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SAT VOCAB > Week 5 > Flashcards

Week 5 Flashcards

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1
Q

frivolous

A

not having any serious purpose or value.

they needed new laws to end frivolous lawsuits

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2
Q

frill

A

an unnecessary extra feature or embellishment.

it was a simple apartment with no frills

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3
Q

protract

A

prolong

he had certainly taken his time, even protracting the process

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4
Q

compendious

A

containing or presenting the essential facts in a comprehensive but concise way.
he conducted a compendious study

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5
Q

contentious

A

likely to cause an argument, controversial

he brought up a contentious issue

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6
Q

acclimate

A

become accustomed to

he acclimated to the new conditions

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7
Q

indelible

A

not able to be forgotten or removed

his story made an indelible impression on me

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8
Q

perturbation

A

anxiety, uneasiness

he could sense her perturbation

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9
Q

calamity

A

an event causing a great amount of damage and distress

she has survived more calamities in the past three months than most people experience in a lifetime

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10
Q

monolithic

A

massive and uniform

they lived in a monolithic society

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11
Q

welter

A

to roll, toss, or heave, as waves or the sea
the pigs weltered in the mud
also a jumble or a confused mass
he found around him a welter of anxious faces

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12
Q

bewail

A

to express regret or disappointment over something

he bewailed the fact that he had to stay up all night because of hw

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13
Q

lampoon

A

publicly ridicule or criticize through irony or sarcasm

the comedian lampooned government officials

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14
Q

profuse

A

abundant, exuberantly plentiful

I offered profuse apologies

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15
Q

pliable

A

easily bent or influenced

teenage minds are pliable

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16
Q

perfunctory

A

carried out with minimale effort

he gave a perfunctory nod

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17
Q

verbose

A

using or expressing more words than needed

much academic language is obscure and verbose

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18
Q

diffuse

A

spread over a wide area, also lacking clarity or conciseness
his second paragraph was diffuse

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19
Q

goad

A

provoke or annoy someone so as to stimulate an action or reaction
he goaded her into telling him more about the story

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20
Q

pragmatic

A

of or relating to a practical point of view or practical considerations
he took a pragmatic approach to the project

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21
Q

venal

A

susceptible to bribery

the venal judge often accepted bribes

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22
Q

mercenary

A

concerned with making money over at the expense of ethics

he was a mercenary busienssman

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23
Q

scrupulous

A

principled, knowing right from wrong

he was scrupulous in defending human rights

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24
Q

ingenuous

A

innocent and naive, unsuspecting

the ingenuous victim had no idea the robber was waiting to kill him

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25
Q

heinous

A

odious or wicked

the group committed heinous crimes

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26
Q

iniquitous

A

grossly unfair and morally wrong

the iniquitous tax

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27
Q

reprehensible

A

deserving censure or condemnation- needed to be reprimanded

his reprehensible mood needed to be fixed

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28
Q

nuance

A

subtle details and differences in shade of meaning

small nuances in facial expressions can greatly change the way one looks

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29
Q

gradation

A

a scale or a series of successive changes, stages, or degrees
there was a big change in gradation of distance as the object fell

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30
Q

nicety

A

fine, intricate details

she never cared about the niceties of Greek and Latin

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31
Q

officious

A

assertive of authority in an annoying way

the officious cop told them to move, even though they weren’t doing anything

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32
Q

overt

A

done or shown openly

an overt act of aggression

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33
Q

paragon

A

a perfect example of a particular quality

it would’ve taken a paragon of patience not to hit him in the face

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34
Q

travesty

A

a false, absurd, or distorted representation of something

his lenient sentence is a travesty of justice

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35
Q

dearth

A

scarcity or lack of

a dearth of evidence

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36
Q

pedestrian

A

dull, boring, tedious

he led a pedestrian life

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37
Q

perpetuate

A

to make something continue indefinitely, or protect from extinction
the law perpetuated the interests of the rich

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38
Q

pervasive

A

spreading widely throughout an area or group of people

agism is pervasive and entrenched in our society

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39
Q

pithy

A

concise and forcefully expressive

he made a pithy observation

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40
Q

polemical

A

involving strongly critical, controversial, or disputatious writing or speech
a polemical essay

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41
Q

stilted

A

stiff, self-conscious, and unnatural

they made stilted conversation

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42
Q

ponderous

A

slow and clumsy because of great weight

her footsteps were heavy and ponderous

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43
Q

precarious

A

not held securely, dangerously likely to collapse. also dependent on luck, uncertain
a precarious ladder, a precarious career

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44
Q

smorgasbord

A

a wide range of something, a variety

the album is a smorgasbord of different musical styles

45
Q

disavow

A

deny responsibility or support for

he disavowed his past

46
Q

gimmick

A

a trick or device intended to draw attention, publicity or business
the scandal was all a huge gimmick

47
Q

avuncular

A

of or relating to an uncle

he saw his godfather as an avuncular figure

48
Q

mimetic

A

relating to or practicing mimesis (imitation)

there were mimetic patterns in the butterflies

49
Q

covetous

A

having or showing desire to posses something

he gazed at the shoes covetously

50
Q

stoic or stoical

A

enduring pain and hardship without showing one’s feelings or complaining
he taught a stoical acceptance of suffering

51
Q

mercurial

A

subject to unpredictable change in mood

he had a mercurial temperament

52
Q

congenial

A

pleasant because of personality and qualities that are similar to one’s own
he needed some congenial company

53
Q

recant

A

say that one no longer holds an opinion or belief, especially one considered heretical
heretics were burned if they didn’t recant

54
Q

inauspicious

A

not conductive to success

they had an inauspicious start to their journey

55
Q

prodigious

A

remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree.

