psat 7

depravity

moral corruption

gravity

seriousness (secondary meaning)

banal

unoriginal; ordinary

extol

to praise

euphony

pleasant sound (the opposite of cacophony)

deride

to ridicule; to laugh at contemptuously

insipid

dull; banal

austere

unadorned; stern; forbidding; without much money

expedite

to make faster or easier

heresy

an opinion violently opposed to established beliefs

novel

new; original

philanthropy

love of mankind; donating to charity

tentative

experimental

deference

submission to another's will; respect. courtesy

vacillate

to be indecisive; to waver back and forth

fervor

passion

dispassionate

without passion; objective; neutral

pragmatic

practical; down-to-earth; based on experience rather than theory

rigorous

strict; harsh; severe

solemn

serious; grave

alleviate

to lessen; to relieve, usually temporarily or incompletely; to make bearable

negligence

carelessness

conspicuous

standing out; obvious

advocate

to speak in favor of; to support

ascetic

hermitlike; practicing self-denial