PSAT vocab 2
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- Abrogate
-
repeal
So why is Washington seeking to abrogate the ABM Treaty, to push ahead with its anti-ballistic missile Star Wars programme? - Acerbic
-
bitter
At times, the playwright allows an acerbic tone to pierce through otherwise arid or flowery prose - Acumen
-
mental sharpness
Mysteries...which no political sagacity or critical acumen could have divined. - Ameliorate
-
to improve
Wine ameliorates by age - ancillary
-
subordinate, assistant
The Convocation of York seems to have been always considered as inferior, and even ancillary, to the greater province - apostate
-
one who deserts his principles/faith
So spake the apostate angel. - apotheosis
-
paragon
Their leader was the apotheosis of courage. - ascetic
-
practicing self-denial, especially for religion
Modern race drivers are, by comparison, an ascetic bunch, largely non-drinkers, definitely non-smokers, who trot off dutifully to bed when they are told. - assiduous
-
diligent
an assiduous worker who strove for perfection - augury
-
good omen
From their flight strange auguries she drew - auspices
-
protection
under the auspices of a king - avarice
-
greed
To desire money for its own sake, and in order to hoard it up, is avarice - avuncular
-
kind
Already, during the course of this brief exchange, I am aware of smiling wryly and generally sending out the kind of friendly, apparently avuncular social messages which I know are expected of me. - behest
- command
- belie
-
to contradict, give a false impression
Their laughter belied their outward grief. - bequest
- something left in a will
- blithe
- carefree
- cabal
-
a group of conspirators
If you constantly disagreed with Winters, he wrote you out of his cabal, his conspiracy against the poetry establishment. - candor
- honesty
- capacitor
- device that stores energy
- captiulate
-
to give in
"I am ashamed to think how easily we capitulate to badges and names." --Emerson - captious
- quarrelsome
- carp
-
to complain about someone
Carping and caviling at faults of manner. - castigate
-
to chastise
It was not good enough to castigate him for his sins. - cavil
-
to quibble
Carping and caviling at faults of manner. - chicanery
- deceitfulness
- chimerical
- imaginary
- choleric
-
Hot-tempered
But the records of his service show that Jacobsz was also choleric, quick-tempered, and sensitive to any slight; that he sometimes drank to excess. - cogitate
-
to ponder, to think carefully about
Still cogitating and looking for an explanation in the fire. - craven
-
cowardly
The poor craven bridegroom said never a word - curmudgeon
-
a greedy, irascible, crotchety old person
A gray-headed curmudgeon of a negro. - dearth
-
a shortage of something
the dearth of uncensored, firsthand information about the war - debacle
- a big disaster
- deleterious
-
harmful
the deleterious effects of smoking. - demagogue
-
a leader of the people, but more a rabble-rouser
Even when he showed his true colors as a demagogue and trickster, Stalin did so in such a crisp and weighty, confidence-inspiring manner that he bewitched not only his conversational partner but himself as well. - discomfit
-
to frustrate, to confuse
A few of Dr. Baden's anecdotes ramble pointlessly, and his gusto in describing the anatomical characteristics of exhumed bodies may discomfit the squeamish. - diurnal
-
occuring during the daytime
diurnal animals - draconian
-
severe, harsh, cruel
a draconian legal code; draconian budget cuts. - ebullient
-
bubbling with excitement, exuberant
The ebullient enthusiasm of the French. - equine
- relating to horses
- equivocal
-
ambiguous, intentionally confusing, capable of being interpreted many ways
an equivocal statement - ersatz
-
serving as a substitute; synthetic, artificial
ersatz coffee made mostly of chicory - etymology
- the study of words
- ethereal
- heavenly, light, insubstantial
- euphonious
- pleasant-sounding, melodious
- evince
-
to prove
evince distaste by grimacing - execrate
- to curse, denounce
- expiate
-
to make amends, to atone
expiate one's sins by acts of penance. - facile
- fluent, skllful in a superficial way
- fecund
-
fertile, productive
For 21 years after the birth of the Prince of Wales, the fecund royal couple produced children at the rate of two every three years -- eight boys and six girls in all. - florid
-
very fancy, usually refers to intangible objects
florid speech - fracas
- a brawl
- gaffe
- a social blunder, a faux pas, an embarrassing mistake
- galvanzie
-
to startle into sudden activity
Issues that once galvanized the electorate fade into irrelevance - gastronomy
- the art of eating well
- germane
-
relevant, applicable, pertinent
The phrase would be more germane to the matter - goldbrick
- to swindle, to sell something worthless as if it were valuable
- hackneyed
- trite, overused
- halcyon
-
peaceful, serene, carefree
It was a halcyon life, cocktails and bridge at sunset, white jackets and long gowns at dinner, good gin and Gershwin under the stars. - Prescribe
- to lay down a rule
- proscribe
- to condemn or forbid as harmful or unlawful
- hermetic
- airtight, impervious to external influence
- homily
- a sermon
- importune
- to beg, urge, or insist persistently
- incensed
- very angry
- inchoate
- incomplete
- indolent
- habitually lazy
- ineffable
- incapable of being expressed or described
- inexorable
- relentless, inevitable, unavoidable