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SAT Vocab (2010)
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| candid | completely honest, straightforward Candace's candidates overwhelmed her business colleagues, who were not used to such honesty. |
| conjecture | inference, guesswork At this point, Kimaya's hypothesis about single-cell biorhythms is still conjecture: She doesn't have conclusive evidence. |
| didatic | instructive The tapes were entertaining and didactic; they both amused and instructed children. |
| euphemism | a mild, indirect, or vague term substituting for a harsh, blunt, or offensive term "To pass away" is a common euphemism for dying. |
| extrapolate | to infer or estimate by extending or projecting known information Seeing the wrecked bike and his daughter's skinned knees, Heath extrapolated that she had had a biking accident. |
| incoherent | lacking cohesion or connection Maury's sentences were so incoherent that nobody understood a word. |
| insinuate | to imply or communicate stealthily Sean insinuated that Grace stole the arsenic, but he never came out and said it. |
| lucid | easily understood; clear Our teacher provides lucid explanations of even the most difficult concepts so that we can all understand them. |
| rhetoric | the art of using language effectively and persuasively Since they are expected to make speeches, most politicians and lawyers are well-versed in the art of rhetoric. |
| acumen | quickness, accuracy, and keenness of judgement or insight Judge Ackerman's legal acumen was so well regarded that he was nicknamed the "Solomon of the South" |
| adroit | dexterous; deft An adroit balloon-animal maker, Adrianna became popular at children's parties. |
| ascertain | to find out, as though investigation or experimentation The private investigator had long suspected my dog; before long, he ascertained that Toto was indeed the murderer. |
| astute | shrewd, clever Stewart is financially astute; he invests wisely and never falls for scams. |
| circumspect | careful; prudent; discreet Ned's circumspect manner makes him appointment to the diplomatic corps. |
| disseminate | to scatter widely, as in sowing seed 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. |
| erudition | deep, extensive learning Professor Rudy's erudition was such that she could answer any question her students put to her. |
| husbandry | the application of scientific principles in agriculture, especially to animal breeding After years of practicing animal husbandry, Marsha's husband was able to create a breed of dog that actually walked itself. |
| pedantic | excessively concerned with book learning and formal rules Pedro's pedantic tendencies prompted him to remind us constantly of all the grammatical rules we were breaking. |
| perspicacious | shrewd; clear-sighted Persephone's perspicacious mind had solved so many cases that the popular private investigator was able to retire. |
| pragmatic | practical Never one for wild and unrealistic schemes, Matt took a pragmatic approach to research. |
| precocious | exhibiting unusually early intellectual aptitude or maturity Bobby Fisher's precocious intellect made him one of the world's best chess players before he could even drive. |
| prospectus | formal proposal Before writing my thesis, I had to submit a detailed prospectus to the department. |
| rudimentary | basic; elementary; in the earliest stages of development Josh's rudimentary golf skills were easily overpowered by Tiger Wood's amazing performance on the green. |
| abstruse | difficult to understand Abby found her professor's lecture on non-Euclidian geometry abstruse; she doubted anyone else in class understood it either. |
| callous | emotionally hardened; unfeeling Callie's callous remark about her friend's cluttered room really hurt his feelings. |
| convoluted | intricate; complex The directions were so convoluted that we became hopelessly lost. |
| enigma | a puzzle, mystery, or riddle The emu was an enigma; you could never tell what it was thinking. |
| inscrutable | difficult to fathom or understand; impenetrable The ancients poet's handwriting was so inscrutable, that even the most prominent Latin scholars could not read the manuscript. |
| reticent | inclined to keep silent; reserved Rosanna's reticent behavior caused the interviewer to think her incapable of conversing with other students. |
| staid | unemotional; serious Mr. Estado was well known for his staid demeanor; he stayed calm even when everyone else celebrated the team's amazing victory. |
| arcane | known or understood by only a few The dusty archive includes an arcane treasure trove of nautical charts from the Age of Discovery. |
| assimilate | to absorb or become absorbed; to make or become similar Keisha assimilated so quickly at her new school that she was named head of the social committee a month after enrolling. |
| autonomy | independence; self-determination Candice gained autonomy upon moving out of her parents' house into her own apartment. |
