Details Title: 250 hardest SAT words Description: Sparknotes 250 most difficult SAT words Total Flash Cards: 250 Created: 10/02/2009 16:21:32		New Users: To study from this flashcard set, or to create your own your own study flash cards, REGISTER HERE. Existing Users: CLICK HERE. Additional General Vocab Flashcards
Cards in this set: Term abjure Definition (v.) to reject, renounce Term abrogate Definition (v.) to abolish, usually by authority Term acerbic Definition (adj.) biting, bitter in tone or taste Term acrimony Definition (n.) bitterness, discord Term acumen Definition (n.) keen insight Term adumbrate Definition (v.) to sketch out in a vague way Term alacrity Definition (n.) eagerness, speed Term anathema Definition (n.) a cursed, detested person Term antipathy Definition (n.) a strong dislike, repugnance Term approbation Definition (n.) praise Term arrogate Definition (v.) to take without justification Term ascetic Definition (adj.) practicing restraint as a means of self-discipline, usually religious Term aspersion Definition (n.) a curse, expression of ill-will Term assiduous Definition (adj.) hard-working, diligent Term blandish Definition (v.) to coax by using flattery Term boon Definition (n.) a gift or blessing Term brusque Definition (adj.) short, abrupt, dismissive Term buffet Definition 1. (v.) to strike with force 2. (n.) an arrangement of food set out on a table Term burnish Definition (v.) to polish, shine Term buttress Definition 1. (v.) to support, hold up 2. (n.) something that offers support Term cacophony Definition (n.) tremendous noise, disharmonious sound Term cajole Definition (v.) to urge, coax Term calumny Definition (n.) an attempt to spoil someone else’s reputation by spreading lies Term capricious Definition (adj.) subject to whim, fickle Term clemency Definition (n.) mercy Term cogent Definition (adj.) intellectually convincing Term concomitant Definition (adj.) accompanying in a subordinate fashion Term conflagration Definition (n.) great fire Term contrite Definition (adj.) penitent, eager to be forgiven Term conundrum Definition (n.) puzzle, problem Term credulity Definition (n.) readiness to believe Term cupidity Definition (n.) greed, strong desire Term cursory Definition (adj.) brief to the point of being superficial Term decry Definition (v.) to criticize openly Term defile Definition (v.) to make unclean, impure Term deleterious Definition (adj.) harmful Term demure Definition (adj.) quiet, modest, reserved Term deprecate Definition (v.) to belittle, depreciate Term deride Definition (v.) to laugh at mockingly, scorn Term desecrate Definition (v.) to violate the sacredness of a thing or place Term desiccated Definition (adj.) dried up, dehydrated Term diaphanous Definition (adj.) light, airy, transparent Term diffident Definition (adj.) shy, quiet, modest Term discursive Definition (adj.) rambling, lacking order Term dissemble Definition (v.) to conceal, fake Term dither Definition (v.) to be indecisive Term ebullient Definition (adj.) extremely lively, enthusiastic Term effrontery Definition (n.) impudence, nerve, insolence Term effulgent Definition (adj.) radiant, splendorous Term egregious Definition (adj.) extremely bad Term enervate Definition (v.) to weaken, exhaust Term ephemeral Definition (adj.) short-lived, fleeting Term eschew Definition (v.) to shun, avoid Term evanescent Definition (adj.) fleeting, momentary Term evince Definition (v.) to show, reveal Term exculpate Definition (v.) to free from guilt or blame, exonerate Term execrable Definition (adj.) loathsome, detestable Term exigent Definition (adj.) urgent, critical Term expiate Definition (v.) to make amends for, atone Term expunge Definition (v.) to obliterate, eradicate Term extant Definition (adj.) existing, not destroyed or lost Term extol Definition (v.) to praise, revere Term fallacious Definition (adj.) incorrect, misleading Term fastidious Definition (adj.) meticulous, demanding, having high and often unattainable standards Term fatuous Definition (adj.) silly, foolish Term fecund Definition (adj.) fruitful, fertile Term feral Definition (adj.) wild, savage Term fetid Definition (adj.) having a foul odor Term florid Definition (adj.) flowery, ornate Term fractious Definition (adj.) troublesome or irritable Term garrulous Definition (adj.) talkative, wordy Term grandiloquence Definition (n.) lofty, pompous language Term gregarious Definition (adj.) drawn to the company of others, sociable Term hackneyed Definition (adj.) unoriginal, trite Term hapless Definition (adj.) unlucky Term harangue Definition 1. (n.) a ranting speech 2. (v.) to give such a speech Term hegemony Definition (n.) domination over others Term iconoclast Definition (n.) one who attacks common beliefs or institutions Term ignominious Definition (adj.) humiliating, disgracing Term impassive Definition (adj.) stoic, not susceptible to suffering Term imperious Definition (adj.) commanding, domineering Term impertinent Definition (adj.) rude, insolent Term impervious Definition (adj.) impenetrable, incapable of being affected Term impetuous Definition (adj.) rash; hastily done Term impinge Definition 1. (v.) to impact, affect, make an impression 2. (v.) to encroach, infringe Term implacable Definition (adj.) incapable of being appeased or mitigated Term impudent Definition (adj.) casually rude, insolent, impertinent Term inchoate Definition (adj.) unformed or formless, in a beginning stage Term incontrovertible Definition (adj.) indisputable Term indefatigable Definition (adj.) incapable of defeat, failure, decay Term ineffable Definition (adj.) unspeakable, incapable of being expressed through words Term inexorable Definition (adj.) incapable of being persuaded or placated Term ingenuous Definition (adj.) not devious; innocent and candid Term inimical Definition (adj.) hostile Term iniquity Definition (n.) wickedness or sin Term insidious Definition (adj.) appealing but imperceptibly harmful, seductive Term intransigent Definition (adj.) refusing to compromise, often on an extreme opinion Term inure Definition (v.) to cause someone or something to become accustomed to a situation Term invective Definition (n.) an angry verbal attack Term inveterate Definition (adj.) stubbornly established by habit Term jubilant Definition (adj.) extremely joyful, happy Term juxtaposition Definition (n.) the act of placing two things side by side for implicit comparison Term laconic Definition (adj.) terse in speech or writing, short-written Term languid Definition (adj.) sluggish from fatigue or weakness Term largess Definition (n.) the generous giving of lavish gifts Term latent Definition (adj.) hidden, but capable of being exposed Term legerdemain Definition (n.) deception, slight-of-hand Term licentious Definition (adj.) displaying a lack of moral or legal restraints Term limpid Definition (adj.) clear, transparent Term maelstrom Definition (n.) a destructive whirlpool which rapidly sucks in objects Term magnanimous Definition (adj.) noble, generous Term malediction Definition (n.) a curse Term malevolent Definition (adj.) wanting harm to befall others Term manifold Definition (adj.) diverse, varied Term maudlin Definition (adj.) weakly sentimental Term mawkish Definition (adj.) characterized by sick sentimentality Term mendacious Definition (adj.) having a lying, false character Term mercurial Definition (adj.) characterized by rapid change or temperament Term modicum Definition (n.) a small amount of something Term morass Definition (n.) a wet swampy bog; figuratively, something that traps and confuses Term multifarious Definition (adj.) having great diversity or variety Term munificence Definition (n.) generosity in giving Term myriad Definition (adj.) consisting of a very great number Term nadir Definition (n.) the lowest point of something Term nascent Definition (adj.) in the process of being born or coming into existence Term nefarious Definition (adj.) heinously villainous Term neophyte Definition (n.) someone who is young or inexperienced Term obdurate Definition (adj.) unyielding to persuasion or moral influences Term obfuscate Definition (v.) to render incomprehensible Term oblique Definition (adj.) diverging from a straight line or course, not straightforward Term obsequious Definition (adj.) excessively compliant or submissive Term obstreperous Definition (adj.) noisy, unruly Term obtuse Definition (adj.) lacking quickness of sensibility or intellect Term odious Definition (adj.) instilling hatred or intense displeasure Term officious Definition (adj.) offering one’s services when they are neither wanted nor needed Term opulent Definition (adj.) characterized by rich abundance verging on ostentation Term ostensible Definition (adj.) appearing as such, seemingly Term palliate Definition (v.) to reduce the severity of Term pallid Definition (adj.) lacking color Term panacea Definition (n.) a remedy for all ills or difficulties Term paragon Definition (n.) a model of excellence or perfection Term pariah Definition (n.) an outcast Term parsimony Definition (n.) frugality, stinginess Term pathos Definition (n.) an emotion of sympathy Term paucity Definition (adj.) small in quantity Term pejorative Definition (adj.) derogatory, uncomplimentary Term pellucid Definition (adj.) easily intelligible, clear Term penurious Definition (adj.) miserly, stingy Term perfidious Definition (adj.) disloyal, unfaithful Term perfunctory Definition (adj.) showing little interest or enthusiasm Term pernicious Definition (adj.) extremely destructive or harmful Term perspicacity Definition (adj.) shrewdness, perceptiveness Term pertinacious Definition (adj.) stubbornly persistent Term petulance Definition (n.) rudeness, irritability Term pithy Definition (adj.) concisely meaningful Term platitude Definition (n.) an uninspired remark, cliché Term plethora Definition (n.) an abundance, excess Term polemic Definition (n.) an aggressive argument against a specific opinion Term portent Definition (n.) an omen Term precocious Definition (adj.) advanced, developing ahead of time Term prescient Definition (adj.) to have foreknowledge of events Term primeval Definition (adj.) original, ancient Term probity Definition (n.) virtue, integrity Term proclivity Definition (n.) a strong inclination toward something Term promulgate Definition (v.) to proclaim, make known Term propensity Definition (n.) an inclination, preference Term propitious Definition (adj.) favorable Term prosaic Definition (adj.) plain, lacking liveliness Term proscribe Definition (v.) to condemn, outlaw Term protean Definition (adj.) able to change shape; displaying great variety Term prurient Definition (adj.) eliciting or possessing an extraordinary interest in sex Term puerile Definition (adj.) juvenile, immature Term pugnacious Definition (adj.) quarrelsome, combative Term pulchritude Definition (n.) physical beauty Term punctilious Definition (adj.) eager to follow rules or conventions Term quagmire Definition (n.) a difficult situation Term querulous Definition (adj.) whiny, complaining Term quixotic Definition (adj.) idealistic, impractical Term rancor Definition (n.) deep, bitter resentment Term rebuke Definition (v.) to scold, criticize Term recalcitrant Definition (adj.) defiant, unapologetic Term rectitude Definition (n.) uprightness, extreme morality Term replete Definition (adj.) full, abundant Term reprobate Definition (adj.) evil, unprincipled Term reprove Definition (v.) to scold, rebuke Term repudiate Definition (v.) to reject, refuse to accept Term rescind Definition (v.) to take back, repeal Term restive Definition (adj.) resistant, stubborn, impatient Term ribald Definition (adj.) coarsely, crudely humorous Term rife Definition (adj.) abundant Term ruse Definition (n.) a trick Term sacrosanct Definition (adj.) holy, something that should not be criticized Term sagacity Definition (n.) shrewdness, soundness of perspective Term salient Definition (adj.) significant, conspicuous Term sanctimonious Definition (adj.) giving a hypocritical appearance of piety Term sanguine Definition (adj.) optimistic, cheery Term scurrilous Definition (adj.) vulgar, coarse Term serendipity Definition (n.) luck, finding good things without looking for them Term servile Definition (adj.) subservient Term solicitous Definition (adj.) concerned, attentive Term solipsistic Definition (adj.) believing that oneself is all that exists Term somnolent Definition (adj.) sleepy, drowsy Term spurious Definition (adj.) false but designed to seem plausible Term staid Definition (adj.) sedate, serious, self-restrained Term stolid Definition (adj.) expressing little sensibility, unemotional Term stupefy Definition (v.) to astonish, make insensible Term surfeit Definition (n.) an overabundant supply or indulgence Term surmise Definition (v.) to infer with little evidence Term surreptitious Definition (adj.) stealthy Term sycophant Definition (n.) one who flatters for self-gain Term tacit Definition (adj.) expressed without words Term taciturn Definition (adj.) not inclined to talk Term tantamount Definition (adj.) equivalent in value or significance Term temerity Definition (n.) audacity, recklessness Term tenuous Definition (adj.) having little substance or strength Term timorous Definition (adj.) timid, fearful Term torpid Definition (adj.) lethargic, dormant, lacking motion Term tractable Definition (adj.) easily controlled Term transient Definition (adj.) passing through briefly; passing into and out of existence Term transmute Definition (v.) to change or alter in form Term trenchant Definition (adj.) effective, articulate, clear-cut Term truculent Definition (adj.) ready to fight, cruel Term turgid Definition (adj.) swollen, excessively embellished in style or language Term turpitude Definition (n.) depravity, moral corruption Term ubiquitous Definition (adj.) existing everywhere, widespread Term umbrage Definition (n.) resentment, offense Term unctuous Definition (adj.) smooth or greasy in texture, appearance, manner Term undulate Definition (v.) to move in waves Term upbraid Definition (v.) to criticize or scold severely Term usurp Definition (v.) to seize by force, take possession of without right Term vacillate Definition (v.) to fluctuate, hesitate Term vacuous Definition (adj.) lack of content or ideas, stupid Term vapid Definition (adj.) lacking liveliness, dull Term variegated Definition (adj.) diversified, distinctly marked Term venerate Definition (v.) to regard with respect or to honor Term veracity Definition (n.) truthfulness, accuracy Term verdant Definition (adj.) green in tint or color Term vex Definition (v.) to confuse or annoy Term vicarious Definition (adj.) experiencing through another Term vicissitude Definition (n.) event that occurs by chance Term vilify Definition (v.) to lower in importance, defame Term viscous Definition (adj.) not free flowing, syrupy Term vitriolic Definition (adj.) having a caustic quality Term vituperate Definition (v.) to berate Term wanton Definition (adj.) undisciplined, lewd, lustful Term winsome Definition (adj.) charming, pleasing Term wistful Definition (adj.) full of yearning; musingly sad Term wizened Definition (adj.) dry, shrunken, wrinkled Term zenith Definition (n.) the highest point, culminating point Term zephyr Definition (n.) a gentle breeze