SAT Vocab Powerscore Pages 50-60

pugilist

a person who fights with his fists; a boxer

pundit

a critic or expert

reactionary

a person who is extremely conservative; an opponent of progress or liberalism

recluse

a person who withdraws from society to live in seclusion

reformist

a person who favors reform

reviler

a person who uses abusive language

ruffian

a tough, violent person

rumormonger

a person who spreads rumors and gossip

sage

a person who is very wise

savant

a person who has learned extensive knowledge

scribe

a journalist or other writer

sycophant

a person who flatters others in order to gain personal favor; a brown

toady

a person who flatters others in order to gain personal favor; a brown

totalitarian

a leader of a government that has total control and authority over the people

troubadour

a traveling singer

understudy

an actor able to replace a regular performer when required

usurper

a person who wrongfully or illegally seizes and holds the place of another

utilitarian

a person who believes that the value of something depends on its usefulness

utopian

a person who believes in an ideal society achieved through social reform

virtuoso

a person who has mastered a certain skill or field

abstruse

hard to understand

adulation

excessive admiration

alacrity

liveliness and eagerness

ameliorate

to make better

anachronistic

out of chronological order

arboreal

relating to trees

assiduous

constant and attentive

auspicious

favorable; fortunate

austere

strict; disciplined; serious; or simple; undecorated

avarice

extreme greed for material wealth

banal

repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

bombast

pompous or pretentious talk or writing

castigate

to criticize or punish severely

cataclysm

a violent upheaval

cathartic

inducing a release of tense emotions

clandestine

secret

conflagration

a destructive fire

conscientious

characterized by extreme care and great effort

contrite

feeling guilty and remorseful

dalliance

the deliberate act of delaying and playing instead of working

decorous

proper and dignified

deleterious

harmful

denigrate

to damage the reputation of

didactic

educational

dilatory

intending to delay

disseminate

to spread widely

ebullient

extremely excited or enthusiastic

eclectic

made up of choices from diverse sources

efficacious

effective

eminent

distinguished and prominent

empirical

resulting from an experiment

enervated

lacking strength or vigor

enigma

a puzzle

equanimity

steadiness of mind under stress

equivocate

to be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information

esoteric

intended for a select group of people; secret or confidential

espouse

to adopt or marry such as an idea or cause

evanescent

vanishing

exonerate

to clear from blame

exorbitant

greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation

exuberant

overflowing, especially with joy

facetious

not intended to be taken seriously

fastidious

giving careful attention to detail; hard to please

felicity

pleasing and appropriate style

garrulous

excessively talkative or wordy

gratuitous

free; given without reason

gregarious

sociable

hackneyed

repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

harangue

a long, pompous speech

impervious

not capable of being affected

impugn

to attack as false or wrong

incongruity

the quality of disagreeing; being unsuitable and inappropriate

incorrigible

incapable of being corrected or punished

indigenous

native to

ineffable

incapable of being put into words

innocuous

harmless

insipid

bland, dull, or uninteresting

insolence

rudeness

intransigent

refusing to yield or compromise

juxtapose

to place side by side

machination

a crafty plot

magnanimous

noble and generous in spirit

malevolent

evil

malleable

capable of being shaped or influenced

mendacious

lying, false, or untrue

meritocracy

a form of social system in which power goes to those with superior abilities

morose

gloomy

nefarious

extremely wicked

obdurate

stubborn

obsequious

overly flattering or obedient

opulent

rich and luxurious

ostensible

pretended

pedagogical

relating to education or teaching

pedantic

overly focused on small details while teaching or learning

perspicacity

intelligence manifested by being astute

petulant

easily irritated over small issues

precocious

advanced in development or maturity, especially in mental aptitude

pristine

pure, clean, or unused

proliferate

to grow rapidly

prosaic

dull and lacking excitement