Sat Vocab: 501 And Kaplan

Front 1

gainsay

Back 1

v. to deny, contradict, or declare false; to oppose

Front 2

harangue

Back 2

n. a long, often scolding or bombastic speech; a tirade

Front 3

malapropism

Back 3

n. comical misuse of words, especially those that are similar in sound

Front 4

opprobrious

Back 4

adj. 1. expressing contempt or reproach. 2. bringing shame or disgrace

Front 5

remonstrate

Back 5

v. to 1. to say or plead in protest, objection, or opposition. 2. to scold or reprove

Front 6

sententious

Back 6

adj. 1. expressing oneself tersely; pithy. 2. full of maxims and proverbs offered in a self-righteous manner

Front 7

solecism

Back 7

n. 1. mistake in the use of language. 2. violation of good manners or etiquette; impropriety

Front 8

inchoate

Back 8

adj. 1. just begun; in an initial or early stage of development; incipient. 2. not yet fully formed; undeveloped, incomplete

Front 9

bumptious

Back 9

adj. arrogant, conceited

Front 10

churlish

Back 10

adj. ill-mannered, boorish, rude

Front 11

diffident

Back 11

adj. lacking self-confidence; shy and timid

Front 12

irascible

Back 12

adj. irritable, easily aroused to anger; hot tempered

Front 13

puerile

Back 13

adj. 1. childish, immature. 2. suitable only for children

Front 14

saturnine

Back 14

adj. gloomy, dark, or sullen

Front 15

deign

Back 15

v. to condescend; to unwillingly do something thought to be beneath one's dignity

Front 16

dross

Back 16

n. 1. waste product, sludge. 2. something worthless, commonplace, or trivial

Front 17

flout

Back 17

v. to disobey openly and scornfully; to reject, mock, go against (as in a tradition or convention)

Front 18

guile

Back 18

n. treacherous cunning; shrewd, crafty deceit

Front 19

moot

Back 19

adj. debatable, undecided

Front 20

roil

Back 20

v. 1. to make a liquid cloudy or muddy. 2. to stir up or agitate

Front 21

abrogate

Back 21

v. to abolish, do away with or annul by authority

Front 22

burnish

Back 22

v. to polish, rub to a shine

Front 23

deprecate

Back 23

v. to express disapproval of; to belittle, depreciate

Front 24

forestall

Back 24

v. to prevent by taking action first; preempt

Front 25

fulminate

Back 25

v. 1. to issue a thunderous verbal attack; berate. 2. to explode or detonate

Front 26

immolate

Back 26

v. 1. to kill, as a sacrifice. 2. to ruin by fire. 3. to destroy (one thing for another)

Front 27

interdict

Back 27

v. to prohibit, forbid

Front 28

inveigle

Back 28

v. to influence or persuade through gentle coaxing or flattery; to entice

Front 29

stultify

Back 29

v. 1. to impair or make ineffective; to cripple. 2. to make (someone) look foolish or incompetent

Front 30

upbraid

Back 30

v. to reprove, reproach sharply, condemn; admonish

Front 31

castigate

Back 31

v. to inflict a severe punishment on; to chastise severely

Front 32

recalcitrant

Back 32

adj. disobedient, unruly; refusing to obey authority

Front 33

recidivism

Back 33

n. a relapse or backslide, especially into antisocial or criminal behavior after conviction and punishment

Front 34

venal

Back 34

adj. easily bribed or corrupted; unprincipled

Front 35

bourgeois

Back 35

adj. typical of the middle class; conforming to the standards and conventions of the middle class

Front 36

fatuous

Back 36

adj. complacently stupid; feeble-minded and silly

Front 37

feckless

Back 37

adj. 1. lacking purpose or vitality; feeble, weak

Front 38

genteel

Back 38

adj. elegantly polite, well-bred; refined

Front 39

iconoclast

Back 39

n. 1. a person who attacks and seeks to overthrow traditional ideas, beliefs, or institutions. 2. someone who opposes and destroys idols used in worship

Front 40

libertine

Back 40

n. one who lives or acts in an immoral or irresponsible way; one who acts according to his or her own impulses and desires; unrestrained by conventions or morals

