Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Princeton Vocab
Hit Parade COMPLETE
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| candid; Candace's candidness overwhelmed her business colleagues, who were not used to such honesty. | completely honest, straightforward |
| conjecture; At this point, Kimaya's hypothesis about single-cell biorhythms is still conjecture: She doesn't have conclusive evidence. | inference; guesswork |
| didactic; The tapes were entertaining and didactic; they both amused and instructed children. | instructive |
| euphemism; "To pass away" is a common euphemism for dying. | a mild, indirect, or vague term substituting for a harsh, blunt, or offensive term |
| extrapolate; Seeing the wrecked bike and his daughter's skinned knees, Heath extrapolated that she had had a biking accident. | to infer or estimate by extending or projecting known information |
| incoherent; Maury's sentences were so incoherent that nobody understood a word. | lacking cohesion or connection |
| insinuate; Sean insinuated that Grace stole the arsenic, but he never came out and said it. | to imply or communicate stealthily |
| lucid; Our teacher provides lucid explanations of even the most difficult concepts so that we can all understand them. | easily understood; clear |
| rhetoric; Since they are expected to make speeches, most politicians and lawyers are well-versed in the art of rhetoric. | the art of using language effectively and persuasively |
| acumen; Judge Ackerman's legal acumen was so well regarded that he was nicknamed the "Solomon of the South." | quickness, accuracy, and keenness of judgment or insight |
| adroit; An adroit balloon-animal maker, Adrianna became popular at children's parties. | dexterous; deft |
| ascertain; The private investigator had long suspected my dog; before long, he ascertained that Toto was indeed the murderer. | to find out, as through investigation or experimentation |
| astute; Stewart is financially astute; he invests wisely and never falls for scams. | shrewd;clever |
| circumspect; Ned's circumspect manner makes him a wise appointment to the diplomatic corps. | careful; prudent; discreet |
| disseminate; The news about Dave's embarrassing moment at the party disseminated quickly through the school; by the end of the day, everyone knew what had happened. | to scatter widely, as in sowing seed |
| erudition; Professor Rudy's erudition was such that she could answer any question her students put to her. | deep, extensive learning |
| husbandry; After years of practicing animal husbandry, Marsha's husband was able to create a breed of dog that actually walked itself. | the application of scientific principles to agriculture, especially to animal breeding |
| pedantic; Pedro's pedantic tendencies prompted him to remind us constantly of all the grammatical rules we were breaking. | excessively concerned with book learning and formal rules |
| perspicacious; Persephone's perspicacious mind had solved so many cases that the popular private investigator was able to retire. | shrewd; clear-sighted |
| pragmatic; Never one for wild and unrealistic schemes, Matt took a pragmatic approach to research. | practical |
| precocious; Bobby Fisher's precocious intellect made him one of the world's best chess players before he could even drive. | exhibiting unusually early intellectual aptitude or maturity |
| prospectus; Before writing my thesis, I had to submit a detailed prospectus to the department for approval | formal proposal |
| rudimentary; Josh's rudimentary golf skills were easily overpowered by Tiger Woods's amazing performance on the green. | basic; elementary; in the earliest stages of development |
| castigate; Mr. Castile preferred not to castigate student misbehavior publicly; instead, he would quietly send the troublemaker to the principal's office. | to scold, rebuke, or harshly criticize |
| censure; In recent years the FCC has censured networks for the provocative antics of Super Bowl halftime acts; what goes on during the game, however, usually escapes the organization's notice. | to issue official blame |
| denounce; In many pwerful speeches throughout his lifetime, Martin Luther King, Jr. denounced racism as immoral. | to condemn openly |
| reclusive; Our neighbors were quite reclusive, hardly ever emerging from behind teh closed doors of their home. | seeking or preferring seclusion or isolation |
| relinquish; Ricky relinquished his career in order to search for the source of the world's best relish. | to retire from; give up or abandon |
