10th Grade SAT Vocabulary List 1-10

1. aberration; noun deviating from the right path or usual course of action; a mental
disorder, especially of a minor or temporary nature. We were convinced that Eds poor test
marks were an aberration, and that he would do better the next time.
2. belittle; verb to make something seem less important. The purpose of much campaign
oratory is to belittle your opponents record.
3. cache; noun a hiding place; something hidden in a hiding place. Police searched in vain
for the cache of jewels which the thieves had skillfully concealed.
4. dearth; noun shortage. The dearth of citrus fruits led to a host of illnesses.
5. ebb; verb to decline. Investors watched their fortunes ebb as the stock market plunged to
a new low.
6. facilitate; verb to make easy; to bring about. To facilitate our move, the company sent a
crew to crate all of the furniture.
7. galvanize; verb to arouse suddenly; to startle. It took a mishap at Chernobyl to galvanize
the peace movement into protesting vigorously.
8. hackneyed; adjective used too often; trite; commonplace. Creative writers cringe when
they hear egregiously hackneyed expressions.
9. iconoclast; noun a person who attacks cherished beliefs or established institutions. When
she shook up the conservative firm, Gloria earned the reputation of being an iconoclast.
10. jargon; noun the specialized vocabulary of members of a group. The club members
adopted a jargon that made them feel exclusive.
11. kindle; verb to ignite; to arouse or inspire; to catch fire; to become aroused. With the
wind blowing furiously, Ted found it difficult to kindle a fire.
12. labyrinth; noun- a maze; a complicated, perplexing arrangement or course of affairs.
Once inside the cave, the searchers were confronted with a labyrinth that defied them to find
the route to the wounded explorer.
13. malicious; adjective- spiteful; intentionally mischievous or harmful. The malicious man
led the widow through a labyrinth of schemes to deprive her of her fortune.
14. nomenclature; noun a systematic naming in an art or science. The nomenclature can be
quickly mastered by using memory devices.
15. obliterate; verb to blot out leaving no traces; to destroy. The authorities feared that the
heavy rain would obliterate all signs of the escaped prisoner.

SAT vocabulary List 2-10

1. abstinence; noun the giving up of certain pleasures such as food or drink. Myras abstinence
from cake, candy, and ice cream led to a dramatic weight loss.
2. bequeath; verb to leave money or property by a will; to pass along. The austere, old
tightwad would not bequeath even one penny to charity.
3. cacophony; noun- discord; harsh sound. While we sought harmony, our enemies were pleased
with cacophony.
4. debilitate; verb to weaken. The cruel jailer starved his prisoners in order to debilitate them.
5. eclectic; adjective consisting of selections from various sources. With an eclectic interest in
books, Sheila collected everything from Shakespeare to Superman.
6. fallacy; noun false idea; mistaken belief. The economist revealed the fallacy in the
governments proposal.
7. garbled; adjective confused; mixed up. The garbled message failed to facilitate the
ambulances arrival.
8. haphazard; adjective not planned; random. Taking haphazard aim, the hunter committed a
fatal error.
9. immaterial; adjective insignificant; unimportant. The prosecutor objected to the attorneys
exhibit, disparaging it as amateurish and immaterial.
10. judicious; adjective wise; careful; showing sound judgment; prudent. Gary thought it more
judicious to speak to his mother rather than his father about extending his curfew.
11. lackluster; adjective lacking brightness; dull; lacking liveliness, vitality, or enthusiasm. His
lackluster response to our suggestions made us lose our initial enthusiasm.
12. marred; verb injured; spoiled; damaged; disfigured. The fight in the corridor marred
Lornas otherwise perfect record as a model student.
13. nonchalance; noun carelessness; lack of interest or concern. Edwards nonchalance about
his studies made it difficult to lampoon him about his poor showing in the midterm exams.
14. obscure; adjective not clear or distinct; hidden; remote; not well known. Far from the welltraveled highway was an obscure village that seemed to belong to another age.
15. painstaking; adjective very careful, diligent. Researchers are engaged in a painstaking
effort to find a vaccine against the AIDS virus.

SAT Vocabulary List 3-10

1. abstract; adjective theoretical, not applied or practical; not concrete; hard to
understand. I prefer realistic art to abstract paintings, which are totally confusing to me.
2. bizarre; adjective strikingly odd in appearance or style; grotesque. The beggars
bizarre street behavior alerted the police to question her.
3. cajole; verb to persuade by pleasant words or false promises. First he tried to cajole
the witness into testifying; then he used threats.
4. decadence; noun decay; decline. Many sermons tend to focus on the moral
decadence in our time.
5. efface; verb to wipe out; to erase. A devious attempt to efface the signature didnt
fool the bank teller.
6. fastidious; adjective hard to please; dainty in taste. Everett was so fastidious that his
messy fraternity brothers refused to room with him.
7. garner; verb to gather and store away; to collect. By paying close attention, you may
be able to garner some information will elucidate the situation.
8. hedonist; noun one who lives solely for pleasure. Abandoning her lifestyle as a
hedonist, Maria entered a convent.
9. imminent; adjective about to occur. The ominous clouds told us that a storm was
imminent.
10. laconic; adjective brief or terse in speech; using few words. The tense situation
called for a laconic reply, not a lengthy exposition.
11. meager; adjective thin; lean; of poor quality or small amount. The visiting team
lampooned the meager dinner served by their hosts.
12. obsolete; adjective out-of-date. Propeller planes have become obsolete.
13. pariah; noun an outcast. The Western mind finds it difficult to accept the idea of a
pariah class.
14. quandary; noun condition of being doubtful or confused. The benefits and dangers
of a nuclear plant leave us in a quandary.
15. raconteur; noun a person skilled at telling stories or anecdotes. Comedians and
masters of ceremonies must be consummate raconteurs.

