SAT Vocab - English III-AP

Week 1

  • Assertion (uh SUR shun): A declaration or statement.
  • Adept (UH dept): Skillful.
  • Coherent (koh HEER ent): Logically connected.
  • Cohesive (koh HEE sive): Condition of sticking together.
  • Didactic (dye DAK tik): Intended to instruct.
  • Discourse (DIS kors): Verbal expression or exchange; conversation.
  • Eloquence (EH lo kwens): The ability to speak vividly or persuasively.
  • Dire (DI r): Urgent, dreadful.
  • Rhetoric (RET uh rik): The art of using language effectively and persuasively.
  • Lucid (LOO sid): Easily understood; clear.

Week 2

  • Atrophy (a TRO fy): Waste away.
  • Biased (BYE ist): Prejudiced.
  • Exemplar (ig ZEMP lr): Representative example.
  • Impartial (im PAR shul): Not in favor of one side or the other; unbiased.
  • Incontrovertible (in kahn truh VERT uh bul): Not able to be denied or disputed.
  • Integrity (in TEG rit ee): Trustworthiness; completeness.
  • Objectivity (ahb jek TIV ih tee): Treating facts without influence from personal feelings or prejudices.
  • Plausible (PLAWZ ih bul): Seemingly valid or acceptable; credible.
  • Substantiated (sub STAN shee ay tid): Supported with proof or evidence; verified.
  • Vindicated (VIN duh kayt id): Free from blame.

Week 3

  • Condescending (kahn de SEND ing): Treating people as weak or inferior.
  • Contemptuous (kun TEMP choo us): Feeling hatred; scornful.
  • Desolate (des EH let): Bare, barren, empty.
  • Disdain (dis DAYN):
    • (n) Contempt; scorn.
    • (v) To regard or treat with contempt; to look down on.
  • Haughty (HAW tee): Arrogant; vainly proud.
  • Imperious (im PEER ee us): Arrogantly domineering or overbearing.
  • Patronizing (PAY truh ny zing): Treating in a condescending manner.
  • Conflagration (kahn fluh GRAY shun): A widespread fire.
  • Arid (AYR id): Describing a dry, rainless climate.
  • Squalid (SKWA lid): Rundown, sordid, sleazy.

Week 4

  • Convoluted (kahn vuh LOO tid): Intricate; complex.
  • Cryptic (KRIP tik): Difficult to comprehend.
  • Impede (im PEED): To slow the progress of.
  • Quandary (KWAHN dree): A state of uncertainty or perplexity.
  • Indolent (IN duh lunt): Lazy.
  • Innovative (in UH vay tiv): Novel or new (idea or invention).

Week 5

  • Disparity (dis PAR uh tee): Inequality in age, rank, or degree; difference.
  • Impinge (im PINJ): Hinder; interfere with.
  • Geriatric (jerry AT trick): Relating to old age.
  • Servile (SER vile): Submissive; like a servant.
  • Suppressed (suh PREST): Subdued; kept from being circulated.
  • Dubious (DOO bee us): Doubtful; of unlikely authenticity.
  • Fabricated (FAB ruh kay tid): Made; concocted to deceive.
  • Hypocrisy (hih PAHK ruh see): The practice of pretending to be something one is not; insincerity.
  • Slander (SLAN der): False charges and malicious oral statements about someone.
  • Lucrative (loo CRA tiv): Capable of making a lot of money; profitable.

Week 6

  • Embellish (em BELL ish): To make beautiful by ornamenting; to decorate.
  • Florid (FLOHR id): Describing flowery or elaborate speech.
  • Opulent (AHP yuh lunt): Exhibiting a display of great wealth.
  • Ornate (or NAYT): Elaborately decorated.
  • Ostentatious (ah sten TAY shus): Describing a showy or pretentious display.
  • Poignant (POYN yunt): Profoundly moving; touching.
  • Inconsequential (in kahn suh DWEN shul): Unimportant.
  • Superficial (soo per FISH ul): Concerned only with what is on the surface or obvious; shallow.
  • Tenuous (TEN yoo us): Having little substance or strength; shaky; unsure; weak.
  • Trivial (TRIH vee ul): Of little importance or significance.

Week 7

  • Enumerate (ee NEW mer ate): To specify or count.
  • Effusive (eh FYOO siv): Emotionally unrestrained; gushy.
  • Egregious (uh GREE jus): Conspicuously bad or offensive.
  • Frenetic (freh NEH tik): Wildly exciting or active.
  • Gratuitous (gruh TOO ih tus): Given freely; unearned; unwarranted.
  • Superfluous (soo PER floo us): Extra; unnecessary.
  • Elusive (il oo siv): Difficult to capture, as in something actually fleeting.
  • Expend (EX spend): To use up (as in energy or money).
  • Transient (TRAN zhi unt): Passing away with time; passing from one place to another.
  • Flourish (FLOOR ish): To prosper, grow, or make fast progress.

