UPCAT Vocab Set 3

Page 3 Vocab Section of The Maroon Bluebook

Propitiate

to appease or calm someone, often by giving in to their demands

Protean

able to change easily; versatile or adaptable

Pugnacious

eager or quick to argue or fight

Pulchritude

physical beauty

Pundit

an expert who gives opinions, especially publicly

Quiescent

inactive; at rest

Quixotic

unrealistically idealistic or impractical

Raconteur

a skilled storyteller

Rancorous

full of bitterness or resentment

Recalcitrant

stubbornly resistant to authority or control

Redolent

strongly reminiscent or suggestive of something

Renegade

a person who betrays or abandons a group or cause

Remunerate

to pay or compensate for services

Reprieve

a temporary delay or cancellation of punishment

Reproach

to express disappointment or disapproval

Reprobate

an unprincipled or immoral person

Reticent

reserved; unwilling to speak freely

Retrenchment

reduction or cutting back, especially expenses

Sagacity

wisdom and good judgment

Sanguine

optimistic or hopeful, especially in difficult situations

Sardonic

grimly mocking or cynical

Scintillating

brilliantly lively, clever, or exciting

Scrupulous

careful, thorough, and morally attentive

Sinecure

a position requiring little or no work but providing pay

Solicitous

showing concern or care for others

Sophistry

deceptive or misleading reasoning

Spate

a sudden large outpouring or increase

Squalid

filthy, run-down, or morally repulsive

Stalwart

loyal, reliable, and strong in support

Succinct

brief and clearly expressed

Supercilious

arrogantly superior or disdainful

Supposition

an assumption made without proof

Surfeit

an excessive amount

Surly

bad-tempered or unfriendly

Surreptitious

done secretly or stealthily

Sycophant

a person who flatters others for personal gain

Temerity

reckless boldness or audacity

Tepid

lukewarm; lacking enthusiasm

Terse

brief and abrupt in manner

Travail

painful or exhausting work

Trite

overused and lacking originality

Triumvirate

a group of three leaders sharing power

Truculent

aggressively hostile or defiant

Turgid

overly complex, pompous, or swollen

Ubiquitous

present everywhere at once

Uncouth

rude or lacking good manners

Underwrite

to financially support or guarantee

Ungainly

awkward or clumsy

Vacuous

empty of thought or intelligence

Vapid

dull or uninteresting

Venal

corrupt; willing to accept bribes

Venerable

deserving respect due to age or dignity

Vertiginous

causing dizziness or a sense of spinning

Visceral

instinctive; deeply felt

Vituperative

harshly abusive or bitter in speech

Voluble

speaking fluently and excessively

Wrest

to take forcibly

Zealot

a person fanatically devoted to a cause