Sat Vocab Set 6

Front 1

compunction

Back 1

(n.) distress caused by feeling guilty

He felt compunction for the shabby way he’d treated her.

Front 2

debauch

Back 2

(v.) to corrupt by means of sensual pleasures

An endless amount of good wine and cheese debauched the traveler.

Front 3

penurious

Back 3

(adj.) miserly, stingy

Stella complained that her husband’s penurious ways made it impossible to live the lifestyle she felt she deserved.

Front 4

mendacious

Back 4

(adj.) having a lying, false character

The mendacious content of the tabloid magazines is at least entertaining.

Front 5

salient

Back 5

(adj.) significant, conspicuous

One of the salient differences between Alison and Nancy is that Alison is a foot taller.

Front 6

phlegmatic

Back 6

(adj.) uninterested, unresponsive

Monique feared her dog was ill after the animal’s phlegmatic response to his favorite chew toy.

Front 7

grievous

Back 7

(adj.) injurious, hurtful; serious or grave in nature

Electrocuting the inmate without being sure of his guilt would be a truly grievous mistake.

Front 8

rapport

Back 8

(n.) mutual understanding and harmony

When Margaret met her paramour, they felt an instant rapport.

Front 9

circumscribed

Back 9

(adj.) marked off, bounded

The children were permitted to play tag only within a carefully circumscribed area of the lawn.

Front 10

curtail

Back 10

(v.) to lessen, reduce

Since losing his job, he had to curtail his spending.

Front 11

eloquent

Back 11

(adj.) expressive, articulate, moving

The priest gave such an eloquent sermon that most churchgoers were crying.

Front 12

aggrandize

Back 12

(v.) to increase or make greater

Joseph always dropped the names of the famous people his father knew as a way to aggrandize his personal stature.

Front 13

atypical

Back 13

(adj.) not typical, unusual

Screaming and crying is atypical adult behavior.

Front 14

decorous

Back 14

(adj.) socially proper, appropriate

The appreciative guest displayed decorous behavior toward his host.

Front 15

respite

Back 15

(n.) a break, rest

Justin left the pub to gain a brief respite from the smoke and noise.

Front 16

truculent

Back 16

(adj.) ready to fight, cruel

This club doesn’t really attract the dangerous types, so why was that bouncer being so truculent?

Front 17

covet

Back 17

(v.) to desire enviously

I coveted Moses’s house, wife, and car.

Front 18

disaffected

Back 18

(adj.) rebellious, resentful of authority

Dismayed by Bobby’s poor behavior, the parents sent their disaffected son to a military academy to be disciplined.

Front 19

tranquil

Back 19

(adj.) calm

There is a time of night when nothing moves and everything is tranquil.

Front 20

alacrity

Back 20

(n.) eagerness, speed

For some reason, Chuck loved to help his mother whenever he could, so when his mother asked him to set the table he did so with alacrity.

Front 21

archaic

Back 21

(adj.) of or relating to an earlier period in time, outdated

In a few select regions of Western Mongolian, an archaic Chinese dialect is still spoken.

Front 22

meritorious

Back 22

(adj.) worthy of esteem or reward

Manfred was given the congressional medal of honor for his meritorious actions.

Front 23

accessible

Back 23

(adj.) obtainable, reachable

After studying with SparkNotes and getting a great score on the SAT, Marlena happily realized that her goal of getting into an Ivy-League college was accessible.

Front 24

ecstatic

Back 24

(adj.) intensely and overpoweringly happy

The couple was ecstatic when they learned that they had won the lottery.

Front 25

equanimity

Back 25

(n.) composure

Even though he had just been fired, Mr. Simms showed great equanimity by neatly packing up his desk and wishing everyone in the office well.

Front 26

anathema

Back 26

(n.) a cursed, detested person

I never want to see that murderer. He is an anathema to me.

Front 27

abhor

Back 27

(v.) to hate, detest

Because he always wound up kicking himself in the head when he tried to play soccer, Oswald began to abhor the sport.

