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SAT > vocab4 > Flashcards

vocab4 Flashcards

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1
Q

Taint

A

to contaminate, corrupt, or infect with evil or undesirable elements; The scandal tainted his reputation, ending his career.

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2
Q

Tangential

A

only superficially related to the matter at hand; digressing; His tangential anecdotes distracted from the core topic.

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3
Q

Tenuous

A

having little substance or strength; flimsy; weak; His tenuous link between the suspects was not convincing evidence.

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4
Q

Tepid

A

only moderately warm; lacking in enthusiasm or conviction; She gave only a tenuous endorsement of the plans.

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5
Q

Terse

A

brief, concise, pithily expressive; His terse reply made me wonder if I had offended him.

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6
Q

Testimony

A

a solemn statement of truth or fact; I was asked to provide testimony describing the night’s events.

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7
Q

Thrifty

A

careful and prudent in use of resources; economical; wise in savings and spendings; She led a thrifty lifestyle that allowed an early retirement.

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8
Q

Timid

A

showing a lack of courage or confidence; shy; She was too timid to try out for the talent show despite her beautiful voice.

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9
Q

Tirade

A

extended angry speech; The customer launched into a lengthy tirade over the poor service.

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10
Q

Torpid

A

mentally or physically inert; apathetic; lethargic; The torpid man just sat staring into space all afternoon.

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11
Q

Tortuous

A

extremely twisted or winding; Excessively lengthy and complex; We drove down a tortuous mountain road hemmed by steep ravines.

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12
Q

Toxic

A

poisonous; causing serious harm or death; The toxic chemicals contaminated the town’s water supply.

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13
Q

Tranquil

A

free from commotion or tumult; calm; peaceful; The tranquil lagoon reflected the serene sky.

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14
Q

Transient

A

fleeting, passing quickly; impermanent; Transient shelter offered just temporary refuge, not a permanent home.

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15
Q

Transgress

A

to violate a law, command, or moral code; go beyond proper bounds; He transgressed societal norms with his inappropriate behavior.

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16
Q

Travesty

A

a gross distortion or misrepresentation; a mockery or parody; The unfair trial was a travesty rather than true justice.

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17
Q

Tremulous

A

timid or fearful; marked by trembling or quivering; She spoke in a tremulous voice, anxious addressing the large crowd.

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18
Q

Trenchant

A

forceful, effective, sharply perceptive; incisive; His trenchant critique exposed the film’s failings.

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19
Q

Tribulation

A

great suffering or distress; a cause of suffering or trouble; Losing her home was a tribulation she wasn’t sure she could endure.

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20
Q

Trite

A

not new or original; overused and clichéd; The trite phrases sounded meaningless to the reader.

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21
Q

Turbulent

A

characterized by unrest, disorder, or tumult; rough, agitated; Turbulent winds shook the trees and scattered debris down the streets.

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22
Q

Turmoil

A

a state of extreme confusion, agitation, or commotion; Inner turmoil left her uncertain which path to take.

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23
Q

Undermine

A

to weaken or subvert by stealth or deceit; undercut; The spies undermined the government by spreading false propaganda.

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24
Q

Understated

A

restrained, subtle, not obvious or bold; preferring simplicity; She has an understated beauty that is elegant and refined.

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25
Q

Undulate

A

to move in waves or with a smooth wavelike motion; The flag undulated in the gentle breeze.

26
Q

Unearth

A

to bring to light; uncover through searching; The archeologists unearthed ancient pottery and tools at the site.

27
Q

Unfeigned

A

genuine, not false or hypocritical; sincere; My unfeigned sympathy goes out to you during this difficult time.

28
Q

Unkempt

A

disheveled; uncared for in appearance; messy; His unkempt hair and rumpled clothes gave a sloppy impression.

29
Q

Unnerve

A

to make nervous or anxious; shake courage; The ominous sounds in the house unnerved me.

30
Q

Unprecedented

A

without previous instance; unparalleled; unprecedented success with her first album.

31
Q

Unruly

A

resistant to control or discipline; uncontrollable; The unruly crowd grew rowdy after hours of waiting in line.

32
Q

Unwieldy

A

difficult to carry or manage because of size or shape; The antique armoire was so unwieldy they couldn’t fit it through the door.

33
Q

Upbraid

A

to criticize or scold severely; He upbraided me for being thoughtless and lazy.

34
Q

Urbane

A

sophisticated; refined; elegant; The urbane socialite knew how to navigate high society gatherings.

35
Q

Usurp

A

to seize power or take control without right; The general usurped authority in a military coup.

36
Q

Utilitarian

A

designed to be useful and practical rather than attractive; The utilitarian water bottle was dented but still worked fine.

37
Q

Utter

A

complete or absolute; We were left in utter darkness when the power went out.

38
Q

Vacillate

A

to waver between different courses of action; fluctuate; I vacillated about which college to attend right up until the deadline.

39
Q

Vague

A

not clearly defined; lacking preciseness; Her description of the suspect was too vague to help identify him.

40
Q

Vain

A

excessively proud of oneself; conceited; She is vain about her appearance and constantly looks in the mirror.

41
Q

Valiant

A

possessing or acting with bravery or boldness; He made a valiant effort to finish despite injury.

42
Q

Valor

A

boldness or bravery in the face of danger; The medal honored the pilot’s valor in battle.

43
Q

Vanquish

A

to conquer, defeat, or subdue an enemy or opposition force; The champion vanquished all challengers to retain his title.

44
Q

Vapid

A

offering nothing stimulating or challenging; dull; His vapid lecture put me right to sleep.

45
Q

Venerate

A

to regard with reverential respect or admiration; Many venerate the saint for his good works helping the poor.

46
Q

Vexation

A

annoyance or irritation; a cause of irritation; Getting stuck in traffic is a daily vexation of my commute.

47
Q

Viable

A

capable of working or being successfully implemented; a viable plan with a high chance of succeeding.

48
Q

Vicious

A

deliberately cruel or violent; The vicious criminal showed no remorse.

49
Q

Vigilant

A

alertly watchful; carefully observant; vigilant against threats to their security.

50
Q

Vigorous

A

robust, full of healthy energy; forceful, intense; She maintained a vigorous workout routine into old age.

51
Q

Virtuous

A

morally excellent; righteous; She is a virtuous person, always trying to do good.

52
Q

Viscous

A

thick or sticky, having high resistance to flow; Molasses has a viscous texture.

53
Q

Vital

A

absolutely essential; critically important; Funding for the project is vital to move forward.

54
Q

Vivid

A

producing powerful feelings or strong, clear images in the mind; She gave a vivid depiction of life growing up poor.

55
Q

Waffle

A

to shift back and forth between opinions; equivocate; She kept waffling on where to eat, unable to make a choice.

56
Q

Wan

A

pale, sickly, weak; lacking color or vitality; After weeks in bed sick, she was wan and drawn.

57
Q

Wary

A

cautiously watchful; prudent; wary of strangers and slow to trust.

58
Q

Whimsical

A

quirkily playful; fanciful; whimsical art full of strange creatures and imaginary worlds.

59
Q

Wither

A

to shrivel or decay; plants withering without water; My enthusiasm withered under his hostile criticism.

60
Q

Wry

A

using clever, sly, understated humor; She made wry jokes that hinted at her true feelings.

61
Q

Acerbic

A

sharp, biting, or caustic in tone; She made an acerbic retort

SAT (8 decks)

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