SAT Vocab 1

taciturn

reserved or quiet

trite

overused, commonplace, having no freshness or appeal

hew

to cut or shape

profligate

wasteful

ubiquitous

universal

adroit

skillful; accomplished; highly competent

abhor

to detest or loathe

castigate

to punish severely

brusque

rudely concise

secular

worldly, not spiritual

pious

very observant of religious practices

amenable

agreeable or cooperative

furtive

sneaky or sly

edify

to instruct or enlighten

assiduous

diligent; hard working

admonish

to caution or advise against

heretic

a person holding untraditional or blasphemous opinions

incorrigible

incapable of being corrected or reformed

auspicious

favorable; promising

avarice

greed

egalitarian

equal for all

circumspect

careful to consider all circumstances and consequences

byzantine

very complicated or intricate

arcane

known or understood by only a few

feckless

weak; ineffective; incompetent

ardent

passionate

expedient

suitable for achieving a particular end

ascetic

self-denying; depriving oneself of something

onerous

burdensome or oppressive

sagacious

wise

indelible

making marks or an impression that cannot be removed or lost

aspersion

a false rumor or damaging report

innocuous

harmless

impious

irreverent; disrespectful

assuage

to soothe or pacify

perspicacious

very perceptive or discerning

abstruse

complex; hard to understand

petulant

childish; irritable

abase

to humble or degrade

latent

undeveloped or dormant

abdicate

to formally relinquish

obstreperous

noisy; unruly

harbinger

forerunner or omen

beguile

to deceive

irreverent

lacking respect

parity

state of being equivalent

callow

inexperienced; immature

perfunctory

routine; done without care

verisimilitude

the appearance of being true or real

ameliorate

to make something better or improve

engender

to cause or give rise to a feeling, situation, or condition

repine

to feel or express discontent or dissatisfaction

demagogue

a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument.

cogent

clear, logical, and convincing; a compelling argument or reasoning.

laconic

using few words; concise or terse in speech.

ineluctable

inevitable; certain to happen.

gratuitous

given or done free of charge; unnecessary or unwarranted.

ineluctable

A term describing something that is unavoidable or bound to occur.

idiosyncratic

Characteristic, peculiar, or unique to an individual.

rancor

A feeling of deep-seated bitterness or resentment.

contrite

Feeling remorse or guilt for a wrongdoing; sincerely sorry.

banal

So lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring, commonplace

surrepitious

Kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of; stealthy.

bilk

To cheat or defraud someone, especially to obtain money.

incongruous

Not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings or other aspects of something; inappropriate.

partite

Divided into parts or sections; consisting of multiple parts.

capricious

Given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior; unpredictable.

extemporaneous

Made or delivered on the spur of the moment; spontaneous.

inviolable

Never to be broken or infringed upon; secure.

untoward

unpleasant, inappropriate, or unexpected.

gregarious

Fond of company; sociable.

palliate

to alleviate or lessen the severity of something without curing it.