The stove consumed a prodigious amount of fuel

56
Q

coerce

A

persuade through force or threats

they were coerced into lying

57
Q

bemuse

A

puzzle, confuse, or bewilder

he was bemused by the injustice

58
Q

cavort

A

jump around or dance excitedly

spider monkeys leap and cavort in their branches

59
Q

contrive

A

create or bring about an object or situation with skill and artifice
his opponents contrived for him a crisis

60
Q

brisk

A

active, fast, and energetic. sharp and stimulating

they had a good, brisk walk

61
Q

cacophonous

A

involving or producing discordant mixtures of sounds

the casino had too many cacophonous slot machines

62
Q

therapeutic

A

relating to the healing of diseases

the herb had therapeutic effects

63
Q

consternation

A

feelings of anxiety or distress at something

much to the consternation of my neighbors, I had parties every week

64
Q

implore

A

to beg earnestly or desperately

he implored her not to leave

65
Q

tantamount

A

equivalent in seriousness

his crimes were tantamount to first degree murder

66
Q

bellicose

A

demonstrating agression and willingness to fight- war like

bellicose rebels

67
Q

belligerent

A

hostile and aggressive

68
Q

belletristic

A

fine, light, and elegant, especially in literature

it was a belletristic work

69
Q

ramifications

A

consequences or implications, esp. negative

his decision had many negative ramifications on his future

70
Q

cogent

A

clear, logical, convincing

he made a cogent argument

71
Q

prodigal

A

reckless with money

don’t be so prodigal spending my money!

72
Q

profusion

A

abundance or large quantity
the stars lit up the night sky in profusion
lavish expenditure
she tried to win friends by her profusion in throwing parties

73
Q

proliferation

A

rapid increase in numbers

get-rich-quick schemes encountered rapid proliferation during the recession

74
Q

prolific

A

highly productive

he was a prolific writer

75
Q

parochial

A

having a limited or narrow outlook or scope

his worldview was naive and parochial

76
Q

quandary

A

state of perplexity or uncertainty; a difficult situation

she was in a quandary

77
Q

predicament

A

difficult, unpleasant, or bad situation

the club had a financial predicament

78
Q

rancor

A

lasting resentment or bitterness

although they were enemies, they spoke without rancor

79
Q

declaim

A

to utter or deliver in a passionate, rhetorical way

she declaimed her beliefs

80
Q

clamor

A

loud and confused noise

the never-ending questions by the reporters turned into clamor

81
Q

grandiloquent

A

pompous or extravagant

the Spanish celebrate holidays grandiloquently

82
Q

corroborate

A

confirm or give support to

the mother corroborated the boys statement, as she was a witness of the fight

83
Q

repudiate

A

to refuse to be associated with, or to deny

he repudiated her daughter, disinheriting her

84
Q

regimen

A

systematic program or plan

he prepared for a marathon by following a strict regimen

85
Q

reprove

A

scold in a gentle manner

he was reproved by the teacher for not paying attention

86
Q

rescind

A

to make an act or contract void

they rescinded the law proposal

87
Q

exacting

A

demanding skill, attention, or other resources

it was difficult to live up to his dad’s exacting standards

88
Q

pundit

A

an expert in a subject or field often called to give opinions
the news company called for a financial pundit to make a prediction on what would happen next

89
Q

savant

A

a learned person (esp. scientist)

Einstein was one of the most notable savants in history

90
Q

staunch

A

loyal and committed in attitude

he was a staunch supporter of the proposal

91
Q

stock (adj.)

A

trite

avoid giving stock answers at job interviews

92
Q

dwindle

A

diminish gradually in size

the traffic dwindled as it became late

93
Q

ebb

A

to gradually lessen or reduce

his enthusiasm began to ebb away

94
Q

surreptitious

A

done by stealth

gov’t agents use surreptitious methods to spy on terrorists

95
Q

impressionable

A

easily influenced bc of a lack of critical ability

teenagers are highly impressionable

96
Q

taciturn

A

disinclined to talk

he was a taciturn soul- he would only answer yep or nope

97
Q

laconic

A

using few words, terse

his laconic response showed his disinterest in the topic

98
Q

trepidation

A

nervous apprehension- anxiety

she felt trepidation about her interview

99
Q

tumultuous

A

excited, confused, disorderly

they found themselves amidst a tumultuous crowd

100
Q

usurp

A

seize another’s power, rank, or authority

judges often usurp the power of legislators by making law rather than merely interpreting it.

101
Q

oscillate

A

waver or hesitate when making a decision or choosing an opinion
he oscillated when asked his opinion on the subject

102
Q

venerate

A

regard with esteem

the people of Tibet still venerate the traditional spiritual leader: the Dalai Lama.

103
Q

vestigial

A

relating to small remnants left by something of the past that was larger or more noticeable
he saw a vestigial flicker of anger from last night in his eyes

104
Q

residual

A

remaining after the greater or larger quantity has gone, or left after things have been subtracted
the troop was one of the few residual forces left in Iraq; their residual income- after taxes and mortgage- was actually pretty small

105
Q

virulent

A

extremely severe or hostile
the case of measles turned virulent quickly
she became virulent on the subject of abortion

106
Q

noxious

A

harmful, poisonous, or unpleasant

they were overcome by noxious fumes

107
Q

volatile

A

tending to explode into violence or change unexpectedly

her temper was extremely volatile

108
Q

zealot

A

a person who shows excessive religious or political fervor

He was a political zealot- he tried to turn all his friends into hardcore conservatives

SAT VOCAB (7 decks)

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