SAT Vocab

ABASH

abashed-- embarassed

The toddler was unabashed after filling his diaper on the city bus.

ABSTRACT

theoretical, not concrete

The abstract work of art-- seemingly just a red dot on a blank canvas-- was supposed to symbolize rage and loneliness. 

ABSTRUSE

difficult to comprehend

The enlightening explanation suddenly made the abstruse understandable. 

ACUMEN

insight regarding a certain topic

Her sharp business acumen impressed even the savviest executives.

ADEPT

to be good at, to have skill towards

The teacher was very adept at explaining grammar; all of her students have become grammarians. 

ADROIT

skillful at executing a task

The three-year-old prodigy is amazingly adroit at playing piano. 

AGGREGATE

sum total

The aggregate looks impressive, but the specific individual cases 

ALOOF

withdrawn, disconnected

While Ron is animated and engaging in public appearances, he is quiet and aloof in his home life.

AMBIVALENCE

mixed feelings leading to indecisiveness

His ambivalence regarding which college to attend annoyed his parents.

ANOMALY

An exception or deviation

Usually my grandmother speaks very politely, so the four-letter-word she muttered shocked us all.



ANTAGONISM
open hostility, ill-will

The antagonism between the hero and villain jumped off the screen during the final fight scene.


ANTIPODE

Opposite or places on the opposite side of the globe from each other

China and the United States are antipodal. 


ANTIQUITY

the state of being ancient

The necklace was an antiquity from ancient Greece.

APPARITION
a ghost, spirit, a ghostly presence 

The woman swore that apparitions were walking through the halls of her home. 

ARCANE

secretive, cryptic

Ancient Gaelic is an arcane language, the majority of people do not know how to speak it. 

The two girls had an arcane language that only they knew how to speak. 

ARTICULATE
to say clearly, to outline or speak precisely

She made her point articulately, so that everyone understood what she was trying to say. 

When giving a speech, you should always articulate and use good diction.  

ASPERSION
an unkind or cruel comment about a person

Allie and Mary got into a fight because of an aspersion Allie made regarding Mary's appearance. 

AUTONOMY

rule over oneself without any interference

By winning the Revolutionary War, America developed autonomy from England.

AVUNCULAR
benevolent, kind, sympathetic

The teacher was avuncular; she cared about students and helped them achieve their potential.

BANAL

unremarkable, common

The horror movie was banal, following the same story line as many other scary movies.

The girl's banal presentation on the solar system was boring because it was almost exactly the same as everyone else's presentations. 

BELIE

to disprove or negate

Her charity work belies her reputation as a selfish person. 

BELITTLE

To make someone feel badly, to make someone feel small and unimportant

When the teacher called Bill stupid in front of the class, she was belittling him. 

BELLIGERENT

Aggressive

The two belligerent boys would always pick fights after school. 

If you try to tell Lillian that she is wrong about something, she will become very belligerent. 

BENEVOLENT

kind and caring

The benevolent man always helped people in need. 

BENIGN

not harmful, good hearted

The tumor was benign, so the woman did not have cancer. 

The benign girl always tried to help others. 

BEREFT

lacking or without joy, and believing that you will never find happiness again

The man was bereft when he lost his job of 40 years. 

BOMBAST

to exaggerate and rave about something, often to the point of ridiculousness. to bluster

The girl's twenty minute bombast about her F in math was ridiculous, she blamed her grade on her teacher, parents, and other students in the class. 

The bombastic (adj. form) speech was not meaningful, as it was just a long and angry rant.

BOORISH

lacking manners

At the dinner party, the boorish man chewed with his mouth open and constantly made rude comments about the other people.

BREVITY

succinctness, shortness (time)

The brevity of the teacher's lecture was appreciated by all of the students, as it was the last lecture before summer vacation.

BUCOLIC 

having a simple and "homey" appearance, often having to do with the countryside

Because it rested on a large and rural property, the house was very bucolic. 