Front 41

philistine

Back 41

n. a smug, ignorant person; someone who is uncultured and commonplace

Front 42

reprobate

Back 42

n. an immoral or unprincipled person; one without scruples

Front 43

august

Back 43

adj. majestic, venerable; inspiring admiration or reverence

Front 44

ostensible

Back 44

adj. seeming, appearing as such, put forward (as of a reason) but not necessarily so; pretended

Front 45

recondite

Back 45

adj. 1. not easily understood; obscure and abstruse. 2. dealing with abstruse or profound matters

Front 46

sedulous

Back 46

adj. diligent, persevering, hardworking, assiduous

Front 47

abysmal

Back 47

adj. 1. extreme, very profound, limitless. 2. extremely bad

Front 48

ad hoc

Back 48

adj. for a specific, often temporary, purpose; for this case only

Front 49

fecund

Back 49

adj. fertile

Front 50

hermetic

Back 50

adj. having an airtight closure; protected from outside influences

Front 51

rakish

Back 51

adj. 1. debonair; smartly dressed or mannered; jaunty in appearance or manner. 2. unconventional and disreputable

Front 52

salutary

Back 52

adj. producing a beneficial or wholesome effect

Front 53

bravado

Back 53

n. false courage; a show of pretended bravery

Front 54

conclave

Back 54

n. a private or secret meeting

Front 55

dichotomy

Back 55

n. division into two usually contradictory parts or kinds

Front 56

élan

Back 56

n. 1. vivacity, enthusiasm, vigor. 2. distinctive style or flair

Front 57

ethos

Back 57

n. the spirit, attitude, disposition, or beliefs characteristic of a community, epoch, region, etc.

Front 58

harbinger

Back 58

n. a person, thing, or event that foreshadows or indicates what is to come

Front 59

pundit

Back 59

n. a learned person or scholar; one who is an authority on a subject

Front 60

epicurean

Back 60

n. a person devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and luxury, especially the enjoyment of good food and comfort

Front 61

quaff

Back 61

v. to drink hurriedly and heartily; to swallow in large draughts

Front 62

belie

Back 62

v. 1. to give a false impression; misrepresent. 2. to show to be false, to contradict

Front 63

disabuse

Back 63

v. to undeceive, to correct a false impression or erroneous belief

Front 64

laconic

Back 64

adj. brief, to the point; terse

Front 65

lugubrious

Back 65

adj. excessively dismal or mournful, often exaggeratedly or ridiculously so

Front 66

spurious

Back 66

adj. false, counterfeit; not genuine or authentic

Front 67

inscrutable

Back 67

adj. baffling, unfathomable; incapable of being understood

Front 68

involute

Back 68

adj. intricate, complex

Front 69

polemical

Back 69

adj. controversial, argumentative

Front 70

prosaic

Back 70

adj. unimaginative, ordinary, dull

Front 71

specious

Back 71

adj. 1. seemingly plausible but false. 2. deceptively pleasing in appearance

Front 72

apprise

Back 72

v. to inform, give notice to

Front 73

demur

Back 73

v. to raise objections; to hesitate

Front 74

dissemble

Back 74

v. to disguise or conceal one's true feelings or motives behind a false appearance

Front 75

evince

Back 75

v. to show or demonstrate clearly; to make evident

Front 76

extenuate

Back 76

v. to reduce the strength or lessen the seriousness of; to try to partially excuse

Front 77

forswear

Back 77

v. 1. to give up, renounce. 2. to deny under oath

Front 78

impute

Back 78

v. to attribute to a cause or source, ascribe, credit

Front 79

apropos

Back 79

adj. appropriate to the situation; suitable to what is being said or done

Front 80

propitious

Back 80

adj. auspicious, presenting favorable circumstances

Front 81

facetious

Back 81

adj. humorous and witty, cleverly amusing; jocular, sportive

Front 82

insouciant

Back 82

adj. unconcerned, carefree, indifferent

Front 83

mettlesome

Back 83

adj. courageous, high-spirited

Front 84

demagogue

Back 84

n. a leader who obtains power by appealing to peoples feelings and prejudices rather than by reasoning

Front 85

enclave

Back 85

n. a distinct territory lying wholly within the boundaries of another larger territory

