SAT Words VI Flashcards
re-
- again, back.
- reiterate: repeat.
retro-
- backward.
- retrospect: looking back.
se-
- away, aside.
- secede: withdraw.
semi-
- half, partly.
- semiannual: every six months.
sub, suc, suf, sug, sup, sus-
- under, less.
- subway: underground road.
super, sur-
- over, above.
- supernatural: above natural things.
syn, sym, syl, sys-
- with, together.
- synchronize: time together.
tele-
- far.
- telegraphic: communicated over a distance.
trans-
- across.
- transport: carry across.
ultra-
- beyond, excessive.
- ultramodern: excessively modern.
un-
- not.
- unwitting: not knowing, unintentional.
under-
- below.
- underling: someone inferior.
uni-
- one.
- unicycle: one-wheeled vehicle.
vice-
- in place of.
- vicarious: acting as a substitute.
with-
- away, against.
- withhold: hold back, keep.
Oust (v.)
- expel, drive out.
- The world wondered if Aquino would be able to oust Marcos from office.
Outlandish (adj.)
- bizarre, peculiar, unconventional.
- The eccentric professor who engages in markedly outlandish behavior is a stock figure in novels.
Outmoded (adj.)
- no longer stylish, old-fashioned.
- Unconcerned about keeping in style, Lenore was perfectly happy to wear outmoded clothes as long as they were clean and unfrayed.
Outskirts (n.)
- fringes, outer borders.
- We lived, not in Central London, but in one of those peripheral suburbs that spring up on the outskirts of a great city.
Outstrip (v.)
- surpass, outdo.
- Jesse Owens easily outstripped his white competitors to win the gold medal at the Olympic Games.
Overbearing (adj.)
- bossy and arrogant, decisively important.
- Certain of her own importance, and of the unimportance of everyone else, Lady Bracknell was intolerably overbearing in her manner.
Overt (adj.)
- open to view.
- According to the United States Constitution, a person must commit an overt act before he may be tried for treason.
Overwrought (adj.)
- extremely agitated, hysterical.
- When Kate heard the news of the sudden tragedy, she became too overwrought to work and had to leave the office early.
Pacifist (n.)
- one opposed to force, antimilitarist.
- During the war, though the pacifists refused to bear arms, they nevertheless served in the front lines as ambulance drivers and medical corpsmen.
Pacify (v.)
- soothe, make calm or quiet, subdue.
- Dentists criticize the practice of giving fussy children sweets to pacify them.
Pact (n.)
- agreement, treaty.
- Tweedledum and Tweedledee made a pact not to quarrel anymore.
Paean (n.)
- song of praise or joy.
- Paeans celebrating the victory filled the air.
Painstaking (adj.)
- showing hard work, taking great care.
- The new high-frequency word list is the result of painstaking efforts on the part of our research staff.
Palatable (adj.)
- agreeable, pleasing to the taste.
- Neither Jack’s underbaked opinions nor his overcooked casseroles were palatable to Jill.
Palette (n.)
- flat surface on which painters mix pigments, range of colors commonly used by a particular artist.
- The artist’s apprentices had the messy job of cleaning his brushes and palette.
Pall (v.)
- grow tiresome.
- The study of word lists can eventually pall and put one to sleep.
Palliate (v.)
- lessen the violence of (a disease), alleviate, moderate intensity, gloss over with excuses.
- Not content merely to palliate the patient’s sores and cankers, the researchers sought a means of wiping out the disease.
Pallid (adj.)
- pale, wan.
- Because his job requires that he required that he work at night and sleep during the day, he had an exceptionally pallid complexion.
Palpable (adj.)
- tangible, easily perceptible, unmistakable.
- The patient’s enlarged spleen was palpable: even the first year the medical student could feel it.
Palpitate (v.)
- throb, flutter.
- As he became excited, his heart began to palpitate more and more erratically.
Paltry (adj.)
- insignificant, petty, trifling.
- One hundred dollars for a genuine imitation Rolex watch! Lady, this is a paltry sum to pay for such a high-class piece of jewelry.
Pan (v.)
- criticize harshly.
- Hoping for a rave review of his new show, the playwright was miserable when the critics panned it unanimously.
Panacea (n.)
- cure-all, remedy for all diseases.
- The rich youth cynically declared that the panacea for all speeding tickets was a big enough bribe.
Panache (n.)
- flair, flamboyance.
- Many performers imitate Noel Coward, but few have his panache and sense if style.
Pandemic (adj.)
- widespread, affecting the majority of people.
- They feared the AIDS epidemic would soon reach pandemic proportions.
Pandemonium (n.)
- wild tumult.
- When the ships collided in the harbor, pandemonium broke out among the passengers.
Pander (v.)
- cater to the low desires of others.
- The reviewer accused the makers of Lethal Weapon of pandering to the masses’ taste for violence.
Panegyric (n.)
- formal praise.
- Blushing at all the praise heaped upon him by the speakers, the modest hero said, “I don’t deserve such panegyrics.”
Panoramic (adj.)
- related to an uninstructed and comprehensive view.
- From Inspiration Point we had a magnificent panoramic view of the Marin headlands and San Francisco Bay.
Pantomime (n.)
- acting without dialogue.
- Artists in pantomime need no words to communicate with their audience, their only language is gesture.
Parable (n.)
- short, simple story teaching a moral.
- Let us apply to our own conduct the lessen that this parable teaches.
