PSAT Vocab

Definitions and examples

Altruistic

Def: unselfishly concerned for the welfare of others, often demonstrated through acts of kindness and generosity.

Ex: Nuns and nurses are usually very altruistic people.

ambivalent

Def: having contrary feelings or attitudes, uncertain as to a course of action

Ex: I am ambivalent about a permanent relationship with him, because I like him one day and don’t the next.

angular

Def: lean; sharp cornered

Ex: The patient has lost so much weight that this face has become quite angular.

arrogant

Def: overbearingly assuming; insolently proud

Ex: because the girl was so arrogant, she had few friends

aversion

Def: strong disinclination, disliking

Ex: I have an aversion to getting married

discern

Def: to differentiate between two or more things

Ex: Because of the fog, I was barely able to discern the landing strip.

disdain

Def: intense dislike; to treat with contempt; to reject as unworthy

Ex: Never having had to do manual labor, he disdained the idea of becoming a cotton picker

disparage

Def: to degrade, to speak of someone or something in a derogatory manner

Ex: His disparaging remarks about me caused the committee to give the job to another person

disparity

Def: inequality, the condition of being unequal in age, rank, or degree

Ex: the couple got married even though there was a great disparity in their ages.

embellish

Def: to decorate, to make beautiful with ornamentation

Ex: He would often embellish his narratives with anecdotes about famous people.

engender

Def: to cause, to produce, to create

Ex: His angry words engendered strife in his relationship with his wife.

innocuous

Def: harmless, resulting no injury

Ex: Since the drink is innocuous, its okay for us to have some.

insipid

Def: boring and stupid

Ex: I am bored by your insipid talk.

lament

Def: to mourn or express sorrow in a demonstrative manner

Ex: She lamented the death of her father in a very lachrymose manner.

laud

Def: to praise or extol

Ex: Her performance was lauded by all of the critics

obscure

Def: difficult to see, vague

Ex: Because the meaning of the play was obscure, I was unable to enjoy it

ostentatious

Def: showy of pretentious

Ex: the ostentatious socialite wore her mink fur coat even during the warmest days of August

prodigal

Def: wasteful, a person defined by given extravagance

Ex: the prodigal son squandered his inheritance

repudiate

Def: to reject or disown

Ex: he announced that he would repudiate all debts that had been created by his wife

reticence

Def: restraint in speech, reluctance to speak

Ex: A lawyer must have great reticence in discussing matters that could violate his client’s rights.

revere

Def: to praise/honor

Ex: The many cardinals revere the Late Pope.

Serene

Def: Calm

Ex: The mountains are described as a serene setting.

subtle

Def: discrete or not obvious

Ex. To avoid being obtrusive in the elegant restaurant, he used subtle gestures to call the waiter to his table.

superfluous

Def: overflow

Ex. The meeting lasted so long because of the superfluous comments by some of the speakers.

Taciturn

Def: quiet, not verbally expressive

Ex. A shy person is usually taciturn.

antithesis

Def: a direct opposite, contrast

Ex. good is the opposite of evil

Ascend

Def: to move upward, to rise from a lower station

Ex. The climbers ascended the mountain.

austere

Def: strict, stern; unadorned

Ex. Pioneers usually led an austere existence

autonomous

def: independent, self-contained

ex. one who is autonomous needs no help from others

banal

Def; common, ordinary, lacking freshness

Ex. Because of his use of overused trite(overused) remarks, his speeches are banal.

benign

def: not causing harm, of gentle disposition

Ex. the minister was loved because of his benign attitude to all types of people

capricious

Def: changing suddenly, fickle

Ex. her capricious moods are difficult to anticipate

dawdle

Def: to waste time, to spend time idly

Ex. since we have a deadline, do not dawdle over your work

defamation

Def: the act of harming or ruining someone reputation

Ex. the defamation of another character is horrible

esoteric

Def: something shared between a small group of people

Ex. the conversation by the gamers was esoteric to the fact nobody could understand what they were saying.

exacerbate

def: to aggravate to tiredness

Ex. the tension between her and her father was so extreme that any conversation would exacerbate

extol

def: to praise or glorify

Ex. the teacher would extol the kid who participated in every discussion

fastidious

def: reflecting a meticulous or demanding attitude, critical to an extreme

Ex. The worker has a fastidious attitude since they demanded everything up to their standards

furtive

def: secret in a stealthy way(behind the back)

Ex. the student made furtive attempts to cheating behind the teachers back

gregarious

def: sociable and outgoing

Ex. He had a gregarious attitude such that anyone he was around would have to conversate with him

hypocrite

def: one who is insincere to their own word

Ex. He demanded that no one should cheat during the game, but he himself did so.

innate

def: by nature or existing from birth

Ex. Ever since birth she has a innate ability to read peoples emotions

lethargic

def: sluggish

Ex. Even after washing his face, he still had a lethargic attitude towards everyone

melancholy

def: depression

Ex. Widow maintained a state of melancholy

opaque

def: blocking full transparency

Ex. Suspect gave vague answers making the interrogation opaque to the real story.

prolific

def: abundant and defined by productivity

Ex. Lockheed Martin is a prolific supplier of the US Airforce and military

reprove

def: to scold a misdeed usually with a kind intent

Ex. The father had reproved his child from fisting a spoon.

symmetry

def: balanced proportions

Ex. The da vinci code provides the ideal proportions displaying symmetry in a human

tranquil

def: peaceful and calm

Ex. When meditating ones goal should be to be tranquil.

venerate

def: to honor or revere

Ex. Confucian values venerate the elderly

abstruse

def: difficult to understand

Ex. The physics professors often teach abstruse topics.

affable

def: friendly

Ex. The towns drunk actually had an affable nature.

audacity

def: excessive boldness

Ex. His audacity to spit out food and then ask for more is astonishing.

Contrite

Def. Extremely apologetic

Ex. Even though it wasn’t her fault the girl was contrite.

Credulous

Def: believing based off slight evidence/gullible

Ex. Judging of accusations is a credulous way of thinking

Depravity

Def: without integrity or an essence of honorable nature

Ex. Many misunderstand depravity in cavemen whereas they often valued loyalty