Sparknotes Complete 1000 SAT Vocab Part 7
Terms
undefined, object
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- punctilious
- (adj.) eager to follow rules or conventions (Punctilious Bobby, hall monitor extraordinaire, insisted that his peers follow the rules
- prosaic
- (adj.) plain, lacking liveliness (Heather's prosaic recital of the poem bored the audience
- puerile
- (adj.) juvenile, immature (The judge demanded order after the lawyer's puerile attempt to object by stomping his feet on the courtroom floor
- placid
- (adj.) calm, peaceful (The placid lake surface was as smooth as glass
- prowess
- (n.) extraordinary ability (The musician had never taken a guitar lesson in his life, making his prowess with the instrument even more incredible
- reprieve
- (n.) a temporary delay of punishment (Because the governor woke up in a particularly good mood, he granted hundreds of reprieves to prisoners
- repentant
- (adj.) penitent, sorry (The repentant Dennis apologized profusely for breaking his mother's vase
- remedial
- (adj.) intended to repair gaps in students' basic knowledge (After his teacher discovered he couldn't read, Alex was forced to enroll in remedial English
- potable
- (adj.) suitable for drinking (During sea voyages it is essential that ships carry a supply of potable water because salty ocean water makes anyone who drinks it sick
- resolve
- 1. (v.) to find a solution (Sarah and Emma resolved their differences and shook hands.) 2. (v.) to firmly decide (Lady Macbeth resolved to whip her husband into shape
- reproach
- (v.) to scold, disapprove (Brian reproached the customer for failing to rewind the video he had rented
- saccharine
- (adj.) sickeningly sweet (Tom's saccharine manner, although intended to make him popular, actually repelled his classmates
- reprehensible
- (adj.) deserving rebuke (Jean's cruel and reprehensible attempt to dump her boyfriend on his birthday led to tears and recriminations
- procure
- (v.) to obtain, acquire (The FBI was unable to procure sufficient evidence to charge the gangster with racketeering
- rail
- (v.) to scold, protest (The professor railed against the injustice of the college's tenure policy
- renown
- (n.) honor, acclaim (The young writer earned international renown by winning the Pulitzer Prize
- portent
- (n.) an omen (When a black cat crossed my sister's path while she was walking to school, she took it as a portent that she would do badly on her spelling test
- preclude
- (v.) to prevent (My grandfather's large and vicious guard dog precluded anyone from entering the yard
- pittance
- (n.) a very small amount, especially relating to money (Josh complained that he was paid a pittance for the great amount of work he did at the firm
- revere
- (v.) to esteem, show deference, venerate (The doctor saved countless lives with his combination of expertise and kindness and became universally revered
- propriety
- (n.) the quality or state of being proper, decent (Erma's old-fashioned parents believed that her mini-skirt lacked the propriety expected of a "nice" girl
- plenitude
- (n.) an abundance (My grandmother was overwhelmed by the plenitude of tomatoes her garden yielded this season
- proclivity
- (n.) a strong inclination toward something (In a sick twist of fate, Harold's childhood proclivity for torturing small animals grew into a desire to become a surgeon
- preponderance
- (adj.) superiority in importance or quantity (Britain's preponderance of naval might secured the nation's role as a military power
- reconcile
- 1. (v.) to return to harmony (The feuding neighbors finally reconciled when one brought the other a delicious tuna noodle casserole.) 2. (v.) to make consistent with existing ideas (Alou had to reconcile his skepticism about the existence of aliens with the fact that he was looking at a flying saucer
- requisition
- (n.) a demand for goods, usually made by an authority (During the war, the government made a requisition of supplies
- revoke
- (v.) to take back (After missing the curfew set by the court for eight nights in a row, Marcel's freedom of movement was revoked
- reprove
- (v.) to scold, rebuke (Lara reproved her son for sticking each and every one of his fingers into the strawberry pie
- prurient
- (adj.) eliciting or possessing an extraordinary interest in sex (David's mother
- poignant
- (adj.) deeply affecting, moving (My teacher actually cried after reading to us the poignant final chapter of the novel
- resilient
- (adj.) able to recover from misfortune; able to withstand adversity (The resilient ballplayer quickly recovered from his wrist injury
- placate
- (v.) to ease the anger of, soothe (The man purchased a lollipop to placate his irritable son
- resolute
- (adj.) firm, determined (With a resolute glint in her eye, Catherine announced that she was set on going to college in New York City even though she was a little frightened of tall buildings
- repudiate
- (v.) to reject, refuse to accept (Kwame made a strong case for an extension of his curfew, but his mother repudiated it with a few biting words
- reprobate
