

SAT Vocabulary

onerous

A

(adj.) burdensome (My parents lamented that the pleasures of living in a beautiful country estate no longer outweighed the onerous mortgage payments.)

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197
Q

SAT Vocabulary

opulent

A

(adj.) characterized by rich abundance verging on ostentation (The opulent furnishings of the dictator’s private compound contrasted harshly with the meager accommodations of her subjects.)

198
Q

SAT Vocabulary

oration

A

(n.) a speech delivered in a formal or ceremonious manner (The prime minister was visibly shaken when the unruly parliament interrupted his oration about failed domestic policies.)

199
Q

SAT Vocabulary

ornate

A

(adj.) highly elaborate; excessively decorated (The ornate styling of the new model of luxury car could not compensate for the poor quality of its motor.)

200
Q

SAT Vocabulary

orthodox

A

(adj.) conventional; conforming to established protocol (The company’s profits dwindled because the management pursued orthodox business policies that were incompatible with new industrial trends.)

201
Q

SAT Vocabulary

oscillate

A

(v.) to sway from one side to the other (My uncle oscillated between buying a station wagon to transport his family and buying a sports car to satisfy his boyhood fantasies.)

202
Q

SAT Vocabulary

ostensible

A

(adj.) appearing as such; seemingly (Jack’s ostensible reason for driving was that airfare was too expensive; but in reality; he was afraid of flying.)

203
Q

SAT Vocabulary

ostentatious

A

(adj.) excessively showy; glitzy (On the palace tour; the guide focused on the ostentatious decorations and spoke little of the royal family’s history.)

204
Q

SAT Vocabulary

ostracism

A

(n.) exclusion from a group (Beth risked ostracism if her roommates discovered her flatulence.)

205
Q

SAT Vocabulary

pacific

A

(adj.) soothing (The chemistry professor’s pacific demeanor helped the class remain calm after the experiment exploded.)

206
Q

SAT Vocabulary

palatable

A

(adj.) agreeable to the taste or sensibilities (Despite the unpleasant smell; the exotic cheese was quite palatable.)

207
Q

SAT Vocabulary

palette

A

(adj.) a range of colors or qualities (The palette of colors utilized in the painting was equaled only by the range of intense emotions the piece evoked.)

208
Q

SAT Vocabulary

palliate

A

(v.) to reduce the severity of (The doctor trusted that the new medication would palliate her patient’s discomfort.)

209
Q

SAT Vocabulary

pallid

A

(adj.) lacking color (Dr. Van Helsing feared that Lucy’s pallid complexion was due to an unexplained loss of blood.)

210
Q

SAT Vocabulary

panacea

A

(n.) a remedy for all ills or difficulties (Doctors wish there was a single panacea for every disease; but sadly there is not.)

211
Q

SAT Vocabulary

paradigm

A

(n.) an example that is a perfect pattern or model (Because the new SUV was so popular; it became the paradigm upon which all others were modeled.)

212
Q

SAT Vocabulary

paradox

A

(n.) an apparently contradictory statement that is perhaps true (The diplomat refused to acknowledge the paradox that negotiating a peace treaty would demand more resources than waging war.)

213
Q

SAT Vocabulary

paragon

A

(n.) a model of excellence or perfection (The mythical Helen of Troy was considered a paragon of female beauty.)

214
Q

SAT Vocabulary

paramount

A

(adj.) greatest in importance; rank; character (It was paramount that the bomb squad disconnect the blue wire before removing the fuse.)

215
Q

SAT Vocabulary

pariah

A

(n.) an outcast (Following the discovery of his plagiarism; Professor Hurley was made a pariah in all academic circles.)

216
Q

SAT Vocabulary

parody

A

(n.) a satirical imitation (A hush fell over the classroom when the teacher returned to find Deborah acting out a parody of his teaching style.)

217
Q

SAT Vocabulary

parsimony

A

(n.) frugality; stinginess (Many relatives believed that my aunt’s wealth resulted from her parsimony.)

218
Q

SAT Vocabulary

partisan

A

(n.) a follower; adherent (The king did not believe that his rival could round up enough partisans to overthrow the monarchy.)

219
Q

SAT Vocabulary

patent

A

(adj.) readily seen or understood; clear (The reason for Jim’s abdominal pain was made patent after the doctor performed a sonogram.)

220
Q

SAT Vocabulary

pathology

A

(n.) a deviation from the normal (Dr. Hastings had difficulty identifying the precise nature of Brian’s pathology.)

221
Q

SAT Vocabulary

pathos

A

(n.) an emotion of sympathy (Martha filled with pathos upon discovering the scrawny; shivering kitten at her door.)

222
Q

SAT Vocabulary

paucity

A

(adj.) small in quantity (Gilbert lamented the paucity of twentieth century literature courses available at the college.)

223
Q

SAT Vocabulary

pejorative

A

(adj.) derogatory; uncomplimentary (The evening’s headline news covered an international scandal caused by a pejorative statement the famous senator had made in reference to a foreign leader.)

224
Q

SAT Vocabulary

pellucid

A

(adj.) easily intelligible; clear (Wishing his book to be pellucid to the common man; Albert Camus avoided using complicated grammar when composing The Stranger.)

225
Q

SAT Vocabulary

penchant

A

(n.) a tendency; partiality; preference (Jill’s dinner parties quickly became monotonous on account of her penchant for Mexican dishes.)

226
Q

SAT Vocabulary

penitent

A

(adj.) remorseful; regretful (The jury’s verdict may have been more lenient if the criminal had appeared penitent for his gruesome crimes.)

227
Q

SAT Vocabulary

penultimate

A

(adj.) next to last (Having smoked the penultimate cigarette remaining in the pack; Cybil discarded the last cigarette and resolved to quit smoking.)

228
Q

SAT Vocabulary

penurious

A

(adj.) miserly; stingy (Stella complained that her husband’s penurious ways made it impossible to live the lifestyle she felt she deserved.)

229
Q

SAT Vocabulary

perfidious

A

(adj.) disloyal; unfaithful (After the official was caught selling government secrets to enemy agents; he was executed for his perfidious ways.)

230
Q

SAT Vocabulary

perfunctory

A

(adj.) showing little interest or enthusiasm (The radio broadcaster announced the news of the massacre in a surprisingly perfunctory manner.)

231
Q

SAT Vocabulary

permeate

A

(v.) to spread throughout; saturate (Mrs. Huxtable was annoyed that the wet dog’s odor had permeated the furniture’s upholstery.)

