Dalby SAT Word List. Week One

Transcription

1 Week One Dalby SAT Word List 1. vicarious adj. done by one person substituting for another, vicar n. one who represents another 2. enigma n. mystery, puzzle, enigmatic adj. mysterious, enigmatically adv. mysteriously 3. adulate v. to praise excessively. Compare with adulatory adj., adulation n. 4. orthodox adj. conservative; fundamental, orthodoxy n. the established beliefs of a religion 5. anachronistic adj. something out of its proper time, anachronism n. 6. idiosyncratic adj. idiosyncrasy n. behavioral eccentricity 7. abhor v. to detest, loathe, abhorrence n., abhorrent adj. repellent 8. surreptitious adj. secret or stealthy, surreptitiously adv. 9. debacle n. a sudden disastrous collapse, downfall or defeat 10. consecration n., consecrate v. to make sacred, ant. desecrate v. to abuse the sacredness of 11. equitable adj. impartial, fair 12. calumny n. slander 13. assiduous adj. diligent, assiduously adv. diligently 14. profound adj. deep, profundity n. 15. amalgam n. a mixture (in chemistry a mixture of mercury and another metal), amalgamation n. 16. polemic n. controversy, argument or debate, polemical adj. 17. laud v. to praise, laudatory n. praiseworthy, plaudit n. expression of praise, applause n. praise shown by clapping 18. indefatigable adj. untiring 19. nefarious adj. evil, wicked 20. insidious adj. working in a subtle or secret manner 21. stagnation n., stagnant adj. stale, not moving (as in stagnant water) 22. rancor n. deep-seated ill will, rancorous adj., rancorously adv. 23. decorous adj. proper, decorum n. conformity to social convention 24. viscous adj. tending to resist flow (ex: honey is a viscous fluid) 25. frugal adj. careful with money; thrifty, frugality n. 26. indiscreet adj. imprudent, indiscretion n. ant. discretion n. good judgment 27. mendicant n. a beggar 28. sycophant n. a servile flatterer of important persons 29. dissembler n. one who feigns, dissemble v. to disguise the real nature of, to feign or simulate 30. collusion n. the act of conspiring to defraud, collude v. to connive 31. façade n. the front face of a building; an artificial or false appearance 32. buffoon n. a clown or jester, buffoonery n. clowning 33. affect v. to pretend or feign, affectation n. artificial behavior assumed or simulated to impress others 34. exhort v. to urge strongly by argument, exhortation n. a strong urging 35. benefactor n. literally a do-gooder, one who gives financial or other aid, ant. malefactor n. an evil doer 36. avarice n. greed 37. glutton n. one who eats to excess, gluttony n., gluttonous adj. 38. eulogy n. a public speech given in praise of someone or something 39. divert v. to amuse or entertain, diversion n. amusement or entertainment 40. stoic n. one unmoved emotionally by pleasure or pain

2 Week Two 1. provincial adj. narrow-minded; rustic 2. impunity n. exemption from punishment or penalty 3. equanimity n. calmness, imperturbability 4. alacrity n. cheerful eagerness; sprightliness 5. fortitude n. strength of mind that allows one to endure pain or adversity with courage 6. galvanize v. to arouse awareness or action 7. rebuke v. scold, castigate; upbraid 8. sanguine adj. hopeful 9. dire adj. warning of disaster; urgent; grave 10. tenuous adj. thin, insubstantial; flimsy 11. florid adj. heavily embellished; flowery; flushed; ruddy. 12. raucous adj. boisterous, disorderly 13. eclectic adj. drawn from different sources 14. indigenous adj. native, aborigine 15. pedestrian adj. commonplace 16. bereavement n. grief; mourning the death of another 17. animosity n. enmity; bitter hostility 18. elucidate v. to make clear, lucid adj. clear, luz, luc, lux = light 19. pugnacity n. aggressiveness, pugilist n. a boxer, pugnacious adj. aggressive 20. gullible adj. easily deceived or duped 21. posterity n. future generations 22. eloquence n. fluid and persuasive discourse, circumlocution n. talk that goes in circles, loc, loq = talk 23. misanthrope n. one who hates mankind, ant. philanthrope, philanthropist n. humanitarian 24. nocturnal adj. occurring at night, ant. diurnal 25. cerebral adj. pertaining to the brain 26. reticent adj. disinclined to speak out 27. zealot n. fanatic 28. ardent adj. passionate 29. officious adj. excessively forward in offering service or advice 30. superfluous adj. unnecessary 31. impetuous adj. impulsive 32. disparage v. belittle 33. vindicate v. to clear of blame 34. veneer n. a thin layer of material used to cover an inferior material 35. embellish v. to decorate 36. transcend v. to rise above, surpass; exceed, trans = move 37. apprehension n. fearfulness 38. disquiet v. to make uneasy, to trouble 39. exemplary adj. admirable, ideal 40. trite adj. overused, lacking in originality 41. pliancy n. receptive to change 42. shroud v. & n. to cover with a cloth; a burial cloth 43. torpid adj. sluggish 44. belligerent adj. aggressively hostile, warlike, cf. bellicose, belli = war

