SAT Vocabulary (375 - 500)

Question 1

headstrong

Answer 1

adj. determined to have one’s own way; stubbornly willful

Question 2

euphony

Answer 2

n. pleasing sound, esp. of words

Question 3

vortex

Answer 3

n. a flow of fluid around an axis, like a whirlpool

Question 4

aviary

Answer 4

n. a large enclosure for keeping birds

Question 5

incipient

Answer 5

adj. beginning to appear or be noticed

Question 6

medley

Answer 6

n. a mixture; an arrangement of songs performed together

Question 7

amenity

Answer 7

n. pleasantness; something increasing comfort

Question 8

acrid

Answer 8

adj. harsh; sarcastic; bitter to the taste

Question 9

infatuated

Answer 9

adj. experiencing an unreasonable passion or attraction

Question 10

parched

Answer 10

adj. very thirsty; dried up because of the heat

Question 11

affluence

Answer 11

n. wealth

Question 12

spat

Answer 12

n. a small argument or dispute

Question 13

reminisce

Answer 13

v. to recall the past, esp. fondly

Question 14

keen

Answer 14

adj. having a sharp edge; perceptive

Question 15

verbatim

Answer 15

adj. word for word

Question 16

pompous

Answer 16

adj. characterized by excessive self importance or exaggerated dignity

Question 17

pithy

Answer 17

adj. relating to the central part of something; economically phrased

Question 18

methodical

Answer 18

adj. done in an orderly systematic way

Question 19

obfuscate

Answer 19

to make difficult to understand; to make indistinct

Question 20

desist

Answer 20

v. to cease; stop

Question 21

penchant

Answer 21

n. a strong liking

Question 22

fastidious

Answer 22

adj. showing or acting with careful attention to detail; not easy to please; very critical or discriminating

Question 23

malaise

Answer 23

n. a vague feeling of physical discomfort or uneasiness

Question 24

sporadic

Answer 24

adj. occurring irregularly

Question 25

concave

Answer 25

adj. hollowed out; curved inward

Question 26

condescend

Answer 26

v. to lower oneself to a less formal or less dignified level

Question 27

enigma

Answer 27

something that is puzzling; ambiguous, mysterious, or inexplicable; a perplexing puzzle

Question 28

plight

Answer 28

n. sad situation

Question 29

impasse

Answer 29

n. a dead-end

Question 30

ostensible

Answer 30

adj. outwardly appearing as such

Question 31

sluggish

Answer 31

adj. lazy; lacking energy

Question 32

bland

Answer 32

adj. having a moderate, undisturbed quality

Question 33

hovel

Answer 33

n. a small, miserable dwelling

Question 34

compel

Answer 34

v. to cause to occur by pressure; to force

Question 35

artisan

Answer 35

n. a worker trained or skilled in some manual trade

Question 36

impeccable

Answer 36

adj. flawless

Question 37

surmount

Answer 37

v. to overcome

Question 38

pastoral

Answer 38

adj. relating to country life, esp. of shepherds; rustic

Question 39

superfluous

Answer 39

adj. unnecessary; extra

Question 40

avert

Answer 40

v. to turn away

Question 41

mandate

Answer 41

n. a command; an order

Question 42

proscribe

Answer 42

v. to prohibit or forbid; to denounce

Question 43

consanguinity

Answer 43

n. blood relationship

Question 44

prone

Answer 44

adj. tending or likely to do something; lying face down

Question 45

credible

Answer 45

adj. capable of being believed

Question 46

complicity

Answer 46

n. involvement as an accomplice in a crime or wrongful act

Question 47

kudos

Answer 47

n. glory; fame

Question 48

fruitless

Answer 48

adj. without results; unprofitable

Question 49

paucity

Answer 49

n. smallness of number; scarcity

Question 50

sycophant

Answer 50

n. one who seeks favor by flattering people of wealth or influence

Question 51

tractable

Answer 51

adj. easily managed or controlled

Question 52

holistic

Answer 52

adj. dealing with something as a whole rather than by its individual parts

Question 53

verdant

Answer 53

v. green

Question 54

promulgate

Answer 54

v. to make known by official announcement

Question 55

skeptical

Answer 55

adj. tending to quesiton or doubt

Question 56

forte

Answer 56

n. something at which a person excels

Question 57

harbinger

Answer 57

n. someone or something that indicates what is to come

Question 58

annul

Answer 58

v. to make void or invalid

Question 59

adversity

Answer 59

n. misfortune; trouble

Question 60

castigate

Answer 60

v. to criticize severely, esp. in public

Question 61

oratory

Answer 61

n. public speaking, esp. marked by pompous rhetoric

Question 62

conduit

Answer 62

n. a channel for conducting fluids; a means by which something is transmitted

Question 63

bolster

Answer 63

v. to support or strengthen

Question 64

wont

Answer 64

adj. accustomed

Question 65

recur

Answer 65

v. to repeat; to occur again

Question 66

brook

Answer 66

v. to tolerate

Question 67

consecrate

Answer 67

v. to make or set apart as sacred

Question 68

espouse

Answer 68

v. to give loyalty or support to; to adopt

Question 69

dispose

Answer 69

v. to give a tendency or inclination to

Question 70

modicum

Answer 70

n. a small quantity