232
Q

SAT Vocabulary

pernicious

A

(adj.) extremely destructive or harmful (The new government feared that the Communist sympathizers would have a pernicious influence on the nation’s stability.)

233
Q

SAT Vocabulary

perplex

A

(v.) to confuse (Brad was perplexed by his girlfriend’s suddenly distant manner.)

234
Q

SAT Vocabulary

perspicacity

A

(adj.) shrewdness; perceptiveness (The detective was too humble to acknowledge that his perspicacity was the reason for his professional success.)

235
Q

SAT Vocabulary

pert

A

(adj.) flippant; bold (My parents forgave Sandra’s pert humor at the dinner table because it had been so long since they had last seen her.)

236
Q

SAT Vocabulary

pertinacious

A

(adj.) stubbornly persistent (Harry’s parents were frustrated with his pertinacious insistence that a monster lived in his closet. Then they opened the closet door and were eaten.)

237
Q

SAT Vocabulary

perusal

A

(n.) a careful examination; review (The actor agreed to accept the role after a two-month perusal of the movie script.)

238
Q

SAT Vocabulary

pervasive

A

(adj.) having the tendency to spread throughout (Stepping off the plane in Havana; I recognized the pervasive odor of sugar cane fields on fire.)

239
Q

SAT Vocabulary

petulance

A

(n.) rudeness; irritability (The Nanny resigned after she could no longer tolerate the child’s petulance.)

240
Q

SAT Vocabulary

philanthropic

A

(adj.) charitable; giving (Many people felt that the billionaire’s decision to donate her fortune to house the homeless was the ultimate philanthropic act.)

241
Q

SAT Vocabulary

phlegmatic

A

(adj.) uninterested; unresponsive (Monique feared her dog was ill after the animal’s phlegmatic response to his favorite chew toy.)

242
Q

SAT Vocabulary

pillage

A

(v.) to seize or plunder; especially in war (Invading enemy soldiers pillaged the homes scattered along the country’s border.)

243
Q

SAT Vocabulary

pinnacle

A

(n.) the highest point (Book reviewers declared that the author’s new novel was extraordinary and probably the pinnacle of Western literature.)

244
Q

SAT Vocabulary

pithy

A

(adj.) concisely meaningful (My father’s long-winded explanation was a stark contrast to his usually pithy statements.)

245
Q

SAT Vocabulary

pittance

A

(n.) a very small amount; especially relating to money (Josh complained that he was paid a pittance for the great amount of work he did at the firm.)

246
Q

SAT Vocabulary

placate

A

(v.) to ease the anger of; soothe (The man purchased a lollipop to placate his irritable son.)

247
Q

SAT Vocabulary

placid

A

(adj.) calm; peaceful (The placid lake surface was as smooth as glass.)

248
Q

SAT Vocabulary

platitude

A

(n.) an uninspired remark; cliché (After reading over her paper; Helene concluded that what she thought were profound insights were actually just platitudes.)

249
Q

SAT Vocabulary

plaudits

A

(n.) enthusiastic approval; applause (The controversial new film received plaudits from even the harshest critics.)

250
Q

SAT Vocabulary

plausible

A

(adj.) believable; reasonable (He studied all the data and then came up with a plausible theory that took all factors into account.)

251
Q

SAT Vocabulary

plenitude

A

(n.) an abundance (My grandmother was overwhelmed by the plenitude of tomatoes her garden yielded this season.)

252
Q

SAT Vocabulary

plethora

A

(n.) an abundance; excess (The wedding banquet included a plethora of oysters piled almost three feet high.)

253
Q

SAT Vocabulary

pliable

A

(adj.) flexible (Aircraft wings are designed to be somewhat pliable so they do not break in heavy turbulence.)

254
Q

SAT Vocabulary

poignant

A

(adj.) deeply affecting; moving (My teacher actually cried after reading to us the poignant final chapter of the novel.)

255
Q

SAT Vocabulary

polemic

A

(n.) an aggressive argument against a specific opinion (My brother launched into a polemic against my arguments that capitalism was an unjust economic system.)

256
Q

SAT Vocabulary

portent

A

(n.) an omen (When a black cat crossed my sister’s path while she was walking to school; she took it as a portent that she would do badly on her spelling test.)

257
Q

SAT Vocabulary

potable

A

(adj.) suitable for drinking (During sea voyages it is essential that ships carry a supply of potable water because salty ocean water makes anyone who drinks it sick.)

258
Q

SAT Vocabulary

potentate

A

(n.) one who has great power; a ruler (All the villagers stood along the town’s main road to observe as the potentate’s procession headed towards the capital.)

259
Q

SAT Vocabulary

pragmatic

A

(adj.) practical (The politician argued that while increased security measures might not fit with the lofty ideals of the nation; they were a pragmatic necessity to ensure everyone’s safety.)

260
Q

SAT Vocabulary

precipice

A

(n.) the face of a cliff; a steep or overhanging place (The mountain climber hung from a precipice before finding a handhold and pulling himself up.)

261
Q

SAT Vocabulary

preclude

A

(v.) to prevent (My grandfather’s large and vicious guard dog precluded anyone from entering the yard.)

262
Q

SAT Vocabulary

precocious

A

(adj.) advanced; developing ahead of time (Derek was so academically precocious that by the time he was 10 years old; he was already in the ninth grade.)

263
Q

SAT Vocabulary

predilection

A

(n.) a preference or inclination for something (Francois has a predilection for eating scrambled eggs with ketchup; though I prefer to eat eggs without any condiments.)

264
Q

SAT Vocabulary

preponderance

A

(adj.) superiority in importance or quantity (Britain’s preponderance of naval might secured the nation’s role as a military power.)

265
Q

SAT Vocabulary

prepossessing

A

(adj.) occupying the mind to the exclusion of other thoughts or feelings (His prepossessing appearance made it impossible for me to think of anything else.)

266
Q

SAT Vocabulary

presage

A

(n.) an omen (When my uncle’s old war injury ached; he interpreted it as a presage of bad weather approaching.)

267
Q

SAT Vocabulary

prescient

A

(adj.) to have foreknowledge of events (Questioning the fortune cookie’s prediction; Ray went in search of the old hermit who was rumored to be prescient.)

268
Q

SAT Vocabulary

prescribe

A

(v.) to lay down a rule (The duke prescribed that from this point further all of the peasants living on his lands would have to pay higher taxes.)

