Psat Study A-Z

Front 1

Abhor

Back 1

verb

Definition: Detest, hate

Memory Trick:

AbHOR sounds just HORrid which is how you would feel about someone you abhor.
See it in Action:

* Mitchell claimed she abhorred soap operas but somehow you could find them on her TIVO.
* "I abhor every common-place phrase by which wit is intended." (from Shmoop's Sense and Sensibility Learning Guide)

Front 2

Adamant

Back 2

adjective

Definition: Persistent, stubborn, unmoving

Memory Trick:

Adam Ant was the finest insect superhero in history. He was always sure of his mission.

Adamant sounds a little like cement, which stays put no matter how hard you kick at it (ouch!).

This comes from the Latin “adamantem,” which means “the hardest metal” and is also where we get the word “diamond” from. Someone who feels adamant doesn’t give a...darn...about what anyone else has to say. Think Admiral William Adama from Battlestar Galactica.
See it in Action:


* Tiger was adamant that the put broke left even though his caddy told him it broke right.
* The girl was adamant about not seeing the movie adaptations of the Harry Potter books – she insisted they would ruin the story for her.

Front 3

Assuage

Back 3

verb

Definition: Relieve, ease pain or other negative feelings

Memory Trick:

Assuage sounds like "sway" - picture a parent rocking a baby to sleep and comforting it.
See it in Action:

* Calvin tried to assuage his boss's anger over the collapsed bridge by offering him one of his bologna sandwiches.
* The posthumous release of "This Is It" somewhat assuaged the grief of Michael Jackson's mourners.

Front 4

Bemused

Back 4

adjective

Definition: Mildly amused, lost in thought or delight

Memory Trick:

One can "be amused" by something else while the professor is talking.
See it in Action:

* He constantly wore this bemused expression; everyone thought he was a genius but he was really just thinking about his girlfriend.

Front 5

Bereft

Back 5

adjective

Definition: Missing, without

Memory Trick:

"Bereft" sounds like "theft," and in both cases, something ends up missing.
See it in Action:

* I was absolutely bereft when the Miami Dolphins won only six games, but then I realized, hey, at least they're not Detroit.
* Stuck at his grandparents’ house and bereft of his South Park DVDs, he decided to pick up a book instead.

Front 6

Camaraderie

Back 6

noun

Definition: Spirit of friendship

Memory Trick:

Think of the word "comrade," a term used to address someone who is your friend.
See it in Action:

* The camaraderie among the football players made the New England Patriots a dominant team in 2007, until the New York Giants showed that good old fashioned enmity wins Super Bowl.
* I didn't know my hole card from my elbow, but I really enjoyed the camaraderie of the weekly poker game.

Front 7

Chide

Back 7

verb

Definition: Scold

Memory Trick:

Charlie childishly chided Charlene because she wouldn't go out with him. The next day when Charlene saw Charlie at school, she decided to HIDE rather than be cHIDEd again.

The child would rather hide than be chided for refusing to eat chives.
See it in Action:

* I chided my dog because she flunked her latest round of obedience school.
* The history teacher chided her students for not doing their homework.

Front 8

Deleterious

Back 8

adjective

Definition: Harmful, bad for your health

Memory Trick:

Something DELETErious is bad for you – you should DELETE it.

An infected computer file is deleterious and should be deleted.
See it in Action:

* H1N1 is a deleterious virus; it can make you very sick.

Front 9

Endanger

Back 9

verb

Definition: Expose someone or something to danger, put at risk

Memory Trick:

Break it down and it sounds like "in danger."

If you tell people you are related to Rodney DANGERfield, you may be enDANGERing your career as a dramatic actor.
See it in Action:

* The crafty wolf endangered the three little pigs but they outsmarted him by going into construction.
* Already in enough trouble himself, Damon did not want to further endanger his girlfriend by telling her the name of the gangster with whom he had become associated, so he got her to guess it via a game of charades.

Front 10

Fastidious

Back 10

adjective

Definition: Super picky, precise, exacting

Memory Trick:

If you are fasTIDIous, you are probably very TIDY.

Don't clean the house too FAST, or the FASTidious owner will not be satisifed.
See it in Action:

* Double-checking to make sure that no hair was out of place was merely part of his fastidious nature; once he had finished with his nose, he could move on to his ears.
* While a bit aggravating, the wedding planner's fastidious ways got results – the party was a huge success.