SAT Vocab 67-99 Part 2

Nadir

the worst moment, or the moment of least hope and least achievement (noun)

Neophyte

someone who has recently become involved in an activity and is still learning about it (noun)

Noisome

very unpleasant and offensive (adjective)

Noxious

Something, especially a gas or other substance, that is noxious is poisonous or very harmful (adjective)

Obdurate

extremely determined to act in a particular way and not to change despite what anyone else says (adjective)

Obfuscate

to make something less clear and harder to understand, especially intentionally (verb)

Obstreperous

difficult to deal with and noisy (adjective)

Officious

too eager to tell people what to do and having too high an opinion of your own importance (adjective)

Ostensible

appearing or claiming to be one thing when it is really something else (adjective)

Palliate

to reduce the bad effects of something (verb)

Paradigm

a model of something, or a very clear and typical example of something (noun)

Pariah

a person who is not accepted by a social group, especially because they are not liked, respected, or trusted (noun)

Paucity

the fact that there is too little of something (noun)

Pejorative

expressing disapproval or suggesting that something is not good or is of no importance (adjective)

Quaint

attractive because of being unusual and especially old-fashioned (adjective)

Quixotic

having or showing ideas that are different and unusual but not practical or likely to succeed (adjective)

Quandary

a state of not being able to decide what to do about a situation in which you are involved (noun)

Quibble

to argue about, or say you disapprove of, something that is not important (verb)

Quiescence

the state of being temporarily quiet and not active (noun)

Recalcitrant

(of a person) unwilling to obey orders or to do what should be done, or (of an animal) refusing to be controlled (adjective)

Redoubtable

very strong, especially in character; producing respect and a little fear in others (adjective)

Relegate

to put someone or something into a lower or less important rank or position (verb)

Reprieve

an official order that stops or delays the punishment, especially by death, of a prisoner (noun)

Rescind

to make a law, agreement, order, or decision no longer have any (legal) power (verb)

Sanctimonious

acting as if morally better than others (adjective)

Sanguine

(of someone or someone’s character) positive and hoping for good things (adjective)

Scurrilous

expressing unfair or false criticism that is likely to damage someone’s reputation (adjective)

Serendipity

the fact of finding interesting or valuable things by chance (noun)

Sobriety

the state of being sober (noun)

Tangential

of or along a tangent (adjective)

Torpid

not active; moving or thinking slowly, especially as a result of being lazy or feeling that you want to sleep (adjective)

Trenchant

severe, expressing strong criticism or forceful opinions (adjective)

Trite

expressed too often to be interesting or seem sincere (adjective)