The book about the farmhouse described a very bucolic lifestyle. 

BUREAUCRACY

large and far reaching governmental system

The complicated bureaucracy in the electrical company made it impossible for people to be promoted. 

In a fascist society, the governmental bureaucracy is involved in every part of a person's daily life. 

BYZANTINE

hard to comprehend, intricate

The directions were so byzantine that no one could figure out how to put together the table. 

CACOPHONY

harsh noise that is almost painful to listen to

The fifth grade band created a cacophony as it became clear that they had not practiced their song. 

CANDOR

to not hold back, to be completely truthful

The teacher spoke with candor when she told the students they would have to work very hard to get an A on the big test. 

CANTANKEROUS

irritable and grouchy

Elderly people in my neighborhood can often become cantankerous, especially when kids are being loud.

CAPRICIOUS

random and whimsical 

The teacher was capricious, always changing the curriculum at the last minute. 

CENSURE

to be reprimanded for poor behavior 

The corrupt president was censured because he took bribes. 

CHICANERY 

deception, dishonesty

The children committed chicanery when they cheated on their math test. 

CHIDE

to scold, reprimand

When I did not do my homework, the teacher chided me.

CHURLISH

crude and vulgar, bad mannered

The churlish man had no qualms pushing his way through the crowd.

Allison's behavior last night was churlish, she made so many vulgar jokes. 

CLAIRVOYANT

knowing the future, someone who is very intuitive

The clairvoyant stock broker always seemed to know when stocks would gain or lose value.

The fortune-teller claimed that she was truly clairvoyant. 

CONCEDE

to back down, to give in, to accept something to be true even if you do not want to

The debate team conceded the point; the opposing team had a strong argument. 

The team conceded when it became clear they would lose the game. 

CONCISE

precise and succinct 

The concise statement summarized the essay. 

Evan was always very concise when talking on the phone, he always got right to the point. 

CONDUCIVE

leading to, facilitating, encouraging

Practicing every day is conductive to becoming good at something. 

The library is very conductive to getting a lot of studying done. 

CONFLAGRATION

a devastating and catastrophic fire

The conflagration in Colorado has resulted in the loss of homes by many of its residents. 

CONSECRATE

to be deemed or made sacred

The Western Wall has been consecrated as a holy site by the Jewish religion.

CONTEMPTUOUS

feeling strong disapproval or condescension 

The football players were contemptuous of the math team, making fun of them for being nerds.

CONVIVIAL

friendly and sociable

The class was very convivial and the teacher always had to ask them to stop talking. 

The party was very convivial, everyone was interacting and having fun. 

CONVOLUTED

complicated, elaborate, and complex

The corn maze was so convoluted that I thought I would never be able to find the exit.

COPIOUS

a large number, bountiful

The Brown family always passes out copious amounts of candy on Halloween, making their house the most popular stop on our street. 

Our garden yielded a copious amount of tomatoes that we will share with our neighbors. 

CORROSIVE

causing something to be ruined, worn down and destroyed

The corrosive acid quickly ate a hole through her shirt. 

The teacher was corrosive, constantly tearing down her students.

CRYPTIC

difficult to understand, vague, having an obscure message or meaning

My younger sister and her friends have developed a cryptic code so that they can pass secret notes in class. 

CURRENCY

the acknowledgment of something that is then shared among many people

The currency of the hurricane made it a topic of conversation among many people. 

CURSORY

done quickly without worrying about detail and correctness, hasty 

The cursory paper received a bad score, because it was clear there had not been sufficient effort. 

Working quickly, the artist stopped worrying about the quality of his work and let it become cursory. 

CURTAIL

to limit something, to cut back on it

So many students cheated that the teachers knew they had to curtail it before it became a very serious problem. 

DALLIANCE

flirtation, the wasting of time doing something unimportant

Her dalliance caused us all to be late to the movie. 

