SAT Vocabulary Flashcards
(30 cards)
Abject
Describes the highest level of
loneliness, poverty, or sadness a person could reach.
Beget
To take steps to bring something into existence. Can also refer to an action that leads to something.
Demur
To politely say no to something or avoid it.
Despoil
The act of taking away anything of value (spoils of war).
Endow
To give; often used to describe large donations given to charities. May also be used to explain the birth rights of a person.
Ephemeral
Short-lived; fleeting and quickly gone.
Florid
Generally describing a person’s face; red or flushed.
Ignominious
Undignified - will likely cause the person experiencing it to feel shame or embarrassment.
Obstinate
Stubborn; refusing to give up even when wrong or faces with insurmountable forces.
Prattle
To talk on and on while saying little of value.
Oscillate
To move back and forth in a predictable pattern at a set speed.
Onerous
Something that is difficult to do, usually taking a lot of unpleasant work to complete.
Pittance
A small amount: not really enough to do anything with.
Redress
To fix or make a situation right where someone has been wronged.
Reverence
Showing great respect or a deep appreciation for something.
Scuttling
Moving very quickly with tiny
(often not smooth) steps.
Sentinel
A sentinel is a soldier whose job it is to keep watch over something.
Squalid
Run down, dirty, and often infested with vermin.
Stagnate
To stop moving forward. This is generally not physical movement.
Tout
To aggressively try to sell something, to sing its praises to get someone to buy it.
Proffer
Hold out or put forward (something) to someone for acceptance.
Commiserate
Express or feel sympathy or pity; sympathize.
Barring
Except for; if not for. Excluding by exception.
Contentious
Causing or likely to cause an argument; controversial.