269
Q

SAT Vocabulary

presumptuous

A

(adj.) disrespectfully bold (The princess grew angry after the presumptuous noble tried to kiss her; even though he was far below her in social status.)

270
Q

SAT Vocabulary

pretense

A

(n.)an appearance or action intended to deceive (Though he actually wanted to use his parents’ car to go on a date; Nick borrowed his parents’ car under the pretense of attending a group study session.)

271
Q

SAT Vocabulary

primeval

A

(adj.) original; ancient (The first primates to walk on two legs; called Australopithecus; were the primeval descendants of modern man.)

272
Q

SAT Vocabulary

privation

A

(n.) lacking basic necessities (After decades of rule by an oppressive government that saw nothing wrong with stealing from its citizens; the recent drought only increased the people’s privation.)

273
Q

SAT Vocabulary

probity

A

(n.) virtue; integrity (Because he was never viewed as a man of great probity; no one was surprised by Mr. Samson’s immoral behavior.)

274
Q

SAT Vocabulary

proclivity

A

(n.) a strong inclination toward something (In a sick twist of fate; Harold’s childhood proclivity for torturing small animals grew into a desire to become a surgeon.)

275
Q

SAT Vocabulary

procure

A

(v.) to obtain; acquire (The FBI was unable to procure sufficient evidence to charge the gangster with racketeering.)

276
Q

SAT Vocabulary

profane

A

(adj.) lewd; indecent (Jacob’s profane act of dumping frogs in the holy water in the chapel at his boarding school resulted in his dismissal.)

277
Q

SAT Vocabulary

profligate

A

(adj.) dissolute; extravagant (The profligate gambler loved to drink; spend money; steal; cheat; and hang out with prostitutes.)

278
Q

SAT Vocabulary

profuse

A

(adj.) plentiful; abundant (The fans were profuse in their cheers for the star basketball player.)

279
Q

SAT Vocabulary

promulgate

A

(v.) to proclaim; make known (The film professor promulgated that both in terms of sex appeal and political intrigue; Sean Connery’s James Bond was superior to Roger Moore’s.)

280
Q

SAT Vocabulary

propagate

A

(v.) to multiply; spread out (Rumors of Paul McCartney’s demise propagated like wildfire throughout the world.)

281
Q

SAT Vocabulary

propensity

A

(n.) an inclination; preference (Dermit has a propensity for dangerous activities such as bungee jumping.)

282
Q

SAT Vocabulary

propitious

A

(adj.) favorable (The dark storm clouds visible on the horizon suggested that the weather would not be propitious for sailing.)

283
Q

SAT Vocabulary

propriety

A

(n.) the quality or state of being proper; decent (Erma’s old-fashioned parents believed that her mini-skirt lacked the propriety expected of a “nice” girl.)

284
Q

SAT Vocabulary

prosaic

A

(adj.) plain; lacking liveliness (Heather’s prosaic recital of the poem bored the audience.)

285
Q

SAT Vocabulary

proscribe

A

(v.) to condemn; outlaw (The town council voted to proscribe the sale of alcohol on weekends.)

286
Q

SAT Vocabulary

protean

A

(adj.)able to change shape; displaying great variety (Among Nigel’s protean talents was his ability to touch the tip of his nose with his tongue.)

287
Q

SAT Vocabulary

prowess

A

(n.) extraordinary ability (The musician had never taken a guitar lesson in his life; making his prowess with the instrument even more incredible.)

288
Q

SAT Vocabulary

prudence

A

(n.) cautious; circumspect (After losing a fortune in a stock market crash; my father vowed to practice greater prudence in future investments.)

289
Q

SAT Vocabulary

prurient

A

(adj.) eliciting or possessing an extraordinary interest in sex (David’s mother was shocked by the discovery of prurient reading material hidden beneath her son’s mattress.)

290
Q

SAT Vocabulary

puerile

A

(adj.) juvenile; immature (The judge demanded order after the lawyer’s puerile attempt to object by stomping his feet on the courtroom floor.)

291
Q

SAT Vocabulary

pugnacious

A

(adj.) quarrelsome; combative (Aaron’s pugnacious nature led him to start several barroom brawls each month.)

292
Q

SAT Vocabulary

pulchritude

A

(n.) physical beauty (Several of Shakespeare’s sonnets explore the pulchritude of a lovely young man.)

293
Q

SAT Vocabulary

punctilious

A

(adj.) eager to follow rules or conventions (Punctilious Bobby; hall monitor extraordinaire; insisted that his peers follow the rules.)

294
Q

SAT Vocabulary

pungent

A

(adj.) having a pointed; sharp quality—often used to describe smells (The pungent odor in the classroom made Joseph lose his concentration during the test.)

295
Q

SAT Vocabulary

punitive

A

(adj.) involving punishment (If caught smoking in the boys’ room; the punitive result is immediate expulsion from school.)

296
Q

SAT Vocabulary

putrid

A

(adj.) rotten; foul (Those rotten eggs smell putrid.) Q

297
Q

SAT Vocabulary

quagmire

A

(n.) a difficult situation (We’d all like to avoid the kind of military quagmire characterized by the Vietnam War.)

298
Q

SAT Vocabulary

quaint

A

(adj.) charmingly old-fashioned (Hilda was delighted by the quaint bonnets she saw in Amish country.)

299
Q

SAT Vocabulary

quandary

A

(n.) a perplexed; unresolvable state (Carlos found himself in a quandary: should he choose mint chocolate chip or cookie dough?)

300
Q

SAT Vocabulary

quell

A

(v.) to control or diffuse a potentially explosive situation (The skilled leader deftly quelled the rebellion.)

301
Q

SAT Vocabulary

querulous

A

(adj.) whiny; complaining (If deprived of his pacifier; young Brendan becomes querulous.)

302
Q

SAT Vocabulary

quixotic

A

(adj.) idealistic; impractical (Edward entertained a quixotic desire to fall in love at first sight in a laundromat.)

303
Q

SAT Vocabulary

quotidian

A

(adj.) daily (Ambika’s quotidian routines include drinking two cups of coffee in the morning.)

304
Q

SAT Vocabulary

rail

A

(v.) to scold; protest (The professor railed against the injustice of the college’s tenure policy.)

305
Q

SAT Vocabulary

rancid

A

(adj.) having a terrible taste or smell (Rob was double-dog-dared to eat the rancid egg salad sandwich.)

306
Q

SAT Vocabulary

rancor

A

(n.) deep; bitter resentment (When Eileen challenged me to a fight; I could see the rancor in her eyes.)

