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SAT Words
"SAT Word of the Day" by Rory Bled, Berkeley High School compiled by Adele Naka
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ABET | to help someone do a bad thing. "The shopkeeper accused the customer of abetting the thief who broke into the store." |
| ABSCOND | to depart secretly. "I hope that she doesn't abscond with the cash." |
| ABSOLVE | to forgive, free from blame |
| ACQUIESCE | to give in; surrender. "Because I was very polite but persistent, my parents acquiesced and agreed to let me go to the prom." |
| ABSTRUSE | extremely difficult to understand. "The professor's theory of economics was abstruse, and most of her students failed the course." |
| ADAMANT | insistent; unyielding. "The thief was adamant that she was not guilty and that someone else had put the diamond ring in her purse." |
| AFFECTED | fake; pretentious. "That actor is as straightforward in public as he is on the screen; he is not affected." |
| AFFINITY | attraction toward or liking of something. "The child showed an early affinity for playing the saxophone, and by the time she was six she was playing in a professional rock group." |
| ALOOF | emotionally distant; cold. "The actress is aloof in public and refuses to sign autographs." |
| ALTERCATION | a dispute or fight. "The siblings' public altercation was an embarrassment to their parents." |
| AMBIVALENT | feeling two ways at the same time; unsure. "She was ambivalent about whether to attend college or to travel." |
| AMIABLE | friendly; easygoing. "The politician tried his best to appear amiable." |
| ANONYMOUS | without name. "The group is anonymous so members can seek help without fear." |
| ANTAGONISTIC | hostile; bellicose. "The crowd was antagonistic toward the politician." |
| APOCRYPHAL | of doubtful authenticity. "Some stories that are passed from one generation to the next as being true are actually apocryphal." |
| AQUATIC | belonging or living in water. "Going scuba diving is a good way to get to know aquatic plants and animals." |
| ARABLE | suitable for farming. "Silicon Valley used to have some of the most arable land in the country." |
| ARBOREAL | relating to trees; living in trees. "Apes are arboreal." |
| ARCHAIC | outdated; no longer in use. "The expression 'groovy' is already archaic." |
| ASSENT | to agree to. "A treaty signed by the President is not valid until the Senate assents to its prescribed terms." |
| ASSUAGE | to soothe or relieve. "Nothing could assuage the little boy's grief after his pet iguana ran away." |
| AUSPICIOUS | favorable; propitious. "The merger of the two companies was an auspicious occasion." |
| AUTHENTIC | genuine, real. "An authentic Mark McGwire rookie card is probably worth a lot of money." |
| BANAL | dull and unoriginal. "Most television shows, including the most popular ones, are banal." |
| BANE | a destructive or harmful thing. "Her allergies were a bane to her health." |
| BEHEMOTH | huge creature |
| BELEAGUER | to harass. "The celebrity was beleaguered by her adoring fans." |
| BENEVOLENT | good-willed; kind. "Doctors traditionally swear to the Hippocratic Oath |
| BIPED | two-footed animal. "We are bipeds." |
| BOMBASTIC | using high-sounding but meaningless language. "The speaker's bombastic lecture left the audience bored and unimpressed." |
| BOVINE | cow-like; relating to cows (slow and stupid) |
| CARNIVOROUS | meat-eating. "The carnivorous lion happily munched on the felled zebra." |
| CASTIGATE | to scold. "My mother frequently castigates me because I watch too much television." |
| CENSURE | to find fault with and condemn as wrong; blame. "The corporation was censured for its careless disposal of toxic waste." |
| CHARLATAN | a deceiver; a fraud; a quack. "The man who operated on her was not a real surgeon; he was a charlatan." |
| CHIMERICAL | fanciful, imaginary, visionary, impossible |
| CLAMOR | noisy outcry. "The clamor of children playing outside made it impossible for me to study." |
| COGNIZANT | aware. "Some seniors do not seem cognizant of the fact that they are supposed to sleep through the day." |
| COMMODIOUS | roomy; spacious. "Melanie Griffin's 20,000 square foot new home is commodious." |
| COMPELLING | strongly convincing. "The purpose of a political campaign is to present compelling reasons to vote for a candidate rather than for her opponent." |
| COMPLACENT | overly self-satisfied. "Some seniors become complacent and catch senioritis." |
| CONCISE | brief and to the point. "Bill Clinton's speeches are not always concise." |
| CONCUR | to agree. "I would not accept my doctor's diagnosis of scurvy until her colleagues were all willing to concur." |
