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Sparknotes Complete 1000 SAT Vocab Part 2

Terms

undefined, object
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bard
(n.) a poet, often a singer as well (Shakespeare is often considered the greatest bard
ballad
(n.) a love song (Greta's boyfriend played her a ballad on the guitar during their walk through the dark woods
circumscribed
(adj.) marked off, bounded (The children were permitted to play tag only within a carefully circumscribed area of the lawn
capacious
(adj.) very spacious (The workers delighted in their new capacious office space
clamor
1. (n.) loud noise (Each morning the birds outside my window make such a clamor that they wake me up.) 2. (v.)to loudly insist (Neville's fans clamored for him to appear on stage, but he had passed out on the floor of his dressing room
coerce
(v.) to make somebody do something by force or threat (The court decided that Vanilla Ice did not have to honor the contract because he had been coerced into signing it
chide
(v.) to voice disapproval (Lucy chided Russell for his vulgar habits and sloppy appearance
chaos
(n.) absolute disorder (Mr. Thornton's sudden departure for the lavatory plunged his classroom into chaos
atypical
(adj.) not typical, unusual (Screaming and crying is atypical adult behavior
censure
1. (n.) harsh criticism (The frustrated teenager could not put up with anymore of her critical mother's censure.) 2. (v.) to rebuke formally (The principal censured the head of the English Department for forcing students to learn esoteric vocabulary
audible
(adj.) able to be heard (The missing person's shouts were unfortunately not audible
boisterous
(adj.) loud and full of energy (The candidate won the vote after giving several boisterous speeches on television
collateral
1. (adj.) secondary (Divorcing my wife had the collateral effect of making me poor, as she was the only one of us with a job or money.) 2. (n.) security for a debt (Jacob left his watch as collateral for the $500 loan
complement
(v.) to complete, make perfect (Ann's scarf complements her blouse beautifully, making her seem fully dressed even though she isn't wearing a coat
benign
(adj.) favorable, not threatening, mild (We were all relieved to hear that the
assuage
(v.) to ease, pacify (The mother held the baby to assuage its fears
circumspect
(adj.) cautious (Though I promised Rachel's father I would bring her home promptly by midnight, it would have been more circumspect not to have specified a time
cacophony
(n.) tremendous noise, disharmonious sound (The elementary school orchestra created a cacophony at the recital
calamity
(n.) an event with disastrous consequences (The earthquake in San Francisco was a calamity worse than any other natural disaster in history
chronicle
1. (n.) a written history (The library featured the newly updated chronicle of World War II.) 2. (v.) to write a history (Albert's diary chronicled the day-to-day growth of his obsession with Cynthia
battery
1.(n.) a device that supplies power (Most cars run on a combination of power from a battery and gasoline.) 2. (n.)assault, beating (Her husband was accused of assault and battery after he attacked a man on the sidewalk
bequeath
(v.) to pass on, give (Jon's father bequeathed his entire estate to his mother
beseech
(v.) to beg, plead, implore (The servant beseeched the king for food to feed his starving family
clandestine
(adj.) secret (Announcing to her boyfriend that she was going to the gym, Sophie actually went to meet Joseph for a clandestine liaison
compliment
(n.) an expression of esteem or approval (I blushed crimson when Emma gave me a compliment on my new haircut
conciliatory
(adj.) friendly, agreeable (I took Amanda's invitation to dinner as a very conciliatory gesture
bourgeois
(n.) a middle-class person, capitalist (Many businessmen receive criticism for their bourgeois approach to life
coagulate
(v.) to thicken, clot (The top layer of the pudding had coagulated into a thick skin
circuitous
(adj.) roundabout (The bus's circuitous route took us through numerous outlying suburbs
canvas
1. (n.) a piece of cloth on which an artist paints (Picasso liked to work on canvas
complicit
(adj.) being an accomplice in a wrongful act (By keeping her daughter's affair a secret, Maddie became complicit in it
buffet
1. (v.) to strike with force (The strong winds buffeted the ships, threatening to
clairvoyant
(adj.) able to perceive things that normal people cannot (Zelda's uncanny ability to detect my lies was nothing short of clairvoyant
brazen
(adj.) excessively bold, brash (Critics condemned the novelist's brazen attempt to plagiarize Hemingway's story
blemish
(n.) an imperfection, flaw (The dealer agreed to lower the price because of the many blemishes on the surface of the wooden furniture
augment
(v.) to add to, expand (The eager student seeks to augment his knowledge of French vocabulary by reading French literature