307
Q

SAT Vocabulary

rapport

A

(n.) mutual understanding and harmony (When Margaret met her paramour; they felt an instant rapport.)

308
Q

SAT Vocabulary

rash

A

(adj.) hasty; incautious (It’s best to think things over calmly and thoroughly; rather than make rash decisions.)

309
Q

SAT Vocabulary

raucous

A

(adj.) loud; boisterous (Sarah’s neighbors called the cops when her house party got too raucous.)

310
Q

SAT Vocabulary

raze

A

(v.) to demolish; level (The old tenement house was razed to make room for the large chain store.)

311
Q

SAT Vocabulary

rebuke

A

(v.) to scold; criticize (When the cops showed up at Sarah’s party; they rebuked her for disturbing the peace.)

312
Q

SAT Vocabulary

recalcitrant

A

(adj.) defiant; unapologetic (Even when scolded; the recalcitrant young girl simply stomped her foot and refused to finish her lima beans.)

313
Q

SAT Vocabulary

recapitulate

A

(v.) to sum up; repeat (Before the final exam; the teacher recapitulated the semester’s material.)

314
Q

SAT Vocabulary

reciprocate

A

(v.) to give in return (When Steve gave Samantha a sweater for Christmas; she reciprocated by giving him a kiss.)

315
Q

SAT Vocabulary

reclusive

A

(adj.) solitary; shunning society (Reclusive authors such as J.D. Salinger do not relish media attention and sometimes even enjoy holing up in remote cabins in the woods.)

316
Q

SAT Vocabulary

reconcile

A
  1. (v.) to return to harmony (The feuding neighbors finally reconciled when one brought the other a delicious tuna noodle casserole.) 2. (v.) to make consistent with existing ideas (Alou had to reconcile his skepticism about the existence of aliens with the fact that he was looking at a flying saucer.)
317
Q

SAT Vocabulary

rectitude

A

(n.) uprightness; extreme morality (The priest’s rectitude gave him the moral authority to counsel his parishioners.)

318
Q

SAT Vocabulary

redoubtable

A
  1. (adj.) formidable (The fortress looked redoubtable set against a stormy sky.) 2. (adj.) commanding respect (The audience greeted the redoubtable speaker with a standing ovation.)
319
Q

SAT Vocabulary

refract

A

(v.) to distort; change (The light was refracted as it passed through the prism.)

320
Q

SAT Vocabulary

refurbish

A

(v.) to restore; clean up (The dingy old chair; after being refurbished; commanded the handsome price of $200.)

321
Q

SAT Vocabulary

refute

A

(v.) to prove wrong (Maria refuted the president’s argument as she yelled and gesticulated at the TV.)

322
Q

SAT Vocabulary

regurgitate

A
  1. (v.) to vomit (Feeling sick; Chuck regurgitated his dinner.) 2. (v.) to throw back exactly (Margaret rushed through the test; regurgitating all of the facts she’d memorized an hour earlier.)
323
Q

SAT Vocabulary

relegate

A
  1. (v.) to assign to the proper place (At the astrology conference; Simon was relegated to the Scorpio room.) 2. (v.) to assign to an inferior place (After spilling a drink on a customer’s shirt; the waiter found himself relegated to the least lucrative shift.)
324
Q

SAT Vocabulary

relish

A

(v.) to enjoy (Pete always relished his bedtime snack.)

325
Q

SAT Vocabulary

remedial

A

(adj.) intended to repair gaps in students’ basic knowledge (After his teacher discovered he couldn’t read; Alex was forced to enroll in remedial English.)

326
Q

SAT Vocabulary

remiss

A

(adj.) negligent; failing to take care (The burglar gained entrance because the security guard; remiss in his duties; forgot to lock the door.)

327
Q

SAT Vocabulary

renovate

A
  1. (v.) restore; return to original state (The renovated antique candelabra looked as good as new.) 2. (v.) to enlarge and make prettier; especially a house (After getting renovated; the house was twice as big and much more attractive.)
328
Q

SAT Vocabulary

renown

A

(n.) honor; acclaim (The young writer earned international renown by winning the Pulitzer Prize.)

329
Q

SAT Vocabulary

renunciation

A

(n.) to reject (Fiona’s renunciation of red meat resulted in weight loss; but confused those people who thought she’d been a vegetarian for years.)

330
Q

SAT Vocabulary

repentant

A

(adj.) penitent; sorry (The repentant Dennis apologized profusely for breaking his mother’s vase.)

331
Q

SAT Vocabulary

replete

A

(adj.) full; abundant (The unedited version was replete with naughty words.)

332
Q

SAT Vocabulary

repose

A

(v.) to rest; lie down (The cat; after eating an entire can of tuna fish; reposed in the sun and took a long nap.)

333
Q

SAT Vocabulary

reprehensible

A

(adj.) deserving rebuke (Jean’s cruel and reprehensible attempt to dump her boyfriend on his birthday led to tears and recriminations.)

334
Q

SAT Vocabulary

reprieve

A

(n.) a temporary delay of punishment (Because the governor woke up in a particularly good mood; he granted hundreds of reprieves to prisoners.)

335
Q

SAT Vocabulary

reproach

A

(v.) to scold; disapprove (Brian reproached the customer for failing to rewind the video he had rented.)

336
Q

SAT Vocabulary

reprobate

A

(adj.) evil; unprincipled (The reprobate criminal sat sneering in the cell.)

337
Q

SAT Vocabulary

reprove

A

(v.) to scold; rebuke (Lara reproved her son for sticking each and every one of his fingers into the strawberry pie.)

338
Q

SAT Vocabulary

repudiate

A

(v.) to reject; refuse to accept (Kwame made a strong case for an extension of his curfew; but his mother repudiated it with a few biting words.)

339
Q

SAT Vocabulary

repulse

A
  1. (v.) to disgust (Antisocial Annie tried to repulse people by neglecting to brush her teeth.) 2. (v.) to push back (With a deft movement of her wrist and a punch to the stomach; Lacy repulsed Jack’s attempt to kiss her.)
340
Q

SAT Vocabulary

reputable

A

(adj.) of good reputation (After the most reputable critic in the industry gave the novel a glowing review; sales took off.)

341
Q

SAT Vocabulary

requisition

A

(n.) a demand for goods; usually made by an authority (During the war; the government made a requisition of supplies.)

342
Q

SAT Vocabulary

rescind

A

(v.) to take back; repeal (The company rescinded its offer of employment after discovering that Jane’s resume was full of lies.)

