Barron's SAT Vocabulary

extol

praise; glorify

repudiate

disown; disavow

capricious

unpredictable; fickle

superficial

trivial; shallow

censure

blame; criticize

coercion

use of force to get someone to obey

homogeneous

of the same kind

hypothetical

based on assumptions or hypotheses; supposed

hypocritical

pretending to be virtuous; deceiving

disseminate

distribute; spread; scatter (like seeds)

ingenious

clever; resourceful

adulation

flattery; admiration

adversary

opponent

anarchist

person who seeks to overturn the established government; advocate of abolishing authority

extricate

free; disentangle

reticence

reserve; uncommunicativeness; inclination to silence

adversity

poverty; misfortune

superfluous

unnecessary; excessive; overabundant

surreptitious

secret; furtive; sneaky; hidden

taciturn

habitually silent; talking little

inane

silly; senseless

incongruous

not fitting; absurd

incite

arouse to action

reprove

censure; rebuke

hierarchy

arrangement by rank or standing; authoritarian body divided into ranks

advocate

urge; plead for

hedonist

one who believes that pleasure is the sole aim in life

ascetic

practicing self-denial; austere

cursory

casual; hastily done

cryptic

mysterious; hidden; secret

pretentious

ostentatious; pompous; making unjustified claims; overly ambitious

instigate

urge; start; provoke

inundate

overwhelm; flood; submerge

mundane

worldly as opposed to spiritual; everyday

conciliatory

reconciling; soothing

surpass

exceed

precocious

advanced in development

presumptuous

overconfident; impertinently bold; taking liberties

compliance

readiness to yield; conformity in fulfilling requirements

condone

overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse

profane

violate; desecrate; treat unworthily

morose

ill-humored; sullen; melancholy

ascendancy

controlling influence; domination

expedient

suitable; practical; politic

exacerbate

worsen; embitter

oblivion

obscurity; forgetfulness

notoriety

disrepute; ill fame

exonerate

acquit; exculpate

explicit

totally clear; definite; outspoken

apathy

lack of caring; indifference

heresy

opinion contrary to popular belief; opinion contrary to accepted religion

meticulous

excessively careful; painstaking

disperse

scatter

turbulence

state of violent agitation

rhetorical

pertaining to effective communication; insincere in the language

garrulous

loquacious; wordy; talkative

nurture

nourish; educate; foster

commemorate

honor the memory of

abstract

theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational

discordant

not harmonious; conflicting

verbose

wordy

abridge

condense or shorten

cajole

coax; wheedle

furtive

stealthy; sneaky

terse

concise; abrupt; pithy

succinct

brief; terse; compact

diminution

lessening; reduction in size

vilify

slander

embellish

adorn; ornament

fanaticism

excessive zeal; extreme devotion to a belief or cause

mitigate

appease; moderate

pervasive

pervading; spread throughout every part

pessimism

belief that life is basically bad or evil; gloominess

peripheral

marginal; outer

sycophant

servile flatterer; bootlicker; yes-man

listless

lacking in spirit or energy

delineate

portray

pacifist

one opposed to force; antimilitarist

induce

persuade; bring about

indict

charge

incorrigible

not correctable

innocuous

harmless

malicious

hateful; spiteful

intrepid

fearless

conflagration

great fire

fallacious

false; misleading

criterion

standard used in judging

erudite

learned; scholarly

equivocal

ambiguous; intentionally misleading

ephemeral

short-lived; fleeting

prolific

abundantly fruitful

autonomous

self-governing

corroborate

confirm; support

contentious

quarrelsome

fastidious

difficult to please; squeamish

flagrant

conspicuously wicked; blatant; outrageous

fervor

glowing ardor; intensity of feeling

stagnant

motionless; stale; dull

volatile

changeable; explosive; evaporating rapidly

discrepancy

lack of consistency; difference

disdain

view with scorn or contempt

venerate

revere

constraint

compulsion; repression of feelings

consensus

general agreement

inherent

firmly established by nature or habit

profound

deep; not superficial; complete

profusion

overabundance; lavish expenditure

innate

inborn

exuberance

overflowing abundance; joyful enthusiasm; flamboyance; lavishness

frugality

thrift; economy

exemplary

serving as a model; outstanding

