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SAT > Vocab II (Sparknotes + Direct Hits 2 + Personal) > Flashcards

Vocab II (Sparknotes + Direct Hits 2 + Personal) Flashcards

1
Q

abrogate

A

to abolish, usually by authority “The Bill of Rights assures that the government cannot abrogate our right to a free press.”

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2
Q

acumen

A

Keen insight “Because of his mathematical acumen, Larry was able to figure out in minutes problems that took other students hours”

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3
Q

adumbrate

A

to sketch out in a vague way “The coach adumbrated a game plan, but none of the players knew precisely what to do”

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4
Q

personification

A

A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

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5
Q

lampoon

A

to ridicule with satire

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6
Q

hyperbole

A

purposeful exaggeration for effect

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7
Q

caricature

A

A portrait (verbal or otherwise) that exaggerates a facet of personality.

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8
Q

glut

A

an excessively abundant supply of something

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9
Q

foreshadowing

A

A narrative device that hints at coming events; often builds suspense or anxiety in the reader.

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10
Q

allusion

A

A reference to another work of literature, person, or event

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11
Q

crystallize

A

in chemistry the forming of crystal, in everyday language giving a definite form to an idea or plan.

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12
Q

osmosis

A

Diffusion of water through a selectively permeable membrane, indirect collection of knowledge

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13
Q

entomology

A

study of insects

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14
Q

gestate

A

To conceive and develop in the mind or body

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15
Q

paradigm

A

something that serves as a model, example, or pattern; the framework of assumptions and understandings shared by a group or discipline that shapes its worldview

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16
Q

cupidity

A

(n.) an eager desire for something; greed

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17
Q

plethora

A

an overabundance, a surplus

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18
Q

destitute

A

(adj.) deprived of the necessities of life; lacking in

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19
Q

parsimonious

A

(adj.) stingy, miserly; meager, poor, small

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20
Q

relief

A

Elevation of a land surface

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21
Q

check

A

stop or slow down the progress of (something undesirable)

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22
Q

eclipse

A

to obscure, darken, make less important (v)

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23
Q

stock

A

A stereotypical and formulaic character in a novel or film

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24
Q

accord

A

(n.) agreement, harmony; (v.) to agree, be in harmony or bring into harmony; to grant, bestow on

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25
Q

appeasement

A

Accepting demands in order to avoid conflict

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26
Q

triumvirate

A

A group or association of three leaders

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27
Q

watershed

A

Critical point that marks a change of course; a turning point

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28
Q

despot

A

A dictator with absolute power

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29
Q

mainfesto

A

n. a public declaration of beliefs or principles, usually political ones

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30
Q

enfranchise

A

Give voting rights

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31
Q

disenfranchise

A

To lose the right to vote

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32
Q

demarcation

A

(n.) the marking of boundaries or categories

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33
Q

inquisition

A

A severe interrogation; a systematic questioning

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34
Q

desiccated

A

(adj., part.) thoroughly dried out; divested of spirit or vitality; arid and uninteresting

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35
Q

pertinent

A

(adj.) related to the matter at hand, to the point

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36
Q

complicity

A

(n.) involvement in wrongdoing; the state of being an accomplice

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37
Q

exculpate

A

to clear from blame; prove innocent

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38
Q

indisputable

A

Not open to question; undeniable; irrefutable

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39
Q

malfeasance

A

Misconduct or wrongdoing, especially by a public official

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40
Q

probity

A

complete honesty and integriity

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41
Q

flag

A

Glaringly bad; outrageous

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42
Q

currency

A
  1. widespread acceptance, 2. money
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43
Q

perfidious

A

disloyal, willing to betray one’s trust

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44
Q

cavalier

A

arrogant; haughty; carefree; casual

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45
Q

sanction

A

authoritiative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance

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46
Q

lambaste

A

Denounce; strongly criticize

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47
Q

quiescent

A

at rest; dormant; temporarily inactive;

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48
Q

provisional

A

Conditional; temporary; tentative

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49
Q

truculent

A

(adj.) fierce and cruel; aggressive; deadly, destructive; scathingly harsh

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50
Q

propitiate

A

to conciliate; to appease

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51
Q

aplomb

A

(n.) poise, assurance, great self-confidence; perpendicularity

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52
Q

craven

A

(adj.) cowardly; (n.) a coward

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53
Q

venal

A

(adj.) open to or marked by bribery or corruption

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54
Q

licentious

A

(adj.) displaying a lack of moral or legal restraints

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55
Q

noxious

A

harmful, unwholesome

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56
Q

duplicitous

A

Deliberately deceptive in behavior or speech

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57
Q

obfuscate

A

To confuse; to bewilder “The detective did not want to answer the newspaperman’s questions, so he obfuscated the truth”