SAT Vocabulary List 4-10

1. acclaim; noun loud applause; approval. Jonas Salk won great acclaim for his medical
discoveries.
2. blithe; adjective happy and cheerful; gay. Loris blithe attitude toward her terrible
predicament was bizarre indeed.
3. callous; adjective unfeeling; insensitive. It was a surprise to see the tears flowing from
someone we had considered to be callous.
4. deference; noun great respect. Out of deference to my father, we never smoked in the house.
5. effervescent; adjective lively; giving off bubbles. Because I do not enjoy carbonated drinks,
I do not like the effervescent quality of ginger ale.
6. fervor; noun intense emotion; great warmth of feeling. Alicia does her volunteer work with
tremendous fervor.
7. garrulous; adjective talkative. Nothing galvanizes me into leaving a beauty parlor as much
as a garrulous hairdresser.
8. heretic; noun a person who upholds religious doctrines contrary to the established beliefs of
his church. Severely chastised for being a heretic, brother Vincent was asked to leave the
monastery.
9. immutable; adjective never changing. My fathers immutable optimism can be traced back
to the pleasant atmosphere in my grandmothers home.
10. lampoon; noun strong, satirical writing, usually attacking or ridiculing someone. The
college quarterly featured a lampoon of fraternity hazing.
11. meandering; verb winding back and forth; rambling. Meandering through the crowded
streets of a foreign city is my idea of a tourists delight.
12. officious; adjective meddling; giving unnecessary or unwanted advice or services. Mr.
Klars officious manner helped him gain friends easily but lose them in short order.
13. parsimonious; adjective too thrifty; stingy. Dickens Scrooge, before his metamorphosis, is
regarded as the prototype of the parsimonious man.
14. querulous; adjective peevish; faultfinding; expressing or suggestive of complaint. We tend
to turn a deaf ear to querulous demands for attention.
15. rancor; noun deep spite or malice; strong hate or bitter feeling. A forgiving heart will save
you from the corrosive effects of rancor.

SAT Vocabulary 5-10

1. acquiesce; verb to accept the conclusions or arrangements of others; to accede; to give consent by
keeping silent. The president said that we will never acquiesce to the demands of the terrorists.
2. bombastic; adjective high-sounding; marked by use of language without much real meaning. The
citizens failed to be aroused by their mayors bombastic speech.
3. capitulate; verb to surrender; to cease resisting. Colonel Leeds was adamant in his decision not
to capitulate under any terms.
4. deflate; verb to let air out of; to reduce in size or importance. The bosss criticism deflated Johns
ego.
5. egregious; adjective extraordinarily bad. An egregious bookkeeping error cost our company
$1,000,000.
6. fitful; adjective spasmodic; intermittent. Montes fitful sleep tended to exacerbate his normal
irritability.
7. gratuitous; adjective freely given; unnecessary; uncalled-for. Hillarys gratuitous suggestion was
rejected by the other guests who blithely ignored it.
8. hierarchy; noun organization by rank, class, or grade. In the companys hierarchy, Im the low
man on the totem pole.
9. impartial; adjective fair; just; showing no favoritism. An impartial attorney was asked to serve
as a judge in the dispute.
10. lassitude; noun state or feeling of being tired and listless; weariness. Lassitude comes from a
feeling of hopelessness.
11. meticulous; adjective very careful about details; fussy. Sidney was meticulous about his clothing
but quite sloppy about his room.
12. opportunist; noun one who takes advantage of any opportunity without regard for moral
principles. The opportunist is so anxious to get ahead that he is ready to ignore the needs, feelings,
and welfare of his fellow man.
13. partisan; noun on who strongly supports a party or cause; characteristic of a guerilla fighter. A
partisan of the animal rights cause, John believes all use of animals for testing should be banned.
14. quixotic; adjective idealistic and utterly impractical. It is quixotic to think that we can ignore the
environmental consequences of pollution.
15. raze; verb to tear down completely; to destroy. The corporation voted to raze the decaying
structure and replace it with a modern skyscraper.

