Sat Vocabulary

Front 1

Tantalize
(TAN-tal-ize)
"Santa's Lies Tantalize."

Back 1

To excite by exposing something desirable while keeping it out of reach.

Front 2

Languid
(LANG gwid)
"A languid squid"

Back 2

lacking energy; weak; showing little interest in anything

Front 3

Benighted
(be NI tid)
"A benighted knight"

Back 3

Being in a state of intellectual darkness; ignorant; unenlightened

Front 4

Exalt
(ig ZAWLT)
"Everyone exalted the salt as the king of the condiments."

Back 4

to raise high; glorify

Front 5

Dire
(DYE ur)
"A dire fire"

Back 5

Disastrous; Desperate

Front 6

Kindle
(KIN dl)
"Patrick found a unique way to kindle candles"

Back 6

to cause to burn or ignite, to arouse or inspire

Front 7

Myriad
(MIR ee ud)
"Many mirrors add a myriad of reflections."

Back 7

An extremely large number.

Front 8

Rhetoric
(RET or ik)
"A salesman's RENT-A-WRECK rhetoric."

Back 8

the art or study of using language effectively and persuasively; over elaborate language

Front 9

Latent
(LAYT nt)
Trent ha a Latent talent as a singer which he didn't discover until he was in his 50's.

Back 9

Hidden potential

Front 10

Trenchant
(TREN chunt)
Julia had a trenchant tongue and was always putting her friends down behind their back.

Back 10

Cutting, incisive, having a sharp point; caustic, sarcastic

Front 11

Jaunt
(jawnt)
After not taking a family vacation for two years, a jaunt to the beach was a pleasant respite.

Back 11

A short pleasure trip

Front 12

Vertigo
(Ver ti go)
Charles was acrophobic and even suffered from vertigo while standing on a stool, replacing the lights in the kitchen.

Back 12

Dizziness

Front 13

Impede
(Im-pede)
he was only my uncle, but he always told me o matter what, not to let anyone impede my ambition to go to medical school.

Back 13

to obstruct or interfere with; to delay

Front 14

Countenance
(Kownt uh nanz)
The submarine commander's countenance belied his true feelings of anxiety and fear.

Back 14

a person's face, epically the expression

Front 15

Scrutinize
(SKROOT uh nyze)
Newspaper proof reader scrutinize an entire newspaper each day.

Back 15

to look very carefully; to examine

Front 16

Specter
(SPEK ter)
As the lights came up on stage, a specter seemed to materialize from no where.

Back 16

A ghost or phantom

Front 17

Paradox
(PAIR uh dahks)
Dr. Jekyll was often a paradox; as soon as you began to understand him, he became Mr. Hyde.

Back 17

a statement that seems true but at the same time seems to also have an opposite truth.

Front 18

Wax
(waks)
Discord waxed at an alarming rate.

Back 18

to increase gradually.

Front 19

Wane
(wain)
Marilyn's interest in a new beau began to wane when she discovered Jack had invited three other girls as his date for the junior prom.

Back 19

to decrease gradually.

Front 20

Copious
(Co ops ous)
The copious harvest brought more than enough food for the hungry orphans, but still many did not make it through the winter.

Back 20

Large in quantity or number; abundant; plentiful

Front 21

Perspicacious
Annotating the novel, Perry's perspiration increased while concentrating on perspicacious reading.

Back 21

Mental discernment

Front 22

Marauder
(muh RAWD er)
The fiercest marauders are ma raiders.

Back 22

Raider, intruder

Front 23

Cower
(KOW ur)
Bessie, the cowering cow, never could stand the sight of her own milk.

Back 23

Cringe from fear; to shrink away

Front 24

Aloof
(uh LOOF)
Most everyone thought Theodore aloof when actually he was only very shy.

Back 24

distant

Front 25

Shod
(shod)
To this accompaniment, the poorly shod of Inman's party climbed over the wall to yank the boots off the dead (Frazier 9)

Back 25

To protect or arm at the point.

Front 26

Daguerreotype
(duh-gair-uh-tahyp, -ee-uh-tahyp)

Back 26

an obsolete photographic process, invented in 1839, in which a picture made on a silver surface sensitized with iodine was developed by exposure to mercury vapor.

Front 27

Precipices
(PRES-uh-pis)
He stood cautiously on the precipices.

Back 27

A cliff with a vertical, nearly vertical, or overhanging face.

Front 28

Embattled
(em-BAT-id)
Many homesteads operated as if embattled (Frazier 42).

Back 28

Disposed or prepared for battle.

Front 29

Forbearance
(for BAYR ans)
Teachers must forebear when they deal with unruly students.

Back 29

Patience

Front 30

Cerebral
(suh REE brul)
Dr Clark was too cerebral to be a boy scouts leader. Instead of saying "pitch your tents over by the cliff," he would confuse everyone with his big words and say, "construct the canvas shelters in the proximity of the promontory."

Back 30

brainy, intelligent

Front 31

Lament
(la MINT)
The song, "Cowboy's Lament," is a ballad about the lonely life of those who drive cattle for a living.