| renounce; Nancy renounced her given name and began selling records under the moniker "Boedicia." | to give up (a title, for example), especially by formal announcement |
| vituperative; The vituperative speech was so cruel that the members left feeling completely abused. | marked by harshly abusive condemnation |
| circumscribe;The acrcheologist circumscribed the excavation area on the map. | to draw a circle around; to restrict |
| contiguous; The continental United States consists of 48 contiguous states. | sharing an ege or boundary; touching |
| conciliatory; After arguing endlessly with them for weeks, Connie switched to a more conciliatory tone with her parents once prom season arrived. | appeasing; soothing; showing willingness to reconcile |
| credible; The shocking but credible report of mice in the kitchen kept Eddie up all night. | capable of being believed; plausible |
| exonerate; Xena was exonerated of all charges. | to free from blame |
| incontrovertible; The videotape of the robbery provided incontrovertible evidence against the suspect-he was obviously guilty. | indisputable; not open to question |
| indict;President Nixon's aides were indicted during the Watergate scandal. | to officially charge with wrongdoing or a crime |
| litigious; Letitia was a litigious little girl; at one point, she tried to sue her dog. | prone to engage in lawsuits |
| partisan; Today's partisan politics are so antagonistic that it's difficult to reach a successful compromise on any issue. | devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause. |
| parity; The judges at theh Olympice must score each athlete's performance with parity; such impartial treatment is hard since one always wants to root for one's own country. | equality, as in amount, status, or value (antonym: disparity) |
| rectitude; Thanks to his unerring sense of fairness and justice, Viktor was a model of moral rectitude; his hometown even erected a statue in his honor. | moral uprightness; righteousness |
| remiss; Cassie was remiss in fulfilling her Miss America duties; she didn't even come close to ending world hunger. | lax in attending to duty; negligent |
| repudiate; I repudiated the teacher's arguments about Empress Wu Zetian's reputation by showing him that the reports of her cruelty were from unreliable sources. | to reject the validity or authority of |
| sanctimonious; The sanctimonious scholar had actually been plagiarizing the other people's work for years. | feigning piety or righteousness |
| scrupulous; Evan's scrupulous behavior began to annoy his friends when he called the cops on the for toilet papering their teacher's house. | principled, having a strong sense of right and wrong; conscientious and exacting |
| solicitous; The parents asked solicitous questions about the college admissions officer's family. | concerned |
| sophistry; The professor's sophistry misled the sophomore into incorrect beliefs. | plausible but misleading or fallacious argument |
| substantiate; The argument was substantiated by clear facts and hard evidence. | to support with proof or evidence; verify |
| veracity; Since Vera was known for her veracity, it came as a complete shock when her family found out she'd lied on her application. | adherence to the truth; truthfulness |
| vincdicate; Mrs. Layton was finally vindicated after her husband admitted to the crime. | to free from blame |
| cajole; The sweet-talking senior cajoled an impressionable junior into seeing The Lord of the Rings for the tenth time. | to urge with repeated appeals, teasing, or flattery |
| chicanery; The candidate accused his debate opponent of resorting to cheap chicanery to sway the electorate | trickery |
| obsequious; Keevin was so obsequious that even his teachers were embarrassed; as a result, his sucking up rarely led to better grades. | fawning and servile |
| sycophant; Siggie is such a sycophant; he slyly sucks up to his teachers, and reaps the rewards of his behavior | insincere, obsequious flatterer |
| altruism; Alta, a model of altruism, gave her movie ticket to someone who needed it more. | unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness |
| eminent; Emeril Lagasse is one of the most eminent shefs working today every; every TV watcher knows ho well-known and highly regarded he is. | distinguished; prominent |
| empathy; Emily is one of the most empathetic friends; she can always relate to my emotions. | identification with and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives |
| extol; Tollivan extolled the virtues of the troll while his teacher looked on amazed. | to praise highly |