343
Q

SAT Vocabulary

reservoir

A
  1. (n.) reserves; large supply (Igor the Indomitable had quite a reservoir of strengh and could lift ten tons; even after running 700 miles; jumping over three mountains; and swimming across an ocean.) 2. (n.) a body of water used for storing water (After graduation; the more rebellious members of the senior class jumped into the town reservoir used for drinking water.)
344
Q

SAT Vocabulary

resilient

A

(adj.) able to recover from misfortune; able to withstand adversity (The resilient ballplayer quickly recovered from his wrist injury.)

345
Q

SAT Vocabulary

resolute

A

(adj.) firm; determined (With a resolute glint in her eye; Catherine announced that she was set on going to college in New York City even though she was a little frightened of tall buildings.)

346
Q

SAT Vocabulary

resolve

A
  1. (v.) to find a solution (Sarah and Emma resolved their differences and shook hands.) 2. (v.) to firmly decide (Lady Macbeth resolved to whip her husband into shape.)
347
Q

SAT Vocabulary

respite

A

(n.) a break; rest (Justin left the pub to gain a brief respite from the smoke and noise.)

348
Q

SAT Vocabulary

resplendent

A

(adj.) shiny; glowing (The partygoers were resplendent in diamonds and fancy dress.)

349
Q

SAT Vocabulary

restitution

A

(n.) restoration to the rightful owner (Many people feel that descendants of slaves should receive restitution for the sufferings of their ancestors.)

350
Q

SAT Vocabulary

restive

A

(adj.) resistant; stubborn; impatient (The restive audience pelted the band with mud and yelled nasty comments.)

351
Q

SAT Vocabulary

retract

A

(v.) withdraw (As the media worked itself into a frenzy; the publicist hurriedly retracted his client’s sexist statement.)

352
Q

SAT Vocabulary

revel

A

(v.) to enjoy intensely (Theodore reveled in his new status as Big Man on Campus.)

353
Q

SAT Vocabulary

revere

A

(v.) to esteem; show deference; venerate (The doctor saved countless lives with his combination of expertise and kindness and became universally revered.)

354
Q

SAT Vocabulary

revoke

A

(v.) to take back (After missing the curfew set by the court for eight nights in a row; Marcel’s freedom of movement was revoked.)

355
Q

SAT Vocabulary

rhapsodize

A

(v.) to engage in excessive enthusiasm (The critic rhapsodized about the movie; calling it an instant classic.)

356
Q

SAT Vocabulary

ribald

A

(adj.) coarsely; crudely humorous (While some giggled at the ribald joke involving a parson’s daughter; most sighed and rolled their eyes.)

357
Q

SAT Vocabulary

rife

A

(adj.) abundant (Surprisingly; the famous novelist’s writing was rife with spelling errors.)

358
Q

SAT Vocabulary

ruminate

A

(v.) to contemplate; reflect (Terry liked to ruminate while sitting on the banks of the river; staring pensively into the water.)

359
Q

SAT Vocabulary

ruse

A

(n.) a trick (Oliver concocted an elaborate ruse for sneaking out of the house to meet his girlfriend while simultaneously giving his mother the impression that he was asleep in bed.)

360
Q

SAT Vocabulary

saccharine

A

(adj.) sickeningly sweet (Tom’s saccharine manner; although intended to make him popular; actually repelled his classmates.)

361
Q

SAT Vocabulary

sacrosanct

A

(adj.) holy; something that should not be criticized (In the United States; the Constitution is often thought of as a sacrosanct document.)

362
Q

SAT Vocabulary

sagacity

A

(n.) shrewdness; soundness of perspective (With remarkable sagacity; the wise old man predicted and thwarted his children’s plan to ship him off to a nursing home.)

363
Q

SAT Vocabulary

salient

A

(adj.) significant; conspicuous (One of the salient differences between Alison and Nancy is that Alison is a foot taller.)

364
Q

SAT Vocabulary

salutation

A

(n.) a greeting (Andrew regularly began letters with the bizarre salutation “Ahoy ahoy.”)

365
Q

SAT Vocabulary

salve

A

(n.) a soothing balm (After Tony applied a salve to his brilliant red sunburn; he soon felt a little better.)

366
Q

SAT Vocabulary

sanctimonious

A

(adj.) giving a hypocritical appearance of piety (The sanctimonious Bertrand delivered stern lectures on the Ten Commandments to anyone who would listen; but thought nothing of stealing cars to make some cash on the side.)

367
Q

SAT Vocabulary

sanguine

A

(adj.) optimistic; cheery (Polly reacted to any bad news with a sanguine smile and the chirpy cry; “When life hands you lemons; make lemonade!”)

368
Q

SAT Vocabulary

satiate

A

(v.) to satisfy excessively (Satiated after eating far too much turkey and stuffing; Liza lay on the couch watching football and suffering from stomach pains.)

369
Q

SAT Vocabulary

scathing

A

(adj.) sharp; critical; hurtful (Two hours after breaking up with Russell; Suzanne thought of the perfect scathing retort to his accusations.)

370
Q

SAT Vocabulary

scintillating

A

(adj.) sparkling (The ice skater’s scintillating rhinestone costume nearly blinded the judges.)

371
Q

SAT Vocabulary

scrupulous

A

(adj.) painstaking; careful (With scrupulous care; Sam cut a snowflake out of white paper.)

372
Q

SAT Vocabulary

scurrilous

A

(adj.) vulgar; coarse (When Bruno heard the scurrilous accusation being made about him; he could not believe it because he always tried to be nice to everyone.)

373
Q

SAT Vocabulary

sedentary

A

(adj.) sitting; settled (The sedentary cat did little but loll in the sun.)

374
Q

SAT Vocabulary

semaphore

A

(n.) a visual signal (Anne and Diana communicated with a semaphore involving candles and window shades.)

375
Q

SAT Vocabulary

seminal

A

(adj.) original; important; creating a field (Stephen Greenblatt’s essays on Shakespeare proved to be seminal; because they initiated the critical school of New Historicism.)

376
Q

SAT Vocabulary

sensual

A

(adj.) involving sensory gratification; usually related to sex (With a coy smile; the guest on the blind-date show announced that he considered himself a very sensual person.)

377
Q

SAT Vocabulary

sensuous

A

(adj.) involving sensory gratification (Paul found drinking Coke; with all the little bubbles bursting on his tongue; a very sensuous experience.)