SAT Vocabulary List 6-10

1. admonish; verb to advise against something; to warn; to scold gently; to urge strongly. This
is the last time I plan to admonish you about coming late to work.
2. buffoon; noun a clown; someone who amuses with tricks and jokes. After Bert had a few
drinks, he became a willing buffoon at the party.
3. capricious; adjective changeable, fickle. Our weather is so capricious that its difficult to
make weekend plans.
4. delineate; verb to describe in words; to sketch. When challenged to delineate Sams crass
behavior, we were speechless.
5. elucidate; verb to make clear. Public relations experts were hired to elucidate the chairmans
position.
6. flagrant; adjective outrageous; glaringly offensive. After having been accused of a flagrant
misuse of company funds, the treasurer resigned.
7. guile; noun crafty deceit; cunning. Many clever figures from Greek mythology relied upon
guile as an expedient.
8. homogeneous; adjective similar; uniform in nature. The Shore Road finds that homogeneous
grouping of pupils facilitates learning.
9. impassive; adjective without feelings or emotion; insensible. Good poker players are
supposed to maintain impassive appearances.
10. latent; adjective present but invisible or inactive; lying hidden and undeveloped. Marilyns
latent charm came to the fore after she got a few tactful pointers from her sister.
11. mitigate; verb to make or to become milder or less severe; to moderate. The doctor assured
Mrs. Shiller that the medicine would mitigate her pain in a short time.
12. opulent; adjective wealthy; abundant. The opulent family chose to spend money for the
public benefit rather than for private indulgences.
13. paucity; noun scarcity; smallness in number or amount. The paucity of rain in the Midwest
will cause a serious food shortage in the months to come.
14. rebuff; verb to refuse in a sharp or due way; to snub; to drive or beat back. It was sheer
luck that the outnumbered patrol was able to rebuff the enemy attack.
15. sagacious; adjective very wise or shrewd. Glen turned to his father for advice, for he knew
him to be sagacious and understanding.

SAT Vocabulary List 7-10

1. advocate; verb to support; to be in favor of. Because the candidate may advocate many new
social programs, he is being called a big spender.
2. carping; adjective complaining. His carping criticism of the book was upsetting to the
author.
3. demeanor; noun behavior. When the twins adopted a conciliatory tone, Sals demeanor
changed abruptly.
4. elusive; adjective hard to grasp; baffling. The philosophers main point was so elusive that
we never did fully comprehend it.
5. fledgling; adjective newly developed; little known. Luckily, the fledgling pilots egregious
blunder was discovered before the plane departed.
6. gullible; adjective easily deceived. The con man told a flagrant lie but the gullible investors
swallowed it.
7. hyperbole; noun an exaggerated statement used as a figure of speech for rhetorical effect.
Ione uses hyperbole when galvanizing her sales force into a frenzy of selling.
8. imperturbable; adjective not easily excited or disturbed. We couldnt believe that Rafael
would be that imperturbable in the midst of a riot.
9. laudable; adjective worthy of praise. The board rewarded Ellens laudable achievements by
promoting her to chief executive officer.
10. morose; adjective gloomy; bad-tempered. Joans morose nature makes her always expect
the worst.
11. overt; adjective not hidden; open. Most observers took the senators speech as an overt bid
for his re-nomination.
12. peerless; adjective having no equal; better than the rest. Theresas peerless beauty was
admired by all who saw her.
13. recalcitrant; adjective refusing to obey or follow orders; unmanageably resistant. The mule
is probably the most recalcitrant domesticated animal.
14. salutary; adjective healthful; useful or helpful; remedial. Upon sagacious reflection, Simon
realized that his parents rebuke though painful, was salutary.
15. taciturn; adjective habitually untalkative; laconic; uncommunicative. Silass long years of
solitude had made him a taciturn, brooding man unused even to the sound of his own voice.

SAT Vocabulary List 8-10

1. aesthetic; adjective showing an appreciation of beauty in nature or art; artistic. Kyras
aesthetic qualities were apparent in her early art work.
2. catalyst; noun someone or something that brings about a change. Our articulate new
principal was the catalyst for school reform.
3. denunciation; noun expression of strong disapproval made openly or publicly. We were
astonished by the tobacco heirs denunciation of smoking.
4. embellish; verb to decorate; to elaborate upon. For $5,000, the decorator promised to
embellish our living room with continental touches.
5. forlorn; adjective deserted; left alone and neglected; unhappy. Feeling forlorn and full of
self-pity, Eddie was a danger to himself.
6. hypocritical; adjective insincere; pretending to be what one is not. I found it hypocritical of
the judge to be involved in an illegal activity.
7. implausible; adjective not having the appearance of truth or reason. Only the most gullible
member of our club would accept the implausible alibi.
8. lethargic; adjective drowsy; dull; sluggish; indifferent. Eating a heavy meal tends to make
me lethargic, which may explain why I become a couch potato after a big dinner.
9. perceptive; adjective discerning; observant; sensitive. Having a perceptive nature, Jason
was able to sense the childs embarrassment even before she uttered a sound.
10. recluse; noun- a person who lives alone, away from others. Every neighborhood has its
recluse about whom mysterious secrets are whispered.
11. sanction; noun authorized approval or permission; support or encouragement; something
that gives binding force to a law. There is no sanction for murder in human society.
12. tactless; adjective not having or showing a sense of the right thing to do or say without
causing anger or hurt feelings; without skill in dealing with people. Bringing up the matter of
Graces losing her job was just about the most tactless way to start the conversation.
13. unassailable; adjective undeniable; unquestionable; not able to attack. Brendas claim that
she was exempt from taxation because she had earned no money was unassailable.
14. vacillate; verb to say unsteadily; to totter; to waver; to fluctuate. Brians tendency to
vacillate makes him a poor choice for president.
15. waive; verb to dispense with; to relinquish; to postpone. The coachs decision to waive the
penalty may have cost us the game.

