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SAT vocabulary
Vocabulary to memorize
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| abridge | condense or shorten. |
| abstract | theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational. |
| acclaim | applaud; announce with great approval. |
| adulation | flattery; admiration. |
| adversary | opponent. |
| adversity | poverty; misfortune. |
| advocate | urge; plead for. |
| aesthetic | artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciation of the beautiful. |
| affirmation | positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath. |
| alleviate | relieve. |
| altruistic | unselfishly generous; concerned for others. |
| ambiguous | unclear or doubtful in meaning. |
| ambivalence | the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes. |
| anarchist | person who seeks to overturn the established government; advocate of abolishing authority. |
| apathy | lack of caring; indifference. |
| arbitrary | capricious; randomly chosen; tyrannical. |
| ascendancy | controlling influence; domination. |
| ascetic | practicing self-denial; austere. |
| astute | wise; shrewd; keen. |
| austere | forbiddingly stern; severely simple. |
| autonomous | self-governing. autonomy. |
| belie | contradict; give a false impression. |
| benevolent | generous; charitable. |
| brevity | conciseness. |
| cajole | coax; wheedle. |
| capricious | unpredictable; fickle. |
| censorious | critical. |
| censure | blame; criticize. |
| coercion | use of force to get someone to obey. |
| commemorate | honor the memory of. |
| compliance | readiness to yield; conformity in fulfilling requirements. |
| conciliatory | reconciling; soothing. |
| concise | brief and compact. |
| condone | overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse. |
| conflagration | great fire. |
| consensus | general agreement. |
| constraint | compulsion; repression of feelings. |
| contentious | quarrelsome. |
| conviction | judgment that someone is guilty of a crime; strongly held belief. |
| corroborate | confirm; support. |
| credulity | belief on slight evidence; gullibility; naiveté |
| criterion | standard used in judging. |
| cryptic | mysterious; hidden; secret. |
| cursory | casual; hastily done. |
| decorum | propriety; orderliness and good taste in manners. |
| delineate | portray. |
| denounce | condemn; criticize. |
| depravity | extreme corruption; wickedness. |
| deprecate | express disapproval of; protest against; belittle. |
| deride | ridicule; make fun of. |
| despondent | depressed; gloomy. |
| deterrent | something that discourages; hindrance. |
| digression | wandering away from the subject. |
| diminution | lessening; reduction in size. |
| discerning | mentally quick and observant; having insight. |
| discordant | not harmonious; conflicting. |
| discrepancy | lack of consistency; difference. |
| disdain | view with scorn or contempt. |
| disinclination | unwillingness. |
| dismiss | put away from consideration; reject. |
| disparage | belittle. |
| disparity | difference; condition of inequality. |
| disperse | scatter. |
| disseminate | distribute; spread; scatter (like seeds). |
| divergent | differing; deviating. |
| dogmatic | opinionated; arbitrary; doctrinal. |
| duplicity | double-dealing; hypocrisy. |
| eclectic | composed of elements drawn from disparate sources. |
| eloquence | expressiveness; persuasive speech. |
| elusive | evasive; baffling; hard to grasp. |
| embellish | adorn; ornament. |
| emulate | imitate; rival. |
| enhance | increase; improve. |
| enigma | puzzle; mystery. |
| ephemeral | short-lived; fleeting. |
| equivocal | ambiguous; intentionally misleading. |
| erudite | learned; scholarly. |
| esoteric | hard to understand; known only to the chosen few. |
| eulogy | expression of praise, often on the occasion of someone’s death. |
| euphemism | mild expression in place of an unpleasant one. |
| exacerbate | worsen; embitter. |
| exemplary | serving as a model; outstanding. |
| exhaustive | thorough; comprehensive. |
| exonerate | acquit; exculpate. |
| expedient | suitable; practical; politic. |
| explicit | totally clear; definite; outspoken. |
| extol | praise; glorify. |
| extraneous | not essential; superfluous. |
| extricate | free; disentangle. |
| exuberance | overflowing abundance; joyful enthusiasm; flamboyance; lavishness. |
| fallacious | false; misleading. |
| fanaticism | excessive zeal; extreme devotion to a belief or cause. |
| fastidious | difficult to please; squeamish. |
| fervor | glowing ardor; intensity of feeling. |
| flagrant | conspicuously wicked; blatant; outrageous. |
| frivolous | lacking in seriousness; self- indulgently carefree; relatively unimportant. |
| frugality | thrift; economy. |
| furtive | stealthy; sneaky. |
| garrulous | loquacious; wordy; talkative. |
| gravity | seriousness. |
| gregarious | sociable. |
| guile | deceit; duplicity; wiliness; cunning. |
| hamper | obstruct. |
| haughtiness | pride; arrogance. |
| hedonist | one who believes that pleasure is the sole aim in life. |