The dalliance between the boy and the girl was very obvious. 

DECIPHER

to figure out, to make clear

The code was difficult to decipher. 

We could not decipher his behavior because it was so out of character. 

DECOROUS

seemly, appropriate, becoming

The decorous behavior at the society dinner party was expected. 

DEFERENCE

respect and accommodation for the needs or views of others

The children showed deference to their mother when she wanted them to clean their rooms, cleaning them right away. 

DEFT

talented, skillful

The deft way in which the note was passed kept the teacher from seeing it. 

The students deftly passed the note. (adv)

DELETERIOUS

bad for someone's health, capable of harming someone's health

Going tanning is deleterious, you can get skin cancer. 

DELIBERATE

(de LIB ur hut) (adj) Careful, cautious

After the girl broke her arm, she moved it deliberately so that she would not injure it a second time.

(de LIB er art) (adv) To consider, to think about, to think over

The teacher had to deliberate before she decided the punishment for cheating. 

DELUDE

to fool, to beguile, to trick

The boy on the basketball team was deluded; he thought he was Michael Jordan. 

The man was deluded by the con artist.

DENUNCIATION

rejection of an idea, person, institution etc, condemnation of something, often publicly

The environmentalist gave a strong denunciation of using fossil fuels. 

DERELICT

not taken care of, careless and inattentive 

The derelict house looked like it was going to fall down any moment.

The girl was derelict when it came to feeding her fish; she only fed it a few times a month.

DERIVATIVE

uninventive, created from or found in something else

The derivative poster looked exactly every other action movie poster. 

Some words can be derivative of other words, for example, the word molecular is derived from the word molecule. 

DETERRENT

something that repels or discourages someone from doing something 

The teacher's reputation was a major deterrent for students wishing to take the course.

DEVOID

without, completely lacking

The girl was devoid of emotions. 

Our high school is devoid of team spirit, no one dresses up on spirit days. 

DIAPHANOUS

so sheer as to be almost transparent

The diaphanous curtains did little to keep light from the room. 

DICTUM

a concise, truthful statement

"A penny saved is a penny earned" is a dictum my mom frequently uses. 

DIDACTIC

educational, intended to teach a lesson

The movie seemed like a leisure film, but was actually didactic, teaching students about the Revolutionary War. 

DIFFIDENT

shy, introverted, not self-assured or self-confident

The diffident student would never speak out in class.

DIGRESS

to go on a tangent

My grandmother is known to digress; she is always telling anecdotes. 

DILETTANTE

a novice

I am a dilettante when it comes to painting; although I enjoy it, it is just a hobby. 

DISCERNMENT

the act of understanding and using insight

Her discernment of the crime scene allowed the police to figure out how the victim was murdered. 

DISCRIMINATE

to be able to tell apart, to discern

It is important for people to discriminate between real and counterfeit money.

DISINGENUOUS

lacking sincerity

Her apology for losing her homework was disingenuous as she clearly felt no remorse. 

DISMAY

to shock, to surprise

The newscasters were dismayed by the breaking story about a tornado in Indiana. 

DISPASSIONATE

unbiased, calm, emotionally removed from a situation

Because Alice was dispassionate regarding the issue, she was asked to be the mediator in the argument.

For someone who was just in a horrible accident, the girl was able to describe what had happened dispassionately. 

DISPERSE

to wander away, to break up (often to  break up a group), to scatter

When the police arrived, the crowd surrounding the crime scene dispersed. 

The students watching the fight quickly dispersed when the teachers got involved.

DISSENT

to go against something, to not support something, to disagree

The juror dissented against the verdict of guilty. 

DISTINCT

unique, specific, noticeable

You could always see Jill in the hallway because of her hot pink, distinct hair. 

DOWAGER

a matriarch, often a woman with a high social status

The dowager queen ruled after her husband died. 

DUBIOUS

doubtful, not certain

I felt dubious when a Pop-up on my computer told me that I had won a free iPad. 