378
Q

SAT Vocabulary

serendipity

A

(n.) luck; finding good things without looking for them (In an amazing bit of serendipity; penniless Paula found a $20 bill in the subway station.)

379
Q

SAT Vocabulary

serene

A

(adj.) calm; untroubled (Louise stood in front of the Mona Lisa; puzzling over the famous woman’s serene smile.)

380
Q

SAT Vocabulary

servile

A

(adj.) subservient (The servile porter crept around the hotel lobby; bowing and quaking before the guests.)

381
Q

SAT Vocabulary

sinuous

A

(adj.) lithe; serpentine (With the sinuous movements of her arms; the dancer mimicked the motion of a snake.)

382
Q

SAT Vocabulary

sobriety

A

(n.) sedate; calm (Jason believed that maintaining his sobriety in times of crisis was the key to success in life.)

383
Q

SAT Vocabulary

solicitous

A

(adj.) concerned; attentive (Jim; laid up in bed with a nasty virus; enjoyed the solicitous attentions of his mother; who brought him soup and extra blankets.)

384
Q

SAT Vocabulary

solipsistic

A

(adj.) believing that oneself is all that exists (Colette’s solipsistic attitude completely ignored the plight of the homeless people on the street.)

385
Q

SAT Vocabulary

soluble

A

(adj.) able to dissolve (The plot of the spy film revolved around an untraceable and water-soluble poison.)

386
Q

SAT Vocabulary

solvent

A
  1. (n.) a substance that can dissolve other substances (Water is sometimes called the universal solvent because almost all other substances can dissolve into it.) 2. (adj.) able to pay debts (Upon receiving an unexpected check from her aunt; Annabelle found herself suddenly solvent.)
387
Q

SAT Vocabulary

somnolent

A

(adj.) sleepy; drowsy (The somnolent student kept falling asleep and waking up with a jerk.)

388
Q

SAT Vocabulary

sophomoric

A

(adj.) immature; uninformed (The mature senior rolled her eyes at the sophomoric gross-out humor of the underclassman.)

389
Q

SAT Vocabulary

sovereign

A

(adj.) having absolute authority in a certain realm (The sovereign queen; with steely resolve; ordered that the traitorous nobleman be killed.)

390
Q

SAT Vocabulary

speculative

A

(adj.) not based in fact (Sadly; Tessa was convicted on merely speculative evidence.)

391
Q

SAT Vocabulary

spurious

A

(adj.) false but designed to seem plausible (Using a spurious argument; John convinced the others that he had won the board game on a technicality.)

392
Q

SAT Vocabulary

stagnate

A

(v.) to become or remain inactive; not develop; not flow (With no room for advancement; the waiter’s career stagnated.)

393
Q

SAT Vocabulary

staid

A

(adj.) sedate; serious; self-restrained (The staid butler never changed his expression no matter what happened.)

394
Q

SAT Vocabulary

stingy

A

(adj.) not generous; not inclined to spend or give (Scrooge’s stingy habits did not fit with the generous; giving spirit of Christmas.)

395
Q

SAT Vocabulary

stoic

A

(adj.) unaffected by passion or feeling (Penelope’s faithfulness to Odysseus required that she be stoic and put off her many suitors.)

396
Q

SAT Vocabulary

stolid

A

(adj.) expressing little sensibility; unemotional (Charles’s stolid reaction to his wife’s funeral differed from the passion he showed at the time of her death.)

397
Q

SAT Vocabulary

strenuous

A

(adj.) requiring tremendous energy or stamina (Running a marathon is quite a strenuous task. So is watching an entire Star Trek marathon.)

398
Q

SAT Vocabulary

strident

A

(adj.) harsh; loud (A strident man; Captain Von Trapp yelled at his daughter and made her cry.)

399
Q

SAT Vocabulary

stupefy

A

(v.) to astonish; make insensible (Veronica’s audacity and ungratefulness stupefied her best friend; Heather.)

400
Q

SAT Vocabulary

subjugate

A

(v.) to bring under control; subdue (The invading force captured and subjugated the natives of that place.)

401
Q

SAT Vocabulary

sublime

A

(adj.) lofty; grand; exalted (The homeless man sadly pondered his former wealth and once sublime existence.)

402
Q

SAT Vocabulary

submissive

A

(adj.) easily yielding to authority (In some cultures; wives are supposed to be submissive and support their husbands in all matters.)

403
Q

SAT Vocabulary

succinct

A

(adj.) marked by compact precision (The governor’s succinct speech energized the crowd while the mayor’s rambled on and on.)

404
Q

SAT Vocabulary

superfluous

A

(adj.) exceeding what is necessary (Tracy had already won the campaign so her constant flattery of others was superfluous.)

405
Q

SAT Vocabulary

surfeit

A

(n.) an overabundant supply or indulgence (After partaking of the surfeit of tacos and tamales at the All-You-Can-Eat Taco Tamale Lunch Special; Beth felt rather sick.)

406
Q

SAT Vocabulary

surmise

A

(v.) to infer with little evidence (After speaking to only one of the students; the teacher was able to surmise what had caused the fight.)

407
Q

SAT Vocabulary

surreptitious

A

(adj.) stealthy (The surreptitious CIA agents were able to get in and out of the house without anyone noticing.)

408
Q

SAT Vocabulary

surrogate

A

(n.) one acting in place of another (The surrogate carried the child to term for its biological parents.)

409
Q

SAT Vocabulary

swarthy

A

(adj.) of dark color or complexion (When he got drunk; Robinson’s white skin became rather swarthy.)

410
Q

SAT Vocabulary

sycophant

A

(n.) one who flatters for self-gain (Some see the people in the cabinet as the president’s closest advisors; but others see them as sycophants.)

411
Q

SAT Vocabulary

tacit

A

(adj.) expressed without words (I interpreted my parents’ refusal to talk as a tacit acceptance of my request.)

412
Q

SAT Vocabulary

taciturn

A

(adj.) not inclined to talk (Though Jane never seems to stop talking; her brother is quite taciturn.)

413
Q

SAT Vocabulary

tangential

A

(adj.) incidental; peripheral; divergent (I tried to discuss my salary; but the boss kept veering off into tangential topics.)

414
Q

SAT Vocabulary

tantamount

A

(adj.) equivalent in value or significance (When it comes to sports; fearing your opponent is tantamount to losing.)

415
Q

SAT Vocabulary

tedious

A

(adj.) dull; boring (As time passed and the history professor continued to drone on and on; the lecture became increasingly tedious.)