Front 86

proscribe

Back 86

v. 1. to prohibit, forbid; to banish or outlaw. 2. to denounce or condemn

Front 87

reactionary

Back 87

n. person who favors political conservatism; one who is opposed to progress or liberalism

Front 88

tendentious

Back 88

adj. biased, not impartial, partisan; supporting a particular cause or position

Front 89

abeyance

Back 89

n. suspension, being temporarily suspended or set aside

Front 90

decorum

Back 90

n. appropriateness of behavior, propriety; decency in manners and conduct

Front 91

effrontery

Back 91

n. brazen boldness, impudence, insolence

Front 92

forbearance

Back 92

n. patience, willingness to wait, tolerance

Front 93

imbroglio

Back 93

n. a confused or difficult situation, usually involving disagreement

Front 94

penury

Back 94

n. extreme poverty, destitution

Front 95

rigmarole

Back 95

n. 1. rambling, confusing, or incoherent talk. 2. a complicated, petty procedure

Front 96

umbrage

Back 96

n. offense, resentment

Front 97

verisimilitude

Back 97

n. the appearance of being true or real

Front 98

empirical

Back 98

adj. based on observation or experience rather than theory

Front 99

endemic

Back 99

adj. 1. prevalent in or characteristic of a specific area or group of people. 2. native to a particular region

Front 100

fulsome

Back 100

adj. offensive due to excessiveness, especially excess flattery or praise

Front 101

ineluctable

Back 101

adj. certain, inevitable; not to be avoided or overcome

Front 102

plaintive

Back 102

adj. expressing sorrow; mournful, melancholy

Front 103

subliminal

Back 103

adj. below the threshold of consciousness

Front 104

trenchant

Back 104

adj. 1. penetrating, forceful; effective. 2. extremely perceptive, incisive. 3. clear-cut, sharply defined

Front 105

abjure

Back 105

v. 1. to repudiate, renounce under oath. 2. to give up or reject

Front 106

indolent

Back 106

adj. 1. lazy, lethargic; inclined to avoid labor. 2. causing little or no pain; slow to grow or heal

Front 107

obstreperous

Back 107

adj. noisily and stubbornly defiant; aggressively boisterous, unruly

Front 108

pertinacious

Back 108

adj. extremely stubborn or persistent; holding firmly to a belief, purpose, or course of action

Front 109

prevaricate

Back 109

v. to tell lies; to stray from or evade the truth

Front 110

shiftless

Back 110

adj. lazy and inefficient; lacking ambition, initiative, or purpose

Front 111

supercilious

Back 111

adj. haughty, scornful, disdainful

Front 112

truculent

Back 112

adj. 1. defiantly aggressive. 2. fierce, violent. 3. bitterly expressing opposition

Front 113

cabal

Back 113

n. 1. a scheme or conspiracy. 2. a small group joined in a secret plot

Front 114

éclat

Back 114

n. conspicuous success; great acclaim or applause; brilliant performance or achievement

Front 115

impecunious

Back 115

adj. having little or no money; poor, penniless

Front 116

meretricious

Back 116

adj. gaudy, tawdry; showily attractive but false or insincere

Front 117

piquant

Back 117

adj. 1. agreeably pungent; sharp or tart in taste. 2. pleasantly stimulating or provocative

Front 118

profligate

Back 118

adj. 1. recklessly wasteful or extravagant. 2. lacking moral restraint; dissolute

Front 119

apostate

Back 119

n. one who abandons long-held religious or political convictions

Front 120

apotheosis

Back 120

n. deification; an exalted or glorified ideal

Front 121

draconian

Back 121

adj. very harsh, extremely severe (especially of law or punishment)

Front 122

occult

Back 122

adj. 1. secret, hidden, concealed. 2. involving the realm of the supernatural. 3. beyond ordinary understanding, incomprehensible

