SSAT Vocabulary Flashcards
Abdicate
to renounce or relinquish a throne, right, power, claim, responsibility, or the like, especially in a formal manner: The aging founder of the firm decided to abdicate.
Abhor
to regard with extreme repugnance or aversion; detest utterly; loathe; abominate.
Adamant
too hard to cut, break, or pierce.
Adept
very skilled; proficient; expert: an adept juggler.
Admonish
to caution, advise, or counsel against something.
Adversary
a person, group, or force that opposes or attacks; opponent; enemy; foe.
Aggrandize
to widen in scope; increase in size or intensity; enlarge; extend.
Akin
of kin; related by blood (usually used predicatively): cousins who were too closely akin for marriage.
Altruism
the principle or practice of unselfish concern for or devotion to the welfare of others
Ambivalent
having mixed feelings about someone or something; being unable to choose between two (usually opposing) courses of action: The whole family was ambivalent about the move to the suburbs. She is regarded as a morally ambivalent character in the play.
Ameliorate
to make or become better, more bearable, or more satisfactory; improve; meliorate.
Androgynous
being both male and female; hermaphroditic.
having both masculine and feminine characteristics.
Animosity
a feeling of strong dislike, ill will, or enmity that tends to display itself in action: a deep-seated animosity between two sisters; animosity against one’s neighbor.
Annex
to attach, append, or add, especially to something larger or more important.
Antipathy
a natural, basic, or habitual repugnance; aversion.
an instinctive contrariety or opposition in feeling.
Arbitrary
decided by a judge or arbiter rather than by a law or statute.
Assail
to attack vigorously or violently; assault.
Austere
severe in manner or appearance; uncompromising; strict; forbidding: an austere teacher.
Auspicious
promising success; propitious; opportune; favorable: an auspicious occasion.
Banal
devoid of freshness or originality; hackneyed; trite: a banal and sophomoric treatment of courage on the frontier.
Barrage
Military. a heavy barrier of artillery fire to protect one’s own advancing or retreating troops or to stop the advance of enemy troops.
Bastion
Fortification. a projecting portion of a rampart or fortification that forms an irregular pentagon attached at the base to the main work.
Belligerent
of warlike character; aggressively hostile; bellicose: a belligerent tone.
Bemoan
to express distress or grief over; lament: to bemoan one’s fate.
to regard with regret or disapproval.
Benevolent
characterized by or expressing goodwill or kindly feelings: a benevolent attitude; her benevolent smile.
Benign
having a kindly disposition; gracious: a benign king.
capricious
subject to, led by, or indicative of a sudden, odd notion or unpredictable change; erratic: He’s such a capricious boss I never know how he’ll react.
Obsolete . fanciful or witty.
Chagrin
a feeling of vexation, marked by disappointment or humiliation.
Coalesce
to grow together or into one body: The two lakes coalesced into one.
Coerce
to compel by force, intimidation, or authority, especially without regard for individual desire or volition: They coerced him into signing the document.
Commodities
an article of trade or commerce, especially a product as distinguished from a service.
Confer
to consult together; compare opinions; carry on a discussion or deliberation.
Congenial
agreeable, suitable, or pleasing in nature or character: congenial surroundings
Contrite
caused by or showing sincere remorse.
Cordial
courteous and gracious; friendly; warm: a cordial reception.
Corpulent
large or bulky of body; portly; stout; fat.
Decree
a formal and authoritative order, especially one having the force of law: a presidential decree.
Desolate
barren or laid waste; devastated: a treeless, desolate landscape.
Deviate
to turn aside, as from a route, way, course, etc.
Disavow
to disclaim knowledge of, connection with, or responsibility for; disown; repudiate: He disavowed the remark that had been attributed to him.
Dispel
to drive off in various directions; disperse; dissipate: to dispel the dense fog.
Disparage
to speak of or treat slightingly; depreciate; belittle: Do not disparage good manners.