| laudatory; The principal's speech was laudatory, congratulating the students on their SAT scores. | full of praise |
| magnanimous; The magnanimous prince cared deeply for his country and its people. | courageously or generously noble in mind and heart |
| philanthropic; Phil was a philanthropic soul, always catering to the needy and the underprivileged. | humanitarian; benevolent; relating to monetary generosity |
| reciprocate; The chef reciprocated his rival's respect; they admired each other so much that they even traded recipes. | to mutually take or give; to respond in kind |
| defunct; The theory that the world was flat became defunct when Magellan sailed to the West and didn't fall of the earth. | no longer existing or functioning |
| eradicate; Radcliffe did her best to eradicate the radishes from her farm. | to get rid of as if by tearing it up by the roots; abolish |
| expurgate; The Chinese government expurgates nearly all obscene matter from the nation's Internet. | to remove objectionable content before publication or release |
| extirpate; While the family was on vacation, the termites practically extirpated the house. | to destroy |
| quell; Nell quelled the fight over the quiche by throwing it out the window-she had long given up reasoning with her sisters. | to put down forcibly; suppress |
| raze; It is difficult to raze a city building without demolishing other structures around it. | to level to the ground; demolish |
| squelch; Sam wanted to keep squash as pets, but Quentin squelched the idea. | to crush as if by trampling; squash |
| supplant; The ants prepared to supplant the roaches as the dominant insect in the kitche; their plan was to take the roaches by surprise and drive them out. | to usurp the place of, especially through intrigue or underhanded tactics |
| stymie; Stan was stymied by the Sudoku puzzle; he just couldn't solve it. | to thwart or stump |
| abase; Bayard's withering resaurant review was an attempt to abase his former friend, the owner. | to lower in rank, prestige, or esteem |
| deride; Derrick was derided for wearingn two different colored socks, but he couldn't help it-it was laundry day. | to mck contemptuously |
| derogatory; The unethical politician didn't just attack his opponent's views; he also made derogatory remarks about the other candidate's family and personal hygiene. | insulting or intended to insult |
| disparage; Wanda disparaged Glen by calling him a cheat and a liar. | to speak of negatively; to belittle |
| effrontery; The attorney's effrontery in asking such personal questions so shocked Esther that she immediately ran from the office. | brazen boldenss; presumptuousness |
| ignominy; Ignacio felt great ignominy after the scandal broke. | great personal dishonor or humiliation; disgraceful conduct |
| impugn; INstead of taking the high road, the candidate impugned his opponent's character. | to attack as false or questionable |
| mar; The perfect day was marred by the arrival of storm clouds. | to damage, especially in a disfiguring way |
| pejorative (adj.) ; Teachers should refrain from using pejorative terms as numbskull and idiot to refer to other teachers. | disparaging, belittling, insulting |
| vex; Bex's mom was vexed when Bex was very vague about her whereabouts for the evening. | to annoy or obother; perplex |
| vindictive; Vincenzo was very vindictive; when someone hurt him, he responded by vigorously plotting revenge. | disposed to seek revenge; revengeful; spiteful |
| bombastic; The principal's bombastic speech bombed in the eyes of the students; it only furthered their impression of him as a pompous jerk. | given to pompous speech or writing |
| ebullience; A sense of ebullience swept over the lacrosse fans crowd when their team won the game. | intense enthusiasm |
| exorbitant; I wanted to buy a Porsche, but the price was exorbitant, so instead I purchaed a used mail truck. | exceeding all bounds, as of custom or fairness |
| exuberant; William was exuberant when he found out that he'd gotten into the college of his choice. | full of unrestrained enthusiasm or joy |
| embellish; One can never trust that Anwar's stories are realistic; his details are almost always embellished so that his experiences sound more interesting than they really are. | to ornament or decorate; to exaggerate |
| flagrant; Too many flagrant fouls can get you kicked out of a basketball game. | extremely or diliberately shocking or noticeable |
| gratuitous; The film was full of gratuitous sex and violence inessential to the story. | given freely; unearned; unneccessary |
| lavish; Lavanya's wedding was a lavish affair. | extravagant |
