Units 1-15 SAT Vocab

adamant

firm in purpose or opinion, unyielding; an extremely hard substance

brouhaha

a confused hodgepodge of sounds, hubbub; an uproar or commotion

Bulwark

a strong defense or protection, a solid wall-like structure for defense; to provide such defense or protection

bumptious

Pushy, offensively self-assertive; excessively and arrogantly self-confident

Choleric

easily made angry, bad-tempered

Cloy

to spoil or destroy an appetite by too much indulgence, especially in sweet or rich things; to glut, satiate

Curtail

To cut short, bring to a halt or end sooner than expected; to reduce

deference

courteous yielding to the wishes and ideas of another person; great respect marked by submission, as to a superior

Definitive

conclusive, final, representing the limit of what can be done

Demeanor

the way a person behaves, overall impression made by comportment, manner, etc.; facial appearance, mien

Enigmatic

puzzling, perplexing, not easily understood, mysterious

Forbearance

tolerance and self-control (in the face of provocation), patience; the act of refraining from something, abstinence

Impromptu

without preparation, offhand, suddenly or hastily done; an extemporaneous composition or remark; a minimal piece suggestive of improvisation

Mawkish

excessively and objectionably sentimental; having a mildly sickening flavor

Mollify

To soften, make gentle; to calm, allay (as an emotion); to reduce in intensity

Onus

something that is heavy or burdensome (esp. an unwelcome responsibility); a stigma; blame

Presentiment

a vague sense of approaching misfortune or evil

Profligate

given over to dissipation and self-indulgence, immoral; recklessly extravagant; a person given to self-indulgent and wild spending

Remit

to send or hand in (as money); to cancel (as a penalty or punishment), forgive, pardon; to lessen, diminish; to put off, postpone, defer

Requisite

needed, necessary, regarded as essential or indispensable

Sartorial

of or pertaining to a tailor or his work; having to do with clothes or dress (especially men's)

Thwart

to oppose successfully; to prevent, frustrate, foil

Amenable

willing to follow advice or authority, tractable, submissive; responsive; (amenable to: liable to be held responsible for)

Berate

to scold sharply, censure severely or angrily

Carnage

large-scale slaughter or loss of life

credulous

too ready to believe, easily deceived

crieterion (pl. criteria)

A rule, test; a standard for judgement or evaluation, a basis of comparison

Deplete

to use up as a result of spending or consumption; to diminish greatly

Expatiate

To add details, to expand on; write or talk at length or in detail; to move about freely

extraneous

coming from the outside, foreign; present but not essential, irrelevant

Inception

the beginning, start, earliest stage of some process, institution, etc.

infirmity

a weakness or ailment (physical, mental, moral, etc.)

Jejune

lacking in nutritive value; lacking in interest or substance; immature, juvenile

Obdurate

stubborn, unyielding

Ostensible

Apparent, appearing to be true or actual; capable of being shown or exhibited; pretended

potpurri

a collection of diverse or miscellaneous items; a general mixture; petals mixed with spices for scent; a musical composition consisting of a series of songs

precocious

showing unusually early development (esp. in talents or mental capacity)

providential

happening as though through divine intervention; characterized by good fortune

sadistic

delighting in cruelty, excessively cruel

Sententious

self-righteous, characterized by moralizing; given to use of maxims, adages, or proverbs; saying much in few words, pithy

Supplicate

to beg earnestly and humbly

Surfeit

an excess or overindulgence, as in eating or drinking, causing disgust; to feed or supply with anything to excess

Tortuous

winding, twisted, crooked; highly involved, complex; devious

Turgid

swollen, bloated, filled to excess; overly decorated or excessive in language

Abet

to encourage, assist (especially in something wrong or unworthy)

Aver

to affirm, declare confidently

Blatant

noisy in a coarse, offensive way; obvious or conspicuous, especially in an unfavorable sense

Broach

to bring up or begin to talk about (a subject), to announce; to break the surface of the water, to turn sideways to the wind and waves; to pierce (a keg or cask) in order to draw off liquid; a spit for roasting, a tool for tapping casks

buttress

to support, prop up, strengthen; a supporting structure

Carousal

noisy revelry or merrymaking (often with a suggestion of heavy drinking)

Collate

to arrange in order for some specific purpose; to compare critically in order to note similarities, differences, etc.