concede
(v.) to accept as valid (Andrew had to concede that what his mother said about Diana made sense
bias
(n.) a tendency, inclination, prejudice (The judge's hidden bias against smokers led him to make an unfair decision
chronological
(adj.) arranged in order of time (Lionel carefully arranged the snapshots of his former girlfriends in chronological order, and then set fire to them
benevolent
(adj.) marked by goodness or doing good (Police officers should be commended for their benevolent service to the community
cleave
1. (v.) to divide into parts (Following the scandalous disgrace of their leader, the entire political party cleaved into warring factions.) 2. (v.) to stick together firmly (After resolving their marital problems, Junior and Rosa cleaved to one another all the more tightly
balk
(v.) to stop, block abruptly (Edna's boss balked at her request for another raise
commodious
(adj.) roomy (Holden invited the three women to join him in the back seat of the taxicab, assuring them that the car was quite commodious
cavort
(v.) to leap about, behave boisterously (The adults ate their dinners on the patio, while the children cavorted around the pool
cogent
(adj.) intellectually convincing (Irene's arguments in favor of abstinence were so cogent that I could not resist them
compunction
(n.) distress caused by feeling guilty (He felt compunction for the shabby way he'd treated her
capricious
(adj.) subject to whim, fickle (The young girl's capricious tendencies made it difficult for her to focus on achieving her goals
beguile
(v.) to trick, deceive (The thief beguiled his partners into surrendering all of their money to him
berate
(v.) to scold vehemently (The angry boss berated his employees for failing to
caucus
(n.) a meeting usually held by people working toward the same goal (The ironworkers held a caucus to determine how much of a pay increase they would request
carp
(v.) to annoy, pester (The husband divorced his wife after listening to her carping voice for decades
bombastic
(adj.) excessively confident, pompous (The singer's bombastic performance disgusted the crowd
calibrate
(v.) to set, standardize (The mechanic calibrated the car's transmission to make the motor run most efficiently
coalesce
(v.) to fuse into a whole (Gordon's ensemble of thrift-shop garments coalesced into a surprisingly handsome outfit
atrophy
(v.) to wither away, decay (If muscles do not receive enough blood, they will soon atrophy and die
compound
1. (v.) to combine parts (The difficulty of finding a fire escape amid the smoke was compounded with the dangers posed by the panicking crowds.) 2. (n.) a combination of different parts (My attraction to Donna was a compound of curiosity about the unknown, physical desire, and intellectual admiration.) 3. (n.) a walled area containing a group of buildings (When the fighting started, Joseph rushed into the family compound because it was safe and well defended
canny
(adj.) shrewd, careful (The canny runner hung at the back of the pack through much of the race to watch the other runners, and then sprinted past them at the end
bereft
(adj.) devoid of, without (His family was bereft of food and shelter following the tornado
camaraderie
(n.) brotherhood, jovial unity (Camaraderie among employees usually leads to success in business
colossus
(n.) a gigantic statue or thing (For 56 years, the ancient city of Rhodes featured a colossus standing astride its harbor
combustion
(n.) the act or process of burning (The unexpected combustion of the prosecution's evidence forced the judge to dismiss the case against Ramirez
audacious
(adj.) excessively bold (The security guard was shocked by the fan's audacious attempt to offer him a bribe
concise
(adj.) brief and direct in expression (Gordon did not like to waste time, and his instructions to Brenda were nothing if not concise
attain
(v.) to achieve, arrive at (The athletes strived to attain their best times in competition
choreography
(n.) the arrangement of dances (The plot of the musical was banal, but the choreography was stunning
assess
(v.) to evaluate (A crew arrived to assess the damage after the crash
attribute
1. (v.) to credit, assign (He attributes all of his success to his mother's undying encouragement.) 2. (n.) a facet or trait (Among the beetle's most peculiar attributes is its thorny protruding eyes
cerebral
(adj.) related to the intellect (The books we read in this class are too cerebral— they don't engage my emotions at all
calumny
(n.) an attempt to spoil someone else's reputation by spreading lies (The local official's calumny ended up ruining his opponent's prospect of winning the election
cajole
(v.) to urge, coax (Fred's buddies cajoled him into attending the bachelor party
commensurate
(adj.) corresponding in size or amount (Ahab selected a very long roll and proceeded to prepare a tuna salad sandwich commensurate with his enormous appetite