- (adj.) evil, unprincipled (The reprobate criminal sat sneering in the cell
- pungent
- (adj.) having a pointed, sharp quality—often used to describe smells
- quixotic
- (adj.) idealistic, impractical (Edward entertained a quixotic desire to fall in love at first sight in a laundromat
- presage
- (n.) an omen (When my uncle's old war injury ached, he interpreted it as a presage of bad weather approaching
- renovate
- 1. (v.) restore, return to original state (The renovated antique candelabra
- plausible
- (adj.) believable, reasonable (He studied all the data and then came up with a plausible theory that took all factors into account
- profane
- (adj.) lewd, indecent (Jacob's profane act of dumping frogs in the holy water in the chapel at his boarding school resulted in his dismissal
- remiss
- (adj.) negligent, failing to take care (The burglar gained entrance because the security guard, remiss in his duties, forgot to lock the door
- presumptuous
- (adj.) disrespectfully bold (The princess grew angry after the presumptuous noble tried to kiss her, even though he was far below her in social status
- reciprocate
- (v.) to give in return (When Steve gave Samantha a sweater for Christmas, she reciprocated by giving him a kiss
- reclusive
- (adj.) solitary, shunning society (Reclusive authors such as J.D. Salinger do not relish media attention and sometimes even enjoy holing up in remote cabins in the woods
- pinnacle
- (n.) the highest point (Book reviewers declared that the author's
- promulgate
- (v.) to proclaim, make known (The film professor promulgated that both in terms of sex appeal and political intrigue, Sean Connery's James Bond was superior to Roger Moore's
- prescient
- (adj.) to have foreknowledge of events (Questioning the fortune cookie's prediction, Ray went in search of the old hermit who was rumored to be prescient
- propitious
- (adj.) favorable (The dark storm clouds visible on the horizon suggested that the weather would not be propitious for sailing
- retract
- (v.) withdraw (As the media worked itself into a frenzy, the publicist hurriedly retracted his client's sexist statement
- pugnacious
- (adj.) quarrelsome, combative (Aaron's pugnacious nature led him to start several barroom brawls each month
- rectitude
- (n.) uprightness, extreme morality (The priest's rectitude gave him the moral authority to counsel his parishioners
- pretense
- (n.)an appearance or action intended to deceive (Though he actually wanted to use his parents' car to go on a date, Nick borrowed his parents' car under the pretense of attending a group study session
- privation
- (n.) lacking basic necessities (After decades of rule by an oppressive government that saw nothing wrong with stealing from its citizens, the recent drought only increased the people's privation
- rebuke
- (v.) to scold, criticize (When the cops showed up at Sarah's party, they rebuked her for disturbing the peace
- plaudits
- (n.) enthusiastic approval, applause (The controversial new film received plaudits from even the harshest critics
- renunciation
- (n.) to reject (Fiona's renunciation of red meat resulted in weight loss, but confused those people who thought she'd been a vegetarian for years
- replete
- (adj.) full, abundant (The unedited version was replete with naughty words
- propagate
- (v.) to multiply, spread out (Rumors of Paul McCartney's demise propagated like wildfire throughout the world
- probity
- (n.) virtue, integrity (Because he was never viewed as a man of great probity, no one was surprised by Mr. Samson's immoral behavior
- plethora
- (n.) an abundance, excess (The wedding banquet included a plethora of oysters piled almost three feet high
- redoubtable
- 1. (adj.) formidable (The fortress looked redoubtable set against a stormy sky.) 2. (adj.) commanding respect (The audience greeted the redoubtable speaker with a standing ovation
- rife
- (adj.) abundant (Surprisingly, the famous novelist's writing was rife with spelling errors
- punitive
- (adj.) involving punishment (If caught smoking in the boys' room, the punitive result is immediate expulsion from school
- recapitulate
- (v.) to sum up, repeat (Before the final exam, the teacher recapitulated the semester's material
- profligate
- (adj.) dissolute, extravagant (The profligate gambler loved to drink, spend money, steal, cheat, and hang out with prostitutes
- quagmire
- (n.) a difficult situation (We'd all like to avoid the kind of military quagmire characterized by the Vietnam War
- repulse
- 1. (v.) to disgust (Antisocial Annie tried to repulse people by neglecting to brush
- refract
- (v.) to distort, change (The light was refracted as it passed through the prism
- rancid
- (adj.) having a terrible taste or smell (Rob was double-dog-dared to eat the rancid egg salad sandwich
- precipice
- (n.) the face of a cliff, a steep or overhanging place (The mountain climber hung from a precipice before finding a handhold and pulling himself up
- quandary
- (n.) a perplexed, unresolvable state (Carlos found himself in a quandary: should he choose mint chocolate chip or cookie dough?)
