Like,
Words and Stuff . . . Following
is a list of vocabulary words to study in preparation for the Verbal
subtest of either the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The
"definitions" provided are by no means complete. They are
merely reasonable synonyms for the terms--words and short phrases with
similar meaning that are likely to be more familiar. But even having
just a vague idea of the meaning of a term is usually all you need to
choose the correct response on the test--and that's the whole idea. How to use this list 1)
Print it out (Duh). Cross out each term you definitely already know. The List The
terms appear in random order. They are not taken from any particular
source, but from dictionaries. I have no special knowledge that these
words tend to appear on any particular test, but they are, in my
experience, likely candidates to appear on any vocab test. This
list focuses on more advanced, obscure vocabulary. There will also be
many vocabulary words on the SAT that
are not as difficult as these, but which nevertheless may be unfamiliar
to many people. If the words below seem quite difficult to you, I
suggest you purchase a book on vocabulary and expose yourself to the
more common vocabulary words that do not appear on this particular list.
obstreperous--noisy,
loud contumacious--insubordinate,
rebellious mettlesome--courageous,
high-spirited. Don't confuse with "meddlesome," meaning
inclined to interfere. cadge--to
beg, to get by begging pith--heart
of the matter, basic trait. Also force, strength, or vigor supine--lying
on the back. Also slow to act, passive. remonstrate--to
protest, object inveigh--to
attack verbally, denounce, deprecate precepts--rules
establishing standards of conduct impute--to
attribute to a cause or source, ascribe feckless--lacking
purpose or vitality; ineffective; careless decorum--propriety,
properness. penchant--strong
inclination, a liking. appropriate
(verb)--take for one's own use, acquire, set aside. Don't confuse with
"appropriate (adjective)," which means fitting or suitable. truculence--aggressiveness,
ferocity garrulity--talkativeness.
Adjective is garrulous--talkative arabesque--a
complex, ornate design. Also a dance position. beatify--to
bless, make happy, or ascribe a virtue to. Regard as saintly. Don't
confuse with "beautify," which means to make beautiful. forbearance--patience,
willingness to wait. veritable--unquestionable,
true. pragmatic--practical,
favoring utility. arrant--in
every way, being completely such. consequential--pompous,
self important. Also having consequence, important. Also following as a
result, or being an effect of some cause. malinger--to
fake illness or injury, in order to shirk a duty. paucity--scarcity,
a lacking of striated--striped,
grooved, or banded. Having stripes. seminal--like
a seed; constituting a source, originative. attenuate--make
thin. weaken, enervate. precarious--uncertain,
risky, dangerous. enervate--weaken,
deprive of strength, attenuate. partisan--one-sided,
committed to a party, biased or prejudiced. equivocate--lie,
mislead, conceal the truth. assiduous--diligent,
hard-working, sedulous. anachronism--something
out of place for its time lassitude--weariness,
tiredness phlegmatic--calm,
sluggish temperament; unemotional sycophant--flatterer,
parasite; a suck-up perfunctory--superficial,
listless, not thorough impair--worsen,
diminish in value transient--temporary,
fleeting qualify--to
limit nascent--coming
into existence, emerging Quixotic--extravagantly
chivalrous, romantically idealistic, impractical reprobate--person
hardened in sin; one devoid of decency libertine--immoral
person tractable--easily
influenced, obedient, docile craven--cowardly
picaresque--involving
clever rogues or adventurers. Don't confuse with
"picturesque," which means picture-like, charming, or quaint. sedulous--diligent,
assiduous, devoted to a task aver--affirm,
assert, prove, justify intrepid--fearless,
brave, undaunted impassive--without
feeling, not affected by pain salient--conspicuous,
highly relevant, prominent morose--gloomy,
sullen raffish--low,
vulgar, base, tawdry loquacious--talkative,
garrulous piquant--agreeably
pungent, stimulating demur--to
hesitate, raise objections equipoise--equal
distribution of weight; equilibrium abysmal--extreme;
low, like an abyss tawdry--cheap,
gaudy, showy, tacky dross--waste
product, sludge; something worthless, common, or trivial ardor--warm
interest, passion, enthusiasm, zeal insouciant--unconcerned,
carefree volubility--fluency,
verbosity, easy use of spoken language dulcet--melodious,
harmonious mellifluous--sweetly
flowing; usually used to describe use of words (sweetly flowing words,
as when the speech is characterized by high volubility. desiccate--to
dry up, dehydrate harrow--to
distress, create stress or torment pellucid--transparent,
easy to understand pariah--an
outcast, a rejected and despised person taciturn--untalkative,
silent pique--resentment
at being slighted turgid--excessively
ornate; swollen or bloated ]pillory--to
punish, hold up to public scorn adamant--hard
and inflexible; unyielding multifarious--varied,
motley, greatly diversified torpor--lethargy,
sluggishness, dormancy imprecation--an
invocation of evil; a curse audacious--daring;
bold hirsute--hairy,
shaggy tenacity--firmness,
persistency, adhesiveness, tending to hang on apostate--one
who abandons long-held religious or political convictions lachrymose--causing
tears, tearful welter--turmoil;
a bewildering jumble discomfit--to
defeat, put down laconic--brief,
to the point, terse venal--corruptible,
bribable, unprincipled ossify--to
turn to bone; to settle rigidly into an idea or practice, become
closed-minded disingenuous--sophisticated,
artful, trying to deceive, cunning insensible--unconscious,
unresponsive, unaffected turbid--muddy,
having the sediment stirred up erudite--learned,
scholarly saturnine--gloomy,
dark, sullen, morose abeyance--suspended
action diaphanous--transparent,
gauzy epitome--representative,
a summary or abstract, a typical example squalid--foul,
filthy quiescent--at
rest, dormant, torpid recreancy--cowardice,
a cowardly giving up misanthrope--one
who hates mankind misogynist--one
who hates women/females castigate--to
chastise, correct by punishing apprehension--misgiving,
dread. Also a stopping or arrest. Also an understandingprosaic--dull,
tedious, commonplace gainsay--deny
pungency--sharpness;
stinging quality approbation--approval
refractory--stubborn,
unmanageable, intractable contentious--quarrelsome,
competitive, quick to fight, pugnacious antipathy--aversion,
dislike hapless--unlucky,
unfortunate prevaricate--stray
from or avoid the truth; equivocate countenance--(n)
mien, face (v) approve of dogmatic--positive,
certain, arbitrary, without room for discussion |