SAT 16 Flashcards
Antiquated; adj.
– quaint; extremely out of date; old-fashioned; archaic / modern; in-style; fashionable
Philip had grown so accustomed to editing his papers on word processors that he thought typewriters were too antiquated for him to use.
Austere; adj.
– plain and simple, without luxury or self-indulgence; severe; stern; strict; / luxurious
The room reflected the man, austere and bare, like a monk’s cell with no touches of luxury.
Concur; verb
– to have the same opinion or reach agreement on a specified point; agree; harmonize; be in accord / conflict
Did you concur with the decision of the court, or did you find it unfair?
Contentious; adj.
– causing or likely to cause disagreement and disputes between people with differing views; controversial; debatable; arguable
Disagreeing violently with the referees’ ruling, the coach became so contentious that they threw him out of the game.
Criterion; noun
– an accepted standard used in making decisions or judgments and something (often used in the plural); decisive factor; principle; measure; standard
What criterion did you use when you selected this essay as the prizewinner?
Discordant; adj.
– in disagreement; consisting of sounds, usually musical notes, that are harsh, unpleasant or clashing; dissonant; jarring; harsh; inharmonious; cacophonous / harmonious
Nothing is quite so discordant as the sound of a junior high school orchestra tuning up.
Divergent; adj.
– different; differing; deviating; conflicting; / similar
Since graduating from medical school, the two students have taken divergent paths, one going on to become a prominent surgeon, the other dedicating himself to a small family practice.
Equivocal; adj.
– vague; ambiguous; ambivalent; oblique / clear
Reflecting the candidate’s equivocal comments on tax reform, the reporters pressed him to state clearly where he stood on the issue.
Extraneous; adj.
– irrelevant; unrelated; unconnected; superfluous / pertinent
His mind is so cluttered up with extraneous trivia, he can’t concentrate on the essentials.
Gregarious; adj.
– very friendly and sociable; outgoing; extroverted; convivial / shy
Typically, partygoers are gregarious; hermits are not.
Innocuous; adj.
– inoffensive; harmless; innocent; safe; mild/ offensive
An occasional slice of cheesecake after dinner is relatively innocuous and should have no ill effect on you.
Insularity; noun.
– narrow-mindedness; narrowness; isolation
The insularity of the islanders manifested itself in their suspicion of anything foreign.
Notoriety; noun.
– disrepute; infamy; dishonor; unsavory reputation; ill repute
To the starlet, any publicity was good publicity: if she couldn’t have a good reputation, she’d settle for notoriety.
Opulence; noun
– great wealth or influence; luxury; lavishness; / poverty
The glitter and opulence of the Academy Awards Show took my breath away.
Pragmatic; adj.
– more concerned with practical results than with theories and principles; realistic; sensible; / idealistic
This coming trip to France should provide me with a pragmatic test of the value of my conversational French class.