| CONDESCENDING | looking down upon another. "Her friend's condescending remarks embarrassed and angered her." Similar: patronizing. |
| CONDONE | to excuse bad behavior. "I don't condone talking on cell phones during concerts." |
| CONSENSUS | a state of agreement. "While there were still a few minor disagreements among the bank directors, there was a general consensus that they should raise fees and cut back service." |
| CONTENTIOUS | argumentative. "The meeting was a disaster because of the contentious people who wouldn't let anyone else talk." |
| CONTRITE | regretful; penitent. "The group was contrite because it had forced one member out of the organization." |
| COPIOUS | plentiful. "The copious rainfall was welcomed by the farmers." |
| CRAVEN | cowardly |
| CRYPTIC | difficult to understand; coded. "The lecturer's cryptic references to obscure ancient manuscripts made her talk very difficult to understand." |
| CULPABLE | guilty; blameworthy. "In looking around the room to determine who had stolen the roast beef, we decided that the dog looked the most culpable." |
| CURSORY | hasty; showing little attention to detail. "The professor gave a cursory glance at the research paper, then awarded it an A." |
| CYGNET | young swan. "Cygnets spend a full year with their swan parents after they hatch." |
| DEARTH | lack of something. "Students who do not wear socks on cold days suffer from a dearth of common sense." |
| DEFAME | to say something that ruins someone's reputation. "The tabloid's article about the actor's drug use was an attempt to defame his character." |
| DEMEAN | to degrade, humiliate. "The editor felt it would demean the newspaper to publish letters containing obscenities." |
| DENIGRATE | to slur or blacken someone's reputation. "The people still love their late leader, despite many attempts to denigrate his character." |
| DENOUNCE | to accuse, blame |
| DEPLETE | to use up; exhaust. "Her energy was completely depleted by filling out so many college applications." |
| DERIDE | to speak ill of. "It is undignified to deride people who don't agree with you." |
| DEROGATE | to speak ill of. "No one speaks to that couple, because they derogate everyone they meet." |
| DIABOLICAL | fiendish; wicked. "She's a criminal with a diabolical mind." |
| DIATRIBE | bitter verbal attack |
| DIFFIDENT | shy, lacking confidence |
| DIGRESSION | straying away froma main idea. "The biology professor's lectures were filled with digressions on the origins of the English language." |
| DISCORDANT | harsh-sounding, inharmonious, conflicting. "The newly elected president tried to unite the discordant factions within the union." |
| DISCREDIT | to harm someone's reputation. "The politician used dirty tricks to discredit his opponents." |
| DISCREPANCY | disagreement; inconsistency. "There was a discrepancy between the amount of money I gave her and the amount that she said she had received." |
| DISGRUNTLED | dissatisfied due to a feeling of injustice. "The City Council meeting was filled with disgruntled homeowners." |
| DISPARAGE | to belittle, speak disrespectfully about. "Despite the disparaging attitudes of our detractors, our grassroots organization is having an impact on public policy." |
| DOGMATIC | overly forceful in asserting one's opinions. "The only way to convince her roommate to clean up was to be totally dogmatic." |
| DORMANT | at rest, inactive, in suspended animation. "If your brain stays dormant for too long, it just may atrophy." |
| DUPE | to deceive, trick. "He was duped into taking the blame for our offenses." |
| ECCENTRIC | behaving in an odd or unusual manner. "The professor's eccentric way of dressing in historical attire drew huge crowds to his class." |
| ECSTATIC | extremely happy; elated. "I was ecstatic when I heard that the SAT had been dropped as a college requirement, but then I woke up and realized that I had been dreaming." |
| EGREGIOUS | conspicuously bad. "The politician made an egregious error." |
| ELICIT | to bring forth. "Varsity games sometimes elicit rowdy behavior from the spectators." |
| ELUCIDATE | to clarify or explain. "The professor did a confusing job of elucidating his theory about the validity of the flat tax." |
| EMACIATED | extremely thin. "The prisoners all appeared emaciated." |
| EMBELLISH | to decorate or add untrue but interesting details. "I embellished my story of why I was absent with >details about an encounter with Elvis and a UFO." |
| EMINENT | celebrated, distinguished; outstanding, towering. "She is an eminent professor at the university." |
| EMPIRICAL | based on observation rather than theory. "My belief that the students were suffering from the cold was based on empirical observations of their goosebumps." |