Front 123

baleful

Back 123

adj. harmful, menacing, destructive, sinister

Front 124

ignominious

Back 124

adj. 1. marked by shame or disgrace. 2. deserving disgrace or shame; despicable

Front 125

indefatigable

Back 125

adj. not easily exhausted or fatigued; tireless

Front 126

inimitable

Back 126

adj. defying imitation, unmatchable

Front 127

intransigent

Back 127

adj. unwilling to compromise, stubborn

Front 128

refractory

Back 128

adj. stubborn, unmanageable; resisting control or discipline

Front 129

sublime

Back 129

adj. having noble or majestic qualities; inspiring awe, adoration, or reverence; lofty, supreme

Front 130

svelte

Back 130

adj. slender and graceful, suave

Front 131

approbation

Back 131

n. approval

Front 132

auspice

Back 132

n. 1. protection or support; patronage. 2. a forecast or omen

Front 133

sophistry

Back 133

n. clever by faulty reasoning; a plausible by invalid argument intended to deceive by appearing sound

Front 134

abnegate

Back 134

v. to give up; to deny to oneself

Front 135

acuity

Back 135

n. sharp vision or perception characterized by the ability to resolve fine detail

Front 136

acumen

Back 136

n. sharpness of insight, mind, and understanding; shrewd judgment

Front 137

adjure

Back 137

v. to appeal to

Front 138

adumbrate

Back 138

v. to give a hint or indication of something to come

Front 139

alimentary

Back 139

adj. pertaining to food, nutrition, or digestion

Front 140

aphorism

Back 140

n. a short statement of a principle

Front 141

aplomb

Back 141

n. self-confident assurance; poise

Front 142

apposite

Back 142

adj. strikingly appropriate or well-adapted

Front 143

arrears

Back 143

n. unpaid, overdue debts or bills; neglected obligations

Front 144

arrogate

Back 144

v. to claim without justification; to claim for oneself without right

Front 145

balk

Back 145

v. to stop short and refuse to go on

Front 146

bilious

Back 146

adj. ill-tempered, sickly, ailing

Front 147

bucolic

Back 147

adj. rural, pastoral

Front 148

captious

Back 148

adj. marked by the tendency to point out trivial faults; intended to confuse in an argument

Front 149

censorious

Back 149

adj. critical; tending to blame and condemn

Front 150

chimerical

Back 150

adj. fanciful, imaginary, impossible

Front 151

concomitant

Back 151

adj. existing concurrently

Front 152

continence

Back 152

n. self-control; self-restraint

Front 153

coquette

Back 153

n. a flirtatious woman

Front 154

countervail

Back 154

v. to act or react with equal force

Front 155

cull

Back 155

v. to select, weed out

Front 156

declaim

Back 156

v. to speak loudly and vehemently

Front 157

disinterested

Back 157

adj. fair-minded, unbiased

Front 158

dispassionate

Back 158

adj. unaffected by bias or strong emotions; not personally or emotionally involved in something

Front 159

dissident

Back 159

adj. disagreeing with an established religious or political system

Front 160

doleful

Back 160

adj. sad, mournful

Front 161

enjoin

Back 161

v. to direct or impose with urgent appeal, to order with emphasis; to forbid

Front 162

ersatz

Back 162

adj. being an artificial and inferior substitute or imitation

Front 163

eschew

Back 163

v. to shun; to avoid (as something wrong or distasteful)

