99 Need-to-Know SAT/GRE Words
Terms
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- abhor
- to hate intensely
- abtruse
- difficult to comprehend or understand
- accolade
- an expression of approval or praise; laudatory notice or recognition, such as a prize
- amalgamation
- the process or resut of combining or mixing two or more things
- ameliorate
- to make better or improve
- amorphous
- having no definiteform or character; shapeless or characterless
- anathema
- a person or thing condemned, accused, damned, cursed, or generally loathed
- anecdote
- a brief narrative of an amusing or interesting event
- aspersion
- an insulting or derogatory remark; a slanderous, defamatory statement
- assuage
- to pacify or soothe; to lessen another's fear, distress, or pain
- attenuate
- to weaken or make thin
- auspices
- a favorable sign or omen; sponsorship or patronage; an emblem or symbol
- behoove
- to be incumbent upon, suited to, or proper for
- beleaguer
- to surround; besiege
- besmirch
- to soil or tarnish,, especially a person's honor or reputation; to defile
- bilious
- irritable or irascible; unpleasant or distasteful
- brackish
- having a somewhat salty taste, usually unpleasantly so
- brevity
- briefness; conciseness
- callow
- inexperienced; immature
- canvass
- to solicit votes, sales, opinions, etc.
- celerity
- quickness; swiftness
- cozen
- to cheat; swindle; deceive; defraud
- cynosure
- the center of attention or interest; a celebrity
- dearth
- scarcity; lack; insufficiency
- decimate
- to kill or destroy all or a large proportion of
- dilatory
- delaying or procrastinating
- dispatch
- to send off, esp. quickly
- duress
- compulsion or procurement by threat, coercion, or restraint
- efface
- to obliterate, wipe out or rub out
- egregious
- shocking, extraordinary, or outstanding
- eminent
- distinguish; high in stature or rank; prominent
- epithet
- a word of phrase describing the person (e. g. "Ivan the terrible")
- espouse
- to advocate, support, promote, or argue for
- evanescent
- fleeting; fading quickly; passing away; vanishing
- exacerbate
- to increase in harshness or severity; aggrevate
- exculpate
- to free from blame; clear from a charge
- foment
- to instigate; stir up; incite; stimulate; arouse
- foppish
- excessively vain about one's dress, manner or general appearance
- forensic
- pertaining to debate or rhetoric; suitable as evidence in a court of law
- garrulous
- excessively talkative or wordy
- grandiloquent
- given to using pompous, high sounding language
- iconoclast
- one who attacks cherished beliefs or traditions
- impecunious
- lacking money; penniless; indigent
- impetuous
- impulsive; rash; spontaneous
- impudent
- rude; brazen
- impunity
- license; priviledge; exemption
- indolence
- laziness; aversion to exertion; slothfulness; sluggish
- intransigent
- stubborn; unwilling to compromise; inflexible
- intrepid
- fearless; courageous
- inundate
- to flood or overflow; deluge; overwhelm
- invidious
- likely to create ill will, animosity, or envy
- jocular
- not serious; joking; facetious; jesting
- juxtapose
- to put side by side, usually to compare or contrast
- languish
- to lose strength or vitality; weaken; become feeble, droop; fade
- lurid
- sensational or shocking; shining with an unnatural glow; gruesome or revolting
- maladroit
- bungling; awkward; clumsy
- marshal
- to put in proper order; assemble; arrange clearly
- maudlin
- overly sentimental; foolishly tearful
- mellifluous
- sweet sounding; flowing smoothly
- miasma
- noxious, dangerous, or unwholesome emissions, atmosphere, or influence
- multifarious
- very diversified; varying.
- nefarious
- extremely wicked
- nepotism
- favoritism bestowed upon family members or close friends, especially in business or politics
- obstreperous
- resisting control in an unruly, noisy manner
- ostracize
- to banish, exile, or exclude
- pandemic
- affecting a majority of a population or area
- peregrination
- a journey or travel
- plenary
- absolute, complete, or full
- portend
- to indicate in advance; foretell; predict
- presage
- anything that foreshadows future events; an omen or sign of what is to come
- profligate
- recklessly extravagant or wasteful; shamelessly immoral
- propitious
- favorable to advantageous
- punctilious
- exacting in the observance of niceties and formalities of conduct
- quandry
- a perplexing or difficult situation; dilemma; predicament; "catch-22"
- querulous
- full of complaints; whinning
- repudiate
- to reject, disown, or cast off as unbinding, non-authoritative, or without force
- reticent
- reluctant to speak; reserved
- retinue
- a group of attendants or servants
- rhapsodic
- exaggerated or exalted enthusiasm, especially as expressed in writing, speech or music
- ruminate
- to think over; ponder; mull over; "chew on"
- salubrious
- favorable to or promoting health; healthful
- sanguine
- hopeful; confident; optimistic; cheerful
- schism
- a split, division, or disunion
- scintilla
- a spark or trace; shred; small particle; tiny bit
- surfeit
- excess; overindulgence, esp. in eating or drinking
- temerity
- rash or foolhardy boldness; audacity; effrontery
- temporal
- pertaining to time, especially the present time; short-lived; secular
- torpor
- a state of suspended activity powers; dormancy; sluggishness or lethargy
- tribulation
- a great suffering, distress, or trouble
- truncate
- to shorten by cutting off a portion
- turgid
- swollen; inflated; bombastic; pompous
- unctuous
- oily; fervently and overly pious or moralistic; having a suave, smooth, insincere manner
- usurp
- to take control or seize and hold by force or without right
- vacuous
- expressionless; empty-headed or simpleminded
- veritable
- truly; very much so; genuine
- vilify
- to belittle or speak slightly of in the extreme; slander; defame
- virulent
- poisonous; extremely injurious; deadly
- wangle
- to obtain or accomplish something by trickery, scheming, or deception
- zealous
- overly enthusiatic or passionate, esp. in devotion or activity