Front 28

iconoclast

Back 28

(n.) one who attacks common beliefs or institutions

Jane goes to one protest after another, but she seems to be an iconoclast rather than an activist with a progressive agenda.

Front 29

dilatory

Back 29

(adj.) tending to delay, causing delay

The general’s dilatory strategy enabled the enemy to regroup.

Front 30

fortitude

Back 30

(n.) strength, guts

Achilles’ fortitude in battle is legendary.

Front 31

munificence

Back 31

(n.) generosity in giving

The royal family’s munificence made everyone else in their country rich.

Front 32

obtuse

Back 32

(adj.) lacking quickness of sensibility or intellect

Political opponents warned that the prime minister’s obtuse approach to foreign policy would embroil the nation in mindless war.

Front 33

perfidious

Back 33

(adj.) disloyal, unfaithful

After the official was caught selling government secrets to enemy agents, he was executed for his perfidious ways.

Front 34

resolve

Back 34

(v.) to find a solution

Sarah and Emma resolved their differences and shook hands.

(v.) to firmly decide

Lady Macbeth resolved to whip her husband into shape.

Front 35

satiate

Back 35

(v.) to satisfy excessively

Satiated after eating far too much turkey and stuffing,

Front 36

benign

Back 36

(adj.) favorable, not threatening, mild

We were all relieved to hear that the medical tests determined her tumor to be benign.

Front 37

laconic

Back 37

(adj.) terse in speech or writing

The author’s laconic style has won him many followers who dislike wordiness.

Front 38

myriad

Back 38

(adj.) consisting of a very great number

It was difficult to decide what to do Friday night because the city presented us with myriad possibilities for fun.

Front 39

palliate

Back 39

(v.) to reduce the severity of

The doctor trusted that the new medication would palliate her patient’s discomfort.

Front 40

promulgate

Back 40

(v.) to proclaim, make known

The film professor promulgated that both in terms of sex appeal and political intrigue, Sean Connery’s James Bond was superior to Roger Moore’s.

Front 41

idolatrous

Back 41

(adj.) excessively worshipping one object or person

Xena’s idolatrous fawning over the band—following them on tour, starting their fan club, filming their documentary—is really beginning to get on my nerves.

Front 42

adhere

Back 42

(n.) to stick to something

We adhered the poster to the wall with tape.

(n.)

Front 43

deft

Back 43

(adj.) skillful, capable

Having worked in a bakery for many years, Marcus was a deft bread maker.

Front 44

primeval

Back 44

(adj.) original, ancient

The first primates to walk on two legs, called Australopithecus, were the primeval descendants of modern man.

Front 45

encore

Back 45

(n.) the audience’s demand for a repeat performance; also the artist’s performance in response to that demand

At the end of the concert, all the fans yelled, “Encore! Encore!” but the band did not come out to play again.

Front 46

embezzle

Back 46

(v.) to steal money by falsifying records

The accountant was fired for embezzling $10,000 of the company’s funds.

Front 47

aggregate

Back 47

(n.) a whole or total

The three branches of the U.S. Government form an aggregate much more powerful than its individual parts.

(v.) to gather into a mass

The dictator tried to aggregate as many people into his army as he possibly could.

Front 48

allege

Back 48

(v.) to assert, usually without proof

The policeman had alleged that Marshall committed the crime, but after the investigation turned up no evidence, Marshall was set free.

Front 49

duplicity

Back 49

(n.) crafty dishonesty

His duplicity involved convincing his employees to let him lower their salaries and increase their stock options, and then to steal the money he saved and run the company into the ground.

Front 50

obdurate

Back 50

(adj.) unyielding to persuasion or moral influences

The obdurate old man refused to take pity on the kittens.

Front 51

vivacious

Back 51

(adj.) lively, sprightly

The vivacious clown makes all of the children laugh and giggle with his friendly antics.

Front 52

enamor

Back 52

(v.) to fill with love, fascinate, usually used in passive form followed by “of” or “with”

I grew enamored of that boy when he quoted my favorite love poem.