| cosmopolitan | worldy; widely sophisticated Inga was surprisingly cosmopolitan considering that she had never left her tiny hometown in Norway. |
| derivative | something that comes from another source Special Victims Unit and Criminal Intent are derivatives of the original Law and Order drama series. |
| entourage | a group of attendants ot associates; a retinue Top celebrities travel with extensive entourages, which often include security guards, assistants, stylists, managers, and publicists. |
| esoteric | intended for or understood by only a small group Esme's play is extremely esoteric; someone not raised in Estonia would find it difficult to follow. |
| gaffe | a clumsy social error; a faux pas Geoff committed the gaffe of telling his date that he'd gone out with her sister the night before. |
| idiosyncrasy | characteristic peculiar to an individual or group She had many idiosyncrasies, one of which was washing her socks in the dishwater. |
| insular | isolated; narrow or provincial The family was so insular that no one else could get near him. |
| orthodox | adhering to the traditional and established, especially in religion My father held an orthodox view of baseball; he believed that the field should be outside and made of real grass. |
| potentate | one who has the power and position to rule over others; monarch An omnipotent potentate is a person to be reckoned with; great power in the hands of a great leader is a powerful combination. |
| castigate | to scold, rebuke, or harshly criticize Mr. Castile prefereed not to castigate student misbehavior publicly; instead, he would quietly send the troublemaker to the principal's office. |
| censure | to issue official blame In recent years the FCC has censured networks fot the provocative antics of Super Bowl halftime acts; what goes on during the game, however usually escapes the organization's notice. |
| denounce | to condemn openly In many powerful speeches throughout his lifetime, Martin Luther King Jr. denounced racism as immoral. |
| reclusive | seeking or preferring seclusion or isolation Our neighbors were quite reclusive, hardly ever emerging from behind the closed doors of their home. |
| relinquish | to retire from; give up on or abandon Ricky relinquished his career in order to search for the source of the world's bent relish. |
| renounce | to give up (a title, for example), especially by formal announcement Nancy renounced her given name and began selling records under the moniker "Boedicia." |
| vituperative | marked by harshly abusive condemnation The vituperative speech was so cruel that the members left feeling completely abused. |
| circumscribe | to draw a circle around; to restrict The archeologist circumscribed the excavation area on the map. |
| contiguous | sharing an edge or boundary; touching The continental United States consists of 48 contiguous states. |
| conciliatory | appeasing; soothing; showing willingness to reconcile After arguing endlessly with them for weeks, Connie switched to a more conciliatory tone with her parents once prom season arrived. |
| credible | capable of being believed; plausible The shocking but credible report of mice in the kitchen kept Eddie up all night. |
| exonerate | to free from blame Xena was exonerated of all charges. |
| incontrovertible | indisputable; not open to question The videotape of the robbery provided incontrovertible evidence against the suspect - he was obviously guilty. |
| indict | to officially charge with wrongdoing or a crime President Nixon's aides were indicated during the Watergate scandal. |
| litigious | prone to engage in lawsuits Letitia was a litigious little girl; at one point, she tried to sue her dog. |
| partisan | devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause Today's partisan politics are so antagonistic that it's difficult to reach a successful compromise on any issue. |
| parity | equality, as in amounts, status, or value (antonym: disparity) The judges at the Olympics must score each athlete's performance with parity; such impartial treatment is hard since one always wants to root for one's own country. |
| rectitude | moral uprightness, righteousness 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. |
| Remiss | lax in attending to duty; negligent Cassie was remiss in fulfilling her Miss America duties; she didn’t even come close to ending world huger. |
| Repudiate | I repudiated the teacher’s argument about Empress Wu Zetian’s reptation by showing him that the reports of her cruelty were from inreliable sources |
| Sanctimonious | feigning pierty of righteousness The sanctimonious scholar had actually been plagiarizing other people’e work for years. |
| Scrupulous | principled, having a strong sense of right and wrong; conscientious and exacting Evan’s scrupulous behaviour began to annoy his friends when he called the cops on them for toilet papering their teacher’s house. |
| Solicitous | concerned The parents asked solicitous questions about the college admissions officer’s family. |
