10th Grade SAT Vocabulary Lists 1-15

aberration

deviating from the right path or usual course of action; a mental disorder, especially of a minor or temporary nature.

belittle

to make something seem less important.

cache

a hiding place; something hidden in a hiding place.

dearth

shortage.

ebb

to decline.

facilitate

to make easy; to bring about.

galvanize

to arouse suddenly; to startle.

hackneyed

used too often; trite; commonplace.

iconoclast

a person who attacks cherished beliefs or established institutions.

jargon

the specialized vocabulary of members of a group.

kindle

to ignite; to arouse or inspire; to catch fire; to become aroused.

labyrinth

a maze; a complicated, perplexing arrangement or course of affairs.

malicious

spiteful; intentionally mischievous or harmful.

nomenclature

a systematic naming in an art or science.

obliterate

to blot out leaving no traces; to destroy.

abstinence

the giving up of certain pleasures such as food or drink.

bequeath

to leave money or property by a will; to pass along.

cacophony

discord; harsh sound.

debilitate

to weaken.

eclectic

consisting of selections from various sources.

fallacy

false idea; mistaken belief.

garbled

confused; mixed up.

haphazard

not planned; random.

immaterial

insignificant; unimportant.

judicious

wise; careful; showing sound judgment; prudent.

lackluster

lacking brightness; dull; lacking liveliness, vitality, or enthusiasm.

marred

injured; spoiled; damaged; disfigured.

nonchalance

carelessness; lack of interest or concern.

obscure

not clear or distinct; hidden; remote; not well known.

painstaking

very careful, diligent.

abstract

theoretical, not applied or practical; not concrete; hard to understand.

bizarre

strikingly odd in appearance or style; grotesque.

cajole

to persuade by pleasant words or false promises.

decadence

decay; decline.

efface

to wipe out; to erase.

fastidious

hard to please; dainty in taste.

garner

to gather and store away; to collect.

hedonist

one who lives solely for pleasure.

imminent

about to occur.

laconic

brief or terse in speech; using few words.

meager

thin; lean; of poor quality or small amount.

obsolete

out-of-date.

pariah

an outcast.

quandary

condition of being doubtful or confused.

raconteur

a person skilled at telling stories or anecdotes.

acclaim

loud applause; approval.

blithe

happy and cheerful; gay.

callous

unfeeling; insensitive.

deference

great respect.

effervescent

lively; giving off bubbles.

fervor

intense emotion; great warmth of feeling.

garrulous

talkative.

heretic

a person who upholds religious doctrines contrary to the established beliefs of his church.

immutable

never changing.

lampoon

strong, satirical writing, usually attacking or ridiculing someone.

meandering

winding back and forth; rambling.

officious

meddling; giving unnecessary or unwanted advice or services.

parsimonious

too thrifty; stingy.

querulous

peevish; faultfinding; expressing or suggestive of complaint.

rancor

deep spite or malice; strong hate or bitter feeling.

acquiesce

to accept the conclusions or arrangements of others; to accede; to give consent by keeping silent.

bombastic

high-sounding; marked by use of language without much real meaning.

capitulate

to surrender; to cease resisting.

deflate

to let air out of; to reduce in size or importance.

egregious

extraordinarily bad.

fitful

spasmodic; intermittent.

gratuitous

freely given; unnecessary; uncalled-for.

hierarchy

organization by rank, class, or grade.

impartial

fair; just; showing no favoritism.

lassitude

state or feeling of being tired and listless; weariness.

meticulous

very careful about details; fussy.

opportunist

one who takes advantage of any opportunity without regard for moral principles.

partisan

one who strongly supports a party or cause; characteristic of a guerilla fighter.

quixotic

idealistic and utterly impractical.

raze

to tear down completely; to destroy.

admonish

to advise against something; to warn; to scold gently; to urge strongly.

buffoon

a clown; someone who amuses with tricks and jokes.

capricious

changeable, fickle.

delineate

to describe in words; to sketch.

elucidate

to make clear.

flagrant

outrageous; glaringly offensive.

guile

crafty deceit; cunning.

homogeneous

similar; uniform in nature.

impassive

without feelings or emotion; insensible.

latent

present but invisible or inactive; lying hidden and undeveloped.

mitigate

to make or to become milder or less severe; to moderate.

opulent

wealthy; abundant.

paucity

scarcity; smallness in number or amount.

rebuff

to refuse in a sharp or due way; to snub; to drive or beat back.

sagacious

very wise or shrewd.

advocate

to support; to be in favor of.

carping

complaining.

demeanor

behavior.

elusive

hard to grasp; baffling.

fledgling

newly developed; little known.

gullible

easily deceived.

hyperbole

an exaggerated statement used as a figure of speech for rhetorical effect.

imperturbable

not easily excited or disturbed.

laudable

worthy of praise.

morose

gloomy; bad-tempered.