AP lang SAT vocab 23 & 24

arduous

Definition: very difficult to accomplish or to achieve, very demanding (task)

Synonyms: hard, toilsome, onerous, wearisome

adjective

Early in the morning, the team began the arduous trip up Mount Everest.

belligerent

efinition: waging war; inclined to or exhibiting assertiveness

Synonyms: bellicose, pugnacious, combative, contentious, quarrelsome

Adjective

"I want to see your manager right now!" demanded the belligerent custom

desecrate

Definition: to violate the sanctity of something, to profane, to adulterate

Synonyms: defile, befoul, dishonor, ravage

verb

The gang was about to desecrate the famous statue, but the police arrived unexpectedly on the scene

diffuse

Definition: to spread in all directions

Synonyms: broadcast, extend, propagate

verb

The air freshener uses a battery-operated fan to diffuse the scent.

dispatch

Definition: to send away with promptness or speed; speed, quickness

Synonyms: haste, expediency

verb

Friar Lawrence dispatches Friar John with an urgent message for Romeo

dupe

Definition: to trick, to fool, to deceive, or to cheat; to bilk

Synonyms: beguile, chicane, defraud, hoodwink, mislead, swindle, victimize

verb

The corrupt corporation attempted to dupe stockholders out of millions of dollars

expurgate

efinition: to remove obscene or objectionable material, usually before publication

Synonyms: cleanse, decontaminate, purge, sanitize, sterilize

Derivatives: expurgation, expurgator, expurgatorial, expurgatory

The editor began to expurgate the novel so that its language would be less objectional

flout

Definition: to treat with contempt

Synonyms: scoff, jeer, gibe, sneer, mock, insult

verb

Some students flout the dress code by wearing shorts or facial piercings

galling

Definition: very irritating

Synonyms: aggravating, chafing, exasperating, harassing, vexing

adjective

His constant chatter was more than just galling; it was driving us to distraction!

guileless

Definition: without deceit

Synonyms: candid, frank, genuine, sincere, unaffected

adjective

When I saw his guileless little face, I knew he was telling the truth about the turtle in the pillowcase.

hackneyed

Definition: trite, banal, lacking freshness

Synonyms: threadbare

adjective

A good essay is usually devoid of hackneyed expressions

loquacious

Definition: very talkative

Synonyms: garrulous, voluble

adjective

A phone conversation with my loquacious cousin is sure to last for hours.

luscious

Definition: very pleasant to the taste

Synonyms: delicious, delectable, flavorsome, lush, palatable, savory, scrumptious, succulent

adjective

I lingered over the luscious custard, letting every bite melt on my tongue

mollify

Definition: to soothe or to appease, to assuage

Synonyms: conciliate, pacify, placate, propitiate

verb

The sympathetic woman was able to mollify the fears of her frantic friend

reconcile

Definition: to reestablish friendship, to resolve a dispute

Synonyms: appease, assuage, conciliate, pacify, rectify

verb

Despite her anger, Vivian hopes somehow to reconcile with her daughter

sagacious

Definition: wise, shrewd, very discerning

Synonyms: astute, perspicacious

adjective

My sagacious grandmother always has the answer, no matter what the question might be

solicitous

Definition: worried, concerned

Synonyms: anxious, apprehensive, earnest, uneasy

adjective

Her teachers and counselors were both solicitous and kind after the disaster befell her family

succulent

Definition: very juicy

Synonyms: luscious, lush, moist, mouthwatering, pulpy

adjective

If you don't overcook the chicken, it will remain succulent and tasty

tempestuous

Definition: turbulent, stormy

Synonyms: agitated, blustery, impassioned, raging, squally, unbridled

adjective

Their tempestuous relationship was marked by terrible fights and passionate reconciliatio

utility

Definition: usefulness

Synonyms: advantageousness, applicability, efficacy, function, relevance

noun

I like the utility of having a coffee machine that grinds the beans for each individual cup of coffee.

