PSAT Summer Vocab

Altruistic

Unselfishly concerned for the welfare of others, generous

Ambivalent

Having contrary feelings or attitudes, uncertain as to course of action.

Angular

Lean; sharp corners; gaunt

Arrogant

Overbearingly assuming; insolent proud

Aversion

strong disinclination, disliking

discern

To differentiate between two or more things

Disdain

Intense disliking; to treat with scorn or contempt, to reject as unworthy

Disparage

To degrade, to speak of someone or something in a derogatory manner.

Disparity

Inequality, the condition or fact of being unequal in age, rank, or degree.

Embellish

to decorate, to make beautiful with ornamentation.

Engender

To cause, to produce, to create

Innocuous

Harmless, producing no injury

Insipid

Boring and stupid

Lament

To mourn or to express sorrow in a demonstrative manner.

Laud

To praise

Obscure

Difficult to see, vague

Ostentatious

Showy, pretentious.

Prodigal

Wasteful, a person given to extravagance

Repudiate

To reject, to disown, to disavow

Reticence

Restraint in speech, reluctance to speak

Revere

To honor, to regard with respect

Serene

Calm, placid

Subtle

Delicate, elusive, not obvious

Superfluous

Beyond what is needed or required, an overflow

Taciturn

Quiet, not verbose

Antithesis

Direct opposite

Ascend

To move upward

Austere

Strict, stern

Autonomous

Independent

Banal

Common/ordinary

Benign

Not causing harm

Capricious

Changing suddenly

Dawdle

To waste time

Defamation

Act of ruining one’s reputation

Esoteric

Only understood by few

Exacerbate

To irritate

Extol

To praise

Fastidious

Meticulous or demanding attitude

Furtive

Stealthy, secretive in an underhand way

Gregarious

Sociable and outgoing

Hypocrite

One who is insincere or deceitful

Innate

Existing from birth

Lethargic

Sluggish and languid

Melancholy

Depression of spirits

Opaque

Hard to understand/ not allowing the passage of light

Prolific

Marked by great productivity

Reprove

To scold with kind intent

Symmetry

Balanced proportions

Tranquil

Peaceful, calm

Venerate

To honor

Abstruse

Difficult to understand

Affable

Friendly, amiable

Audacity

Excessive boldness

Contrite

Extremely apologetic

Credulous

Believing on slight evidence

Depravity

Moral corruption

Deprecate

To disapprove regretfully

Didactic

Instructive, designed to teach

Dormant

Inactive/sleeping

Enigmatic

Mysterious/puzzling

Erudite

Scholarly

Exotic

Foreign/unfamiliar

Fuse

To mix

Immutable

Unchanging

Incorrigible

Incapable of being reformed

Loathe

To detest

Mitigate

To cause to became less harsh or hostile

Nullify

To negate

Pacifistic

Opposed to war

Pretentious

Making an extravagant outward show

Prologue

Introductory remarks/ introductory action

Recant

Revoke a statement or belief

Servile

Overly submissive

Trepidation

Fear, trembling

Vilify

To malign

Aesthetic

Relating to a sense of beauty or art

Aloof

Apart, indifferent

Archaic

Antiquated, old, out of use

Assuage

To ease

Belie

To contradict

Contentious

Quarrelsome

Daunt

To intimidate

Debilitate

To weaken

Discord

Chaos

Dissemination

Act of spreading widely

Dogmatic

Strongly opinionated in an unwarranted manner

Duplicity

Double-dealing/hypocrisy

Egocentric

Self-centered, slefish

Euphemism

Substitution of an inoffensive term

“Died” → “Passed Away”

Gluttonous

greedy for food and drink

Ominous

Threatening

Petulance

Unreasonable touchiness

Pompous

Exaggerated show of dignity → bombastic

Precocious

Exceptionally early in development

Slothful

Lazy, indolent

Trivia

Insignificant matters

Verbose

Wordy, talkative

Virulent

Extremely poisonous

Volatile

Quickly changeable

Acrimonious

Caustic