ECCENTRIC

odd, strange, unique, unconventional 

The eccentric teacher liked to hang old tests from the ceiling of the classroom. 

The eccentric old man had a collection of stuffed cats. 

EDIFY 

to teach, to educate, to inform

The teacher thought she would edify the students on the topic of radioactivity. 

The edification of the first graders about respect was an important part of the first grade curriculum. 

EFFACE

to wipe off, to erase

The girl effaced all of her mistakes on the homework. 

We effaced the footprints on the floor so that no one would know we had been in the abandoned building. 

EFFUSION

an unrestrained pouring forth 

She expressed and effusion of gratitude when her mother bought her a new car. 

EGALITARIAN

the concept of equality and equal rights for all people, or a person who preaches this idea

The egalitarian wanted equal pay for women. 

The egalitarian policy made all citizens equal. 

EGOCENTRIC

focused on oneself, self-absorbed

The egocentric soccer player thought she was the star of the team, and never passed toe ball. 

ELABORATE

having extreme, complex detail

The elaborate plot of the story confused all of the students. 

ENIGMA

a mystery, puzzle, or riddle

It is an enigma to my parents that I cannot keep my room clean. 

Most exciting T.V. programs have an enigma that keeps viewers interested. 

ENLIGHTENING

educational and informative

The program on sustainable energy was enlightening to the environmentalist. 

EPHEMERAL

brief, fleeting, passing

The relationship was ephemeral, lasting less than a month. 

EQUIVOCAL

perplexing, confusing, having a double meaning

The lesson was equivocal, by the end of class, not a single student knew what they were learning. 

I do not like talking to Greg, his equivocal answers make me think he is making fun of me. 

EQUIVOCATE

to evade a question by keeping from answering directly, to mislead

Politicians often equivocate regarding issues they do not wish to talk about. 

ERRATIC

crazy, random, unstable

The girl's erratic behavior regarding her friends made them angry because they never knew if she would be mean or nice. 

ERRONEOUS

incorrect

The erroneous results ruined the rest of the lab report. 

ERUDITE

academic (regarding a person) scholarly 

Louis was an erudite who enjoyed reading Plato and Socrates in his spare time. 

ESOTERIC

difficult to comprehend

For some people, foreign languages are esoteric. 

The instructions were esoteric, and no one could figure out how to complete them. 

FASTIDIOUS

particular, perfectionistic, thorough 

The fastidious student checked the answers on her test four times. 

FAUNA

animal species specific to a certain region of the world

Penguins are a part of the fauna in Antarctica 

FILIAL

relating to the obligations of a child to a parent, regarding the relationship between a child and a parent 

Working at my dad's law firm is a filial responsibility. 

FILIBUSTER

a strategy employed (often in legislative assemblies) to delay or stall in order to keep something from happening

In order to keep the issue from a vote, the Republicans maintained a filibuster by speaking for a week. 

Sometimes, my sister filibuster's my mom so she will forget to give my sister any chores. 

FOLLY

foolishness, an act undertaken without any sense or judgement, an absurd belief or idea, an ill-considered action

Jacob's idea that he could go camping with only a sleeping bag in January was folly. 

It is folly to not study for the SAT. 

FUTILE

pointless, in vain

In World War II, Germany's efforts at the Battle of the Bulge were futile, as the Allies were victorious. 

GAUDY

over the top, tacky

The gaudy hat was too showy to wear in public.

GRANDIOSE

on a large scale, over the top, impressive

The grandiose monument was a sight to see. 

HAUGHTY

confident, arrogant

The girls were very haughty, and thought thought they were the most important people in the class. 

HUBRIS

excessive pride and arrogance, sinful pride

Her hubris made her think she could control everyone else in the group.

ICONOCLAST

someone who opposes traditional ideas or establishments 

The iconoclast always spoke out against the government. 