abstemious

Definition: sparing (usually in eating or drinking); temperate

Synonyms: abstinent, restrained

ajdective

People who can remain abstemious rarely suffer from obesity

admonish

Definition: to caution, to advise, or to counsel against something

Synonyms: warn, rebuke, censure, notify, jog, apprise, reprove, scold

verb

The teenage girl was admonished by her father for staying out late on a school night.

antiquity

Definition: the quality of being ancient; ancient times

Synonyms: oldness

noun

Since antiquity, the tree has been a symbol of life in many cultures.

censure

Definition: to blame or to condemn

Synonyms: denounce, reprehend, reprobate(verb)

verb

Brutus hoped the Roman people would not censure him until they heard what he had to say.

chasten

Definition: to discipline, to use punishment to correct behavior

Synonyms: admonish, castigate, chastise, chide, rebuke, reproach

verb

The unruly child needed to be chastened for his bad behavio

debunk

Definition: to expose the falseness or hypocrisy of something

Synonyms: disprove, disparage, expose, uncloak

verb

Rosie the Riveter helped to debunk the myth that women were capable of working only in the home.

defile

Definition: to make dirty, to desecrate, to pollute

Synonyms: contaminate, taint

verb

The sludge and muck of manufacturing defile our pure air and pristine water.

embroil

Definition: to entangle, to throw into confusion or strife

Synonyms: convolute, derange, encumber, mire, muddle

verb

Instead of solving all their problems, winning the lottery embroiled them all in bitter conflict

exorcise

Definition: to expel an evil spirit, to get rid of something troublesome

Synonyms: cast out, dismiss, expel, purge, purify

verb

Once his stepmother had left for good, he tried to exorcise all memory of her.

fortuitous

Definition: something that happens by accident or chance (usually good)

Synonyms: arbitrary, haphazard, incidental, providential, serendipitous

adjective

How fortuitous it is for you to call now, just when I was thinking about calling someone else for the job!

garner

Definition: to gather together, to store up

Synonyms: accumulate, amass, harvest, reap, stockpile

verb

Through dogged campaigning, he was able to garner enough votes to win the election

humility

Definition: the quality or state of being humble in spirit

Synonyms: demureness, diffidence, meekness, passiveness, submissiveness

noun

When the woman accepted the award, she did it with humility and grace

larceny

Definition: the act of stealing another's property

Synonyms: theft

noun

The neighborhood has been plagued by a wave of larceny--lawn furniture, mailboxes, and a car have been stolen

parch

to become dry from heat, to shrivel from heat

Synonyms: blister, dehydrate, desiccate, evaporate, scorch, sear

verb

Because he had been in the desert for so many days, he spoke through parched lips.

parry

Definition: to deflect or to ward off a blow

Synonyms: anticipate, dodge, elude, preclude, rebuff, repulse, shun

verb

He was quick to parry his parents' accusations, laying out excuse after excuse for his behavior.

porous

Definition: something that permits the passage of substances through pores

Synonyms: absorbent, penetrable, permeable, pervious, spongy

adjective

The manufacturer is trying to produce a material that is less porous and not so susceptible to moisture

precipitate

Definition: to cause to speedily occur, to throw headlong

Synonyms: accelerate, advance, expedite, hasten, quicken, trigger

verb

Who knew that just calling him a "mama's boy" would precipitate such a terrible fight?

ratify

Definition: to give formal approval

Synonyms: approve, certify, confirm, endorse, sanction, substantiate, validate

verb

The immigrant population hoped that Congress would ratify a more favorable version of the bill

rupture

efinition: to break apart, to burst

Synonyms: breach, cleavage, fissure, herniation, schism

verb

The doctor feared the appendix would rupture before she could entirely remove it from the patient's body

taper

Definition: to decrease in thickness or width

Synonyms: diminish, fade, lessen, narrow, reduce, thin

verb

One can’t help but notice that the woman’s fingernails taper to sharp points at the ends