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SAT VOCAB > Week 2 > Flashcards

Week 2 Flashcards

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1
Q

Urbane

A

Civil and courteous

The urbane man allowed the lady to go before him

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2
Q

Equanimity

A

Mental calmness and composure

She accepted both the good and the bad news with equanimity

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3
Q

Platitude

A

Cliche

She began uttering liberal platitudes, and bored everyone there

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4
Q

Assent

A

Express approval or agreement

Roosevelt assented to the agreement

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5
Q

Corporeal

A

Physical, worldly

Jesus was the corporeal incarnation of God

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6
Q

Surmise

A

Suppose that something is true without evidence; also a conjecture
They surmised that something must be wrong; they were upset to have their surmise confirmed when a monster came out of the creaking closet

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7
Q

Vociferous

A

Crying out noisily and passionately

He proclaimed the news with a vociferous announcement

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8
Q

Clamorous

A

Loud and confused noise

He bellowed a clamorous shout, heard by everyone in the neighborhood

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9
Q

Vehement

A

Showing strong feeling and passion

Her voice was low but vehement- you could tell she really wanted to make the deal

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10
Q

Jostle

A

Push, elbow, or bump roughly; struggle or compete forcefully for
The people in the crowd jostled over one another for attention

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11
Q

Garrulous

A

Excessively talkative, esp on trivial matters

The garrulous man spent hours talking about game of thrones

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12
Q

Stingy

A

Unwilling to give or spend money

The stingy miser refused to donate a penny

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13
Q

Effusive

A 
Expressing strong (usually positive) feelings in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner
He offered an effusive welcome, which included a lot of hugging
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14
Q

Frugal

A

Economical in use or expenditure- not wasteful

The frugal man decided to save for a car rather than spend money on coffee every day

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15
Q

Taciturn

A

Shy and unwilling to talk

The taciturn girl ran away when the doorbell rang

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16
Q

Miserly

A

Extremely stingy, like a miser

Scrooge was a miserly old man

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17
Q

Reticent

A

Disposed to be silent or not to speak freely, reserved

She was extremely reticent about her personal affairs

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18
Q

Munificent

A

very liberal in giving, extremely generous

He performed a munificent gesture by giving him 200 dollars for his birthday

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19
Q

Risqué

A

Daringly close to indelicate or impropriety

He told risqué stories and jokes that i found hilarious, but that others were appalled at.

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20
Q

Servile

A

Having or snowing an excessive willingness to serve or please others
He bowed his head in a servile manner

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21
Q

Fawning

A

Displaying exaggerated artery or affection, obsequious

He displayed fawning adoration to get on his teachers good side

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22
Q

Sporadic

A

Occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places

The boy was hospitalized because of his sporadic heartbeat

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23
Q

Docile

A

Ready to accept control or instruction- submissive

The docile workers did pretty much anything they were told to

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24
Q

Expedient

A

Convenient and practical, though possibly immoral or improper
Either side could break the agreement if it were expedient to do so

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25
Q

Incontrovertible

A

Not able to be denied or disputed

The proof was incontrovertible- he was definitely guilty

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26
Q

Impervious

A

Not permitting penetration or passage; incapable of being influenced, persuaded, or affected
He had an impervious conscience- peer pressure would never get to him

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27
Q

Bolster

A

Support or strengthen- prop up

The fall in interest rates is starting to bolster confidence

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28
Q

Dogged

A

Persistent in effort; stubbornly tenacious

His dogged determination, or his doggedness, would not let him quit the race, despite his injuries

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29
Q

Vacillation

A

To vacillate- to waver in mind or opinion; to be indecisive or irresolute
His tendency to vacillate makes him a poor leader.

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30
Q

Incontrovertible

A

Not able to be denied or disputed

The proof was incontrovertible- he was definitely guilty

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31
Q

Pretentious

A

Attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc than is actually possessed
When they discovered that he really couldn’t play the piano, as he had boasted, they realized he was a pretentious fraud.