3 Week Three 1. didactic adj. intended to teach, making moral observations 2. warrant v. to justify 3. oblique adj. neither parallel nor perpendicular; indirect, devious 4. verbose adj. wordy, cf. prolix 5. tacit adj. quiet, silent cf. taciturn 6. inimical adj. hostile, unfriendly 7. ameliorate v. to make better or more tolerable 8. talisman n. a charm used to avert evil and bring good fortune 9. harbinger n. one who presages or foreshadows what is to come 10. beneficent adj. doing or producing good, especially acts of kindness and charity 11. dilettante n. a person having a superficial interest in an art or branch of knowledge 12. itinerant n. one who travels from place to place 13. obstreperous adj. stubbornly resistant to control 14. soporific adj. something that induces sleep 15. repugnance n. strong dislike or distaste 16. molt v. the shedding of shells, horns, fur, or feathers 17. digress v. to turn from the main subject of attention 18. voracious adj. having a huge appetite 19. congenial adj. pleasant, sociable 20. immaterial adj. of no substantial importance 21. drone n. a monotonous sound, also a drudge; parasite 22. inflection n. a change in pitch or loudness of voice 23. carp v. to find fault, complain 24. castigation n. severe punishment 25. collaborate v. to work jointly with others 26. exacerbate v. to make more violent, bitter, or severe 27. exonerate v. to relieve of responsibility or blame 28. temporal adj. relating to earthly life 29. impeccable adj. incapable of sinning; flawless 30. mitigate v. to lessen in severity 31. propagate v. to increase; to foster growing knowledge 32. revile v. to subject to verbal abuse 33. novice n. a beginner 34. equivocate v. to use ambiguous language with intent to deceive; to avoid committing oneself 35. paragon n. a model of excellence 36. conundrum n. an intricate and difficult problem; mystery 37. vignette n. a short, descriptive, literary sketch 38. somnolent adj. heavy with sleep, drowsy 39. charlatan n. a fraud or faker 40. quack n. a fraud, one who pretends to have medical skill

4 Week Four 1. dubious adj. arousing doubt or uncertainty 2. multifarious adj. having great variety 3. epitomize v. to sum up; to typify 4. embroil v. to throw into conflict or confusion 5. mélange n. a mixture 6. sonorous adj. producing a full, deep, or rich sound; impressive, cf. grandiloquent 7. quell v. to quash; to pacify 8. denigrate v. to belittle maliciously 9. unalloyed adj. complete; unqualified 10. innocuous adj. harmless 11. scourge v. & n. to whip or flog; a whip 12. insidious adj. intended to entrap; treacherous 13. overture n. an instrumental introduction to an extended musical work 14. vigilance n. alert watchfulness 15. flippant adj. casually disrespectful 16. ostracize v. to banish or exclude from a group 17. incite v. to stir up 18. instigation n. to urge on; to goad 19. precarious adj. dangerously lacking in stability 20. cantankerous adj. grouchy, ill-tempered or quarrelsome 21. testy adj. irritable, grouchy 22. altercation n. vehement argument 23. vehemence n. forceful expression 24. repartee n. conversation marked by swift, witty remarks 25. encompass v. to surround or include 26. reprehensible adj. deserving of rebuke or censure; blameworthy 27. gait adj. a way of moving on foot 28. garb n. clothing; an especially distinctive way of dressing 29. lilt n. a cheerful, rhythmic, or lively manner of speaking 30. hermetic adj. completely sealed, especially against the escape or entry of air 31. permeate v. to spread or flow throughout, pervade 32. dour adj. harsh, stern, glum, sullen 33. diffident adj. lacking self-confidence, timid 34. sibilant adj. producing a hissing sound 35. veneration n. worthy of respect 36. pedantic adj. emphasizing trivial details of learning 37. entourage n. a group of attendants accompanying an important person 38. courtier n. an attendant at a sovereign s court 39. sovereign n. a king or monarch 40. peruse v. to read over carefully, to study