IDIOSYNCRASY

a person eccentricity 

His idiosyncrasies made him stand out in a group. 

Always wearing monochromatic outfits is one of her many idiosyncrasies. 

IMPERATIVE

mandatory, very important, crucial

It was imperative that the team win the sectional tournament. 

Julie knew it was imperative that she get an A on the test so that she could keep her grades up. 

IMPETUOUS

abrupt, impulsive, done without planning

The road trip was an impetuous act that ended up being very enjoyable. 

I made an impetuous purchase after getting my paycheck.

IMPLACABLE

uncompromising, difficult to please

My mom was implacable when it came to curfew, and insisted that I be home by ten every night.

She would have been a terrible negotiator because she was so implacable. 

IMPUDENT

rude, disrespectful, and forward

The impudent girl always talked back to his teachers. 

IMPUGN

to criticize or attack something's goodness 

After Erica and Tony broke up, he was constantly impugning her character and talking about how she was a terrible person. 

The book impugned the presidency, saying that the president was incompetent. 

INCLINATION

tendency, propensity, desire towards something

She had the inclination to take the easier class. 

INCORRIGIBLE

not reformable, unchangeable 

The boy's behavior was so incorrigible that his parents sent him to reform school. 

INDIGENCE

poverty, destitution 

The indigence in many underdeveloped countries is extreme. 

INDIGNANT

anger after being insulted

The employee was indignant when her boss implied she was a lazy worker. 

INEFFABLE

unable to be described or explained

The view from the Empire State Building is ineffable; you can see all of New York City.

INEPT

inadequate and incompetent, blundering

The boy was inept when it came to baseball; he could hardly even catch the ball. 

INNOVATE

to create, to be original in creating something

Thomas Edison innovated the future of electricity when he created the lightbulb. 

The innovation (n.) of the airplane made travel much easier.

INQUIRY

a question

The police began the inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the robbery. 

INSOLENT

Disrespectful, insulting 

The insolent child refused to listen to directions, and was rude to his parents. 

INTRICATE

complex, detailed and elaborate

The mechanics of a clock are very intricate, and most people do not know how they work. 

INVALUABLE

having immeasurable value, priceless 

Her support during the crisis was invaluable, and really helped me through it. 

My grandmother's wedding ring is invaluable because it is a piece of our family history. 

IRASCIBLE

quick to get angry, bad-tempered and touchy 

IRREFUTABLE

not questionable, certain, indisputable

The evidence was irrefutable, and the man was convicted.

JINGOISM

aggressive patriotism, strong allegiance and patriotism to your country involving an aggressive feeling against other countries 

Germany under Adolf Hitler went from extreme nationalism to a form of jingoism as Germany began to attack other countries. 

JUBILATION

Extreme happiness and joy

The graduates experienced jubilation at the end of their high school career because they were so excited for college. 

JUDICIOUS

having good judgement, practical 

The girl made the judicious decision to save her money for a new car. 

LACONIC

having a short duration, succinct 

The girl had a laconic way of speaking; she chose her words wisely.

LANGUID

not energetic, feeble, disinterested

After my race, I felt languid and dizzy. 

The man was languid when he came to his job, putting in a small amount of effort. 

LASSITUDE

tiredness, lethargy

After a long day at school, I always have a feeling of lassitude and fall asleep. 

Some people approach schoolwork with lassitude, and don't put in a large amount of effort. 

LEVITY

gaiety and lightheartedness

There was a strong feeling of levity at the wedding.

LIQUIDATION

when all debts are settled and assets collected

The liquidation of the estate occurred after the millionaire's death. 

LITERAL

following the strict meaning of words, completely factual

The lawyer quoted the literal statement made by his client.

LITHE

supple and flexible

Most dancers and gymnastics are very lithe. 

LOQUACIOUS

talkative

The loquacious student always disrupted class. 

LUCRE

money, especially as a reward

The sales made a five precent lucre for the charity.

