SAT Hit Parade

Comprehensive vocabulary list from the SAT Hit Parade including 247 essential words and their specific definitions as presented in the lecture notes.

provocative

exciting; attracting attention

advocate

to speak in favor of; to support

arrogant

feeling superior to others; snooty

contempt

reproachful disdain

skeptical

doubing (opposite of gullible)

innovate

to be creative; to introduce something new

profound

deep; insightful (the opposite of superficial)

digress

to go off the subject

tenacious

tough; hard to defeat

nostalgia

a sentimental longing for the past; homesickness

denounce

to speak out against; to condemn

pragmatic

practical; down-to-earth; based on experience rather than theory

rigorous

strict; harsh; severe

inevitable

unavoidable; bound to happen

superficial

on the surface only; shallow; not thorough

aesthetic

having to do with artistic beauty; artistic (not to be confused with ascetic, also on the Hit Parade)

disparage

to belittle; to say uncomplimentary things about, usually in a somewhat indirect way

elaborate

detailed; careful; thorough

ambivalent

undecided; blowing hot and cold

esoteric

hard to understand; understood by only a select few; peculiar

subtle

not obvious; able to make fine distinctions; ingenious; crafty

indifferent

not caring one way or the other; mediocre; lacking a preference; neutral

futile

hopeless; without effect

resignation

reluctant acceptance of a bad situation (secondary meaning)

negligence

carelessness

contrite

deeply apologetic; remorseful

objective

without bias (as opposed to subjective)

disdain

arrogant scorn; contempt

reticent

restrained; uncommunicative

mitigate

to lessen the severity of something

refute

to disprove; to prove to be false

brevity

briefness

benign

gentle; not harmful; kind; mild

apathy

lack of emotion or interest

revere

to worship; to honor (think of a reverend)

enigma

mystery

diverse

varied

lucid

clear; easy to understand

redundant

repetitive; unnecessary; excessively wordy

alleviate

to lessen; to relieve, usually temporarily or incompletely; to make bearable

ironic

satiric; unexpected

belligerent

combative; quarrelsome; waging war

neutral

unbiased; not taking sides; objective

anecdote

a brief, entertaining story

articulate

speaking clearly and well

unprecedented

happening for the first time; novel; never seen before

frivolous

not serious; not solemn; with levity

indulgent

lenient; yielding to desire

volatile

quick to evaporate; highly unstable; explosive

stringent

strict; restrictive

deference

submission to another’s will; respect; courtesy

congenial

agreeably suitable; pleasant

benefactor

a generous donor

amass

to accumulate

authentic

real

obscure

unclear; clouded; partially hidden; hard to understand

impartial

unbiased; neutral

discriminate

to differentiate; to make a clear distinction; to see the difference

relevant

important; pertinent

candid

honest; frank

discernment

insight; ability to see things clearly

abstract

theoretical; lacking substance (the opposite of concrete)

temperate

moderate; restrained

eccentric

not conventional; a little kooky; irregular

provincial

limited in outlook to one’s own small corner of the world; narrow

benevolent

kind; good-hearted; generous

pious

reverent or devout; outwardly (and sometimes falsely) reverent or devout

conciliatory

making peace; attempting to solve a dispute through good will

resolute

determined; firm; unwavering

servile

submissive and subservient; like a servant

acute

sharp; shrewd

anarchy

absence of government or control; lawlessness; disorder

virulent

extremely poisonous; malignant; full of hate

scrutinize

to examine closely

discord

disagreement (the opposite of concord)

repudiate

to reject; to deny

diligent

hardworking

prodigal

extravagant; wasteful

augment

to add to; to increase; to make bigger

complacent

smug; self-satisfied; pleased with oneself; contented to a fault

guile

cunning; duplicity

squander

to waste

incessant

unceasing; never-ending

laudable

worthy of praise

deter

to prevent; to stop; 세 keep from doing something

infamous

shamefully wicked; having (and deserving) and extremely bad reputation; disgraceful

depravity

moral corruption

gravity

seriousness (secondary meaning)

banal

unoriginal; ordinary

extol

to praise

euphony

pleasant sound (the opposite is cacophony)

deride

to ridicule; to laugh at contemptuously

insipid

dull; banal

austere

unadorned; stern; forbidding; without much money

expedite

to make faster or easier

heresy

an opinion violently opposed to established beliefs

novel

new; original

philanthropy

love of mankind; donating to charity

tentative

experimental; temporary; uncertain

vacillate

to be indecisive; to waver back and forth