| plausible but misleading or fallacious argument The professor’s sophistry misled the sophomore into incorrect beliefs. | |
| to support with proof or evidence; verify The argument was substantiated by clear facts and hard evidence. | |
| adherence to the truth; truthfulness Since Vera was known for her veracity, it came as a complete shock when her family found out shed lied on her application. | |
| – | |
| Since Vera was known for her veracity, it came as a complete shocl when her family found out shed lied on her application. | |
| Vindicate – to free from blame | |
| Mrs. Layton was finally vindicated after her husband admitted to the crime. | |
| Cajole – to urge with repeated appeals, teasing, of flattery | |
| The sweet-talking senior cajoles an impressionable junior into seeing The Lord of the Rings for the tenth time. | |
| Chicanery – trickery | |
| The candadite accused his debate opponent of resorting to cheap chicanery to sway the electorate. | |
| Obsequious – fawnng and servile | |
| Kevin was so obsequious that even his teachers were embarrassed; as a result; his sucking up rarely led to better grades. | |
| Sycophant – insincere, obsequious flatterer | |
| Siggie is such a sycophant; he slyly sucks up to his teachers, and reaps the rewards of his behaviour. | |
| Altruism – unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness | |
| Alta, a model of altruisn , gave her movie ticket to someone who needed it more. | |
| Eminent – distinguished; prominent | |
| Emeril Lagasse is one of the most eminent chefs working today; every TV watcher knows how well-known and highly regarded he is. | |
| Empathy – identification with and understanding of another’s situation, feelings, and motives | |
| Emily is one of my most empathetic friends; she can always relate to my emotions. | |
| Extol – to praise highly | |
| Tollivan extolled the virtues of te troll while his teacher looked amazed. | |
| Laudatory – full of praise | |
| The principal’s speech was laudatory, congratulating the students on their SAT scores. | |
| Magnanimous – courageously or generously nole in heart and mind | |
| The magnanminous prince cared deeply for his country and its people. | |
| Philanthropic – humanitarian; benevolent; relating to monetary generosity | |
| Phil was a philanthropic soul, always catering to the needy and the underprivileged. | |
| Reciprocate – to mutually take or give; to respond in kind | |
| The chef reciprocated his rival’s respect; they admired each other so much that they even traded recipes. | |
| Defunct – no longer exsisting or functioning | |
| The theory that the world was flat became defunct when Magellan sailed to the West and didn’t fall of the earth. | |
| Eradicate – to get rid of as if by tearing it up by the roots; abolish | |
| Radcliffe did her best to eradicate the radishes from her farm. | |
| Expurgate – to remove objectionable content before publication or release | |
| The Chinese government expurgates nearly ll abscene matter from the nation’s Internet. | |
| Extirpate – to destroy | |
| While the family was on vacation, the termites practically extirpated the house. | |
| Quell – to put sown forcibly; suppress | |
| Nell quelled the fight ocer the quiche by throwing it out the window – she had long given up on the reasoning with her sisters. | |
| Raze – to level to the ground; demolish | |
| It is difficult to raze a city building without demolishing other structures around it. | |
| Squelch – to crush as if by trampling | |
| Sam wanted to keep squash as pets, but Quentin squelched the idea. | |
| Supplant – to usurp the place of, especially through intrigue or underhanded tactics | |
| The ants prepared to supplant the roaches as the dominant insect in the kitchen; their plan was to take the roaches by surprise and drive them out. | |
| Stymie – to thwart of stump | |
| Stan was stymied by the Sudoku puzzle; he just couldn’t solve it. | |
| Abase – to lower in rank, prestige, or esteem | |
| Bayard’s withering resteraunt review was an attempt to abase his former friend, the owner. | |
| Deride – to mock contemptuously | |
| Derrick was derided for wearing two differenr colored socks, but he couldn’t help it – it was laundry day. | |
| Derogatory – insulting or intended to insult | |
| The unethical politican didn’t just attack his opponenet views; he also made derogatory remarks about the other candidate’s family and personal hygiene. | |
| Disparage – to speak of negatively; to belittle | |
| Wanda disparages Glen by calling him a cheat and a liar. | |
| Effrontery – brazen boldness; presumptuousness | |
| The attorney’s effrontery is asking such personal questions so shocked Esther that she immediately ran from the office | |
| Ignominy | Great personal dishonor of humiliation; disgraceful conduct |
| Ignacio felt great ignominy after the scandal broke. | |
| Mar – to damage especially in a disfiguring way | |
| The perfect day was marred by the arrival of storm clouds | |
| Pejorative – disparaging, belittling, insulting | |
| Teachers should refrain from using pejorative terms as numbskull and idiot to refer to other teachers. | |
