SAT Vocabulary
English III
Fall 2009
Mr. Platt
Test #1: _________________________
Affable- pleasant, friendly
Ameliorate- to make better, improve
Amenable- willing to agree, responsive, cooperative
Approbation- approval
Appropriated- to take to or for oneself; take possession of
Arduous- requiring great exertion; laborious; difficult
Audacious- very bold
Blanch- to drain of color, become pale
Bombastic- pretentious, inflated speech or writing, lacking in humanity
Brandish- to shake or wave in a menacing manner
Brusque- rough and abrupt in manner or speech, curt
Burgeon- to grow rapidly
Cantankerous- difficult or irritating to deal with
Capacious- spacious, roomy
Circuitous- following a circular or winding path, indirect
Circumscribe- to draw a line around, hence to restrict or limit
Compendium- a brief treatment or account of a subject
Consensus- majority of opinion
Test #2: _________________________
Corroborate- to make more certain; confirm
Decorum- dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
Defile- to make foul, dirty, or unclean; pollute; taint
Demonstrative- characterized by or given to open exhibition or expression of one’s emotions
Demystify- to rid of mystery or obscurity; clarify
Desolate- barren or laid waste; devastated
Desultory- lacking in consistency or visible order
Dilatory- tending to delay or procrastinate; slow; tardy
Disabuse- to free (a person) from deception or error
Disdain- to look upon or treat with contempt; despise
Disingenuous- lacking in frankness or sincerity
Disparage- to speak of or treat slightingly; depreciate; belittle
Diversion- the act of diverting from a course or purpose
Divulge- to disclose or reveal
Docile- easily managed or handled; tractable
Dogmatic- of, pertaining to, or of the nature of a doctrinal
Eclectic- selecting or choosing from various sources
Effervescent- vivacious; lively; sparkling
Test #3: _________________________
Emulate- to try to equal or excel
Enamor- to fill or inflame with love
Equanimity- mental or emotional stability or composure, especially under tension or strain
Espouse- to make one’s own; adopt or embrace as a cause
Exasperate- to irritate or provoke to a high degree; annoy extremely
Exigency- a case or situation that demands prompt action or remedy; emergency
Fallible- liable to be erroneous or false; not accurate
Fastidious- excessively particular, critical, or demanding; hard to please
Fathom- to penetrate to the truth of; comprehend; understand
Feasible- capable of being done, effected or accomplished
Fervor- great warmth and earnestness of feeling
Flaunt- to parade or display oneself defiantly or boldly
Garish- tastelessly colorful, showy or elaborate
Gingerly- with great care or caution; warily
Gratuitous- given or obtained without charge or payment
Gullible- easily deceived or cheated
Hubris- excessive pride or self-confidence; arrogance
Idiosyncracy- a characteristic peculiar to an individual
Test #4: _________________________
Incandescent- glowing or white with heat
Incantation- the chanting of words purporting to have magical power
Incipient- beginning to exist or appear; in an initial stage
Incontrovertible- not open to question or dispute; indisputable
Indelicate- offensive of a sense of generally accepted propriety
Indiscreet- lack prudence, good judgment, or circumspection
Indomitable- that cannot be subdued or overcome, as persons, will, or courage
Ineffable- incapable of being expressed or described in words
Innate- existing in one from birth; inborn; native
Insipid- without distinctive or interesting qualities
Insolent- boldly rude or disrespectful
Insuperable- incapable of being passed over or surmounted
Irrevocable- not to be revoked or recalled
Legion- any great number of persons or things; multitude
Levity- lightness of mind, character, or behavior
Linchpin- something that holds the various elements of a complicated structure together
Machinations- crafty schemes; plots; intrigues
Test #5: _________________________
Mercurial- changeable; volatile; fickle; flighty; erratic
Milestone- a significant event, stage, or development
Munificent- extremely liberal in giving; very generous
Nuance- a subtle distinction in expression or meaning
Ominous- portending evil or harm; foreboding; threatening
Ostentatious- an obvious attempt to impress others
Paragon- a model or pattern of excellence
Paramount- chief in importance; supreme; preeminent
Patronizing- an offensively condescending manner
Perfunctory- performed as a routine duty
Polemic- a controversial argument
Precipitous- extremely or impassable steep
Predilection- extremely or impassably steep
Quixotic- extravagantly chivalrous or romantic