416
Q

SAT Vocabulary

temerity

A

(n.) audacity; recklessness (Tom and Huck entered the scary cave armed with nothing but their own temerity.)

417
Q

SAT Vocabulary

temperance

A

(n.) moderation in action or thought (Maintaining temperance will ensure that you are able to think rationally and objectively.)

418
Q

SAT Vocabulary

tenable

A

(adj.) able to be defended or maintained (The department heads tore down the arguments in other people’s theses; but Johari’s work proved to be quite tenable.)

419
Q

SAT Vocabulary

tenuous

A

(adj.) having little substance or strength (Your argument is very tenuous; since it relies so much on speculation and hearsay.)

420
Q

SAT Vocabulary

terrestrial

A

(adj.) relating to the land (Elephants are terrestrial animals.)

421
Q

SAT Vocabulary

timorous

A

(adj.) timid; fearful (When dealing with the unknown; timorous Tallulah almost always broke into tears.)

422
Q

SAT Vocabulary

tirade

A

(n.) a long speech marked by harsh or biting language (Every time Jessica was late; her boyfriend went into a long tirade about punctuality.)

423
Q

SAT Vocabulary

toady

A

(n.) one who flatters in the hope of gaining favors (The other kids referred to the teacher’s pet as the Tenth Grade Toady.)

424
Q

SAT Vocabulary

tome

A

(n.) a large book (In college; I used to carry around an anatomy book that was the heaviest tome in my bag.)

425
Q

SAT Vocabulary

torpid

A

(adj.) lethargic; dormant; lacking motion (The torpid whale floated; wallowing in the water for hours.)

426
Q

SAT Vocabulary

torrid

A

(adj.) giving off intense heat; passionate (I didn’t want to witness the neighbor’s torrid affair through the window.)

427
Q

SAT Vocabulary

tortuous

A

(adj.) winding (The scary thing about driving in mountains are the narrow; tortuous roads.)

428
Q

SAT Vocabulary

tractable

A

(adj.) easily controlled (The horse was so tractable; Myra didn’t even need a bridle.)

429
Q

SAT Vocabulary

tranquil

A

(adj.) calm (There is a time of night when nothing moves and everything is tranquil.)

430
Q

SAT Vocabulary

transgress

A

(v.) to violate; go over a limit (The criminal’s actions transgressed morality and human decency.)

431
Q

SAT Vocabulary

transient

A

(adj.) passing through briefly; passing into and out of existence (Because virtually everyone in Palm Beach is a tourist; the population of the town is quite transient.)

432
Q

SAT Vocabulary

transmute

A

(v.) to change or alter in form (Ancient alchemists believed that it was possible to transmute lead into gold.)

433
Q

SAT Vocabulary

travesty

A

(n.) a grossly inferior imitation (According to the school newspaper’s merciless theater critic; Pacific Coast High’s rendition of the musical Oklahoma was a travesty of the original.)

434
Q

SAT Vocabulary

tremulous

A

(adj.) fearful (I always feel a trifle tremulous when walking through a graveyard.)

435
Q

SAT Vocabulary

trenchant

A

(adj.) effective; articulate; clear-cut (The directions that accompanied my new cell phone were trenchant and easy to follow.)

436
Q

SAT Vocabulary

trepidation

A

(n.) fear; apprehension (Feeling great trepidation; Anya refused to jump into the pool because she thought she saw a shark in it.)

437
Q

SAT Vocabulary

trite

A

(adj.) not original; overused (Keith thought of himself as being very learned; but everyone else thought he was trite because his observations about the world were always the same as David Letterman’s.)

438
Q

SAT Vocabulary

truculent

A

(adj.) ready to fight; cruel (This club doesn’t really attract the dangerous types; so why was that bouncer being so truculent?)

439
Q

SAT Vocabulary

truncate

A

(v.) to shorten by cutting off (After winning the derby; the jockey truncated the long speech he had planned and thanked only his mom and his horse.)

440
Q

SAT Vocabulary

turgid

A

(adj.) swollen; excessively embellished in style or language (The haughty writer did not realize how we all really felt about his turgid prose.)

441
Q

SAT Vocabulary

turpitude

A

(n.) depravity; moral corruption (Sir Marcus’s chivalry often contrasted with the turpitude he exhibited with the ladies at the tavern.)

442
Q

SAT Vocabulary

ubiquitous

A

(adj.) existing everywhere; widespread (It seems that everyone in the United States has a television. The technology is ubiquitous here.)

443
Q

SAT Vocabulary

umbrage

A

(n.) resentment; offense (He called me a lily-livered coward; and I took umbrage at the insult.)

444
Q

SAT Vocabulary

uncanny

A

(adj.) of supernatural character or origin (Luka had an uncanny ability to know exactly what other people were thinking. She also had an uncanny ability to shoot fireballs from her hands.)

445
Q

SAT Vocabulary

unctuous

A

(adj.) smooth or greasy in texture; appearance; manner (The unctuous receptionist seemed untrustworthy; as if she was only being helpful because she thought we might give her a big tip.)

446
Q

SAT Vocabulary

undulate

A

(v.) to move in waves (As the storm began to brew; the placid ocean began to undulate to an increasing degree.)

447
Q

SAT Vocabulary

upbraid

A

(v.) to criticize or scold severely (The last thing Lindsay wanted was for Lisa to upbraid her again about missing the rent payment.)

448
Q

SAT Vocabulary

usurp

A

(v.) to seize by force; take possession of without right (The rogue army general tried to usurp control of the government; but he failed because most of the army backed the legally elected president.)

449
Q

SAT Vocabulary

utilitarian

A

(adj.) relating to or aiming at usefulness (The beautiful; fragile vase couldn’t hold flowers or serve any other utilitarian purpose.)

450
Q

SAT Vocabulary

utopia

A

(n.) an imaginary and remote place of perfection (Everyone in the world wants to live in a utopia; but no one can agree how to go about building one.)

451
Q

SAT Vocabulary

vacillate

A

(v.) to fluctuate; hesitate (I prefer a definite answer; but my boss kept vacillating between the distinct options available to us.)

452
Q

SAT Vocabulary

vacuous

A

(adj.) lack of content or ideas; stupid (Beyonce realized that the lyrics she had just penned were completely vacuous and tried to add more substance.)

453
Q

SAT Vocabulary

validate

A

(v.) to confirm; support; corroborate (Yoko’s chemistry lab partner was asleep during the experiment and could not validate the accuracy of her methods.)

