Sat Vocabulary Set 1

Front 1

abase

Back 1

to lower in position or estimation

degrade; humiliate

Front 2

recant

Back 2

to withdraw or repudiate (a statement or belief) formally and publicly

Front 3

abbess

Back 3

superior of a nunnery

equivalent of an abbot

Front 4

abbot

Back 4

superior of a monastery

equivalent of an abbess

Front 5

repugnant

Back 5

exciting distaste or aversion

repulsive

Front 6

abdicate

Back 6

to give up a position with no possibility of resuming it (royal power, responsibility, etc)

Front 7

aberration

Back 7

deviation from a right, customary, or prescribed course

Front 8

abeyance

Back 8

a state of suspension or temporary inaction

Front 9

abhorrence

Back 9

the act of detesting (or hating) extremely

Front 10

forswear

Back 10

to renounce under oath usually in a betraying manner

Front 11

repudiate

Back 11

to refuse to accept

to reject as unauthorized or as having no binding force (dealing with a contract)

Front 12

abjure

Back 12

a firm and final rejecting or abandoning often made under oath

Front 13

abet

Back 13

assist or encourage, usually in some wrongdoing

Front 14

baleful

Back 14

foreboding or threatening evil

Front 15

pernicious

Back 15

highly injurious or destructive

Front 16

ballad

Back 16

any popular NARRATIVE poem, often with epic subject and usually in LYRIC form

Front 17

banal

Back 17

lacking originality, freshness, or novelty

commonplace

Front 18

barcarole

Back 18

boat song of Venetian gondoliers

Front 19

barring

Back 19

the act of excluding someone by a negative vote or veto

Front 20

cabal

Back 20

a clique (often secret) that seeks power usually through intrigue for some private purpose

Front 21

cabalism

Back 21

superstitious devotion to one's religion

Front 22

cacophony

Back 22

harsh or discordant sound

Front 23

cadaverous

Back 23

of or relating to a corpse

of a complexion: being pallid or livid like a corpse

Front 24

cadenza

Back 24

a solo passage, either written by the composer or improvised by the performer

Front 25

caitiff

Back 25

a cowardly and despicable person

Front 26

cajole

Back 26

to gently urge by caressing or flattering

Front 27

callow

Back 27

lacking adult sophistication

without experience of the world

Front 28

calumny

Back 28

a misrepresentation intended to harm another's reputation

slander

Front 29

came

Back 29

a slender grooved lead rod used to hold together panes of glass especially in a stained-glass window

Front 30

cameo

Back 30

any small engraved or carved work in relief (raised three dimensional shape)

Front 31

candid

Back 31

without subtlety or evasion

straight forward; blunt

Front 32

candor

Back 32

unreserved, honest, or sincere expression

Front 33

canon

Back 33

a secular law, rule, or code of law

Front 34

cant

Back 34

to talk or beg in a whining or singsong manner

Front 35

darkling

Back 35

uncanninly or threateningly dark or obscure

"secret operatives and darkling conspiracies"

occurring in the night

Front 36

dastard

Back 36

a sneaking, malicious coward

Front 37

datum

Back 37

an item of factual information derived from measurement or research

a premise, starting-point, or given fact

Front 38

allocate

Back 38

to map or assign to

Front 39

dauntless

Back 39

invulnerable to fear or intimidation

Front 40

dearth

Back 40

an inadequate supply

Front 41

debase

Back 41

to reduce the value of

a currency is debased if its value in terms of gold or other precious metal is reduced

Front 42

contention

Back 42

a point advanced or maintained in a debate or argument

a dispute where there is strong disagreement

Front 43

decamp

Back 43

to break up a camp

to leave suddenly or unexpectedly

Front 44

deciduous

Back 44

falling off or shed seasonally or at a certain stage of development in the life cycle

Front 45

earnest

Back 45

a serious and intent mental state

a considerable or impressive degree or amount

Front 46

ebullient

Back 46

joyously unrestrained

showing enthusiasm or exhilaration of feeling

Front 47

economize

Back 47

to spend sparingly

Front 48

exaltation

Back 48

an excessively intensified sense of well-being, power, or importance

Front 49

rapture

Back 49

a state or experience of being carried away by overwhelming emotion

Front 50

edict

Back 50

a proclamation having the force of law

Front 51

edify

Back 51

to build up; strengthen

to instruct and improve especially in moral and religious knowledge

Front 52

educe

Back 52

the bringing out of something potential or latent

to draw out

Front 53

efface

Back 53

remove completely from recognition or memory

to obliterate

Front 54

facetious

Back 54

amusing

joking or jesting often inappropriately

Front 55

facile

Back 55

easily accomplished or attained

"too facile a solution for so complex a problem"

Front 56

facilitate

Back 56

to make easier

"you could facilitate the process by sharing your knowledge"

Front 57

facsimile

Back 57

exact copy or reproduction

Front 58

fallacious

Back 58

an unsound argument

illogical

Front 59

fallacy

Back 59

any unsound or delusive mode of reasoning, or anything based on such reasoning

Front 60

fallible

Back 60

likely to fail or make errors

Front 61

fallow

Back 61

land left unplowed and unseeded during a growing season

Front 62

fancier

Back 62

a person that has a special liking or interest (usually involving the raising of animals or plants)

Front 63

fancy

Back 63

to visualize or interpret as

to like

to believe mistakenly or without evidence

Front 64

fanciless

Back 64

without ideas or imagination

Front 65

fastidious

Back 65

giving careful attention to detail

hard to please

Front 66

caprice

Back 66

a sudden, impulsive, and seemingly unmotivated notion or action (a whim)

"By sheer caprice she quit her job."

Front 67

homage

Back 67

any public show of respect to someone to whom one feels indebted

respectful deference

Front 68

deference

Back 68

a courteous expression (by word or deed) of esteem or regard

"in deference to your wishes"

Front 69

gait

Back 69

a manner of walking or moving on foot

how one carries oneself when he moves

"he has a leisurely gait"

Front 70

galvanic

Back 70

having an electric effect

intensely exciting

"a galvanic performance"

Front 71

galvanize

Back 71

to stimulate or excite as if by an electric shock

"an issue that would galvanize public opinion"

Front 72

gambol

Back 72

to skip about in play; frolic

Front 73

gamut

Back 73

series or range (usually pertaining to color or music)

Front 74

garrison

Back 74

n. a fortified military post where troops are stationed

v. station

"the troops were garrisoned at the planned point"

Front 75

garrote

Back 75

to execute by strangling or what is used to execute by strangling

Front 76

garrulous

Back 76

chatty; full of trivial conversation

Front 77

hackney

Back 77

to make trite, vulgar, or commonplace

Front 78

hale

Back 78

free from defect, disease, or infirmity

retaining exceptional health and vigor

"a hale and hearty old man"

Front 79

improvident

Back 79

not foreseeing and providing for the future (in the moment kind of person)

happy-go-lucky

"haste is blind and improvident"

Front 80

harangue

Back 80

a speech or piece of writing characterized by strong feeling or expression

a tirade

Front 81

tirade

Back 81

a long angry or violent speech, usually of a censorious or denunciatory nature

Front 82

denunciation

Back 82

an act of denouncing; especially a public condemnation

the act of declaring an action or person worthy or reprobation or punishment

Front 83

reprobate

Back 83

to condemn strongly as unworthy, unacceptable, or evil

Front 84

reprove

Back 84

to scold or correct usually gently or with kindly intent

Front 85

reprimand

Back 85

a severe, formal, often public or official rebuke

Front 86

admonish

Back 86

suggests earnest or friendly warning and counsel

"I was admonished by my parents to control expenses."

Front 87

harbinger

Back 87

One that indicates or foreshadows what is to come; a forerunner

Front 88

impudent

Back 88

marked by contemptuous or cocky boldness or disregard of others

Front 89

precipitately

Back 89

headlong, hastily, rashly, swiftly

Front 90

heartrending

Back 90

causing anguish or deep distress

arousing deep sympathy

Front 91

ichthyic

Back 91

of or relating to fish

Front 92

iconoclast

Back 92

one who attacks and seeks to overthrow traditional or popular ideas or institutions

one who destroys sacred religious images

Front 93

idiom

Back 93

a speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements

Front 94

ignoble

Back 94

completely lacking nobility in character or quality or purpose

"something cowardly and ignoble in his attitude"

Front 95

ignominious

Back 95

marked with or characterized by disgrace or shame

disgraceful

Front 96

surly

Back 96

inclined to anger or bad feelings with overtones of menace

ill-natured

Front 97

jocose

Back 97

characterized by joking

humorous

"The jocose man soon had the guests laughing."

Front 98

jocund

Back 98

sprightly and lighthearted in disposition, character, or quality.

"A poet could not but be gay, in such a jocund company."

Front 99

jovial

Back 99

marked by hearty conviviality and good cheer

"a jovial guest"

Front 100

convivial

Back 100

fond of feasting, drinking, and good company

sociable

Front 101

prudent

Back 101

wise in handling practical matters

exercising good judgment or common sense

Front 102

valor

Back 102

strength of mind or spirit that enables a person to encounter danger with firmness

bravery, heroism, courage

Front 103

judicious

Back 103

having, exercising, or characterized by sound judgment

(similar to being wise)

Front 104

junta

Back 104

a council or committee for political or governmental purposes

Front 105

jargon

Back 105

confused, unintelligible speech or highly technical speed

Front 106

lackadaisical

Back 106

lacking spirit, liveliness, or interest; languid

Front 107

languid

Back 107

lacking energy or vitality; weak

showing little or no spirit or animation

relaxed

Front 108

dilatory

Back 108

intended to delay

tending to postpone or delay

"He was dilatory in his work habits."

Front 109

languor

Back 109

lack of physical or mental energy; listlessness

a dreamy, lazy mood or quality

"It was hot, yet with a sweet languor about it

Front 110

lassitude

Back 110

a state or feeling of weariness, diminished energy, or listlessness

Front 111

lascivious

Back 111

given to or expressing lust

exciting sexual desires; lustful

Front 112

latent

Back 112

present or potential but not evident or active

"latent talent"

dormant

Front 113

macadamize

Back 113

to construct or pave (a road) with macadam

Front 114

magisterial

Back 114

sedately dignified in appearance or manner

"She would appear on the porch and reign over the street in magisterial beauty."

Front 115

sedate

Back 115

serenely deliberate, composed, and dignified in character or manner

Front 116

magnanimous

Back 116

courageously noble in mind and heart

generous in forgiving; eschewing resentment or revenge; unselfish

Front 117

magnate

Back 117

a powerful or influential person, especially in business or industry

"an oil magnate"

Front 118

maize

Back 118

corn (not a type, any corn in general)

Front 119

malady

Back 119

any unwholesome or desperate condition

a disease or disorder

Front 120

malcontent

Back 120

dissatisfied with the existing state of affairs (discontent)

One who rebels against the established system

“immature malcontents who have long since sold out to conformity”

Front 121

malediction

Back 121

the calling down of a curse (or simply a curse)

slander

"A malediction was pronounced against the town and ever since there has been no fresh water there."

Front 122

malefactor

Back 122

one that has committed a crime; a criminal.

an evildoer

Front 123

nautical

Back 123

pertaining to ships, seamen, or navigation

Front 124

traverse

Back 124

to extend across; cross

"a bridge that traverses a river"

to cause to move laterally on a pivot; swivel

"traverse an artillery piece"

to travel or pass across, over, or through

Front 125

obdurate

Back 125

hardened against feeling

"obdurate conscience of the old sinner"

showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings

"The child's misery would move even the most obdurate heart."

Front 126

objective

Back 126

undistorted by emotion or personal bias

"an objective appraisal"

Front 127

obsequoy

Back 127

a funeral or burial rite (usually used in plural)

Front 128

obsequious

Back 128

marked by or exhibiting a fawning attentiveness

full of or exhibiting servile compliance

Front 129

pacify

Back 129

to bring into a peaceful state

Front 130

mollify

Back 130

to calm in temper or feeling

soothe

cause to be more favorably inclined

Front 131

cessation

Back 131

a bringing or coming to an end

a ceasing

"a cessation of hostilities"

Front 132

palatial

Back 132

of or suitable for a palace

"palatial furnishings"

Front 133

palinode

Back 133

a poem in which the author retracts something said in a previous poem

a formal statement of retraction

Front 134

pall

Back 134

a covering that darkens or obscures

"a pall of smoke over the city"

a gloomy effect or atmosphere

"A pall of depressed indifference hung over Petrograd."

