All SAT Vocab

abjure

to renounce, repudiate under oath; to avoid, shun

deride

to laugh at mockingly, scorn

credulity

readiness to beleive

cursory

brief to the point of being superficial

calumny

an attempt to spoil someone else’s reputation by spreading lies

boon

a gift or blessing

acrimony

bitterness, discord

aspersion

a curse, an expression of ill-will or slander

alacrity

eagerness, speed

acumen

keen insight

antipathy

a strong dislike, repugnance

dither

to be indisicive

diffedent

shy quiet modest

eschew

to shun, avoid

dissemble

to conceal fake

ephemeral

short lived, fleeting

enervate

to weaken, exhaust

assiduous

persistent, hard-working, diligent

cogent

intellectually convincing

evince

to show, reveal

acerbic

biting, bitter in tone or taste

approbation

praise

cajole

to urge, coax

egregious

extremely bad

capricious

subject to whim, fickle

Exigent

(adj.) urgent, critical

fallacious

(adj.) incorrect, misleading

fastidious

(adj.) meticulous, demanding, having high and often unattainable standards

Fecund

(adj.) fruitful, fertile

fetid

(adj.) having a foul odor

garrulous

(adj.) talkative, wordy

gregarious

(adj.) drawn to the company of others, sociable

hackneyed

(adj.) unoriginal, trite

hapless

(adj.) unlucky

iconoclast

(n.) one who attacks common beliefs or institutions

implacable

(adj.) incapable of being appeased or mitigated

impudent

(adj.) casually rude, insolent, impertinent

inexorable

(adj.) incapable of being persuaded or placated

inimical

(adj.) hostile

insidious

(adj.) appealing but imperceptibly harmful, seductive

laconic

(adj.) terse in speech or writing

largesse

(n.) the generous giving of lavish gifts

latent

(adj.) hidden, but capable of being exposed

legerdemain

(n.) deception, slight-of-hand

maelstorm

(n.) a destructive whirlpool which rapidly sucks in objects: can be used literally or metaphorically

malediction

(n.) a curse

manifold

(adj.) diverse, varied

maudlin

(adj.) weakly sentimental

mendacious

(adj.) having a lying, false character

nadir

(n.) the lowest point of something

nascent

In the process of being born or coming into existence

obfuscate

to render incomprehensible

obstreperous

noisy, unruly

officious

offering one’s services when they are neither wanted nor needed

ostensible

supposed, apparent, seeming

palliate

to reduce the severity of the

panacea

a remedy for all ills or difficulties

paragon

a model of excellence or perfection

parsimony

frugality, stinginess

paucity

small in quantity

penurious

miserly, stingy

perfidious

disloyal, unfaithful

perspicacity

shrewdness, perceptiveness, showing keen insight

pithy

concisely meaningful

portent

an omen

probity

virtue, integrity

prosaic

plain, lacking liveliness

puerile

juvenile, immature

querulous

whiny, complaining

quixotic

idealistic, impractical

recalcitrant

defiant, unapologetic

reprove

to scold, rebuke

ribald

coarsely, crudely humorous

rife

abundant

sagacity

shrewdness, soundness of perspective through wisdom