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PSAT
VOCAB- Set 1
142
English
Not Applicable
09/22/2005

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Term
abrogate
Definition
to abolish, repeal, or nullify
Term
abstruse
Definition
difficult to understand
Term
abysmal
Definition
extremely hopeless or wretched;bottomless
Term
accolade
Definition
an award or honor
Term
acerbic
Definition
bitter, sour, severe
Term
acumen
Definition
keeness or judgment;mental sharpness
Term
affable
Definition
easy to talk to;friendly
Term
affable
Definition
easy to talk to;friendly
Term
afford
Definition
to permit or allow;to enable
Term
aggregate
Definition
collection of things mixed together; the sum total
Term
allocate
Definition
to distribute, assign, or allot
Term
aloof
Definition
standoffish, uninvolved, keeping one's distance
Term
ameliorate
Definition
to make better or more tolerable
Term
anachronistic
Definition
out of place in time or history
Term
anathema
Definition
something or someone loathed or detested
Term
ancillary
Definition
subordinate; providing assistance
Term
annul
Definition
to make void; usually refers to marriage
Term
anomaly
Definition
an abberation, deviation, or irregularity
Term
anthropology
Definition
the study of human cultures
Term
antithetical
Definition
in opposition, contrary to
Term
apostate
Definition
one who deserts his or her professed principles or faith
Term
apotheosis
Definition
elevation to divine status; the perfect example of something
Term
appropriate
Definition
to take without permission; to set aside for a particular use
Term
archetype
Definition
an original model or pattern
Term
ardent
Definition
passionate
Term
arsenal
Definition
a storehouse of weapons
Term
ascertain
Definition
to determine with certainity; to find out definitely
Term
ascetic
Definition
hermitlike; practicing self-denial
Term
assiduous
Definition
hardworking, diligent, busy
Term
assuage
Definition
to soothe, pacify, or relieve
Term
attrition
Definition
gradual wearing away; a natural or expected decrease in size or number
Term
augury
Definition
an omen, especially a good omen
Term
auspices
Definition
protection, support; sponsorship
Term
avarice
Definition
greed
Term
avuncular
Definition
kind, helpful, generous; like a nice uncle
Term
barometer
Definition
an instrument that measures atmospheric pressure
Term
beguile
Definition
to delude by guile or craft; to mislead, divert
Term
behest
Definition
a command or order
Term
beleaguer
Definition
to surround, beseige, or harass
Term
belie
Definition
to give a false impression; to contradict
Term
bellicose
Definition
warlike, belligerent
Term
bequest
Definition
something left to someone in a will
Term
blithe
Definition
carefree, cheerful
Term
broach
Definition
to open up a subject, often a delicate one, for discussion
Term
brusque
Definition
rough and short in manner, blunt, abrupt
Term
burgeon
Definition
to expand; to flourish
Term
buttress
Definition
a support for a building or structure; to support
Term
cabal
Definition
a group of conspirators; the acts of such a group; a clique
Term
cajole
Definition
to persuade with flattery or gentle urging
Term
calipers
Definition
a pinching instrument used for determining the thickness of objects or the distance between surfaces
Term
candor
Definition
sincerity, honesty
Term
desalinate
Definition
to remove salt from something
Term
desiccate
Definition
to dry out
Term
diplomatic
Definition
tactful; good at negotiating
Term
discomfit
Definition
to frustrate, to confuse
Term
dither
Definition
to vacillate between choices; to tremble with excitement
Term
diurnal
Definition
occurring every day; occurring during the daytime
Term
divisive
Definition
creating conflict and disagreement
Term
draconian
Definition
severe, harsh, cruel
Term
ebullient
Definition
bubbling with excitement, exuberant
Term
eclectic
Definition
drawn from many sources
Term
effigy
Definition
a likeness of a person, usually one used to express hatred for that person
Term
egregious
Definition
extremely bad, flagrant
Term
elliptical
Definition
oval;missing a word or words; obscure
Term
endemic
Definition
native, restricted to a particular region or area, indigenous
Term
ephemeral
Definition
lasting a very short time
Term
equine
Definition
relating to horses, horselike
Term
equivocal
Definition
ambiguous, intentionally confusing, capable of being interpreted many ways
Term
ersatz
Definition
serving as a substitute; synthetic, artificial
Term
ethereal
Definition
