SAT Vocabulary Review

affable

diffusing warmth and friendliness

amiable

disposed to please; diffusing warmth and friendliness

apathy

the trait of lacking enthusiasm for or interest in things generally; an absence of emotion or enthusiasm

avarice

reprehensible acquisitiveness; insatiable desire for wealth; extreme greed for material wealth

cantankerous

having a difficult and contrary disposition; stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate

craven

lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful; an abject coward

culpability

a state of guilt

deference

respect and esteem due a superior or an elder; a courteous expression of esteem or regard; courteous regard for people's feelings

desiccate

lacking vitality or spirit; lifeless; lose water or moisture; remove water from; preserve by removing all water and liquids from

desultory

wandering aimlessly; marked by lack of definite plan or regularity or purpose; jumping from one thing to another

dilatory

wasting time; inclined to waste time and lag behind; using cautious slow strategy to wear down opposition; avoiding direct confrontation

discreet

marked by prudence or modesty and wise self-restraint; heedful of potential consequences; unobtrusively perceptive and sympathetic

disdainful

having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy; expressing extreme contempt

elated

exultantly proud and joyful; in high spirits; full of high-spirited delight

enmity

the feeling of a hostile person; a state of deep-seated ill-will

equivocal

uncertain as a sign or indication; open to two or more interpretations; or of uncertain nature or significance; or (often) intended to mislead; open to question

esoteric

understood only by a few; confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle

inane

devoid of intelligence; lacking significance, meaning, or point; silly

insolence

an offensive disrespectful impudent act; the trait of being rude and impertinent; inclined to take liberties

insouciance

the cheerful feeling you have when nothing is troubling you

inundate

be overwhelmed by; fill or cover completely, usually with water; fill quickly beyond capacity

lugubrious

excessively mournful

mercenary

used of soldiers hired by a foreign army; profit oriented; marked by materialism; a person hired to fight for another country than their own

noncommittal

refusing to bind oneself to a particular course of action or view or the like

peripatetic

traveling especially on foot; of or relating to Aristotle or his philosophy; a person who walks from place to place

pithy

concise and full of meaning

prepossessing

creating a favorable impression

pungent

causing a sharp or irritating sensation; having a strong, sharp taste or smell

querulous

habitually complaining; complaining in an annoyed way

solvent

capable of meeting financial obligations; a liquid substance capable of dissolving other substances

temerity

fearless daring

timorousness

fearfulness in venturing into new and unknown places or activities; fear of the unknown or unfamiliar or fear of making decisions

unkempt

not properly maintained; not neat or cared for; slovenly; not neatly combed

vanity

the quality of being valueless or futile; the trait of being unduly conceited; feelings of excessive pride

vex

be a mystery or bewildering to; disturb the peace of mind of; afflict with mental agitation or distress; cause annoyance in

abstraction

a thought or thoughts about general qualities or ideas rather than people or things; the act of withdrawing or removing something; the act of summarizing

aesthetic

concerning or characterized by an appreciation of visual beauty or good taste; a philosophical theory as to what is beautiful

altruistic

showing unselfish concern for the welfare of others

ambiguous

having more than one possible meaning; having no intrinsic or objective meaning; not organized in conventional patterns; open to two or more interpretations

astute

marked by practical hardheaded intelligence; having or showing shrewdness and an ability to notice and understand things clearly

austere

of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect; severely simple; practicing great self-denial

belie

represent falsely; be in contradiction with

brunt

the principal force, shock, or stress (as of an attack); the greater part; burden

caustic

of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action; harsh or corrosive in tone

cogent

powerfully persuasive

coherent

sticking together; marked by an orderly, logical, and aesthetically consistent relation of parts; capable of thinking and expressing yourself in a clear and consistent manner

contrivance

an artificial arrangement or development; an elaborate or deceitful scheme devised to deceive or evade; a device or control that is very useful for a particular job

derivative

having parts that originate from another source; lacking originality; banal

disinterested

not influenced by personal feelings, opinions, or concerns; having no desire to know about a particular thing

dispassionate

not influenced by strong feeling; unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice

disputatious

inclined or showing an inclination to disagree, even to engage in law suits

flamboyant

richly and brilliantly colorful; elaborately or excessively ornamented

hedonistic

devoted to pleasure

inconspicuous

not prominent or readily noticeable

panacea

hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases; once sought by the alchemists; (Greek mythology) the goddess of healing

paucity

an insufficient quantity or number

precedent

preceding in time, order, or significance; an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time; a subject mentioned earlier; (civil law) a law established by following earlier judicial decisions

preponderance

exceeding in heaviness; having greater weight; a superiority in numbers or amount; superiority in power or influence

pretentious

making claim to or creating an appearance of (often undeserved) importance or distinction; intended to attract notice and impress others

pristine

immaculately clean and unused; completely free from dirt or contamination

propensity

a disposition to behave in a certain way; a natural inclination; an inclination to do something

prospective

anticipated for the near future; concerned with or related to the future

scathing

marked by harshly abusive criticism

specious

plausible but false; based on pretense; deceptively pleasing

superficial

not thorough or complete; being or affecting or concerned with a surface; not deep or penetrating emotionally or intellectually; of little substance or significance

sycophantic

attempting to win favor by flattery; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery

ulterior

going beyond what is openly said or shown and especially what is proper; lying beyond what is openly revealed or avowed

unfathomable

impossible to come to understand; of depth; not capable of being sounded or measured

untrammeled

not confined or limited

assiduous

hard working; marked by care and persistent effort

autocrat

a cruel and oppressive dictator

autonomous

free from external control and constraint in e.g. action and judgment; existing as an independent entity

belligerent

engaged in war; characteristic of an enemy or one eager to fight

bombastic

marked by or given to speech or writing that is given exaggerated importance by artificial or empty means; ostentatiously lofty in style; pompous

conciliatory

intended or likely to overcome animosity or hostility; intended to gain goodwill or favor or to reduce hostility

conscientious

characterized by extreme care and great effort; guided by or in accordance with conscience or sense of right and wrong

consolidate

make firm or secure; strengthen; make or form into a solid or hardened mass; form into a solid mass or whole; unite into one

coterie

an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose

cursory

hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough

exacerbate

exasperate or irritate; make worse

fervent

extremely hot; characterized by intense emotion

flippant

lacking proper respect or seriousness; showing inappropriate levity

gregarious

sociable; instinctively or temperamentally seeking and enjoying the company of others

harbinger

an indication of the approach of something or someone; foreshadow or presage

inaudible

impossible to hear; imperceptible by the ear

indifferent

showing no care or concern in attitude or action; characterized by a lack of partiality; marked by no especial liking or dislike or preference for one thing over another

indigent

poor enough to need help from others

indulgent

being favorably inclined; characterized by or given to yielding to the wishes of someone; tolerant or lenient

lethargic

sleep inducing; deficient in alertness or activity

magnanimous

generous and understanding and tolerant; noble and generous in spirit

meticulous

marked by extreme care in treatment of details; marked by precise accordance with details

moribund

being on the point of death; breathing your last; not growing or changing; without force or vitality

munificent

very generous

parasitic

of plants or persons; having the nature or habits of a parasite or leech; living off another; relating to or caused by parasites

pompous

characterized by pomp and ceremony and stately display; puffed up with vanity

protozoan

of or relating to the Protozoa; any of diverse minute acellular or unicellular organisms usually non-photosynthetic

sanctum

a place of inviolable privacy; a sacred place of pilgrimage

scanty

lacking in amplitude or quantity; short underpants for women or children

soporific

sleep inducing; inducing mental lethargy; a drug that induces sleep

supercilious

expressive of contempt; having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy