Sat Vocabulary 7

Front 1

As you go through this set of words, try to
A) identify the root of the word
B) define the word
C) give a sentence example using the word

Back 1

If you can achieve A, B, and C, you'll ace the SAT.

Front 2

sycophant

Back 2

(n.) one who flatters for self-gain (Some see the people in the cabinet as the president’s closest advisors, but others see them as sycophants.)

Front 3

tacit

Back 3

(adj.) expressed without words (I interpreted my parents’ refusal to talk as a tacit acceptance of my request.)

Front 4

taciturn

Back 4

(adj.) not inclined to talk (Though Jane never seems to stop talking, her brother is quite taciturn.)

Front 5

tantamount

Back 5

(adj.) equivalent in value or significance (When it comes to sports, fearing your opponent is tantamount to losing.)

Front 6

temerity

Back 6

(n.) audacity, recklessness (Tom and Huck entered the scary cave armed with nothing but their own temerity.)

Front 7

tenuous

Back 7

(adj.) having little substance or strength (Your argument is very tenuous, since it relies so much on speculation and hearsay.)

Front 8

timorous

Back 8

(adj.) timid, fearful (When dealing with the unknown, timorous Tallulah almost always broke into tears.)

Front 9

torpid

Back 9

(adj.) lethargic, dormant, lacking motion (The torpid whale floated, wallowing in the water for hours.)

Front 10

tractable

Back 10

(adj.) easily controlled (The horse was so tractable, Myra didn’t even need a bridle.)

Front 11

transient

Back 11

(adj.) passing through briefly; passing into and out of existence (Because virtually everyone in Palm Beach is a tourist, the population of the town is quite transient.)

Front 12

transmute

Back 12

(v.) to change or alter in form (Ancient alchemists believed that it was possible to transmute lead into gold.)

Front 13

trenchant

Back 13

(adj.) effective, articulate, clear-cut (The directions that accompanied my new cell phone were trenchant and easy to follow.)

Front 14

truculent

Back 14

(adj.) ready to fight, cruel (This club doesn’t really attract the dangerous types, so why was that bouncer being so truculent?)

Front 15

turgid

Back 15

(adj.) swollen, excessively embellished in style or language (The haughty writer did not realize how we all really felt about his turgid prose.)

Front 16

turpitude

Back 16

(n.) depravity, moral corruption (Sir Marcus’s chivalry often contrasted with the turpitude he exhibited with the ladies at the tavern.)

Front 17

ubiquitous

Back 17

(adj.) existing everywhere, widespread (It seems that everyone in the United States has a television. The technology is ubiquitous here.)

Front 18

umbrage

Back 18

(n.) resentment, offense (He called me a lily-livered coward, and I took umbrage at the insult.)

Front 19

unctuous

Back 19

(adj.) smooth or greasy in texture, appearance, manner (The unctuous receptionist seemed untrustworthy, as if she was only being helpful because she thought we might give her a big tip.)

Front 20

undulate

Back 20

(v.) to move in waves (As the storm began to brew, the placid ocean began to undulate to an increasing degree.)

Front 21

upbraid

Back 21

(v.) to criticize or scold severely (The last thing Lindsay wanted was for Lisa to upbraid her again about missing the rent payment.)

Front 22

usurp

Back 22

(v.) to seize by force, take possession of without right (The rogue army general tried to usurp control of the government, but he failed because most of the army backed the legally elected president.)

Front 23

vacillate

Back 23

(v.) to fluctuate, hesitate (I prefer a definite answer, but my boss kept vacillating between the distinct options available to us.)

Front 24

vacuous

Back 24

(adj.) lack of content or ideas, stupid (Beyoncé realized that the lyrics she had just penned were completely vacuous and tried to add more substance.)

Front 25

vapid

Back 25

(adj.) lacking liveliness, dull (The professor’s comments about the poem were surprisingly vapid and dull.)

Front 26

variegated

Back 26

(adj.) diversified, distinctly marked (Each wire in the engineering exam was variegated by color so that the students could figure out which one was which.)

Front 27

venerate

Back 27

(v.) to regard with respect or to honor (The tribute to John Lennon sought to venerate his music, his words, and his legend.)

Front 28

veracity

Back 28

(n.) truthfulness, accuracy (With several agencies regulating the reports, it was difficult for Latifah to argue against its veracity.)

Front 29

verdant

Back 29

(adj.) green in tint or color (The verdant leaves on the trees made the world look emerald.)

Front 30

vex

Back 30

(v.) to confuse or annoy (My little brother vexes me by poking me in the ribs for hours on end.)

Front 31

vicarious

Back 31

(adj.) experiencing through another (All of my lame friends learned to be social through vicarious involvement in my amazing experiences.)

Front 32

vicissitude

Back 32

(n.) event that occurs by chance (The vicissitudes of daily life prevent me from predicting what might happen from one day to the next.)

Front 33

vilify

Back 33

(v.) to lower in importance, defame (After the Watergate scandal, almost any story written about President Nixon sought to vilify him and criticize his behavior.)

Front 34

viscous

Back 34

(adj.) not free flowing, syrupy (The viscous syrup took three minutes to pour out of the bottle.)

Front 35

vitriolic

Back 35

(adj.) having a caustic quality (When angry, the woman would spew vitriolic insults.)

Front 36

vituperate

Back 36

(v.) to berate (Jack ran away as soon as his father found out, knowing he would be vituperated for his unseemly behavior.)