- putrid
- (adj.) rotten, foul (Those rotten eggs smell putrid
- predilection
- (n.) a preference or inclination for something (Francois has a predilection for eating scrambled eggs with ketchup, though I prefer to eat eggs without any condiments
- ribald
- (adj.) coarsely, crudely humorous (While some giggled at the ribald joke involving a parson's daughter, most sighed and rolled their eyes
- pulchritude
- (n.) physical beauty (Several of Shakespeare's sonnets explore the pulchritude of a lovely young man
- reservoir
- 1. (n.) reserves, large supply (Igor the Indomitable had quite a reservoir of strengh and could lift ten tons, even after running 700 miles, jumping over three mountains, and swimming across an ocean.) 2. (n.) a body of water used for storing water (After graduation, the more rebellious members of the senior class jumped into the town reservoir used for drinking water
- propensity
- (n.) an inclination, preference (Dermit has a propensity for dangerous activities such as bungee jumping
- rhapsodize
- (v.) to engage in excessive enthusiasm (The critic rhapsodized about the movie, calling it an instant classic
- protean
- (adj.)able to change shape; displaying great variety (Among Nigel's protean talents was his ability to touch the tip of his nose with his tongue
- pragmatic
- (adj.) practical (The politician argued that while increased security measures might not fit with the lofty ideals of the nation, they were a pragmatic necessity to ensure everyone's safety
- regurgitate
- 1. (v.) to vomit (Feeling sick, Chuck regurgitated his dinner.) 2. (v.) to throw back exactly (Margaret rushed through the test, regurgitating all of the facts she'd memorized an hour earlier
- rancor
- (n.) deep, bitter resentment (When Eileen challenged me to a fight, I could see the rancor in her eyes
- polemic
- (n.) an aggressive argument against a specific opinion (My brother
- reputable
- (adj.) of good reputation (After the most reputable critic in the industry gave the novel a glowing review, sales took off
- recalcitrant
- (adj.) defiant, unapologetic (Even when scolded, the recalcitrant young girl simply stomped her foot and refused to finish her lima beans
- prudence
- (n.) cautious, circumspect (After losing a fortune in a stock market crash, my father vowed to practice greater prudence in future investments
- platitude
- (n.) an uninspired remark, cliché (After reading over her paper, Helene
- quaint
- (adj.) charmingly old-fashioned (Hilda was delighted by the quaint bonnets she saw in Amish country
- refute
- (v.) to prove wrong (Maria refuted the president's argument as she yelled and gesticulated at the TV
- pithy
- (adj.) concisely meaningful (My father's long-winded explanation was a stark contrast to his usually pithy statements
- pliable
- (adj.) flexible (Aircraft wings are designed to be somewhat pliable so they do not break in heavy turbulence
- potentate
- (n.) one who has great power, a ruler (All the villagers stood along the town's main road to observe as the potentate's procession headed towards the capital
- relegate
- 1. (v.) to assign to the proper place (At the astrology conference, Simon was relegated to the Scorpio room.) 2. (v.) to assign to an inferior place (After spilling a drink on a customer's shirt, the waiter found himself relegated to the least lucrative shift
- prescribe
- (v.) to lay down a rule (The duke prescribed that from this point further all of the peasants living on his lands would have to pay higher taxes
- refurbish
- (v.) to restore, clean up (The dingy old chair, after being refurbished, commanded the handsome price of $200
- precocious
- (adj.) advanced, developing ahead of time (Derek was so academically precocious that by the time he was 10 years old, he was already in the ninth grade
- rapport
- (n.) mutual understanding and harmony (When Margaret met her paramour, they felt an instant rapport
- repose
- (v.) to rest, lie down (The cat, after eating an entire can of tuna fish, reposed in the sun and took a long nap
- respite
- (n.) a break, rest (Justin left the pub to gain a brief respite from the smoke and noise
- resplendent
- (adj.) shiny, glowing (The partygoers were resplendent in diamonds and fancy dress
- ruse
- (n.) a trick (Oliver concocted an elaborate ruse for sneaking out of the house to meet his girlfriend while simultaneously giving his mother the impression that he was asleep in bed
- quotidian
- (adj.) daily (Ambika's quotidian routines include drinking two cups of coffee in the morning
- rescind
- (v.) to take back, repeal (The company rescinded its offer of employment after discovering that Jane's resume was full of lies
- pillage
- (v.) to seize or plunder, especially in war (Invading enemy soldiers pillaged the homes scattered along the country's border
- restitution
- (n.) restoration to the rightful owner (Many people feel that descendants of slaves should receive restitution for the sufferings of their ancestors
- rash
- (adj.) hasty, incautious (It's best to think things over calmly and thoroughly, rather than make rash decisions