454
Q

SAT Vocabulary

vapid

A

(adj.) lacking liveliness; dull (The professor’s comments about the poem were surprisingly vapid and dull.)

455
Q

SAT Vocabulary

variegated

A

(adj.) diversified; distinctly marked (Each wire in the engineering exam was variegated by color so that the students could figure out which one was which.)

456
Q

SAT Vocabulary

vehemently

A

(adv.) marked by intense force or emotion (The candidate vehemently opposed cutting back on Social Security funding.)

457
Q

SAT Vocabulary

veneer

A

(n.) a superficial or deceptively attractive appearance; façade (Thanks to her Chanel makeup; Shannen was able to maintain a veneer of perfection that hid the flaws underneath.)

458
Q

SAT Vocabulary

venerable

A

(adj.) deserving of respect because of age or achievement (The venerable Supreme Court justice had made several key rulings in landmark cases throughout the years.)

459
Q

SAT Vocabulary

venerate

A

(v.) to regard with respect or to honor (The tribute to John Lennon sought to venerate his music; his words; and his legend.)

460
Q

SAT Vocabulary

veracity

A

(n.) truthfulness; accuracy (With several agencies regulating the reports; it was difficult for Latifah to argue against its veracity.)

461
Q

SAT Vocabulary

verbose

A

(adj.) wordy; impaired by wordiness (It took the verbose teacher two hours to explain the topic; while it should have taken only fifteen minutes.)

462
Q

SAT Vocabulary

verdant

A

(adj.) green in tint or color (The verdant leaves on the trees made the world look emerald.)

463
Q

SAT Vocabulary

vestige

A

(n.) a mark or trace of something lost or vanished (Do you know if the Mexican tortilla is a vestige of some form of Aztec corn-based flat bread?)

464
Q

SAT Vocabulary

vex

A

(v.) to confuse or annoy (My little brother vexes me by poking me in the ribs for hours on end.)

465
Q

SAT Vocabulary

vicarious

A

(adj.) experiencing through another (All of my lame friends learned to be social through vicarious involvement in my amazing experiences.)

466
Q

SAT Vocabulary

vicissitude

A

(n.) event that occurs by chance (The vicissitudes of daily life prevent me from predicting what might happen from one day to the next.)

467
Q

SAT Vocabulary

vigilant

A

(adj.) watchful; alert (The guards remained vigilant throughout the night; but the enemy never launched the expected attack.)

468
Q

SAT Vocabulary

vilify

A

(v.) to lower in importance; defame (After the Watergate scandal; almost any story written about President Nixon sought to vilify him and criticize his behavior.)

469
Q

SAT Vocabulary

vindicate

A

(v.) to avenge; to free from allegation; to set free (The attorney had no chance of vindicating the defendant with all of the strong evidence presented by the state.)

470
Q

SAT Vocabulary

vindictive

A

(adj.) vengeful (The vindictive madman seeks to exact vengeance for any insult that he perceives is directed at him; no matter how small.)

471
Q

SAT Vocabulary

virtuoso

A

(n.) one who excels in an art; a highly skilled musical performer (Even though Lydia has studied piano for many years; she’s only average at it. She’s no virtuoso; that’s for sure.)

472
Q

SAT Vocabulary

viscous

A

(adj.) not free flowing; syrupy (The viscous syrup took three minutes to pour out of the bottle.)

473
Q

SAT Vocabulary

vitriolic

A

(adj.) having a caustic quality (When angry; the woman would spew vitriolic insults.)

474
Q

SAT Vocabulary

vituperate

A

(v.) to berate (Jack ran away as soon as his father found out; knowing he would be vituperated for his unseemly behavior.)

475
Q

SAT Vocabulary

vivacious

A

(adj.) lively; sprightly (The vivacious clown makes all of the children laugh and giggle with his friendly antics.)

476
Q

SAT Vocabulary

vocation

A

(n.) the work in which someone is employed; profession (After growing tired of the superficial world of high-fashion; Edwina decided to devote herself to a new vocation: social work.)

477
Q

SAT Vocabulary

vociferous

A

(adj.) loud; boisterous (I’m tired of his vociferous whining so I’m breaking up with him.)

478
Q

SAT Vocabulary

wallow

A

(v.) to roll oneself indolently; to become or remain helpless (My roommate can’t get over her breakup with her boyfriend and now just wallows in self-pity.)

479
Q

SAT Vocabulary

wane

A

(v.) to decrease in size; dwindle (Don’t be so afraid of his wrath because his influence with the president is already beginning to wane.)

480
Q

SAT Vocabulary

wanton

A

(adj.) undisciplined; lewd; lustful (Vicky’s wanton demeanor often made the frat guys next door very excited.)

481
Q

SAT Vocabulary

whimsical

A

(adj.) fanciful; full of whims (The whimsical little girl liked to pretend that she was an elvin princess.)

482
Q

SAT Vocabulary

wily

A

(adj.) crafty; sly (Though they were not the strongest of the Thundercats; wily Kit and Kat were definitely the most clever and full of tricks.)

483
Q

SAT Vocabulary

winsome

A

(adj.) charming; pleasing (After such a long; frustrating day; I was grateful for Chris’s winsome attitude and childish naivete.)

484
Q

SAT Vocabulary

wistful

A

(adj.) full of yearning; musingly sad (Since her pet rabbit died; Edda missed it terribly and sat around wistful all day long.)

485
Q

SAT Vocabulary

wizened

A

(adj.) dry; shrunken; wrinkled (Agatha’s grandmother; Stephanie; had the most wizened countenance; full of leathery wrinkles.)

486
Q

SAT Vocabulary

wrath

A

(n.) vengeful anger; punishment (Did you really want to incur her wrath when she is known for inflicting the worst punishments legally possible?)

487
Q

SAT Vocabulary

yoke

A

(v.) to join; link (We yoked together the logs by tying a string around them.) Z

488
Q

SAT Vocabulary

zealous

A

(adj.) fervent; filled with eagerness in pursuit of something (If he were any more zealous about getting his promotion; he’d practically live at the office.)

489
Q

SAT Vocabulary

zenith

A

(n.) the highest point; culminating point (I was too nice to tell Nelly that she had reached the absolute zenith of her career with that one hit of hers.)

490
Q

SAT Vocabulary

zephyr

A

(n.) a gentle breeze (If not for the zephyrs that were blowing and cooling us; our room would’ve been unbearably hot.)

English (9 decks)

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