all psat vocab

aesthetic

appealing to the sense of beauty

eclectic

choosing from a variety of sources

paradox

a seemingly contradictory statement that nonetheless expresses a truth

anomalous

deviating from a general rule, an irregularity, something that is incongruous

alleviate, mitigate, mollify, assuage, allay

to relieve, to lessen

innocuous

harmless, not damaging

venerate, revere

to hold in great esteem, to honor, admire

trite, banal, cliche, hackneyed, platitude, vapid, prosaic, mundane

commonplace, unimaginative, ordinary

elusive

hard to catch, evasive

procrastinate, dilatory, temporize, dawdle

to deal, to be tardy

conventional

a traditional customary way of doing things

obstinate, obdurate, recalcitrant, intransigent, intractable

stubborn

curtail

to cut short

meager

scanty, sparse, not abundant

somber

gloomy, cheerless, grave

flourish

to prosper, thrive

rejuvenate, reinvigorate

to make youthful again, revitalize, revive

rebuke, censure, reprimand, reprove, remonstrate, reproach, admonish

to scold

lethargic, slothful, languid, indolent, torpid, wan, anemic, phlegmatic, enervated

to lack energy, vigor and vitality, to be sluggish

acclaim, adulation, hail, extol, laud, eulogize, plaudit

to win praise

curator

a person who is in charge of a museum

egoist

a person is concerned with himself or herself

zealot

a person who is filled with zeal and enthusiasm for a cause

malefactor

a person who does ill to other, an evil person

pacifist

a person who promotes peace

mentor

a person who provides, guidance, a tutor

reveler

a person who engages in merrymaking

prodigy

a person with great talent, a genius

stalwart

a loyal supporter, an adherent, someone who stands by you

skinflint

a person who is overly thrifty with money, a miser

scoundrel

a disreputable person, a rascal, lacks virture

savant

a person with detailed knowledge in a specific field, a sage

jingoist

an extreme nationalist, a chauvinist

benefactor

a person who helps others, often by giving generous gifts

glutton

a person given to greedy and voracious eating and drinking

virtuoso

a person with great artistic talent

hypocrite

a person who puts on a false appearance, someone who says one thing and then does another

boor

a person who is rude and insensitive, lacks refinement

recluse

a person who leads a secluded or solitary life, a hermit

upstart

a person who has risen suddenly from a low position to great success, lack modesty

seer

a person who can predict future event

pragmatist

a person who is practical and thus not given to flights of fancy

devotee

an ardent follower, supporter, or enthusiast

nomad

a person who wanders and is thus itinerant

dilettante

a dabbler, a person having superficial interest in a variety of fields or endeavors

demagogue

a person who arouses popular passions and prejudices

supplicant

a person who is overly humble, who pleads for a favor

hedonist

a person who seeks pleasure, gratification

depreciate

to go down in value

demolish

to tear down, destroy, raze

decry

to criticize, denounce, condemn, in short to put someone or something down

deplorable

wretched, awful, miserable

deplete

to exhaust, when the supply of something goes down

despondent

feeling very down, discouraged

debacle

a big disaster, things really go down the tubes, a fiasco

derogatory

to belittle, to say unfavorable things about someone

devoid

to go down in the sense of being empty, lacking content

ambivalent

lacking conviction

ambiguous

lacks clarity

trivial, trifling

lack importance, lack significance

shiftless

lazy, lackadaisical and therefore lacking ambition

rash, impulsive

impetuous and therefore lacking in restraint, lacking forethought

vapid

dull, bland, and thus lacking in taste, insipid

transient, ephemeral, evanescent

brief and therefore lacking in permanence

nondescript

ordinary, and therefore lacking in distinction

merciless, ruthless

cruel and therefore lacking in compassion

desolate

lacks inhabitants

callous

lacks sensitivity

derivative

derived from and therefore lacking originality

boorish

acting like a boor, crude and therefore lacking refinement

intrepid, dauntless

brace and therefore lacking fear

viscous

thick and syrupy and therefore lacking movement, wont't flow

inept

lacking in skill

flippant

lacks proper respect or seriousness

precarious

lacks stability

diffident

lacks self-confidence

callow, sophomoric

immature and therefore lacking maturity

erratic

unpredictable, changeable and therefore lacking consistency

banal, trite

commonplace and therefore lacking originality

amorphous

lacks shape or form

elated, ecstatic, exuberant, jubilant, exhilarated, exultant, ebullient, effervescent

are all very happy, filled with joy and enthusiasm

mercurial

very changeable, like a personality

adept

very skillful

exasperating

very annoying, very irksome

ominous

very threatening

venal

very corrupt, dishonest

exactitude

very precise

terrified

very apprehensive

excruciating

very painful

fastidious

very neat

frenzied

very excited, very animated, very active

meticulous

very precise

assiduous

very hard working, diligent

painstaking

very careful

perplexing

very puzzling

gatish

very loud, very bright colors

auspicious

very favorable

fractious

very divisive

perilous

very dangerous

arduous

very demanding, very difficult