Front 135

palliate

Back 135

to make (an offense or crime) seem less serious

He tried unsuccessfully to palliate the widespread discontent."

Front 136

pallid

Back 136

abnormally deficient in color as suggesting physical or emotional distress

Front 137

wan

Back 137

unnaturally pale, as from physical or emotional distress

suggestive or indicative of weariness, illness, or unhappiness

"a wan expression"

Front 138

palpable

Back 138

capable of being handled, touched, or felt

tangible

Front 139

paly

Back 139

pale

Front 140

panacea

Back 140

a remedy for all ills or difficulties

Front 141

pandemic

Back 141

occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population

(greater than an epidemic)

Front 142

Pan-American

Back 142

of or relating to North, South, and Central America

Front 143

pandemonium

Back 143

a wild uproar

Front 144

panegyric

Back 144

a formal eulogistic composition intended as a public compliment

Front 145

panoply

Back 145

full set of armor

a splendid or striking array

"a panoply of colorful flags"

Front 146

charlatan

Back 146

a person who makes elaborate, fraudulent, and often voluble claims to skill or knowledge

a quack or fraud

Front 147

endow

Back 147

to provide with something freely or naturally

"she was very well endowed"

Front 148

qualm

Back 148

a sudden attack of illness, faintness, or nausea

uneasy fear that one is not following one's conscience or better judgment

"he had no qualms about plagiarizing"

Front 149

quandary

Back 149

a state of perplexity or doubt

a puzzling predicament

Front 150

racy

Back 150

full of zest or vigor

having a strongly marked quality

exciting or exhilarating to the mind

Front 151

radix

Back 151

the primary source

the base of a system of numbers, such as 2 in the binary system and 10 in the decimal system

Front 152

raillery

Back 152

good-natured teasing or ridicule

banter

Front 153

ramify

Back 153

to have complicating consequences or outgrowths

"The problem merely ramified after the unsuccessful meeting."

Front 154

ramose

Back 154

having many branches

branch-like

Front 155

rampant

Back 155

extending unchecked

occurring without restraint and frequently, widely, or menacingly

"a rampant growth of weeds in the neglected yard"

Front 156

rampart

Back 156

a means of protection or defense

a bulwark

Front 157

rancor

Back 157

bitter, long-lasting resentment

deep-seated ill will

malice

"there is no rancor left behind"

Front 158

rankle

Back 158

to cause persistent irritation or resentment

to annoy or irritate

to become sore or inflamed;
fester

Front 159

rapacious

Back 159

taking by force; plundering

having an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit

Front 160

rapine

Back 160

forcible seizure of another's property

Front 161

rapt

Back 161

deeply moved or delighted; enraptured

"listened to the speaker with rapt admiration"

deeply absorbed; engrossed

"was rapt in thought all evening"

Front 162

raptorial

Back 162

of, relating to, or characteristic of birds of prey

living by preying on other animals especially by catching living prey

adapted for the seizing of prey

Front 163

sacrilege

Back 163

the act of violating or profaning anything sacred

Front 164

impious

Back 164

lacking due respect or dutifulness

"impious toward one's parents"

Front 165

sagacious

Back 165

acutely insightful and wise

"observant and thoughtful, he was given to asking sagacious questions"

Front 166

salacious

Back 166

arousing or appealing to sexual desire or imagination

Front 167

salient

Back 167

strikingly conspicuous;
prominent

projecting or jutting beyond a line or surface; protruding

evident

Front 168

salutary

Back 168

effecting or designed to effect an improvement

"salutary advice"

favorable to health

"a salutary climate"

Front 169

salutatory

Back 169

an opening or welcoming statement or address, especially one delivered at graduation exercises

Front 170

salvo

Back 170

rapid simultaneous discharge of firearms (sometimes given as a salute at the funeral of an officer)