LUGUBRIOUS

excessively inconsolable

The girl was lugubrious when she did not make the soccer team, and didn't speak to anyone for a week. 

MERCENARY

a hired soldier 

The English hired many German mercenaries during the Revolutionary War. 

MERCURIAL

unpredictable, without a pattern, changeable

Her behavior was so mercurial that no one ever knew what she would do. 

MISNOMER

an incorrect or unsuitable name

Her label as a nerd is a misnomer; she is failing all of her classes. 

MITIGATE

to lessen, ease, or relieve

Although my dad tried to ground me, my mom mitigated my punishment. 

Migraines can be mitigated by taking medicine. 

MOLLIFY

soften, calm

An apology could not mollify her anger. 

MOMENTUM

an object's speed or force while in motion

Because the car had such a high momentum, the crash was devastating. 

The movement gathered momentum as more and more people became involved. 

MUNDANE

boring, ordinary 

He felt that his life was mundane and that he had not accomplished anything extraordinary.

MYOPIA

nearsightedness (with regards to eyes), bigotry

Because of his myopia, he had to get glasses. 

His myopia towards foreigners made him impossible to travel with.

NAIVE

innocent, not having experience 

The naive girl always believed everything anyone told her. 

NOSTALGIA

feelings of wistfulness towards the past

Looking back on high school, he felt a sense of nostalgia. 

OBSCURE

confusing, unknown, vague

The question on the test was such an obscure fact that only one person in the class got it correct. 

The directions she gave were very obscure, and we were late to the party because we could not follow them. 

OBTRUSIVE

invasive, imposing, easily noticeable 

The obtrusive girl always had to be the center of every conversation. 

People with neon colored hair are very obtrusive in public. 

OSSIFY

to become solid and unyielding, the turn into bone or a fossil 

The philosophy class helped her ossify some of her perspectives on life. 

The ossified trilobites were found at the archeological dig. 

OUST

to get rid of, to eject

When the company restructured, the CEO was ousted. 

The team was ousted from the league after they were caught cheating. 

PACIFIST

someone who endorses peace

During the Vietnam war, many pacifists staged large protests. 

PALPABLE

touchable, tangible, obvious

The lie was palpable, and no one believed it. 

Her anger was palpable. 

PANACEA

a remedy that cures everything

The new teaching style was believed to be the panacea for all failing students. 

PEDANT

someone who shows off their knowledge, often excessively 

The pedant in my math class was always trying to correct the teacher. 

PEDESTRIAN

Commonplace or unexciting

The plot of the movie was fairly pedestrian, with no exciting twists. 

The painting was very pedestrian, and was nothing special. 

PENCHANT

a preference towards something

I have a penchant for running, and it is my favorite way to exercise. 

PERFIDY

treachery, deceit 

The man's perfidy in selling fake lottery tickets got him into a lot of trouble.

The perfidious soldier changed sides in the middle of a battle. 

PERQUISITE

advantages that go beyond your normal income, a privilege 

The perquisites of his job included being able to use the private jet whenever he wanted.   

PETULANT

bad-tempered, peevish

After I did not get promoted, my friends avoided me because they knew I would be petulant. 

PHLEGMATIC

emotionless, inactive

After years in the military, the woman was phlegmatic when it came to death. 

The phlegmatic boy never played outside; he only wanted to play video games. 

PILFER

steal

The girl always shoplifted, and pilfered small items such as bracelets and necklaces. 

PLACID

calm, serene

The lake was very placid, and was a peaceful place to spend the weekend. 

PLAUSIBLE

believable, not out of the question 

His dog ate everything, so when he said it ate his homework, the teacher knew it was plausible. 

POLARIZE

to separate into two very different groups, to break apart 

In the 1500s, the Christian religion polarized into Catholics and Protestants. 

PORTEND

to foreshadow, to forebode 

Her failing grade on the first test portended her grade for the rest of the semester. 