Ransack- to search thoroughly or vigorously through
Raucous- harsh; strident; grating
Rebuke- to express sharp, stern disapproval of; reprove
Rectitude- rightness of principle or conduct; moral virtue
Test #6: _________________________
Redoubtable- that is to be feared; formidable
Reprehensible- deserving of reproof, rebuke, or censure
Skulk- to lie or keep in hiding, as for some evil reason
Specious- apparently good or right, though lacking real merit
Sporadic- appearing in scattered or isolated instances
Spurious- not genuine, authentic, or true
Staid- of settled or sedate character
Staunch- to stop the flow of
Strident- making or having a harsh sound
Suffuse- to spread over or through in the manner of fluid or light
Talisman- an object held to act as a charm to avert evil and bring good fortune
Torpor- apathy, dullness
Ubiquitous- existing or being everywhere at the same time
Usurp- to take or make use of without right
Vacuous- emptied of or lacking content
Venal- capable of being bought or obtained for money; purchasable
Wan- lacking vitality
Watershed- a crucial dividing point, line, or factor
Test #7: _________________________
Eccentric- off center, hence a bit odd; peculiar
Elusive- out of reach, hard to catch, evasive
Eminent- outstanding, illustrious, very prominent, notable
Exorbitant- literally out of orbit, hence unreasonable
Expound- to elaborate or explain in great detail
Extricate- to set free
Extrovert- an outgoing personality
Amorphous- having no shape or form
Anarchy- having no government, hence great disorder; chaos
Anomaly- not following the norm, hence an exception to a rule
Atheist- person who does not believe in God
Redundant- repeating something
Refurbish- to make new again, renovate
Rejuvenate- to feel young again
Repatriate- to return to one’s country of origin
Resilient- to bounce back from adversity or change
Revitalize- to regain energy
Revoke- take back
Test #8: _________________________
Immutable- unchanging
Impartial- unbiased, treating all equally
Impious- lacking reverence, disrespectful
Inauspicious- not favorable
Incorporeal- without materials form or substance
Incorrigible- incapable of being reformed
Indefatigable- having great stamina
Insatiable- incapable of being satisfied
Intrepid- having no fear, dauntless
Unfounded- groundless, without substance, false
Unorthodox- not following established ways of thinking
Unparalleled- having no parallel, hence unequaled
Unremitting- unrelieved, relented, ceaseless
Unscathed- unhurt, unharmed
Unsubstantiated- not proved
Unwarranted- not authorized or guaranteed
Inviolable- secure and thus cannot be violated
Unfazed- calm, not disturbed
Unflappable- not easily upset, calm
Unfettered- free from restraints, liberated
Test #9: _________________________
Untenable- that which cannot be defended
Abdicate- give up, resign
Aberration- a departure from what is normal or typical
Abhor- to dislike intensely; loathe, despise
Benediction- to say or speak well of, hence a blessing
Benefactor- one who is given help, especially financially
Benevolent- an inclination to do good; kindliness
Benign- good natured, kindly, favorable
Malefactor- an evildoer or criminal
Malignant- having an evil influence, very harmful
Misanthrope- a person who hates or distrusts mankind
Miscreant- one who behaves criminally, an evildoer, a malefactor
Misnomer- wrong name
Amicable- pleasant, friendly
Amity- peaceful, friendly relations
Amiable- friendly
Gregarious- enjoying the company of groups, affable
Segregate- separating into different groups
Malediction- to say bad things, a curse
Malevolent- wishing evil or harm to others
Malicious- to cause pain, injury, or distress to another
Supercilious- thing you are above others, arrogant, haughty
Supersede- replace, take the place of
Test #10: _________________________
Egregious- out of the group, outstandingly bad
Antipathy- feeling against someone or something, dislike
Empathy- feeling the same thing as someone else
Diffident- lack of faith in oneself, lack of confidence
Fidelity- loyalty, faithfulness
Infidelity- unfaithfulness
Perfidious- treacherous, untrustworthy
Elucidate- to make something clear
Lucid- transparent; readily understandable
Acrid- unpleasantly pungent in taste or odor
Acrimonious- full of spite, bitter, nasty
Acuity- keenness of perception
Acumen- mental sharpness
Acute- a sharp angle, very keen
Exacerbate- to aggravate or irritate
Affluent- to flow in abundance; wealthy
Confluence- to flow together, convergence
Superfluous- to flow above, hence exceeding what is necessary
Complacent- to be so calm as to be self-satisfied; smug
Implacable- incapable of being calmed
Placate- to calm, appease, pacify