Front 53

platitude

Back 53

(n.) an uninspired remark, cliché

After reading over her paper, Helene concluded that what she thought were profound insights were actually

Front 54

transmute

Back 54

(v.) to change or alter in form

Ancient alchemists believed that it was possible to transmute lead into gold.

Front 55

elegy

Back 55

(n.) a speech given in honor of a dead person

At the funeral, the widow gave a moving elegy describing her love for her husband.

Front 56

pretense

Back 56

(n.)an appearance or action intended to deceive

Though he actually wanted to use his parents’ car to go on a date, Nick borrowed his parents’ car under the pretense of attending a group study session.

Front 57

quixotic

Back 57

(adj.) idealistic, impractical

Edward entertained a quixotic desire to fall in love at first sight in a laundromat.

Front 58

verbose

Back 58

(adj.) wordy, impaired by wordiness

It took the verbose teacher two hours to explain the topic, while it should have taken only fifteen minutes.

Front 59

timorous

Back 59

(adj.) timid, fearful

When dealing with the unknown, timorous Tallulah almost always broke into tears.

Front 60

regurgitate

Back 60

(v.) to vomit

Feeling sick, Chuck regurgitated his dinner.

(v.) to throw back exactly

Margaret rushed through the test, regurgitating all of the facts she’d memorized an hour earlier.

Front 61

repulse

Back 61

(v.) to disgust

Antisocial Annie tried to repulse people by neglecting to brush her teeth.

(v.) to push back

With a deft movement of her wrist and a punch to the stomach, Lacy repulsed Jack’s attempt to kiss her.

Front 62

exult

Back 62

(v.) to rejoice

When she found out she won the literature prize, Mary exulted by dancing and singing through the school’s halls.

Front 63

prepossessing

Back 63

(adj.) occupying the mind to the exclusion of other thoughts or feelings

Front 64

innate

Back 64

(adj.) inborn, native, inherent

His incredible athletic talent is innate, he never trains, lifts weights, or practices.

Front 65

solvent

Back 65

(n.) a substance that can dissolve other substances

Water is sometimes called the universal solvent because almost all other substances can dissolve into it.

(adj.) able to pay debts

Upon receiving an unexpected check from her aunt, Annabelle found herself suddenly solvent.

Front 66

deter

Back 66

(v.) to discourage, prevent from doing

Bob’s description of scary snakes couldn’t deter Marcia from traveling in the rainforests.

Front 67

nuance

Back 67

(n.) a slight variation in meaning, tone, expression

The nuances of the poem were not obvious to the casual reader, but the professor was able to point them out.

Front 68

buffet

Back 68

(v.) to strike with force

The strong winds buffeted the ships, threatening to capsize them.

(n.) an arrangement of food set out on a table

Rather than sitting around a table, the guests took food from our buffet and ate standing up.

Front 69

maxim

Back 69

(n.) a common saying expressing a principle of conduct

Miss Manners’s etiquette maxims are both entertaining and instructional.

Front 70

vex

Back 70

(v.) to confuse or annoy

My little brother vexes me by poking me in the ribs for hours on end.

Front 71

didactic

Back 71

(adj.) intended to instruct

She wrote up a didactic document showing new employees how to handle the company’s customers.

(adj.) overly moralistic

His didactic style of teaching made it seem like he wanted to persuade his students not to understand history fully, but to understand it from only one point of view.

Front 72

ardor

Back 72

(n.) extreme vigor, energy, enthusiasm

The soldiers conveyed their ardor with impassioned battle cries.

Front 73

intransigent

Back 73

(adj.) refusing to compromise, often on an extreme opinion

The intransigent child said he would have 12 scoops of ice cream, or he would bang his head against the wall until his mother fainted from fear.

Front 74

fractious

Back 74

(adj.) troublesome or irritable

Although the child insisted he wasn’t tired, his fractious behavior—especially his decision to crush his cheese and crackers all over the floor—convinced everyone present that it was time to put him to bed.

Front 75

grandiose

Back 75

(adj.) on a magnificent or exaggerated scale

Margaret planned a grandiose party, replete with elephants, trapeze artists, and clowns.