| ENTAIL | to imply as a necessary result or consequence. "Most politicians don't want to run for President because of the difficulties it entails: harsh media scrutiny, endless fundraising, and 20-hour workdays." |
| EPHEMERAL | momentary, transient, fleeting |
| EQUINE | relating to horses. "Many donkeys have equine characteristics, although they are not horses." |
| ETHEREAL | airy; insubstantial; not concrete. "Tinker Bell is an ethereal creature." |
| EUPHONY | pleasant, harmonious sound. "Vacation is a euphonious word." |
| EXONERATE | to free from blame; exculpate. "The prisoner was finally exonerated and set free." |
| EXORBITANT | extravagant, greater than reasonable. "The prices at this store are absolutely exorbitant!" |
| EXPLOIT | to take advantage of. "The protesters argued that the company exploited its workers overseas." |
| EXTRICATE | to remove from difficulty. "The exhausted mother was tired of extricating her child from the messes he created for himself." |
| FACILITATE | to help make something easier. "E-mail has facilitated their staying in touch with one another." |
| FALLACIOUS | false; spurious. "The statement that seniors only need to go to school between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. is fallacious." |
| FAWN | to flatter excessively, seek the favor of. "After being surrounded by fawning admirers, the actress was glad to meet an honest friend." |
| FEIGN | to pretend, give a false impression; to invent falsely "You shouldn't feign illness in order to get out of your test next period!" |
| FETID | foul-smelling. "The Saint Bernard's breath was fetid, and I regretted letting him drag me off the ski slope." |
| FETTER | to bind or restrain. "Staying up all night fettered her ability to do well on her final." |
| FLEDGLING | young bird just learning to fly; beginner, novice. "The fledgling driver hit the telephone pole during his driving test." |
| FLORID | ruddy, flushed; gaudy, extremely ornate. "His florid expression indicated his anger." |
| FLOUNDER | to falter, waver; to muddle, struggle. "The previously glib defendant began to flounder when the prosecutor found a hole in his story." |
| FLOUT | to disregard or disobey. "The man takes great pride in flouting authority." |
| FORTUITOUS | favorably accidental; lucky. "It was fortuitous that she found her $100 bill under the couch before she began vacuuming." |
| FRUGAL | conservative in spending; thrifty. "The frugal woman retired from her job with millions in the bank." |
| GARRULOUS | very talkative. "Everyone in the building dreaded running into the garrulous man, because he could chatter on about trivial matters for hours." |
| GERMANE | relevant. "The student's question was germane to the lecture, but the professor refused to answer." |
| GLUTTON | one who eats too much. "The man who won the pie-eating contest is a real glutton." |
| GREGARIOUS | sociable; group-oriented. "Politicians need to be gregarious; there's no substitute for getting out in a crowd to shake hands and chat with voters." |
| GUILE | trickiness; deception. "Through guile, the con artist persuaded the man to give her all his money." |
| GULLIBLE | easily deceived. "The gullible child believed that the person in costume was a real witch." |
| HIDEBOUND | excessively rigid; dry and stiff. "That inflexible individual is hidebound." |
| HYPERBOLE | exaggeration. "The melodramatic student speaks in hyperbole." |
| IGNOMINIOUS | disgraceful and dishonorable |
| IMMUTABLE | unchangeable. "Once he forms an opinion about someone, it is immutable." |
| IMPERIOUS | overly bossy or authoritarian; haughty. "In a democratic society such as ours, it is considered inappropriate for leaders, even the President, to behave in an imperious way." |
| IMPETUOUS | impulsive, hasty. "The impetuous young woman jumped onto the ladder and began singing." |
| IMPARTIAL | unbiased; fair. "It is essential that judges be impartial." |
| IMPECUNIOUS | having no money. "They just paid their taxes and are now impecunious." |
| IMPUDENT | sassy; rude. |
| INCESSANT | continuous, never ceasing |
| INCISIVE | perceptive, penetrating. "Their arguments were always incisive." |
| INDEFATIGABLE | tireless; full of energy. "Our cheerleaders are absolutely indefatigable!" |
| INDELIBLE | permanent, not erasable. "Be careful with your clothing, because that ink is indelible." |
| INDIGENT | poor; destitute; impecunious. "Indigent people have a difficult time affording housing in the Bay Area." |