Dubious
doubtful; marked by or occasioning doubt: a dubious reply.
Egotist
a conceited, boastful person.
a selfish person; egoist.
Egress
the act or an instance of going, especially from an enclosed place.
Elegy
a mournful, melancholy, or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead.
Embodiment
the act of embodying.
Embryonic
pertaining to or in the state of an embryo.
rudimentary; undeveloped.
Enigma
a puzzling or inexplicable occurrence or situation: His disappearance is an enigma that has given rise to much speculation.
Ephemeral
lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory: the ephemeral joys of childhood
Epitome
a person or thing that is typical of or possesses to a high degree the features of a whole class: He is the epitome of goodness.
Equity
a person or thing that is typical of or possesses to a high degree the features of a whole class: He is the epitome of goodness.
Eradicate
to remove or destroy utterly; extirpate: to eradicate smallpox throughout the world.
Esoteric
belonging to the select few.
private; secret; confidential.
Exalt
to raise in rank, honor, power, character, quality, etc.; elevate
Evade
to get around by trickery
Excavate
to make hollow by removing the inner part
Exemplify
to show or illustrate by example.
Feasible
capable of being done, effected, or accomplished: a feasible plan.
Feign
to represent fictitiously; put on an appearance of: to feign sickness.
Flaccid
soft and limp; not firm; flabby: flaccid biceps.
lacking force; weak: flaccid prose.
Flotsam
material or refuse floating on water.
Genial
warmly and pleasantly cheerful; cordial: a genial disposition; a genial host.
Germane
closely or significantly related; relevant; pertinent: Please keep your statements germane to the issue.
Glean
to gather slowly and laboriously, bit by bit.
Extol
to praise highly; laud; eulogize
Facet
one of the small, polished plane surfaces of a cut gem.
Fallacy
a deceptive, misleading, or false notion, belief, etc
Fallow
Plowed and left unseeded for a season
Fathom
a unit of length equal to six feet
Hasten
to move or act with haste; proceed with haste; hurry: to hasten to a place.
Ignoble
of low character, aims, etc.; mean; base: his ignoble purposes.
Immaculate
free from spot or stain
Impasse
a position or situation from which there is no escape; deadlock.
Inane
Lacking sense,significance or ideas
Incisive
penetrating; cutting; biting; trenchant: an incisive tone of voice
Indignant
feeling, characterized by, or expressing strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, insulting, or base
Infiltrate
Enter or gain access to gradually
Innocuous
not harmful or injurious; harmless: an innocuous home remedy.
Insinuate
to suggest or hint slyly: He insinuated that they were lying.
Insipid
without distinctive, interesting, or stimulating qualities; vapid: an insipid personality
Insolent
boldly rude or disrespectful; contemptuously impertinent; insulting: an insolent reply.
Inundate
to flood; cover or overspread with water; deluge.
to overwhelm: inundated with letters of protest.
Irate
Angry
Jeer
to speak or shout derisively; scoff or gibe rudely: Don’t jeer unless you can do better.
Laudatory
containing or expressing praise
Limber
Fkexible
Lucrative
profitable; moneymaking;
Morose
gloomily or sullenly ill-humored, as a person or mood.
characterized by or expressing gloom.
Mundane
of or pertaining to this world or earth as contrasted with heaven; worldly;
Negate
Nullify,make ineffective
Noxious
Harmful poisonous or very unpleasant
Obstinate
firmly or stubbornly adhering to one’s purpose, opinion, etc.; not yielding to argument, persuasion, or entreaty.
Opulent
Ostentatiously Rich luxury or lavish
Ostentatious
characterized by or given to pretentious or conspicuous show in an attempt to impress others: an ostentatious dresser.
Overt
open to view or knowledge; not concealed or secret: overt hostility.
Palpable
readily or plainly seen, heard, perceived, etc.; obvious; evident: a palpable lie; palpable absurdity.
