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Wu SAT part 2
2nd 100 of the 1000 most used SAT words
Question | Answer |
---|---|
Acrid (adj) | sharp; pungent (used of smells and tastes) |
Boorish (adj) | ill-mannered |
Cynical (adj) | believing that people act only out of selfish motives |
Epistle (n) | a letter (form of communication) |
Heresy (n) | against orthodox opinion |
Lance (n) | spear; spike; javelin |
Obscure (adj) | difficult to understand; partially hidden |
Poignant (adj) | deeply moving; strongly affecting the emotions |
Respite (n) | a break; intermission |
Terse (adj) | concise; to the point |
Acrophobia (n) | fear of heights |
Bourgeois (n) | middle class |
Debility (n) | weakness; incapacity |
Epistolary (adj) | concerned with letters; through correspondence |
Hiatus (n) | interruption; pause |
Languid (adj) | tired; slow |
Obscured (v) | hidden; covered; buried |
Poised (adj) | calm; collected; self-possessed |
Resplendent (adj) | shining; glowing |
Therapeutic (adj) | medicinal; curative |
Acuity (n) | sharpness (mental or visual) |
Braggart (n) | someone who boasts |
Debunking (v) | exposing false claims or myths |
Epitomized (v) | typified; characterized; personified |
Hidebound (adj) | rigid in opinions |
Languish (v) | decay; fade away; get weaker |
Obsequious (adj) | servile; submissive |
Polemical (adj) | causing debate or argument |
Restorative (n) | a tonic |
Thwart (v) | prevent; frustrate |
Adamant (adj) | forceful; inflexible |
Brawny (adj) | muscular |
Decathlon (n) | an athletic competition with ten events |
Equivocate (v) | speak ambiguously; avoid telling the truth |
Hieroglyphics (n) | 1. picture writing; 2. writing which is difficult to read or enigmatic |
Larceny (n) | theft; robbery; stealing |
Obsession (n) | a dominating concern |
Ponderous (adj) | weighty; slow and heavy |
Retention (n) | preservation; withholding |
Timorous (adj) | cowardly; fearful |
Adroit (adj) | skillful |
Brevity (n) | being brief |
Decorum (n) | dignified, correct behavior [decorous (a)] |
Err (v) | make a mistake |
Hinder (v) | obstruct |
Largess (n) | generosity |
Obsolete (adj) | no longer valid |
Pontificate (v) | speak pompously or dogmatically |
Reticent (adj) | restrained; holding something back; uncommunicative |
Tirade (n) | stream of verbal abuse |
Adulation (n) | strong admiration; worship |
Bristle (v) | to show irritation |
Decoy (n) | lure; trap; trick |
Erratic (adj) | wandering; irregular |
Histrionic (adj) | theatrical; exaggerated |
Laud (n) | praise |
Obstreperous (adj) | noisy and boisterous |
Portend (v) | foretell |
Retraction (n) | withdrawal; cancellation of a statement |
Titter (v) | giggle quietly |
Adversity (n) | hardship |
Broach (v) | start to discuss; approach |
Deference (n) | respect |
Esoteric (adj) | obscure and difficult to understand |
Hoary (adj) | old |
Lavish (adj) | on a grand scale; wasteful |
Obtuse (adj) | mentally dull |
Portent (n) | a warning sign; omen |
Revere (v) | worship |
Tome (n) | large book |
Advocate (v) | support |
Brusque (adj) | blunt; abrupt |
Defoliate (v) | cause leaves to fall off |
Espouse (v) | promote; take up; support |
Hone (v) | sharpen; increase; whet |
Lax (adj) | careless; not strict |
Obviate (v) | avoid; make unnecessary |
Poseur (n) | someone who puts on an act |
Riddled (adj) | full of (usually full of holes) |
Torpid (adj) | inactive; lazy; stagnant |
Aesthetic (adj) | concerning art or beauty |
Bulwark (n) | fortification; barricade; wall |
Defunct (adj) | no longer in existence |
Etymology (n) | the study of word origins |
Hyperbole (n) | grossly exaggerated speech |
Legend (n) | 1. key to map; 2. Myth or story |
Odious (adj) | hateful |
Posterity (n) | future generations |
Rife (adj) | common |
Torpor (n) | dormancy; sluggishness; inactivity |
Affable (adj) | friendly; social; easygoing |
Bureaucracy (n) | officialdom |
Degradation (n) | depribation; poverty; debasement |
Eulogy (n) | praise |
Hypochondriac (n) | a person obsessed with health; having imaginary illnesses |
Legion (n) | in large numbers |
Officious (adj) | domineering; intrusive; meddlesome |
Posthumous (adj) | after death |
Rigor (n) | thoroughness |
Totter (v) | walk unsteadily |