SAT - High Priority

aberration

something unusual or abnormal. For instance, the severe storm in July was an aberration compared to the usually mild weather of that month.

abstemious

moderate; not excessive. His abstemious lifestyle allowed him to maintain his health well into old age.

abstruse

difficult to understand. The professor's lecture on quantum mechanics was so abstruse that many students struggled to follow.

acerbic

harsh or bitter in tone. Her acerbic comments during the meeting made some of her colleagues uncomfortable.

acuity

sharpness; keen perception. The acuity of her vision was remarkable, allowing her to spot the error that others missed.

adept

highly skilled. She was adept at solving complex problems quickly and efficiently.

admonish

warn or mildly scold. The teacher had to admonish the students for their disruptive behavior during the lesson.

adroit

skillful; clever. His adroit handling of the negotiations won him respect from both sides.

ambivalence

mixed or conflicting feelings. She felt ambivalence about accepting the job offer, torn between excitement and fear of change.

ameliorate

improve. The new policies were designed to ameliorate the working conditions in the factory.

amorphous

without definite shape or structure. The plan was still amorphous, lacking clear direction or details.

anomaly

something that differs from the norm. The sudden spike in temperatures was an anomaly in the typical climate of the region.

antipathy

strong dislike. His antipathy for the new policy was evident in his frustrated comments.

apathy

lack of interest or concern. The citizens' apathy towards the election results led to a poor voter turnout.

appease

calm or satisfy. The manager hoped to appease the upset customers by offering them discounts.

assuage

lessen or relieve. To assuage her guilt, she decided to volunteer her time at the shelter.

avarice

extreme greed. His avarice was evident when he refused to share the profits with his business partners.

banal

boring because it is overused/common. The film was criticized for its banal plot that failed to engage the audience.

beleaguer

trouble or surround persistently. The company continued to beleaguered by financial issues and legal troubles.

belittle

make something seem less important. He didn't mean to belittle her achievements, but his comments came off as dismissive.

bemused

confused or puzzled. She was bemused by his sudden change in attitude.

brevity

shortness. The brevity of his speech was appreciated by the audience, who preferred concise presentations.

broach

introduce a topic. She decided to broach the subject of a pay raise during the meeting.

buttress

support or strengthen. The report was buttressed by data from multiple studies.

candid

honest and straightforward. His candid remarks about the project left no room for misinterpretation.

chary

cautious. She was chary about investing in a company after hearing rumors about financial instability.

chronic

habitual; long-lasting. He suffered from chronic back pain that affected his daily activities.

circuitous

indirect; roundabout. They took a circuitous route to avoid traffic on the main road.

clandestine

secret; hidden. The organization held clandestine meetings to discuss their strategies.

clemency

mercy; leniency. The judge chose to show clemency to the first-time offender.

coalesce

come together; merge. The two companies decided to coalesce to enhance their market presence.

coercion

forcing someone to do something. The confession was made under coercion, leading to doubts about its validity.

commensurate

equal or proportional. Her salary increase was commensurate with her expanded responsibilities.

compile

collect and organize. The editor will compile the submissions into a single volume.

concomitant

occurring at the same time. The rise in unemployment was concomitant with the economic downturn.

confound

confuse or perplex. The strange behavior of the subject served to confound the researchers.

contentious

argumentative; likely to cause disagreement. The debate became contentious as opposing views clashed.

contrite

genuinely sorry. He offered a contrite apology for his rude remarks.

conundrum

difficult problem or puzzle. The missing funds presented a conundrum that the accountant struggled to solve.

copious

abundant; plentiful. She took copious notes during the lecture to ensure she didn't miss any key points.

credulous

too willing to believe. His credulous nature often led him to fall for scams.

cryptic

mysterious; difficult to understand. The instructor's cryptic comments only fueled the confusion among students.

dearth

shortage; lack. There was a dearth of reliable information regarding the outbreak.

debased

lowered in quality or character. The scandal debased the reputation of the organization.

decipher

figure out or decode. She managed to decipher the ancient script after months of study.

decorum

proper behavior. The students were reminded to maintain decorum during the assembly.

deleterious

harmful. The chemicals were found to have deleterious effects on the environment.

delineate

describe or outline clearly. The report will delineate the project's goals and expected outcomes.

denounce

publicly condemn. The activist chose to denounce the injustices occurring in the community.