Front 164

espy

Back 164

v. to catch sight of, glimpse

Front 165

excoriate

Back 165

v. to censure scathingly; to express strong disapproval of

Front 166

extirpate

Back 166

v. to root out, eradicate, literally or figuratively; to destroy wholly

Front 167

forego

Back 167

v. to precede, go ahead of

Front 168

forgo

Back 168

v. to do without, abstain from

Front 169

furlough

Back 169

n. a leave of absence, especially granted to a soldier or prisoner

Front 170

gamely

Back 170

adv. spiritedly, bravely

Front 171

gauche

Back 171

adj. lacking social refinement

Front 172

hedonist

Back 172

n. one who pursues pleasure as a goal

Front 173

hubris

Back 173

n. excessive pride or self-confidence

Front 174

impugn

Back 174

v. to call into question; to attack verbally

Front 175

incarnadine

Back 175

adj. red, especially blood red

Front 176

incipient

Back 176

adj. beginning to exist or appear; in an initial stage

Front 177

insensate

Back 177

adj. lacking sensibility and understanding, foolish

Front 178

internecine

Back 178

adj. mutually destructive; equally devastating to both sides

Front 179

interregnum

Back 179

n. a temporary halting of the usual operations of government or control

Front 180

intimation

Back 180

n. a subtle and indirect hint

Front 181

kismet

Back 181

n. destiny, fate

Front 182

lampoon

Back 182

v. to ridicule with satire

Front 183

licentious

Back 183

adj. immoral, unrestrained by society

Front 184

mawkish

Back 184

adj. sickeningly sentimental

Front 185

missive

Back 185

n. a written note or letter

Front 186

mordant

Back 186

adj. biting and caustic in manner and style

Front 187

mores

Back 187

n. fixed customs or manners; moral attitudes

Front 188

opine

Back 188

v. to express an opinion

Front 189

paean

Back 189

n. a tribute, a song or expression of praise

Front 190

palimpsest

Back 190

n. an object or place having diverse layers or aspects beneath the surface

Front 191

panache

Back 191

n. flamboyance or dash in style and action

Front 192

panegyric

Back 192

n. elaborate praise, formal hymn of praise

Front 193

peculate

Back 193

v. to embezzle

Front 194

pellucid

Back 194

adj. transparently clear in style or meaning; easy to understand

Front 195

peregrinate

Back 195

v. to travel on foot

Front 196

phalanx

Back 196

n. a compact or close-knit body of people, animals, or things

Front 197

philology

Back 197

n. the study of ancient texts and languages

Front 198

phlegmatic

Back 198

adj. having a sluggish, unemotional temperament

Front 199

posit

Back 199

v. to assume as real or conceded; propose as an explanation

Front 200

prestidigitation

Back 200

n. a cleverly executed trick or deception; sleight of hand

Front 201

preternatural

Back 201

adj. existing outside of nature; extraordinary, supernatural

Front 202

puissant

Back 202

adj. powerful

Front 203

rapt

Back 203

adj. deeply absorbed

Front 204

recapitulate

Back 204

v. to review by a brief summary

Front 205

remuneration

Back 205

n. payment for goods or services or to recompense for losses

Front 206

requite

Back 206

v. to return or repay

Front 207

salacious

Back 207

adj. appealing to sexual desire

Front 208

seamy

Back 208

adj. morally degraded, unpleasant

Front 209

sedition

Back 209

n. behavior that promotes rebellion or civil disorder against the state

Front 210

seminal

Back 210

adj. influential in an original way, providing a basis for further development; creative

Front 211

seraphic

Back 211

adj. angelic, sweet

Front 212

sinecure

Back 212

n. a well-paying job or office that requires little or no work

Front 213

sobriquet

Back 213

n. a nickname

Front 214

solicitous

Back 214

adj. anxious, concerned; full of desire, eager

Front 215

stint

Back 215

v. to be sparing or frugal; to restrict with respect to a share or allowance

Front 216

stipulate

Back 216

v. to specify as a condition or requirement of an agreement or offer

Front 217

strident

Back 217

adj. loud, harsh, unpleasantly noisy

Front 218

supersede

Back 218

v. to cause to be set aside; to force out of use as inferior, replace

Front 219

sybarite

Back 219

n. a person devoted to pleasure and luxury

Front 220

tactile

Back 220

adj. producing a sensation of touch

Front 221

tautological

Back 221

adj. having to do with needless repetition, redundancy

Front 222

toady

Back 222

n. one who flatters in the hope of gaining favors

Front 223

tortuous

Back 223

adj. having many twists and turns; highly complex

Front 224

tout

Back 224

v. to praise or publicize loudly or extravagantly

Front 225

unconscionable

Back 225

adj. unscrupulous; shockingly unfair or unjust

Front 226

unfrock

Back 226

v. to dethrone, especially of priestly powers

Front 227

vernal

Back 227

adj. related to spring, fresh

Front 228

vilify

Back 228

v. to slander, defame

Front 229

vim

Back 229

n. vitality and energy

Front 230

vituperate

Back 230

v. to abuse verbally, berate

Front 231

vociferous

Back 231

adj. loud, noisy

Front 232

winsome

Back 232

adj. charming, happily engaging

Front 233

yen

Back 233

n. a strong desire, craving