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58
Q

harbringer

A

a messenger; an omen

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59
Q

presage

A

(n) portent or omen; a sign or warning of a future event

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60
Q

beleaguer

A

To besiege by encircling (as with an army); to harass

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61
Q

imperious

A

(adj.) overbearing, arrogant; seeking to dominate; pressing, compelling

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62
Q

querulous

A

(adj.) peevish, complaining, fretful

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63
Q

complaisant

A

Eager to please; cheerfully complying

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64
Q

fawning

A

attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery

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65
Q

obsequious

A

overly submissive and eager to please

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66
Q

intransigent

A

(adj.) refusing to compromise, irreconcilable

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67
Q

conundrum

A

A difficult problem; a dilemma with no easy solution

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68
Q

slight

A
  1. minor (a); 2. perceived insult (v) and (n)
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69
Q

capitulate

A

(v.) to end resistance, give up, surrender, throw in the towel

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70
Q

disheartening

A

Very discouraging; dismaying; dispiriting

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71
Q

apocryphal

A

of questionable authority or authenticity

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72
Q

magisterial

A

Learned and authoritative

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73
Q

malleable

A

capable of being shaped

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74
Q

pliable

A

(adj.) easily bent, flexible; easily influenced

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75
Q

chagrin

A

(n.) irritation or humiliation caused by disappointment or frustration; (v.) to cause such a feeling

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76
Q

obstreperous

A

noisy; unruly, disorderly

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77
Q

idyllic

A

Charming in a rustic way; naturally peaceful

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78
Q

extemporize

A

Compose, perform, or produce something such as music or a speech without preparation; improvise.

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79
Q

improvise

A

(v.) to compose or perform without preparation; to construct from available materials

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80
Q

ungainly

A

(adj.) clumsy, awkward; unwieldy

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81
Q

dilatory

A

(adj.) tending to delay or procrastinate, not prompt; intended to delay or postpone

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82
Q

vituperative

A

(adj.) harshly abusive, severely scolding

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83
Q

sophomoric

A

(adj.) immature and overconfident; conceited

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84
Q

perfidious

A

willing to betray one’s trust

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85
Q

indomitable

A

(adj.) unconquerable, refusing to yield

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86
Q

resolute

A

(adj.) bold, determined; firm

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87
Q

moribund

A

Approaching death; about to become obsolete

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88
Q

contrition

A

deep regret for doing something wrong

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89
Q

facetious

A

(adj.) humorous, not meant seriously

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90
Q

credulous

A

too trusting; gullible

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91
Q

excoriating

A

expressing strong disapproval; condemning; loudly decrying

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92
Q

scathing

A

(adj.) bitterly severe, withering; causing great harm

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93
Q

interloper

A

(n.) one who moves in where he or she is not wanted or has no right to be, an intruder

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94
Q

cerebral

A

intellectual rather than emotional

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95
Q

visceral

A

Instinctive rather than rational

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96
Q

nonplussed

A

(adj., part.) puzzled, not knowing what to do, at a loss

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97
Q

confounded

A

Bewildered; confused; perplexed

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98
Q

euphony

A

pleasant, harmonious sound

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99
Q

cacophony

A

harsh, jarring noise

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100
Q

vacillate

A

(v.) to swing indecisively from one idea or course of action to another; to waver weakly in mind or will

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101
Q

timorous

A

Fearful, timid

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102
Q

insolent

A

Boldly disrespectful

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103
Q

idiosyncrasy

A

peculiarity of temperament; eccentricity

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104
Q

censorious

A

Disapproving; critical

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105
Q

captious

A

Fault-Finding, Disposed to point out trivial faults; calculated to confuse or entrap in argument

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106
Q

consternation

A

Dismay, confusion

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107
Q

furor

A

A general commotion; an uproar

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108
Q

marginal

A

Extra cost of producing one additional unit of production.