| lugubrious; Lucas's lugubrious eulogy for his pet lobster quickly became ridiculous. | mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree |
| opulent; The ophthalmologist's opulent home was the envy of his friends; the crystal chandeliers, marble floors, and teak furniture must have cost a fortune. | displaying great wealth |
| ornate; The wood carvings were so ornate that you could examine them many times and still notice things you had not seen before | elaborately decorated |
| penchant; Penny's penchant for chocolate-covered ants led her to munch on them all day. | a strong inclination or liking |
| redundant; The author's speech was terribly redundant, repeating the same phrases. | needlessly repetitive |
| ubiquitous; Kenny had a ubiquitous little sister; wherever he turned, there she was. | being or seeming to be everywhere at the same time; omnipresent |
| vicarious; Stan, who was never athletic but loved sports, lived vicariously through his brother, a professional basketball player. | felt or undergone as if one were taking part in the experience or feelings of another |
| vignette; The poodle vignette in my new film expresses the true meaning of Valentine's Day. | a short scene or story |
| amalgam; The song was an amalgam of many different styles, from blues to hip hop to folk. | a combination of diverse elements; a mixture |
| inundate; The day after the ad ran, Martha was undated with phone calls. | to overwhelm as if with a flood; to swamp |
| multifarious; The multifarious achievements of Leo da Vinci, ranging from architecture and painting to phil. and sci. are unparalleled in our century. | diverse; various |
| multiplicity; A multiplicity of views is essential to a healthy multicultural democracy. | state of being various or manifold; a great number |
| alleviate; Alvin meditated to alleviate the pain from the headache he got after taking the SAT. | to ease a pain or burden |
| ameliorate; Winning a silver medal quickly ameliorated Amelia's angst at losing the gold. | to make something better; improve |
| beneficial; According to my doctor, tea's beneficial effects may niclude reducing anxiety. | producing or promoting a favorable result; helpful |
| curative; The aloe had a curative effect on my sunburn; within hours, the flaking had stopped | able to heal or cure |
| palliative; Watching professional polo on TV became a palliative for the screaming child; it was the only thing that would quiet him. | relieving or soothing the symptoms of a disease or disorder without effecting a cure |
| therapeutic; The therapeutic air of the Mediterranean cured Thomas of his asthma. | having or exhibiting healing powers |
| complement (n); The lovely computer is the perfect complement to the modern furnishings in Abby's apartment. | something that completes, goes with, or brings to perfection |
| epitome; She is the epitome of selflessness; no matter how much or little she has, she always give to others. | a representative or examplle of a type |
| felicitous; jamie Foxx made a felicitous speech when he won his Oscar. | admirably suited; apt |
| belie; He smiled in order to belie his hostility. | to misrepresent or disguise |
| debunk; The university administration debunked the myth that bunk beds are only for children by installing them in every dorm on campus. | to expose untruths, shams, or exaggerated claims |
| dubious; Jerry's dubious claim that he could fly like Superman didn't win him any summer job offers. | doubtful; of unlikely authenticity |
| duplicitous; The duplicitous man duplicated dollars and gave the counterfeits to unsuspecting vendors. | deliberately deceptive |
| fabricate; Fabio fabricated the story. | to make up in order to deceive |
| fallacy; The idea that there is only one college for you is a fallacy. | a false notion |
| mendacious; John's mendacious statements on the stand sealed his fate; he was found guilty of lying to the court about his role in the crime. | lying; untruthful |
| specious; Susie's specious argument seemed to make sense, but when I looked more closely, it was clearly illogical | having the ring of truth or plausibility but actually false |
| ambiguous;Big's eyes were an ambiguous color: in some lights, brown, and in others, green. | open to more than one interpretation |
| ambivalent; Amy felt ambivalent about her dance class: on one hand she enjoyed the exercise, but on the other, the chohice of dances bored her. | simultaneously feeling opposing feelings; uncertain |
| apathetic; The apathetic students didn't even bother to vote for class president. | feeling or showing little emotion |
