sat vocab

languor (n)

the state or feeling, often pleasant, of tiredness or inertia; lethargic; an oppressive stillness of the air.

• "the afternoon was hot, quiet, and heavy with languor"

languid (adj)

(of a person, manner, or gesture) displaying or having a disinclination for physical exertion or effort; slow and relaxed; weak or faint from illness or fatigue.

• "they turned with languid movements from back to front so as to tan evenly"

• "she was pale, languid, and weak, as if she had delivered a child"

languish (adj)

(of a person or other living thing) lose or lack vitality; grow weak or feeble; deteriorate, decline, weaken.

• "plants may appear to be languishing simply because they are dormant"

incessant

continuing without pause or interruption.

• "the incessant beat of the music" 

evince (v)

reveal the presence of (a quality or feeling).

• "his letters evince the excitement he felt at undertaking this journey"

reproach (v)

address (someone) in such a way as to express disapproval or disappointment.

• "critics reproached him for his failure to tackle the deficiency"

monotonous (adj)

dull, tedious, and repetitious; lacking in variety and interest; (of a sound or utterance) lacking in variation in tone or pitch.

• "the statistics that he quotes with monotonous regularity"

tacit (adj)

understood or implied without being stated. 

• "your silence may be taken to mean tacit agreement"

atonement (n)

reparation for a wrong or injury. 

• "she wanted to make atonement for her husband's behavior" 

encumbrance (n)

a burden or impediment.

• "the horse raised its hind leg as if to rid itself of an encumbrance"

efface (v)

erase (a mark) from a surface; make oneself appear insignificant or inconspicuous. 

• "to efface oneself is not the easiest of duties which the teacher can undertake"

harrowing (adj)

acutely distressing.

• "a harrowing film about racism and violence"

congenial (adj)

(of a person) pleasant because of a personality, qualities, or interests that are similar to one's own; compatible or like-minded.

• "his need for some congenial company"

postrate (v)

lying stretched out on the ground with one's face downward; prone.

• "she prostrated herself on the bare floor of the church"

remonstrate (v)

make a forcefully reproachful protest.

• "he turned angrily to remonstrate with Tommy"

repulse (v)

drive back (an attack or attacking enemy) by force; cause (someone) to feel intense distaste and aversion.

• "rioters tried to storm ministry buildings but were repulsed by police"

• "audiences at early screenings of the film were repulsed by its brutality"

sonorous (adj)

(of a person's voice or other sound) imposingly deep and full; capable of producing a deep or ringing sound.

• "he read aloud with a sonorous and musical voice"

imperative (adj, n)

(adj) of vital importance, crucial; giving an authoritative command; peremptory.

(n) an essential or urgent thing. 

• "the bell pealed again, a final imperative call"

• "immediate action was imperative" 

• "free movement of labor was an economic imperative"

susceptible (adj)

likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing.

• "patients with liver disease may be susceptible to infection"

relinquish (v)

voluntarily cease to keep or claim; give up; renounce.

• "he relinquished his managerial role to become chief executive"

sporadic (adj)

occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated; periodic. 

• "sporadic fighting broke out"

paraphernalia (n)

miscellaneous articles, especially the equipment needed for a particular activity; apparatus. 

• "drills, saws, and other paraphernalia necessary for home improvements" 

solicitous (adj)

characterized by or showing interest or concern; caring, attentive, mindful.

• "she was always solicitous about the welfare of her students"

accede (v)

agree to a demand, request, or treaty. 

• "the authorities did not accede to the strikers' demands"

effulgence (n)

a radiant or brilliant light or splendor.

• "The artist captured the effulgence of the moon in his painting."

disposition (n)

a person's inherent qualities of mind and character; temperament, nature.

• "your sunny disposition has a way of rubbing off on those around you"

exult (v)

feel or show triumphant elation or jubilation; rejoice, be happy or glad. 

• "exulting in her escape, Lisa closed the door behind her"

exuberance (n)

the quality of being full of energy, excitement, and cheerfulness; ebullience.

• "a sense of youthful exuberance"

voluptuous (adj)

relating to or characterized by luxury or sensual pleasure; hedonistic.

• "long curtains in voluptuous crimson velvet"

superciilious (adj)

behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others; arrogant or haughty. 

• “It is better to be humble and succeed than to be supercilious and fail.”

beneficent (adj)

(of a person) generous or doing good; benevolent, altruistic. 

• "She was beneficent, and passed on a gift to each."

repose (n)

a state of rest, sleep, or tranquility. 

• “typically the wealthy socialite spends most of the morning in repose”

elude (v)

(of an idea or fact) fail to be grasped or remembered by (someone).

• "the logic of this eluded most people"

invigorating (adj)

making one feel strong, healthy, and full of energy.

• "a brisk, invigorating walk"

suffuse (v)

gradually spread through or over.

• "her cheeks were suffused with color"

nicety (n)

a minor aspect of polite social behavior; a detail of etiquette.

• "we were brought up to observe the niceties"

forethought (n)

careful consideration of what will be necessary or may happen in the future.

• "Jim had the forethought to book in advance"

piquant (adj)

agreeably stimulating, interesting, or attractive

• “she had a round, sly, piquant face and pretty black eyes”

deprecatory (adj)

expressing disapproval; disapproving.

• "a deprecatory smile"

saucy (adj)

improperly forward or bold

• "a saucy remark"

sardonic (adj)

grimly mocking or cynical.

• "Starkey attempted a sardonic smile"

drawl (n)

a slow, lazy way of speaking or an accent with unusually prolonged vowel sounds.

• "a Texas drawl"

conviction (n)

a firmly held belief or opinion.

• "she takes pride in stating her political convictions"

sundry (adj)

of various kinds; several.