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109
Q

obfuscate

A

To confuse; to bewilder

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110
Q

flummoxed

A

confused or bewildered

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111
Q

spate

A

(n) sudden outpouring or rush; flood

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112
Q

histrionic

A

(adj.) pertaining to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial; melodramatic

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113
Q

overwrought

A

agitated; overdone

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114
Q

placate

A

to soothe or pacify

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115
Q

eschew

A

(v.) to avoid, shun, keep away from

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116
Q

stopgap

A

A temporary solution designed to meet an urgent need

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117
Q

jetsam

A

cargo or equipment thrown overboard to lighten an imperiled vessel; discarded odds and ends

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118
Q

churlish

A

(adj.) lacking politeness or good manners; lacking sensitivity; difficult to work with or deal with; rude

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119
Q

surly

A

(adj.) angry and bad-tempered; rude

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120
Q

resitution

A

act of making good or compensating for loss, damage, or injury

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121
Q

disquieting

A

(adj.) causing uneasiness or worry

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122
Q

execrable

A

Loathsome, detestable

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123
Q

odious

A

hateful; arousing strong feelings of dislike

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124
Q

prescient

A

Having foreknowledge or foresight, seeing the future

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125
Q

hiatus

A

(n.) a gap, opening, break (in the sense of having an element missing)

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126
Q

vertiginous

A

causing dizziness, as from spinning or heights

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127
Q

blithe

A

(adj.) cheerful, lighthearted; casual, unconcerned

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128
Q

underwrite

A

give guarantee, insure, To assume financial responsibility for a project

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129
Q

discomfited

A

embarrassed; disconcerted

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130
Q

sinecure

A

a well-paying job or office that requires little or no work

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131
Q

provincial

A

(adj.) pertaining to an outlying area; local; narrow in mind or outlook, countrified in the sense of being limited and backward; of a simple, plain design that originated in the countryside; (n.) a person with a narrow point of view; a person from an outlying area; a soldier from a province or colony

132
Q

parochial

A

Limited in range or scope, narrow, provincial

133
Q

fecund

A

fertile; fruitful; productive

134
Q

sanguine

A

ruddy; cheerfully optimistic

135
Q

scintillating

A

(adj., part.) sparkling, twinkling, exceptionally brilliant (applied to mental or personal qualities)

136
Q

refractory

A

stubbornly resistant to authority or control

137
Q

voluble

A

talkative; speaking easily; glib

138
Q

brusque

A

(adj.) abrupt, blunt, with no formalities

139
Q

curt

A

To cut short or reduce

140
Q

tepid

A

Lukewarm; unenthusiastic, marked by an absence of interest

141
Q

protean

A

Exceedingly variable; readily assuming different forms or shapes

142
Q

ingenuous

A

(adj.) innocent, simple; frank, sincere

143
Q

revere

A

To honor, to regard with respect

144
Q

contentious

A

argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement

145
Q

compunction

A

Feeling of regret or remorse

146
Q

contrition

A

deep regret for doing something wrong

147
Q

remorse

A

A strong feeling of sadness or guilt for having done something wrong, Regret

148
Q

penitence

A

remorse for your past conduct

149
Q

axiom

A

premise; postulate; self-evident truth

150
Q

juxtapose

A

To place side by side

151
Q

juxtaposition

A

Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts

152
Q

unfettered

A

Free from restraints, liberated

153
Q

prescribe

A

(v) to order as a rule or course to be followed; to order for medical purpose

154
Q

proscribe

A

To condemn, outlaw

155
Q

puerile

A

childish, immature, or silly

156
Q

callow

A

(adj.) without experience; immature, not fully developed; lacking sophistication and poise; without feathers

157
Q

precipitate

A

cause (an event or situation, typically one that is undesirable) to happen suddenly, unexpectedly, or prematurely

158
Q

phlegmatic

A

having or suggesting a calm, sluggish temperament; unemotional

159
Q

besiege

A

surround (a place) with armed forces in order to capture it or force its surrender.

160
Q

anathema (n.)

A

a cursed, detested person or thing

161
Q

antipathy (n.)

A

a strong dislike, repugnance

162
Q

approbation (n.)

A

praise

163
Q

arrogate (v.)

A

to take without justification

164
Q

ascetic (adj.)

A

practicing restraint as a means of self-discipline, usually religious

165
Q

aspersion (n.)

A

a curse, expression of ill-will

166
Q

assiduous (adj.)

A

hard-working, diligent

167
Q

blandish (v.)

A

to coax by using flattery

168
Q

brusque (adj.)

A

short, abrupt, dismissive

169
Q

burnish (v.)