| heresy | opinion contrary to popular belief; opinion contrary to accepted religion. |
| hierarchy | arrangement by rank or standing; authoritarian body divided into ranks. |
| homogeneous | of the same kind. |
| hypocritical | pretending to be virtuous; deceiving. |
| hypothetical | based on assumptions or hypotheses; supposed. |
| immutable | unchangeable. |
| impair | injure; hurt. |
| impede | hinder; block; delay. |
| inane | silly; senseless. |
| incite | arouse to action. |
| incongruous | not fitting; absurd. |
| incorrigible | not correctable. |
| indict | charge. |
| induce | persuade; bring about. |
| ingenious | clever; resourceful. |
| inherent | firmly established by nature or habit. |
| innate | inborn. |
| innocuous | harmless. |
| innovation | change; introduction of something new. |
| insipid | lacking in flavor; dull. |
| instigate | urge; start; provoke. |
| intrepid | fearless. |
| inundate | overwhelm; flood; submerge. |
| ironic | resulting in an unexpected and contrary outcome. |
| laud | praise. |
| lethargic | drowsy; dull. |
| levity | lack of seriousness; lightness. |
| listless | lacking in spirit or energy. |
| malicious | hateful; spiteful. |
| materialism | preoccupation with physical comforts and things. |
| meticulous | excessively careful; painstaking. |
| miserly | stingy; mean. |
| mitigate | appease; moderate. |
| morose | ill-humored; sullen; melancholy. |
| mundane | worldly as opposed to spiritual; everyday. |
| notoriety | disrepute; ill fame. |
| nurture | nourish; educate; foster. |
| oblivion | obscurity; forgetfulness. |
| opaque | dark; not transparent. |
| opportunist | individual who sacrifices principles for expediency by taking advantage of circumstances. |
| opulence | extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance. |
| ostentatious | showy; pretentious; trying to attract attention. |
| pacifist | one opposed to force; antimilitarist. |
| partisan | one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party. |
| peripheral | marginal; outer. |
| pervasive | pervading; spread throughout every part. |
| pessimism | belief that life is basically bad or evil; gloominess. |
| philanthropist | lover of mankind; doer of good. |
| piety | religious devotion; godliness. |
| placate | pacify; conciliate. |
| ponderous | weighty; unwieldy. |
| pragmatic | practical; concerned with the practical worth or impact of something. |
| preclude | make impossible; eliminate. |
| precocious | advanced in development. |
| predecessor | former occupant of a post. |
| presumptuous | overconfident; impertinently bold; taking liberties. |
| pretentious | ostentatious; pompous; making unjustified claims; overly ambitious. |
| prevalent | widespread; generally accepted. |
| prodigal | wasteful; reckless with money. |
| profane | violate; desecrate; treat unworthily. |
| profound | deep; not superficial; complete. |
| profusion | overabundance; lavish expenditure. |
| proliferation | rapid growth; spread; multiplication. |
| prolific | abundantly fruitful. |
| proximity | nearness |
| prudent | cautious; careful. |
| quandary | dilemma. |
| rancor | bitterness; hatred. |
| rebuttal | refutation; response with contrary evidence. |
| recluse | hermit; loner. |
| rectify | set right; correct. |
| redundant | superfluous; repetitious; excessively wordy. |
| refute | disprove. |
| relegate | banish to an inferior position; delegate; assign. |
| renounce | abandon; disown; repudiate. |
| reprehensible | deserving blame. |
| reprimand | reprove severely; rebuke. |
| reprove | censure; rebuke. |
| repudiate | disown; disavow. |
| reticence | reserve; uncommunicativeness; inclination to silence. |
| retract | withdraw; take back. |
| rhetorical | pertaining to effective communication; insincere in language. |
| sanction | approve; ratify. |
| satirical | mocking. |
| scrupulous | conscientious; extremely thorough. |
| scrutinize | examine closely and critically. |
| servile | slavish; cringing. |
| skeptic | doubter; person who suspends judgment until the evidence supporting a point of view has been examined. |
| somber | gloomy; depressing; dark; drab. |
| stagnant | motionless; stale; dull. |
| substantiate | establish by evidence; verify; support. |
| succinct | brief; terse; compact. |
| superficial | trivial; shallow. |
| superfluous | unnecessary; excessive; overabundant. |
| surpass | exceed. |
| surreptitious | secret; furtive; sneaky; hidden. |
| sycophant | servile flatterer; bootlicker; yes-man. |
| taciturn | habitually silent; talking little. |
| terse | concise; abrupt; pithy. |
| transient | momentary; temporary; staying for a short time. |
| turbulence | state of violent agitation. |
| undermine | weaken; sap. |
| usurp | seize another’s power or rank. |
| vacillate | waver; fluctuate. |
| venerate | feel deep respect or admiration for. |
| verbose | wordy. |
| vilify | slander. |
| virtuoso | highly skilled artist |
| volatile | changeable; explosive; evaporating rapidly. |
| zealot | fanatic; person who shows excessive zeal. |
| articulate | effective; distinct. |
Created by:
carolcylin
Popular English Vocabulary sets