PRAGMATIC

logical, having common sense, practical 

Her approach to solving problems was very pragmatic and not complicated. 

PREEMINENT 

superior, best

The preeminent factor in the election was the candidates' views on taxes. 

PRESUMPTIVE

based on you believe (presume) to be true

The presumptive accusation was based on what he had heard. 

PRESUMPTUOUS

conceited, pretentious 

The presumptuous athlete believed he was better than his teammates. 

PRETENTIOUS

conceited and self-important, pompous 

The pretentious actor believed everyone else was insignificant. 

PROFLIGATE

carelessly indulgent, excessive and wasteful

Whenever Grace received her paycheck, she was profligate with her money and spent it carelessly. 

PROLIFIC

productive, easily producing a large amount of offspring 

She was very prolific, and always got a lot of work done. 

My cat is very prolific and is constantly having kittens. 

PROSAIC

ordinary, regular, standard, boring

The idea was very prosaic, and was not an imaginative solution to the problem. 

The prosaic book was not interesting for the students to read. 

PROVOKE

to get a rise out of , to incite anger

My younger sister always takes my clothes without me in order to provoke me. 

PRUDENCE

sensibility, carefulness, good judgement 

The family showed prudence when purchasing a new car, finding the right car at the best price. 

PUGNACIOUS

combative , agressive 

The pugnacious boy was always trying to pick a fight. 

PURVEY

to provide or supply (usually as a business) 

The company purveyed the order forms online. 

QUELL 

to stop, to suppress

The firefighters quelled the fire in the house. 

The riot was quelled by the police. 

QUOTIDIAN

occurring every day, normal and ordinary 

The quotidian announcements always told us what events were happening after school. 

RECIPROCAL

to give and receive the same or equally

The agreement was reciprocal, and both parties received equal benefits. 

REMISS

neglectful 

The girl was remiss with her homework because she spent so much time with her friends. 

REMONSTRANCE

a protest or objection 

Her remonstrance about wasteful use of water in the building went unheard. 

RESILIENT

tough, able to recover

The boy was resilient; he could always bounce back when bad things happened to him. 

RESOLUTE

uncompromising, purposeful, unchanging

The teacher was resolute when it came to cheating, and did not allow it in her class. 

Her resolute decision to make the baseball team failed. 

RESPITE

a break, a delay

After a hard day of work, she took a respite of watching TV. 

RETICENT

always quiet (character trait) 

My sister is very reticent, while my brother is very loud and outgoing. 

RETRENCHMENT

the act of lowering expenses 

After the recession, the company went through retrenchment. 

180 REVERENCE

strong awe and respect, veneration or admiration 

The people in the audience viewed the band with reverence. 

REVISIONIST

someone who works towards reform and change

Martin Luther King Jr. was a revisionist who worked towards racial equality. 

RHETORIC

the use of language in an elaborate and complex manner, wordiness

The rhetoric in the book makes it difficult for some students to understand. 

ROBUST

healthy, vigorous 

Kids are usually robust, and don't tire easily. 

SANCTIMONIOUS

falsely righteous, hypocritical 

The sanctimonious girl always preached that cheating was wrong, but cheated on every test.

SUPERCILIOUS

arrogant, cocky

The supercilious child actor thought he was royalty, and he treated everyone like an underling.

SEDITION

treason, betrayal of one's country 

The sedition of the double agent shocked the nation. 

SEDULOUS

consistently hardworking, diligent effort

The artist's sedulous work effort allowed him to perfect his style of art. 

SERMONIZED

to give a sermon, often times about an object

The pastor sermonized once a week. 

The teacher sermonized on the importance of grammar. 

SOLICITOUSNESS 

anxious thoughtfulness, kindness

Because of Olivia's solicitousness, she stayed overnight at the ER with her sister.

SPONTANEOUS

Random, without warning, impromptu 

The girl threw a spontaneous birthday party for her friend. 

