Hard SAT vocabulary words

convoluted

highly involved or intricate

capricious

determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason

bombastic

ostentatiously lofty in style

loquacious

talkative

decorous

Proper

jingoism

fanatical patriotism

bureaucratization

a complicated organized system; rules and regulations

ossified

become fixed and rigid

venerable

profoundly honored

dictum

authoritative statement

concessions

things given or granted as privileges

supercilious

expressive of contempt; snobby

pugnacious

ready and able to resort to force or violence

perfidy

treason

aspersion

a disparaging remark

indigence

poverty

ambivalence

mixed feelings or emotions

credence

belief or trust

diaphanous

filmy

palpable

capable of being perceived by the senses or the mind

anomalous

abnormal, irregular, departing from the usual

egalitarian

a person who believes in the equality of all people

dilettante

an amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions and who pretends to have knowledge

purveyor

retailer

iconoclast

one who attacks traditional beliefs

esoteric

intended for or understood by only a small group

mollified

calmed; pacified

flotsam

floating debris

reconnaissance

(n.) a survey made for military purposes; any kind of preliminary inspection or examination

decimation

extensive destruction

raiment

especially fine or decorative clothing

sustenance

a source of materials to nourish the body

irascible

characterized by anger

cantankerous

having a difficult and contrary disposition

churlish

having a bad disposition

laconic

brief and to the point

mercurial

liable to sudden unpredictable change

corrosive

eating away gradually, acidlike; bitterly sarcastic

disingenuous

not straightforward or candid

implacable

unable to be calmed down or made peaceful

phlegmatic

showing little emotion

emphatic

sudden and strong

antiquated

so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period

languid

lacking spirit or liveliness

impetuous

rash, impulsive

succinct

briefly giving the gist of something

retrenchment

the reduction of expenditures in order to become financial stable

effusive

showing excessive emotion; overflowing

incorrigible

not able to be corrected; beyond control

ineffable

indescribable

ephemeral

momentary, fleeting

misnomer

an incorrect or unsuitable name

vector

a quantity that has magnitude and direction

curative

a medicine or therapy that cures disease or relieve pain

stringent

strict

dispersive

tending to disperse

obtrusive

sticking out

bucolic

a short descriptive poem of rural or pastoral life

prolific

abundantly fruitful, marked by great productivity

sundry

miscellaneous unspecified objects

lugubrious

excessively mournful

remonstrance

protest; objection

erudition

profound scholarly knowledge

lassitude

a feeling of lack of interest or energy

chicanery

trickery

coddled

over-protected; kept warm

banal

obvious and dull

bellicose

having or showing a ready disposition to fight

clairvoyant

foreseeing the future

deferential

respectful

sanctimonious

pretending to be righteous

perused

examined; looked over carefully

panacea

hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases

bereft

sorrowful through loss or deprivation

miscreant

evil unbeliever

revisionist

a Communist who tries to rewrite Marxism to justify a retreat from the revolutionary position

fervent

characterized by intense emotion

tacit

unspoken, silent; implied, inferred

impetuous

characterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation

impudent

improperly forward or bold

presumptuous

excessively forward

contemptuous

expressing extreme contempt

filial

of or like a son or daughter

convivial

sociable

avuncular

being or relating to an uncle

funerary

of or for or relating to a funeral

cacophonous

having an unpleasant sound

mellifluous

pleasing to the ear

auspicious

favorable

dalliance

flirtation

vacuity

total absence of matter

pragmatism

practicality

fastidious

very neat

sedulous

attending to detail

prosaic

common

treacly

overly sweet

consecrated

made holy

mercenary

a person hired to fight for another country than their own

petulant

bratty

vindictive

looking for revenge