SAT Vocab DEF

dearth

a lack, scarcity

debacle

disastrous failure

debase

to lower the quality or esteem of something

debauch

to corrupt by means of sensual pleasures

decry

to criticize openly

deleterious

harmful

delineate

to describe, outline, shed light on

demagogue

a leader who appeals to peoples' prejudices

demure

quiet, modest, reserved

denigrate

to belittle, diminish the opinion of

deplore

to express sorrow, disapproval

depravity

wickedness

despot

one with absolute power who rules absolutely

destitute

impoverished, utterly lacking

didactic

intended to instruct, overly moralistic

diffident

sky, quiet, modest

dilatory

tending to cause delays, delaying

dirge

mournful song

disaffected

rebellious or resentful of authority

discomfit

to thwart, baffle

discursive

rambling, lacking order

disrepute

a person held in low regard

dither

to be indecisive

docile

easily taught or trained

dour

stern, joyless

ebullient

lively, enthusiastic

efface

to wipe out, obliterate

efficacious

effective

effrontery

impudence, nerve, insolence

effulgent

radiant, splendorous

egregious

extremely bad

elegy

a speech in honor of a dead person

embezzle

to steal money by falsifying records

emend

to correct/revise a written text

emollient

soothing

enervate

to weaken, exhaust

enfranchise

to grant the vote to

engender

to create, generate

enmity

hatred, hostility

equanimity

composure

equivocal

ambiguous, uncertain

eschew

to shun, avoid

esoteric

understood by only a select few

espouse

to take up as a cause, support

etymology

the study of words and their origins

exalt

to glorify, praise

exculpate

to free from blame, exonerate

execrable

detestable, loathsome

exhort

to urge, prod, spur

exigent

urgent, critical

expedient

advantageous, in one's self interest, convenient

expiate

to make amends for, atone

expunge

to eradicate, obliterate

expurgate

to remove offensive parts (gen in a book)

extant

existing, not lost/destroyed

extol

to praise, revere

exult

to rejoice

facile

easy

fastiduous

meticulous, demanding, having high standards

fatuous

silly, foolish

fecund

fruitful, fertile

felicitous

well suited, apt OR pleasing, delightful

fetid

foul odor

fickle

inconstant, faithless

fidelity

loyalty, devotion

flaccid

limp, drooping

flagrant

offensive, egregious

flout

to openly disregard/disobey

forbearance

patience, tolerance

fractious

troublesome, irritable

frugal

thrifty, economical