Back 31

to express sorrow or regret; to mourn

Front 32

Cacophony
(kuh KAFH uh nee)
A cacophony isn't noise alone, it is disturbing noise such as when people shout all at once.

Back 32

harsh sounds

Front 33

Evoke
(EE voke)
To summon forth, call to mind, awaken, produce, or suggest

Back 33

a clap of thunder and a flash of lightning over the old castle evoked dark spirits for the villagers who remember the night of the headless ghost.

Front 34

Cupidity
(kyoo PID ih tee)
Excessive greed, especially for money

Back 34

The cupidity of the Roman upper class led to the demise of the Roman Empire

Front 35

Adroit/deft
(ah DROIT)
skillful; deft

Back 35

Many fourth graders are more adroit at manufacturing automobiles.

Front 36

Fetter
(FET ur)
To restrain; to hamper

Back 36

The prisoners were fettered

Front 37

Exonerate
(ig ZON er ate)
to free from accusation or blame; to free from a responsibility or task.

Back 37

When he was released from jail, he finally felt exonerated for his crime.

Front 38

Mores
(MAWR ayz)
cultural standards; moral attitudes

Back 38

According to Chinese mores it is considered polite for dinner guests to belch at the table as a gesture of appreciation and enjoyment.

Front 39

Doldrums
(DOHL drums)
A period or condition of depression or inactivity.

Back 39

Ever since Jacke's dog died , the little fellow has not touched his toys, moping around day after day in the doldrums.

Front 40

Throng
(throng)
a large group of people gathered closely together.

Back 40

When the Pope visited the United States, an admiring throng gathered at eery major city.

Front 41

Emulate
(IM u late)
to attempt to equal or surpass especially through imitation.

Back 41

Most people emulate those they most admire.

Front 42

Gregarious
(gruh GAIR ee us)
seeking and enjoying the company of others; sociable

Back 42

Carol, to the contrary, was not gregarious. At parties she rarely talked with anyone.

Front 43

Pious
(Pi us)
devout or virtuous; holy

Back 43

Elizabeth piously said her prayers every night before bed.

Front 44

Philanthropy
(fi LAN thruh pee)
love of mankind, especially through charitable gifts and deeds.

Back 44

In the movie, Good Sam, Gary Cooper's character was philanthropic, giving to anyone in need and keeping little for his own family.

Front 45

Misanthropy
(MIS an thruh pee)
hatred of mankind

Back 45

A more misanthropic person you never did see. He hates everyone.

Front 46

Espouse
(eh SPOWZ)
to adopt; to support

Back 46

I espouse the idea that we eat dessert before dinner.

Front 47

Ethereal
(i THEER ee ul)
very light; airy; delicate; heavenly

Back 47

An ethereal mist covered the hill in the morning.

Front 48

Amenable
(ah MEE nuh bul)
agreeable, responsible to authority, pleasant, willing to give into the wishes of another.

Back 48

Jack was such a classy guy, always amenable to any reasonable solution to a problem.

Front 49

Culpable
(kuhl-puh-buhl)
worthy of blame

Back 49

Orleanna -in The Poisonwood Bible_ must deal with her feelings of guilt, facing how she is partly culpable for what befalls her family.

Front 50

Catharsis
(kuh THAR sis)
an emotional or psychological cleansing

Back 50

After Jeremy returned to the French World War II battlefield he had known fifty years before, he said he found the experience CATHARTIC.

Front 51

Abate
(ah BAIT)
to reduce

Back 51

Marta's defeat in the tennis tournament did not abate her zeal for the game.

Front 52

Intrepid
(in TREP id)
fearless bold

Back 52

The Green Berets have always been known for their intrepidity.

Front 53

Surreptitious
(sur ep TISH us)
done or acting in a secret, sly manner

Back 53

Helen surreptitiously crept around the car, hoping to get the cat out from under it.

Front 54

Fraught
(fraught)
teeming with; laden; full; involving; accompanied by

Back 54

The freighter was fraught with cargo.

Front 55

Chiasmus
(chi as mus)
An inversion of the order of words or phrases, when repeated or subsequently referred to in a sentence.

Back 55

Example
I am stuck on Band-Aid and Band-Aid's stuck on me.
My job is not represent Washington to you, but to represent you to Washington.

Front 56

Erudite
(ER yoo dyte)
Deeply learned, scholarly

Back 56

The extent of Dr. Smith's library is an indication of his erudition.

Front 57

Bolster
(BOHL ster)
to support, as in a group; to give a boost; a large pillow

Back 57

The coach saw it was time to his team, so he gave them a pep talk.

Front 58

Surfeit
(SUR fit)
an overabundant amount, especially overindulgence in eating and drinking

Back 58

Thanksgiving is a time when most families have large meals that are a surfeit for everyone at the table.

Front 59

Arduous
(AHR joo us)
hard, difficult, tiresome

Back 59

The assignment given the recruits was arduous, twenty miles with full packs in the hot sun.

Front 60

Enmity
(EN mi tee)
hostility; deep seated hatred

Back 60

The enmity between the teams was apparent to the spectators.

Front 61

Bevy
(bev EE)
a group of animals; an assemblage

Back 61

Bud's hunting dogs scared out a BEVY of quail.