| capricious; The referee's capricious behavior angered the players; he would call a four for minor contact, but ignore elbowing and kicking. | impulsive and unpredictable |
| equivocal; The politican made so many equivocal statements during the scandal that no one could be sure what, if anything he had admitted to. | open to two or more interpretations and often intended to mislead; ambiguous (antonym: unequivocal) |
| erratic; Erroll's erratic behavior made it difficult for his friends to predict what he would do in a given moment. | markedly inconsistent |
| impetuous; Mr. Limpet was so impetuous that we never knew what he would do next. | suddenly and forcefully energietic or emotional; impulsive and passionate |
| impetus; A looming deadline provided Imelda with the impetus she needed to finish her research paper. | an impelling force or stimulus |
| sporadic; Storms in Florida are sporadic; it's hard to prdict when they're going to occur. | occuring at irregular intervals; having no pattern or order in time |
| vacillate; the cook vacillated between favoring chicken and preferring fish; he just couldn't decide which to prepare. | to sway from one side to the other; oscillate |
| whimsical; Egbert rarely behaved as expected; indeed, he was a whimsical soul whose every decision was anybody's guess. | characterized by whim; unpredictable |
| flag(v.); After several few days climbing mountains in pouring rain, our enthusiasm for the biking trip began to flag. | to decline in vigor or strength; to tire; to droop |
| jaded; Jade's experiences had jaded her; she no longer believed that the junk stacked in her garage was going to make her rich. | worn out; wearied |
| ingenous; Janine was so ingenuous that it was too easy for her friends to dupe her. | lacking in cunning, guile, or worldliness (antonym: disingenuous) |
| subterfuge; The submarine pilots were trained in the art of subterfuge; they were excellent at faking out their enemies | a deceptive stratagem or device |
| surreptitious; Sara drank the cough syrup surreptitiously because she didn't want anyone to know that she was sick. | secretive; sneaky |
| dearthy; There was a dearth of money in my piggybank; it collected dust, not bills. | scarce supply; lack |
| modicum; a modicum of effort may result in a small socore improvement; to improve significantly, however, you must study as often as possible. | a small, moderate, or token amount |
| paucity; The struggling city had a paucity of jobs and therefore a high level of poverty. | smallness in number; scarcity |
| squander; Carrie squandered her savings on shoes and wasn't able to buy her apartment. | to spend wastefully |
| temperate; Temperate climates rarely experience extremes in temperature. | moderate; restrained (antonym: intemperate) |
| tenuous; Her grasp on reality is tenuous at best; she's not even sure what year it is. | having little substance or strength; shaky |
| diligent; with diligent effort, they were able to finish the model airplane in record time. | marked by painstaking effort; hardworking |
| maverick; In the movie TOP GUN, Tom Cruise played a maverick who often broke rules and did things his own way. | one who is independent and resists adherence to a group |
| mercenary; Mercer is a mercenary lawyer; he'll argue for whichever side pays him the most for his services | motivated solely by a desire for money or material gain |
| obstinate; Despite Jeremy's broken leg, his parents were obstinate; they steadfastly refused to buy him an XBOX. | stubbornly attached to an opinion or a course of action |
| proliferate; Because fax machines, pagers, and cell phones have proliferated in recent years, many new area codes have been created to handle the demand for phone numbers. | to grow or increase rapidly |
| tenacity; With his overwhelming tenacity, Clark was finally able to interview Brad Pitt for the school newspaper | persistence |
| vigilant; The participants of the candlelight vigil were vigilant, as they had herad that the fraternity across the street was planning to egg them | on the alert; watchful |
| extraneous; The book, though interesting, had so much extraneous information that it was hard to keep track of the important points. | irrelevant; inessential |
| juxtapose;Separately the pictures look identical, but if you juxtapose them, you can see the differences. | to place side by side, especially for comparison or contrast |
| superflous; if there is sugar in your tea, honey would be superflous. | extra; unnecessary |
| synergy; The synergy of hydrogen and oxygen creates water. | compined action or operation |