SAT Vocabulary List 9-10

1. affinity; noun natural attraction to a person or liking for a thing; relation; connection.
Harveys affinity for math led him to excel in our computer course.
2. catharsis; noun an emotional purification or relief. The tragedy on stage brought about a
catharsis among the spectators.
3. deprecate; verb to express strong disapproval of. If you continually deprecate Jeremys
efforts, thereby deflating his self-confidence, he may stop trying.
4. embroil; verb to involve in a quarrel. The rival party sought a way to embroil the
government in a dispute over the economy.
5. formidable; adjective hard to overcome; to be dreaded. Seemingly a mild-mannered reporter,
Clark Kent was actually the formidable Superman.
6. hypothetical; adjective supposed; assumed. Saying that he has an aversion to hypothetical
questions, the governor refused to reply.
7. inadvertent; adjective not done on purpose; careless. I regarded the inadvertent comment as
immaterial, but it proved to be significant.
8. levity; noun lightness; lack of seriousness; fickleness. Brads levity contrasted sharply with
his roommates solemnity.
9. perfidy; noun- treachery; betrayal of trust. The double agent was obviously a man capable of
acts of perfidy.
10. redundant; adjective wordy; exceeding what is necessary or normal; lavish; overflowing. I
wonder if authors who are called prolific are really merely redundant.
11. saturate; verb to soak through and through; to fill completely. What we need now, said the
farmer, is a heavy rain that will saturate the soil for a good six inches.
12. talon; noun the claw of a bird of prey; a human finger or hand that looks or grasps like a
claw; any object suggestive of a claw. The hawks talon closed on its prey, locking it in a vise-like
grip.
13. undermine; verb to dig or to make a tunnel under; to wear away and weaken the support of;
to injure or to weaken in a slow or sneaky way. The constant pressure of water in the
subterranean channels can undermine the buildings foundation.
14. validate; verb- to declare or make legally sound; to substantiate; to verify. Floyd said he had
an unimpeachable witness to validate his claims.
15. wanton; adjective immoral; senseless; deliberately malicious; excessive. The partisans
condemned the dictators wanton disregard for human rights.

Sat Vocabulary List 10 - 10

1. aggrandizement; noun - to increase in rank or wealth; growth in power. I attributed Pauls
aggressiveness to his need for aggrandizement.
2. caustic; adjective stinging, biting. Caustic substances should be kept out of the reach of
children.
3. derogatory; adjective- tending to lower in estimation; degrading. In a sharp denunciation,
filled with derogatory criticism, the dean attacked the faculty rebels.
4. emulate; verb - to try to equal or surpass. When they were in high school, Dudleys kid
brothers always tried to emulate him.
5. fortuitous; adjective happening by chance. My fortuitous discovery of the cache of valuable
stamps enabled me to buy a motorcycle.
6. incipient; adjective - in an early stage. The rookies flagrant error spelled doom for his
incipient career.
7. listless; adjective - indifferent; marked by a lack of energy or enthusiasm. We had expected him
to be full of enthusiasm and were surprised by his listless attitude.
8. peripheral; adjective external; incidental; tangential. Stick to the facts and dont waste time
on peripheral issues.
9. refurbish; verb to freshen or polish again; to make like new. The agent promised to refurbish
the apartment and put it in move- in condition within one month.
10. savory; adjective pleasing to the taste or smell; pleasant; morally attractive. Mother could
concoct a most savory dish out of the simplest ingredients.
11. tangential; adjective - diverging or digressing; merely touching a subject, not dealing with it
at all. The matter of Eleanors failure was mentioned at the dinner table only in a tangential way,
but it hurt her deeply.
12. unequivocal; adjective plain; very clear in meaning. Mandy was unequivocal in refusing to
join the snobbish sorority.
13. venerate; verb to regard with respect and reverence; to honor. One way to venerate our
parents is to emulate their deeds.
14. whet; verb to sharpen; to make stronger; to stimulate. Drinking soda in the summer tends to
whet my thirst but fails to cool me off.
15. zany; adjective clownish; foolish; funny; absurd. In hindsight, Karen admitted her zany
antics had no place in the classroom.