A

to polish, shine

170
Q

buttress

A
  1. to support, hold up 2. something that offers support
171
Q

cacophony (n.)

A

tremendous noise, disharmonious sound

172
Q

cajole (v.)

A

to urge, coax

173
Q

calumny (n.)

A

an attempt to spoil someone else’s reputation by spreading lies

174
Q

clemency (n.)

A

mercy

175
Q

cogent (adj.)

A

intellectually convincing

176
Q

concomitant (adj.)

A

accompanying in a subordinate fashion

177
Q

conflagration (n.)

A

great fire

178
Q

contrite (adj.)

A

penitent, eager to be forgiven

179
Q

conundrum (n.)

A

puzzle, problem

180
Q

credulity (n.)

A

readiness to believe

181
Q

cupidity (n.)

A

greed, strong desire

182
Q

cursory (adj.)

A

brief to the point of being superficial

183
Q

decry (v.)

A

to criticize openly

184
Q

defile (v.)

A

to make unclean, impure

185
Q

deleterious (adj.)

A

harmful

186
Q

demure (adj.)

A

quiet, modest, reserved

187
Q

deprecate (v.)

A

to belittle, depreciate

188
Q

desecrate (v.)

A

to violate the sacredness of a thing or place

189
Q

desiccated (adj.)

A

dried up, dehydrated

190
Q

diaphanous (adj.)

A

light, airy, transparent

191
Q

diffident (adj.)

A

shy, quiet, modest

192
Q

discursive (adj.)

A

rambling, lacking order

193
Q

dissemble (v.)

A

to conceal, fake

194
Q

dither (v.)

A

to be indecisive

195
Q

ebullient (adj.)

A

extremely lively, enthusiastic

196
Q

effrontery (n.)

A

impudence, nerve, insolence

197
Q

enervate (v.)

A

to weaken, exhaust

198
Q

ephemeral (adj.)

A

short-lived, fleeting

199
Q

eschew (v.)

A

to shun, avoid

200
Q

evanescent (adj.)

A

fleeting, momentary

201
Q

evince (v.)

A

to show, reveal

202
Q

exculpate (v.)

A

to free from guilt or blame, exonerate

203
Q

execrable (adj.)

A

loathsome, detestable

204
Q

exigent (adj.)

A

urgent, critical

205
Q

maelstrom (n.)

A

a destructive whirlpool which rapidly sucks in objects

206
Q

extant (adj.)

A

existing, not destroyed or lost

207
Q

extol (v.)

A

to praise, revere

208
Q

fallacious (adj.)

A

incorrect, misleading

209
Q

fastidious (adj.)

A

meticulous, demanding, having high and often unattainable standards

210
Q

maelstrom (n.)

A

a destructive whirlpool which rapidly sucks in objects

211
Q

fecund (adj.)

A

fruitful, fertile

212
Q

fetid (adj.)

A

having a foul odor

213
Q

florid (adj.)

A

flowery, ornate

214
Q

fractious (adj.)

A

troublesome or irritable

215
Q

gregarious (adj.)

A

drawn to the company of others, sociable unoriginal, trite

216
Q

hapless (adj.)

A

unlucky

217
Q

ignominious (adj.)

A

humiliating, disgracing

218
Q

impassive (adj.)

A

stoic, not susceptible to suffering

219
Q

impervious (adj.)

A

impenetrable, incapable of being affected

220
Q

impetuous (adj.)

A

rash; hastily done

221
Q

implacable (adj.)

A

incapable of being appeased or mitigated

222
Q

impudent (adj.)

A

casually rude, insolent, impertinent

223
Q

inchoate (adj.)

A

unformed or formless, in a beginning stage

224
Q

incontrovertible (adj.)

A

indisputable

225
Q

ineffable (adj.)

A

unspeakable, incapable of being expressed through words

227
Q

iniquity (n.)

A

wickedness or sin appealing but imperceptibly harmful, seductive refusing to compromise, often on an extreme opinion

228
Q

inure (v.)

A

to cause someone or something to become accustomed to a situation

229
Q

inveterate (adj.)

A

stubbornly established by habit

230
Q

jubilant (adj.)

A

extremely joyful, happy

231
Q

juxtaposition (n.)

A

the act of placing two things next to each other for implicit comparison

232
Q

largess (n.)

A

the generous giving of lavish gifts

233
Q

latent (adj.)

A

hidden, but capable of being exposed

234
Q

legerdemain (n.)

