SSAT Words

tactful

considerate in dealing with others

syn: polite, thoughtful, understanding, considerate

Ex: She was tactful enough not to shatter his illusion

Mnemonic: She was tactful by not attacking him verbally

abet

To assist or encourage in an activity, usually a wrongdoing

syn: assist, support, encourage

Ex: Randy abetted his friend in stealing pumpkins by helping him lug them home

Mnemonic: Abet sounds like a bet and you may have taken a bet to help someone in wrongdoings

brusque

abrupt in manner or speech

syn: gruff, rough, abrupt, blunt

Ex: The coach’s brusque speech at halftime showed how unhappy he was

Mnemonic: BRUSh, QUEestion, when his brushing habits were questioned, he turned violent

clad

clothed or covered

syn: dressed, clothed, attired

Ex: Clad in a black rubber suit, the diver jumped from the side of the rescue boat

Mnemonic: Claude was clad in fancy clothing

corroborate

to provide evidence to make more certain

syn: confirm, verify, clarify, validate

Ex: Because he was standing at the stoplight when the accident occurred, Javier could corroborate the driver’s statement.

Mnemonic: sounds like collaborate=> to suport => to confirm

cursory

done in a hurry and with little attention to detail

syn: unthinking, half-hearted

Ex: done in a hurry and with little attention to detail

Mnemonic: Cursor on computer screen, the mouse is used to move the cursor hastily without attention to details

surmise

to suppose something without sufficient evidence

syn: guess, suspect, deduce

ex: My surmise is that they are planning a surprise party for my birthday

mnemonic: mice can guess where the cheese is even if they do not know for sure

conjecture

a conclusion based on insufficient evidence

syn: speculation, surmise, presumption

ex: Dad’s conjecture that the derelict building would be a problem proved to be correct when it caught fire

mnemonic: conjure => to make something up

guile

cunning or deceit in dealing with others

syn: trickery, shrewdness, ingenuity

ex: The Grimm brothers vividly described the wolf’s guile toward Little Red Riding Hood

Mnemonic: He used his guile to trick a gullible girl

affable

pleasant, approachable

syn: approachable, pleasant, gracious, friendly

ex: Alfred’s affable manner brought him many friends

mnemonic: affection + able = affection to others = affable

amiss

n. in a wrong or imperfect way

Ex: Don’t take amiss my suggestion for improving your drawing

adj. out of order; wrong

syn: improper, wrong, mistaken

mnemonic: I thought she was missing, but it was amiss that she was missing

entreat

to ask earnestly

syn: to beg, beseech, plead, pray

ex: “Please, please, let me have a lizard, he entreated his parents. “I promise to take care of it!”

mnemonic: he entreated his parents for a treat

irascible

adj. quick-tempered; irritable

syn: cranky, snappy, ill-tempered

ex: my grandfather looked kindly, but he was really quite irascible

mnemonic: sounds like irritable or he was an irascible little rascal

tirade

n. a long, angry speech

syn: rant, diatribe, sermon

ex: We lost interest in Marni’s endless tirades about how people disrespected her

mnemonic: sounds like tired => Her long tirade made me tired

conscientious

adj. thorough; careful

ex: Because of our conscientious preparations, the science fair was enjoyable and informative for everyone

mnemonic: conscientious looks like science => our conscientious preparations made the science fair flow smoothly

adj. honest; principled

ex: Several of the students made a conscientious effort to combat hunger by working with the food bank

apprehend

v. to seize; to arrest

syn: capture, detain, nab

ex: Jon Brown was apprehended when he tried to confiscate weapons at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, in 1859

mnemonic: “Up your hands!” said the officer before arresting the criminal

arraign

v. to bring before a court to face charges

syn: indict, prosecute, denounce

ex: The man who vandalized the artwork as been arraigned and will soon go to trial for his actions

mnemonic: to rain charges on someone

dissension

n. difference of opinion; disagreement

syn: strife, disagreement, dispute, dissent

ex: Because there was so much dissension at the student council meeting about the plans for the school dance, there is still no date or theme chosen.

mnemonic: dissection has always received a lot of dissension

contingent

adj. 1. conditional; depending on something else

syn: dependent, conditional

ex: Jackson’s plans for attending the university were contingent on receiving a scholarship

mnemonic: conditional + dependent = contingent

2. Likely, but not certain to happen; possible

syn: fortuitous, chance, accidental

ex: If it rains, our contingent plan is to move the strawberry festival from the school lawn to the auditorium

n. A group that is part of a larger one

syn: delegation, deputation, group

ex: The Ethiopian contingent led the parade of Olympic athletes into the stadium

inane

adj. empty; shallow or silly

syn: fatuous, risible, cretinous, foolish

ex: Susan, bored by the inane chatter of her classmates, went back to reading her book

mnemonic: I’ll go insane if I keep listening to their inane chatter

fastidious

adj. 1. Paying close attention to detail

syn: scrupulous, punctilious, meticulous, sedulous, precise

ex: The mustard stain on his sweater suggested to Lilly that Simon was not as fastidious about his clothes as he was about his desk, which was spotless

mnemonic: As a fastidious person, she was fast to notice the stain on her shirt

2. difficult to please

syn: fussy, demanding, onerous