| INDIGENOUS | native, occurring naturally in an area; originated in and being produced, growing, living, or occurring naturally in a particular region or environment. "Yesterday the City of Berkeley celebrated Indigenous People's Day." |
| INDOLENT | habitually lazy idle. "Her indolence got her fired from many jobs." |
| INEPT | clumsy, awkward; foolish, nonsensical. "He was so inept in the garden that he dug up all the roses." |
| INFAMOUS | famous in a bad way. "The actor's bad behavior guaranteed that he would become infamous as a scoundrel before he became famous as a thespian." |
| INITIATE | to begin. "The woman initiated her job search by updating her risumi." |
| INFAMY | reputation for bad deeds. "He lived on in infamy." |
| INNOCUOUS | harmless. "The bully was really an innocuous wimp." |
| INSATIABLE | never satisfied. "She has an insatiable appetite for adventure." |
| INTREPID | fearless. "Martin Luther King, Jr. was an intrepid leader." |
| INTRICATE | complicated; highly detailed. "The spider wove an intricate web." |
| INVECTIVE | harsh words. "We hear far too much invective in these halls." |
| INVIDIOUS | likely to provoke ill-will, offensive |
| IRONY | contradiction between expected and actual events. "How ironic that the straight-A student failed her English class senior year." |
| JETTISON | to get rid of; discard; eject. "The pilot jettisoned his passengers' heavy gear so that the hot air balloon could rise." |
| JOCULAR | joking; humorous. "She loves her science class because her teacher is so jocular." |
| LACONIC | using few words. "A laconic speaker, she economized her words." |
| LAP | to drink using the tongue; to wash against. "The cat greedily lapped up her milk." |
| LATENT | present but not visible or active. "From what she tells me, her son is a latent genius." |
| LIONIZE | to treat as a celebrity. "He loved being lionized and worshiped by his friends." |
| LOQUACIOUS | talkative. "The students in this class are extremely loquacious." |
| LURID | harshly shocking, sensational; glowing. "Reporters dug up his lurid past and caused him to lose the election." |
| LUXURIANT | lush; full; plentiful. "The man brushed his luxuriant hair while admiring himself in the mirror." |
| MAGNANIMOUS | generous, noble in spirit. "Her magnanimous personality attracted people to her." |
| MALEFACTOR | evildoer; culprit. "Many organizations are still trying to bring Nazi malefactors to justice." |
| MELANCHOLY | sad; morose. "The news of Aaliyah's death left me feeling melancholy." |
| MALEVOLENT | ill-willed; causing evil or harm to others. "Her malevolent acts destroyed many of her friendships." |
| MAUDLIN | overly sentimental; sappy. "The woman only reads maudlin romances by best-selling authors." |
| Meager | small; skimpy. "My sons complained that their allowance was meager." |
| MEANDER | to wander aimlessly |
| MERCENARY | motivated only by greed. "Many celebrated 'explorers' were actually odious mercenary plunderers." |
| MERCURIAL | quick, shrewd and unpredictable |
| MIRTHFUL | jovial, merry, causing or provoking laughter and glee "Mirthfulness is the best medicine." |
| MISANTHROPE | one who hates all people. "Molihre wrote a play about a man who was a misanthrope." |
| MODEST | not extravagant or showy. "Billionaire Warren Buffett*s house in Omaha is surprisingly modest." Opposite: pretentious, ostentatious. |
| MOLT | to shed hair, skin, or an outer layer periodically. "To molt is to remove a layer." |
| NEFARIOUS | vicious, evil. "Nefarious deeds are never far from an evil-doer's mind." |
| NOISOME | stinking, putrid. "A dead mouse trapped in your walls produces a noisome odor." |
| NOSTALGIA | longing for former times. "Her mother talked with nostalgia about her Haight-Ashbury days." |
| OBDURATE | stubborn. "He refuses to change his mind; he is very obdurate." |
| OBSTREPEROUS | noisily and stubbornly defiant; aggressively boisterous. "Her obstreperous proctors refused to shelve the catalogues." |
| ODIOUS | hateful, contemptible. "While many people consider studying vocabulary an odious task, there are some who find it enjoyable." |
| OMINOUS | giving indications that something bad is about to happen. "The weather person gave ominous warnings about a possible flood." |
| OVERTURE | an introduction; prologue. "Part of Rossini's 'William Tell Overture' was used as the theme for the 'Lone Ranger.'" |
| PARTISAN | based on loyalty to a particular group. "The vote on health care reform was split along partisan lines; the Republicans all voted one way, and the Democrats the other way." |
| PERFIDIOUS | faithless, disloyal, untrustworthy. "The man considered humans perfidious, but he loved his faithful dog." |
| PERSPICACIOUS | shrewd, astute, keen-witted. "Robin Williams is a perspicacious individual." |