Front 76

compliant

Back 76

(adj.) ready to adapt oneself to another’s wishes

Sue had very strong opinions about what to do on a first date, and Ted was absolutely compliant.

Front 77

lurid

Back 77

(adj.) ghastly, sensational

Gideon’s story, in which he described a character torturing his sister’s dolls, was judged too lurid to be printed in the school’s literary magazine.

Front 78

carp

Back 78

(v.) to annoy, pester

The husband divorced his wife after listening to her carping voice for decades.

Front 79

insolent

Back 79

(adj.) rude, arrogant, overbearing

That celebrity is so insolent, making fun of his fans right to their faces.

Front 80

rectitude

Back 80

(n.) uprightness, extreme morality

The priest’s rectitude gave him the moral authority to counsel his parishioners.

Front 81

revere

Back 81

(v.) to esteem, show deference, venerate

The doctor saved countless lives with his combination of expertise and kindness and became universally revered.

Front 82

staid

Back 82

(adj.) sedate, serious, self-restrained

The staid butler never changed his expression no matter what happened.

Front 83

acrimony

Back 83

(n.) bitterness, discord

Though they vowed that no girl would ever come between them, Biff and Trevor could not keep acrimony from overwhelming their friendship after they both fell in love with the lovely Teresa.

Front 84

penchant

Back 84

(n.) a tendency, partiality, preference

Jill’s dinner parties quickly became monotonous on account of her penchant for Mexican dishes.

Front 85

acumen

Back 85

(n.) keen insight

Because of his mathematical acumen, Larry was able to figure out in minutes problems that took other students hours.

Front 86

assail

Back 86

(v.) to attack

At dawn, the war planes assailed the boats in the harbor. assess

(v.) to evaluate

A crew arrived to assess the damage after the crash. assiduous

(adj.) hard-working, diligent

The construction workers erected the

Front 87

derelict

Back 87

(adj.) abandoned, run-down

Even though it was dangerous, the children enjoyed going to the deserted lot and playing in the derelict house.

Front 88

stupefy

Back 88

(v.) to astonish, make insensible

Veronica’s audacity and ungratefulness stupefied her best friend, Heather.

Front 89

concede

Back 89

(v.) to accept as valid

Andrew had to concede that what his mother said about Diana made sense.

Front 90

puerile

Back 90

(adj.) juvenile, immature

The judge demanded order after the lawyer’s puerile attempt to object by stomping his feet on the courtroom floor.

Front 91

renown

Back 91

(n.) honor, acclaim

The young writer earned international renown by winning the Pulitzer Prize.

Front 92

anecdote

Back 92

(n.) a short, humorous account

After dinner, Marlon told an anecdote about the time he got his nose stuck in a toaster.

Front 93

abort

Back 93

(v.) to give up on a half-finished project or effort

After they ran out of food, the men, attempting to jump rope around the world, had to abort and go home.

Front 94

disparate

Back 94

(adj.) sharply differing, containing sharply contrasting elements

Having widely varying interests, the students had disparate responses toward the novel.

Front 95

emulate

Back 95

(v.) to imitate

I idolize Britney Spears so much that I emulate everything she does: I wear her outfits, sing along to her songs, and date a boy named Justin.

Front 96

abject

Back 96

(adj.) wretched, pitiful

After losing all her money, falling into a puddle, and breaking her ankle, Eloise was abject.

Front 97

accede

Back 97

(v.) to agree

When the class asked the teacher whether they could play baseball instead of learn grammar they expected him to refuse, but instead he acceded to their request.

Front 98

hypocrisy

Back 98

(n.) pretending to believe what one does not

Once the politician began passing legislation that contradicted his campaign promises, his hypocrisy became apparent.

Front 99

pittance

Back 99

(n.) a very small amount, especially relating to money

Josh complained that he was paid a pittance for the great amount of work he did at the firm.

Front 100

querulous

Back 100

(adj.) whiny, complaining

If deprived of his pacifier, young Brendan becomes querulous.