Vocabulary List 11-10

1. alienate; verb - to turn away the normal feelings of fondness toward anyone; to estrange.
Unwilling to alienate our old neighbors, we put up with their boisterous friends.
2. celestial; adjective - having to do with the heavens; divine. The new astronauts will be the
celestial pioneers of the 21st century.
3. desecrate; verb - to treat with disrespect. The young troublemakers planned to desecrate the
cemetery by overturning headstones.
4. enervate; verb - to weaken; to lessen the strength of. Strenuous dieting will enervate most
people.
5. furtive: adjective - done quickly and with stealth to avoid being noticed; secret. Cynthia's
furtive gesture and cryptic remark did not go unnoticed.
6. incisive; adjective - keen; penetrating. Incisive criticism by the newspaper's film reviewer had
led us to a renewal of the movie.
7. lucid; adjective - easily understood; rational; clear; clear-minded. The lecturer's lucid
explanation left no questions unanswered.
8. peruse; verb - to study; to read . Margaret tried to peruse the letter when she thought she was
not being observed.
9. rejuvenate; verb - to make young or fresh again. The half time pep talk rejuvenated the team.
10. scapegoat; noun - one taking the blame for the mistake and crimes of others. Billy
maliciously made his brother the scapegoat for his setting fire to the gauge.
11. tawdry; adjective - gaudy and cheap; vulgarly ornamental. Isabella needed but one glance
to rule out the wedding dress as too tawdry for her.
12. unethical; adjective - not conforming to approved standards of behavior, a socially accepted
code, or professionally endorsed principles and practices. It is no longer considered unethical for
lawyers to advertise their services.
13. verbose; adjective - wordy; tedious. Craig mistakenly believed that being urbane meant
being verbose.
14. wither; verb - to dry; to shrivel; to cause to lose courage or to be ashamed. A prolonged
drought could wither the crops and throw the economy into a tailspin.
15. zealot; noun- a person who shows great enthusiasm for a cause. A zealot for political reform
will go to almost any lengths to further his cause.

SAT Vocabulary List 12-10

1. alleviate; verb - to make easier to endure; to relieve; to diminish. Nothing tends to alleviate my
headaches better than simple aspirin.
2. censure; verb - to blame; to criticize adversely. Congress agreed to censure the outspoken
senator.
3. despot; noun - monarch with unlimited power. My boss calls himself a benevolent despot, but
we question the validity of that adjective.
4. engender; verb - to cause; produce; bring into being. Those sneaky actions are sure to
engender suspicion.
5. incongruous; adjective - inappropriate; out of place. Seeing the little boy in a room filled with
basketball giants struck me as totally incongruous.
6. philistine; adjective - narrow-minded; smugly conventional. Philistine stubbornness should
not prevent us from advancing ourselves intellectually.
7. relegate; verb - to put in a less important position; to assign; to banish. The usual procedure is
for the chairperson to relegate the work to special committees.
8. scoff; verb - to mock or jeer at; to make fun of. The fable of the fox and the grapes teaches that
we tend to scoff at what we cannot attain.
9. tedious; adjective - long or verbose and wearisome; tiresome; boring. I prefer the fast-paced
games of football and basketball to baseball with its tedious stretches of waiting for something to
happen.
10. ungainly; adjective - clumsy; awkward; hard to handle. Hulk Hogans sensitivity about his
threadbare garments made him ungainly.
11. viable; adjective - able to live or exist; practicable. Professor Fields agreed to accept a diary
as a viable substitute for a short story.
12. writhe; verb - to twist or squirm, as in pain; to suffer from shame or shyness. When the
parents saw the child writhe in pain, they decided to rush him to the hospital.
13. zenith; noun - the point in the sky directly above one; the highest point. At noon the sun is at
its zenith.
14. aloof; adjective - indifferent; unsympathetic; not interested; apart. She was adamant about
remaining aloof from family problems.
15. chastise; verb - to criticize severely. If you chastise Jason, he immediately begins to weep.

SAT Vocabulary List 13-10

1. altruistic; adjective thoughtful of the welfare of others. Arthurs natural altruistic affinity
endeared him to one and all.
2. ambiguous; adjective permitting more than one interpretation; not clearly defined. Listening
to Archers ambiguous remarks, we werent sure whether he was on our side
3. chimerical; adjective absurd; wildly fanciful. Uncle Dave was chastised by Aunt Pearl for
his chimerical proposal.
4. chronic; adjective lasting a long time; constant. When dads cough became chronic we
cajoled him into getting a chest x-ray.
5. deter; verb to discourage; to keep someone from doing something. Nothing could deter
Herman from achieving his ambition.
6. devious; adjective not straightforward; lying; roundabout. Earl was upset because I refused
to condone his devious ways.
7. enhance; verb to add to; to make greater in value. The staff development program was
designed to enhance the skills of the companys executives.
8. enigma; noun a puzzle; a baffling situation. Why a bright student should make such
egregious errors is an enigma.
9. piety; noun devotion and reverence, especially to god and family. Mrs. Billings is noted for
her piety and philanthropy.
10. relic; noun a thing or part that remains from the past; something kept as sacred because it
belonged to a saint. Minna kept a closetful of relics from her family in Kentucky.
11. scrupulous; adjective very honest and conscientious; careful about claimed expense. The
IRS expects each taxpayer to keep a scrupulous record of claimed expenses.
12. temerity; noun rashness; foolish or reckless boldness. Jacks temerity in constantly
correcting his superiors cost him his job.
13. unimpeachable; adjective beyond doubt or reproach; unquestionable. Hector has always
been known for his unimpeachable honesty.
14. vicarious; adjective taking the place of another; experienced through sympathetic
participation in the experience of another. The vicarious thrill we get from watching films falls
short of the pleasure of first-hand experience
15. incontrovertible; adjective - not able to be disputed or denied. It's incontrovertible that a
settlement of the bitter strike is imminent.