• "lemon rind and sundry herbs"

forage (v)

(of a person or animal) search widely for food or provisions.

• "gulls are equipped by nature to forage for food"

procure (v)

to obtain.

• "food procured for the rebels"

pretentious (adj)

attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed.

• "a pretentious literary device"

droll (adj)

curious or unusual in a way that provokes dry amusement.

• "his unique brand of droll self-mockery"

commodious (adj)

(especially of furniture or a building) roomy and comfortable.

• "they moved to a more commodious dwelling"

entreat (v)

ask someone earnestly or anxiously to do something.

• "his friends entreated him not to go"

emphatic (adj)

showing or giving emphasis; expressing something forcibly and clearly.

• "the children were emphatic that they would like to repeat the experience"

incipient (adj)

in an initial stage; beginning to happen or develop.

• "he could feel incipient anger building up"

poignant (adj)

evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret.

• "a poignant reminder of the passing of time"

revelation (n)

a surprising and previously unknown fact, especially one that is made known in a dramatic way.

• "revelations about his personal life"

heed (v)

pay attention to; take notice of.

• "he should have heeded the warnings"

unscrupulous (adj)

having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair.

• "he's completely unscrupulous"

implicit (adj()

implied though not plainly expressed.

• "comments seen as implicit criticism of the policies"

antecedent (n)

a thing or event that existed before or logically precedes another / preceding in time or order; previous or preexisting. / precursor, forerunner, predecessor. 

• "some antecedents to the African novel might exist in Africa's oral traditions"

• "the antecedent events that prompt you to break a diet" 

perpetual (adj)

never ending or changing / occurring repeatedly; so frequent as to seem endless and uninterrupted.

• "deep caves in perpetual darkness"

• "their perpetual money worries"

discount (v)

regard (a possibility, fact, or person) as being unworthy of consideration because it lacks credibility. 

• "I'd heard rumors, but discounted them"

sanction (n, v)

(n) 1. a threatened penalty for disobeying a law or rule. / 2. official permission or approval for an action; consent, authorization, permission. 

• "a range of sanctions aimed at deterring insider abuse" 

• "he appealed to the bishop for his sanction"

(v) official permission or approval for an action.

• "only two treatments have been sanctioned by the Food and Drug Administration"

postulate (v)

suggest or assume the existence, fact, or truth of (something) as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or belief.

• "his theory postulated a rotatory movement for hurricanes"

repercussion (n)

an unintended consequence occurring some time after an event or action, especially an unwelcome one.

• “Your decision not to go to college will have repercussions you'll feel for years to come.”

prospect (n)

the possibility or likelihood of some future event occurring; a person regarded as likely to succeed or as a potential customer, client, etc.

• "there was no prospect of a reconciliation"

• “clients deemed likely prospects for active party membership"

efficacy (n)

the ability to produce a desired or intended result; effectiveness, success. 

• "there is little information on the efficacy of this treatment"

dissipate (v)

(with reference to a feeling or other intangible thing) disappear or cause to disappear; vanish, evaporate, dissolve. // squander or fritter away (money, energy, or resources).

• "the concern she'd felt for him had wholly dissipated"

• "he had dissipated his entire fortune"

percolate (v)

(of a liquid or gas) filter gradually through a porous surface or substance; drain, drip, trickle, seep. 

• "the water percolating through the soil may leach out minerals"

exonerate (v)

(especially of an official body) absolve (someone) from blame for a fault or wrongdoing, especially after due consideration of the case; clear, acquit. 

• "they should exonerate these men from this crime"

corroborate (v)

confirm or give support to (a statement, theory, or finding); verify.

• "the witness had corroborated the boy's account of the attack"

elide (v)

omit (a sound or syllable) when speaking. // join together; merge.

• "English speakers often elide the vowel completely"

• "whole periods of time are elided into a few seconds of screen time"

pervasive (adj)

(especially of an unwelcome influence or physical effect) spreading widely throughout an area or a group of people; prevalent, permeating, extensive // common (non-negative connotation).

• "ageism is pervasive and entrenched in our society"

• "the pervasive influence of Picasso in his work was clear to see"

• "there was a pervasive feeling among the staff that no one cared about their problems"

• "there was a pervasive smell of cooking in the entrance hall"

erroneous (adj)

wrong; incorrect; inaccurate, mistaken.

• "employers sometimes make erroneous assumptions"

• “When the erroneous Facebook posts went viral, Palley was forced to comment on the posts to try to set the record straight.”

insulate (v)

protect (something) by interposing material that prevents the loss of heat or the intrusion of sound; wrap, cover, enclose, swathe.

• "the room was heavily insulated against all outside noise"

downplay (v)

make (something) appear less important (or bad) than it really is.“

• “The government has been trying to downplay the crisis.” 

• "this report downplays the seriousness of global warming"

scrupulous (adj)

(of a person or process) diligent, thorough, and extremely attentive to details; meticulous, painstaking, careful.

• "the research has been carried out with scrupulous attention to detail"

• “Because Shannon is a scrupulous editor, she never misses errors when she proofreads a document.”

qualify (v)

to reduce from a general to a particular or restricted form; to limit or modify the meaning of; explain an exception.

• "she felt obliged to qualify her first short answer"

expedite (v)

make (an action or process) happen sooner or be accomplished more quickly.

• "he promised to expedite economic reforms"

fickle (adj)

changing frequently, especially as regards one's loyalties, interests, or affection.

• "Web patrons are a notoriously fickle lot, bouncing from one site to another on a whim"

truncate (v)

(v) shorten the duration or extent of.

• "he was a sensational player whose career was truncated by injuries"

(adj) (of a leaf, feather, or other part) ending abruptly as if cut off across the base or tip.

• “The truncated sentence left the reader hanging."