SAT vocab

whimsical

playful or fanciful in a lighthearted or amusing way

upbraid

to criticize or scold someone severely

antithesis

an opposite or contrasting element or idea

subsume

to include or incorporate something into a larger category/concept

obstinate

stubborn

pedantic

excessively concerned with minor details or rules

proscribe

to forbid or prohibit something

impute

to attribute or assign responsibility or fault to someone/thing

scintillating

sparkling or shining brightly

endorse

to publicly support or approve of someone/thing

affable

friendly and easy to talk to

opaque

not transparent; not clearly expressed

catalyst

initiator of change

euphemism

substitute word/expression for too harsh ones

eclectic

something made of elements gathered from a wide and diverse variety of sources

undermine

to weaken or damage something gradually/secretly

hypocrite

fraud; a person who pretends to have moral standards that they don’t follow

virtuous

righteous; having high moral standards & good character

frugal

economical; careful about spending $, not wasteful

plausible

believable; seeming reasonable

acquire

obtain; to gain or earn something through effort/experience

sporadic

occasional; occurring irregularly or occasionally

unabated

relentless; continuing with the same strength or intensity

remorse

guilt; deep regret or guilt for a wrong action

adversary

opponent; a person or a group that opposes each other

wary

alert; cautious because of possible danger

scorn

contempt; a feeling or expression of contempt

compel

oblige; to force someone to do something

zealous

passionate; showing great enthusiasm or passion

slaughter

massacre; the killing of many ppl/animals cruelly

ultimate

final; being the final or most important

abysmal

extremely bad or very poor quality

wily

cunning or sly

deprecate

to express disapproval

pittance

small or inadequate amount of $

insolent

rude or disrespectful in speech or behavior

flout

to openly disregard/disobey a rule or convention

augment

to increase or make larger

glib

smooth-talking; fluent in a insincere way

equanimity

the state of mental calmness

rescind

to revoke or cancel (an agreement or decision)

haphazard

disorganized, unplanned

abundant

plentiful

placate

to calm or sooth someone/thing

perspicacious

having keen insight or understanding

stagger

to astonish; to walk/move unsteadily or to shock someone gently.

empirical

observational; based on observation or experiment rather than theory

indignity

humiliation; something that causes shame/loss of dignity

repress

to suppress; to control feelings, thoughts, or actions

unbearable

intolerable; too painful or unpleasant to endure

resilient

tough; able to recover quickly from difficulties

sententious

moralizing; expressing moral judgments in overly brief way

transcend

surpass; to go beyond the limits of something

deplore

condemn; to feel or express strong disapproval

deceive

mislead; to cause someone to believe something that is false

assurance

guarantee; a feeling of confidence or a promise that something will happen

indefinite

vague; not clearly defined or fixed

decadence

corruption; moral/cultural decline marked by excess

manipulate

exploit; to control or influence someone unfairly or skillfully

dispute

argue; to argue about something or question its truth

inadvertent

unintentional or accidental

egregious

extremely bad or shocking

prodigious

enormous

ennui

boredom/dissatisfaction due to lack of stimuli

assail

to attack or criticize someone/thing

ascribe

to attribute/assign something to a particular source

vapid

dull/uninteresting

commodious

spacious; having plenty of room

converge

to come together at a common point; unite

insular

something that is isolated; narrow-minded

incongruous

not in harmony with its surroundings

turpitude

state of moral corruption or weakness

avarice

greed; extreme desire for wealth or other possessions

countenance

facial expression/overall appearance

querulous

complaining in a whiny manner

languid

sluggish; lacking energy/slow & relaxed

accelerate

to speed up; to increase in speed or rate

inquire

to ask for information

ubiquitous

omnipresent; present of found everywhere

magnify

enlarge; to make something appear larger or important

tumult

chaos; a state of loud confusion/disorder

invariably

always; in every case or on every occasion

gleam

shine; to shine softly or brightly

incessant

relentless; continuing without interruption

prolific

productive; producing many works or results

acknowledge

to admit; to accept/admit the truth of something

eradicate

to wipe out; to destroy completely

vengeance

revenge; punishment inflicted in return for a wrong

deprive

deny; to take something away from someone

corrupt

taint; to make someone dishonest or immoral

rife

abundant in a negative or undesired way

euphoria

feeling of intense happiness or excitement