STRIFE

hardship, conflict

Because of severe rationing, the war was a time of strife for many families. 

STRINGENT

severely binding 

The contract was stringent, and did not allow for any compromise. 

STUPEFY

to amaze, to stun

The audience was stupefied by the soil of the gymnasts. 

SUBSTANTIATE

to prove using fact

The class used a lab to substantiate their hypothesis. 

SUCCINCT

making a point with few words, brief and compact

The succinct speech summarized the company's yearly objectives. 

SUNDRY

assorted, various

The boy's closet was filled with sundry sports equipment. 

SUPPOSITION

belief, conjecture, assumption 

The business operated under the supposition that civilians would buy their product. 

It is a common supposition that many species are going extinct due to human activities. 

TACIT

communicated without speaking, implied

The tacit agreement in our family is that our homework would be finished before we watched TV. 

Although they had never spoken, the two teachers had a tacit agreement. 

TEMPORIZE

to delay, to equivocate

Because they did not want to take the test, the class temporized by asking a multitude of unnecessary questions. 

TENABLE

logical, credible, sound, defendable

Saying "my dog ate my homework" is not a tenable excuse for not having an assignment completed. 

TENACIOUS

unyielding, stubborn

The tenacious girl would not compromise. 

TENUOUS

weak, flimsy, feeble, unsupported

The solution was tenuous and had a high chance of failing.

The girl's grip on the rock climbing wall was tenuous, and everyone thought she would fall. 

TREACLY

elaborate and false sentimentality, over-the-top sentimentality 

UNEQUIVOCAL

absolute, indisputable, having no uncertainty 

My boss takes an unequivocal stance on good customer service. 

UNINTELLIGIBLE

impossible to understand, unclear

The girl's handwriting was unintelligible, so she got a zero for the assignment. 

The phone call had so much static that my mom's words were unintelligible. 

UNPRECEDENTED

unparalleled, happening for the first time

UNTENABLE

not credible, not defendable, illogical, a place where it is not fit to live

The old abandoned house was untenable because of its level of disrepair. 

The boy's excuse for being out past curfew was untenable, so his parents took away his car. 

UNWARRANTED

baseless, foundationless, not based in fact

The claims that the clerk was stealing money from the store were completely unwarranted, as there was no evidence for these claims. 

The teacher was reprimanded for the unwarranted punishment of her students. 

VACILLATE 

to be indecisive, to be irresolute, to waver

The jury vacillated for over a week before final giving the verdict. 

She is known to vacillate when it comes to important decisions. 

VACUOUS

empty, not demonstrating intelligence or intention, lacking ideas

The class stared vacuously at the teacher whenever she asked them a question. 

A lot of people think Eric is vacuous, but he actually does very well in school. 

VARIEGATED

assorted, diversified

The box of crayons had variegated colors. 

The town was variegated with many different styles of buildings. 

VENERABLE

revered, admirable, dignified 

The Liberty Bell is a venerable piece of our nation's history. 

The venerable judge was known for his good judgement and sound decisions. 

VERBOSE

wordy, redundant 

The verbose speaker talked about a small detail for over twenty minutes. 

His verbosity made him very intimidating to talk to. 

VINDICTIVE

vengeful, looking for revenge

When she lost the match, the vindictive tennis player accused the other player of cheating. 

After being fired from her job, the vindictive employee vandalized the car of her boss. 

VISCERAL

Coming from instinct not intellect

Being in the mosh pit at the concert was a visceral experience unlike anything I had previously felt.

VOLUPTUOUS

appealing, sensuous

Everyone said that the woman was voluptuous. 

Some people find food very voluptuous. 

WHIM

impulsive notion, a sudden urge

On a whim, Paul joined the basketball team. 

Penny's father caters to her every whim, and never disciplines her. 

WISTFUL

yearning, reflective longing 

Edward had a wistful look on his face whenever Christine passed him in the hallway.