boon
(n.) a gift or blessing (The good weather has been a boon for many businesses located near the beach
bashful
(adj.) shy, excessively timid (Frankie's mother told him not to be bashful when he refused to attend the birthday party
astute
(adj.) very clever, crafty (Much of Roger's success in politics results from his ability to provide astute answers to reporters' questions
circumvent
(v.) to get around (The school's dress code forbidding navel-baring jeans was circumvented by the determined students, who were careful to cover up with long coats when administrators were nearby
concomitant
(adj.) accompanying in a subordinate fashion (His dislike of hard work carried with it a concomitant lack of funds
catalog
1. (v.) to list, enter into a list (The judge cataloged the victim's injuries before calculating how much money he would award.) 2. (n.) a list or collection (We received a catalog from J. Crew that displayed all of their new items
blight
1. (n.) a plague, disease (The potato blight destroyed the harvest and bankrupted
compress
(v.) to apply pressure, squeeze together (Lynn compressed her lips into a frown
compliant
(adj.) ready to adapt oneself to another's wishes (Sue had very strong opinions about what to do on a first date, and Ted was absolutely compliant
coherent
(adj.) logically consistent, intelligible (Renee could not figure out what Monroe had seen because he was too distraught to deliver a coherent statement
compelling
(adj.) forceful, demanding attention (Eliot's speech was so compelling that Lenore accepted his proposal on the spot
cognizant
(adj.) aware, mindful (Jake avoided speaking to women in bars because he was cognizant of the fact that drinking impairs his judgment
clergy
(n.) members of Christian holy orders (Though the villagers viewed the church rectory as quaint and charming, the clergy who lived there regarded it as a mildewy and dusty place that aggravated their allergies
carouse
(v.) to party, celebrate (We caroused all night after getting married
bilk
(v.) cheat, defraud (The lawyer discovered that this firm had bilked several clients out of thousands of dollars
captivate
(v.) to get the attention of, hold (The fireworks captivated the young boy, who had never seen such things before
banal
(adj.) dull, commonplace (The client rejected our proposal because they found
cloying
(adj.) sickeningly sweet (Though Ronald was physically attractive, Maud found his constant compliments and solicitous remarks cloying
candor
(n.) honesty, frankness (We were surprised by the candor of the mayor's speech because he is usually rather evasive
atone
(v.) to repent, make amends (The man atoned for forgetting his wife's birthday by buying her five dozen roses
aversion
(n.) a particular dislike for something (Because he's from Hawaii, Ben has an aversion to autumn, winter, and cold climates in general
asylum
1. (n.) a place of refuge, protection, a sanctuary (For Thoreau, the forest served as an asylum from the pressures of urban life.) 2. (n.) an institution in which the insane are kept (Once diagnosed by a certified psychiatrist, the man was put in an asylum
cadence
(n.) a rhythm, progression of sound (The pianist used the foot pedal to emphasize the cadence of the sonata
caustic
(adj.) bitter, biting, acidic (The politicians exchanged caustic insults for over an hour during the debate
avarice
(n.) excessive greed (The banker's avarice led him to amass a tremendous personal fortune
capitulate
(v.) to surrender (The army finally capitulated after fighting a long costly battle
callous
(adj.) harsh, cold, unfeeling (The murderer's callous lack of remorse shocked the jury
buttress
1. (v.) to support, hold up (The column buttresses the roof above the statue.) 2. (n.) something that offers support (The buttress supports the roof above the statues
brusque
(adj.) short, abrupt, dismissive (The captain's brusque manner offended the passengers
concoct
(v.) to fabricate, make up (She concocted the most ridiculous story to explain her absence
colloquial
(adj.) characteristic of informal conversation (Adam's essay on sexual response in primates was marked down because it contained too many colloquial expressions
complacency
(n.) self-satisfied ignorance of danger (Colin tried to shock his friends out of their complacency by painting a frightening picture of what might happen to them
avenge
(v.) to seek revenge (The victims will take justice into their own hands and strive to avenge themselves against the men who robbed them
bane
(n.) a burden (Advanced physics is the bane of many students' academic lives
assiduous
(adj.) hard-working, diligent (The construction workers erected the skyscraper during two years of assiduous labor
behemoth
(n.) something of tremendous power or size (The new aircraft carrier is among several behemoths that the Air Force has added to its fleet

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