| tangential; Though Abby's paper was well written, its thesis was so tangential to its proof that her teacher couldn't give her a good grade. | merely touching or slightly connected; only superficially relevant |
| aesthetic; Aesthetic considerations determined the arrangement of paintings at the museum; as long as art looked good together, it didn't matter who had painted it. | having to do witih the appreciation of beauty |
| aural; It should come as no surprise that musicians prefer aural to visual leraning. | of or related to the ear or the sense of hearing |
| cacophony; Brian had to shield his ears from the awful cacophony produced by the punk band onstage. | discordant, unpleasant noise |
| dirge; The dirge was so beatiful that everyone cried, even those who hadn't known the deceased | a funeral hymn or lament |
| eclectic; Lou's taste in music is quite eclectic; he listens to everything from rap to polka | made up of a variety of sources or styles |
| incongruous; my chicken and jello soup experiment failed; the tastes were just too incongruous | lacking in harmony; incompatible |
| sonorous; My father's sonorous snoring keeps me up all night unless I close my door and wear earplugs. | producing a deep or full sound |
| strident; The strident shouting dept the neighbors awake all night. | loud, harsh, grating, or shrill |
| debacle; Jim's interview was a complete debacle; he accidentally locked himself in the bathroom, sneezed on the interviewer multiple times, and knocked over the president of the company. | disastrous or ludicrous defeat or failure; fiasco |
| debilitate; Deb ran the NYC marathon without proper training; the experience left her debilitated for weeks. | impair the strength of; weaken |
| tumultuous; The tumultuous applause was so deafening that the pianist couldn't hear the singer | noisy and disorderly |
| anachronistic; I noticed an anachronism in the museum's ancien Rome display: a digital clock ticking behind a statue of Venus | the representation of something as existing or happening in the wrong time period |
| archaic; "How dost though?" is an archaic way of saying "How are you?" | characteristic of anearlier time; antiquated; old |
| dilatory; Always waiting until the last moment to leave home in the morning, Dylan was a dilatory student. | habitually late |
| ephemeral; The importance of SAT scores is truly ephemeral; when you are applying they are crucial, but once you get into college, no on cares how well you did. | lasting for only a brief time |
| redolent; The aroma of apple pie wafted into my room, redolent of weekendes spent baking with my grandmother. | fragrant; aromatic; suggestive |
| temporal; One's enjoyment of a Starbuck's mocha latte is bound by temporal limitations; all too soon, the latte is gone. | of, relating to, or limited by time |
| onerous; The onerous task was so difficult that Ona thought she'd never get through it. | troublesome or oppressive; burdensome |
| portent; A red morning sky is a terrible portent for all sailors- it means that stormy seas are ahead. | indication of something important or calamitous about to occur; omen |
| prescience; Preetha's prescience was such that people wondered if she was psychic; how else could she know so much about the future? | knowledge of actions or events before they occur; foreknowledge; foresight |
| austere | without decoration; strict |
| banal; Poet's imagery is so banal that i think she cribbed her work from POETRY FOR DUMMIES. | drearily commonplace; predictable; trite |
| hackneyed; All Hal could offer in the way of advice were hackneyed old phrases that I'd heard a hundred times before | worn out through overuse; trite |
| insipid; That insipid movie was so predictable that i walked out. | uninteresting; unchallenging; lacking taste or savor |
| prosaic; Rebecca made a prosaic mosaic consisting of identical, undecorated tiles. | unimaginative; dull (antonym: poetic) |
| soporific; The congressman's speech was so soporific that even his cat was yawning. | inducing or tending to induce sleep |
| vapid; Valerie's date was so vapid that she thought he was sleeping with his eyes open. | lacking liveliness, animation, or interest; dull |
| brevity; | the quality or state of being brief in duration |
| expedient; It was more expedient to use Federal Express that to use the post office. | appropriate to a purpose; convenient; speedy |
| transient; Jack enjoyed his transient lifestyle; with nothing but the clothes on his back and the air in his lungs, he was free to travel wherever he wanted. | passing quickly in time or space |
