Sat Vocabulary (Embassy)

Front 1

Nefarious

Back 1

adj. (typically of an action or activity) wicked or criminal.

Hint 1

the nefarious activities of the organized-crime syndicates

Front 2

Pretentious

Back 2

adj. attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc. than is actually possessed.

Hint 2

a pretentious literary device

Front 3

Haughty

Back 3

adj. arrogantly superior and disdainful.

Hint 3

a look of haughty disdain

Front 4

Ingenuity

Back 4

n. the quality of being clever, original, and inventive.

Hint 4

one has to admire the ingenuity of the croquet community

Front 5

Lewd

Back 5

adj. crude and offensive in a sexual way.

Hint 5

she began to gyrate to the music and sing a lewd song

Front 6

Precocious

Back 6

adj. (of a child) having developed certain abilities or proclivities at an earlier age than usual.

Hint 6

he was a precocious, solitary boy

Front 7

Enmity

Back 7

n. the state of feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something.

Hint 7

enmity between Protestants and Catholics

Front 8

Decorous

Back 8

adj. in keeping with good taste and propriety; polite and restrained.

Hint 8

dancing with decorous space between partners

Front 9

Impecunious

Back 9

adj. having little or no money.

Hint 9

a titled but impecunious family

Front 10

Circumspect

Back 10

adj. wary and unwilling to take risks; cautious.

Hint 10

the officials were very circumspect in their statements

Front 11

Abridge

Back 11

v. shorten

Hint 11

the cassettes have been abridged from the original stories

Front 12

Beguile

Back 12

v. charm or enchant (someone), sometimes in a deceptive way.

Hint 12

every prominent American artist has been beguiled by Maine

Front 13

Demagogue

Back 13

n. a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument.

Hint 13

he was drawn into a circle of campus demagogues

Front 14

Exorbitant

Back 14

adj. (of a price or amount charged) unreasonably high.

Hint 14

the exorbitant price of tickets

Front 15

Alacrity

Back 15

n. brisk and cheerful readiness.

Hint 15

she accepted the invitation with alacrity

Front 16

Cloying

Back 16

adj. sickly sweet; over sentimental.

Hint 16

a romantic, rather cloying story

Front 17

Contemplate

Back 17

v. look thoughtfully for a long time at.

Hint 17

he sat on the carpet contemplating his image in the mirrors

Front 18

Perfunctory

Back 18

adj. carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection.

Hint 18

he gave a perfunctory nod

Front 19

Harangue

Back 19

n. a lengthy and aggressive speech.

v. lecture (someone) at length in an aggressive and critical manner.

Hint 19

the kind of guy who harangued total strangers about PCB levels in whitefish

Front 20

Inauspicious

Back 20

adj. not conducive to success; unpromising.

Hint 20

it was an inauspicious beginning to the long and complex entanglement

Front 21

Obstreperous

Back 21

adj. noisy and difficult to control.

Hint 21

the boy is cocky and obstreperous

Front 22

Truculent

Back 22

adj. eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant.

Hint 22

his days of truculent defiance were over

Front 23

Condescending

Back 23

adj. having or showing a feeling of patronizing superiority.

Hint 23

she thought the teachers were arrogant and condescending

Front 24

Sagacious

Back 24

adj. having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgment; shrewd.

Hint 24

they were sagacious enough to avoid any outright confrontation

Front 25

Conundrum

Back 25

n. a confusing and difficult problem or question.

Hint 25

one of the most difficult conundrum for the experts

Front 26

Denigrate

Back 26

v. criticize unfairly; disparage.

Hint 26

there is a tendency to denigrate the poor

Front 27

Belligerent

Back 27

adj. hostile and aggressive.

Hint 27

a bull-necked, belligerent old man

Front 28

Onerous

Back 28

adj. (of a task, duty, or responsibility) involving an amount of effort and difficulty that is oppressively burdensome.

Hint 28

he found his duties increasingly onerous

Front 29

Perspicacity

Back 29

n. the quality of having a ready insight into things; shrewdness.

Hint 29

the perspicacity of her remarks

Front 30

Effusive

Back 30

adj. expressing feelings of gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner.

Hint 30

an effusive welcome

Front 31

Abridge

Back 31

v. shorten

Hint 31

the cassettes have been abridged from the original stories

Front 32

Beguile

Back 32

v. charm or enchant (someone), sometimes in a deceptive way.

Hint 32

every prominent American artist has been beguiled by Maine

Front 33

Demagogue

Back 33

n. a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than by using rational argument.

Hint 33

he was drawn into a circle of campus demagogues

Front 34

Exorbitant

Back 34

adj. (of a price or amount charged) unreasonably high.

Hint 34

the exorbitant price of tickets

Front 35

Alacrity

Back 35

n. brisk and cheerful readiness.

Hint 35

she accepted the invitation with alacrity

Front 36

Cloying

Back 36

adj. sickly sweet; over sentimental.

Hint 36

a romantic, rather cloying story

Front 37

Contemplate

Back 37

v. look thoughtfully for a long time at.

Hint 37

he sat on the carpet contemplating his image in the mirrors

Front 38

Perfunctory

Back 38

adj. carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection.

Hint 38

he gave a perfunctory nod

Front 39

Harangue

Back 39

n. a lengthy and aggressive speech.

v. lecture (someone) at length in an aggressive and critical manner.

Hint 39

the kind of guy who harangued total strangers about PCB levels in whitefish

Front 40

Inauspicious

Back 40

adj. not conducive to success; unpromising.

Hint 40

it was an inauspicious beginning to the long and complex entanglement

Front 41

Obstreperous

Back 41

adj. noisy and difficult to control.

Hint 41

the boy is cocky and obstreperous

Front 42

Truculent

Back 42

adj. eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant.

Hint 42

his days of truculent defiance were over

Front 43

Condescending

Back 43

adj. having or showing a feeling of patronizing superiority.

Hint 43

she thought the teachers were arrogant and condescending

Front 44

Sagacious

Back 44

adj. having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgment; shrewd.

Hint 44

they were sagacious enough to avoid any outright confrontation

Front 45

Conundrum

Back 45

n. a confusing and difficult problem or question.

Hint 45

one of the most difficult conundrum for the experts

Front 46

Denigrate

Back 46

v. criticize unfairly; disparage.

Hint 46

there is a tendency to denigrate the poor

Front 47

Belligerent

Back 47

adj. hostile and aggressive.

Hint 47

a bull-necked, belligerent old man

Front 48

Onerous

Back 48

adj. (of a task, duty, or responsibility) involving an amount of effort and difficulty that is oppressively burdensome.

Hint 48

he found his duties increasingly onerous

Front 49

Perspicacity

Back 49

n. the quality of having a ready insight into things; shrewdness.

Hint 49

the perspicacity of her remarks

Front 50

Effusive

Back 50

adj. expressing feelings of gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner.

Hint 50

an effusive welcome