5 Week Five 1. perquisite n. gratuity, perk. Ex: The perquisites of the job include use of the company car. 2. penchant n. leaning, tendency. Ex: He has a penchant for spicy food. 3. pilfer v. to steal, usually small amounts 4. scope n. breadth or range 5. supple adj. elastic; showing freedom and ease of movement 6. adroit adj. astute, perspicacious, clever 7. docile adj. meek, obedient 8. circumvent v. to go around, frustrate, evade 9. ameliorate v. to improve, to make better 10. adept adj. proficient, adroit 11. congenial adj. friendly, affable, harmonious 12. amorphous adj. shapeless 13. atrophy v. & n. to waste away; the state of having wasted away 14. quiescent adj. latent, calm, halcyon, placid 15. incredulous adj. unwilling to admit or accept what is offered as true 16. agnostic adj. undecided or unsure about the existence and nature of God 17. iconoclast n. one who destroys sacred images; one who attacks popular ideas or institutions 18. empirical adj. based on factual information or observation 19. quixotic adj. extremely idealistic 20. laity n. all those persons who are not members of the clergy or a given profession 21. pliant adj. flexible, plastic 22. arboreal adj. treelike, inhabiting trees 23. extol v. to praise highly 24. censure v. to publicly scold, upbraid 25. furtive adj. secretive, stealthy 26. venal adj. open to corrupting influence, especially bribery 27. venial adj. pardonable, excusable, forgivable 28. extricate v. to free from an undesirable situation 29. paucity n. scarcity 30. cacophony n. din, loud, chaotic noise 31. insipid adj. banal, dull, bland 32. impromptu adj. ad lib, extemporaneous, improvisational 33. candid adj. frank, open, honest 34. olfactory adj. sense of smell 35. gustatory adj. sense of taste 36. tactile adj. kinesthetic, sense of touch 37. auditory adj. sense of hearing 38. eminent adj. august, esteemed, prominent, famous 39. impertinent adj. insolent, disrespectful 40. belie v. to show to be false

6 Week Six 1. insolent adj. presumptuous and insulting manner of speech 2. augment v. to increase, to make larger 3. precursor n. one that precedes and indicates or announces another; forerunner 4. charisma adj. a special quality of personal magnetism 5. dearth n. scarcity 6. pristine adj. of the earliest time or condition, primitive or original; remaining in a pure state 7. marred adj. damaged, defaced, or spoiled 8. honorific adj. conferring respect or honor 9. diminutive adj. tiny; designating certain suffixes that demote smallness, youth, or affection 10. invocation n. a prayer asking for assistance 11. pseudonym n. a fictitious name, especially a pen name 12. motley adj. having components of great variety; heterogeneous, varied 13. languid adj. lacking energy; showing little or no spirit 14. deference n. courteous respect 15. collaborate v. to work together, especially in a joint intellectual effort 16. prose n. ordinary speech or writing (as distinguished from verse), prosaic adj. dull 17. abstruse adj. difficult to understand 18. esoteric adj. understood by only a small group 19. unequivocal adj. unambiguous, clear 20. salutary adj. favorable to health 21. hackneyed adj. overused 22. arcane adj. known or understood only by a few; esoteric 23. gesticulate v. to make gestures, especially while speaking 24. enunciate v. to pronounce clearly, articulate 25. jaunt n. a short trip or excursion jaunty adj. stylish 26. pundit n. a learned or authoritative person 27. hapless adj. luckless, unfortunate 28. luminary n. a notable person in a specific field 29. pedagogy n. the art, profession, or study of teaching 30. pragmatic adj. practical 31. innate adj. inborn 32. affable adj. easy to speak to; amiable; mild, benign, or gentle 33. finagle v. to get or achieve by dubious or crafty methods 34. conflagration n. a large destructive fire 35. empathy n. identification with and understanding of another s situation, feelings and motives 36. preclude v. to make impossible, prevent; to exclude, debar 37. androgynous adj. having make and female characteristics at the same time 38. ignominious adj. characterized by shame or disgrace 39. succinct adj. clearly expressed in few words 40. aberration n. a deviation from the normal or typical 41. adamant adj. firm in purpose or opinion; unyielding 42. swindle v. to cheat or defraud someone of money or property 43. truculent adj. savage and cruel, fierce; disposed to fight, cf. pugnacious