Connoisseur

an expert; one who is well qualified to pass critical judgments, especially in one of the fine arts

disconsolate

deeply unhappy or dejected; without hope, beyond consolation

Encumber

to weigh down or burden (with difficulties, cares, debt, etc.); to fill up, block, hinder

Foment

to promote trouble or rebellion; to apply warm liquids to, warm

Grisly

frightful, horrible, ghastly

Herculean

relating to Hercules (with a capital H); characterized by great strength; very hard to do in the sense of requiring unusual strength (lowercase H)

Impassive

showing no feeling or emotion; inanimate; motionless

inauspicious

(adj.) unfavorable, unlucky, suggesting bad luck for the future, boding ill

incontrovertible

unquestionable, beyond dispute

magniloquent

expressed in lofty or high-flown language (often in the sense of being pompous or over-elaborate)

Nonplussed

puzzled, not knowing what to do, at a loss

Opportune

suitable or convenient for a particular purpose; occurring at an appropriate time

predilection

a liking, preference

Prolific

abundantly productive; abundant, profuse

Rejoinder

a reply to a reply (especially from the defendant in a legal suit)

Accrue

to grow or accumulate over time; to happen as a natural result

annotation

The act of notes; a critical or explanatory note or comment, especially for a literary work

antediluvian

Relating to or typical of ancient times

Bedlam

a state or scene of uproar and confusion

Covert

hidden, disguised, purposefully kept secret; sheltered, secluded; a sheltered place, a hiding place

debonair

Sophisticated, pleasant, courteous, lighthearted; smooth and polished (as in manners and appearance)

Dun

to demand insistently, especially in payment of a debt; a creditor; a light gray-brown color; dark, dull, drab, dingy, blackish

efficacious

effective, producing results

equanimity

calmness, composure, refusal to panic, a steadiness in mind under stress

fortuitous

accidental, occurring by chance; lucky

Gist

the essential part, main point, or essence

gratuitous

freely given (as in a tip); not called for by circumstances, unwarranted

Imperious

overbearing, arrogant; seeking to dominate; pressing, compelling

inimical

unfriendly, hostile; harmful, unfavorable

Invective

a strong denunciation or condemnation; abusive language; abusive, vituperative

Motley

showing great diversity or variety; composed of different elements or many colors; a multicolored woolen fabric; a jester's costume; a jester; a mixture of odd elements

munificent

extremely generous, lavish

procrastinate

to delay, put off until later

Provocative

(adj.) tending to produce a strong feeling or response; arousing desire or appetite; irritating, annoying; something that provokes or stimulates

Recondite

difficult to understand; exceeding ordinary knowledge and understanding, profound, abstruse

Reprobate

A scoundrel; a depraved, vicious, or unprincipled person; wicked, corrupt, or unprincipled; to disapprove of; to condemn

sedentary

Characterized by continued sitting; little activity; remaining in one place

abstemious

(adj.) moderate, sparing (as in eating and drinking); characterized by abstinence and self-discipline or temperance indulgence

accentuate

(v.) to emphasize, to place stress on

censure/censurable

\
(adj.) deserving of blame or correction

(n.) harsh criticism (v.) to rebuke

contingent

(adj.) likely but not certain to happen, possible; dependent on uncertain events or conditions; happening by chance (n.) representative group

corroborate

(v.) to confirm, make more certain

denizen

(n.) an inhabitant, resident; one who frequents a place

discursive

(adj.)rambling; passing aimlessly from one place or subject to another; roving; nomadic

disseminate

(v.) to scatter widely; to cause to become widely known

dowdy

(adj.) poorly dressed; shabby; lacking smartness and good taste

florid

(adj.) highly colored, reddish; excessively ornate, overly decorated, showy

foist

(v.) to impose by fraud; to pass off as worthy or genuine; to bring in by stealth, dishonesty, or coercion

gauche

(adj.) awkward, lacking in social graces, tactless, clumsy