vacillate

waver; fluctuate

arbitrary

capricious; randomly chosen; tyrannical

articulate

effective; distinct

denounce

condemn; criticize

deterrent

something that discourages; hindrance

digression

wandering away from the subject

belie

contradict; give a false impression

disinclination

unwillingness

concise

brief and compact

astute

wise; shrewd; keen

austere

forbiddingly stern; severely simple

deride

ridicule; make fun of

deprecate

express disapproval of; protest against; belittle

depravity

extreme corruption; wickedness

undermine

weaken; sap

skeptic

doubter; person who suspends judgment until the evidence supporting a point of view has been examined

eclectic

composed of elements drawn from disparate sources

elusive

evasive; baffling; hard to grasp

servile

slavish; cringing

somber

gloomy; depressing; dark; drab

ponderous

weighty; unwieldy

eloquence

expressiveness; persuasive speech

quandary

dilemma

acclaim

applaud; announce with great approval

sanction

approve; ratify

miserly

stingy; mean

rancor

bitterness; hatred

substantiate

establish by evidence; verify; support

satirical

mocking

scrutinize

examine closely and critically

despondent

depressed; gloomy

redundant

superfluous; repetitious; excessively wordy

disparage

belittle

disparity

difference; condition of inequality

dismiss

put away from consideration; reject

relegate

banish to an inferior position; delegate; assign

refute

disprove

conviction

judgment that someone is guilty of a crime; strongly held belief

eulogy

expression of praise, often on the occasion of someone's death

emulate

imitate; rival

credulity

belief on slight evidence; gullibility; naivete

proximity

nearness

proliferation

rapid growth; spread; multiplication

brevity

conciseness

enhance

increase; improve

enigma

puzzle; mystery

materialism

preoccupation with physical comforts and things

impair

injure; hurt

impede

hinder; block; delay

immutable

unchangeable

transient

momentary; temporary; staying for a short time

retract

withdraw; take back

scrupulous

conscientious; extremely thorough

innovation

change; introduction of something new

insipid

lacking in flavor; dull

alleviate

relieve

prudent

cautious; careful

prevalent

widespread; generally accepted

prodigal

wasteful; reckless with money

benevolent

generous; charitable

altruistic

unselfishly generous; concerned for others

discerning

mentally quick and observant; having insight

euphemism

mild expression in place of an unpleasant one

esoteric

hard to understand; known only to the chosen few

divergent

differing; deviating

laud

praise

ostentatious

showy; pretentious; trying to attract attention

partisan

one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party

opportunist

individual who sacrifices principles for expediency by taking advantage of circumstances

ironic

resulting in an unexpected and contrary outcome

lethargic

drowsy; dull

piety

religious devotion; godliness

opulence

extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance

recluse

hermit; loner

rebuttal

refutation; response with contrary evidence

decorum

propriety orderliness and good taste in manners

duplicity

double-dealing; hypocrisy

frivolous

lacking in seriousness; self-indulgently carefree; relatively unimportant

virtuoso

highly skilled artist

opaque

dark; not transparent

pragmatic

practical; concerned with the practical worth or impact of something

haughtiness

pride; arrogance

preclude

make impossible; eliminate

renounce

abandon; disown; repudiate

reprehensible

deserving blame

guile

deceit; duplicity; wiliness; cunning

predecessor

former occupant of a post

reprimand

reprove severely; rebuke

affirmation

positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath

philanthropist

lover of mankind; doer of good

dogmatic

opinionated; arbitrary; doctrinal

ambiguous

unclear or doubtful in meaning

exhaustive

thorough; comprehensive

placate

pacify; conciliate

extraneous

not essential; superfluous

usurp

seize another's power or rank

hamper

obstruct

zealot

fanatic; person who shows excessive zeal

levity

lack of seriousness; lightness

rectify

set right; correct

gregarious

sociable

gravity

seriousness

ambivalence

the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes

aesthetic

artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciation of the beautiful