SSAT UL Vocabulary List 4

Question 1

banal (adj.)

Answer 1

repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

negative

Question 2

parsimonious

Answer 2

excessively unwilling to spend

Question 3

feisty

Answer 3

showing spirit and courage

Question 4

mirage

Answer 4

optical illusion in which hot air distorts distant object

Question 5

erratic

Answer 5

liable to sudden unpredictable change

Question 6

paltry

Answer 6

contemptibly small in amount or size

negative

Question 7

wily

Answer 7

marked by skill in deception

Question 8

brittle

Answer 8

having little elasticity

Question 9

ravenous

Answer 9

extremely hungry

Question 10

adamant

Answer 10

very hard native crystalline carbon valued as a gem

Question 11

barrage

Answer 11

the heavy fire of artillery to saturate an area

Question 12

malodorous

Answer 12

having an unpleasant smell

Question 13

superfluous

Answer 13

more than is needed, desired, or required

Question 14

conundrum

Answer 14

a difficult problem

Question 15

innate

Answer 15

present at birth but not necessarily hereditary

Question 16

sully

Answer 16

make dirty or spotty

Question 17

astute

Answer 17

marked by practical hardheaded intelligence

Question 18

aggrandize

Answer 18

embellish; increase the scope, power, or importance of

Question 19

pungent

Answer 19

strong and sharp to the sense of taste or smell

Question 20

ignoble

Answer 20

dishonorable in character or purpose

Question 21

permeate

Answer 21

spread or diffuse through

Question 22

esoteric

Answer 22

understandable only by an enlightened inner circle

Question 23

replete

Answer 23

filled to satisfaction with food or drink

Question 24

placate

Answer 24

cause to be more favorably inclined

Question 25

auspicious

Answer 25

indicating favorable circumstances and good luck

Question 26

rambunctious

Answer 26

noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline

Question 27

arid

Answer 27

lacking sufficient water or rainfall

Question 28

quandary

Answer 28

state of uncertainty in a choice between unfavorable options

Question 29

virtuoso

Answer 29

someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field

Question 30

virulent

Answer 30

extremely poisonous or injurious; producing venom

Question 31

voluble

Answer 31

marked by a ready flow of speech

Question 32

whimsical

Answer 32

determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity

Question 33

willful

Answer 33

deliberate, stubborn negative

Question 34

zealot

Answer 34

a fervent and even militant proponent of something

Question 35

usurp

Answer 35

seize and take control without authority

Question 36

venerate

Answer 36

regard with feelings of respect and reverence

Question 37

verbose

Answer 37

using or containing too many words

Question 38

viable

Answer 38

capable of life or normal growth and development

Question 39

elegy

Answer 39

a mournful poem; a lament for the dead

Question 40

thwart

Answer 40

hinder or prevent, as an effort, plan, or desire

Question 41

glib

Answer 41

artfully persuasive in speech

Question 42

apartheid

Answer 42

a social policy of racial segregation

Question 43

pathos

Answer 43

a quality that arouses emotions, especially pity or sorrow

Question 44

parity

Answer 44

functional equality

Question 45

disparate

Answer 45

fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind

Question 46

disparity

Answer 46

inequality or difference in some respect

Question 47

dissuade

Answer 47

turn away from by persuasion

Question 48

dissipate

Answer 48

cause to separate and go in different directions

Question 49

deign

Answer 49

do something that one considers to be below one's dignity

Question 50

trifle

Answer 50

a detail that is considered insignificant

Question 51

repugnant

Answer 51

offensive to the mind

Question 52

mollify

Answer 52

cause to be more favorably inclined

Question 53

incision

Answer 53

the cutting of or into body tissues or organs

Question 54

meager

Answer 54

deficient in amount or quality or extent

Question 55

timid

Answer 55

showing fear and lack of courage

Question 56

iconoclast

Answer 56

someone who attacks cherished ideas or institutions

Question 57

buttress

Answer 57

a support usually of stone or brick

Question 58

indiscriminate

Answer 58

failing to make or recognize distinctions

Question 59

misanthrope

Answer 59

someone who dislikes people in general

Question 60

paradigm

Answer 60

a standard or typical example

Question 61

preclude

Answer 61

make impossible, especially beforehand

Question 62

receptive

Answer 62

able to absorb liquid (not repellent)

Question 63

occlude

Answer 63

block passage through

Question 64

seclusion

Answer 64

the act of isolating oneself from others

Question 65

aberrant

Answer 65

markedly different from an accepted norm

Question 66

cacophonous

Answer 66

having an unpleasant sound

Question 67

curtail

Answer 67

terminate or abbreviate before its intended or proper end

Question 68

dispel

Answer 68

cause to separate and go in different directions