| Vex – to annoy or bother; to perplex | |
| Bex’s mom was vexed when Bex was very vague about her whereabouts for the evening. | |
| Vindictive – disposed to seek revenge; revengeful; spiteful | |
| Vincenzo was very vindictive; when someone hurt him, responded by vigorously plotting revenge. | |
| Bombastic – given to pompous speech or writing | |
| The principal’s bombastic speech bombed in the eyes of the student; it only furthered their impression of him as a pompous jerk. | |
| Ebullience – intense entusiasm | |
| A sense of ebullience swept over the lacrosse fans crows when their team won the game. | |
| Exorbitant – exceeding all bounds, as of custom or fairness | |
| I wanted to buy a Parche , but the price was exorbitant, so instead I purchased a used mail truck. | |
| Embellish – to ornament or decorate; to exaggerate | |
| One can never trust that Anwar’s stories are realistic; his details are almost always embelllished so that his experiences sound more interesting that they really are. | |
| Flagrant – extremely or deliberately shocking or noticeable | |
| Too many flagrant fouls can get you kicked out of a basketball game. | |
| Gratuitous – given freely; unearned; unnecessary | |
| The film was full of gratuitous sex and violence inessential to the story. | |
| Lavish – extravagant | |
| Lavanya’s wedding was a lavish affair. | |
| Lugubrious – mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree | |
| Lucas’s lugubrious eulogy for his pet lobster quickly became ridiculous | |
| Opulent – displaying great wealth | |
| The ophthamologist’s opulent home was the envy of his friends; the crystal chandeliers, marble floors, and teak furniture must have cost a fortune. | |
| Ornate – elaborately decorated | |
| The wood carvings were so ornate that you could examine them many times and still notice things you had not seen before. | |
| Penchant – a strong inclination or liking | |
| Penny’s penchant for chocolate-covered ants led her to munch on them all day. | |
| Redundant – needlessly repetitive | |
| The author’s speech was terribly redundant, repeating the same phrases, saying the same thing over and over, and constantly reiterating the same point. | |
| Ubiquitous – being or seeming to be everywhere at the same time; omnipresent | |
| Kenny had a ubiquitous little sister; wherever he turned, there she was. | |
| Vicarious – felt or undergone as if one were taking in the experience or feelings of another | |
| Stan, who was never athletic but loved ports, lived vicariously through his brother, a professional basketball player. | |
| Vignette – a short scene or story | |
| The poodle vignette in my new film expresses the true meaning of Valentine’s Day. | |
| Amalgam – a combination of diverse elements; a mixture | |
| The song was a amalgam of many different styles, from blues to hip hop to folk. | |
| Inundate – to overwhelm as if with a flood, to swamp | |
| The day after the ad ran, Martha was inundated with phone calls. | |
| Multifarious – diverse; various | |
| The multifarious achievements of Leonardo da Vinci, ranging from architecture and painting to philosophy and science, re unparallel in our century. | |
| Multiplicity – sate of being various or manifold; a great number | |
| A multiplicity of views is essential to a healthy multicultural democracy. | |
| Alleviate – to ease a pain or burden | |
| Alvin mediated to alleviate the pain from the headache he got after taking the SAT. | |
| Ameliorate – to make something better; improve | |
| Winning a silver medal quickly ameliorated Amelia’s angst at losing the gold. | |
| Beneficial – producing or promoting a favorable result; helpful | |
| According to my doctor, tea’s beneficial effects may include reducing anxiety. | |
| Curative – able to heal or cure | |
| The aloe had a curative effect on my sunburn; within hours, the flaking had stopped. | |
| Palliative – relieveing or soothing the symptoms of a disease or disorder without effecting a cure | |
| Watching professional polo on TV became a palliative for the screaming child; it was the only thing that would quiet him. | |
| Therapeutic – having or exhibiting healing powers | |
| The therapeutic air of the Mediterranean cured Thomas of his asthma. | |
| Complement – something that completes, goes with, or brings to perfection | |
| The lovely computer is the perfect complement to the modern furnishings in Abby’s apartment. | |
| Epitome – a representative or example of a type | |
| She is the epitome of selflessness; no matter how much of little she has, she always gives to others. | |
| Felicitous – admirably suited; apt | |
| Jamie Foxx made a felicitous speech when he won his Oscar. | |
| Belie – to misrepresent or disguise | |
| He smiled in order to belie his hostility. | |
| Debunk – to expose untruths, shams, or exaggerated claims | |
| The university administration debunked the myth that bunk beds are only for children by installing them in every dorm on campus. |
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