SAT Power Vocabulary - Princeton Book

amoral

lacking a sense of right and wrong

neither good or bad

circumnavigate

to sail or travel all the way around

circumscribe

to draw a line around

to set limits

to define

to restrict

circumspect (noun = circumspection)

cautious

It's important to be circumspect when sharing personal information online.

magnate

a rich, powerful, or very successful businessperson

omniscient

all-knowing; having infinite wisdom

benediction

a blessing

benign

gentle; not harmful; kind; mild

burgeon

to expand; to flourish

complacent

self-satisfied; overly pleased with oneself

equanimity

composure; calm

evoke

to summon forth; to draw forth

to awaken

to produce or suggest

-

Peaches evoke memories.

invoke

to call on

I invoke my right to a lawyer.

to entreat / pray for

to declare to be in effect

malaise

a feeling of depression, uneasiness, queasiness

malfeasance

a wrongdoing

vociferous

loud; noisy; expressed in a forceful or loud way

volition

will; conscious choice

anachronism

something out of place in time or history

an incongruity (things don’t fit together)

anthropomorphic

ascribing human characteristics to nonhuman animals or objects

antipathy

firm dislike; hatred

eulogy

a spoken or written tribute to a person (to a dead person)

pathos

that which makes people feel pity or sorrow

The cast is excellent, landing the jokes no less than the pathos.

philanthropy

love of humankind (by doing good deeds)

sophomoric

juvenile; childishly goofy

amenable

willing; agreeable; obedient (agree to do something)

I am amenable to procede as you suggest.

deign

to condescend

to do something that one thinks is beneath one’s dignity

She did not deign to answer the maid's question.

elocution

the art of public speaking

ignominy

deep disgrace, humiliation, shame

The ignominy of being forced to resign.

impugn

to attack (the truth or integrity of something)

dispute the truth, validity, or honesty of

impunity

freedom from punishment or harm

above the rules

He is so rich that he acts with great impunity.

indict

to charge with a crime

to accuse of wrongdoing

indignant

insulted; offended

He was indignant that he was accused of the crime.

intractable

stubborn (person)

hard to deal with (problem)

lucid

clear; easy to understand

nominal

in name only

insignificant

Bert was the nominal chair, but Sue did everything.

temporal

pertaining to time

pertaining to life or earthly existence

non-eternal; short-lived

-
secular

veracity

truthfulness

verity

the quality of being true

ascertain

to determine with certainty

astute

shrewd; keen in judgment

callous

insensitive; emotionally hardened

erudition (adj. erudite)

impressive or extensive knowledge (achieved by studying / schooling)

scholarly knowledge

erudite scholar

gaffe

a social blunder

an embarrassing mistake

indolent

lazy

insolent

arrogant; insulting

insular

like an island; isolated

pedantic (noun = pedant)

overly concerned with rules (small details)

penchant (for…)

a strong taste or liking for something

a predilection

penitent

sorry; repentant; contrite

reticent

reluctant

She was reticent to speak up in class.

sagacious

discerning; shrewd; keen in judgement; wise

specious

deceptively plausible or attractive (false but looks like it may be true)

A specious claim.

temper

to lessen; to soften

His enthusiasm was tempered by the knowledge of the hard work involved.

abstruse

hard to understand

The philosopher's theories were so abstruse that only a handful of scholars could fully grasp their meaning.

affront

insult; a deliberate act of disrespect

allocate

to distribute

to assign

to allot

bombast

pompous or pretentious speech or writing

brawn

big muscles; great strength

castigate

to criticize severely; to chastise

cosmopolitan

at home in many places or situations; internationally sophisticated

A truly cosmopolitan traveler never feels like a foreigner in any country.

epitome

a brief summary that captures the meaning of the whole

the perfect example of something; a paradigm

The first paragraph is an epitome of the book.

Traveling the world with friends is the epitome of a good life.

expedient

providing an immediate advantage

serving one’s immediate self-interest

practical

flagrant

glaringly bad; notorious; scandalous

fledgling

inexperienced or immature

flippant

frivolously disrespectful

saucy; pert (attractively lively or cheeky)

laud

to praise; to applaud; to celebrate

lavish

to spend freely or bestow generously

to waste/squander

She lavishes her grandchildren with candy.

orthodox

conventional; adhering to established principles or doctrines

partisan

one who supports a particular person, cause, or idea

rhetoric

the art of formal speaking or writing; inflated discourse

squander

waste

tangential

only superficially related to the matter at hand

not especially relevant

peripheral

vestige

a remaining bit of something; a last trace

vie

to compete; to contest; to struggle

They vied for the promotion.

vigilant

constantly alert; watchful; wary

antagonistic

hostile; acting in opposition

antithesis

the direct opposite

autocratic

ruling with absolute authority; extremely bossy

debase

to lower in quality or value; to degrade

The King was forced to debase the coinage.

debunk

to expose the nonsense of

Debunk the myth.

defame

to slander; to ruin the good name of

defile

to make filthy or foul; to desecrate

defunct

no longer in effect; no longer in existence

The payphone is defunct now that everyone has a cellphone.

degenerate

to break down; to deteriorate

The discussion quickly degenerated into an argument.

deplore

to condemn; to regret; to lament

I deplore violence in all its forms.

deride

to ridicule; to laugh at contemptuously

exonerate

to free completely from blame

intrinsic

belonging naturally; inherent; essential

access to the arts is intrinsic to a high quality of life

magnanimous

gracious; generous or forgiving
(especially towards a rival or less powerful person)

She should be a magnanimous winner.

posterity

future generations

posthumous

occurring after one’s death

The posthumous publication of the novel…

replete

completely filled

The stream was replete with fish.

vocation

a job

repudiate

refuse to be associated with

The president repudiated the previous regime’s policies.

-

deny the truth of

The president repudiated allegations that he committed unlawful acts.

annex

to add or attach; to incorporate

capitalism

an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit (not the government)

dogmatic

arrogantly/stubbornly assertive of ideas or beliefs

impose

to thrust something upon others

to bring about by authority

-

Strudel’s a dog of free will. He says “Don’t impose your will on me.”

insinuate

to hint / suggest

He was insinuating that I had no self-control.

-

to creep in

The bugs insinuate themselves between one's skin and clothes.

provisional

conditional; temporary; tentative

A provisional license.