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32
Q

Ostentatious

A

Characterized by vulgar or pretentious display to impress or attract notice
He bought the books to display ostentatiously and never bothered to read a single page.

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33
Q

Pretension

A

A claim to something, or the desire to impress
His extravagant pretensions only served to attract attention
He spoke simply, without pretensions

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34
Q

Stymie

A

To prevent or hinder the progress of

The changes to the rules stymied the projects progress

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35
Q

Spurious

A

Not being what it purports to be- false or fake

The claim that the player would be transferred to the rival club turned out to be a spurious one

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36
Q

Conscientious

A

Wishing to do what is right

The conscientious judge didn’t let her personal beliefs interfere with her decisions

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37
Q

Idyllic

A

Charmingly simple or rustic- relating to an idyll (happy, peaceful picturesque scene, used its lot in poems or prose composition)
He led an idyllic life in Tahiti

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38
Q

Pristine

A

Having its original purity- uncorrupted or unsullied

Pristine copies of an old magazine

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39
Q

Eclectic

A

Deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources
Her musical tastes are eclectic

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40
Q

Dogmatic

A

Inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true

the humble man gives his own opinion without trying to be dogmatic

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41
Q

Sanguine

A

Optimistic or positive, esp in an apparently bad situation

The sanguine investor bought stock, even though the market was predicted to go down

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42
Q

Dogmatism

A

Tendency to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true without consideration of evidence or opinion of others
The culture was dominated by dogmatism- what the king said was true, and that was that

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43
Q

Doctrinaire

A

Seeking to impose a doctrine in all circumstances without regard to practical consideration
The doctrinaire pharaoh told everyone to build him a massive pyramid without excuses

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44
Q

Intransigence

A

Refusal to compromise or agree- inflexibility

The intransigent king told his soldiers to attack the rebels, despite his generals’ warnings

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45
Q

Collude

A

To act together through a secret understanding, esp with evil or harmful intent
The protestors colluded to devise a plan that would get their boss fired

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46
Q

Bedlam

A

Scene or state of wild uproar or confusion

The bedlam could not be quelled, even by the police

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47
Q

Expurgate

A

To amend by removing words, passages, etc deemed offensive or objectionable
Most children read an expurgated version of the book

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48
Q

Exasperate

A

To annoy extremely

He exasperated him by poking him constantly

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49
Q

Sedentary

A

Characterized by or requiring a sitting posture

He chose a sedentary occupation where he could work at his own comfortable desk

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50
Q

punctilious

A

showing great attention to detail or correct behavior

he was very punctilious in setting up for the evening’s guests.

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51
Q

philistine

A

a person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts, or who has no understanding of them.
the philistine man thought the modern painting was really made by a toddler

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52
Q

befuddle

A

to make someone unable to think clearly

the coach, befuddled by the hot moms, made stupid tactical errors and caused his team a loss

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53
Q

obdurate

A

stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action
the obdurate coach had a stubborn demeanor and an insistence on training his way

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54
Q

avaricious

A

having or showing extreme greed for wealth or material gain

he realized that his new avaricious neighbors cared only about money

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55
Q

sullen

A

bad tempered and sulky, gloomy

the sullen boy would constantly yell at everyone

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56
Q

vitriolic

A

filled with bitter criticism or malice

the supposedly civil debate quickly escalated to a vitriolic level- both sides were bashing on each other

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57
Q

occlusion

A

a state of being closed, shut, blocked, etc.

The police officers have blocked off the road to occlude the bomb from the public.