| PHILANTHROPIST | a wealthy person who donates money to worthy causes. "Many scholarships are supported by philanthropists." |
| PLACATE | to do something to calm someone down; pacify. "I could do nothing to placate the student whose calculator I broke." |
| PLATITUDE | a dull or unoriginal statement; a clichi. "The annoying politician filled his speech with platitudes." |
| PLAUSIBLE | believable. "The student's excuse that she had dropped her essay down the garbage disposal while helping her brother do the dishes was not plausible." |
| PLETHORA | an abundance; plenitude; profusion. "The outstanding student has a plethora of A's on her transcript." |
| POIGNANT | emotionally moving. "A poignant play touches your emotions." |
| PONDEROUS | massive; heavy. "Surprisingly, the ponderous elephant was afraid of the tiny mouse." |
| PRAGMATIC | realistically sensible; practical. "The pragmatic customer put a teabag under the table to balance the leg." |
| PRECURSOR | something that leads to a later development or idea. "The automobiles of the 1940's were precursors of the PT Cruiser." |
| PRETENTIOUS | self-important. "The pretentious man put a coat of arms above his front door." |
| PREVALENT | widespread; common. "Asking probing questions is a prevalent habit of Berkeley High students." |
| PREVARICATE | to quibble, evade the truth |
| PROCLIVITY | tendency toward; affinity. "The rock star has a proclivity for punching holes in the walls of his hotel rooms." |
| PROCRASTINATE | to put off doing something until a future time; to postpone or delay needlessly. "She procrastinated and did not register for the SAT until the very last minute." |
| PRODIGAL | wasteful with money. "The company's prodigal spending habits sent it into bankruptcy." |
| PROFOUND | deep; extreme. "There is a profound difference between milk chocolate and dark chocolate." |
| PROLIFERATE | to become widespread. "The infestation of snails has proliferated alarmingly in the horticulturist's garden, and they have devoured all her basil." |
| PROLIFIC | extremely productive. "Isaac Asimov was a prolific writer; during his adult life, his output averaged over ten new books every year." |
| PROFLIGATE | corrupt, degenerate. "Some historians say the ancient Romans' profligate behavior and love of luxury led to the decline of the Roman empire." |
| PROFOUND | deep; extreme. "There is a profound difference between milk chocolate and dark chocolate." |
| PROTEAN | readily assuming different forms or characters |
| PRUDENT | careful, cautious. "Prudence prevents accidents." |
| QUIESCENCE | inactivity; dormancy. "Senior year should NOT be a time of intellectual quiescence." |
| QUIXOTIC | unrealistic; foolishly romantic. "Anyone who tilts at windmills is definitely quixotic." |
| RAUCOUS | harsh-sounding; boisterous. "The grade school cafeteria was a raucous place at lunch time." |
| RAZE | to tear down completely. "Rather than rebuild it, San Francisco razed the earthquake-damaged Embarcadero Freeway." |
| REBUKE | to reprimand, scold. "Sergeants often rebuke newly enlisted soldiers to teach them discipline." |
| RECALCITRANT | stubbornly disobedient. "The recalcitrant senior insisted on dropping a class, despite her counselor's advice." |
| REFUTE | to prove something false. Opposite: verify, substantiate. "The facts refuted his allegations." |
| REPREHENSIBLE | very bad. "The students were suspended because of their reprehensible behavior. |
| REPROBATE | morally unprincipled person. "If you flout your society's accepted moral code, you will be considered a reprobate." |
| RETICENT | not speaking freely, reserved |
| SAGACIOUS | wise, shrewd. "They listened to the woman because she is sagacious." |
| SANCTUARY | a place that offers safety; refuge. "The public library is a sanctuary for many people." |
| SANGUINE | cheerfully optimistic; ruddy |
| SARDONIC | cynical, scornfully mocking "That comedian is far too sardonic for my taste." |
| SCRUPULOUS | ethical, attentive to detail. "The scrupulous accountant never cheats her clients." |
| SEMINAL | relating to the beginning or seeds of something |
| SHIBBOLETH | a word or saying used by adherents of a party, sect, or belief and usually regarded by others as empty of real meaning; a widely held belief. "Today this book publishing shibboleth is a myth." |
| SKEPTICAL | having doubts. "Having been fooled by the boy*s cries before, the villagers were skeptical that there really was a wolf." Similar: wary, cynical. Opposite: gullible. |
| SLOTH | sluggishness, laziness. "The latecomer was reprimanded for his sloth." |
| SLOTHFUL | lazy. "Slothful people swear off work." |