SAT Vocabulary 14-10

1. ambivalence; noun condition of having conflicting attitudes. The managers ambivalence
toward his star outfielder confused the sportswriters.
2. ameliorate; verb to make better or more tolerable; to improve. In an effort to ameliorate the
marriage relationship, the alcoholic agreed to a one-year period of abstinence.
3. circumspect; adjective careful. The lawyer struck us as aloof, but he was just being
circumspect.
4. clairvoyant; adjective having exceptional insight. The clairvoyant woman is occasionally
used in murder cases to help discover the body.
5. devoid; adjective entirely without; lacking. The devious Kingsley was devoid of moral
principles.
6. diatribe; noun a denunciation; bitter verbal attack. In a lengthy diatribe, the governor
succeeded in deprecating her predecessors record.
7. ephemeral; adjective lasting for only a short time. Newspapers may be regarded as
ephemeral publications whereas books have greater permanence.
8. equanimity; noun evenness of temper. Facing every crisis with equanimity, the president
inspired confidence among the people.
9. incorrigible; adjective too firmly fixed to be reformed or changed. Harrys incorrigible habit
of smoking has impaired our relationship.
10. pique; verb to hurt the feelings of or make resentful; to arouse; to excite. Raising taxes to
help balance the budget will only pique the notional temper.
11. remorse; noun- a deep feeling of sorrow or guilt over a wrong one has done. Trudy felt
remorse over having broken her promise.
12. scrutinize; verb to look at very carefully; to inspect minutely. The umpire decided to
scrutinize the ball after observing the strange movements of the pitcher.
13. tenet; noun a principle, doctrine, or belief held as a truth by a group. Most people are not
susceptible to deviation from the tenets they have been taught in their youth.
14. unobtrusive; adjective not readily noticeable; inconspicuous. Mr. Cottrell's unobtrusive
demeanor was perfect front for his undercover work.
15. vilify; verb to defame; to slander; to cause a person to become vile. The general refused to
vilify his subordinates and accepted the onus of the defeat himself

SAT Vocabulary List 15-10

1. analogous; adjective - similar in certain qualities; comparable. The auto mechanic said that
the engine was analogous to the human heart.
2. animosity; noun active dislike; ill will. My animosity toward boxing is a result of my pacifist
upbringing.
3. clandestine; adjective - secret. Diplomats are fond of clandestine meetings, away from prying
reporters.
4. clemency; noun mercy; mildness. The prisoners plea for clemency fell on deaf ears because
of its diffuse nature.
5. didactic; adjective - intended to instruct. Our teacher was relentless in his affinity for didactic
stories.
6. diffuse; adjective spread out; wordy. The rambling diatribe was ineffective because of its
diffuse nature.
7. equivocate; verb - to use ambiguous or unclear expressions in order to mislead; to be shifty; to
hedge. One candidate is honest and blunt; the other prefers to equivocate on the controversial
issues.
8. esoteric; adjective understood by only a few; little known; obscure. Dr. Thorpes
scholarship was so esoteric that it attracted little attention.
9. indefatigable; adjective - tireless. Edith's indefatigable efforts as a volunteer at the nursing
home were extolled by the Sisterhood's president.
10. placate; verb - to soothe; to pacify. It is no small feat to placate an enemy without yielding
ground.
11. repudiate; verb - reject; to refuse to recognize, acknowledge or pay; to divorce or discard.
The experts testimony did not repudiate the collector's claim that the relic was authentic.
12. sectarian; adjective - pertaining to a group within a larger group that is limited by common
beliefs or interests; narrow-minded. Louis has a sectarian perspective that is difficult to change.
13. tentative; adjective-made,done, or proposed experimentally; not definite or final; indicating
timidity, hesitancy, or uncertainty. Until all the evidence had been gathered, the police could only
offer a tentative explanation for the explosion.
14. unscathed; adjective undamaged; unharmed. Ethan was delighted to have gotten through
the first two interviews unscathed.
15. vindictive; adjective revengeful; unforgiving; bitter; spiteful. We were relieved that Emily
was not vindictive about our having made her the butt of an uncouth joke.