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58
Q

execrable

A

extremely bad or unpleasant.

the cheap wine was execrable

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59
Q

anathema

A

a person or thing detested or loathed

that particular subject was anathema to him

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60
Q

myopic

A

unable to act prudently- shortsighted

the government still has a myopic attitude to public spending

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61
Q

bemuse

A

puzzle, confuse, bewilder someone

the man was bemused by the decision made by the court

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62
Q

capacious

A

roomy, spacious

the capacious room was very comfortable

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63
Q

slipshod

A

characterized by a lack of care, thought, or organization.

he’d caused many problems with his slipshod management

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64
Q

raze

A

completely destroy

villages were razed to the ground

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65
Q

complacent

A

showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements
you can’t afford to be complacent about security

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66
Q

predilection

A

a preference or special liking for something; a bias in favor of something
the kid had a predilection for Asian food, so he asked his parents to go eat at Chu’s cafe

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67
Q

conundrum

A

a confusing and difficult problem or question.

the conundrums facing doctors today must be addressed with more attention

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68
Q

fervid

A

fervent

his fervid zeal to hear that his brother was in town was so great that he literally sprinted home to meet him

69
Q

myriad

A

a great number

in recent years, there has been a myriad of technological advancements.

70
Q

jocular

A

fond of or characterized by joking; humorous or playful

he was in a very jocular mood- he wouldn’t stop fooling around

71
Q

jaded

A

tired, bored, or lacking enthusiasm, typically after having had too much of something
the restaurant had dishes that tempted even the most jaded of appetites

72
Q

enervating

A

causing one to feel drained of energy or vitality.

the humidity was so enervating that he had to take a nap

73
Q

grubby

A

dirty, grimy

when he came home from the game, his face was all grubby

74
Q

obfuscate

A

to render obscure or unintelligible

the teacher, rather than simplifying the topic, obfuscated it

75
Q

rebuff

A

to reject someone in an abrupt or ungracious manner

after proposing to her, the man was harshly rebuffed

76
Q

efface

A

to erase a mark

with time, the words are effaced by the frost and the rain

77
Q

onerous

A

involving an amount of effort and difficulty that is oppressively burdensome.
he found his duties increasingly onerous

78
Q

inane

A

silly/stupid

the man always badgered him with inane questions

79
Q

unctuous

A

greasy, oily; ingratiating
he left an unctuous mess
he wanted to please the guests, but not in an unctuous way

80
Q

execrate

A

to express great loathing for something

he really execrated his job

81
Q

byzantine

A

excessively complicated

the halls were very byzantine, almost mazelike

82
Q

quixotic

A

unrealistic and impractical

the project was quixotic- there was no way it could be completed on time

83
Q

circumscribe

A

restrict something with limits

their words were monitored and circumscribed strictly

84
Q

circumspect

A

wary and unwilling to take risks

the officials were very circumspect in their statements

85
Q

circumvent

A

go around an obstacle

he circumvented the muddy pit

86
Q

circumlocute

A

to speak in a roundabout or indirect way

he circumlocuted to delay his punishment

87
Q

vilify

A

speak or write about in an abusively disparaging manner.

the poor man was vilified in the press- his reputation was forever blemished

88
Q

beseem

A

to seem to fit

that conduct beseems a gentleman

89
Q

sundry

A

various or diverse

I wasn’t sure what the weather would be like so I packed a sundry of clothes

90
Q

preclude

A

to prevent from happening

the construction workers precluded the passage of vehicles on the road, causing mass traffic

91
Q

indiscriminate

A

done at random or without careful judgement

the murderer killed indiscriminately- anyone who crossed his path was sure to die

92
Q

discordant

A

disagreeable to the ear; not in harmony
the sound of his screaming was discordant; the discordant comments showed the mixed feelings people had towards that particular store

93
Q

jarring

A

incongruous in a striking or shocking way

the guitarist struck a jarring note, and everyone was shocked. The car came to a sudden, jarring stop.

94
Q

discerning

A

mentally quick and observant

the popular boy was discerning enough to tell who his real friends were and who was just trying to flatter him

95
Q

digression

A

departure from the main subject

the teacher’s digressions were more interesting than the lesson’s actual topics

96
Q

diffuse

A

wordy and poorly organized; spread out
the diffuse books were poorly written and not concise.
when a cloud covers the sun, the lighting is diffuse, or spread evenly across the sky.