| augment; The model Angele Franju is rumored to have augmented her studies in chemistry with a minor in German literature. | to make greater, as in size, extent, or quantity ; to supplement |
| bolster; The class bolstered Amelia's confidence; she had no idea she already knew so much. | to hearten, support or prop up |
| burgeon; The burgeoning Burgess family required a new house because its old one only had one beroom. | to grow and flourish |
| copious; She took copious notes during clas, using up five large notebooks | plentiful; having a large quantity |
| distend; The balloon distended as if was filled with helium, much like Mike's stomach after he ate an entire turkey on Thanksgiving. | to swell out or expand from internal pressure, as when overly full |
| grandiose; the party was a grandiose affair; hundreds of richly dressed guests danced the night away. | great in scope or intent; grand |
| prodigious; Spielberg's prodigious talent has made him the most successful film producer and director of our time. | enormous |
| profundity; Actor's profundity surprised the director, who had heard that he was a bit of an airhead. | great depth of intellect, feeling or meaning |
| redouble; Rita redoubled her efforts to become president of her class by campaigning twice as hard to before. | to make twice as great; to double |
| scintillating; The writer's scintillating narrative diverted Izabel's attention away from her other guests. | brilliant |
| averse; Ava proved so averse to homework that she would break out in hives at the mere mention of it. | strongly disinclined |
| conspicuous | easy to notice; obvious |
| demure; Muriel was the most dumure girl in the class, always sitting quietly in the back of the room downplaying any compliments she received. | modest and reserved |
| diffidence; Lea's diffident nature often prevented her from speaking out in class. | timidity or shyness |
| docile;The SAT class was so docile that the teacher wondered if she was in the right room. | submissive to instruction; willing to be taught |
| innocuous; Plants are innocuous as they look; we suffer no ill effects from eating their leaves. | having no adverse effect; harmless |
| placid; Lake Placid was the place to go for those in need of a quiet vacation. | calm or quiet; undisturbed |
| quiescent; Quinn's quiescent behavior made him an ideal roommate. | quiet, still, or at rest; inactive |
| concord; Thec class was in concord about the necessity to perform HAMLET, rather than KING LEAR, in the spring show. | agreement (antonym: discord) |
| concur; the board concurred that the con artist who had stolen their money had to be convicted. | to agree |
| dogmatic; Avik was dogmatic in his belief that the power lines were giving his dog headaches. | stubbornly attached to insufficiently proven beliefs |
| fastidious; Kelly, always so fastidious, dramatically edited our group's report. | carefully attentive to detail; difficult to please |
| intransigence; Jeff was so intransigent in his views that it was impossible to have a rational debate with him. | refusal to moderate a position or to compromise |
| jocular; Yung-Ji's jocular disposition helped him gain popularity | characterized by or given to joking |
| meticulous; Since Kelly was so meticulous, we asked her to proofread our group's report. | extremely careful and precise |
| affable; My mom always said that the key to being affable is the ability to make others laugh. | easy-going; friendly |
| alacrity; I was so happy when i got the acceptance letter from the University of Alaska that I sprinted home with great alacricty to share the good news. | promptness in response; cheerful readiness; eagerness |
| amiable | friendly; agreeable; good-natured |
| benign; Uncle Ben is a benign and friendly man who is always willing to help. | kind and gentle |
| sanguine; Harold's sanguine temperament kept him cheerful, even through somber times | cheerfully confident; optimistic |
| belligerent; | eager to fight; hostile or aggressive |
| byzantine; I gave up trying to understand the byzantine tax code and had an accountant file my taxes for me. | extremely complicated or devious |
| cantankerous | ill-tempered and quarrelsome; disagreeable |
| contentious; The contentious debate over sience class content is increasingly making the news. | quarrelsome |
| deleterious; The snake venom is deleterious to one's health. | having a harmful effect |
| exacerbate; Alan's procrastination were exacerbated by the monkey's thrown bananas. | to increase the severity, violence, or bitterness of; aggravate |
| flippant; Flap's flippant remarks to the teacher got him sent to the principal's office. | disrespectfully humorous or casual |
