SAT Prep #203

Cantankerous

bad-tempered; quarrelsome

Derogatory

uncomplimentary

Exemplify

to serve as a good example

Impecunious

having no money

Lucid

clear

Ornate

highly decorated

Precipice

steep slope

Salubrious

health-giving

Truant

shirker; someone absent without permission

Ambulatory

hospital patients able to walk around

Capacious

spacious

Desecrate

to damage or pollute a holy place

Exhaustive

complete and thorough

Impious

wicked; profane

Ludicrous

ridiculous; silly

Orthodox

adapt to what is generally or traditionally accepted as right or true

Precipitous

done in a hurry

Salutary

something which teaches you a lesson; beneficial

Truncate

cut short

Ameliorate

make better

Capitulate

surrender; give in to

Desecration

spoiling something holy

Exonerates

acquits; absolves; removes blame

Impoverished

destitute; poor

Lukewarm

not having or showing emotion or neither hot nor cold

Ossify

turn to bone or become fixed and rigid

Preclude

prevent or make impossible

Sanctimonious

making a show of being morally superior/better to other people

Tumult

a loud, confused noise, especially one caused by a large mass of people.

Amelioration

improvement

Carping

constant criticism

Desist

stop; discontinue; cease

Exorcism

getting free/rid of; eliminating especially demons

Impromptu

unrehearsed; spontaneous

Lummox

clumsy person

Ostentatious

showy

Precocious

developing early

Sanction

give approval to

Turpitude

wickedness

Cartographer

person who makes maps

Despondent

having no hope; miserable

Expatriate

refugee; emigrant; someone living away from his own country

Inadvertent

not intentional

Luscious

juicy; moist; succulent

Oust

push out of a position

Predecessor

one who came before

Sanguinary

bloodthirsty; bloody

Tyro

novice; beginner

Amity

friendship

Castigate

scold strongly

Destitution

hardship; poverty; misery

Expedient

convenient; practical

Incantation

chant; invocation; prayer

Lynch

assassinate; kill; illegal hanging

Overt

obvious; not hidden

Predicament

dilemma; difficult situation

Sanguine

optimistic; cheerful

Ubiquitous

found everywhere; omnipresent

Amorphous

lacking in shape

Catharsis

the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.

Deter

put off; prevent

Expedite

make faster

Incarceration

putting in prison

Machinations

plots and plans

Overwrought

worked up; in an emotional state

Preeminent

famous; outstanding

Sardonic

mocking

Unalloyed

undiluted; total

Analgesic

a remedy that relieves pain

Caucus

type of private political meeting

Deteriorate

worsen; decline

Exposition

clear explanation

Incessant

without stopping

Maelstrom

whirlpool; storm in the ocean

Palatable

good to eat; agreeable

Prerogative

right or privilege

Savant

person with knowledge

Unctuous

oily; using excessive flattery

Analogous

comparable

Caustic

burning

Detrimental

harmful

Extol

praise

Incipient

just beginning

Magnanimous

generous; big-hearted

Palisade

a fence of wooden stakes or iron railings fixed in the ground, forming an enclosure or defense.

Prescient

having fore-knowledge

Scale

to climb

Undermined

damaged; attacked

Anarchy

chaos; lack of government

Cavalcade

procession of vehicles

Devoured

greedily eaten or consumed

Extradite

deport from one country back to the home country

Inclination

a person's natural tendency or urge to act or feel in a particular way; a disposition or propensity.

Magnate

powerful businessman

Palliative

a remedy that improves but doesn't cure

Presentiment

a feeling that something might happen

Scapegoat

a person on whom blame is placed for faults of others

Underscore

a line drawn under a word or phrase for emphasis.

Kerygma

to proclaim, announce, preach

Anecdote

a brief amusing story