heavenly, light, insubstantial
Term
etymology
Definition
the study of words and their meanings
Term
euphonious
Definition
pleasant-sounding, opposite of cacophonous; melodious
Term
evanescent
Definition
fleeting, vanishing, happening only for the briefest period
Term
evince
Definition
to demonstrate convincingly; to prove
Term
execrate
Definition
to curse, denounce
Term
exhume
Definition
to unbury; to dig out of the ground
Term
exonerate
Definition
to free completely from blame
Term
expeditious
Definition
prompt, speedy; to expedite
Term
expiate
Definition
to make amends, to atone
Term
expunge
Definition
to erase, obliterate, to blot out
Term
facile
Definition
fluent, skillful in a superficial way
Term
fecund
Definition
fertile, productive
Term
fervent
Definition
having intense feeling, enthusiastic; fervid
Term
feign
Definition
to pretend; to make a false representation of something
Term
flaccid
Definition
soft and limp
Term
florid
Definition
very fancy, usually refers to intangible objects, i.e., florid speech
Term
flout
Definition
to disregard something or someone out of disrespect
Term
ford
Definition
the shallow part of a river; to cross a river at the shallow part
Term
forensics
Definition
the art or study of argumentation and formal debate
Term
fortuitous
Definition
accidental, occurring by chance
Term
fracas
Definition
a big fight
Term
furrow
Definition
a narrow groove made in the ground; to make wrinkles in the face
Term
gaffe
Definition
a social blunder, an embarrassing mistake, a faux pas
Term
galvanize
Definition
to startle into sudden activity; to revitalize
Term
gastronomy
Definition
the art of eating well
Term
germane
Definition
relevant, applicable, pertinent
Term
glower
Definition
to look or stare with sullen dislike or anger
Term
goldbrick
Definition
to swindle, to sell something worthless as if it were valuable; a swindle
Term
grandiloquent
Definition
using a lot of big, fancy words to sound impressive
Term
gratuitous
Definition
given freely; uncalled for unjustified; unprovoked
Term
glut
Definition
surplus, overabundance
Term
hackneyed
Definition
overused, trite, stale
Term
halcyon
Definition
peaceful, serene; carefree
Term
harbinger
Definition
a forerunmer, a signal of
Term
hedonism
Definition
the pursuit of pleasure as a way of life
Term
hegemony
Definition
leadership, especially of one nation over another
Term
hermetic
Definition
airtight, impervious to external influence
Term
homily
Definition
a sermon
Term
hubris
Definition
excessive pride
Term
humanist
Definition
one who has great concern for human welfare, values, and dignity; a student of the classics
Term
hybrid
Definition
formed, bred, or composed from different elements
Term
hypodermic
Definition
beneath the skin
Term
idiosyncratic
Definition
quirky, peculiar, eccentric
Term
ignominy
Definition
shame, disrepute, disgrace
Term
importune
Definition
to beg, urge, or insist persistently
Term
inane
Definition
silly, senseless
Term
incantation
Definition
a chant
Term
incarnate
Definition
in the flesh
Term
incensed
Definition
very angry
Term
inchoate
Definition
incomplete; only partially formed
Term
indignant
Definition
angry or insulted, especially as a result of something unjust or unworthy
Term
indolent
Definition
avverse to activity;habitually lazy
Term
ineffable
Definition
incapable of being expressed or described
Term
inexorable
Definition
relentless, ineviatable, unavoidable
Term
inoculate
Definition
to protect against disease
Term
insouciant
Definition
nonchalant, lighthearted,carefree
Term
irascible
Definition
easily angered or provoked; irritable
Term
jaunt
Definition
a short pleasure trip
Term
jejune
Definition
lacking maturity or significance; irrelevant
Term
jettison
Definition
to throw or cast off
Term
jingoist
Definition
an excessively vigilant patriot; a bellicose chauvinist; a war-mongering nationalist
Term
jurisprudence
Definition
the study of law
Term
karma
Definition
consequences of one's actions;fate, destiny
Term
kudos
Definition
honor, glory, acclain, compliment
Term
lambaste
Definition
to assault violently with words
Term
lament
Definition
to mourn
Term
laudatory
Definition
praising
Term
lax
Definition
not strict; careless or negligent
Term
lexicon
Definition
a glossary or dictionary
Term
limpid
Definition
transparent, clear, lucid
Term
liniment
Definition
a medicinal liquid or salve for rubbing on the skin
Term
liquidate
Definition
to get rid of; to settle a debt
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