| insolent; The insolent prime minister stuck her tongue out at the queen. | insulting in manner or speech |
| nefarious; Dorothy's kindness and bravery triumphed over the nefarious antics of the Wicked Witch of the West. | flagrantly wicked; vicious |
| pernicious; The fertilizer's pernicious effects were not immediately obvious, but researchers became suspicious when all their petunias died. | extremely or irrevocably harmful; deadly |
| rancorous; They had such a rancorous relationship that no one could believe that they had ever gotten along. | marked by bitter, deep-seated ill-will |
| repugnant; The pug's behavior at the dog park was repugnant, causing other dogs to avoid him altogether. | arousing disgust or aversion; offensive or repulsive |
| tawdry; Connor's tawdry attire embarrassed his snooty host. | gaudy and cheap |
| arboreal; The Rocky Mountain National Forest will celebrate its arboreal splendor with an Arbor Day concert. | relating to or resembling a tree or trees |
| invocation (n); The group invoked the god of war as their protector on the field of battle. | a call (usually upon a higher power)for assistance, support, or inspiration |
| stratify; Jonas studied the stratified bedrock and was able to see which time periods went with which layers. | to layer or separate into layers |
| variegated; The wood's markings were so variegated that Mr. Vargas assumed they had been painted on. | having streaks, marks, or patches of a different color or colors; varicolered |
| verdant; The garden was verdant after the rain. | green with vegetation |
| abstruse; Abby found her professor's lecture on non-Euclidian geometry abstruse; she doubted anyone else in class understood it either. | difficult to understand |
| callous; Callie's callous remark about her friend's cluttered room really hurt his feelings. | emotionally hardened; unfeeling |
| convoluted; THe directions were so convoluted taht we became hopelessly lost. | intricate; complex |
| enigma; The emu was an enigma; you could never tell what it was thinking. | a puzzle, mystery, or riddle |
| inscrutable; The ancient poet's handwriting was so inscrutable, that even the most prominent Latin scholars could not read the manuscript. | difficult to fathom or understand; impenetrable |
| reticent; Rosanna's reticent behavior caused the interviewer to think her incapable of conversing with other students. | inclined to keep silent; reserved |
| staid; Mr. Estado was well known for his staid demeanor; he stayed calm even when everyone else celebrated the team's amazing victory. | unemotional; serious |
| arcane; The dusty archive includes an arcane treasure trove of nautical charts from the Age of Discovery. | known or understood by only a few |
| assimilate; Keisha assimilated so quickly at her new school that she was named head of the social committee a month after enrolling. | to absorb or become absorbed; to make or become similar |
| autonomy; Candice gained autonomy upon moving out of her parents' house into her own apartment. | independence; self-determination |
| cosmopolitan; Inga was surprisingly cosmopolitan considering that she had never left her tiny hometown in Norway. | worldly; widely sophisticated |
| derivative (n); Special Victims Unit and Criminal Intent are derivatives of the original Law and Order drams series | something that comes from another source |
| entourage; Top celebrities travel with extensive entourages, which often include security guards, assistants, stylists, managers, and publicists. | a group of attendants or associates; a retinue |
| esoteric; Esme's play is extremely esoteric; someone not raised in Estonia would find it difficult to follow. | intended for or understood by only a small group |
| gaffe; Geoff committed the gaff of telling his date that he'd gone out with her sister the night before. | a clumsy social error; a faux pas |
| idiosyncrasy; She had many idiosyncrasies, one of which was washing her socks in the dishwasher. | characteristic peculiar to an individual or group |
| insular; The family was so insular that no one else could get near them. | isolated; narrow or provincial |
| orthodox; My father held orthodox view of baseball; he believed that the field should be outside and made of real grass. | adhering to the traditional and established, especially in religion |
| potentate; An omnipotent potentate is a person to be reckoned with; great power in the hands of a great leader is a powerful combination. | one who has the power and position to rule over others; monarch |
Created by:
pakamor
Popular SAT sets