97
Q

detterent

A

something that discourages

does the threat of capital punishment serve as a deterrent to potential killers?

98
Q

deride

A

laugh at scornfully

the reviewers unanimously derided his new play

99
Q

deprecate

A

express strong disapproval of

the old-fashioned lady deprecated modern tendencies to address new acquaintances by their first name

100
Q

deliniate

A

set forth in detail

the author delineated the character concisely and deftly

101
Q

deleterious

A

injurious (esp. to health)

smoking is deleterious to your health

102
Q

deference

A

courteous regard for another’s wishes; respect owed to a superior
in deference to his request, he wore a dress to his funeral. the president’s wife expected the wives of lesser politicians to treat her with deference.

103
Q

decry

A

express strong disapproval of

the speaker strongly decried the lack of respect in society today

104
Q

debunk

A

expose as false or exaggerated
the reporters debunked the article, explaining that the bombing had in fact not killed thousands of people, but only a few hundred.

105
Q

cursory

A

hastily done
doctors are warned not to perform cursory tests; they must perform extensive, meticulous ones in order to fully grasp the patient’s situation.

106
Q

criterion

A

decisive factor

what criterion did the judge use to select the winning essay?

107
Q

credulity

A

tendency to believe too easily

i take advantage of my brother’s credulity by making him believe everything i tell him

108
Q

corroborate

A

support with evidence

Tom corroborated the girl’s story by telling what he witnessed, which helped the teacher believe it.

109
Q

contention

A

angry disagreement; point made in debate or argument; competition
some people seek out quarrels and contention for the heck of it; some people contend that the SAT is pointless; the team was in contention for the Champions League

110
Q

contend

A

argue earnestly; struggle in rivalry
the professor contended that the SAT is pointless
the two teams contend against one another

111
Q

constraint

A

embarrassed awkwardness; repression of feelings

the children felt constraint after having met their new teacher

112
Q

complacency

A

satisfaction with one’s person, possessions, or accomplishment
you may be in first place, but the competitors are catching up! This is no time for complacency

113
Q

cogent

A

strongly appealing to reason, well argued

the cogent arguments caused the jury to rule in favor of the defendant

114
Q

coercion

A

use of force to compel someone to obey

they tortured him with physical and psychological coercion to force him to give the secret recipe.

115
Q

insidiously

A

intended to trap or beguile

Dracula motioned him to come his way insidiously

116
Q

disparaging

A

expressing the opinion that something is of little worth

the rumors disparaged his reputation

117
Q

indulgent

A

having or indicating a tendency to be overly generous to or lenient with someone
her parents were very indulgent- they always bought her whatever she wanted

118
Q

Acme

A

high point; zenith

he had reached the acme of his career

119
Q

Ajar

A

slightly open

the window was left ajar

120
Q

Apex

A

High point, pinnacle, zenith

he had reached the apex of his career

121
Q

bevy

A

a large group

he was surrounded by a bevy of beautiful girls

122
Q

bilk

A

to steal; to embezzle

he bilked millions of dollars from a company fund in a large scheme

123
Q

boor

A

a rude person

he punched the big, obnoxious boor

124
Q

curt

A

terse, abrupt; brief, almost to the point of rude

“nothing” he replied curtly when asked what he was up to

125
Q

dolt

A 
an obtuse (annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand) person; a stupid person
he wondered if the doctor was being dolt on purpose or just to annoy him
126
Q

dupe

A

to trick

the journalist was duped into publishing an untrue story

127
Q

fawn

A 
to flatter subserviently
everyone fawned the new class president, because they knew that if they got on his bad side, he'd make their lives a living hell
128
Q

foil

A

to baffle a plan; to thwart
he felt bad, so he foiled the plan to trick the poor kid into eating something disgusting by telling him what his friends were planning

129
Q

gait

A

a manner or rate of walking

the athlete kept an easy gait to start the marathon

130
Q

gale

A

a strong wind; gut

he felt a strong gale blow, foreshadowing the storm to come

131
Q

garb

A

clothing, attire

the tribe wore a very unique style of garb

132
Q

glib

A

easeful with speaking, storytelling, sometimes to the point of insincerity and shallowness
his glib made him popular around the neighborhood