| SPURIOUS | lacking authenticity or validity; false. "Their methods for choosing the best schools seem spurious." |
| STALWART | strong or brave. "The stalwart fans stood in the rain for five hours waiting to buy Super Bowl tickets." |
| STATUS QUO | the standard, commonly-accepted way things are; convention. "Although they say that they are revolutionary thinkers, they really prefer the status quo." |
| STOIC | indifferent to pain or pleasure. "The stoic athlete skated despite a broken ankle." |
| STRIDENT | loud, harsh, unpleasantly noisy. "The child cringed under his parents' strident scolding." |
| SUBVERT | to secretly work to weaken someone's authority or plans. "The students worked to subvert the teacher's authority by throwing spitballs." |
| SUPERCILIOUS | arrogant, haughty, overbearing,condescending. "She was a shallow and scornful woman with a supercilious manner." |
| SUPERFICIAL | shallow, on the surface. "Mercutio*s wound seemed superficial, but the blade punctured a vital organ, and he soon died." |
| SUPERNUMERARY | (n) an actor without a speaking part, as one who appears in a crowd scene; (adj) exceeding a fixed, prescribed, or standard number; extra |
| SUPPRESS | to restrain, stop. "By killing or imprisoning his political rivals, the dictator suppressed all opposition to his regime." |
| SURLY | rude and unfriendly; grouchy. "I did not give the surly waiter a tip." |
| SYCOPHANT | Self-serving flatterer |
| TACIT | silently understood or implied. "They made a tacit agreement to conspire against her." |
| TACITURN | uncommunicative, not inclined to speak |
| TALON | claw of an animal, especially a bird of prey. "The vulture holds its prey in its talons while it dismembers the small animal with its beak." |
| TANGIBLE | concrete; able to be touched. "I had no tangible evidence, such as a Martian newspaper, that I had been kidnapped by the UFO." |
| TANTAMOUNT | equivalent. "Refusing to take your finals is tantamount to giving up." |
| TAPER | to narrow or decrease in size or intensity. "Her enthusiasm for her engineering class tapered off dramatically when she received the results of her first test." |
| TAUTOLOGY | Needless repetition of an idea, statement or word. |
| (TO)TEMPER | to control or limit from extremes. "If you have something unpleasant to say to someone, you should temper your remarks." |
| TEMPERATE | mild; avoiding extremes. "We are lucky in California to have such a temperate climate." |
| TERSE | concise, brief, free of extra words. "Her terse style of writing was widely praised for coming directly to the point." |
| TIRADE | a harsh, ranting speech directed against someone. "The politician's tirade against members of his own party shocked the audience." |
| TRANSITORY | of short duration. "Their friendships were transitory." Similar: ephemeral, evanescent. |
| TREMULOUS | trembling, quivering; fearful, timid |
| TREPIDATION | fear. "The ebay addict opened her credit card statement with great trepidation." |
| TRIFLING | minor. "A stubbed toe is a trifling medical problem compared to a broken leg." |
| TRIVIAL | unimportant, small. Similar: inconsequential. "Her concerns about which shoes to wear are trivial." |
| UNDERSTATE | to play down the significance of something. "Because the student had understated how badly he was doing in school, his parents were surprised by his terrible report card." |
| URBANE | courteous, refined, suave. "City folks are supposedly more urbane than country folks." |
| VANQUISH | to conquer. "The mountain climber has still not vanquished his fear of heights." |
| VAPID | tasteless, dull. "This CD is a rip-off; it has one good song and nine vapid ones." |
| VERBOSE | wordy. "Verbose talkers are very boring." |
| VEX | to irritate or annoy. "My inability to succeed at multivariable calculus continues to vex me." |
| VIGILANT | watchful; extremely alert. "The man is vigilant about eating foods which will not raise his cholesterol level." |
| VINDICTIVE | obsessed with revenge; spiteful. "The vindictive gossip columnist used her job to get back at people she didn't like." |
| VIRULENT | aggressively harmful. "Senioritis is a virulent disease that has been spreading rapidly throughout the United States." |
| VIRTUOSO | a highly skilled individual. "The late Jacqueline du Pri was a virtuoso on the cello." |
| VIVACIOUS | lively, spirited. "She was vivacious and outgoing, always ready to try something new." |
| VOCIFEROUS | overly vocal. "The Ram fans were vociferous in expressing their disappointment about the results of the Super Bowl." |
| VOLUBLE | speaking much and easily, talkative; glib. "He was a voluble speaker, always ready to talk." |
| WINSOME | charming, happily engaging |