Week 8

  • Alleviate (uh LEEV ee ayt): To ease a pain or burden.
  • Asylum (uh SY lum): A place of retreat or security.
  • Fluctuate (fluc CHOO ate): To rise and fall, unstable.
  • Benevolent (buh NEH vuh lunt): Well-meaning; generous.
  • Benign (buh NINE): Kind and gentle.
  • Scrutinize (screw TIN eyes): To examine carefully or critically.
  • Sinister (SIN is ter): Ominous, evil.
  • Sanction (SANK shun): To give official authorization or approval.
  • Candor (KAN der): Sincerity; openness.
  • Frank (FRANK): Open and sincere in expression; straightforward.

Week 9

  • Exemplary (eg ZEM pluh ree): Commendable; worthy of imitation.
  • Idealize (eye DEE uh lyze): To consider perfect.
  • Stark (STARK): Very plain, devoid of details or features.
  • Paramount (PAR uh mount): Of chief concern or importance.
  • Venerated (VEN er ay tid): Highly respected.
  • Catalog (KAT uh log): (v) To make an itemized list of.
  • Facile (FAS ul): Done or achieved with little effort; easy.
  • Fastidious (fas TID ee us): Possessing careful attention to detail; difficult to please.
  • Meticulous (muh TIK yuh lus): Extremely careful and precise.
  • Solvent (SAHL vunt): Able to pay one’s debt.

Week 10

  • Alienated (AY lee en ay tid): Removed or disassociated from (friends, family, homeland).
  • Abstract (ab STRAKT): Not applied to actual objects.
  • Anachronism (an A krun ism): Something out of place in time or sequence.
  • Anthropomorphism (an thrah puh MOR fizm): The attribution of humanlike characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, or forces of nature.
  • Apparatus (ap uh RAT us): Equipment; a group of machines.
  • Tentative (TEN ta tiv): Not yet finalized.
  • Archetype (AR keh type): A perfect example; an original pattern or model.
  • Brittle (BRIT ul): Easily broken when subjected to pressure.
  • Treacherous (tret CHER us): Dangerous and unstable.
  • Tactful (TACT ful): Skilled at dealing with people.

Week 11

  • Lexicon (LEKS uh kahn): A word book describing language with definitions; a dictionary.
  • Metonymy (meh THAN uh mee): A type of figurative language in which one term is substituted for another term with which it is closely associated (e.g., Capitol Hill for U.S. Congress).
  • Oxymoron (ahk see MORE on): An apparent contradiction of terms.
  • Vital (VI tul): Urgently necessary.
  • Paradigm (PAR a dym): An example or model.
  • Penitent (PEN ih tunt): Expressing remorse for one’s misdeeds.

Week 12

  • Unprecedented (un PRES uh dented): Completely new and never having happened before; historic.
  • Phenomenon (feh NAH meh nahn): An unusual, observable event.
  • Viability (VIA bill ity): Ability to be done in a practical or useful way.
  • Sardonic (sar DAH nik): Disdainfully or ironically humorous; harsh; bitter, or caustic.
  • Spur (SPUR): To stimulate or incite.
  • Plausible (PLAUSE uble): Reasonable and possibly true.
  • Theoretical (thee oh RET ih kul): Lacking application or practical application.
  • Truncated (TRUN kay tid): Shortened, cut off.
  • Austere (aw STEER): Without decoration; strict.
  • Mediocrity (mee dee AH krih tee): The state or quality of being average; of moderate to low quality.
  • Mundane (mun DAYN): Commonplace; ordinary.
  • Obsolete (OB so leet): No longer used; rare or uncommon.
  • Prosaic (pro ZAY ik): Unimaginative; dull.
  • Sedentary (SEH dun tair ee): Not migratory; settled.

Week 13

  • Brusque (BRUSK): Rudely abrupt.
  • Caustic (KAW stik): Bitingly sarcastic or witty.
  • Fractious (FRAK shus): Quarrelsome; unruly.
  • Incorrigible (in KOR ij uh bul): Unable to be reformed.
  • Ingrate (IN grayt): An ungrateful person.
  • Insolent (IN suh lunt): Insulting in manner or speech.
  • Notorious (noh TOR ee us): Known widely and unusually unfavorably; infamous.
  • Pugnacious (pug NAY shus): Combative; belligerent.
  • Malicious (muh LISH us): Harmful; spiteful.
  • Invoke (in VOKE): To call on; to appeal to (e.g., a higher power).