A

deception, slight-of-hand

235
Q

licentious (adj.)

A

displaying a lack of moral or legal restraints

236
Q

aphorism

A

A tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion; an adage

237
Q

insidious

A

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

238
Q

malediction

A

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

239
Q

malevolent

A

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

240
Q

manifold

A

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

241
Q

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.)

242
Q

mendacious

A

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

243
Q

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.)

244
Q

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.)

245
Q

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.)

246
Q

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.)

247
Q

heinous

A

(of a person or wrongful act, especially a crime) utterly odious or wicked.

248
Q

obstreperous

A

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

249
Q

obtuse

A

lacking quickness of sensibility or intellect

250
Q

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.)

251
Q

palliate

A

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

252
Q

pathos

A

an emotion of sympathy

253
Q

pejorative

A

(adj.) derogatory, uncomplimentary (The evening’s headline news covered an international scandal caused by a pejorative statement)

254
Q

pellucid

A

(adj.) easily intelligible, clear

255
Q

penurious

A

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

256
Q

perspicacity

A

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

257
Q

pertinacious

A

(adj.) stubbornly persistent (Harry’s parents were frustrated with his pertinacious insistence that a monster lived in his closet.)

258
Q

petulance

A

rudeness, irritability (The nanny resigned after she could no longer tolerate the child’s petulance.)

259
Q

pithy

A

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

260
Q

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.)

261
Q

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.)

262
Q

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.)

263
Q

primeval

A

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

264
Q

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.)

265
Q

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.)

266
Q

prosaic

A

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

267
Q

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.)

268
Q

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.)

269
Q

pugnacious

A

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

270
Q

pulchritude

A

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

271
Q

punctilious

A

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

272
Q

rectitude

A

uprightness, extreme morality (The priest’s rectitude)

273
Q

restive

A

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

274
Q

ribald

A

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

275
Q

rife

A

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

276
Q

sacrosanct

A

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

277
Q

zephyr

A

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

278
Q

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.)

279
Q

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.)

280
Q

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.)

281
Q

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.)

282
Q

somnolent

A

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

283
Q

staid

A

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

284
Q

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.)

285
Q

tacit

A

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

286
Q

temerity

A

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

287
Q

tenuous

A

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

288
Q

timorous

A

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

289
Q

tractable

A

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

290
Q

transmute

A

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

291
Q

trenchant

A

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

292
Q

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.)

293
Q

turpitude

A

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

294
Q

umbrage

A

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

295
Q

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.)

296
Q

undulate

A

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

297
Q

vapid

A

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

298
Q

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.)

299
Q

verdant

A

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

300
Q

viscous

A

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

301
Q

vitriolic

A

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

302
Q

vituperate

A

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

303
Q

wizened

A

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

304
Q

zephyr

A

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

305
Q

inoculate

A

treat with a vaccine to produce immunity against a disease; vaccinate.

306
Q

winsome

A

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

307
Q

heft

A

weight

308
Q

temerity

A

audacity

309
Q

indelible

A

making marks that cannot be removed

310
Q

conduit

A

means by which something is transmitted

311
Q

disparate

A

essentially different in kind; not able to be compared

312
Q

decadence

A

moral or cultural decline as characterized by excessive indulgence in pleasure or luxury.

313
Q

conundrum

A

a confusing and difficult problem or question.

314
Q

bifurcate

A

divide into two branches or forks.

315
Q

preemptive

A

serving or intended to pre-empt or forestall something, especially to prevent attack by disabling the enemy

316
Q

abomination

A

a thing that causes disgust or loathing.

317
Q

petered out

A

decrease or fade gradually before coming to an end

318
Q

bantered

A

exchange remarks in a good-humoured teasing way.

319
Q

precipitate

A

cause (an event or situation, typically one that is undesirable) to happen suddenly, unexpectedly, or prematurely.

320
Q

contravene

A

offend against the prohibition or order of (a law, treaty, or code of conduct).

321
Q

caveat

A

a warning or proviso of specific stipulations, conditions, or limitations.

322
Q

siphon

A

to draw off or convey through or as if through a siphon

323
Q

sordid

A

involving ignoble actions and motive

324
Q

enrapture

A

give intense pleasure or joy to.

325
Q

travesty

A

a false, absurd, or distorted representation of something.

“the absurdly lenient sentence is a travesty of justice”

326
Q

floundering

A

struggle or stagger helplessly or clumsily in water or mud.

SAT (2 decks)

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