Parsimonious
extreme or excessive economy or frugality; stinginess; niggardliness.
Permeate
to pass into or through every part of: Bright sunshine permeated the room.
Perpetuate
to preserve from extinction or oblivion: to perpetuate one’s name.
Pragmatic
of or pertaining to a practical point of view or practical considerations.
Predicament
an unpleasantly difficult, perplexing, or dangerous situation.
Prevalent
widespread; of wide extent or occurrence; in general use or acceptance.
Ratify
to confirm by expressing consent, approval, or formal sanction: to ratify a constitutional amendment.
Recalcitrant
resisting authority or control; not obedient or compliant; refractory.
hard to deal with, manage, or operate.
Refute
To prove a person incorrect
Rendezvous
an agreement between two or more persons to meet at a certain time and place.
Pervasive
spread throughout: The corruption is so pervasive that it is accepted as the way to do business.
Pilfer
to steal, especially in small quantities.
Pious
having or showing a dutiful spirit of reverence for God or an earnest wish to fulfill religious obligations.
Placate
to appease or pacify, especially by concessions or conciliatory gestures: to placate an outraged citizenry.
Plunder
to rob of goods or valuables by open force, as in war, hostile raids, brigandage, etc.: to plunder a town.
Pompous
characterized by an ostentatious display of dignity or importance: a pompous minor official.
Replete
stuffed or gorged with food and drink.
Full
Reprehensible
deserving of reproof, rebuke, or censure; blameworthy.
Repress
to keep under control, check, or suppress (desires, feelings, actions, tears, etc.).
Repudiate
to reject as having no authority or binding force: to repudiate a claim.
Repugnant
distasteful, objectionable, or offensive: a repugnant smell.
Reticent
reluctant or restrained.
Rue
to wish that (something) had never been done, taken place, etc.: I rue the day he was born.
Ruminate
to meditate or muse; ponder.
Ruse
a trick, stratagem, or artifice.
Satire
the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.
Seclude
to place in or withdraw into solitude; remove from social contact and activity,
Stagnate
to cease to run or flow, as water, air, etc.
Stringent
rigorously binding or exacting; strict; severe: stringent laws.
Succinct
expressed in few words; concise; terse.
Sullied
to soil, stain, or tarnish.
Superfluous
being more than is sufficient or required; excessive
Surrogate
a person appointed to act for another; deputy.
Toil
hard and continuous work; exhausting labor or effort.
Trifle
Of very little value
Trite
lacking in freshness or effectiveness because of constant use or excessive repetition
Utilitarian
pertaining to or consisting in utility.
Veneration
to regard or treat with reverence.
Voracious
craving or consuming large quantities of food
Wane
to decrease in strength, intensity, etc
Zany
ludicrously or whimsically comical; clownish.
Ruse
a trick, stratagem, or artifice.
Satire
the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule, or the like, in exposing, denouncing, or deriding vice, folly, etc.
Seclude
to place in or withdraw into solitude; remove from social contact and activity,
Stagnate
to cease to run or flow, as water, air, etc.
Stringent
rigorously binding or exacting; strict; severe: stringent laws.
Succinct
expressed in few words; concise; terse.
Sullied
to soil, stain, or tarnish.
Superfluous
being more than is sufficient or required; excessive
Surrogate
a person appointed to act for another; deputy.
Toil
hard and continuous work; exhausting labor or effort.
Trifle
Of very little value
Trite
lacking in freshness or effectiveness because of constant use or excessive repetition
Utilitarian
pertaining to or consisting in utility.
Veneration
to regard or treat with reverence.
Voracious
craving or consuming large quantities of food
Wane
to decrease in strength, intensity, etc
Zany
ludicrously or whimsically comical; clownish.
Insecticide
A substance used to kill insects
Trifle
An article of very little value ;small quantity
Repugnant
Distasteful, objectionable, offensive
