Digital SAT Vocabulary: Mistakes and Difficulties

49 vocabulary flashcards covering terms related to mistakes, difficulties, disasters, and disorder, drawn from the Digital SAT lecture notes.

shortcoming

a personal failing or lack that prevents something from being perfect

drawback

something that causes problems; a disadvantage

downside

an unfavorable or negative aspect of something

mishap

an unlucky accident

blunder

a careless or stupid error

discrepancy

a difference between things that should match or be identical

disparity

a large and often unfair difference

disproportion

an excessively large or small relation compared to something else

incongruity

something that does not fit its surroundings; an unexpected mismatch

erroneous

containing mistakes; incorrect

faulty

having a flaw; defective

misguided

based on wrong judgment or motive

go awry

to turn out badly or depart from the correct course

backfire

to produce the opposite of the intended effect

underestimate

to judge something as less capable or important than it is

misconstrue

to misunderstand or misinterpret

conflate

to combine or confuse two things into one

inadvertent

unintentional; caused by lack of attention

unwitting

done unknowingly or unintentionally

rigorous

extremely thorough or demanding

arduous

requiring great effort; difficult

strenuous

very demanding and taxing

onerous

burdensome and unpleasant to cope with

laborious

requiring long, hard work

burden

a heavy load or responsibility, literal or figurative

futile

incapable of producing any useful result; pointless

fruitless

unproductive; failing to achieve a desired result

in vain

without success; uselessly

impractical

not workable or realistic in practice

conundrum

a confusing or difficult problem

dilemma

a choice between two undesirable alternatives

ordeal

a severe or trying experience

plight

a difficult or dangerous situation

jarring

shockingly out of place; unsettling

dire

extremely serious, urgent, or indicating disaster

precarious

unsafe, unstable, or risky

hectic

full of frantic, disorganized activity

frenzied

wildly excited and uncontrolled

chaos

complete disorder and lack of order

disarray

a messy or disordered state

havoc

widespread chaos and destruction

mayhem

violent disorder or destruction

pandemonium

wild, noisy, and unrestrained disorder

turmoil

a state of great confusion or unrest

debacle

a sudden, complete failure or collapse

calamity

a disastrous event causing great loss or distress

cataclysm

a violent upheaval or massive disaster

catastrophe

a large-scale sudden disaster

apocalypse

an overwhelming, potentially world-ending disaster