133
Q

glut

A

to oversupply; to stuff

he glutted his stomach with food

134
Q

hale

A

healthy

he was almost 80, but still hale and hearty

135
Q

iota

A

a very small amount

nothing she said would make an iota of a difference- there was no way to make the situation better

136
Q

laud

A

to praise, adulate

the obituary lauded him as a great serviceman, husband, and father

137
Q

onus

A

a duty or burden

the onus is on you- you have to take the initiative

138
Q

opus

A

a great work, usually of music

his opus would go down in history

139
Q

tact

A

finesse in dealing with people

he broke the bad news with tact and consideration

140
Q

tome

A

a very big book

a weighty tome

141
Q

tout

A

to display ostentatiously (flaunt), or to solicit business

he touted his fruits at the market to get people to buy them

142
Q

tyro

A

neophyte, beginner, fledgling

he was a tyro at chess

143
Q

whet

A

to sharpen, to stimulate an interest in
he whetted the knife
he whetted his interest in soccer

144
Q

wily

A

crafty, sly

his wily opponents knew how to get the referee on their side

145
Q

bungler

A

a person who bungles things (carry out incompletely), an amateur
they were the new bunglers of the company, sure to be fired within the week

146
Q

capricious

A

subject to fickle changes in mood

the administration was capricious, and often brutal

147
Q

charlatan

A

a fake, a fraud

the charlatan claimed to be the best at chess

148
Q

chimerical

A

unreal, imaginary, visionary

he imagined himself living in a futuristic, chimerical paradise

149
Q

circuitous

A

indirect, longer than the most direct way

he took the long, circuitous way to the town so they could see more views

150
Q

surreptitious

A

kept secret, clandestine

a surreptitious affair

151
Q

copious

A

abundant in supply or quality

he took copious notes

152
Q

curtail

A

reduce in extent or quantity; impose a restriction on

civil liberties were curtailed by the communist government

153
Q

dearth

A

rarity, paucity

there is a dearth of evidence

154
Q

demagogue

A

a speaker who appeals to emotions, fears, or prejudices

Trump is a demagogue who irrationally conveys fear of Mexican takeover to gain votes

155
Q

deride

A

to express contempt for; ridicule

critics derided his ideas

156
Q

deject

A

to make sad or dispirited, depress

nothing dejects a trader like the interruption of his profits

157
Q

despondent

A

low in spirits, forlorn

Marilyn was despondent after her husband of fifty years died

158
Q

devoid

A

entirely lacking

her voice was devoid of emotion

159
Q

diatribe

A

a forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something- a tirade
Because Sheila was unhappy with the administration, she launched a lengthy diatribe against the board during lunch.

160
Q

diffident

A

modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence.

the diffident youngster didn’t think he could pass the test

161
Q

digress

A

to deviate

he digressed from the subject to bring up his recent trip

162
Q

dilettante

A

a person who cultivates an area of interest, such as the arts, without real commitment or knowledge.
he took a dilettante approach to coding- he thought it was interesting, but he didn’t commit himself to learning

163
Q

inexorable

A

impossible to stop or prevent

the inexorable march of new technology

164
Q

folly

A

lack of good sense, foolishness

he got in huge trouble for an act of sheer folly during school.

165
Q

indomitable

A

impossible to subdue or defeat

she had an indomitable spirit

166
Q

artifice

A

trickery, deceit

it was with great artifice that he tricked his brother into paying him 5 dollars for a bet they never made

167
Q

demure

A

reserved, modest, and shy

a demure little wife who sits at home minding the house

168
Q

whimsy

A

playfully quaint or fanciful behavior or humor.

the film is an awkward blend of whimsy and moralizing

169
Q

delve

A

reach inside and search for something

she delved in her pocket

SAT VOCAB (7 decks)

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