deprecatory

expressing disapproval. His deprecatory tone suggested that he did not approve of the decision.

desist

stop. The instruction was clear: they were to desist from using the equipment.

desolate

deserted; lonely. The desolate landscape was haunting and beautiful.

diatribe

angry, critical speech. His diatribe against the policies drew mixed reactions from the audience.

diligent

hardworking and careful. The diligent student always completed her assignments ahead of time.

diminution

reduction; decrease. The diminution of resources led to a reassessment of the project.

disaffected

dissatisfied; alienated. The disaffected workers staged a walkout to protest the new policies. feeling unhappy, resentful, and no longer loyal to a group, leader, or idea that you used to support.

disapprobation

disapproval. Her actions drew the disapprobation of her peers.

dispassionate

calm and unbiased. His dispassionate analysis of the situation helped clarify the issues at hand.

dissemble

conceal one's true motives/feelings. He chose to dissemble his true feelings about the project.

dissension

disagreement; conflict. Dissension among the group members threatened to derail the project.

dissonant

harsh or lacking harmony. The dissonant sounds created an unsettling atmosphere.

dissuade

convince someone not to do something. She tried to dissuade him from making an impulsive decision.

dubious

uncertain; doubtful. The reports were dubious, lacking solid evidence to support their claims.

duplicity

deceitfulness. His duplicity caused many to lose trust in him.

edify

instruct or educate. The enlightening book served to edify the curious reader.

egregious

outstandingly bad. Their egregious errors in judgment led to serious consequences.

elucidate

clarify; explain. The professor asked her to elucidate her findings during the seminar.

emanate

come or flow from. The fragrance seemed to emanate from the flowers throughout the garden.

enervate

weaken or exhaust. The heat may enervate even the most energetic participants.

engender

cause or produce. The new policy will engender several changes in the workplace.

enigmatic

mysterious; puzzling. The artist's work was often described as enigmatic, leaving viewers with many questions.

enmesh

involve or entangle. The scandal began to enmesh several high-profile individuals.

ephemeral

short-lived. The beauty of the sunset was ephemeral, fading quickly into twilight.

equivocate

avoid giving a clear answer. He tended to equivocate when asked about his plans for the future.

erudition

extensive knowledge. Her erudition on various subjects made her the ideal candidate for the role.

esoteric

understood by only a small group. The esoteric nature of the subject made it difficult to teach.

espouse

support or adopt an idea. They chose to espouse the new theory despite some skepticism.

exigent

urgent; pressing. The exigent circumstances required immediate action.

exonerate

clear from blame. The evidence presented served to exonerate the accused party.

expedite

speed up. The company aims to expedite the delivery process to improve customer satisfaction.

expunge

erase completely. Records of her misdemeanor were expunged after the probation period.

extol

praise highly. He extolled the virtues of hard work in his motivational speech.

fallible

capable of making mistakes. Being fallible is part of human nature; we all make errors.

fastidious

extremely careful/particular. She was fastidious about her appearance, always looking impeccable.

fickle

constantly changing. The fickle weather made planning outdoor events challenging.

flippant

disrespectfully casual. His flippant remarks about the serious issue were met with disapproval.

flout

openly disregard a rule. They chose to flout the rules of the game, resulting in penalties.

furtive

secretive; sneaky. They exchanged furtive glances during the awkward silence.

garner

collect or obtain. He hoped to garner support for his proposal from the community.

guile

clever deceit. Her guile allowed her to navigate the tricky situation successfully.

hackneyed

overused; unoriginal. The dialogue in the film was criticized as hackneyed and predictable.

hamper

hinder; obstruct. The adverse weather conditions will hamper our travel plans.

haughty

arrogantly superior. His haughty demeanor made it difficult for others to approach him.

hiatus

interruption; gap. The band took a brief hiatus before releasing their next album.

hyperbole

deliberate exaggeration. His claims of winning a million games were clearly hyperbole.

immutable

unchanging. The laws of physics are considered immutable and universally applicable.

impetuous

acting hastily without thinking. His impetuous decision to leave his job shocked his colleagues.

impregnable

impossible to defeat or enter. The fortress was designed to be impregnable against attack.

impugn

challenge or attack as false. She did not hesitate to impugn the validity of his argument.

inauspicious

unfavorable; suggesting bad results. The dark clouds were an inauspicious sign for the outdoor event.