Vocabulary List 16-10

1. anonymity; noun- condition of being nameless or unknown. Some philanthropists crave the
spotlight, but Edith preferred anonymity for her altruism.
2. antagonism; noun - hostility, active opposition. Teenagers sometimes show antagonism
toward parental suggestions that they clean up their rooms.
3. coalesce; verb- to grow together; to combine. If the competing groups could coalesce, they
would control the election.
4. colloquial; adjective - conversational; used in a informal speech or writing. Jeremy was
chastised by his English teacher for his colloquial compositions.
5. diminution; noun- a lessening. The diminution in nightly air raids was welcomed by the
Londoners.
6. discerning; adjective - keenly perceptive shrewd. When it came to selecting the correct
investments, Paul was quite discerning.
7. eulogy; noun- high praise for a deceased person. When Reverend Foster delivered the eulogy,
he embellished it with a few questionable stories.
8. euphemism; noun - use of an indirect expression in place of one that is harsh. Since I didn't
want to hurt Debby's feelings, I searched for an appropriate euphemism.
9. indigent; adjective - poverty stricken. Every Thanksgiving, the despot publicized his gift of
turkeys to indigent families.
10. placid; adjective - outwardly calm or composed; self satisfied; peaceful. The medication
made the hyperactive child not only placid but almost catatonic.
11. repugnant; adjective - disgusting; loathsome; objectionable; incompatible. Bigotry is
repugnant to the tradition of our nation.
12. sequester; verb - to hide or keep away from others; to withdraw into seclusion; to confiscate;
to segregate. With no verdict in sight, the judge issued the order to sequester the jury for the
night.
13. terse; adjective - using only a few words but clear to the point; polished. The terse statement
read by the secretary of state was tantamount to the rejection of the treaty.
14. untenable; adjective - that which cannot be maintained or occupied ; incapable of being
defended or held. The lack of heat and hot water made the apartment untenable.
15. virtuoso ; noun - one interested in the pursuit of knowledge; one with mastery skill or
technique in any field. Even at an early age Carico showed the promise that would one day
blossom into the talents of a piano virtuoso.

SAT Vocabulary List 17-10

1. antithesis; noun - direct opposite. Surprisingly, Donna is the antithesis of her twin
Debby.
2. commiserate; verb - to sympathize with; to feel sorrow for another's suffering. His
teammates commiserated with Hank after he had struck out with the bases loaded.
3. disdain; noun - a feeling of contempt for anything that is regarded as unworthy;
scorn. Jefferson High held Collier Tech's team in disdain.
4. evanescent; adjective - gradually disappearing; fleeting. Max's concern was
apparent as he showed only an evanescent interest in the new project.
5. ingratiate; verb - to make oneself acceptable. I tired to ingratiate myself with
Maurice but he was immutably set against my proposal.
6. plagiarize; verb - to take ideas or writings from someone else and present them as
one's own; to use without giving credit. Jordan knew better than to plagiarize a sonnet
of Shakespeare, but he foolishly hoped his teacher would not recognize it.
7. rescind; verb - to cancel; to repeal; to set aside. The people danced with joy when
the government agreed to rescind the rule of apartheid.
8. serene; adjective - unruffled; tranquil; unclouded. The serene morning sky gave no
hint of the downpour that would later saturate our cabana.
9. threadbare; adjective - with the nap worn down so that the threads show; frayed or
shabby; used so often that it is stale. The salesperson's repertoire of threadbare jokes
left us wishing she were more taciturn.
10. urbane; adjective - courteous suave; polished. Mr. Darcy's urbane manner
immediately attracted Mrs. Bennet's attentions.
11. vitriolic; adjective - extremely biting or caustic; sharp and bitter. Such vitriolic
talk will not help to reconcile the feuding parties.
12. apocryphal; adjective - of doubtful authenticity; counterfeit. Her apocryphal tears
fooled no one.
13. compatible; adjective - agreeing. When the couple realized they weren't
compatible, they sought a divorce.
14. dismantle; verb - to pull down; to take apart. Before the movers could take the
pool table out, they had to dismantle it.
15. exacerbate; verb - to make a situation worse; to irritate. One way to exacerbate
their feelings of anger is to trivialize the quarrel.

Vocabulary List 18-10

1. arduous; adjective - hard to do; strenuous. Climbing Mt. Everest is an arduous undertaking.
2. articulate; adjective able to put ones thoughts into words easily and clearly. Being
articulate, Ellyn was able to do well on her job interviews.
3. composure; noun - calmness. When summoned to the principal's office, the youngster lost his
composure.
4. conciliatory; adjective tending to soothe or reconcile. After a caustic debate, each
contestant was seeking a conciliatory gesture.
5. disparage; verb - to discredit; to belittle. In bizarre fashion, normal went out of her way to
disparage everything her sister did.
6. disparity; noun lack of equality; difference. Birth certificates corroborated the wide
disparity in the couples ages.
7. exemplary; adjective - serving as a model. Matthew Alexander's stature was enhanced by the
report of his exemplary conduct in nursery school.
8. expedient; adjective useful; advantageous; based on self-interest. Henrys decisions are
never expedient ones because he is genuinely altruistic.
9. innocuous; adjective - harmless. Who would have thought that my innocuous little remark
would have embroiled us in a feud.
10. platitude; noun - a thought or a remark that is dull, trite, flat, or weak. Mural's speech was
so full of platitudes that you felt you were listening to a record.
11. residual; adjective - left over, remaining. After the product had been distilled, there was a
residual substance that baffled the chemist.
12. skeptical; adjective not easily persuaded or convinced; doubting the fundamental doctrines
of religion. Shirley cast a skeptical look at her father when she was told she had to be home by
11 oclock.
13. thwart; verb to oppose directly; to baffle; to block; to frustrate. The tight defense was able
to thwart a touchdown in the last 30 seconds of play.
14. utopian; adjective excellent, but existing only in fancy or theory; given to dreams or
schemes of perfection. The UN has not fulfilled the utopian dreams of its founders.
15. volatile; adjective evaporating readily at normal temperatures; changeable; explosive;
lighthearted; fleeting. Alcohol and ether are highly volatile substances.

SAT Vocabulary List 19-10

1. assuage; verb - to calm or soothe; to satisfy. Mother hastened to the bedroom to assuage Beth's
fears.
2. concise; adjective - saying much in few words; brief but full of meaning. Ray has the envious
reputation of being concise and to the point in everything he writes.
3. disperse; verb - to send off in different locations. When the tear gas is hurled, the crowd will
disperse.
4. expedite; verb - to make easy and quick; to speed up. In order to expedite matters we hired
three additional workers.
5. inscrutable; adjective - so mysterious that it cannot be understood. We looked to Dora for a
positive reactions, but her face was inscrutable.
6. pompous; adjective - self-important; stately; magnificent; excessively ornate. The pompous
doorman refused to admit the disheveled woman.
7. resilient; adjective - getting back strength or spirits quickly; spinging back into shape or
position. Blanca was so resilient that she was back on the field two weeks after the accident.
8. sobriety; noun - seriousness, gravity, or solemnity; absence of alcoholic intoxication. The
extreme sobriety of five-year-old veribuca indicated a not very salutary sign of her development.
9. tirade; noun a long, angry, or scolding speech; a harangue. With the ferocity of a wild bird
sinking its talons into its prey, the senator lambasted his opponent in a tirade that left no fault
unexposed, no weakness unexploited.
10. voluminous; adjective large, bulky; enough to fill volumes. Dickens voluminous writings
fill many library shelves.
11. atrophy; verb to waste away. Failure to exercise your muscles may cause them to atrophy.
12. condone; verb to forgive or overlook. I can commiserate with you, but I find it hard to
condone the action you took.
13. disposition; noun nature; tendency. The melancholy foreman had disdain for any worker
with a cherry disposition.
14. expunge; verb to erase; to remove completely. Miss Porter promised to expunge the bad
conduct notation from Danielles report card if she improved conspicuously.
15. insipid; adjective lacking interest or spirit. In a devastatingly incisive review, one critic
disparaged the novel as insipid and boring.

SAT Vocabulary List 20 - 10

1. augment; verb - to increase or enlarge; to become greater in size. If we augment our arms
stockpile, our enemies will do the same.
2. conspicuous; adjective - clearly visible; remarkable. With her green punk hairdo, Tina was the most
conspicuous guest at the party.
3. dissipated; adjective - given to indulging excessively in sensual pleasures. As the weeks went by,
the portrait slowly took on a dissipated look while the models face remained cryptically youthful.
4. extol; verb - to praise highly. It's my intention to extol Bonnie's successful fund-raising efforts at
our next club meeting.
5. insurgent; noun - one who rises in revolt. Government representation questioned the insurgent
sharply but he remained silently and impassive.
6. ponderous; adjective - very heavy; bulky; labored and dull or tiresome. Modern science has not
yet solved the mystery of how the Aztecs were able to lift ponderous stones with their meager tools.
7. respite; noun - a temporary cessation or postponement, usually of something disagreeable; interval
of rest. The union leader announced, "We are too close to victory to take a respite from our labors."
8. solemn; adjective - observed or done according to ritual or tradition; formal; serious or earnest;
arousing feelings of awe; very impressive. Before giving testimony in court, a witness is a required to
take a solemn oath that he or she will tell the whole truth.
9. trepidation; noun - a trembling; apprehension; a state of alarm and dread. The memory of Black
Monday has filled the investors with trepidation about risking more of their money in the stock
market.
10. voracious; adjective - ravenous; greedy; gluttonous. Since her junior year, Susan has been a
voracious worker.
11. austere; adjective - stern in manner or appearance; strict in morals. Their household, governed by
an austere father, was a humorless and unhappy place.
12. copious; adjective - abundant. Professor Highet gave us copious notes throughout his course on
Dante.
13. distraught; adjective - in a state of mental conflict and confusion; distracted. Ophelia's distraught
brother flung himself into her grave and uttered a bombastic challenge to Hamlet.
14. intemperate; adjective - lacking in self-control. Intemperate at the dinner table, Hudson's weight
ballooned to 300 pounds.
15. pragmatic; adjective - practical; opinionated; concerned with actual practice rather than with
theory or speculation. The public opinion poll has been accepted as a pragmatic way of determining
the thinking of the people at a given point in time.